Some of the harshest criticism about low-carbohydrate diets such as Atkins has been the supposed negative heart health implications due to elevations that take place in the cholesterol levels of dieters who restrict their carbs in favor of more fat and protein. Additionally, it is presumed that any weight loss that occurs on a high-fat, low-carb diet is quickly gained back making it a uniquely ineffective means for managing weight. Finally, bone health is supposed to suffer for people following a carbohydrate-restricted diet because the higher protein content allegedly promotes bone loss. However, all of these theories about low-carb diets have been summarily shot down by a brand new study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and published in the August 3, 2010 edition of the medical journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

Lead researcher Gary D. Foster, PhD, director of the Center for Obesity Research and Education and professor of Medicine and Public Health at Temple University, and his team of researchers noted that previous studies comparing low-fat diets with low-carb carb diets have failed to take into account the need for behavioral treatment as part of their dietary instruction which has resulted in poor weight loss outcomes. So they embarked on a 2-year randomized trial study of 307 participants placed on either a low-carbohydrate or low-fat diet combined with a “comprehensive lifestyle modification program” that took place in three academic medical centers, including the University of Colorado in Denver, Colorado, Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, and the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The average age of the study participants was 45 years old with a mean body mass index (BMI) of 36.1. The study participants were split up into one of two diet categories:

LOW-CARBOHYDRATE DIET GROUP (153 participants)
Carbohydrate intake was limited to 20 grams daily with unrestricted consumption of fat and protein during the first 12 weeks of the study. Permissible carbohydrates were limited to mainly low-glycemic index vegetables. Participants were encouraged to eat 4-5 small meals every few hours and to use butter, mayonnaise and vegetable oils instead of margarine and they were discouraged from trying to “do a low-fat version of the program as it will disrupt weight loss.” At the end of the first 12 weeks, study participants were allowed to increase their carbohydrate consumption by 5 grams daily each week in the form of more vegetables, some fruit, and even whole grains and dairy products until their weight became stabilized. The principles outlined in the all-time #1 bestselling low-carb diet book Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution were encouraged, but the study participants were never provided with a copy of the book. They were told to watch their carbohydrate intake primarily while urged to consume foods that are “rich in fat and protein” to satiety. The behavioral modification implemented with this group was “to limit carbohydrate intake.”

LOW-FAT DIET GROUP (154 participants)
Calories were limited to 1200-1500 daily for women and 1500-1800 daily for men with a fat/protein/carbohydrate ratio of 30/15/55. Study participants were strongly encouraged to keep their calorie intake reduced with a specific focus on cutting down on their fat consumption. The behavioral modification implemented with this group was “limiting overall energy intake.”

Click here to see the surprising results of this latest head-to-head battle between the low-fat and low-carb diets!

A couple of weeks ago I shared with you about a low-carb vs. low-fat plus orlistat weight loss drug study from Dr. William Yancy from Duke University. The headlines all highlighted the blood pressure improvements found in the research, but the take-home message to me was that the low-carb nutritional approach was just as effective for weight loss and health improvements as the most powerful prescription medication on the market today. I wanted to have Dr. Yancy come on for a mini-interview to discuss this study that was published in the January 25, 2010 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. Hear him share about the various weight and health improvements seen by the study participants in each group, his frustration regarding the media coverage of his study, why poor adherence to the diet was not discarded in this study, why he used a ketogenic low-carb diet without calorie restriction, and what he hopes the take-home message of his research will be. Special thanks to Dr. Yancy for bringing us this quick update on the latest published low-carb study!

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

Dr. David Friedman wanted to provide a chewable source of vitamins

A lot of us low-carbers take vitamins as part of our health regimen, but are they really being fully absorbed into our bodies? We’ve seen the pills, the liquid versions, and the like taken by millions of people seeking to be healthy. And yet does it really work? Are we getting all the nutrients absorbed into our bodies that we should be? Today’s podcast interview guest certainly doesn’t think so and he’s here today to share about a product he has helped develop that solves the problems associated with traditional vitamins.

In Episode 332 of “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore,” we hear from entrepreneur and chiropractor Dr. David Friedman who founded a company called Chews4Health. He compares how vitamin pills were like the cassette tape, liquid vitamins were like the CD, and chewable vitamins are like an MP3. Hear Dr. Friedman share about what is happening with pills when they are improperly digested by the body, the difference between synthetic nutrients and whole foods, why manmade vitamin C causes cell damage, the super-fruit complex, sea vegetable blend, super antioxidant mix including alpha lipoic acid, and fruit blend used in Chews4Health, and why this product should be handled just like you would a fruit or vegetable.

