November 2003
ISSUE FIFTEEN
November 2003
Deadly Quartet
page 2
Responsible Diet
Books
page 3
Cholesterol Myths
page 5
Beyond Prozac
page 6
Gary Taubes
page 7
Dog Food
Food
Page 7
 What a long strange trip it s been
- Grateful Dead
The Zone and The
Omega Rx Zone
CrossFit has been an active combatant in the diet wars. For decades it has been an
exciting world of  us versus  them .
Page 8
 We were the low carb, low calorie, good fat camp and  they were the low fat,
low calorie, high carb opposition. The battle was for the hearts and minds of the
Hyperinsulinemia
public on the very personal and private matter of nutrition - what diet makes us
page 8
healthy?
Sheldon Margin, publisher of the UC Berkley Wellness Letter, a leader of  them ,
Zone Specimen
accepted this characterization of battle lines when we presented it to him in 1996.
Page 9
In 1996 Dr. Atkins and Barry Sears were both publicly and regularly referred to as
 quacks and  frauds by mainstream physicians, journalists, and nutritionists. While
this was something that Sears would have to get used to, Dr. Atkins had been
dealing with vicious assaults on his life s work and character since publishing his Dr.
continued page ... 6
1
November 2003
Food
The Deadly Quartet
Editor
The Deadly Quartet
Clinicians and researchers have
Traditional Model
long recognized the clustering of risk
factors for heart disease. Physicians
have known for decades that obesity,
glucose intolerance (a precursor and
Glucose Intolerance
Hypertension
Obesity
measure of diabetes), hypertension,
and hypertriglyceridemia tended to
coexist in the same person and are
Hypertriglyceridemia
predictive of heart disease.
Kaplan s Deadly Quartet
Furthermore, physicians had noticed
that glucose intolerance, hypertension,
Upper Body Obesity
and hypertriglyceridemia lie in store
for patients who d become overweight.
The assumption was that because the
obesity came first that it was the cause
Hypertension Glucose Intolerance
Hyperinsulinemia
of the other risk factors. While this is
a natural assumption it is nevertheless
a classical logical fallacy - Post hoc,
Hypertriglyceridemia
ergo propter hoc (After this, therefore
because of this.)
This traditional view of obesity as
The importance of this work is hard to
Robert Atkins had been making the
the cause of glucose intolerance,
overstate. Treating glucose intolerance,
same point since 1972 and had proven
hypertension, and hypertriglyceridemia
hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia,
it in thousands, if not millions of
was seriously challenged when
and obesity as separate diseases had
persons who d followed his book, Dr.
Dr. Norman Kaplan head of the
not yielded impressive results and
Atkins Diet Revolution. One of many
Hypertension Division at the University
all too often treatment for one of
lessons that can be garnered from
of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
these diseases exacerbated the rest
this history is that the astute clinician
at Dallas published an article in the July
(e.g., Dean Ornish s diet worsens
will often trump the researcher by
1989 Archives of Internal Medicine
triglycerides while reducing obesity and
decades, which brings us to a final
entitled  The Deadly Quartet When
hypertension).
point - there are two serious problems
Dr. Kaplan examined the research, he
with medical science today: first that
found that obesity is not the cause
What would be a legitimate test
correlation and causation are tragically
of glucose intolerance, hypertension,
of Dr. Kaplan s hypothesis? Well, if
confused by many researchers and
and hypertriglyceridemia but merely a
hyperinsulinism is the root cause of
second, that there is low regard and
correlate.
glucose intolerance, hypertension,
little interest among academics with
hypertriglyceridemia, and obesity then
the often highly successful protocols
Dr. Kaplan went on to demonstrate
reducing hyperinsulinism should reduce
employed by clinicians.
that hyperinsulinemia, another correlate
the occurrence of the correlated risk
of each of the traditional risk factors,
factors and it does.
can be more realistically represented
as the cause of glucose intolerance,
hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia,
Dr. Kaplan suggested convincingly that
AND obesity (upper body obesity
hyperinsulinism was the cause of heart
specifically).
disease risk factors in 1989, but Dr.
