3 STUDIES CONFIRM THE BEST DIET... - Dr. Westman Reacts

Is low-carb/keto the best diet? Find out how it stacks up against low-fat and Mediterranean diets. The headlines don’t always tell the real story!
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Dr. Eric Westman, Associate Professor of Medicine at Duke. He is Board Certified in Obesity Medicine & Internal Medicine, & founded the Duke Keto Medicine Clinic. He is a Fellow in The Obesity Society. He is the author of The New Atkins for a New You, Cholesterol Clarity, and Keto Clarity, and End Your Carb Confusion & co-founder of Adapt Your Life.
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[@robyn3349]

One thing for sure, carnivores will have an easy time filling our their questionnaires.

[@andredaedone5]

And my fridge space is pretty huge.

[@DebraRN1195]

😂 Right?!… Beef Butter Bacon Eggs

[@hollistandridge1117]

True statement!

[@peteroz7332]

haha, exactly 👍💪 - how many times in the last week did you eat red meat? -> ~10-12... - how many (if any) eggs did you eat in the last 7 days? -> ~28-36... - how many salads in a last week? -> 0.. - how many fruit portions? -> nil... - how many veg portions?-> none.. - any alkohol? -> nope.. - sodas? -> nah.. etc etc what is your blood pressure? -> 115/80 (⬇️down from 165/95) weight? -> 190 (⬇️down from 220) age? -> 48 (⬆️up from 47), sex? -> yes, please... ups, sorry, gender? -> rather not say 😉 ethnicity? -> depends.. 🤷‍♂️

[@rawmilkmike]

There is no evidence they tested carnivores or vegans. 3:53

[@MegaSid19]

I believe it also has a lot to do with genes. My parents eat 3 times a day. white bread cheese and chocopasta in the morning. same in the afternoon, and for diner álways meat vegetables and potato's. they don't snack much, dad only likes licorice. They drink a lot of coffee. Mom stopped smoking at 50, dad never smoked, they don't drink. They walk a lot or take the bike out for a spin. They don't have any medication, and have a healthy weight. They are both 83. ( Lets hope i'm not adopted)

[@mariad1151]

It's so true...I also believe genetics has a lot to do with our health. Our body shape--where we a accumulate fat for sure. 🤞 You're not adopted lol

[@rawmilkmike]

Genes can be a risk factor. But keep in mind, we can also inherit a diet and stress.

[@mariad1151]

God bless!

[@caroline4323]

Let´s hope I am not adopted :D :D Thanks for the laugh...

[@cindywilliams4287]

The Ketogenic and Carnivore diet is the best...I have lost 117 lbs 🎉😊 Thank you is not enough for you Dr. Westman 😊

[@Emily-eg6gy]

I am the fittest and happiest on keto than I’ve been for 30 years. Happy to die a bit early- at least I will have lived an extremely happy and full filling life full of energy, looking great- slim, great skin and no meds or inflammatory problems

[@jobrown8146]

Yes, I definitely prefer quality of quantity. I've spent many of the my 65 years by oveweight and feeling under par or miserable health wise. I've been low carb for 21 months now and cannot see myself returning to the SAD. I got my blood test results this week and was over the moon and wanted to celebrate. Of course food was my first thought (but definitely not the old stuff!), then I thought instead of food I'll buy some flowers but I was working for the next 2 days so wouldn't get to see them. I ended up buying an Atkins bar (AUD$4, USD$2.75 - it was worth it, very yummy). I checked out some other keto bars and was surprised at how high the carbs were. I know there are other ingredients in the bar that aren't really good but compared to what I would have bought to celebrate prior to low carb, I was very impressed with myself for my choice.

[@undergrace1808]

I’m very fit , happy all those things u listed too, and I enjoy my whole food plant-based lifestyle. It’s a matter of changing your taste pallet, if your willing.

[@erikatoutenhoofd1174]

Exactly, I now live without pain, brainfog and have tons of energy.

[@jobrown8146]

@@erikatoutenhoofd1174 I've noticed a big improvement in my mental clarity since going low carb 21months ago.

[@shanghaiffgg]

I’m two weeks into trying the carnivore diet for the first time. It’s striking how the higher fat content doesn’t leave me craving carbs. If I try a diet including low levels of carbs or sugar substitutes I find myself craving carbs each evening. On carnivore it’s easy to eat zero carbs without cravings. This lack of binging behaviour is making carnivore easier to stick to and there more sustainable.

[@BR-hi6yt]

Beef only is a good 3 month diet - no (rabid) hunting around for "best" meats and fish, chicken etc and no auto-immune issues on beef-only diet because it's hypoallergenic as is all ruminant meat.

[@shanghaiffgg]

@@BR-hi6yt I would add lamb also

[@zacharyparker2449]

2 years(mostly) on carnivore for me. I love it and have recently started doing a lot of heavy lifting and seeing massive results already. I'm no longer a slave to food(sugar).

[@joecamel6835]

@@zacharyparker2449 You people in your 20's thinking you're soo healthy are funny 🤣, you should be .

[@davidiglesias9549]

But it will leave u craving a cardiologist

[@natalieroy4849]

High quality protein isn't plant based.

[@fiona4731]

That’s for damn sure

[@chrisbr1969]

I’ve been carnivore for almost 2 years. It’s the best decision I’ve ever made concerning my health.

[@nutritioncoachjo]

I cannot believe there are actual studies still out there pushing a low fat diet is healthier? What? The low fat diet is how our obesity rate skyrocketed since the 80s. I am no doctor but I certainly know low fat diets are not recommended not only for weight loss, but for overall better health in particular our brains! We need healthy fats! If you even mention the word keto to most doctors, the majority of them will tell you it’s not healthy or recommended which couldn’t be further from the actual facts from many studies.

