The truth about carbs with Professor Christopher Gardner | ZOE Webinar

Christopher Gardner, Professor of Medicine at Stanford University, busts the top four myths about carbs, backed by the latest science and research.
To learn more about how to get your biology on your side visit www.joinzoe.com
Follow Christopher on Twitter: @GardnerPhD ( / gardnerphd )
Follow us on:
Twitter: @Join_ZOE ( / join_zoe )
Facebook: @joinzoe1 ( / joinzoe1 )
Instagram: @zoe ( / zoe )

[@colinbarnes1501]

Really enjoyed this. Christopher is such a great communicator and there seems no bullshit in this introductory chat. I feel that the message at this time is start with a basically healthy diet and to watch this space and adapt or try new things as they are understood. I can do that, and I'll keep watching these videos until I decide whether or not to scrape together some funds to get a personalised plan, something I couldn't afford to do at present. Thank you so much

[@RC-qf3mp]

He’s arrogant, condescending and wrong. He doesn’t want to admit that Dr. Phinney and the real scientists studying keto are correct. “Low carb” is a strawman. The real diet is ketogenic, and it can easily be tested with blood ketone monitors, and has a clear mechanisms that explain why it works, and the hard people is people just need to learn how to prepare food. If people can’t stick to a diet, that’s one thing. But that’s different from saying a diet doesn’t work or is inferior to another. Keto works, is healthy, and Gardner has nothing illuminating to offer than to tip his hat to radical claims that Dr. Atkins was making 50 years ago about how bad sugar and refined processed carbs are. Keto won’t go away b/c it works.

[@spin564]

Oh dear. Very interesting to see a presentation with such misunderstanding, overt bias and ignorance. Thanks for posting!

[@davidr1431]

It is still worth listening to to remind us how ignorant scientists can be of their own biases.

[@Caladcholg]

I agree with the bias, but not necessarily the ignorance. I've read too much of christopher gardener's work to think this isn't calculated.

[@humanitarianH]

Thank you for this webinar. I have autoimmune diseases ( RA, lupus) so I'll be following these studies because I truly believe that gut biome has so much effect on my inflammation!

[@Mimicry161]

Loved it!

[@smithsj1]

Any reason why there was no slide for declaration of any conflicts of interest (even if to confirm there are none)? It's kind of important to know where the funding for the speakers comes from don't you think so that we can work out if there is bias in the presentation.

[@MoonLightOnWater1]

I was thinking the same thing....

[@jz94117]

Will this test kit be a commercial product?

[@doddsalfa]

As for Garner there is no interest

[@smithsj1]

@@doddsalfa right o but forgive me if i don't take your word for it.

[@doddsalfa]

@@smithsj1 this is obviously the words of science but I guess that’s not your field

[@daisysmithson7558]

I found this webinar really informative. Thank you for sharing your research and thoughts on diet and nutrition - fascinating.

[@joinZOE]

Thank you for this feedback Dawn! We're glad to hear that you found the webinar informative.

[@AartiBhanderi-Shah]

Some great insights in this video and in particular the studies discussed. With the spotlight on public health at the moment. Personalisation is key, every individual is biochemically unique and they should listen to their bodies and adapt and biohack accordingly. I really like how Dr Gardner talks about food in a positive and joyful way - this is what food should be - an enjoyable experience - the gut brain axis is important to consider.

[@joinZOE]

Thank you for this lovely feedback! We've shared it with Prof Gardner :)

[@RC-qf3mp]

The problem is JUNK FOOD is a very ‘enjoyable experience’ for many people. What a daft comment.

[@Tritommo]

Ted Talks are 18 minutes for a good reason! Please cut down on the chat and vague allusions and get to the point(s). It would make watching these talks much easier

[@benlawson3658]

In the A to Z study, of the 311 overweight women tested in the study, every metabolic health marker improved the best on Atkins, not one metabolic marker did better than Atkins, yet low-carb diets are still ranked as being the unhealthiest diets. Can someone explain this logic to me?

[@davidr1431]

Because it does not need experts to sell you anything and it (generally) works, so there are no repeat customers. Also, it relies more on fats and animal products which goes against the received wisdom that grains and fruits are good for you. In essence, the reason it is ranked as being unhealthy is money.

