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Ask The Low-Carb Experts (Episode 15): ‘Exploding The Low-Carb Myths’ | Dr. Eric Westman

Jimmy Moore — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 13:11:37 +0000

LOW-CARB, GLUTEN-FREE CONDIMENTS MADE WITH STEVIVA

NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: http://cmp.ly/3

In Episode 15 of “Jimmy Moore Presents: Ask The Low-Carb Experts,” we have an amazing bona fide low-carb expert for you in Duke University researcher and health practitioner Dr. Eric Westman. He is a lifestyle medicine physician/bariatrician who specializes in disease prevention of his patients primarily through the use of low-carbohydrate nutritional approaches that often improve conditions such as Type 2 diabetes, obesity, PCOS, metabolic syndrome, sleep apnea, fatty liver disease and more. Dr. Westman is the co-author with Dr. Stephen Phinney and Dr. Jeff Volek on the New York Times bestselling book The New Atkins For A New You (listen to my interview with him about this book in Episode 338 of “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show”) and he has performed some of the most influential scientific research on low-carb diets in the world over the past decade. He regularly teaches his patients in Durham, North Carolina about low-carb diets and has heard virtually every objection about it over the years. That’s why we were privileged to have him here with us dispelling the myths people still believe about low-carb living. I’m pleased to have brought you a highly-qualified expert like Dr. Eric Westman today joining us on ATLCX answering listener questions about the plethora of low-carb myths in EPISODE 15 on April 26, 2012.

Listen to Dr. Eric Westman “Exploding The Low-Carb Myths”:

His frustration over the “endless” concerns that never come true

There’s a myth that you need 120g carbs daily for brain health

But our bodies make glucose internally without eating it

Low-carbers have to stand up and say “I’m alive!” to dispel this

Mothers are having babies on a carbohydrate-restricted lifestyle

Dietitians are used to talking about calories on a weight loss diet

It’s not that calories don’t count, but you don’t have to count them

Calories do matter with weight loss and yet you don’t talk about them

The science has been done on this but the teaching hasn’t changed

Low-carb is described as “high-protein” by they’re adequate protein

It’s actually a “high-fat” diet despite the negativity against fat

If fat was bad, why would our bodies be storing something harmful

The science has never really proven the low-fat diet saves lives

Fat being bad is the “most pervasive myth that’s still out there”

The French have never feared the fat in the foods they eat

Those who eat the most fat tend to have the best good cholesterol

People mix up healthy nutritional ketosis with dangerous ketoacidosis

Only Type 1 diabetics needs to be concerned with ketoacidosis

The notion that people won’t maintain low-carb hasn’t been tested

There needs to be more support for people wanting to eat low-carb

Negative response didn’t happen to The New Atkins like before

When Dr. Atkins died, nothing changed about the science supporting it

If you have heart disease, a high-fat diet doesn’t make it worse

Cardiovascular health improves consuming a high-fat, low-carb diet

It’s hard to make a whole lot of money promoting knowledge to people

Is There Any Such Thing As “Safe Starches” On A Low-Carb Diet?

Everyone’s blood sugar will go up, but we don’t know what insulin does

It’s the big insulin response that’s “not harmless” and “not healthy”

If you’re insulin resistant, you need to count carbohydrate grams

VIDEO: Dr. Westman’s “No Sugar, No Starch” Diet Overview

Why he uses total carbs over net carbs with his patients

Net carbs are okay for a lot of people if you’re fairly healthy

If you go to his clinic with obesity and diabetes, total carbs matter

The worse your health is the “stricter” you need to be counting carbs

It’s “easier to teach” the total grams of carbohydrate

There are no answers on how much fiber is required in the diet

A high-fat, high-carb diet will lead to Type 2 diabetes

Scientists often blame the fat in studies, but the carbs are high too

A high-fat diet without the carbohydrates is “the cure for diabetes”

The United States may not be ready for low-carb, high-fat (LCHF)

The idea that being in nutritional ketosis is harmful is a myth

Ketones are being used as fuel along with fatty acids instead of glucose

Whether ketosis is “the optimal state” is still a question

Science is showing that ketones reduce cancer and improve aging

Glucose metabolism is creating free radicals that age us

A shift from recommending urine ketone to blood ketone measurement

His challenge to obesity researchers to test one long-term low-carber

No science supports low-carb raises cortisol, burns out adrenals

Many of these issues come up from one individual and are not typical

People who follow the “Chet Atkins” diet instead of Robert Atkins diet

Why moderating protein in the diet is important on a low-carb diet

Researchers recommend 1-1.5g protein per pound of lean body mass

The challenge is whether the diet is high-fat or high-protein

This is certainly one of the “innumerable” number of studies needed

Too much protein converts to glucose because of gluconeogenesis

Whether there’s any validity with the “one golden shot” theory

Anecdotally people think low-carb only works once

Some people may not be as enthusiastic about low-carb second time

There are many changes that can happen to the body as we age

Whether there is any such thing as an “essential carbohydrate”

The body makes all the carbs you need from fat and protein you eat

The very low amount of sugar that is in the human bloodstream

A Coca-Cola has seven times more sugar than what’s in the human body

Diabetics should ask their doctors where the blood sugar goes

Dr. Mike Eades’ blog post “A spoonful of sugar”

Why diabetic teachers are so adamant about patients eating carbs

The unnecessary fear of hypoglycemia vs. hyperglycemia

What about the Asians who eat carbs and are thin and healthy

The Rice Diet in Durham is very low-calorie as well

As affluence increases, so do the calories which can be problematic

Eating carbohydrates is “optional” and not really necessary

A diabetic low-carb diet improves blood sugar levels in most people

Eating more carbohydrates than you can burn will store as body fat

Low-fat diets work because they are also low-calorie (low-carb, too!)

Hunger goes away on low-carb because you burn fat for energy

Carbohydrate gives 2,000 calories, but fat gives 40,000 calories

Fat is more efficiently burned and used by the body than sugar

Muscles and the heart prefer fat for fuel, brain uses ketone bodies

Low triglycerides and high HDL are typical of a low-carb dieter

LDL can be lower, higher or “extremely high” while on low-carb

The type of LDL cholesterol is typically the larger vs. small

The most important thing to look at is the HDL cholesterol

Get your arterial system scanned with an ultrasound doppler to see

A zero heart scan calcium score means “there’s no disease”

Ask your cardiologist what purpose LDL cholesterol has in the body

LDL cholesterol acts as a “boat” for the fat-soluble vitamins

Why low-carbers aren’t perfect bodies, health vs. low-fat vegans

Vitamin B12 deficiency on a vegan diet is a very real concern

Bariatric physicians aren’t using vegan diets for obese patients

The dream of a genuine low-carb vs. vegan diet research study

Low-carb studies don’t tend to keep them on a ketogenic diet

Just because it’s not in a study doesn’t mean it’s not true

If low-carb works for six months, what happens on the next day?

The people in charge of study funding don’t think low-carb is healthy

Why NIH-funded studies provide more prestige in research

Low-carb, low-fat (South Beach) can indeed be difficult to do

Eating a high-fat, low-carb diet with bacon is a “glorious” diet

Dr. Will Yancy doing a study allowing people to choose their own diet

Children without diabetes need calories and protein, but not carbs

School lunches tend to have more carbs because they’re cheaper

Type 1 diabetic kids do need a few carbs to offset insulin injection

Why consuming salt is not as big of an issue on a low-carb diet

We need about 5g of salt a day for what the body can use

When you sweat in the summer, you need to replenish salt with water

What you can tell people who think you need to be eating sugar

Giving a smoker two cigarettes a day gets them back to it again soon

Eating sugar is just as addictive in the brain as smoking, drugs

People who say “you have to eat” doesn’t mean you need sugar

Even Dr. Robert Lustig allows for up to 30g sugar daily

Dr. Lustig’s recent appearance on “60 Minutes”

People on low-carb can have thyroid symptoms, but unknown why

He uses low-carb nutrition with thyroid replacement for patients

“It doesn’t make sense” to add back in carbohydrates to fix thyroid

Whether you never eat high-carb foods ever again once going low-carb

There is “no forbidden food” on low-carb, make the right choices

His work at Innovative Metabolic Solutions with Dr. Mary Vernon

There are four ways you can listen to Episode 15:

1. LISTEN LIVE ON THURSDAY NIGHTS AT 7PM ET by calling (712) 432-0900 or on Skype at “freeconferencing.7124320900″–whether you call or Skype, be sure to use the access code “848908.” You can listen and even participate on the topic discussion by asking your questions directly to the featured expert.

2. Listen at the iTunes page for the podcast:

3. Listen and comment about the show at the official web site for the podcast:

4. Download the MP3 file of Episode 14 [96:01m]:

If you cannot join us LIVE on the podcast on Thursday nights at 7PM ET, then you can still ask your questions of the expert guests in two ways. First, you can visit AskTheLowCarbExperts.com and fill out the form along the right-hand side of the page under “Submit Your Question” to input your name, e-mail address, the name of the expert you want to ask, and your question for them. These questions will be asked LIVE on the show airing on Thursdays. Or, for your convenience we have set up a way for you to e-mail us your questions directly to AskTheLowCarbExperts@gmail.com. Be sure to include your name, the name of the expert you want to ask your question to in the subject line, and your question on the specific topic of discussion. This is a golden opportunity for you to tap directly into the wealth of knowledge and experience on all things related to healthy low-carb living featuring the best and brightest experts in the realm of health!