[@ianstuart5660]

No question!

[@honkymonkey9568]

My doctor (overweight) recently started on a keto diet and is thrilled with the results. So, I'm glad she won't be rolling her eyes anymore when I mention it.

[@jobrown8146]

@@honkymonkey9568 That's really great that this doctor was open to trying something to see if it worked. Maybe I should go to on overweight doctor with metabolic issues instead of the young, healthy GP doctor I'm seeing at the moment who I saw this week to get my blood test results and stated vehemently (I don't know if it's from concern, frustration or her being unhappy that I am questioning the standard treatment and therefore her credentials; I did explain to her that I have been listening to doctors online and feel that I'm making an informed a lot since changing to low carb. She had the TC/HDL ratio done on the blood test, not the Trig/HDL, which mine is good with trigs going down and HDL going up. I'm no longer insulin resistant and have lost a lot of weight without trying. I'm 65 yo F with a recent CAC of zero. When I saw the cardiologist (who is concerned about the obesity rate and knows I am low carb and have lost a lot of weight and he actually said I am very proud of you for doing that) but after the CAC test he recommended low dose statin (I had told him before the test that I am not taking a statin) and then he said that if I was his mother he would put her on a statin.

[@ianstuart5660]

@@jobrown8146 Crazy arrogant dogmatic, etc!

[@jobrown8146]

What a lot of people don't seem to realise is that when the fat is taken out of a product it loses flavour and then something has to be added to make it taste okay. If you look at a regular item and compare it to the low fat version of it, the LF item generally has more sugar it in. There may also be more salt added to food to help with palatability. From what I understand salt isn't an issue for metabolically healthy people and they actually need it, but for people with poor metabolic health then salt is not good because it makes them retain fluid; this is why people lose weight very quickly in the first few days when they first start low carb because they lose that retained fluid.

[@murrynathan]

I practice the carnivorous diet because I’m hoping for and early death, however, I look forward to feeling absolutely great up to that very last moment.

[@itzakpoelzig330]

🤣🤣🤣

[@robyn3349]

"Technically" you will be very healthy.

[@jamescalifornia2964]

😊👌 May we rest in peace ✨️

[@Sara-pb6lj]

I work in a nursing home, it’s my worst nightmare to end up in that situation in my 70s or 80s, with horrible quality of life and poor mobility. I’m doing an animal based way of eating because it goes against what’s being pushed by the mainstream ‘experts’, I see first hand how that plays out 😢

[@murrynathan]

@@Sara-pb6lj Watched my parents go down that same path and my brothers are well on their way with their fancy dinners, pharmaceuticals and under the knife procedures.

[@thesilverystars8888]

Don’t care keto that’s the only diet I can stick to and not feeling hungry . It stopped lifetime overeating. feeling good physically and psychologically everyday and be free of injections is better than think about mortality

[@notthesnail]

Did you notice how the third study classified the "classic ketogenic diet" as 90% energy intake from fat, 7% from protein and 3% from carbs? When I started a keto diet I tracked my intake for a couple years and it was practically impossible to get above 80% fat.

[@bigglyguy8429]

That's pretty extreme even by carnivore standards!

[@tobe2btobe]

Yes, same here. I eat low carb and calculate my percent of macros every day and I almost never eat 80% fat. 60-75 at the most is what I am finding. My carbs are always around 10%. Today's numbers are 17% protein, 72%fat, 11% carbohydrates.

[@Mallchad]

Yeah that does seem kind of impossibe. You'd only be able to do than on an artificial diet with basically no meat... I could do it but that's from ingredible concentrated fat intake, ie, tallow, butter, cream. Even small amount of nuts leads to pretty huge skews in carbohydrate and protein intake. Also I noticed that "low carbohydrate" is poorly defined in research papers and is often *very* different from "very low carbohydrate" and "ketogenic diet". I looked up study 1. It puts "low carbohydrate" at *50% of caloric intake based on the graphic!* "FIFTEY. Conveniently this study is paid for so I can't really read it

[@24carrotgold8]

I learned about Dr. Thomas Seyfried's success in reversing glioblastoma (brain cancer). Although mine was endometrial, as a new carnivore, I was able to RESOLVE metastasized tumors in my colon and lymph system by maintaining nutritional ketosis throughout chemotherapy. I still have a remnant cluster of cancer cells on my vaginal cuff and have increased my ketosis level by fasting and including MCT C8 and C10. Other than hair loss, I had no other side effects from the chemo. However I did Keytruda immunotherapy and it was terrible. My thyroid was destroyed and I will be on levothyroxine for life. I mitigated various side effects with specific nutrition. My oncologist had no knowledge of nutrition but did not try to interfere with my focused eating. 😊

[@fiona4731]

That is amazing. So great to hear someone’s experience with utilising Seyfried’s research. I wish you all the best

[@ThePaulaon1]

Glad to hear you got lots of benefit. Wishing you all the best for the future.

[@shannon2003]

I guess I will give up my keto after 5 years of excellent blood work and feeling great at 71. (I was missing taking medications anyway).

[@simonlow3039]

Too much of a good thing is always bad

[@coffeemachtspass]

You’re so generous, Dr. Westman. I don’t require quite so much tact. This doctor quotes broadly from the authors’ OPINIONS on the Mediterranean Diet (whose principal study was retracted) and he didn’t read the following sentence that touts the DASH diet. Has the former diet been studied rigorously beyond its landmark study on (from memory) about 40 participants? Furthermore, if he would like the keto and carnivore community to fund studies, since when are we required to study plant based diets? Let them go get a grant from Barilla Pasta if they want to know about their own diet.