[@davidiglesias9549]

Because no one sticks to these unhealthy diets long term... markers only improve in the beginning... after that those diets are guaranteed widow makers

[@Caladcholg]

​@davidiglesias9549, nope, the answer is much simpler. $$$.

[@philipkall2792]

15:25 Carbs are essential for your hormonal profile. Especially testosterone!

[@captaindrywall]

Couldn’t get him to say we require carbs

[@davidiglesias9549]

We dont.... carbs are so essential your body will eat itself to make them

[@Emotionallyattachedtorocks]

I would love to know more about diet and their effects on blood groups! Is there any recent or ongoing research for this theory? Thank for sending me this video via the COVID-19 study app Zoe team!!

[@Emotionallyattachedtorocks]

I have noticed that when I eat the “appropriate” carbs for my blood type it quickly reduced and eventually eliminated my cellulite. However there are A TON of fruits and vegetables I cannot eat following the blood type diet... And I hate it lol. I’ve loved pretty much all vegetables and most fruits since I was a kid 😭

[@Emotionallyattachedtorocks]

And actually I should add that I don’t think it was the blood type diet that removed my cellulite. I actually think that was due to cutting out refined carbs.

[@joinZOE]

Hi Brittany! There isn't any good quality research on blood types/groups and diet at this point. There are many other factors that impact the right foods for our body - genetics, microbiome, age, sex, the time of day, and even the form in which our food is eaten. Keep an eye out as we share findings from our PREDICT studies over on joinzoe.com/blog

[@suecoo66]

@@Emotionallyattachedtorocks go back to eating your much loved fruit and veg

[@kayking4884]

I have been on the Keto diet since turning 60. Never felt better 63 now and feel so healthy. It suits me and I am no longer diabetic.

[@doddsalfa]

Monomeal works

[@VeganDPsiiclox]

No, keto diet is unhealthy and leads to diabetes and all other diseases. The cause of diabetes are fatty diets / intramyocellular lipids which lead to insulin resistance. You can't cure insulin resistance with a fatty diet.

[@Alecmcq]

Woah... hold on... how can your myth #1 be “Carbs are not essential” when you then go on to say that it is correct that carbs are not essential??? Can you also please explain why we have a massive and growing diabetes epidemic, that coincidentally started when the nutritional guidelines were first issued in the 70s? What we need is nutritional guidelines based on the actual science, not on what certain “eminent” nutritionists say it should be.

[@davidr1431]

Diabetes is increasing, not because the guidelines are wrong, but because 1. we are all not following them correctly, and 2. the guidelines are not strong enough. This is nonsense of course.

[@invisibledolphin]

Because they erroneously got people to switch from: saturated fats eg butter, eggs to trans fats eg margarine AND from okay fats to "low fat" items with more refined sugars. AND people now have busier lives with more unhealthy takeaways (not everyone, but on average)

[@davidiglesias9549]

Carbs aren't essential to eat..... but they are so essential that ur body will eat itself to death to make them..... the brain or muscles or immune system doesn't run on pork chops ok..... lard ass

[@ctk7118]

Thanks guys! I went on a low carb diet (Atkins) and now that I haven't been on it as strictly I have ended up with reactive hypoglycemia (multiple things at work here I think - gastric bypass 2015 with high sugars). When I eat any more than a handful of carbs, my glucose goes high then an hour later plummets. When it starts to fall, it falls so quickly and goes so low (from 250-300 to 28-55). So basically, when I eat now I have to eat many very small meals. Not sure why it happened. I will say I did lose quite a bit of weight, getting past the potato and bread desires was the hardest part... eventually you dont miss it so much. Anyway, thanks for the info guys, I appreciate it!

