Recently, I attended a “meeting of the low carb and keto minds”, which included scientists, doctors, nurses and nutritionists, during the Emerging Science of Carbohydrate Restriction and Nutritional Ketosis conference at The Ohio State University. The purpose? To discuss the safety and efficacy of a low carb approach and the long-term benefits of a low carb and ketogenic diets. The goal was to challenge the outdated school of thought that “carbohydrates are good and fats are bad”, and there’s an impressive body of evidence over the last 15 years that support the benefits of low carb and ketogenic diets. The potential of low carb and ketogenic diets is quite interesting in a nutritional sense, and during this conference, five key areas were identified where carbohydrate restriction and nutritional ketosis have been shown to have a positive impact, and should be continued to be studied:
- Basic mechanisms of carbohydrate restriction and ketones.
- Clinical management of type-1 diabetes, type-2 diabetes and dyslipidemia with low carb and ketogenic diets.
- Clinical applications of low carb and ketogenic diets in cancer.
- Clinical applications of low carb and ketogenic diets in neurology.
- Applications of low carb and inducing ketosis for boosting human performance and resilience.
The nutritional landscape has dramatically improved as more and more research continues to support the role of low carb and ketogenic diets, not just with weight loss, but the management of chronic and acute health conditions. It was also very encouraging to feel the buzz at the conference and the enthusiasm that the speakers and attendees had about the emerging science supporting these diets. Stay tuned, as I will continue share with you how a low carb diet like Atkins can work hand in hand with ketogenic diets.