[@glennbishopbishthemagish]

How many times did you have a hamburger? Does that include a bun and what people choose to have on a burger?

[@ThaUnseenTruth]

... and was the burger patty purely composed of meat, or did it possess other ingredients like flour, sugar, artificial sweetener, preservatives, seed oils, margarine, etc?

[@enonknives5449]

It's bun, French fries, and soda that are dangerous, not the burger patty -- or the added cheese and bacon.

[@jimrutherford2773]

The problem with Westmans videos is he doesn't counter these weak vegan studies with solid randomized studies showing keto or carnivore diets improve many if not most health issues rekated to metabolism. This includes cancer and type 3 diabetes.

[@jamescalifornia2964]

NO🚫BUNS

[@renee2764]

I never have buns with burgers, brauts, or hotdogs

[@touchofgrace3217]

The definition of a Mediterranean Diet isn’t just more olive oil…it’s “whole” grain bread dipped in more olive oil 😆😆

[@wandayonder9772]

The Mediterranean diet is high oxalate, high lectin and medium to high carb. Absolutely not for me.

[@johnbarleycorn7845]

In 2 weeks my BP has gone from135/80 average whilst on meds, to 118/65 off meds and on Keto omad. The first 3 days were difficult, but no bread/potatoes/ beer since and the cravings have completely disappeared. This may not work for everyone; but it's working fine for me.

[@marionsanta2883]

Working for me also ..off BP meds after 3 months.. Omad, keto....arthritic knee pain improved lost 17 kilos started January 23....

[@BR-hi6yt]

But after improving metabolic health on low carb you then get a new set of problems caused by lack of nutrients - I use supplements but only after 5 years of getting these supplements nearly correct ( trace minerals, correct vitamins, and amino acids). Keto is a wonderful fix for diabetes etc but not a permanent panacea as other problems then can arise.

[@catwhisperer911]

The AHA definition of high blood pressure is not the final say. The American Association of Family Physicians rates 140/90 and above as hight blood pressure and they base that on empirical evidence. The AHA is a shill for big Pharma and I'd never trust anything they say.

[@jalmuddd]

Another problem with that first study is how is LCD defined? As far as my body handles carbohydrate, there is a massive difference between between 100g/day and 25g/day... while both could be considered "LCD". The first study simply cannot meaningfully know how many carbs were consumed by the LCD cohort...

[@defeqel6537]

I've seen studies where LCD was defined as < 40% of total calories, which is huge, so yeah, would need to look at their criteria

[@_Solaris]

This was exactly my thought throughout the vid. I would even go as far as to suggest that a low carb diet of 50gms>/day & a higher carb/lower fat diet be put in one category separate from an actual ketogenic diet. I'm not kidding. There is a profound metabolic/hormonal difference between a state of ketosis & a state of non-ketosis.

[@jamescalifornia2964]

Very good point 👍

[@brucejensen3081]

I guess LCD could be low at 800grams, if they were studying sumo wrestlers. Guess it can change for who you are studying

[@Mallchad]

"Low-carbohydrate diets, low-fat diets, and mortality in middle-aged and older people: A prospective cohort study" 50% carbohydrates as "low carb". Has nothing to do with keto

[@wandayonder9772]

He's a young enthusiastic general practitioner who will likely become less certain about his biases and change his mind about things as he gets more practical experience. He doesn't seem aware of the huge 2017 meta analysis that concluded we had it wrong about low fat/high carb being best for cardiovascular health. The reverse proved to be true.

[@timshel011]

I'm on a Mediterranean diet that just so happens to be low in carbs and moderate protein...lol Why is it these plant based people never offer to mention what's happening to their blood glucose by measuring it ???

[@nahidhkurdi6740]

Because it tends to shoot up in the long run.

[@undergrace1808]

@@bmniacdo u consume milk, cheese, and eggs?

[@YeshuaKingMessiah]

Diet is not personal Philosophies are Diet is physiology Not philosophy Humans need what humans need, very little variance

[@beckysandstrom6954]

I’ve done these surveys when I did health department sponsored programs at work. You were given higher scores when you answered the questions according to the OLD food pyramid information!!! The questions were anti saturated fats NOT good fats(avocado, olive, coconut, and animal fats) vs bad fats(hydrolized seed oils). They gave my husband the same dated surveys before and after his cardiac rehab after his triple bypass. He never did low carb until 7 weeks before his surgery. In those 7 weeks he dropped his A1c from 9.1 to 6.3.

[@jaimecole4656]

I've been "doing" keto for 20 years. Some years I got lazy and weighed up a lot more than other years - up to 30 pounds more than I do right now. But if I filled out a questionnaire, I would've considered myself low carb all along because that was always my eating goal. I've found statistics say what the people who do the studies want them to.

[@jobrown8146]

I have trouble remembering what I ate 2 days ago, and I don't have a bad memory, and I only have small amount of variety.

[@defeqel6537]

Good to see these opposing views and studies, and I guess we can all agree on increasing protein and lowering processed foods

[@tobe2btobe]

I've kept a food journal for over 10 years. I've kept track of all of my food purchases for 4 years. I have a very good handle on exactly what I buy and what I eat. I ask people all the time these two questions: How much do you spend per month on food? How many calories do you eat each day? Their answers always indicate that they have a terrible handle on how much they are spending and how much they are eating. One person told me about a meal they just ate and what he told me equated to more calories in that one meal was more than I eat in two days. People's answers for how much they spend on food is at least 30-40% less than what it must actually be. For instance, the person whose meal was equivalent to a two day's worth of food for myself claimed that he spends $300 less on food per month than I do for a family of two people. (each of us are buying for a family of two people. I spend $700/month and he claims he spends $400/month) Thus asking people what they eat for any trial is guaranteed to be seriously flawed.

