Low carbohydrate diets and low glycemic index diets are better. Low fat, high carb diets are better. Looking at the research it’s easy to find somebody who supports your view. Scanning through weight and diet articles a Science Daily I came across one titled Bad Carbs’ Not The Enemy, Professor Finds, in which University of Virginia professor Glenn Gaesser says of claims that high glycemic index food are bad for you, “that’s just nonsense.”

After his review of literature on the subject he concludes that, “people who consume high-carb diets tend to be slimmer, and often healthier, than people who consume low-carb diets.” Even high-glycemic foods have a place in the diet, he said, attributing that to the overall higher quality of a high-carb diet, which includes more fiber-rich and other nutritional foods. That sounds great.

Is the question of carbs answered, then? Well not exactly. On the same page, Science daily has links to related articles that tell a different story. One is Killer Carbs: Scientist Finds Key To Overeating As We Age. Another is High Carb Diet Linked to Prostate Tumor Growth, and yet another Fast-Acting Carbs May Hasten Vision Loss Over Time tell a different story.

Not actually stated in the article but a reasonable assumption is that, Professor Gaesser’s beneficial diet high in fiber and other “nutritional foods” means fruits and vegetables. But another reasonable assumption is that as he has previously published a book titled It’s the Calories, Not the Carbs he has a bias on the issue. What’s a poor fellow to believe?

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