Did you have any feedback about what Dr. Eric Westman shared about “Exploding The Low-Carb Myths?” Give us your thoughts about it in the show notes section of Episode 15. As I stated at the end of the podcast, we will NOT be having any new episodes in the month of May because of the upcoming Low-Carb Cruise on May 6-13, 2012 and then a couple more weeks afterwards to give me a small break from my podcasting schedule (it’s been nearly nonstop five days a week since the beginning of the year and I’m feeling it). But never fear, we will be back with EPISODE 16 on June 7, 2012 Maria Emmerich and Valerie Berkowitz addressing the very popular topic of “Low-Carb, Pregnancy & Kids.” THANK YOU for your support of this new podcast and tell people you know about it if you like what we’re doing.

Here are the upcoming experts and topics we’ll be covering on #ATLCX:

EPISODE 16: June 7, 2012 | Maria Emmerich and Valerie Berkowitz | “Low-Carb, Pregnancy & Kids”
EPISODE 17: June 14, 2012 | Sarah Fragoso and Jason Seib | “All Things Exercise (Exercise 101)”
EPISODE 18: June 21, 2012 | David Getoff | “The Truth About Sweeteners”
EPISODE 19: June 28, 2012 | Julia Ross | “How To Beat Carbohydrate Addiction”
6-29 to 7-18: NO PODCASTS
EPISODE 20: July 19, 2012 | Dr. Jonny Bowden | “All Things Vitamins (Supplements 101)”
EPISODE 21: July 26, 2012 | Nora Gedgaudas | “Are Starches Really Safe?”
7-27 to 8-15: NO PODCASTS
EPISODE 22: August 16, 2012 | Dr. Kaayla Daniel | “The Truth About Soy”
EPISODE 23: August 23, 2012 | Dr. Stephen Phinney | “Long-Term Stalls & Weight Gain Even On A Well-Formulated Low-Carb Diet”
EPISODE 24: August 30, 2012 | Dr. Donald Layman | “All Things Protein (Protein 101)”
EPISODE 25: September 6, 2012 | Fred Hahn | “All Things Slow Lifting (Slow Burn 101)”
EPISODE 26: September 13, 2012 | Robb Wolf | “Transitioning To The Paleo Diet”

Spread the word about this podcast: PLEASE REVIEW THE SHOW ON ITUNES!

The LLVLC Show (Episode 565): Dr. Luan Pho Shares How Low-Carb Is The Center Of His ‘Health And Vitality Truths’

Jimmy Moore — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 22:46:55 +0000

GET BEN GREENFIELD’S ‘LOW-CARB DIET FOR TRIATHLETES’:

NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: http://cmp.ly/3

In Episode 565 of “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore,” we are pleased to have a board-certified internal medicine physician from Allen, Texas named Dr. Luan Q. Pho joining us for a fascinating conversation about his unique approach to treating his patients nutritionally. Dr. Pho is dedicated to making his patients healthy by implementing some simple lifestyle intervention methods for getting there. One of those highly-effective modalities includes low-carb living and he’s committed to helping people cut down on the amount of carbohydrates they are consuming while increasing their intake of protein which he believes is the key to weight loss and health success. He’s the author of a must-read book entitled Health and Vitality Truths where he outlines the Micro/Macro Rx–the supplementation of specific nutrients along with a healthy diet to keep chronic disease at bay. This dietary intervention can produce weight loss, lower diabetes risk and even reverse gray hairs (as Dr. Pho recently shared in a guest blog post). Tune in to hear what Dr. Pho has to share about how you too can be optimally healthy through nutrition.

Listen to Dr. Luan Pho share his plan for getting patients healthy:

Why he wanted to become a physician in the United States

His lack of nutritional education although patients expected it

Why he decided to start learning more about nutrition

His father’s Parkinson’s disease led him to nutrition

He discovered this podcast that helped shape his thoughts

Lacking dopamine is the key element of Parkinson’s disease

Dopamine is dependent on amino acids (protein)

The Standard American Diet is “not a good diet”

Even a vegetarian diet is predicated on carbohydrate

What his patients think about the concepts he shares

His book makes the complex science understandable

The Micro/Macro Rx concept that he shared in the book

Truth bombs galore scattered throughout his book

The Vitamin D connection to improving diabetes

Your Vitamin D should be at least above 50, ideally 60-65

Giving the right diet to diabetics can eliminate medications

Moderating protein intake instead of consuming too much

The grain-promoting has very little to do with health

How we can take back the food supply for better health

Why there’s such an obsession about calories

A lot of people realize carbohydrates cause health problems

Unfortunately, people don’t recognize the carb counts

Protein needs to be much higher in content than carbohydrate

The carbohydrate/protein ratio should always be less than 1

Minimal amount of protein needed is half your body weight in grams

With his Vietnamese background, how does low-carb fit in?

There are four ways you can listen to Episode 565:

1. Listen at the iTunes page for the podcast:

2. Listen and comment about the show at the official web site for the podcast:

3. Download the MP3 file of Episode 565 [33:29m]:

4. Listen on the Stitcher app–NO DOWNLOADING!

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR FINANCIALLY SUPPORTING THIS PODCAST! If these podcast interviews on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from the most provocative and thought-provoking diet, fitness, and health experts have helped you in any way, then won’t you consider helping us out by clicking on the DONATE button on the official podcast web site? We love making these exclusive health interviews featuring the world’s top nutrition and fitness experts available to you at no charge so that the positive low-carb message can get out there to the people who need to hear it the most. Now that we’ve expanded the podcast to air three days weekly, your generous donations of any amount are greatly appreciated to help us keep the education going.

Brand new interview expert guests are being lined up for your listening enjoyment and I can’t wait for you to hear them share about what a healthy lifestyle change looks like! Go to PayPal.com and you can give your gift of any amount to the e-mail address livinlowcarbman@charter.net. Your continued financial support and listenership is essential to keeping this podcast alive and well and we THANK YOU so very much for your support!

How did you like what you heard from Allen, TX-based physician Dr. Luan Pho? Sound off with your thoughts and opinions about it in the show notes section of Episode 565. Pick up a copy of Dr. Pho’s book Health and Vitality Truths and visit his official web site LuanPhoMD.com. Coming up on Monday we welcome back a former podcast guest and good friend of mine named Karly Pitman from “First Ourselves” who has authored a new sugar workbook and CDs set called Becoming Binge Free: The growing human(kind)ness therapy for a happier, healthier sugar free you. If you’ve never heard Karly speak before, then you are in for a real treat (listen to her previous interviews in Episode 129, Episode 130 and Episode 227). On Tuesday, my lovable and hilarious Canadian friend and Paleo health blogger Dean Dwyer from the “Being Primal” blog will be here to talk about his brand new book releasing on April 10, 2012 called Make Shift Happen: Change How You Look by Changing How You Think. And finally on Wednesday, we’ll have two of the leading voices in bariatrics and low-carb diets when we welcome Dr. Eric Westman and Dr. Mary Vernon from the American Society of Bariatric Physicians (ASBP) to discuss the recent study touting gastric bypass weight loss surgery as the “cure” for Type 2 diabetes. Get full details about this new study from two prominent practitioners using carbohydrate-restriction for their obese and diabetic patients and learn about the upcoming ASBP/Nutrition & Metabolism Society conference in Denver, Colorado April 18-22, 2012. We’ve got a packed week of outstanding podcasts just waiting to share with you next week!

JOIN US ON THE “ASK THE LOW-CARB EXPERTS” PODCAST THIS WEEK: You will NOT want to miss my LIVE interview this week in Episode 12 of “Ask The Low-Carb Experts” coming up on Thursday, April 5, 2012 at 7PM ET addressing the topic “The Fallacy Of Vegan/Vegetarian Diets” featuring the lovable China Study-busting darling herself Denise Minger from the “Raw Food SOS” blog. If you have questions about vegan/vegetarian diets that you would like for Denise to tackle, then feel free to send it to me this week at AskTheLowCarbExperts@gmail.com. Or ask your question LIVE on my show by calling (712) 432-0900 or Skype the show for FREE by calling the username freeconferencing.7124320900. Whether you call or Skype, be sure to use the access code 848908. Listen LIVE and leave us a review at iTunes if you like what you hear. This is your chance to interact with the best nutritional health experts in the world, so don’t be bashful.

If you have something to share about what you heard on “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show,” then drop us an e-mail at our dedicated podcast e-mail address–LLVLCShow@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you about what you think about the show, interview guest suggestions, show topics, and anything else you want to share! I LOVE hearing from my listeners, so share what’s on your mind.

If you love this podcast and want to share these interviews with friends and family members who may not be connected to the Internet, then we invite you to check out our new “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show” podcast store where you can get up to 10 episodes in mp3 format or a single episode (up to 75 minutes long) on an audio CD format. So many of my listeners have been asking for ways to share the life-changing messages being shared on this podcast and now you can. CLICK HERE to support the show and spread the low-carb love!