[@finagill]

The first question I have for studies like this is what are they defining as low carb. I've seen studies call a diet a low carb diet when les than 50% of the calories came from carbs. I wouldn't consider it low carb if it has more than 50 grams of carbs. I would prefer to see less than 10 grams.

[@timheineman625]

The Minesota Coronary Experiment and the Sydney Heart Trial were both RCTs testing PUF vs Saturated fat. PUF did lower LDL but the PUF cohorts also had higher mortality!

[@Philly1958]

Love these videos

[@thuggie1]

I really don't think what they know a meditaraian is actually like. Their are some placeses like Greece, the food is swimming in fat and cheese. Or North African countries as well as oil they use rendered animal fat and butter, and to top it off, eat more meat than vegetables. And in Sicily, they eat low carbohydrates in general, more meat and low carb vegitbles . Bread, rice, and pastas are eaten less frequently

[@hlits6310]

As always, thank you Dr Westerman

[@jarichards99utube]

Thank You Dr Westman for another informative review. The best way to propagandize against "Sat Fat" consumption - is to take sugary-junk carbs, mix them together with (nonspecific) 'Saturated Fats' and then blame the poor outcomes on the Sat Fat. IMO -that is the kind of Biased Junk-Science that we see OVER & OVER again is so-called Nutritional Research : ( -70SomethingGuy

[@dianechilds1857]

Thank you for mentioning the Virta health study. Also Dr. Tro Kalasian and Dr. Unwin have kept stats on their patients and published results.

[@fire7side]

I've kind of seen what Dr. Westman is talking about with people I know that have tried a keto diet. Actually, I don't personally know anyone that manages to stay on it, but many have tried it and given up. The trouble is there are some that use it as a short term weight loss diet and end up gaining weight soon after they stop. They are generally the most unhealthy people I know. The key is to stay on it and treat it as a lifetime commitment or find another diet that works for you.

[@BigCarmine]

My Physics Prof said that Observational studies were wonderful...that they showed that there might maybe be something that is possibly worth setting up and doing a double blind control study....maybe.

[@artemishunter8993]

I like that Dr Westman reviews others videos.

[@kirshens]

Before I follow any diet due to a study, lets define low carb, low fat and Mediterranean. What did you mean by clinically significant but statistically insignificant. I keep a food log and have for 5 years. Without the food, sleep, medication log, I could not tell you how much fat I had, how much I slept or what meds I took. How could these people remember?

[@tucsonsolarinsider]

I'd buy into the 'high LDL' narrative if someone could present the actual mechanism whereby high LDL, on its own, *causes plaques to form. Not one explanation has been presented that shows the mechanical, chemical, hormonal, etc. physical process. There's supposedly so much correlation between LDL and CVD that some 'studies' and 'publications' have 'concluded' that high LDL *causes CVD- a wide-gap-leap from correlation to causation (and no mechanism presented as an explanation as to how...) There's mechanisms presented for smoking, high glucose, high blood pressure, etc. But not high LDL?

[@timheineman625]

You're right in asking for a plausible mechanism. In fact one of the Bradford-Hill criteria for determining whether an observational trial is strong enough to imply causation is a plausible mechanism of action. That's one of the 9 criteria.

[@Marshadow69]

Low fat, over the last 20 years, has been seen as the healthy option. So the group with lower fat would have been more health conscious generally and therefore doing a lot of other healthy things such as exercise - how was exercise, smoking, sleep, stress , seed oil as a proportion of fat etc etc. The healthy bias effect would be massive. You could say that people on a low fat diet were healthier despite having more carbs.

[@itzakpoelzig330]

Excellent point. We all know those people who've been avoiding fat, salt, red meat, etc. for the last 30 years, who are so proud of how "healthy" they are, who do yoga or zoomba or ballroom dancing or hiking or whatever. They're the same people who don't smoke, don't eat candy or cake, typically eat very little calories altogether, don't drink, don't ride a motorcycle, or go bungee jumping. They are people who are very careful with themselves. In my own life observations, they are the type of people who always get Alzheimer's. 😟 The other crowd, the crowd who have been eating steaks with no shame for the last 30 years, in total defiance of all advice - they are a very different bunch of people.

[@YeshuaKingMessiah]

Low fat ppl love seed oils Hate sat fat

[@bigglyguy8429]

Yeah, you get the same with vegans; they're very health-conscious and concerned about what they eat, and then we compare them to the obese munching French fries and soda with their bacon burger, and blame the bacon! However in fairness those on a very low carb diet could be considered the same in terms of being concerned about their health. For me the biggest thing here is that these were questions about what is basically seen as a sin. People lie a lot, especially in self-reported studies.

[@jorgearobles1737]

Good work Thank you Doc😉

[@bobk1886]

low carb plant based diet, really you will need to graze all day on non starchy greens. and then spend all night on the can, because you will be so stopped up. No thanks, i'll keep with the steak and eggs.

[@jrowlove7328]

Apparently the diet he follows doesn’t help him with that bad skin! Keto definitely helped mine.

[@fredsmit3481]

Doc, great video! I watched Stansfield’s video and I’m glad you provided some good scientific reasoning to help him. It's amazing to me that smart people like Stanfield think low carb equates to ketosis. Ketones must be measured in studies - otherwise it's dumb to make a claim regarding the ketogenic diet.

