Complex carbohydrate. A distinction without a difference among
carbohydrates first made by a Senate committee, not by scientists, that
uncritically was carried over into government food pyramids. The USDA food pyramid
is best called a pyramid of starch in my opinion. It has been called wishy-washy
science and unfounded advice according to Professor Willet of Harvard
University in his book Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy. A complex carbohydrate was
defined by the Senate Committee to mean "fruit, vegetable or grains" a
distinction that at the time had little or no support in the research. The
glycemic index and the insulin index were developed to measure the effect of
carbohydrates on blood glucose or insulin to identify how complex they are. According
to these indices, many "complex carbohydrates" do not fit the notion that they
have a low effect on insulin or glucose. There is no difference in a bowl of
unsweetened corn flakes and a bowl of sugar. Most starches turn almost
instantly into glucose inside the body. A russet potato has a glycemic index
not far below sugar (85 versus 100). Ready-to-eat breakfast cereals are so
heavily processed that the starches in them turn instantly into glucose. A
starch is not a complex carbohydrate; starch is the storage form of sugar used
by a plant. You don't need it unless you are a plant.
"Clinically proven." In an advertisement, the phrase means "not
true" or that they managed to find someone who lost weight while taking a
mystery product, which proves nothing. A clinical trial is an experiment with
patients who are likely not well; why else would they be in a clinic?
Experiments can disprove (falsify) a hypothesis but cannot prove one. So, as a
scientific statement, it is meaningless even though it tries to sound like
science.