The LLVLC Show (Episode 563): Dr. Jeffrey Gerber Details The Low-Carb Connection To Fat Reform

Jimmy Moore — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 23:07:41 +0000

LOW-CARB, GLUTEN-FREE CONDIMENTS MADE WITH STEVIVA

NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: http://cmp.ly/3

In Episode 563 of “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore,” we welcome back to the podcast (listen to my previous interview with him in Episode 126) a physician who refers to himself as “Denver’s Diet Doctor”–Dr. Jeffry Gerber! Dr. Gerber is a man on a mission in his hometown of Denver, Colorado because he’s a strong believer in the nutritional principles of carbohydrate-restriction. He has set his eyes on making dramatic changes to the way we go about treating obesity in the United States by embarking on a lecture entitled “Fat Reform, Obesity, Food Politics, The Cost Of Healthcare, The Perils Of Dietary Carbohydrates” in which he outlines how dietary carbohydrates like whole grains that are promoted by government agencies such as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) are actually leading to higher healthcare costs because of the long-term health consequences associated with obesity and chronic disease that come from eating these very foods deemed as “healthy.” There’s a serious need for reform in the way we treat obesity in America that needs to take place and Dr. Gerber is certainly doing his part to help make that happen through his many lectures on the subject. Listen in to hear him share his vision for bringing about a much-needed paradigm shift in the way people view the benefits that come from being on a low-carb diet.

You can watch Dr. Gerber’s one-hour lecture on this topic here:

http://youtu.be/POF2y_CU-Og

Listen to Dr. Jeffry Gerber share his ideas for “Fat Reform”:

He’s known about the “other Dr. Gerber” in Maine for years

He has added low-carb diets to his medical practice

Monitoring the health improvements in his 900 patients

His desire to use his patient data to use in research

It’s time to take action and get grants for a study

Frequent television appearances he gets in the Denver area

Dr. Gerber commenting on the Paula Deen story

What he means by “fat reform”–it’s “healthcare reform”

Gary Taubes used “fat reform” in his lecture in Denver

His patients started teaching him about low-carb in late 90s

Nutrition finally made sense when he realized carbs are the problem

The continued frustration that doctors ignore nutrition

Nutrition is not a part of the education of physicians

Doctors are actually unknowingly hurting their patients

The Dietary Guidelines are based on “very bad science”

We are now “brainwashed” by the low-fat, low-calorie mantra

The trickle-down effect of the “wrong” nutritional message

My July 2010 testimony before the USDA on Dietary Guidelines

We need placebo, double-blind studies to confirm low-carb

Why we don’t have time to wait to promote low-carb nutrition

There are 100 low-carb diet studies that show benefits

There shouldn’t be more diet books, just better nutrition

His “Fat Reform” lecture is really “Low-Carb A to Z”

The low-fat diet is the “biggest fad diet of all-time”

The “political timeline” that has made of fat and unhealthy

USDA pushing grains as healthy is like “healthy” cigarettes

Ancel Keys responsible for promoting diet-heart hypothesis

The 7-Nations Study that was pretty useless science

There were vocal objections to the findings of this study

George McGovern brought low-fat diets to diet guidelines

The various attempts to promote “healthy” living

Obesity is lipid hypothesis, eat fat get fat, exercise more

Nobody can starve themselves forever by eating less

People have been very compliant to the low-fat diet

At some point, the outcomes have to be the ultimate decider

The diabetic educator who was “very upset” by his lecture

The First Law of Thermodynamics does not apply to nutrition

Farmers need to increase the yield of their crops

Genetically-modified organisms increase yield, destroy health

Farming begins with cultivation of grains in Neolithic times

Eating whole, unprocessed foods is the best part of Paleo

Modern civilization “flooded carbohydrates into food chain”

We wouldn’t have a healthcare crisis if low-carb was promoted

Real people are hanging out on the social networking sites

His idea to recruit the town of Durango for a low-carb study

Why he’d never ever put his patients on a low-fat diet

We need to impact our culture and not just pursue science

The grassroots effort is a “powerful” model for change

The strong impact of low-carb diets happening in Sweden

The primary fats before 1910 was butter, tallow and lard

Hydrogenated cottonseed oil (Crisco) was created in 1910

There are four ways you can listen to Episode 563:

1. Listen at the iTunes page for the podcast:

2. Listen and comment about the show at the official web site for the podcast:

3. Download the MP3 file of Episode 563 [42:08m]:

4. Listen on the Stitcher app–NO DOWNLOADING!

What did you think about Dr. Jeffry Gerber’s ideas for “Fat Reform” in America? Tell us about it in the show notes section of Episode 563. Learn more about Dr. Gerber at DenversDietDoctor.com. Coming up on Tuesday, we’ll have Stephanie “Paleo Pepper” Ruper who keeps it real in sharing about how her health was radically changed for the better when she switched to Paleo/primal living! Then on Wednesday we’ll feature a medical doctor named Dr. Luan Pho, author of Health and Vitality Truths, who is treating patients in Allen, Texas with healthy low-carb diets with amazing results. Check ‘em out!

The LLVLC Show (Episode 559): Adam Kosloff Says It’s Time To Move ‘Beyond Caloriegate’

Jimmy Moore — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 20:35:00 +0000

PICK UP ADAM KOSLOFF’S LATEST E-BOOK “BEYOND CALORIEGATE”

To get the Beyond Caloriegate e-book for $9.99, USE DISCOUNT CODE: 1B0V27N3
NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: http://cmp.ly/3

In Episode 559 of “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore,” we are pleased to welcome back my friend Adam Kosloff who I like to refer to as the “low-carb thinker.” Within the low-carb community, there are people who take on various roles in helping to spread the healthy message of carbohydrate-restriction. There are the torchbearers who put themselves on the front lines of the battle through blogs and podcasts discussing the various topics of the day. Additionally, there are people who work within their inner spheres of influence telling friends and family members about the changes they have experienced through low-carb living. But today we have Adam who is what I like to refer to as a “thinker” because he seriously ponders the thoughts and ideas that make up the core of what we low-carbers believe and why we believe it.

You might recall I interviewed Adam previously in Episode 355 about his 2011 e-book The Low-Carber’s Survival Guide. Well he’s back in 2012 with a brand new e-book he’s calling Beyond Caloriegate that delves even deeper into a concept he calls the “Black Box.” As long as calories in, calories out dominates the discussion of nutrition and health we will never move beyond the same old predictable results we are seeing now. Listen in as Adam and I talk about this and so much more in a rather thought-provoking podcast.

Listen to Adam Kosloff share more about Beyond Caloriegate:

It all comes down to calories vs. carbs

We have to battle the eat less, move more mantra

Low-carbers and Paleo people have a lot to learn from each other

You have to think of it as “over-storing” rather than overeating

People get really confused and default to the calorie hypothesis

The difficulty in across the board nutritional recommendations

Cutting calories when struggling on low-carb is nonsense

The hormonal and medicinal impact on your weight

When people say they are going off low-carb, what do they do?

If the SAD diet is Darth Vader, then Emperor is “calories count”

We need a simple message that counters the calories hypothesis

But carbohydrates raise insulin is a pretty good response to that

People will choose to eat sugar when they have the choice

How we can defeat the “calories in, calories out” mantra

Rally around the “reverse causality” hypothesis (the “Black Box”)

The calories message has led us to 100-calorie pack foods

The Sugar Association markets totally on the calories mantra

Battle going on is a result of sides not listening to each other

His recent interaction with an anti-low-carb blogger

The frustration of “not being listened to” when you communicate

Coming up with win-win situations and solutions to the problems

The rabble rousers who are stirring the pot just for attention

Calories in, calories out has to go and we should rally around that

What he means by the idea of the “Black Box” in Caloriegate

Only when it comes to our fat tissue do we think calories matter

His fever analogy to treating obesity

Practically how people can count the “Black Box”

The hormonal and enzyme connection to weight and health

Exercisegate, Druggate and others are next to follow

How the Paleo/low-carb community can come together as one

If there is something wrong with saying “science says”

Why “safe starches” and berries may not be fine for you

His dream to help reverse the diabetes epidemic in the next decade

Once we get 10% of the people to buy into it, we’ll be there

There are four ways you can listen to Episode 559:

1. Listen at the iTunes page for the podcast:

2. Listen and comment about the show at the official web site for the podcast:

3. Download the MP3 file of Episode 559 [36:22m]:

4. Listen on the Stitcher app–NO DOWNLOADING!

How’d you like what you heard from Adam Kosloff and his Caloriegate concept? Give us your feedback about it in the show notes section of Episode 559. Check out Adam’s Caloriegate.com for all the details about the work he is doing to spread the message of over-storing rather than overeating. Coming up next week we have three more fantastic shows lined up for you. On Monday we welcome Dr. Peter Attia from the “War On Insulin” blog who is a refreshing new voice in the low-carb community. Then on Tuesday we’ll hear from Adel Moussa (who is ProfDrAndro on Facebook) from the “SuppVersity” blog who is full of some awesome alternative-thinking regarding nutrition and health. Finally on Wednesday I’m be reminiscing with Keith and Michelle Norris who were two of the creators of the recently-concluded conference in Austin, Texas called PaleoFX about their inaugural event that will surely be one of the go-to Paleo/low-carb conferences in the years to come (yes, there will be a #PFX13!).