[@Chris-zd8cs]

When evaluating the frequency of hazardous process events, a difference of 1 and 1.5 and even 2 is insignificant. If you are trying to eliminate risk, you need to make order of magnitude improvements. Ex 10 or 100 times less frequent.

[@mariad1151]

"The influence of science in the creation of the sugar industry cannot be underestimated." From Taubes Case vs Sugar.😂😂😂. Chemists invented the sugar beet! You gotta luv it...

[@hollistandridge1117]

I remember watching an episode of House and he said something that stood out and definitely applies to a study like this: people lie.

[@roychastain2958]

I love watching your reviews of various videos. But because there are variances in Mediterranean diets I wish you had continued Dr. Stanfield's video to see his definition of the Mediterranean diet that he is on. I have been on a Keto diet for 3 ½ months (Trying to be carnivore but lapse into 20g Carbs most days). When I reach my goal I will add foods I used to really like - in moderation, and may settle on a Med diet. I need more info.

[@josephhooper8655]

greek neighbour explained his Mediterranean diet and it was half a cup of olive oil in the morning straight. Olive oil on everything. Legumes pressure cooked. Plenty veg and salad. Lots of seafood. ...

[@MegaSid19]

My parents never use olive oil. Or eat a lot of fish. Just standard normal portions of meat vegetables and potato's, nothing fancy. They have a healthy weight and not on any medication. They are both 83. I think it's all in the genes. (Now lets hope i'm not adopted)

[@jobrown8146]

*Thank you for talking about LDL* It is because of medical professionals sharing about this that I can make an informed decision. My LDL has increased a lot (Dec 2022 it was 250, July 2023 it is 310) since going low carb 21 months ago but my trig/LDL ratio has improved, and I’m no longer insulin resistant and my liver blood test results are good, and inflammation markers are good too. My blood pressure has improved (only taking a very small dose of perindopril to keep it at normal level) and I’ve lost a lot of weight. Both the GP and the cardiologist want me on a statin (no thanks). I noticed that the GP requested TC/HDL ratio, not the Trig/HDL ratio. I’m still a little bit overweight so not a lean mass LDL hyper responder, but I am an LDL hyper responder. The GP said that I am at a high risk of heart disease. The trouble is she is not taking everything into account. I’m 65 yo F with a recent CAC score of 0. I explained to the GP that I believe from what I’ve been learning about that it is the inflammation that causes the damage with the body using the cholesterol to fix the problems caused by the inflammation.

[@paulcallicoat7597]

Stick to what you are doing and ignore Dr.Evil #1 and #2...attempting to educate them is fruitless because they are Satan's henchmen. I don't ever go near them and at 72 I'm not likely to ever trust any of them again. I watched too many of my relatives who did trust them die an early and painful death at their hands.

[@darkfieldcarnivore3928]

Inflammation is indicated, although not chronic. The problem is when oxidised or glycated LDL is all that's available for that repair process.

[@jobrown8146]

@@darkfieldcarnivore3928 Oh okay, so I was missing a piece of the puzzle? Thanks. That gives me even more confidence that my high LDL is probably not going to cause any issues. Even though I've been checking this all out and feel that I have made the right decisions, there is still that niggling doubt that arises every now and then. But I figure that at 65 yo with CAC of zero, even if it does cause heart disease it is likely to take quite a while before it is really bad. I'm thinking that I'll stick with what I'm doing because I feel good and can stick with the eating style and request another CAC in 2 or 3 years' time to see if there have been any negative changes.

[@jkeller2129]

I did the CAC score as I switched from vegan. I did another 3 years after eating carnivore. The was no change. My observation is that I developed mild heart disease as a vegan but it stopped progressing as a carnivore... even with very high LDL.

[@pjandjennystevens2799]

@jobrown8146 - check out Dr. Ken Berry's video on "How Dangerous is Low LDL-Cholesterol?" if you haven't seen it. He reviews an NHANES study of 19K+ participants from 1999-2014 and how LDL correlates with all-cause mortality. The improvements that you see are your body's way of telling you it is getting what it needs. We need more public voice to sway the medical community.

[@ireneterpstra1366]

But what is the death rate for people with uncontrolled diabetes?

[@CarolO2023]

Thank you for explaining the statistical insignificance of the trends shown in these studies and pointing out the many potential errors in observational studies, Dr Westman!

[@iss8504]

Personally, I am tired of follow the science. Millions of studies are published, there's a study to support everything! What works works. Do that. Try every diet. Believe me, you'll figure it out if open minded. Westman treats people for weight loss. That alone gives him way more street cred.

[@BR-hi6yt]

The big problem now is that weight-loss and get-off-SAD-food is only the start. You get a new set of problems after the keto solution has made you thinner. Most YT think that viewers are eating pancakes with syrup and cookies all day and need to be educated.

[@cherylbouschor7641]

Aren’t they???

[@Mallchad]

This isn't science ;-; this is statistics. This is what mathamaticians and scientists do... I wanted to persue science as a kid... saw this crap... and quit without a second thought... I do *not* respect studies that cannot explain the biochemistry or physics of the human body. That's homeopathy

[@eringo-bragh4243]

This is like p levels (significance) versus effect size (strength of the relationship).

[@Harve955]

A large part of the problem with most studies is how they define Low Carb diets. Frequently "low carb diets" in these studies are defined at what to keto followers would consider still high 9100 plus grams).