Click here to listen to my compelling conversations with both Dr. William Yancy and Dr. David Friedman.

Duke University School of Medicine researcher Dr. William Yancy

Brand new weight loss methods are introduced to the general public each and every year and people are left to their own devices wondering how to decipher the differences between the good and the bad. With slick marketing claims like “scientifically-proven” and even “FDA-approved,” Joe and Jane Consumer out there doesn’t know who or what to believe. One of the most heavily-promoted diet concepts to hit the American market in recent years is the weight loss medication called orlistat, commonly known as and sold commercially as Alli.

What if we could prove from the scientific community that weight loss drugs like Alli (orlistat) along with a “sensible” low-fat diet outperformed other diets like a high-fat, low-carb one, for example? Well, now we do thanks to Duke University researcher Dr. William Yancy who released a new 48-week clinical study published in the January 25, 2010 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. He wanted to compare the effects of a low-carb, ketogenic diet (LCKD) with a orlistat therapy combined with a low-fat diet (O + LFD) to measure their impact on weight loss, blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, insulin, and HgA1c levels.

Click here to read the astonishing results of the first-ever study to examine and compare the weight and health benefits of the most highly-touted diet drug combined with a low-fat diet with a high-fat, low-carb diet.

After long being blamed for poor health, is saturated fat actually harmless?

I have long contended that the final barrier to public acceptance of the healthy high-fat, low-carb nutritional approach is the subject of saturated fat. No thanks to the methodical efforts of the late physiologist Ancel Keys and his now-infamous “Seven Countries Study” a half-century ago that concluded higher saturated fat consumption leads to increased levels of cholesterol and thus a greater occurrence of heart disease (aka “The Lipid Hypothesis”), we now have a population full of people who are absolutely scared out of their wits to eat any fat at all and especially saturated fat which is usually lumped together with trans fat as part of the “bad fats.” But as bestselling author and science journalist Gary Taubes so brilliantly outlined in his book Good Calories, Bad Calories, the data supporting Keys’ claims was severely flawed and he made some rather misleading conclusions as a result.

When you see so many well-known health groups full of so-called health “experts” out there all engaged in such blatant groupthink on one particular subject like saturated fat declaring it GUILTY when it comes to health, then it should lead you to one of two conclusions: 1) they must all be exactly right and thus agree with each other, or 2) they have always believed it to be true and just accept it as such without further investigation. The missing element in this is an honest scientific look at the actual evidence and drawing reasonable conclusions from that data. Up until now, the research in opposition to the supposed negative role of saturated fat in heart disease has been virtually ignored. But not anymore!

Click here to read about a new meta-analysis study that declares the much-demonized saturated fat as NOT GUILTY for heart disease, heart attacks, or strokes!

Calvin has been reading up on the latest studies about low-carb diets

In Lesson #19 of my new book 21 Life Lessons From Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb, I state that “you can’t always trust or believe the negative studies on low-carb.” And today I have yet another prime example of this to share with you out of the research world that got big headlines when it released. Now that the weight loss and physical health benefits of livin’ la vida low-carb are undeniable, the attention is now being turned towards mental and emotional health. Ohhh, this is gonna be a fun one!

Dr. Grant D. Brinkworth says high-fat, low-carb diets make you moody

Lead researcher Dr. Grant D. Brinkworth, research scientist and project leader at Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) Food and Nutritional Sciences in Adelaide, South Australia, observed 106 overweight and obese adults with an average age of 50 and placed them on one of the following isocaloric diets for a period of one year (the ratio in parenthesis indicates the fat/protein/carbohydrate):

LOW-CALORIE, LOW-CARB, HIGH-FAT DIET (61/35/4) or
HIGH-CARB, LOW-FAT DIET (30/24/46)

Calories for both groups were restricted to between 1,433-1,672 daily and they both produced an average weight loss of 30.2 pounds at the end of the one-year study period. After eight weeks on their respective diets, each study participant showed improvements in their mood. However, according to Dr. Brinkworth and his fellow CSIRO researchers, the mood improvements in the high-fat, low-carb group regressed back to where they started prior to the study.