2
November 2003
Food
Responsible Diet Books
Editor
These authors understand the double-edged nature of blood glucose control, i.e., hormonal regulation and caloric restriction.
Our cast includes a lipidologist, cardiologist, psychiatrist, nephrologist, an exercise physiologist, pathologist, practicing and
research endocrinologists, biologists, an attorney, journalist, and falconer. They largely quote the same published research and
have come to the same conclusion: the low fat/high carb diet is lethal.
The first book listed for each author is linked to Amazon.com.
Barry Sears PhD: economics and human rights.) The A.M.A. is We d seen this effect of the Zone Diet long
Enter the Zone not likely to reverse its negative impact on before Beyond Prozac was published. We had
A Week in the Zone human health in a thousand years of good a file full of testimonials regarding mitigation
The Top 100 Zone Foods deeds. of mental disorders after following the Zone
The Age-Free Zone and weren t sure what to make of them until
The Soy Zone William Dufty: this book hit the market in 1996.
Mastering the Zone Sugar Blues
Zone Food Blocks Uffe Ravnskov, M.D., PhD:
Sugar Blues published in 1975 proclaimed
Zone-Perfect Meals in Minutes The Cholesterol Myths
that sugar was a poison responsible for
The Omega Rx Zone
unimaginable disease and suffering. A million Dr. Ravnskov has  no dog in this fight . He
copies of this little book were sold and the advocates no diet, but what he does say and
Robert Atkins, M.D.:
medical establishment laughed. Oooops, quite convincingly is that the connection
Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution
he was right! To read Sugar Blues in light between the consumption of saturated fats,
Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution
of modern research, a more enlightened high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease,
medical community, and the legacy of the known as the  diet-heart idea, is built on a
Dr. Robert Atkins held fast to the notion
high carb/low fat diet is spine chilling. house of sand.
that hyperinsulinism brought on by excess
carbohydrate consumption was at the
Ravnskov has impeccable credentials
Drs. Michael and Mary Dan Eades:
root of obesity and other risk factors for
as a researcher and clinician and his
Protein Power
coronary heart disease in spite of a torrent
understanding of the research surrounding
The Protein Power Lifeplan
of criticisms and claims of quackery heaped
the statins, cholesterol management, and
on by the collective medical establishment.
Michael Eades is a very good writer, and
cardiovascular disease is unrivaled. Ravnskov
His citing of studies and his super impressive
Protein Power has been an accessible
brings an understanding of experimental
clinical record carried little sway among the
introduction to responsible nutrition. The
protocol and design to the discussion that is
mainstream advocates of the high-carb/low- Eades examination of research on diet and
also singularly unique.
fat fad diet.
heart disease is outstanding. The book is
great; the diet is good. For many this book
Drs. Richard and Rachael Heller:
Dr. Atkins first book, Dr. Atkins Diet
has resonated where the Zone may have
The Carbohydrates Addicts Diet
Revolution, contains his responses to
been impenetrable.
Healthy for Life
the American Medical Association s
condemnation of his diet and the subsequent
The Heller s bring an amazing personal and
Michael Norden, M.D.:
investigation of his regimen by the Senate
professional history to the understanding
Beyond Prozac
Select Committee on Nutrition and Human
of hyperinsulinism. The Heller s are both
Dr. Michael Norden, a psychiatrist and
Needs. Remember from Gary Taubes
distinguished professors of medicine at
pioneer researcher, explains in Beyond
that it was this Senate Select Committee,
Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New
Prozac how the high carb/low fat diet is
chaired by George McGovern that largely
York.
directly responsible for a pandemic of
sponsored, promoted, and funded the
mental illness and mood disorder ranging
low fat high carb diet that has destroyed
Ray Audette:
from alchoholism to depression and anxiety
the health of countless millions. (It s not
Neanderthin
attacks. Norden reveals that the Zone Diet
surprising to see that socialists through their
Neanderthin is a delightfully written
has to date been the most effective clinical
collective vision for us all have done for
presentation of the paleodiet position:  if a
treatment for a long list of psychological
health and nutrition what they ve done for
caveman could hunt it or gather it to eat, so
maladies.