[@scottwilliams7395]

I really love the video, but I find it interesting that Atkins and Keto get grouped together like they deserve to be in the same category, when they are completely different diets. Keto is all based on macros 75% fat, 20% protein, 5% carbs; less than 50 grams of total carbs per day, that's the entire diet. The goal of Keto is Ketosis. While the goal of Atkins is to figure how many carbs you can eat per day and still lose weight. It's broken down into 4 phases (each with an acceptable food list). The 2-week introduction phase, this is the most restrictive and the diet most people assume is the entire diet. It limits carbs to 20 a day, but these are net carbs, meaning high fiber vegetables are encouraged. Then in phase 2, your goal is to start reintroducing carbs to the point where you stop losing weight, 5 grams per day each week. This can be anywhere from 50 - 150 net carbs. You also get to start adding different foods, like seeds, nuts, fruit, legumes. In phase 3, more fruits and grains (including bread and rice) are reintroduced. By phase 4, it's essentially a carb monitoring Mediterranean diet.

[@VeganDPsiiclox]

Keto and low carb are scam and unhealthy.

[@andreac5152]

Props to the person who lost about 32 kgs in one year

[@myopenmind527]

Chris is largely showing his bias here. He put half the patients in his study on a healthy low fat diet. Well they should be approximately 20g of total carbs per day. That’s what MD advocates of a low carb diet recommend. It’s no wonder his “healthy” low carb patients failed to lose much weight and some even gave up the diet. Try doing your own research and look up the work of Eric Westman and Sarah Hallberg and even Prof Roy Taylor in the uk. If you think this advice is not for you you need to realise that 89% of American’s are metabolically unhealthy. So there’s a 1 in 10 chance it doesn’t apply to you. In Europe it is the UK who has the most unhealthy population from a metabolic viewpoint.

[@kd2533]

The sickest I've been in my life was keto. I ended up in the ER with severe gastritis and looked dreadful. I've been much better since then on wholefood with high carbs plant majority, with some chicken/fish/beef/eggs - way less protein than I used to do keto. No dairy. Still triggers stomach/reflux. No coffee (same as dairy). I also switched to a less stressful job. I now do cleaning and love it...and I need carbs for that.

[@FrightF]

But Dr. Gardner, if you eat only 🍖 you dooo get loads of minerals and vitamins in predigested forms and this is in the tissue but a high amount is in the FAT. Also, I was not aware a boring diet was associated with any ailments? So whats the problem with being boring? We talk about polyphenols and all these things. Well the thing is, we need these more if our bodies are exposed to inflammatory factors. If we limit exposure in the first place we would need less, dont you think? Thats what happens.

[@Caladcholg]

"Technically, carbs are not essential, but the foods that are the good sources of carbs are essential to a healthy diet". Hoo boy 🙄

[@davidiglesias9549]

They are not essential cause the body will eat itself to make them..... have u done any research? Are u that simple?

[@Caladcholg]

@davidiglesias9549 assuming you are referring to gluconeogenesis, then yes, I have done my research. Extensively. It is essential to have a level of blood sugar. You would die without it, but your body synthesizes all the glucose it needs, and it remains rock solid. Dietary carbohydrate is not only non-essential but can cause many downstream effects that lead to metabolic syndrome, such as elevated blood insulin levels, blood fat (triglycerides), glycated hemoglobin etc.

[@palosamo]

18:00 The lady is right. Cutting down drastically on carbs has had an enormous impact on my health. In a positive way. The only scientists worth listening to are our distant ancestors who valued animal fat above everything else.

[@jz94117]

Our distant ancestors didn't live very long.

[@palosamo]

@@jz94117 how do you know?

[@Caladcholg]

​@@jz94117your right; on a population level. Most people died from physical trauma or infection, and the birthing process alone had a 1-in-4 chance in the death of the mother or child. Infant mortality was also much higher. However, dying from a metabolic disease (or even acquiring one) was exceedingly rare, and if you made it to adulthood, your life expectancy (and quality) as an individual was higher than today's average.

[@gingerbard2607]

I agree, 'Oh dear'. 'Fraid I stopped watching when the 'everything is carbohydrate' straw man was being erected around 15 minutes in. It's difficult for funded experts because there's 11 billion or so people to feed and carbs are cheap and satisfying - but they're not the optimal food for anyone who can afford better.

[@HereDiianas]

But why do people need to put all carbs against fat etc... How much carbs do you eat, how often, what type of carbs, how much. Italians or French or Asians (Japanese Vietnamese..) eat carbs on a regular with pasta, rice, flour, potatoes, bread but always with veggies/meat/fish and fat like butter and not in huge proportions and not in a processed food form. Honnestly only in America do I see people being afraid of this or that type of food. There are countries where diabete or obesity is growing yes like any country in the world but much slower and the main difference is the amount of processed food, sugar and quantity.

