“Low” Carbohydrate Diets and Metabolic Health: What Does the Research Show?

Commercial support has been provided by Simply Good Foods. Dr. Jim Painter was sponsored by an unrestricted grant from Simply Good Foods to speak on the podcast. No products or brands are discussed or promoted.

Lower carbohydrate, higher protein and higher fat dietary patterns have seen a resurgence in interest in both the research community and in popular culture in the past decade. This has been accompanied by a clearer understanding of who may benefit from dietary patterns that reduce carbohydrate and increase other macronutrients and the ways in which these approaches change human metabolism to facilitate weight loss and improve glycemic control.

While often regarded as fad diets, there is a significant amount of clinical evidence that can be used to evaluate the potential upsides and downsides of these types of dietary approaches. This research can be leveraged to understand what dietary factors should be considered when trying to optimize lower carbohydrate diets and how other macronutrients need to be shifted in order to provide sufficient nutrition. It should be noted that there is a large body of evidence that can be used to help answer many of the outstanding questions related to carbohydrate reduction or restriction. Furthermore, this large body of clinical research has resulted in many high-quality meta-analyses that help give a clearer picture of the utility of such alternative dietary patterns, especially regarding improving glycemic control in those with type 2 diabetes.

Tune into this episode with Dr. Jim Painter to learn about:

● Research studies on low/lower carbohydrate diets and metabolic health

● Research related to diabetes, prediabetes, inflammation

● How “low carbohydrate” is defined in various research studies

● Ketogenic diet research

● Higher protein and fat intake related to lower carbohydrate diets

● Popularity of higher protein diets

● How the quality of carbohydrates, protein and fat may impact health

● Intermittent fasting research

● Insights on ketosis, autophagy

● diabetes remission

● the “best” diet(s) for diabetes

● 2025 Diabetes Standards of Care

● If the Mediterranean diet can be considered low carb

● Potential health benefits with or without weight loss

● resources for health professionals and the public

Full shownotes, transcript and resources: https://soundbitesrd.com/286

When you or your loved ones are in the hospital it can be overwhelming and stressful. You may feel unsure about speaking up and asking questions or sharing information with your healthcare team. But research indicates that up to 70% of patient harm events are due to communication breakdowns, and most people don’t realize how much power they have in managing their own care—and how understanding their rights and speaking up can truly make a life-saving difference.

Tune into this episode to learn about:

● understanding your healthcare consumer rights

● taking charge of your own healthcare

● how to help a loved one in the hospital

● staying safe in the healthcare system

● tools to navigate the healthcare system

● how families and patients can speak up when they feel intimidated or reluctant

● the 3 “P”s and “CUSS” words to empower conversations

● stories and examples of healthcare harm that can impact patient safety

● how to choose the best hospital for the safest care

● resources including a free patient safety checklist

Full shownotes, transcript and resources: https://soundbitesrd.com/285

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 40% of American adults have obesity, costing the U.S. healthcare system an estimated $173 billion annually. The development of incretin-based therapies, such as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), marks a major advance in obesity treatment. Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) play a crucial role in providing medical nutrition therapy (MNT) to people using these medications as part of comprehensive obesity care.

Tune into this episode to learn about:

● the new paper published in JAND about injectable weight loss medications and lifestyle interventions

● the unique and evolving role of RDNs in obesity care

● why this new class of obesity medications has become so popular

● how these medications work

● the amount of weight loss needed to reduce obesity related comorbidities

● the evolution of different terms for these medications

● the pipeline of obesity medications we will see in the next few years

● how these medications have impacted the role of RDNs in counseling patients

● common side effects and nutritional considerations

● concerns about loss of muscle mass and bone density

● the importance of and role of exercise while taking these medications

● emotional aspects of significant weight loss in a short time

● how RDNs can be utilized in comprehensive obesity care in the long term

● how RDNs can stay informed and up to date on the medications and obesity care in general

● when people taking these medications should be referred to RDNs

● how working with an RDN can improve a person’s experience and outcomes

● additional information and resources for the public and health professionals

Full shownotes, transcript and resources: https://soundbitesrd.com/284