The Carb-Sane Asylum

There is sooooo much going on in the IHC these days that it's overwhelming at times deciding what to spend my time blogging on.  I've decided to weigh in on Breadgate 2014 to kick things off.   If you follow me on social media, you are no doubt aware that Julian Bakery, which now also conducts business under the name Paleo Inc.,  was served with a warning letter from the FDA, available here .    For the record, here is Julian Bakery's response to the FDA. IMPORTANT NOTE:  Nothing in this blog post is intended to be in support of either side of the "Low Carb Consumer" vs. Heath Squier/Julian Bakery/Paleo Inc. debate.   I will link to both sides whenever I have ready access to those links, though I suspect this will turn out to be rather long and I might not be as thorough.  As always, the comments section is open here for anyone who wishes to provide more regarding their side to the story.   I may offer my opinion from time to ti...

Inulin and Oligofructose: What Are They? An excellent review article covering the nutritional and prebiotic (promotes growth of good bacteria in large intestine) properties of these two fibers.

Came across this so just putting it out there.  It's a meta study of 7 clinical trials in which fiber was studied or reported.  In 6 of 7 CRP was reduced.  One study involving just psyllium showed no effect. The effects of dietary fibre on C-reactive protein, an inflammation marker predicting cardiovascular disease Conclusions: In the presence of weight loss and modified saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat intakes, significantly lower CRP concentrations (25–54%) are seen with increased fibre consumption 3.3 g/MJ). Mechanisms are inconclusive but may involve the effect of DF on weight loss, and/or changes in the secretion, turnover or metabolism of insulin, glucose, adiponectin, interleukin-6, free fatty acids and triglycerides. Clinical studies of high- and low-fibre diets are needed to explore the potential favourable effects as observed epidemiologically, and to understand individual susceptibility to its anti-inflammatory effect and long-term cardiova...