Despite intensive research, the causes of the obesity epidemic remain incompletely understood and conventional calorie-restricted diets continue to lack long-term efficacy. According to the carbohydrate-insulin model (CIM) of obesity, recent increases in the consumption of processed, high–glycemic-load carbohydrates produce hormonal changes that promote calorie deposition in adipose tissue, exacerbate hunger, and lower energy expenditure. Basic and genetic research provides mechanistic evidence in support of the CIM. In animals, dietary composition has been clearly demonstrated to affect metabolism and body composition, independently of calorie intake, consistent with CIM predictions. Meta-analyses of behavioral trials report greater weight loss with reduced-glycemic load vs low-fat diets, though these studies characteristically suffer from poor long-term compliance. Feeding studies have lacked the rigor and duration to test the CIM, but the longest such studies tend to show metabolic advantages for low-glycemic load vs low-fat diets. Beyond the type and amount of carbohydrate consumed, the CIM provides a conceptual framework for understanding how many dietary and nondietary exposures might alter hormones, metabolism, and adipocyte biology in ways that could predispose to obesity. Pending definitive studies, the principles of a low-glycemic load diet offer a practical alternative to the conventional focus on dietary fat and calorie restriction.
[Sorry to keep reposting this, I've had to move communities 3 times in the last month, it makes linking references a chore]
The book "The Obesity Code" is basically a series of meta studies to demonstrate this fact: insulin is the entire cause of obesity. The book explores all the things that elevate and moderate blood insulin levels. Highly recommend.
The Obesity Code is an excellent book. I also found Dr Fung's other "code" books excellent: the Cancer Code and the Diabetes Code. I particularly found the fact that cancer cells are only able to make ATP via glycolysis interesting, because it implies that what we eat also affects how likely we are to have cancer.