continued page ... 4
3
November 2003
Food
Responsible Diet Books
Continued
can you. Norden s Beyond Prozac with compelling nothing.
evidence of the scientific link between
Loren Cordain, PhD: insufficient sleep and the metabolic Dr. DiPasquale s knowledge of and position
The Paleo Diet derangement of hyperinsulinism. This is a as an authority on anabolic steroids and the
powerful premise with strong support. unfortunate public association of the word
Dr. Cordain is widely acknowledged as
 anabolic with steroids probably doomed
the world s leading authority on Paleolithic
Gerald Reaven, M.D., Terry Kristen Strom, his diet to obscurity. It works, and works
nutrition. The Paleo Diet elaborates
M.B.A., Barry Fox, PhD.: very well.
brilliantly on the discordance brought on
Syndrome X
by a diet sharply at odds with our biological
Christian Allan, PhD, Wolfgang Lutz, M.D.:
development and design. Nobody has done more scientific research
Life Without Bread
on the metabolic derangement caused
Roy Walford, M.D.: by hyperinsulinism than Dr. Reaven. This Life without bread is an excellent
The Anti-Aging Plan derangement is widely referred to as presentation of the scientific literature on
Maximum Lifespan  syndrome X in medical circles, a label first carbohydrate metabolism  a subject to
The 120-Year Diet given by Dr. Reaven. which both authors have dedicated their
scientific careers.
Dr. Walford is the undisputed leader
Dr. Reaven has been rabidly critical of
of longevity researchers. This U.C.L.A.
every attempt to mitigate  syndrome X
Jennie Brand-Miller, PhD, Thomas M.S.
pathologist has been studying and thinking
by reducing carbohydrate intake until he
Wolever, M.D., PhD, Kaye Foster-Powell, M.
about longevity since high school. It is
published his book in 2000. He repeatedly
Nutr. & Diet., Stephen Colagiuri, M.D.:
impossible to research caloric restriction and
cites studies that show that weight loss is
The New Glucose Revolution
longevity without finding his work.
equivalent with isocaloric diets of varying
This book bills itself as  The Authoritative
macronutrient composition. It is hard to
Calvin Ezrin, M.D.: Guide to the Glycemic Index . It may be
believe that a man of Reaven s background
The Endocrine Control Diet just that.
and knowledge doesn t know that all
The Type 2 Diabetes Diet Book
twenty-pound weight losses are not equally
Rob Faigin, J.D.:
Calvin Ezrin discovered the thyrotroph, the
beneficial. This, and his harsh criticism s of
Natural Hormonal Enhancement (NHE)
cells within the pituitary gland responsible for
Atkins and Sears, suggest the possibility of
production of thyroid stimulating hormone, Natural Hormonal Enhancement owes
an integrity problem with Dr. Reaven.
as a young researcher under Banting and considerably more to Mauro DiPasquale
Best, the discoverers of insulin. A pioneering and the Anabolic Diet than its author
Diana Schwarzbein, M.D.:
endocrinologist, Dr. Ezrin has never found credits. An entertaining compendium of
The Schwarzbein Principle
a physician willing to publicly and directly responsible works, NHE leaves us with
The Schwarzbein Principle II
answer his claims of the entirely beneficial the suspicion that Faigin, an attorney, hasn t
Diana Schwarzbein is an endocrinologist
effects of ketogenic diets. It has long been been able to separate theory from effective
sub-specializing in diabetes, osteoporosis,
easier to ignore this scientist and physician programming.
menopause and thyroid conditions.
than to take him on.
Although none of the nutrition gurus
Mauro DiPasquale, M.D.:
reviewed here s exercise advice matches the
The Endocrine Control Diet and the Type 2
The Anabolic Diet
quality or effectiveness of their nutritional
Diabetes Diet Book are one and the same
The Metabolic Diet
regimens, but Faigin s exercise views come
book. In his book, Dr. Ezrin has published
Dr. DiPasquale is the father of the right from the muscle magazines.
a letter,  Doctor to Doctor in which he
cyclical diet of which Natural Hormonal
offers his help in understanding benign
Enhancement is an indistinguishable variant. NHE is an exciting brew of sound science,
dietary ketosis and offers assistance to any
In practice this diet looks like Atkins with untested theory, and the best of the
physician willing to contact him.
one or several nasty cheat days per week. bodybuilding magazines.
