Low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) nutrition saw a popular resurgence in 2018 as the ketogenic diet was the most “googled” diet of the year. Probably you’ve heard about it many times, including from patients.
Of course, low-carb eating isn’t new. The whole foods that compose a low-carb diet are similar to what humans have been eating for thousands of years. The recent popularity of low-carb diets, however, has come with a new scientific recognition of their multitude of health benefits.
Scientific studies of varying quality and duration show low-carb diets (generally less that 100 grams of carbohydrates per day) and ketogenic diets (less than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day) provide numerous health benefits including:
- Improved weight loss
- Treatment of diabetes
- Lowered blood pressure
- Treatment of fatty liver
- Increased HDL and reduced triglycerides
- Reduced hunger, increased energy and improved mental performance
- And more
Unfortunately, no matter how popular they may be, and despite the numerous health benefits identified in the scientific literature, many physicians continue to consider low-carb and ketogenic diets unhealthy and dangerous. Why is there such a deep disconnect? The short answer is a misunderstanding of the science of dietary fat and an even greater misunderstanding of the potential benefits and risks of low-carb diets.
This guide will help explain the science surrounding low-carb, high-fat diets. If you are a healthcare practitioner, this guide will hopefully help you reexamine the risk/benefit balance of low-carb diets.
See https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/skeptical-doctors
The guide for doctors skeptical of low carb — Diet Doctor
Low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) nutrition saw a popular resurgence in 2018 as the ketogenic diet was the most “googled” diet of the year. Of course, low-carb eating isn’t new. The whole foods that compose a low-carb diet resemble what humans have been eating for thousands of years.