Diet Doctor Podcast

Looking back on 50 episodes

It's time to look back and celebrate! We've reached 50 episodes and four million views and downloads of the DietDoctor Podcast! I've enjoyed this journey as your host, and I hope we have helped deepen your understanding of all things low carb. And we hope we've helped make low carb simple, too.

 

In this special 50th anniversary podcast, I'll review our five most popular episodes, plus five of my favorite moments, with a couple of honorable mentions thrown in at the end.

 

I know I've grown and learned a lot over the past 50 episodes; I hope you have as well. We could never have made this podcast so successful without you, without our incredible guests, or without the amazing team here at DietDoctor. I am grateful to you all!

 

Now, please enjoy this look back, and a little glimpse ahead, as we embark on the next 50 episodes of the DietDoctor podcast.

#50 - Lucia Aronica

Science is not always what it seems. And scientists don't always act the way they "should." In this episode with Professor Lucia Aronica, we learn a lot about both these statements.

We dissect the DIETFITS study, the largest study ever undertaken in personalized nutrition on low carb vs. low fat diets under the direction of Stanford Professor Christopher Gardner, PhD.

When DIETFITS was published it, was promoted as a "negative" study in that it showed healthy low-carb and healthy low-fat diets equally effective for weight loss, and found no correlation between an individual's baseline insulin secretion and their likelihood of weight loss success on either diet.

Lucia and I examine why the DIETFITS results may not be so negative after all. We also cover a variety of fascinating topics: the role of genetics and epigenetics in weight loss, societal gender stereotypes and how they can influence trial outcomes, how fasting is similar to ketosis, and even how scientists can and should behave more like children.

I hope you enjoy this discussion of both the art and science of improving our understanding of nutrition.

#49 - Dr. Tro Kalayjian

Few people have taken a personal and professional journey as remarkable as Dr. Tro's.

He's lost over 150 pounds (68 kilos), a personal experience that transformed his medical practice. Since then, he's helped thousands of people through his practice, his podcast, and his social media presence.

Yet, he's called a "zealot" and regularly endures strong criticism over social media. And he engages that criticism head on with a fervor that seems at odds with his easy-going personality.

In this interview, we explore why that is. We see how, at his core, his mission is to help and defend his patients.

We discuss calories in/calories out, the carbohydrate-insulin model, food addiction, and many practical aspects of how and why low-carb works for him and his patients. We also explore the limitations of our knowledge and what does or does not make him a low-carb zealot.

This is an engaging interview with a wonderful mix of personal journey, scientific exploration, and practical tips for everyone. You may see a side of Dr. Tro that you haven't seen before!

#48 - Jen Isenhart

If you haven't seen the documentary Fat Fiction, I highly recommend that you watch it. It's a well-made, professionally produced film about how the U.S. dietary guidelines created an atmosphere that undoubtedly contributed to our current crisis of obesity and type 2 diabetes.

But the film also shows us what we can do about it. It provides a message of hope as it follows low-carb doctors and nutritionists, showing how they impact the lives of their patients.

Documentaries about nutrition are challenging to pull off. The director's decisions are critical: How much detail should be included on each topic? How much science should be highlighted? How much time should be spent on inspirational stories? And how should the film's point of view be balanced?

Jen and I discuss these topics and more in this engaging interview.

#47 - Adele Hite, PhD

In this interview, we dissect the dietary guidelines from an angle many have not heard before, and we delve into topics where myths are widespread such as vegetable oils, gluconeogenesis and more.

Many people like catchy sound bites. Many like separating the world into "good" and "bad." Not Adele Hite. She has made it her mission to ensure we question dietary dogma, accept nothing at face value, and understand the science behind our beliefs. And, she keeps us focused on the implications of all this, too.

Warning: listening to this episode may open your eyes to a more careful interpretation of nutrition research!

#46 - Dom D'Agostino, PhD

You can't look at the world of ketone research without seeing the impact of Dr. D'Agostino. Dom is the leading authority of how ketogenic diets and exogenous ketones impact brain health and function.

In this brief interview, we learn about Dom's research interests, and the important details of of how ketones protect the brain and where their clinical potential may lie.

Although our interview was cut short, Dom packs in a wealth of information about how we can use ketones to maintain brain health.

#45 - Brianna Stubbs, PhD

The ability to drink your way to elevated ketone blood levels with exogenous ketones has opened a world of research about the impact of ketones on health and athletic performance.

While there is still much we don't know, Dr. Brianna Stubbs is at the forefront of this research. A former world champion rower, she is now a leader in the field of ketone research. After years studying the physical performance effects of endogenous and exogenous ketones, she is now the chief scientist at the Buck Institute, where she focuses on the health and longevity implications of ketones.

Can ketones make you a better athlete? Can they help you live longer? Is there a meaningful difference between a ketogenic diet and drinking exogenous ketones? These are the questions Dr. Stubbs addresses with her research. We'll explore them, and more, in this interview.

#44 - Angela Poff, PhD

Cancer. The word no one wants to hear. A terrifying diagnosis with treatments aptly named "toxic" therapies.

Dr. Angela Poff is a leading researcher investigating revolutionary, non-toxic metabolic therapies for cancer. Ketones are a leading candidate for that role.

How do different types of cancer respond to ketones? How do different types of ketones affect cancer cells? The answers to these questions could revolutionize the way we treat one of the most feared and deadly diseases.

Both ketogenic diets and exogenous ketone therapy show tremendous promise, but the science is still mostly in the pre-clinical stage, meaning non-human studies. Dr. Poff is on the front lines of this important research, helping us make progress toward evidence-based answers.

#43 - Audra Wilford

What would you do if your four-year-old was diagnosed with brain cancer? Hopefully you will never need to find out. But Audra Wilford was not so lucky. She was confronted with this terrifying reality eight years ago.

Despite facing difficulties navigating the healthcare space and feeling a lack of control, Wilford was able to help her son by focusing on nutrition and lifestyle interventions in addition to advanced medical care.

Fortunately for all of us, she didn't stop there. Audra revels in giving back, so she created the Max Love Project, a non-profit dedicated to helping patients and their families learn about the therapeutic power of nutrition and lifestyle. The result just might change the mainstream approach to childhood diseases.

#42 - Bret Scher, MD

In today's episode, I discuss the science behind intermittent fasting and fasting-mimicking diets, also known as FMDs.

 

Do these two techniques achieve the same benefits? Is one better than the other? What does the science say, and what are the practical factors that impact choosing one or the other?

 

With intermittent fasting becoming more popular among healthcare practitioners, and with the availability of packaged fasting-mimicking diets, it's time to evaluate these two eating regimens, both from an objective and subjective perspective.

 

This episode is a break from our interview style — I'll take the mic for the whole show. But don't worry. We'll be back to our usual interview format in the next episode!