[@JohnDoe-uw9nq]

11 billion? What are you taljing about? Anyway, it's you americans who are obsessed with carbs. Here in Italy we eat pasta and bread, but we know how to balance diet, how to choose ingredients, eat fruits and vegetables, and in the end we have less metabolic diseases than you.

[@EthanE3]

That guy is trying to mislead people. Saying you wouldn't be able to eat much if you went low carb. It's tons of vegetables and still low carb. Also, you don't need carbs. Your liver creates all the glucose your body needs. Some carbs can be healthy, but not NECESSARY. He is obviously not talking science, he is bolstering his beliefs. Practicing dogma. Invoking the microbiome when the microbiome is a huge mystery in science and there is no evidence on what foods create what biome and what certain bacteria do and are necesssary to thrive. People need facts, not manipulation. You CAN eat vegan with b12 supplementation. You CAN eat carnivore. You CAN eat a whole natural food diet with potatoes and carrots and beans. You CAN eat ketogenically. You can do it healthily. Thats it.

[@davidr1431]

Absolutely. Somethings tells me that if we could read the titles of the books on his shelf, they would include the keyword “plant” with great regularity.

[@olafkunert3714]

"Invoking the microbiome when the microbiome is a huge mystery in science and there is no evidence on what foods create what biome and what certain bacteria do and are necesssary to thrive. " That is nonsense. High diversity of food leads to a diverse microbiome. And a diverse microbiome is correlated with health.

[@juhamakela8744]

They used to educate us, and still do, carbs are good and you should consume carbs 50-60% of total calorie intake. In my case it would mean 350-400g of carbs every day…. I WAS a T2D, and i managed to reverse it, when I went to low carb diets. Today I consume 50-80g / D of carbs, in practise lots of different vegetables, apple a day (keeps doctor away), some berries, no processed food what so ever , no starchy things like breads, rice, potatoes, pasta (even whole grain does not make any good) etc ….instead of less carbs more protein and fats excluding trans fats and seed oils, and all home cooking. My total daily calories are ( presumably) around 2300-2500 kcal. I lost 6-8 kg, HgAc1 went from 7.9% down to 5.4% in 5 months, triglycerides went below 100, insulin resistance down to 1-1.5, HDL to 50…. But my journey continues I think this conversation misses some points. What is actually “low”? There are one in every ten struggling with diabetes which is actually a huge number, and for them low carb would fit nicely. but it is not just diabetes… secondly, if you tackle inflammation early enough you tackle a bunch of troubles too, and according to my best knowledge insulin resistance is one strong biomarker. Thirdly, if you follow ketogenic diet your calorie intake still remains the same than before, or, they say you may even use less, but you still feel satiety. But what was a very good point, and talking about overall guidelines which misses the point, it ain’t one size fits all, and you have to consider personalised diets based on your own preferences and goals. Another good point is… main principle should be: as little added sugar, seed oils and processed food as possible (preferably none)…. Then personalisation for the rest All in all I am annoyed with the fact that we try to categorise diets this and that….and to stand out you have to make something so different…but it seems to be clear that it is about combination of few basic principles and personalised concept of diet and lifestyle But what I wanted to see…. How would people with T2D do this tests, e.g. insuliini resistance, and if those people were all healthy?

[@dgraja22]

What is disappointing about talks like this is the lack of thought diversity: a bunch of high careers talking to each other’s about stupid low careers and how the media and Instagram is ruining their message. Would any of these people have the courage to talk to knowledgeable low carb/keto advocates and state these nonsensical things? I doubt it. A few things: 1) There are plenty of low carb “keto” non starchy vegetables. I eat salads and greens every day on keto and don’t lack for fiber. 2) I skip high carb sugary or starchy foods: sodas, refined carbs, flour and bread , potatoes. I cook my own meals so I know what I am eating. 3) I dont lack for choice at all. I could eat this way for the rest of my life. I doubt I could eat vegan, for example.

[@Mimicry161]

Loved it!