Is it true that eating fat makes us fat? It just could, according to a recent story in The New York Times. With a strong emphasis on the word “might.”

Which foods make us fat, according to the New York Times?

Higher carbohydrate and sugar consumption did not provide the same results.

Is this the end of the discussion over what causes us to gain weight? Is this evidence that Gary Taubes and the other low-carb pioneers were wrong?

Obviously not. To begin with, this was mouse research. So, if you have a pet mouse, you need to pay close attention if you want the answer to eating fat.

The more pressing issue is whether or whether this experiment applies to people. Certainly not, in my opinion.

Here’s what they discovered. Mice who consumed a greater proportion of fat calories consumed more calorie intake and gained weight. Stated, the mice found the fat so pleasant that they consumed more calories than the other mice, and they even boosted their incentive pathways to match the pleasure.

This is the essence of the issue. Humans, on the other hand, do the exact opposite. That’s correct. It’s the polar opposite. Low-carb, high-fat individuals lost more weight than low-fat subjects, according to an analysis of 23 randomized studies, while low-carb, high-fat subjects also reported less hunger and ate smaller portions than low-fat subjects.

What about the upregulation of the reward centers?

That occurs in people in reaction to sugar, not fat. The results of the mice research were, once again, the polar opposite.

As a result, the most important takeaway from this research should be a warning tale against extrapolating human behavior from a mouse study. This is particularly true when human studies have previously shown the opposite impact. Sugar lights up the reward centers like a Christmas tree, and low-carb diets help us eat very little and lose more weight. We don’t need research on mice to tell us this.

Science has repeatedly disproved the notion that consuming fat causes you to gain weight. Unfortunately, many individuals still think that fat intake is the cause of obesity.

From a calorie standpoint, it seems logical to believe that dietary fat will promote weight gain since it provides nine calories per gram compared to four calories in protein and carbohydrates.

So, if you are eating fat less, won’t you lose weight?

Certainly not. This hypothesis alone of eating fat less is a major contributor to the obesity pandemic.

Your metabolism is considerably more complex, and a huge network of creatures that use food to regulate each activity juggles hundreds of tasks.

Knowing that nutrition is more than a simple calculation of calories in vs. calories out is a move towards that healthier, more nutritionally aware populace.

An avocado with macadamia nuts could have the same number of calories as a doughnut from your neighborhood bakery. Even yet, the way your body utilizes those calories is a night and day difference. When compared to vegetable oils, the same quantity of lipids from an effective energy source like MCT oil may dramatically boost your energy levels.

We’ll cover the following topics in this article:

• The Origins of the “Fat Makes You Fat” Ideology
• The Science of Fat Eating How Eating Fat Aids Calorie Burning
• Why Do We Get Fat in the First Place?
• How to Boost Your Metabolism with a High-Fat Diet

The Origins of the “Fat Makes You Fat” Theory

The notion that consuming fat causes you to gain weight dates back to the 1950s when a doctor called Ancel Benjamin Keys published major research claiming that excessive fat intake led to the cardiovascular disease pandemic of the time.

Since then, Americans have been conditioned to think that fat causes heart disease, blocked arteries, and obesity.

Americans began to shun items high in fat, such as cheese, beef, butter, nuts, or even avocados. As a result, the restaurant industry would have to start thinking of new methods to make food taste delicious while keeping the fat level low.

To improve the palatability of food, manufacturers started substituting sugar components for fat. This was the start of the low-fat, high-carbohydrate eating trend.

Now is the time to shop

Many items were labeled as “low-fat,” but when you read the nutrition label, you’ll see that they’ve been replaced with dangerously high amounts of sugar.

But now that we know that fat, when eaten from healthy sources, is good for you, it’s time for us as a society to take the necessary measures to improve our diets.

A High-Fat Diet’s Scientific Basis

Food has an impact on gene expression in your body, which may either cause or prevent illness. This implies that food has the ability to switch on your illness gene or your health gene. It tells your genes whether to retain fat in the body or burn it for energy.

Your hormonal, brain chemistry, gut microbiota, and immune system are all influenced by the food you consume.

According to research, the food we eat daily has a major impact on the microbiome and the burden of disease [*].

So, if it isn’t fat, what makes us fat?

When it starts to gain weight, glucose is the most significant element. When you acquire body fat, the body produces more leptin, a hormone that tells you to stop putting on weight.

It is a survival mechanism since an obese person or animal unable to move effectively would not survive.

Leptin & insulin are chemicals that are opposed. The one instructs the body to accumulate fat, while the other instructs it to stop.

When we consume too much fructose (sugar), we develop insulin resistance and have persistently elevated insulin levels, which promotes the production of more leptin. As a result, your body develops insulin resistance, which is typical in fat individuals.

Leptin sensitivity is seen in healthy body weight, whereas leptin resistance is found in obese people[*].

Our bodies can only burn two types of fuel for energy: sugar (carbohydrates) and fat.

When you consume too much protein or carbs, your liver releases insulin, which signals your body to start to burn sugar instead of keeping it as fat and glycogen.