[@roxannehale1386]

One other problem, among many, with these studies is not comparing to two other groups : 1. Those strictly on the SAD (Standard American Diet - the pyramid) high carb, low fat valley driven diet. Add sodas and its even worse, 2. Previously healthy vs metabolicaly challenged history. Most people who haven't inherited health challenges and tendencies genetically, or by shear acts of accidents, haven't ever been misdiagnosed and mistreated causing more ill health aren't following YT for any of the current diet solutions. They a2te just happily and hralthfully living their lives. Most people who select trying vegan all the way to carnivore, or WW, Nutrisystem, etc.because they have developed ill health from any number of reasons, some within their control, but they didn't know it, some totally out of their control and without recources to fight back or prevent it. I suspect anyone of ill health that tries ANYTHING being debated will likely see immediate improvement from the SAD diet. Does that mean that is the best long term? And is it sustsinable?

[@brucejensen3081]

The studies always seem to study the same thing and they dont have a control group of .8 gram of protein per lb of lean bodymass and 50 50 carbohydrate/fat intake. You cant compare one to the other, you need to compare it to where neither is high or low.

[@TheBookofDonna]

I appreciate your breaking down this study as they can be so confusing. I’ve been eating a keto diet for 3 years now and feel the best I have in years. Do you have info on coronary calcium? I had a scan and my score was 80 and my doctor put me on a low dose statin. I don’t want to take it, but my doctor pretty much convinced me to go on it because of my cholesterol. I’m not as concerned about the cholesterol, but an about the coronary calcium scan. I’d like to learn more about it and how to better analyze my risks.

[@davidsink3887]

There are good videos on u tube where the dr that invented it, explains it

[@TheBookofDonna]

@@davidsink3887 Thanks. I’ll see if I can find them.

[@rickjean63]

"I´m not here to convince you.......,Yes you are. Why can´t these guys tell the truth some times.

[@helenmattless4065]

When my grandmother reached 82 she began walking 6 miles a day, that was 3 years ago.we have no idea where she is now.

[@vadimesharak726]

I wish to see them measure phytosterols in the blood serum the same diligence they do it for cholesterol... Phytosterols are more danger, but nobody talk to on...

[@itzakpoelzig330]

Great idea.

[@YeshuaKingMessiah]

Oh gosh Vegheads love em

[@muyurou]

Obesity run through my family. We love rice, flour, and sugar; we overeat lifelong, fatigued in weight loss and regain cycle, and despair with our gene. I happen to be the outlier, after going Keto. Not only I become slim, but my digestion reformed - I am allergic to overeating, and it bloats whenever I keep eating while staffed😅

[@eringo-bragh4243]

1st study, actually kinda week as the strength is not there, there seems to be a difference but the method (surveys) is also weak compared to other approach. 2nd meta-analysis only as good as the quality of the studies included and that is based on the people selecting the studies. The Mediterranean diet is a composite with noted variability across regions, to call it a unitary approach is misleading.

[@apc4884]

When is the best time to eat honey? Before or after a meal? Paul Saladino said you need a short insulin spike after a meal.

[@mpoharper]

Food diaries with what degree of specificity?

[@ShareefusMaximus]

This is just a study comparing people who eat beans and rice against people who eat double cheese burgers. Ivermectin was "studied" in a dose that was way below the dose successful practitioners were using. I knew to look for those tricks because of the state of nutrition "science."

[@IonTrone]

I keep a food diary, and even going back a few days, my recollection of what I ate is inconsistent with what I've actually written. Imagine reporting once a year! LOL

[@Maintain_Decorum]

Stanfield is not a critical thinker like Dr Westman!! That video comes across as thinly veiled pandering to vegans by Stanfield. Thanks Dr Westman for keeping us learning and questioning!! 👏🏻👍🏼

[@johnmadany9829]

SGLT2 inhibitors show favorable, cardiac events while raising LDL.

[@tommy5241]

what about trace mineral, electrolyte replenishment during fasting periods?

[@renamccully1462]

The largest beef steak I ever ete was in the Mediterranean (search bistecca alla Fiorentina)

[@HungLe-ih8yk]

I’d been the victim of the Liquid Heart Hypothesis for many years, believing eating fat caused heart disease and believing eating fat made you fat. I had tried that low fat approach for most of my overweight life and it had not worked. My triglycerides had always hovered above 200. My HDL had always hovered below 40. My A1C had gradually creeped up to 6.1 That is why I’ve switched to keto. Within 4 months my A1C improves to 5.3 from 6.1; my triglycerides improves to 71 from 245; my HDL improves to 57 from 38; my VLDL improves to 11 from 44. The problem is my LDL gets worse, going up to 202 from 142, and my total cholesterol goes up to 270 from 224.

[@HungLe-ih8yk]

My family doctor recommended statin but I said no, citing the known side effects of statin . She went on to say that I should immediately let her know if I experienced any chest pains and stuff.

[@svietka202]

all the lectures I listen to usually cholesterol even given enough time so don't sweat it. listen to dr. Berry as well.

[@HungLe-ih8yk]

@@svietka202 Yes, I did listen to Dr. Ken Berry’s (having Dave Feldman as guess) regarding high LDL level. I may belong to the lean-mass hyper responder.

[@HungLe-ih8yk]

@@svietka202 I’ve always had high LDL level, above 120. 202 is the highest mark.

[@HungLe-ih8yk]

Oops I meant “having Dave Feldman as guest”.

[@bigrikstube]

Sorry he said "plant based protein" just to many times for me to believe that this wasn't manipulated in some way.

