30: Dr. Richard Feinman | Getting Low-Carb To Join The Scientific Mainstream

AIR DATE: October 11, 2012 at 7PM ETFEATURED EXPERT: FEATURED TOPIC: “Getting Low-Carb To Join The Scientific Mainstream”

In recent years, we've seen a lot of momentum happening within the scientific realm towards carbohydrate restriction that could quite possibly be the beginning of the next low-carb revolution. This is the hypothesis of this week's special expert guest on "Ask The Low-Carb Experts." He is Brooklyn, NY-based SUNY Downstate biochemistry professor and the founder of the  named  joining us to talk about the hot topic "Getting Low-Carb To Join The Scientific Mainstream." There's a plethora of quality research being conducted out there on carbohydrate-restricted diets on a variety of fronts from metabolic syndrome to epilepsy to cancer. But unfortunately these research projects for the most part are not being funded by major funding sources like the National Institutes for Health or other key sources. So how do we get low-carb to join the scientific mainstream so that more investigation can be done into the veracity of this way of eating? That's what we explored in this conversation with Dr. Feinman.

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***Dr. Feinman talked about a project he is helping high school senior Matthew Engel with encouraging people on a low-carb diet to take pictures of what you eat and e-mail it to them. Here's the address: ***

Here are some of the questions we addressed in this podcast:

TC ASKS:I'm interested in what Dr. Feinman thinks about the Harvard study recently cited by Dr. Barry Sears from The Zone Diet entitled 

HARMONY ASKS:I'm a little too young to properly remember the battle over cigarettes. But are there any lessons we can learn from that experience to use in the promotion of the science behind low-carb diets?

DEBBIE ASKS:In Canada, . It seems after decades of nutritional decay, government health leaders there are finally seeing the light on the science. Do you think a similar announcement for adults will be forthcoming in Canada? How close are we in the United States seeing something similar to this happen here?

BOB ASKS:It seems to me that the main reason low-carb diets are not an accepted part of the mainstream is that organizations such as the USDA and the NIH produce documents such as the Food Pyramid and MyPlate that push for carbohydrates to be a major part of a healthy diet. In light of the evidence that supports the health benefits of a high-fat, low-carb diet, why has there not been a lawsuit challenging this erroneous advice? Wouldn't someone who has meticulously followed this advice and then developed worse symptoms with their diabetes, for example, have a legitimate case and be able to set the precedent that high-fat, low-carb is a valid alternative? Are you aware of anything like this in the works?

NANCY ASKS:People like Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz seem to have a lot of influence with average people when it comes to healthy living because of their prominence on national television. I personally do not watch them because I like to do my own research and come up with my own informed decisions on how to live a healthy life. But everyday I hear people around me asking, 'Oh did you see what Dr. X said about BLANK?' Is there anyone out there who you see breaking into mainstream television like Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz have to promote the scientific principles of low-carb lifestyle? What would it take to make something like this happen in terms of sponsorship, profitability and keeping the messages communicated focused on what the science is showing?

RICHELLE ASKS:I would like to suggest that efforts be directed at the universities and scientific publications – especially textbooks. This year I purchased the “Guyton and Hall Textbook of Medical Physiology 12th edition” and I was mortified by the ignorant comments in the textbook about cholesterol, nutrition, heart disease and basic metabolic processes like lipid metabolism and ketosis which was actually confused with ketoacidosis. This is a current textbook teaching emerging medical professionals and it's spouting information that has long since been dismissed and corrected. Food and pharmaceutical companies pay for research to be conducted in the universities that have the experts that write these textbooks and so it is obvious why it is difficult to change their minds, perhaps unless the government insists. We need to convince our government health departments of the fact that unhealthy populations cost the government and the community a boatload of money. Does Dr. Feinman have any ideas about where and how to start making inroads on this front?

PETRO ASKS:Given the remarkable results of treating both metabolic syndrome and Type 2 diabetes with a low-carb diet, is Dr. Feinman aware of any research on the combination of treating either of the two conditions with both a low-carb diet and metformin? Previous research suggests the combination of metformin and exercise may be more complicated than expected. If Type 2 diabetes is the health crisis of the future, it seems that careful research into the combination of treatments typically used is indicated and ought to be ripe for funding by any responsible health organization.

DAN ASKS:What research has been done or is planned for the effectiveness of low-carb in controlling diabetes and especially reducing cardiovascular risk for diabetics? Studies like ACCORD or ADVANCE claim to show no or worse cardiovascular benefit to lowering blood sugar with drugs. What about those who maintain excellent blood sugar control with low-carb? Doctors are quick to prescribe statins to diabetics, though I don't see any benefit in the study data for diabetics who haven't already had a heart attack. It would be good have data that shows diabetics who control blood sugar with low-carb have no higher cardiovascular risk than non-diabetics.