JOIN US ON THE “ASK THE LOW-CARB EXPERTS” PODCAST THIS WEEK: We have a superb LIVE interview this week in Episode 10 of “Ask The Low-Carb Experts” coming up on Thursday, March 22, 2012 at 7PM ET addressing the topic “All Things Thyroid (Thyroid 101)” featuring Paleo nutritional health expert Chris Kresser. If you have questions about thyroid health that you would like for Chris to address, then feel free to send it to me this week at AskTheLowCarbExperts@gmail.com. Or ask your question LIVE on my show by calling (712) 432-0900 or Skype the show for FREE by calling the username freeconferencing.7124320900. Whether you call or Skype, be sure to use the access code 848908. Listen LIVE and leave us a review at iTunes if you like what you hear. This is your chance to interact with the best nutritional health experts in the world, so don’t be bashful.

The LLVLC Show (Episode 555): Paleo Blogger Richard Nikoley Addresses The Low-Carb vs. Paleo Controversy

Jimmy Moore — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 01:23:05 +0000

GET BEN GREENFIELD’S ‘LOW-CARB DIET FOR TRIATHLETES’:

NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: http://cmp.ly/3

In Episode 555 of “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore,” we welcome back to the show Paleo blogger and author Richard Nikoley from the “Free The Animal” blog. Richard can be described as bombastic, controversial and irreverent (with a trademark potty mouth from time to time) and everybody in the Paleo/low-carb community knows about the work he does. It’s been a couple of years since he was on the podcast (listen to Richard in Episode 347) and now he’s back to promote his brand new e-book and book entitled Free The Animal: Lose Weight & Fat With The Paleo Diet.

During this interview, Richard shared about a very special deal his publisher is running right now and here are the details: purchase a copy of either his e-book or the paperback and you will have the opportunity to give five e-book copies way for FREE! Purchase the book and full details are inside the book.

Don’t you dare miss this exciting interview where Richard talks about his recent experimentation eating more starchy carbohydrates in the form of potatoes and his unique firebrand take on the low-carb vs. Paleo vs. food reward theory that is lighting up the blogosphere. It’s never a dull moment when Richard Nikoley is on the show. ENJOY!

Listen to Richard Nikoley share his thoughts on the diet debates:

His book is very “grandma safe” without his trademark language

Why he decided to write a book promoting the Paleo message

He struggled with how to make it different from others

Hyperink Publisher contacted him about writing an e-book/book

The book is not just a bunch of blog posts published in a book

There are hyperlinks included in the e-book to relevant online info

There is a web page link in the print version to all the hyperlinks

He attempted to appeal to “your reason and logic” with this book

His fasting section is “quite extensive” because of his experience

The 110-page book is available virtually everywhere online

If you purchase the book, you get 5 coupon codes to give away

The brevity of the book was to make sure it “actually gets read”

His recent experimentation adding back in starchy carbohydrates

The frustration he has seen trying to get down to a better weight

His decision to replace non-starchy veggies with potatoes

He needed to adjust his fat calories to compensate for potatoes

He expected to gain “a few pounds” doing this experiment

Food became “less palatable” and he “felt full for longer”

He spontaneously started eating less calories daily on potatoes

His response to those who say you shouldn’t eat fat and carbs

Even low-carber Dr. Mike Eades believes that calories count

His synthesis of low-carb, food reward and calories count post

Food quality is vitally important if you’re gonna eat low-carb

Had he started eating potatoes first, he may not have stuck with it

When you have 2-3 potatoes a day, will you still crave them?

He’s losing weight because addition of starch cut total calories

More energy, sleeps less and straight through the night

A ribeye steak and potato used to “put me to sleep” afterwards

Why you need to add in the starch instead of just lowering calories

He’s a fan of my work because I’m “agnostic” about diet plans

The antagonism about low-carb from the Paleo community

The thyroid, body temp, adrenal fatigue on low-carb is “BS”

His take on the riff between the Paleo and low-carb people

Mark Sisson’s take on his diet is that it’s “still low-carb”

Paleo is defined as “real food that our ancestors ate”

“There’s nothing implicit in Paleo that means it is low-carb”

He’s becoming more and more “macronutrient agnostic” now

Low-carb is defined as restricting the amount of carbs in your diet

Low-carb worked for him and so it’s difficult to dismiss it

The ancestral movement is predicated on all the communities uniting

His dismissal of anti-Paleo blogger who spoke on the “Paleo Summit”

425: Chris Voigt Ate 20 Potatoes A Day For 60 Days

People don’t need to “tear others down to make them look better”

Anyone can “cherry pick” whatever studies to prove their point

My controversial October 2011 “safe starches” post

“Can A Christian Follow A Paleo Low-Carb Diet?”

He appreciates my work calling me “information agnostic”

There are four ways you can listen to Episode 555:

1. Listen at the iTunes page for the podcast:

2. Listen and comment about the show at the official web site for the podcast:

3. Download the MP3 file of Episode 555 [51:05m]:

4. Listen on the Stitcher app–NO DOWNLOADING!

What did you think about what you heard from Richard Nikoley? Sound off about it in the show notes section of Episode 555. Pick up a copy of Free The Animal: Lose Weight & Fat With The Paleo Diet (and take advantage of the 5 FREE e-book offer) and be sure to read my review of this book here. Of course, you should bookmark his “Free The Animal” blog to keep up with how his starch experiment is going. Coming up on Wednesday (my last LLVLC Show episode before taking a week off to attend PaleoFX March 14-17, 2012), I’m excited to share my brand new interview with legendary Paleo diet expert Professor Loren Cordain about his brand new book The Paleo Answer: 7 Days To Lose Weight, Feel Great, Stay Young (check out this YouTube video of my conversation with him prior to recording the interview).

JOIN US ON THE “ASK THE LOW-CARB EXPERTS” PODCAST THIS WEEK: We have an outstanding LIVE interview this week in Episode 9 of “Ask The Low-Carb Experts” coming up on Thursday, March 8, 2012 at 7PM ET addressing the topic “All Things Calories (Calories 101)” featuring Harvard organic chemist and Paleo nutrition expert Mat Lalonde. If you have questions about calories that you would like for Mat to address, then feel free to send it to me this week at AskTheLowCarbExperts@gmail.com. Or ask your question LIVE on my show by calling (712) 432-0900 or Skype the show for FREE by calling the username freeconferencing.7124320900. Whether you call or Skype, be sure to use the access code 848908. Listen LIVE and leave us a review at iTunes if you like what you hear. This is your chance to interact with the best nutritional health experts in the world, so don’t be bashful.

What’s With The Antagonism About Low-Carb From The Paleo Community Lately?

Jimmy Moore — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 20:59:19 +0000

There is something rather disturbing happening behind-the-scenes in the Paleo community that I’ve seen unfolding before my eyes over the past six months or so. And in fact, it is becoming even more overt lately with various prominent bloggers writing about their questioning of long-term low-carb dieting for optimal health, including highly-respected people such as Dr. Kurt Harris, Stephan Guyenet, Richard Nikoley, Chris Kresser, Paul Jaminet, Danny Roddy, Dr. Garrett Smith, Matt Stone, and I’m sure many others. At the same time low-carb stalwarts like Dr. Jack Kruse have tried to bridge the gap that’s beginning to grow between the Paleo and low-carb communities with a workable solution for us all to follow.

PaleoHacks.com featured a question last summer questioning whether Paleo is low-carb or not and noted this sudden shift away from the low-carb aspect that some people choose to include as part of their Paleo diet. It’s all leading to a great deal of confusion and concern in the low-carb community with innocent people not knowing who or what to believe anymore. That’s why this is disturbing to me and could quite possibly jeopardize the entire ancestral health movement if we’re not careful to be mindful of the damage that is being done to the overall cause. There’s still time to mitigate any damage that has been done and to unite behind the overall mission to help those people who just don’t care about nutrition and how it impacts their health.

I will clear one issue up right away for the sake of getting it out there. No, a Paleo diet isn’t necessarily a low-carb one. But as Professor Loren Cordain author of The Paleo Diet told me in a pre-interview chat I recorded last week (listen to the full interview airing on March 7, 2012 on “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show”), “The evolutionary diet supports low-carb…it’s a pretty good fit.” When I brought up to him how I’m disheartened that there has been this sudden rise in antagonism about low-carb from the Paleo community lately, Cordain was quick to point out that “it’s very difficult to eat Paleo and eat high-carb. I don’t think most people can do it.” So what’s the deal with all these subtle and not-so-subtle attempts to disparage a way of eating that is beloved by so many of us for being a lifesaver for our health?

It’s no secret I’m a fan of low-carb diets (defined for me as 40g or less daily–others can certainly get away with more probably up to around 100g daily). After all, it was the high-fat, moderate protein, low-carb Atkins diet that helped me lose triple-digit weight in 2004 and attain some pretty remarkable changes in my health in the process that I still enjoy today. While I’ve been quite open about some weight management struggles as of late (which I’m working diligently with a doctor I trust to deal with it) despite shifting my diet to more of a Paleo-style approach with more grass-fed, pastured and organic foods in August 2011, I still couldn’t imagine eating any other way than this. The quality of my diet in 2012 is light years ahead of what it was before 2004 when I transitioned from being a sugar-burner as my primary source of fuel to a fat-burner energizing my body with the power of ketones. It was a major shift that took place in my life over eight years ago and I’ve reaped the amazing benefits of it ever since in the form of improved lipids, controlled blood sugar, lower blood pressure, satisfaction with my diet without hunger, an active lifestyle working out several days a week, clearer thinking, and so much more than I could ever write down in one blog post. Even if I never lost another pound (and I expect that I will again someday), the health benefits that I’ve experienced eating this way have been worth it for me to keep doing it for the rest of my life.