[@kevincaruthers5412]

Weakest part of the first study is the patients are self-reporting. Contrary to some people's belief, patients lie. The reason they lie is multi-factorial, but regardless, the lies prevent sound conclusions based on the data UNLESS the data is overwhelming. (e.g. Smoking vs non-smoking) . Regarding the 'we need more studies of Keto and Carnivore diets', I agree absolutely. But the study needs to be strictly controlled. The easiest way I can see doing this for a 5 year period would be with the prison population. Ask for volunteers from the prison population to participate and then keep them in different facilities. Each facility would only serve the diet for that group. . Given the number of prisoners in the US, we could study multiple variants of each diet type simultaneously. There are even ~2,500 death row inmates, so ethical issues could be loosened a bit, with an ethics committee's oversight, of course.

[@mariad1151]

Many verta patients stayed on metformin in that study that they considered in remission

[@mpoharper]

Nothing wrong with that. Keeps MTor low.

[@mariad1151]

Well, I was shocked. Doesn't look like remission to me, & didn't think you could do that in a formal study. Thought it was misleading. . .

[@davidkea1607]

@@mariad1151 All I know is I had an A1C of 9 and Metformin did not help me all that much. I cut the carbs to less than 50 grams/day, and after 3 months my doctor personally called me to dismiss me from his care. My diabetes went in remission. By the way, I stopped taking Metformin before I began my experiment on myself.

[@lucystrider728]

I think the "blue zone" observations are probably more reliable-and they vary. Looks like CLEAN food, no/low sugar and no simple carbs are best but other particulars seem to vary. Wildly. It does look like small fish, healthy fat, goat cheese, and certain vegetables and some resistant starches are common among most healthy elderly populations. Maybe someday we will know whether it is what we eat, what we avoid, or our exercise habits-or combination-that determines our health and longevity. Also, it is clear that different people have certain foods that trigger terrible inflammation that may not affect someone else which makes universal rules so difficult and is fueling heated opinions on "absolutes". Certain dietary restrictions or additions can be life-altering for some people who had those exact sensitivities or deficits but may not help or even harm someone else. The only things I have seen agreement on (except for those with vested financial interests)are to avoid sugar(and simple carbs) and chemicals in your diet. Experiment with elimination diet to find YOUR trigger foods, and get your own info on how your body reacts to feeding amounts, timing, inclusion/exclusion of foods with testing your bp, weight, a1c, bgl, energy/sleep quality, and you can quickly make some big improvements that work for you and your body.

[@ekondigg6751]

If there is a "standard" Mediterranean diet in the scientific community, it would probably be that used by the Lyon Heart Study (Dr de Lorgeril). Having lived more than 30 years in Provence, few Mediterranean people nowadays eat a "Mediterranean" diet. But the old way of eating was with meat and fish, olives and olive oil (people would press them themselves), butter and especially cheese, vegetables that they grew, and pretty much every meal with bread, washed down with a glass of wine. A typical old breakfast was bread with garlic from a garlic rasp (pottery like a saucer but with stubby spikes that you rubbed the garlic clove on). We notice that no vegetable oils (polyunsaturated) were consumed, and the predominant source of protein was animal. A couple of things Dr Stanfield might reflect on: Is he actually eating a Mediterranean diet? It certainly doesn't sound like it. Rather, it's a modern interpretation of it which ends up changing its nature so completely that it ought to be called something else. If you avoid saturated fat then you are going to have to replace it with polyunsaturated fat (unless you only use olive oil, being mono-unsat), with their huge downside of rapid oxidation, and the body doesn't want large quantities of oxidised fats. So isn't it far better to be consuming stable (saturated) fats that are just what the body can use? France still consumes the highest amount of saturated fat per person in Europe yet has the lowest CVD rate. B.T.W. Jeanne Calment lived in Provence.

[@cubiczirconiabeard5366]

1.25 hw means 5 people died vs.4 people died.

[@adriangabrielgramada1016]

Fine. I am convinced. Now please explain why so many raw vegans say they feel so good and dr. Brooke Goldnder's hypernourishment succes ! Thx

[@seanveach950]

He sounds great if one is completely clueless.

[@jeffreyjohnson7359]

Dr. Stanfield is one of the best on the internet. He's changed his positions several times when the evidence has changed, and he always is evidence-based.

[@pdxoregon1]

These doctors changed their perspective from a balanced or plant based diet to keto and carnivore: Dr Chaffee, neurosurgeon Dr Ken Berry, general practitioner Professor Tim Noakes, sports nutrition expert to the elite Many others Universities won’t perform true and accurate studies on keto or carnivore because those studies would not result in the need for a pill or a shot, or a supplement or anything that will make companies money. An in-depth study on the carnivore diet would end up with a result, saying “ you don’t need any medication or supplements or special herbs or anything.” No companies would profit from that. University nutrition studies are paid for by large processed food companies, huge agricultural companies, and pharmaceutical companies. Who would fund a study that results in no need to buy any products whatsoever ? A small but growing base of regular everyday people don’t have the millions of dollars required to do in depth research.

[@jeffhavlicek7414]

A million years of meat eating. I’m good with that evidence. Nothing further needed for me.

[@leroyharder4491]

We need a functioning public health system to fund these studies. Unfortunately, with the low return on large low fat biased studies, I think there would be some reluctance. Institutional inertia and closed mindedness also gets in the way. Along with institutional capture. So far these studies seem to show the difference between those who pay some attention to their health, vs those that do not. Some prospective pilot studies with lower numbers should be doable. The goal should be strong signals that can be followed up on. I think a more nuanced approach with a possible need to change our diet as we age is needed. I have followed a whole food balanced diet with lots of exercise for most of my adult life. It served me fine until my 50s. Even though my blood work is pretty good in my 50s, I felt that my metabolic health was declining. Weight was starting to creep up, blood pressure too. Doctor thought I was doing great, but I didn't think so. It took my brother reversing some problems, particularly blood pressure, with keto, that made me consider it. I tried it and almost instantly my blood pressure went normal, actually too low and I got off medication. Normal now. I'm kinda upset that a doctor not suggest giving this a try in order to control blood pressure, which was my biggest concern. Medication is always a last resort for me. Along with the blood pressure, I lost almost 25 lbs. I didn't really need to lose it, would have been more happy with 10 lbs. Trying to gain some back, eat till I'm full, then eat a bit more is my approach. Even though my original weight was "ok", I have gained a bit a functionality back. I used to be an arborist and stopped climbing a while back. I had a big cherry die that I had to remove and guess who was back in the tree? Much easier with a bit of weight loss.

