In this episode, Jack and Dave dive deep into the obesity crisis, exploring why rates have soared in the U.S. and globally, and what that means for public health and healthcare costs.

Dave shares his clinical perspective on carbohydrates as the central driver of obesity, why traditional dietary guidelines may have backfired, and how his patients respond to low-carb and carnivore-style interventions.

They also wrestle with the tension between population-level nutrition advice and the realities of individual health. This conversation cuts past diet fads to examine the structural and clinical roots of America’s weight problem.

Topic list:

• Intro and framing: obesity crisis in America

• Obesity stats, healthcare costs, military readiness

• Clinical view: conditions and cancer risks

• Low-fat diet era and carb surge

• Core thesis: obesity driven by carbs

• Policy, industry influence, disinformation

• Obesity as symptom vs. root cause

• Carbs are carbs: all become glucose

• Two-week carnivore challenge results

• Body makes its own glucose

• Insulin, fat storage, diabetes progression

• High-fructose corn syrup and processed food

• Individual vs. population diet differences

• Athletes and carb-loading

• Carbs as performance enhancer

• Why dietary shifts feel radical

• Exercise, energy balance, “eat less, move more”

• Carbs as addictive and inflammatory

• Closing takeaways: carbs unnecessary, obesity food-driven

Episode #5.

LINKS

⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Dave on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠The Treatment Plan on YouTube⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠The Treatment Plan on Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠ReforMedicine Direct Pay Primary Care