But I was disheartened to read one of my fellow real food health activist bloggers named Ann Marie Michaels from the “CHEESESLAVE” blog write a post earlier this month called “Why I Ditched Low-Carb” where she describes a whole laundry list of health problems she says she endured following low-carb. While I have a great deal of respect for Ann Marie and love what she has done to promote health from a traditional foods perspective, this one just threw me for a loop. I’m not saying she didn’t experience these issues she is describing but I wonder how much of it can be attributed to her low-carb diet or something else. After reading her post, I summarized what I thought were her main criticisms of long-term low-carb diets that forced her to start adding carbs back into her diet again.

Here’s what appears to be her primary objections to low-carb:

Thyroid function slows down causing T3 and reverse T3 signaling to become deficient on low-carb

Hypothyroid symptoms like hair loss, cold extremities, eyebrow thinning happen eating low-carb

You need to eat more carbohydrates in your diet and supplemental thyroid hormone in order to get pregnant

A 40-50% carb diet promotes fertility and athleticism, 30-40% carbs is a low stress diet

Eating low-carb lowers your body temperature because of a depressed metabolism

Adding carbs (upwards of 300g daily) back into your diet will dramatically improve your health by raising your body temp

Increased body temperature is an indication of improved adrenals and thyroid

These are the same kind of critical statements that I’ve seen and heard being made about low-carb diets across the blogosphere. It popped up in Part 3 of Chris Kresser’s interview with Chris Masterjohn a few weeks ago when Kresser noted that many low-carb Paleo dieters in his practice are “suffering from the classic hypothyroid symptoms.” And by adding carbohydrates back into their diet again they seem to anecdotally get better. He concluded that “the low-carb diet contributing to hypothyroid and increasing carbohydrate intake improving thyroid function is definitely real.” I look forward to exploring this topic further with Chris Kresser in Episode 10 of my new “Ask The Low-Carb Experts” podcast about “All Things Thyroid (Thyroid 101)” on March 22, 2012!

But is there any real evidence of this? When I don’t definitively know the answer to something, I go to people who are a lot smarter than me to assist. And I just so happen to know a few good nutritional health experts I’ve been privileged to interview in hundreds of podcast episode over the years to reach out to for answers.

One of my “Ask The Low-Carb Experts” listeners asked my latest guest last week LIVE on the air in Episode 7 featuring Dr. Cate Shanahan about this brewing controversy over low-carb diets negatively impacting hormones like thyroid coming from the Paleo community and she was genuinely oblivious to it happening. I had already been working on this blog post asking various people in the Paleo and low-carb communities to chime in on that list of claims about low-carb diets and their impact on hormonal health. Here are the responses I got back beginning with Dr. Shanahan (who noted in my ATLCX podcast that she has revised her position on carbohydrates to be between 40-75g daily instead of 100g) who offered up her thoughts and concerns about these issues:

This just so happens to be an issue I’ve been pondering since reading about the controversy over safe starches, and a couple pieces of the puzzle recently fell into place that I think I add up to at least one explanation for the debilitating symptoms some people develop when going low-carb, and offer a method for anyone on low-carb to do so without problems.

Below are the bullet points of what I’ve concluded so far, and the details are fleshed out in this blog post on my website DrCate.com:

- Problems arise in those who have gone from high-carb to low fairly abruptly
- In these cases, we see high rT3 and sometimes high LDL
- Supplementing with T3 seems to help, at least a little.
- This set of symptoms is very similar to the so-called Hibernation Syndrome

Newly discovered compounds called thyronamines, derived from rT3 and produced by the liver and other tissues may be the cause of hibernation syndrome. They appear to play a very important role in making all the needed metabolic adaptations for a prolonged winter fast. By going from high-carb to low-carb relatively abruptly, people mimic the nutrient changes associated with pre-hybernation binging. This may, in some people, flip an atavistic hibernation switch and initiate the conversion of T4 into rT3 instead of T3. Once we make rT3, our tissues can convert it to thyronamines to cause a variety of symptoms consistent with hibernation syndrome.

What’s the solution? Go slow! In my T.R.I.M. program, I introduce low-carb meals one at a time over a course of 6-12 weeks, beginning with breakfast.

Dr. Shanahan promotes a “gradual” approach to cutting carbs that may keep these criticisms about low-carb diets from being valid. Of course, there are others who wonder why we’re even talking about this since there doesn’t seem to be any science behind it to back it up. Dr. Peter Attia from the “War On Insulin” blog asked “What is the proof or data supporting these claims? It’s best to address this by examining the data supporting this position, it seems? These aren’t folks talking about science, they are stating their experiences and opinions, as far as I can tell.” He said he plans on writing a series of posts addressing these issues in the coming months.

Dr. Spencer Nadolsky says “I have heard all of these (claims about low-carb diets) before and I have always asked for references. I only hear anectdotal evidence which is obviously not the best.” Dr. Nadolsky goes on to say that “what we really need to see is if someone on a keto-adapted diet with enough fat (aka energy) in the diet would product the same effects. I have never seen anything that shows that this is the case. If they can find that then they have a case.” He said much of the supposed evidence presented is too short-term to offer any solid convincing arguments about this subject. Swedish LCHF physician Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt said “When it comes to hypothyroidism on low-carb I have not seen any studies showing this, nor have I seen it in my patients or heard about it from other doctors practicing low-carb for a long time. I doubt it’s true. Personally I think this whole hypothyroidism/adrenal fatigue thing is a very alternative theory without much credible science to back it up. Generally I don’t think it makes much sense.”

These medical doctors weren’t alone in the desire to see more evidence. Biochemistry professor Dr. Wendy Pogozelski (aka “Dr. Pogo” who I interviewed on my podcast here) said that she has “never seen any real studies to support this claim.” She added: “I believe that there are anecdotes to say that MANY dieters, whether low-carb or low-fat or low-calorie, experience a slowing of their thyroid function (Oprah Winfrey is a good example and her dieting was low-fat/low-carb). I’d say ‘show me the science’ before I believe that the effect is limited to low-carb eating or that any reduced thyroid hormone signaling outweighs the benefits of carb restriction for many people.” Dr. Pogo’s fellow biochemistry colleague Dr. Richard Feinman stated that he is not aware of any low-carb papers that bear on thyroid but would be delighted to take a look at any if they exist. He concluded If these guys (the critics of low-carb diets) have found a non-low-carb way to eat, they should go for it. If they want me to switch to it, I’m simply not in the market. Me neither Dr. Feinman.

Jackie Eberstein, a registered nurse who worked with the late, great Dr. Robert C. Atkins for nearly three decades, says her experience with patients on low-carb diets was that they got better not worse once they got their diet and hormonal health markers in order.

I’ll start by saying that I spent too many years seeing patients get healthier on an Atkins Lifestyle. Many patients who came to us already had hypothyroid symptoms, low body temps even after spending years on Synthroid. Many also had low DHEA levels that once addressed could improve thyroid function.

Eating low-calorie and weight cycling I believe slows metabolism. Not low-carb if calorie intake is adequate. We also did not see many patients with high reverse T3.

As far as needing more carbs to get pregnant this was not my experience especially in women with PCOS. We cautioned our patients if they did not want to get pregnant they needed to use birth control.

I am not aware of any of the low-carb studies, even those up to two years, where low thyroid symptoms suddenly appeared during the study.

On another point there are certainly people whose metabolic situation won’t allow anything other than a low-carb intake and even 30-40% carbs would be too high. It would also be too high for those people who are carb-addicted.

Low-carb triathlete Ben Greenfield, author of The Low-Carbohydrate Guide For Triathletes, identified four studies that he is aware of that address low-carb and thyroid health and offered commentary on each of them:

Effects of slimming and composition of diets on V02 and thyroid hormones in healthy subjects

They fed subjects 75% fat, 10% carb, 15% protein and did not see a decrease in T3 and increase in reverse T3. But the high-fat diet looked kind of crappy – all I could see was linoleum acid, casein and milk, unless I was missing something.

Isocaloric carbohydrate deprivation induces protein catabolism despite a low T3-syndrome in healthy men

This one shows carb depletion decreased T3 levels, but I’m not sure what volume the subjects were eating, and study was very small.

The effect of varying carbohydrate content of a very-low-caloric diet on resting metabolic rate and thyroid hormones

They only fed subjects 1000 calories per day. That’s not realistic in most cases.

Effect of Carbohydrate and Noncarbohydrate Sources of Calories on Plasma 3,5,3′-Triiodothyronine Concentrations in Man

This study shows increased T3 levels with more carb consumption, but not clinically concerning low T3 with lower carb consumption.

Nora Gedgaudas from Primal Body-Primal Mind chimed in on this stating that the “thyroid thing is pretty overblown.”