Isn’t that to say that fat fills you up? Not in the least.

Leptin levels rise in tandem with fat mass. Because lean, healthy individuals are leptin-sensitive, they would quit eating to lose weight.

If you mainly utilize fat as energy sans carbs, your body will increase its metabolism to burned off the excess calories when you consume more fat calories.

When an overweight person eats fat, what happens?

Obese and leptin-resistant people may not have the same metabolic benefit as those who are already lean.

Insulin does not rise due to eating excess fat as an obese patient, but the extra dietary fat will go straight into your fat reserves.

Your body raises leptin blood levels, but your body doesn’t seem to mind. Because it is resistant to leptin’s effects, your metabolism does not increase, your hunger does not decrease, and you do not enjoy the same weight reduction advantages as someone already slim.

However, this does not imply that carbs should be an obese person’s first choice.

Instead, concentrating on limiting your carbohydrate consumption and relying on fats as your primary energy source will prepare your body to reap the same health advantages as individuals who are already thin.

Ketosis is another name for this. You’ll notice controlled insulin and leptin hormone functioning, reduced hunger, and quicker weight reduction if your body prefers fat over carbohydrate (glucose) as a fuel source.

Obese individuals may start burning food and body fat for energy instead of storing it by following a ketogenic diet.

Eating fat aids in the burning of calories.

The research also discovered that consuming extra fat shuts off the hunger hormone in your brain. Overall, the researchers found that consuming good dietary fats rather than carbs helps people lose weight[*].

Fat is required for the body to function correctly. It’s a necessary macronutrient for the formation of cell membranes and the protective barriers that surround us. We desire calories in refined carbs and sugar when we don’t consume fat, which is related to weight growth and obesity.

Another research compared a low-fat diet to a high-carbohydrate diet over a 12-month period in human volunteers.

The high-fat diet produced the following effects over the course of a year:

• Triglyceride readings are better.
• HDL cholesterol levels have improved.
• Fat mass reductions are more pronounced.

Why Do We Put On Weight?

Insulin is the primary cause of weight gain. Processed carbohydrates like bread and sugar increase your insulin levels when your body can’t digest insulin properly.

Insulin then transports the fat-soluble fuel from your circulation to your fat cells. Hence, it makes your brain want to eat more and more.

Furthermore, when you attempt to lose weight by eating a calorie deficit or exercising more often, your body becomes famine mode. This makes you fatigued, lowers your metabolism, and increases your appetite.

Adaptive thermogenesis[*] is the scientific name for the starving mode, a normal physiological reaction.

It’s why the “eat very little and exercise more” strategy is ineffective.

Why Much More Carb Could Be the Root of the Problem

Carbohydrates are often regarded as one of the most addicting dietary categories. Sugar consumption activates the very same incentive regions as cocaine use.

To make things worse, sugar is included in the bulk of packaged meals available. Excess sugar may be found in everyday meals such as cereal, sports drinks, or salad dressing.

Sugar, unlike good fats, does not make you feel full or boost your metabolism.

Instead, it will temporarily increase your insulin levels, making you ravenous two hours after a sugary meal. This results in extra body fat and, in more severe instances, diabetes.

Sugar consumption should be limited to 30 grams or fewer per day, according to WHOC. At about the same amount may be found in one cup of fruit juice.

Your insulin will be weakened if you consume too many carbs. This is the primary reason the body stores extra carbohydrates as fat instead of energy.

Increase Your Metabolism by Eating a High-Fat Diet

Several studies have shown that individuals who follow a low carb, high-fat diet have a significantly quicker metabolism than those who follow a low carb, high carbohydrate diet.

According to one research, those who ate a higher fat diet had a quicker metabolism. On the other hand, the high carbohydrate groups had persistent blood sugar spikes, which contributed to a slower metabolism[*].

Another human trial contrasted a high-fat, reduced diet to a low-fat, high-carb diet in a “restricted diet plan” in which the researchers supplied all of the meals.

The findings showed that the maximum subgroup had higher metabolic benefits once again.

The same researchers conducted a crossover experiment. This is when the same people are used to evaluate various diets.

For the second phase of the research, they switched diets. This enabled the researchers to compare the impact of various diets on metabolism in the same individual.

The high-fat group burned more caloric than that the low-fat group once again. The high-fat subgroup also saw significant reductions in cholesterol and insulin resistance[*].

Eating Healthy Fats Can Help You Live Longer

The simple truth is that fats are one of the major food categories in your diet to enhance your body’s metabolism and live longer.

Raising your fatty acids while reducing your total carbohydrate consumption has been shown in many studies to help with weight loss and improve various health indicators.

The ketogenic diet, which consists of a low carbohydrate, high-fat diet, is extra successful than the conventional low fat, high carb diet in terms of weight loss and hormone regulation.

Science has debunked the low-fat fallacy, and now it’s time to focus on the true cause of obesity and weight gain: carbs. Try these easy keto recipes for quick weight loss.