Click here for more details about this study and to find out why it is flawed based on both previous research as well as anecdotally in people who have been on a low-carb diet.

PLEASE CONSIDER FINANCIALLY SUPPORTING THE #1 LOW-CARB PODCAST ON THE INTERNET! If you have enjoyed and benefitted from the many interviews I have conducted with the best and brightest experts on the subject of diet, fitness, and health, then consider helping keep the show going by clicking on the DONATE button on the official podcast web site. We are privileged to have literally tens of thousands who already listen faithfully to each episode, but there is a sea of people floating around out there who NEED to be exposed to the message of this podcast. We would be honored to receive any donation of any amount so the interviews can keep coming in 2010 and you can do that by visiting PayPal.com and submitting your gift to the e-mail address livinlowcarbman@charter.net. We appreciate all of your wonderful support for “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore” and look forward to continuing it for many more years to come.

Dr. Thomas Seyfried is the premier researcher of ketogenic diets for brain cancer

Cancer is a word none of us ever wants to hear when describing the health of themselves or a loved one. There’s a lot of controversy surrouding what kind of nutritional approach is ideal for preventing and treating cancer despite the fact there is a body of evidence supporting a calorie-restricted, high-fat, ketogenic low-carb dietary regimen. That’s one of the reasons why I included an chapter in my upcoming new book 21 Life Lessons from Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb on this particular subject because the message is too important for people to miss. I includ some of the best research being done on various cancers in my book, including brain cancer which is field of interest being examined by today’s podcast interview guest.

In Episode 302 of “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore,” we hear from Dr. Thomas Seyfried, a researcher from Boston College who runs the Seyfried Laboratory dedicated specifically to taking a closer look at such diseases as epilepsy and brain cancer. I first heard about Dr. Seyfried’s work in February 2007 when he released this study published in the journal Nutrition & Metabolism that showed how a restricted high-fat, low-carb ketogenic diet was the best way to fight cancer cells that are causing life-threatening tumors in mice. I’ve been attempting to get him on my podcast for a while for an interview and it was well worth the wait!

You’ll hear Dr. Seyfried talk about his original interest in the subject of ketogenic diets for epilepsy when he was at Yale University (and the lack of interest in them at the time), how a ketogenic shrinks brain tumors, the details of his KetoCal study, the controversy over using mice instead of humans in his study, what “calorie-restriction” translates from mice to humans, why a 400-500 calorie, ketogenic diet will make you “metabolically healthy,” whether a ketogenic diet is useful on other cancers, why the ketogenic diet is a “non-toxic approach to the management of cancer,” the best diet to eat for the prevention of cancer, and why a 7-10 day distilled water-only fast annually is the best way to ward off cancers of all types.

Click here to listen to this half-hour interview with Dr. Thomas Seyfried that is chock full of some of the most compelling research on cancer you’ve ever heard! ENJOY!

He’s baaaaaaaack! Dr. Michael Miller gets his fat-hating study published

Another day, another so-called published “study” slamming the Atkins diet. Some things just never change. And yet some things seem to stay the same, too.

Details about the latest anti-low-carb research to come down the pipeline are documented in this new study published this week and my fellow low-carb blogging friend Laura Dolson from About.com’s Low-Carb Diets site writes an excellent recap of the study details. I even blogged about it when the study was first presented publicly in 2007.

Here are the basic details of the study:

Lead researcher Dr. Michael Miller from the Center for Preventive Cardiology at the Baltimore-based University of Maryland Medical Center received funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to observe cholesterol and heart health risk factors when dieters reached their weight loss goals and decide to stay on their same diet. One would think this kind of an in-depth study would involve at least several hundred overweight participants on a variety of dietary plans to shed the pounds over at least a one-year period of time, right? Nope.

The study included 18 HEALTHY and NORMAL WEIGHT people who each went on one of three diet plans for four weeks at a time:

ATKINS–50% fat
SOUTH BEACH–30% fat
ORNISH–10% fat

The study participants engaged in all three diets with a four-week period between the diets from January to December 2006. Cholesterol levels were checked at the beginning of each new four-week period prior to starting on a new diet and the researcher evaluated other heart health risk factors as well. Additionally, since the study participants were on their own with the foods they ate, a 3-day food record journal was also looked at at the end of each four-week period. Blood vessel function was also checked by measuring the blood vessel dilation in the arm.