I have personally never seen the problems you are asking about as a result of the diet I recommend. I think if one is going to have problems with low-carb (relative to your list) its mainly going to be seen in conjunction with low-fat, biliary problems and/or overly high protein. The problem isn’t a lack of carbs but a lack of sufficient fat, poor biliary function (and therefore poor utilization of fat) or an inability to effectively utilize ketones due to an unwitting sustained dependence on glucose through excess protein (converting to sugar to keep the primary glucose dependence going). Dr. Richard Bernstein has talked about this. The idea that carbs are or ever were essential to us dietarily is absurd. How on earth would we ever have survived any Ice Age and how would the Inuit have ever survived as a people? I have thyroid problems left and right in my family and so far I’m the only one that’s dodged that bullet–and the only one that’s low carb. Look ma…no eyebrow thinning!

“Denver’s Diet Doctor” Jeffry Gerber believes one of the problems is the difference between why people go on a low-carb diet vs. the Paleo diet.

Most doing low-carb diets need to lose weight and sometimes lots of weight. My patients in a family medicine office tend to be overweight and already have medical issues as opposed to the Paleo community, with their muscles bulging ultra athlete, CrossFit crazed group that they are. The Paleo community are looking at maximizing and optimizing performance, the low-carb people usually have weight loss and health issues to address. Different goals and different diets, not that one is better then the other, they both excel in the proper circumstance. I use both in my office.

I must say the issues raised by the Paleo group regarding low-carb diets are theoretical and I do not observe, nor can I measure, any of this within the medical office setting. What I do measure in my office is cardio-metabolic markers such as cholesterol, lipids, LDL particles, APO-B, LDL sub-fractination, cardiac CRP, HgA1c, C-peptide, TSH, etc. These numbers ALWAYS improve if patients can lose weight.

Dr. Ron Rosedale, who infamously had a friendly exchange of ideas over Paul Jaminet’s “safe starches” concept, weighed in on the thyroid concerns of low-carb diets. He argues that eating carbohydrates wreaks more havoc on health than low-carb diets ever will.

I believe that those who advocate for higher starches and many if not most in the medical and health community, misunderstand the physiologic response to low glucose, and the true meaning of low thyroid. It is extremely important to have the confusion and misunderstanding of the true meaning of free T3 and body temperature being lowered, resolved.

Glucose scarcity elicits an evolutionary response to perceived low fuel availability. (In all but frank hypoglycemic crisis, glucose deficiency is a misnomer.) This results in a shift in genetic expression to allow that organism to better survive the perceived famine. Intracellular antioxidant systems, heat shock proteins, DNA repair, autophagy, all tricks that nature has, are upregulated to allow the organism to increase repair and maintain itself to remain healthy and alive. As part of this genetic expression, and as part and parcel of nature’s mechanism to allow the maintenance of health and actually reduce the rate of aging, certain events will take place as seen in caloric restricted animals. These include a reduction in serum glucose, insulin, leptin, and free T3. The reduction in free T3 is of great benefit, reducing temperature, metabolic damage and decreasing catabolism. TSH is not elevated. We are not talking about a hypothyroid condition. It is a purposeful reduction in thyroid activity to elicit health. Yes, reverse T3 is increased, as this is a normal, healthy, physiologic mechanism to reduce thyroid activity. It is not always a sign of malfunctioning thyroid as is frequently taught, but is instead one of the redundant ways that thyroid action is controlled.

Furthermore, in caloric restricted animals where body temperature and free T3 are reduced, the immune response is markedly increased, not reduced as opponents of VLC diets often maintain, and CR animal’s mortality rate is well known to be significantly reduced while lifespan significantly increased. There is also a huge reduction in autoimmune diseases, secondary to improving immune function, not lowering it.

Again, I am not talking about a sick thyroid. I am not talking about a thyroid that is low because it has to be, or a body temperature that is low because the body does not have enough lean mass or proper physiology to maintain a higher temperature. I am not talking about hypothyroidism. I am talking about a thyroid that is purposefully being lowered to enhance the wellness and survivability of life. Please understand that this is very different. One is very healthy; one is very not.

This is analogous to fasting insulin. Almost always, a high fasting insulin indicates insulin resistance and poor health. Properly treated, fasting insulin goes down and the person is healthier. You don’t say that that person now has a sick pancreas. The same is true for thyroid. As part and parcel of making that person healthier, fasting insulin is reduced, fasting leptin is reduced, and so is free T3 reduced.

One can certainly have low thyroid hormones because of sickness, or because of a primary sick thyroid. I can give the more extreme example that body temperature is lower when one is dead. In calorie restricted animals and in those on my diet, on the other hand, free T3 and body temperature are reduced as part and parcel of a shift in genetic expression towards maintenance, repair, and longevity, in the same way that the temperature of your car is reduced when it is functioning best; when it is getting the best mileage, has the best acceleration, and where the engine will live longest. In both cases, it is making the best use of available resources, and wanting to reduce waste. In the former, thyroid is low because it is sick. In the latter, and with my diet, thyroid goes lower to keep one healthy. If the car is running hotter, you know that is sick. It does so because it must and perhaps better than not running at all.

Temperature must be orchestrated for maximal health. As we age, one of the major problems is that our temperature does not go as high with infection as it did when we were children. This can predispose to serious infection. My diet does not relegate people to low temperature. It keeps temperature a little bit lower when that is healthiest, but does not prevent a rise in temperature, a fever, with infection, but instead would promote it. This is very healthy. Having a “fever” when not necessary, and is promoted by the thermogenesis of burning ‘healthy starches’ and excess protein is what is not.

Furthermore, it is now a fairly well stablished finding that free T3 is reduced in centenarians. One example;

“A cross-section analysis of FT3 age-related changes in a group of old and oldest-old subjects, including centenarians’ relatives, shows that a down-regulated thyroid function has a familial component and is related to longevity” Age and Ageing 2010;Andrea Corsonello, et al 39: 723–727

“Down-regulation of thyroid hormones, due to either genetic predisposition or resetting of thyroid function favours longevity.”

The key is that we can reset our thyroid function to be that of centenarians, even if we were not so genetically predisposed. We can make our own luck, but not by adding carbohydrates..
If ketone production is an indication of fatty acid utilization as fuel, and if this is a marker of a shift in metabolism towards that seen in caloric restriction that has been shown to confer tremendous health benefits including longevity, then what Cahill states must be strongly noted; as little as 100 gms. of carbohydrate that higher starch advocates promote, will prevent this. (Fuel Metabolism in Starvation Annu. Rev. Nutr. 2006.26:1-22. George F. Cahill, Jr. Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School)

That gets us to the main issue and most important question; is there a diet or glucose (starch) intake that can better maximize the repair/damage ratio that life, health, and youthful longevity depends on?

‘Safe starch’ and higher carb advocates say that their diet would not have the effects on thyroid as my diet, namely lowering T3, and they are likely right; see below. However, they believe that lowering thyroid is disadvantageous. It is far from; in fact quite the opposite. The purposeful lowering of thyroid likely helps to mediate metabolic advantages that help confer longevity in centenarians and in calorie restriction. Note that The holy grail of aging research (including the giant pharmaceutical corporations) has been to find a way (drug) to mimic the effects of calorie restriction (that has been shown to greatly improve health and increase maximal lifespan in almost every species studied since the 1930s) without having to do so.

In the study cited previously,

[In centenarians] “Down-regulation of thyroid hormones, due to either genetic predisposition or resetting of thyroid function,
favours longevity.”
…as my diet has been shown to do.

And the effect of calorie restriction on thyroid;

Effect of Caloric Restriction and Dietary Composition on Serum T3 and Reverse T3 in Man
The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism jan1, 1976 vol. 42 no.1197-200

“Subjects receiving the no-carbohydrate hypocaloric diets for two weeks demonstrated a similar 47% decline in serum T3 [as caloric restriction] … In contrast, the same subjects receiving isocaloric diets containing at least 50 g of carbohydrate showed no significant changes in either T3 or rT3 concentration.”
Very low carbohydrates such as mine has similar effects on thyroid as caloric restriction. Keep in mind that I do not calorie restrict. People are told to eat whenever they are hungry, except for 3 hrs before bedtime.

Of interest is that the authors’ note in this study that the (isocaloric) addition of 50 gm of carbohydrate totally reversed this beneficial effect of lowering T3.

Some more clues..

Centenarian indicators of longevity;
Evaluation of neuroendocrine status in longevity. Neurobiol Aging. 2007; 28(5):774-83 Baranowska B
“Our data revealed several differences in the neuroendocrine and metabolic status of centenarians, compared with other age groups, including the lowest serum concentrations of leptin, insulin and T3…”

Calorie Restriction indicators of longevity;
The Fall in Leptin Concentration Is a Major Determinant of the Metabolic Adaptation Induced by Caloric Restriction Independently of the Changes in Leptin Circadian Rhythms. The Journal of Clin. Endocrinology & Metabolism Sept 1, 2011 vol 96, no 9 Virgile Lecoultre, Eric Ravussin and Leanne M. Redman

Leptin is involved in the hormonal regulation of the reproductive, somatotropic, thyroid, and autonomic axes and ultimately in the regulation of energy balance. In parallel to the metabolic adaptation observed in response to caloric restriction (CR), plasma leptin concentrations are substantially decreased…Conclusion: Our results confirm an important role for leptin as an independent determinant of the metabolic adaptation in response to CR.
Note also that the reduction in leptin may be primary to elicit the metabolic adaptations of caloric restriction, including the reduction in thyroid/free T3, and therefore the extreme beneficial effects on health and lifespan. That brings us to my study;

Clinical Experience of a Diet Designed toReduce Aging
Journal of Applied Research, vol 9, no 4, 2009
Rosedale, Westman, Konhilis

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2831640/

“This retrospective analysis of patients from a private clinic adhering to a high-fat, low carbohydrate, adequate protein diet [the Rosedale diet] demonstrated reductions in critical metabolic mediators including insulin, leptin, glucose, triglycerides, and free T3… Patients in this study demonstrated a similar directional impact on the measured parameters when compared to studies using more established models of longevity such as caloric restriction.”

