Taubes book is not a diet, but an extremely thorough review of the last 100 years of research into obesity, heart disease, diabetes etc. I think easily 1/3 of the book consists of references to the scientific literature.<p>Contrary to popular belief there is lots of research backing up the low carb theory, but they are mainly found in the fields of endocrinology and physiological psychology.<p>The picture coming out of it as outlined by Taubes is of an extremely complex system.<p>The endocrinologists have shown that the primary hormone governing obesity is insulin which isn't controversial anymore. It isn't that simple though to avoid foods that physiologically spike insulin.<p>The Physiological psychologists have shown that insulin can see short spikes in preparation for a meal due to smells and tastes, which is why artificial sweeteners can be problematic sometimes.