We ve found Dr. Ezrin to be of enormous The Anabolic Diet crowd found strong and
benefit to every diabetic we ve sent his way. articulate proponents among academics,
coaches, and athletes interested in power
T.S. Wiley and Bent Formby, PhD.: sports. The debates between the Zone
Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar, and Survival crowd and the Anabolic crowd have been
destructive of both camps and resolved
Wiley and Formby continue in the vein of
4
November 2003
Food
Cholesterol Myths
Editor
Everyone knows by now that the consumption of animal fats and cholesterol causes heart disease. There is, though, one simple problem
with this knowledge: it is absolutely, positively, dead wrong, and no one can make this point more convincingly than Dr. Uffe Ravnskov in
his wonderful book The Cholesterol Myths.
Here is an excerpt from an excellent
Dr. Ravnskov armed with a brilliant mind, a PhD in chemistry, an M.D., and an unassailable
review of Cholesterol Myths off of the
record of published medical research is the medical counterpart to science journalist Gary
Taubes in loudly yelling  The Emperor has no Clothes!! Weston A Price Foundations website
by Stephen Byrnes, N.D., RCNP:
Here, thanks to Dr. Ravnskov, are some important cholesterol facts and their scientific
support. There is more research available through this portal than could be studied in a
 Would you buy a book that was
year. Enjoy!
literally set on fire by its critics on a
Cholesterol Facts
television show about it in Finland? I
would and so should you. The long-
Cholesterol is not a deadly poison, but a substance vital to the cells of all mammals.
awaited English version of debunker
1There are no such things as  good or  bad cholesterol only density. Mental stress,
extraordinaire Dr. Uffe Ravnskov s
physical activity and change of body weight may influence the level of blood cholesterol. A
notorious book is now available from
high cholesterol is not dangerous by itself, but may reflect an unhealthy condition, or it may
NewTrends Publishing.
be totally innocent.
Ravnskov, a medical doctor with
A high blood cholesterol is said to promote atherosclerosis and thus also coronary
a PhD in chemistry, has had over
2heart disease. But many studies have shown that people whose blood cholesterol is
low become just as atherosclerotic as people whose cholesterol is high. 40 papers and letters published in
peer-reviewed journals criticizing
Your body produces three to four times more cholesterol than you eat. The
what Dr. George Mann, formerly of
3production of cholesterol increases when you eat little cholesterol and decreases
Vanderbuilt University, once called
when you eat much. This explains why the  prudent diet cannot lower cholesterol more
 the greatest scam in the history
than on average a few per cent.
of medicine, namely the Lipid
Hypothesis the belief that dietary
There is no evidence that too much animal fat and cholesterol in the diet promotes
saturated fats and cholesterol clog
4atherosclerosis or heart attacks. For instance, more than twenty studies have shown
arteries and cause atherosclerosis and
that people who have had a heart attack haven t eaten more fat of any kind than other
heart disease.
people, and degree of atherosclerosis at autopsy is unrelated with the diet.
The only effective way to lower cholesterol is with drugs, but neither heart mortality
Equipped with a razor-sharp mind
5or total mortality have been improved with drugs, the effect of which is cholesterol-
and an impressive command of the
lowering only. On the contrary, these drugs are dangerous to your health and may shorten
literature, Ravnskov methodically
your life.
slaughters the most famous sacred
cow of modern medicine and
The new cholesterol-lowering drugs, the Statins, do prevent cardio-vascular disease,
the most profitable cash cow for
6but this is due to other mechanisms than cholesterol-lowering. Unfortunately, they
assorted pharmaceutical companies.
also stimulate cancer in rodents.
Sparing no one, Ravnskov again and
again presents the tenets of the Lipid
Many of these facts have been presented in scientific journals and books for decades
7but are rarely told to the public by the proponents of the diet-heart idea. Hypothesis and the studies which
supposedly prove them, and shows
The reason why laymen, doctors and most scientists have been misled is because
how the studies are flawed or based
8opposing and disagreeing results are systematically ignored or misquoted in the
on manipulated statistics that actually
scientific press.
prove nothing.