We may have found a way to mimic caloric restriction, at least to some extent and any extent is extraordinary. It appears that my diet can mimic the hormonal changes in T3, insulin, and leptin seen in calorie restriction studies that are instrumental to mediate the major physiological and extremely beneficial effects of calorie restriction, but without having to calorie restrict. There are no studies that indicate that a higher carbohydrate diet would have similar benefits. However, there are clues that it would not. Cahill has shown that a carbohydrate intake of 100 grams/day reverses ketoses, impedes the ability to burn fat, and likely prevents the full physiology and genetic expression of health and longevity as revealed by caloric restriction. Furthermore, adding 50 gm of carbohydrate may at least contribute to reversing the beneficial effect of lowering T3 that mediates much of the advantages of CR, as shown in the above study. ‘Safe starch’ diets add double that intake.

Holistic psychiatrist Dr. Judy Tsafrir says she is “puzzled” by the anti-low-carb sentiment that seems to be running through the Paleo/ancestral blogosphere.

I don’t really get it. It seems very clear to me that most peoples’ health is vastly improved by a moderately low to very low carb diet. I am of the mind set that the specific source of the carbs matters. For people who have been formerly obese, their metabolism is often significantly damaged, and they could never eat upwards of 300g of carbs a day without gaining weight and having a recurrence of metabolic syndrome.

She added her thoughts on hypothyroidism being indicative of a high-carb, not low-carb, diet.

My thoughts are that hypothyroidism is very common among people eating a high carbohydrate SAD diet. Symptoms such as hair loss and feeling cold are not unusual symptoms among dieters, particularly those who lose significant amounts of weight. Any diet that is too calorie restricted, or combined with excessive exercise and or stress/poor sleep could cause such symptoms. Additionally, it is well established that persons who lose large amounts of weight, however they lose it, may and typically do, experience long-term cold intolerance and alterations in metabolism. ANY diet which is too energy (calorie) restricted may decrease metabolism. And science points to virtually all significant weight loss producing changes in metabolism and often, as previously stated, in experience of temperature, ie., feeling cooler. Adding carbs back in that drive weight gain and the recurrence of serious medical conditions is all too common.

Reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Michael Fox who regularly studies the research behind carbohydrate-restriction and uses it with his patients who want to get pregnant offered up a different point of view on this jaded view of low-carb diets on thyroid health and fertility.

My initial and summary response to these allegations regarding low carbohydrate diets is that each of these thoughts are categorically wrong and go against the conclusions of all of Weston Price’s research and findings. His findings are landmark and timeless, probably representing the most extensive look at primitive diets and populations ever done and because the societies are no longer in existence, his work can never be reproduced. It is odd that anyone who has read his book and analyzed his findings would come to any of those conclusions.

Decrease in metabolic rate due to incomplete T4 to T3 peripheral conversion. / hypothyroid symptoms increase. / Lowers body temperature and depressed metabolism. / adding carbs raises temperature and improves health. All these ideas follow the same physiologic response:

Lowering body temperature and metabolic rate via thyroid hormone and increased adrenal activity (cortisol) is a stress response mechanism in place to survive starvation stress and is activated in other hypothalamic stress situations such as excessive exercise. Probably the biggest trigger for this response in people today is hypoglycemia, a phenomenon exclusive of carbohydrate rich diets. In contrast, people on low carbohydrate diets have very stable blood sugars removing the powerful stress stimulus of hypoglycemia or low blood sugar. Our experience in reproduction also supports this physiologic response. For patients who are underweight, over exercised, Insulin resistant with reactive hypoglycemia, and those pursuing low calorie but normal to high carbohydrate nutrition plans (starvation diets) are at the highest risk of this Thyroid / Adrenal reaction to physiologic stress. Bariatric surgery patients who are forced into low calorie but usually maintain relatively high carbohydrate intake have a particularly severe form of this response. The fact that the body is responds to reactive hypoglycemia with this “stress response” is clear evidence that moderate to high carbohydrate nutrition and it’s subsequent hormonal responses (elevations in insulin, cortisol, epinephrine, growth hormone, endorphins, etc.) are toxic to human physiology.

These patients all complain of lower body temperature and cold hands. TSH levels are mildly elevated and T4 / T3 levels are low normal to slightly low in these patients (relative hypothyroid pattern). Universally when their diets are converted to high fat very low carbohydrate, they warm up and feel much less stressed due to the blood sugar stabilization and reduction in stress response.

Eating 40-50% carbohydrate diet promotes fertility and athleticism: When we treat both normal and insulin resistant patient with ketotic, very low carbohydrate and high fat diets, our pregnancy rates increase 2-3 fold. The female reproductive hormonal system is the most sensitive endocrine system in humans. If ketotic diets were harmful or produced stress, fertility would be the first to go and pregnancy rates would plumet, not increase as they clearly do.

In regards to athletics, carb loading was originally described for marathoners and other extreme exercisers. This was based on the increase in glycogen stores. At the rate of useage in these activities, carb loading only buys another 15-30 mins of exercise before glucose stores are depleted from the liver, muscle and kidney. In high carb diet athletes, when glucose runs out, it must be replenished, hence the need for liquid sugar, like gatorade. This is due to an inability of these individuals to significantly draw on fat stores for energy. Many high athletes are turning to high fat low carb ketotic diets, to allow for the continued useage of stored fat during the event. From personal experience, I can exercise at maximal levels for more than an hour without signs of hypoglycemia.

I hope these comments will help readers understand that the allogations against low carb diets are completely unfounded in physiology.

So now that we’ve heard a defense of low-carb diets from some of the most ardent supporters in the medical and research realm, what do some of the more prominent members of the Paleo community think about all of this growing antagonism about low-carb coming from their peers? I asked Robb Wolf about it and he typed in “ketogenic diet hypothyroid” on PubMed to see how many results there are. Wanna know what he found? “Not a single damn reference on PubMed. There are some folks trying to carve out a niche by really muddying the waters on all this. It’s not doing (overweight and metabolically challenged) folks a favor in my opinion.” Interesting. Jamie “That Paleo Guy” Scott reveals there are many “confounding factors” at work here that make this a lot more complex than meets the eye.

“When people first move from a conventional low-fat approach and begin to open themselves to either a paleo or low-carb approach, you see people cutting their carbohydrates, and specifically cutting these from grain and fruit-based sources. They often gain a lot of health traction from this approach, though I am not entirely convinced that we can measure this on the basis of carbohydrate content alone. What you often also see is a reluctance to push fat intakes up, or it is only done minimally. This may be due to a persistent fear of fat, or it may be that a person decides in their mind that if they go low carb AND low fat, they will get better results (indeed, many of the body building-type diets are variants of low-carb, low-fat, high-protein diets – and you usually see the wheels fall off people inside 6-8 weeks). It could also be that, after many years of poor eating, that digestive capacity is low and people feel quite unwell eating the likes of fatty meats – the fat can go right through them.”

Grace “Dr. B G” from the “Animal Pharm” blog says she has observed that ketosis can “bring about a compromised adrenal and low thyroid state.” But that doesn’t mean we should all start eating a bunch of carbs to compensate.

I’d disagree with the statement that a thyroid supplement and 300g daily carbs are required. The standard adrenal recovery and optimization protocols rely on 150g daily carbs. Certain people may require more I believe (i.e. athletes) and certain individuals may require less.

PCOS is one kind of infertility which is reversed by low-carb and ketotic diets when insulin and leptin sensitivity are reclaimed. However this will not be the case in those with severe adrenal dysfunction.

These questions and the debate of the role of carbs are important especially in the context of multiple endocrine organ dysfunction (i.e. gonads, thyroid and adrenals). I say this because adrenal dysfunction is largely unrecognized but is EPIDEMIC. Even children and teens suffer from adrenal and thyroid issues.

And it’s not from low-carb diets!

Yes, ketosis and intermittent fasting are problematic for a TON of people if folks whether they are trying to get pregnant, leptin resetting, trying to increase free testosterone, lower estrogen dominance or just trying to lose body fat. It’s not that complicated but for those who have no problems with ketosis, I suspect they are not likely to ‘get it.’ I went into adrenal and thyroid dysfunction with intermittent fasting which put me in ketosis. Overtraining and CrossFit hastened the health decline. Not everyone has Kevlar lined adrenals!

Dr. Emily Deans From “Evolutionary Psychiatry” is one who thinks there is some validity to the arguments made about low-carb diets and thyroid levels.

