Obesity has become one of the most pressing public health challenges of our time. Despite years of efforts to address it through public health campaigns focusing on reducing caloric intake and increasing physical activity, the prevalence of obesity continues to rise globally. This persistent increase raises an important question: Are we looking at obesity through the wrong lens?
This very question is at the heart of a debate between two competing paradigms in obesity research: the Energy Balance Model (EBM) and the Carbohydrate-Insulin Model (CIM). The EBM, which has been the cornerstone of obesity-related public health guidelines for decades, posits that obesity arises due to an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure. Simply put, eating more calories than you burn leads to weight gain.
On the flip side, the CIM suggests that the type of calories consumed is just as crucial, if not more so, than the overall number of calories. According to this model, diets high in carbohydrates cause increased insulin levels, promoting fat storage and leading to obesity. This article delves into the findings of a comprehensive perspective piece by David S. Ludwig and colleagues, titled \