5
November 2003
Food
Editor
...continued from page 1
Beyond Prozac
Atkins Diet Revolution in 1972.
In Beyond Prozac, Dr. Michael Norden, a clinical associate professor of psychiatry
at the University of Washington, developed the idea that the all-important
We write here today in 2003 gloating.
eicosanoids which Barry Sears has written of and researched, play an essential role
Gloating, because it is our perception that
in brain function.
we are decisively winning the diet war. In
Dr. Norden s hypothesis is that low fat/high carbohydrate diets have contributed
the public square, the realization that carbs,
substantially to mental disorders that can be treated effectively by Prozac. It is his
not fat, make you sick and fat is spreading
contention that the Zone diet is an effective clinical treatment for these maladies.
rapidly. Spreading like truth unobstructed.
As if heart disease, diabetes, and cancer weren t enough, here is a list of disorders
The position that carbohydrate is essentially
from Dr. Norden s book that Prozac can mask, but that the Zone diet can treat and
toxic at common consumption levels was a
might cure. We d laugh at this list but we ve seen the benefit with about a dozen of
truth suppressed by political and industrial
these maladies in our clinical practice.
corruption of science and journalism.
Suppressing truth is like holding a beach ball
Alcoholism
Hypomania
under water; it takes constant work against
Anorexia nervosa
Impotence
a tireless resistance. They have slipped and
Anxiety
Impulsive aggression
our position sits like the beach ball on top
Arthritis
Intention myoclonus
of the water, where everyone can see it.
Attention deficit disorder/
Late luteal dysphoric disorder
We interpret our position of being clearly
hyperactivity disorder
Major depression
visible, as winning the diet wars because
Autism
Migraine
our diet better models human nutrition and
Bipolar disorder
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
will always trump the opposition s model if
Body-dysmorphic disorder
Oncyophagia
tested. Ours works, theirs doesn t. Where
Borderline personality disorder
Panic disorder
theirs does work, ours works better. Their
Bulimia
Paraphilia
success required our being kept out of the
Cataplexy
Pathologic jealousy
marketplace. Underwater preferably.
Chronic pain
Post traumatic stress disorder
Depersonalization disorder
Premature ejaculation
In countless exchanges with doctors,
Diabetic neuropathy
Raynaud s phenomenon
trainers, nutritionists, and family we shared
Dysthymia
Schizophrenia
our position and the common response
Elective mutism
Seasonal affective disorder
was,  do you have any science? I need
Emotional lability
Self-injurious behavior
science. We had science and showed it
Enuresis
Social Phobia
proudly. No one would read it. The cry for
Gilles de la Tourette syndrome
Syncope
peer-reviewed evidence is almost always a
Hypochondria
Trichotillomania
smoke screen. The guys who write it read
it  the rest pretend. If you can train people
regimens found in  dangerous books and
one of you who thought for yourselves,
to unquestioningly accept proposition X
found some of them marvelously effective.
ignored the chorus of doctors, nutritionists,
then you ve largely inoculated these same
journalists and neighbors bleating like sheep,
folks from even considering  not X .
Doctor Robert Atkins deserves credit
 faaaat is baaad , followed the logic of
for suffering unimaginable abuse while
The science supporting our position while reduced carbohydrate consumption, and
remaining steadfast, Gary Taubes for being
being produced at an increasing rate, was
then critically and most importantly, tried
the first journalist to expose the fraud and
always there and is not responsible for the
the diet. You try one diet and you feel
origins of the low fat position and for later
dramatic change over the last two years.
great, you try another and your teeth fall
making the point that the science may have
out. Who needs a doctor?
been behind Dr. Atkins all along, Barry Sears
What has changed is that the public bought
for super tuning a responsible diet, and Dr.
some 100 million diet books over the last
Patients are telling their doctors about the
Uffe Ravnksov for exposing the fraud and
thirty years running the most important
Zone and Protein Power and Atkins, not
slop in anti-fat research so effectively that
and successful science experiment ever
the other way around. Doctors everywhere
he needed to be completely ignored to be
conducted. To a constant and universal
are themselves doing the Zone and
dealt with.
barraging of the fat is bad mantra from
Atkins on the advice of their patients  on
public health authorities, millions of people
seeing their patients successes. The peer
But the true heroes are each and every
with no clinical or scientific credentials tried
continued page ... 9
6
November 2003
Food
Editor
Dog Food
Gary Taubes
Carnivore or Cornivore ?
