There is a lot of inappropriate information out there in the field of nutrition and health, and even professionals working in the health industry seem to be constantly contradicting each other. On the POPSCI website, I wrote an article "8 Ridiculous Nutrition Myths" about "misunderstandings" about eating too many calories, too much protein, low-fat diets, low-sodium diets, saturated fats, coffee, eggs and low-carbohydrate diets. Let us defeat them one by one!
1. The calories of carbohydrates, fats and proteins all have the same impact on body weight.
The type of food we eat is very important. Each food may not have the same impact on weight. Here are three examples:
1. Fructose and glucose
Compared with the same amount of glucose, fructose is more likely to promote hunger, increase abdominal obesity and insulin resistance.
2. Protein
Compared with fat and carbohydrates, protein can increase metabolic rate and reduce hunger.
3. Medium and long chain fatty acids
Compared with long-chain fatty acids, medium-chain fatty acids (such as coconut oil) increase metabolism and reduce hunger.
The key point is: different foods have different effects on the body, hunger and hormones.
2. Eating too much protein is not good for your health.
Some people believe that a high-protein diet can harm your kidneys and lead to osteoporosis. It's true, eating protein will cause you to excrete more calcium in the short term. However, long-term studies have shown that protein intake is associated with improved bone health and reduced fracture risk. The study found no association with kidney disease.
The two most important risk factors for kidney failure are "diabetes" and "hypertension." Eating enough protein can help improve both of these conditions and should reduce the risk of kidney disease later in life. Unless you have a medical condition, there is no reason to worryConsuming too much protein.
The point is: a high-protein diet may prevent fractures and reduce kidney failure, two of the most important risk factors.
3. The healthiest diet is a balanced "low-fat" diet.
Low-fat guidelines were first published in 1977, around the time the obesity epidemic began. But this diet has never been proven to be effective.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) decided to test the diet and sponsored the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), the largest randomized controlled trial of the diet in history. In this study, tens of thousands of women were either on a low-fat diet or on a standard Western diet.
After seven and a half years, the research results are very clear:
1. Low-fat diets do not prevent weight gain. After seven and a half years, the low-fat diet group weighed only 0.4 kilograms less than the control group.
2. A low-fat diet does not prevent heart disease. After 7 and a half years, there was no significant difference between the experimental group and the control group.
3. Low-fat diet is useless!
The point is: There is no evidence that a low-fat diet leads to better outcomes. And experimental results confirm that low-fat diet is completely ineffective.
4. Everyone should reduce their sodium intake.
Sodium is an important electrolyte. The cells of the body need to maintain the sodium content within a very narrow range, otherwise we will die. For a long time, sodium has been thought to raise blood pressure and therefore increase the risk of disease. It is true that sodium can slightly raise blood pressure in the short term.
Then, some people suggested that low sodium could improve conditions that are unlikely to occur, such as heart attacks. The research results don't support this idea. Randomized controlled trials of sodium restriction have shown no impact on cardiovascular disease or death.
Studies have also shown that restricting sodium intake may increase the levels of triglycerides (commonly known as "blood fats") and cholesterol. Unless you have elevated blood pressure, there's no reason not to add salt to your foods to make them more palatable.
The point is this: sodium restriction has been tested and there is no evidence or finding that it leads to better outcomes for people.
5. Saturated fat raises bad cholesterol and causes heart disease.
This misunderstanding is still alive today. This idea comesSince some flawed observational studies in the 1960s and 1970s. Since then, many studies have been re-examined and found:
1. Literally, there is no link between saturated fat intake and cardiovascular disease.
2. Saturated fat raises HDL (good) cholesterol and changes LDL from small and dense (bad) to large LDL (good).
3. There is no reason to avoid natural foods rich in saturated fat, such as meat, coconut oil and butter, which are all healthy foods.
Here’s the kicker: Despite decades of fat-fighting propaganda, saturated fat has never been proven to cause heart disease.
6. Coffee is not good for your health.
It is a fact that after taking coffee, the active stimulating substances in coffee will slightly increase blood pressure in the short term. Despite these minor adverse effects, long-term observational studies indicate that coffee may reduce the risk of a variety of diseases.
1. Improve brain function.
2. Helps burn more fat.
3. Reduces the risk of diabetes, by as much as 67% in some studies.
4. Reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease.
5. Protect your liver from cirrhosis and cancer.
Coffee is also rich in antioxidants. In fact, it is the largest source of antioxidants in the Western diet, ranking higher than fruits and vegetables.
Here’s the kicker: Although coffee may mildly raise blood pressure, observational studies suggest it may reduce the risk of many serious diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and type 2 diabetes.
7. Eggs are rich in cholesterol, which can cause heart disease.
Eggs contain large amounts of cholesterol, but dietary cholesterol does not necessarily raise blood cholesterol, and eggs have never been proven to be harmful. Eggs are the most nutritious and healthy food. They contain vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Studies have shown that consuming eggs can actually improve blood lipids.
It raises HDL (good) cholesterol and changes LDL from small and dense (bad) to large LDL (good). Observational studies show no link between eggs and heart disease. Additionally, some studies suggest that eating eggs may help you lose weight rather than eating bagels for breakfast.
The point is: eggs areOne of the healthiest and most nutritious foods you can eat, eggs are not linked to cardiovascular disease.
8. Low-carb diets are ineffective or dangerous.
Low-carb diets have been considered dangerous because they contain high amounts of saturated fat. For this reason, they have been thought to increase the risk of heart disease or other chronic diseases. However, since 2002, 20 randomized trials have been conducted comparing low-carbohydrate diets with low-fat diets.
In these studies, low-carb
1. Compared with low-fat diet, it brings more significant weight loss effect.
2. Significantly reduce triglycerides (a very important risk factor for heart disease.)
3. Increase RDL (good) cholesterol.
4. Improve blood sugar and insulin levels, especially for diabetic patients.
5. Changing LDL from small and dense (bad) to large LDL (good) should reduce the risk of heart disease.
6. Significantly lower blood pressure.
Low-carb diets are easier to follow and safer, with no evidence of adverse effects. It is undoubtedly a better choice than the low-fat diet (calorie-restricted diet) that many mainstream institutions still promote and have no evidence that it is effective.