Dr. Miller stated that the higher the saturated fat is in the diet, the lower the blood vessel dilation is, which regulates the flow of blood in the body. Wagging his finger of blame at the worst culprit in his opinion, he scorned the diet that contained the most saturated fat.

“The diet that performed the worst was the Atkins diet,” Miller said.

Click here to learn more about Dr. Miller’s “study” and why his bias against the Atkins low-carb diet shines through loud and clear.

Our cherished and healthy low-carb red meat is under assault again

I’m sure by now you’ve heard about that study that came out this week on how consuming red meat is killing you, right? Here are just a few of the thousands of health headline stories that are blaring from coast to coast right now about this:

Study: Too much red meat shortens life
Live longer by reducing red meat intake
Are You Eating Too Much Meat?
The Growing Case Against Red Meat
Red meat increases risk of death from cancer
Too much red meat will kill you – study
Eating Red Meat May Boost Death Risk

And my favorite one of all…
Death link to too much red meat (won’t we ALL die of something someday?)

As with most studies about health that come out, the average Joe or Jane on the street will simply look at these headlines, hear it talked about on Good Morning America, The View, Oprah, and their local news, rationalize in their minds that it makes sense, and decide to cut down on their red meat consumption–even if it is only temporary. Our pop culture society doesn’t demand much more investigation into supposedly scientific claims that are made like this and a lot of people are gullible enough to believe the reporting of these studies without doing their due diligence in checking them out for themselves. And that’s precisely what the anti-meat zealots are betting on!

This purposeful veganization (that’s my new term for the radical vegetarians and vegans who would like nothing more than to have everyone in the entire world eat the way they do) that has been going on for the past few decades is so easy to see through that you’d have to have your mind shut down to miss it. And yet how many of us low-carbers will see friends and family and hear them talk about this so-called “study” that warns about eating red meat and share their concern for our health? You know it’s gonna happen if it hasn’t already. While they’ll be well-meaning in their comments, these people are utterly clueless about what a “healthy” meat-based low-carb diet like Atkins is really all about because of the anti-meat tenor of most health news coverage. However, this could be an excellent opportunity to educate them about the truth of livin’ la vida low-carb, too.

Click here to learn more about this prospective study from researchers at the National Cancer Institute and why it is virtually useless for identifying causality between red meat eating and death as all those headlines claim.

Dr. Richard Feinman exposes absurdity of the recent Sacks study

What is there not to love about Dr. Richard Feinman? This low-carb diets researcher and professor of biochemistry at the Brooklyn, NY-based SUNY Downstate Medical Center follows the evidence trail and draws his own conclusions based on what the data tells him without allowing any personal bias to get in the way. Unfortunately, not everyone in the research community holds such lofty standards for themselves.

Remember the recent Harvard study from Dr. Frank Sacks that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in February 2009 supposedly declaring that low-fat and low-carb diets are identical and that the focus should be on calories alone? You’ll recall the media was gushing with headlines proclaiming the end to the diet debate because it’s all about the calories. Self-proclaimed health “experts” like Dr. David Katz were quoted in newspapers and on television smugly telling everyone “I told you so” that they’ve been preaching this common sense message for years and now they’ve been proven right.

Dr. Feinman says there’s only one problem with this–the study was DEAD WRONG! Find out why by clicking here to see a brilliant graph Dr. Feinman drew exposing the hypocrisy of the so-called Sacks study.

Self-proclaimed health “expert” David Katz gets it wrong again on low-carb diets

Whenever a new study or health research is released to the public, we always get greeted by many of the same people over and over again to interpret the findings and tell us what the take-home message is. And these people are usually deeply rooted in conventional wisdom regarding a “healthy” diet–namely, strong advocates of a low-fat, high-carb, vegetarian-styled diet. While Dr. Dean Ornish certainly receives his fair share of ink blurbing his thoughts about diet studies, another name has become almost as popular–Dr. David Katz.

After Dr. Katz was quoted in an AP news story last week responding to that Harvard study that said weight loss is all about the calories by Dr. Frank Sacks, one of my readers who specializes in analyzing nutrition research took it upon himself to e-mail Dr. Katz directly about where he was wrong. You can read what this reader had to say by clicking here.