There are many heroes in the diet wars
Lie? revealing an emerging acceptance of
among scientists (Ravnskov and Sears to
Dr. Robert Atkins diet among researchers,
name but two) and clinicians (Atkins and
public health officials, and physicians.
Eades), but among journalists Gary Taubes
This piece prompted a media storm of
stands alone.
attention that irreparably damaged the
In large measure the fleecing of the public s acceptance of the low-fat/high-carb
public with the low-fat/high-carb diet was position.
a collaboration of politicians, the food
Every major media outlet covered the
processing industry, and the media. The
story and Dr. Atkins ended being a runner
scientific community was never as sold
up for Time Magazine s Person of the Year
on the low fat diet to the extent that the
Award for 2002. It was obvious that Taubes
media portrayed.
articles were enticing a second look at the
Endeavoring to root out the source of much maligned Dr. Atkins. Before the end
the low fat phenomenon, we found that of this decade, Dr. Atkins will be held in the
The lead ingredient in most dog foods
the overwhelming majority of physicians highest regard and his long time detractors
is corn. For a lot more money we can
came to their position on diet not through will largely lie about their condemnation
upgrade to rice.
peer reviewed literature or experiential of his work. There s a recurring theme
knowledge but through the popular media. in medicine and public health that major
At first we had trouble imagining the niche
We ve heard countless times from M.D. s advances are fought tooth and nail by the
of a corn eating, or  cornivorous , dog, but
that  everyone knows that fat makes you medical establishment while quackeries rise
with a little work we got it. In nature corn
fat. When asked to name a scientific study to accepted practice largely unchallenged.
eating dogs would use their tiny little front
that supported the notion the overwhelming
The flap over Gary Taubes  What if It s All
teeth to denude the cob of kernel. But,
response was something to the effect that  I
Been a Big Fat Lie? among vocal supporters
there s competition for the corn among
don t know but there are thousands.
of the low fat diet was fascinating. Reason
other cornivores, like chickens. It is for these
Over the last 18 months there has been Magazine (an otherwise outstanding
competitors like the chicken that our corn-
a sea change of awareness regarding the magazine) published a poorly researched
eating dog would need a mouthful of fangs
shallowness of the low fat/high carbohydrate and strongly biased criticism of Taube s  to ward the chickens off the corn, not to
diet and much of this change can be rightly work by Michael Fumento in March of
eat them!
attributed to Gary Taubes. 2003 entitled  Big Fat Fake . Mr. Fumento
was suffering the embarrassment of having
Take any dog food manufacturer s claimed
In March of 2001 science journalist Gary
written a book extolling the virtues of low
caloric requirements for a dog and place
Taubes published an article in the highly
fat eating and several poorly researched
an amount of naturally available biomass
esteemed peer reviewed journal Science
articles on nutrition that revealed his deep
equivalent to that load at sixty to seventy
entitled  The Soft Science of Dietary
ignorance on the subject.  Big Fat Fake is so
percent carbohydrate and place it on a tarp.
Fat . The essence of this article was
bad it has to be read.
Now find a dog that will eat that much grass
that  mainstream nutritional science has
and vegetation. It would take a goat.
demonized dietary fat, yet 50 years and But, even more entertaining and
hundreds of millions of dollars of research informative was Mr. Taubes rebuttal
The premise of a dog requiring a high
have failed to prove that eating a low-fat to Michael Fumento s criticisms and the
carbohydrate diet is patently absurd. The
diet will help you live longer . The evidence subsequent reply by Mr. Fumento to
industrialization of food has produced faire
in this article was so compelling that the Taubes rebuttal.
that neither man nor dog should eat.