[@ivettesantana4319]

But most ppl on Low carb diets do so out of having already set health issues and weight problems so they are already set up for an earlier death than ppl who stay healthy throughout their lives. I think the starting health status should be disclosed and considered in the outcomes.

[@jimmyhvy2277]

I had a Greek Meal , it was very Keto !

[@KateInSaltLake]

Why is red meat always considered unhealthy when humans evolved and survived eating red meat with no problems until farming entered the picture?

[@user-lq5if5tx1f]

I have watched many of your videos. It seems the flaw in many observational diets is the failure to include questions regarding other mortality and morbidity factors like exercise, income, education, alcohol consumption, smoking, etc. Failure to include these factors suggest researchers believe they average out, but how do they know that? If all those other factors could be measured in a large enough study concurrent with diet, the R value for diet would be more predictive.

[@user-lq5if5tx1f]

it should read observational diet studies instead of observational diets

[@paulcampbell840]

The way that flawed first study was set up, they probably counted many (type 2) diabetic patients in the low carb group because they pay attention to consuming too much carbohydrate, and the observational limit for carbs is always set much too high to just select LOW carb. Even splitting healthy low-carb and unhealthy low-carb is a red flag as unhealthy food is primarily of the processed variety which can never be considered to be low-carb. Many people have chronic or acute health issues developed on the standard high-carb diet, and only come to low-carb after those problems have severely impacted their lives. Those existing health issues would overwhelm the statistical signal trying to be measured.

[@nighatali4732]

Please could you comment on the issue of high protein intake may upregulate cancer cells

[@ianstuart5660]

Because of Glutamine?

[@nighatali4732]

@ianstuart5660 yes please

[@nighatali4732]

@@ianstuart5660 I am referring to Miriam's talk on keto and cancer

[@YeshuaKingMessiah]

Faulty study

[@nighatali4732]

@@YeshuaKingMessiah could you please share the fault.

[@dizziechef9502]

I don’t know how much fat on the carnivore I should eat per day. I’m not good at understanding macros. 😊

[@amencke1145]

I'm confused about what he's saying because in the beginning he claims that LCD is dangerous, then contradicts himself, then flops back to the dangers of LCD.

[@michellejohnson6207]

Low fat was killing me...

[@mikemason746]

A (very) lazy keto seems to be working for me, although other guys on KZbin say it will kill me, some say it is not fatty enough, and some tell me to eat only butter and sardines, and some tell me to only eat roadside weeds and wood chips. I will continue my research until I find a Dr. that tells me an cupcake/ chocolate chip cookie diet is the best, then I will be done. Although, I have enough scientific education to always suspect BS when I see the word "Meta-analysis" - just a way to produce a paper without actually doing any real work.

[@jahangirmuhammad5446]

Hi i am type 2 diabetec since 21 years , my hbA1c was 6.5 since long time but in last 6 months it reach to 10.1, now i remove bread from my breakfast and switched my breakfast to fruits & Veg. salad included cucumber,tomato,letus,green olives,green apple,avocado,pears,orange,dragon fruit,guava,banana etc with 2 boild eggs everyday since 2 months , will it reduce my hbA1c level ??? pls reply

[@dorjedrakpo2573]

Eating all those sugars is going to give you a high blood sugar throughout the day and it will definitely raise your a1c. Eating all that fruit will give you the illusion that your sugar isn't as bad as it is because it doesn't show up on an a1c at all!

[@eliskarutteova2653]

Hello, I'm not a doctor and you also only speak about your breakfast, so I don't know what you eat for the rest of the day. I think this change was a step in the right direction, but probably not yet big enough to do more than slow the progression of your T2D. Eliminating all bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, sugar and even large amounts of fruit will yield much greater results. If you significantly reduce, how much carbohydrate you eat, you will need lower medication doses very quickly. Your doctor should know, that you're making this change, and guide you through it.

[@johnmadany9829]

A very low carbohydrate diet will lower LDL in many individuals.

[@zacharyparker2449]

Hey guys what did you eat on November 14th 2022? You can't remember? Oh well make something up for this study we are doing.

[@joecamel6835]

Same thing we do everyday Pinky, try to take over the world !

[@andredaedone5]

About cholesterol, in other words the researchers stacked the deck in their favor because of their beliefs.

[@mardiov]

They should at least have participants keep a food log.

[@itzakpoelzig330]

Over 25 years, I doubt anyone could have stuck with it. It would be great set of data if they ever managed it though.

[@veniqe]

Even a food log wouldn't have been accurate. People don't understand that everything they ingest counts. Yes, those condiments one adds to food counts. The licks one takes while cooking food. Sauces, dressings, etc.

[@nichiyohane]

after noticing way too many cherry-pick STUDIES in the past, i stop reading when they don't bring any real number in the table.

[@freedom-first]

Follow the money......

[@andredaedone5]

I dont like to call anything diet. More like lifestyle. Diet sounds short term to fix an issue you can see, like being overweight. Lifestyle feels more long term to fix underlying problems like diabetes.