There is no question that starvation, fasting, and a VERY low carb diet will lower T3 levels. It is not the same as true hypothyroidism as TSH often is low or low normal as well, and with a true primary thyroid gland problem, TSH will be very elevated. It seems reasonable to speculate that the body will work to increase energy efficiency in a state of fasting or starvation, it is possible that lower T3 will do this, and it MAY be this change in thyroid function is responsible for some of the speculated longevity effects from a low carb diet. Certainly the process is very reversible with eating more carbs and does not represent any damage to the thyroid.

As for the symptoms of hypothyroidism, Dr. Deans explains:

In my own experience, fasting in the winter time causes me to have cold extremities. There is also a noradrenergic effect which may be responsible. It seems unlikely a run of the mill low carb diet would cause these problems. Add in lots of fasting and ketosis, I suppose you could overdo it.

On the lower body temperature issue with low-carb diets, she concludes that “fasting definitely does” and that “very low-carb might do this to some.” Dr. Dean observed that she’s not aware of any endocrinologists who track morning body temps to determine the health of a patient’s metabolism. Regarding the “accurate” signs of hypothyroidism that people should be looking for, she listed “low pulse, decreased reflexes, a certain pallor and lack of energy, hair falling out, and depression.” I didn’t see anything in there that low-carb diets necessarily are contributing to.

As far as adding more carbohydrates and supplementing with thyroid hormone to get pregnant, Dr. Deans believes it is “an issue of context” depending on who you are and what the purpose of doing so would be.

Many women nowadays are infertile due to PCOS, which is known to respond well to a low-carb diet due to the insulin resistance. In that case, I think low-carb diets would increase fertility. The only situation I’m aware of regarding supplemental thyroid hormone added to very low-carb diets was Chris Masterjohn’s anecdote of the moose thyroid eating young ladies of the far north. It’s an interesting anecdote, but I’m not aware of any OB/GYN’s pushing supplemental thyroid hormone unless someone is truly hypothyroid. If you have symptoms and low T3 and eat very low-carb or are fasting a lot and can’t seem to get pregnant, it does seem reasonable to increase the carbs rather than supplementing with thyroid hormone. I’m not a big fan of counting macronutrients as you know. The very low-carb diet is a physiologic extreme with a number of interesting metabolic consequences, some of which could conceivably be very favorable in the case of certain types of cancer, epilepsy, dementia, possibly in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. There may be elements to that extreme that are not favorable for others, such as athletes, for different reasons.

Diane Sanfilippo from Balanced Bites notes that carbohydrate intake on Paleo depends on the activity of the dieter and their nutritional history.

From the practical implementation side of things… while I don’t have clients who are eating 300g or so of carbs/day simply for general health, I absolutely see how it can be a valid approach for some people who have been eating low-carb for a while without benefit or with halted success, and especially for athletes. I don’t honestly believe that carbs are inherently bad or are what contributes to metabolic derangement. I think that BAD carbs are bad: refined/processed foods and foods devoid of bioavailable micronutrients to help us to metabolize the carbohydrates and provide adequate fuel for our cells. I can’t see how whole foods that we’ve survived on for thousands of years would be problematic except in the case of a modern world wherein a person may be dealing with food addictions or, again, metabolic damage as a result of the aforementioned types of bad carbs.

She does think if someone starts feeling horrible eating a low-carb diet that they should shift to eating more carbs to figure out what works well for the individual.

I certainly am not seeing clients who have eaten lots of sweet potatoes or fruit all their lives) as opposed to refined/modern foods) struggling with their carb intake and metabolic derangement/weight lost resistance. When people got hooked on sugar, grains and refined/modern foods, the problems began to mount. So, my point is this: while I generally eat fairly low carb and will recommend that people eat lower carb (under 150g) if they are less active, I certainly would never rule out the option of adding carbs back in and rebalancing macronutrient ratios of someone’s intake differently if their low-carb approach wasn’t working for them anymore. Why keep plugging away at a way of eating that isn’t working for you and you don’t FEEL well? I think it’s all about finding out what works for each person, and then going with it, knowing that that may change periodically.

Diane says many Paleo dieters end up eating low-carb by default when they forget to include dense carbohydrate sources in their diet.

I think one of the BIGGEST mistakes a lot of people make when they go Paleo is that they forget that eating dense carb sources wasn’t the root of their problems, but often they just stick to other vegetables and almost mistakenly end up on a low-carb path and possibly discover ill-health side effects as related to cortisol and thyroid disregulation after some time into their new lifestyle. I send people to my FAQs post frequently to help them discover dense sources of Paleo carbs, and I certainly hold no dogma around a low-carb approach being healthier for every person.

And finally, we hear from Beyond Caloriegate e-book author Adam Kosloff who is perplexed by the “extravagant, circus-like debates about diet.”

Let me get this straight. Adding 300g of carbs to your diet will improve your health by raising your body temperature? Low carb is bad for your eyebrows? Maybe bleeding people with leeches fixes the flu, too. And burning witches at the stake makes it rain. Ya never know.

Look, I can’t comment on the science, or should I say “science,” behind these critiques. Not because they might not have merit. They might! Frankly, we lack the long term, controlled studies on low carbing we need to answer all the nitty gritty questions. At some point, we all grade into the realm of “making stuff up” because the science is so often so poorly done, ambiguous, badly communicated and summarized, and, at best, hard to apply broadly.

So why do we insist in indulging in these extravagant, circus-like debates about diet minutiae? My friends: science is not extravagant. Science is a brutal, blunt instrument. When we try to sell people on packaged solutions — like “perfect” diets that have something to say about every food group, macronutrient, micronutrient, protein, enzyme, etc — we are going way, way, way beyond the mandate of actual science.

And I empathize – it’s tricky! Ordinary people who just want to lose weight and call it a day need structure. They need the 7 Simple Fat Loss Steps for Stupid People, or whatever. Because they don’t have the time, patience or skill to navigate the labyrinth of “diet myths…or are they really??” that have been spun for them.

That said, we in the low carb/Paleo world have a serious forest-for-the-trees problem, if we’re spilling our virtual ink debating questions like these. Ding ding ding! There’s a massive obesity epidemic going on that’s crippling America and killing millions. We need to deal with THAT. All attention on THAT. Enough “low carb thins your eyebrows” talk. Because even if it does, WHO CARES? Low carb/Paleo is likely our best weapon in the fight against obesity. If your house is on fire, and a fireman comes to the rescue with a hose, are you really going to kick the guy out if he steps on a piece of your fine china while fighting the blaze?

Enough rearranging the deck chairs. The Titanic is SINKING.

We are debating Level 10 “stuff” (e.g. “Does low carb thin the eyebrows, long term?”) when we can’t even get our act straight about the Level 1 “stuff” (e.g. “What causes obesity? Eating too much, or insulin’s impact on the fat tissue?”).

Speaking of which, I am also baffled that so many high profile thinkers in the low carb/Paleo realm appear to be willing to toss the carbohydrate-insulin hypothesis into the junkheap and replace it with fever dreams about “food reward”. But that’s another axe to grind for another day.

Here’s the real issue here. The fundamental one. We are focusing on the wrong constraints, when it comes to communicating with each other and with the world at large. Does it make logical sense when someone calls the Paleolithic diet a “fad diet”? Of course not! Paleo is literally the opposite of that, prima facie. What holds people back from “buying into” the Paleo/low carb message is (in general) EMOTIONAL resistance, not intellectual resistance. Fear, anger, frustration, bafflement, etc. These emotions are expressed in terms of intellectual counterarguments. But at the root of the resistance are feelings/needs that are not getting met. We all have needs to be heard, to understand, to be part of a tribe of like minded people, to make important contributions. When those needs aren’t met, wars, rhetorical and otherwise, break out.

A more productive debate would be: how can we get everyone’s needs met? And by everyone, I mean everyone: low carbers, anti-low carb Paleos, vegetarians/vegans, USDA officials, corn syrup manufacturers, etc. Let’s rise above seeing people as “enemies” or even “allies” and recognize the binding humanity in all of us. We have a major challenge on our hands — the Titanic is sinking! — and we need all hands on deck.

I agree Adam. I’ve been scratching my head over all this talk about what low-carb is supposedly doing to people’s health long-term coming from people who I would consider allies in this debate of ideas. As Dr. Feinman noted, if you’re able to eat more carbohydrates and not have it negatively impact your health then GO FOR IT! But the overriding message we need to be sending the general public is that they are being fooled into thinking a low-fat diet with “healthy whole grains” and vegetable oils is the optimal way to eat is dead wrong. Unfortunately, for many of them, they have been eating that way for so long that they come to low-carb or Paleo or whatever with comprised hormone and metabolic issues that will need to be addressed. It’s not the low-carb diets that are necessarily leading to these issues. People who tend to land on low-carb have already been through the wringer and back trying to attain the best health possible for many years following inferior dietary advice. Perhaps a low-carb Paleo diet is precisely what is needed to slow and maybe even halt the damage that has been done.

Rather than being critical of this way of eating with people who are on the same team, why not acknowledge that more research needs to be done on these theories that have been written about? And in the meantime why not walk alongside those of us who do choose to eat more of a very low-carb (under 50g daily) diet as a means for healing the damage that has been inflicted from so many years of poor nutritional choices that have gotten our hormones and bodies off kilter? There’s power in numbers and we are not as strong if we allow ourselves to become fractured by the minutia when the big picture still isn’t in focus for the hundreds of millions who desperately need to hear our message.

Let the discussion begin. Your comments are welcomed and encouraged.