National Association of Science Writers
Gary Taubes  What if It s All Been a
awarded Mr. Taubes its coveted Science
Big Fat Lie? , Michael Fumento s response Athena, the CrossFit mascot, doesn t like
in Society Journalism Award. The Soft
 Big Fat Fake , and the ensuing exchange corn. She won t eat it. She also won t eat
Science article and the acclaim Taubes
between the two are exemplary of the rice, potato chips, most  doggie treats ,
received for it was tantamount to a crack
arrogance, hostility and muddle headedness or  dog food . She does like chicken legs
in the popular acceptance of the fad low
of the low fat camp. For many of our though, and she eats them raw. She eats
fat/high carbohydrate diet foundation.
contacts the exchange between these two everyday on average 3-5 chicken legs, a little
was personally decisive in resolving the diet
grass, a multivitamin, and 2 fish oil-caplets.
Then on July 7, 2002 New York Times
wars.
published a second article by Gary Taubes
entitled  What if It s All Been a Big Fat
7
November 2003
Food
Editor
accurate. When we dial it in for an athlete, hyperinsulinism has inspired metaphors of a
The Zone and The
he pulls away from the pack. multi-headed monster of Greek mythology,
Omega Rx Zone
the Hydra, by Dr. Michael Eades, author
Dr. Sears Omega Rx Zone teaches you of Protein Power, and an iceberg with
how to pilot your endocrine system like a hyperinsulinemia below the water s surface
We are Zone-heads. Why? Because the
pro  all with food and fish oil. None of the and disease state as the peaks by Dr. Ralph
Zone produces a result that we don t quite
best diet authors can touch Barry Sears for DeFronzo, a pioneering hyperinsulinemia
match with other excellent protocols.
understanding lipid biochemistry and this is researcher at the University of Texas, San
what delivered him to the Zone and that is Antonio.
The ideal diet would increase your energy,
what drives his understanding of the effects
sense of well-being, and acumen. It would
of fish oil supplementation. There is mounting evidence linking
also flense fat while packing on muscle.
hyperinsulinemia to:
Finally, the ideal diet would nudge every
In Sears first book, Enter the Zone, chapter
important quantifiable marker for health
12,  The Wonder Hormones: Eicosanoids " Hypercholseterolemia
in the right direction. While each of the
 The Long Course , we are introduced " Hypertriglyceridemia
 responsible diets we ve reviewed can do
to the metabolism of Omega 6 essential " Obesity
this, the Zone diet does it best.
fatty acids and the production of  good " Hypertension
and  bad eicosanoids. Dr. Sears dietary " Immune disorders
We ve found that the Zone prescription
strategy for manipulating that metabolism " Thrombosis and platelet aggregation
offers an accurate and precise model for
and eicosanoid production is a roadmap " Cellular proliferation
optimizing human function. Accurate in the
to increased performance and health. The " Diabetes
sense that it does more of what we want
theoretical foundations for the The The " Heart disease
than other protocols and precise in that
Omega Rx Zone manifest in chapter 12 of " Mood dysfunction
we find the response we want more often
Enter the Zone and seven years later the " Brain dysfunction
and quicker than with other protocols.
concept of EPA/DHA supplementation " Arthritis
Importantly, the Zone allows us to be
comes to the scene tested and proven. " Hyper inflammatory states
accurate and precise in our prescription
" Alzheimer s disease
and is accurate and precise in its results.
" Stroke
(Accuracy vs. Precision)
Hyperinsulinemia " Osteoporosis
" Metastasis
Allowed variances in caloric intake and
Insulin is the hormone - produced by the " Angiogenesis
macronutrient composition with non-Zone
pancreas - that allows glucose into cells " Cancer
regimens occur outside the bandwidth that
where it can be utilized as fuel. Through
distinguishes resultant good from great
bad luck (heredity) and lifestyle (too much Whether the link between
performance. Finding Zone like results from
dietary carbohydrate chiefly) your cells can hyperinsulinism and disease states is
other protocols requires luck, or frankly,
become resistant to insulin. The mechanism causal or correlative will be debated for
mimicking Zone parameters.
of this resistance is still being studied but years. But the tide is dramatically shifting
we know that the insulin receptors that sit towards causality in many, many disease
We usually need to  tweek the Zone to
on every cell s surface lose their ability to states.
meet the needs of the athlete, but not until
function. This causes the pancreas to secrete
we bring him to Zone parameters. Once
more insulin than is normal to get glucose What cannot be debated is that
that is accomplished, we find that we either
inside the cell. Though insulin is absolutely reducing carbohydrate intake eliminates
don t need to do a thing or that we are very
essential to life, chronic and acute elevation hyperinsulinemia in nearly every occurrence.
close.
of insulin wreaks havoc in the human By what logic would we not adopt an easy
body. This process is known as  insulin prevention, cure, or mitigation (with not only
Where we need to, we tune the Zone
resistance and the resultant condition is no side effect, but provable and dramatic
a little  hot  more fat and protein, less
 hyperinsulinemia . side benefit) in regards to the litany of
carb. Starting at Zone parameters, the
disease states linked to hyperinsulinism.
body fat comes off very fast. As the men
The amount of research being published We strongly counsel that you opt out
fall below 10% towards 5% we kick up
suggesting a causal link between of hyperinsulinemia while the scientific
the fat. Many of our best are at X blocks
hyperinsulinism and disease is one of the community continues slogging along.
of protein, X blocks of Carbohydrate, and
more productive and exciting arenas in
3X or 4X blocks of fat. We modulate the
modern medicine. The expansiveness and
fat to control the leaning and find the range
range of diseases whose underlying cause is
for best performance. We re uncannily
8
November 2003
Food
Editor
The CrossFit Journal is an
Zone Specimen
One day in the Zone electronically distributed magazine
(emailed e-zine) published monthly
Breakfast Dinner
Snack
by www.crossfit.com chronicling
5 eggs 5 oz chicken breast
3 oz sliced roast beef
a proven method of achieving elite
1 1/2 apple 24 asparagus spears
3 cups sliced cucumber
fitness.
10 macadamia nuts 1 artichoke
and tomato
2 1/2 cups brocolli
30 olives
For subscription information go to
Lunch 30 almonds
1 orange
the CrossFit Store at:
5 oz tuna
1 large salad Snack
http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/
5 Tbsp avocado 3 oz salmon
store.html
2 cups grapes 2 cups green beens
24 peanuts
or send a check or money order in
the amount of $25 to:
CrossFit
We train and feed for function, not
P.O. Box 2769
form. This is the resultant form.
Aptos CA 95001
CrossFit combined with the Zone
diet produces lean, muscular, and
able monsters.
Please include your
name,
Greg Amundson does the WOD
and eats Zone (5 blocks of protein, address
5 of carbohydrate, and 10 of fat at
email address.
breakfast lunch and dinner. Twice
a day he eats a snack of 2 blocks of
protein, 2 of carbohydrate, If you have any questions
and 4 of fat).
or comments send them to
[e-mail].
Greg is atypical in his diligence not
in his response to our program.
Your input will be greatly
appreciated and every email will
be answered.
...continued from page 6
what to say. Afterwards I found the answer.
She could not be certain. Everyone must
reviewed literature remains unread, but, gain the truth in an active way. If you want
the reverberation of the good diet books to know something you must look at all the
message is working its way from author premises yourself, listen to all the arguments
to reader to doctor and finally back to yourself, and then decide for yourself what
patients. seems to be the most likely answer. You
may easily be led astray if you ask the
Perhaps, this process isn t so unusual but
authorities to do this work for you.
merely another example of the efficiency
of decentralized networks. In any case it
This is also the answer to those who
is consistent with this bit of philosophy
wonder why even honest scientists are
from Dr. Uffe Ravnskov s epilogue to The
misled. And it is also the answer to those
Cholesterol Myths:
who after reading this book, ask the same
www.crossfit.com
question.
 After a lecture, a journalist asked me how
she could be certain that my information
was not just as biased as that of the
end
cholesterol campaign. At first I did not know
9