Why can’t mainstream medicine admit low-carb works?

A leading American low-carb physician (who personally lost 150 pounds on the ketogenic diet) expressed his anger and frustration over the closed minds of mainstream physicians who won’t acknowledge the mounting medical evidence in favor of low-carb eating.

Dr. Tro Kalayjian, a board-certified internal medicine and obesity medicine physician, just published a heartfelt, almost despairing blog post about spending a week listening to speakers at the recent Obesity Week Conference in Las Vegas, Nov 3-7. The conference brought together more than 4,000 obesity professionals from around the world. This year, the annual conference focused on diabetes.

Kalayjian, who goes by the name “Dr. Tro” on his blog and social media, lamented: “I don’t quite know how to express my feelings and thoughts about this event, but the words ‘anger’ and ‘hopelessness’ immediately come to mind.”

That’s because speaker after speaker at the event, while touting “there is no one best diet”, still then defaulted to promoting a low-fat diet, with multiple small meals featuring plenty of “healthy” grains, fruits and vegetables. This, writes Dr. Tro, is “legacy” messaging that ignores the mounting evidence in favor of low-carbohydrate diets for diabetes management and reversal.

“My anger and hopelessness are best exemplified by the first keynote speech, delivered by Dr. William Cefalu, who is chief scientific and medical officer of the American Diabetes Association,” writes Dr. Tro, adding that Dr. Cefalu stressed, “The best diet is one that a patient can adhere to.”

But, says Dr. Tro:

If adherence is the main issue in the diet wars, then low-carbohydrate and time-restriction (both ketogenic) approaches should be considered the BEST diets…… The statements that harp on dietary adherence are a half-hearted attempt to recognize the growing data of approaches like low carb and time restriction that pay little attention to the failed messaging of multiple small meals, lean meats, and whole grains.

Dr. Tro is the medical director and founder of Dr. Tro’s Medical Weight Loss and Direct Primary Care, in Tappan, New York. He is a member of Diet Doctor’s new Low Carb Expert Panel. This panel is made up of a select group of nine talented and experienced low-carb clinicians who are helping set the standard of care for therapeutic use of low-carb and keto diets. Dr.Tro supports patients in low-carb and ketogenic eating for weight loss and diabetes management.

At the conference, Dr. Tro was struck by the fact that physicians refuse to see the big picture.

These puzzle pieces seem to be hiding in plain sight. Several lectures mentioned the harms of sugar and sugar-sweetened beverages. And yet low-carbohydrate approaches are glossed over in favor of low-calorie and low-fat diets, medications, and surgery. Why can’t these physicians put the puzzle pieces together?

As we said in our Facebook post about his blog: It is time for more obesity and diabetes doctors to admit failure. Let’s stop the fake open-mindedness, claiming “there is no best diet” while then continuing to promote only a high-carb, low-fat, eat-often message. We know it is less effective than a low-carb, ketogenic diet for diabetes management and better blood sugar control.

For more, read Dr. Tro’s post: Obesity Week 2019: Why is it So Hard for Doctors to Admit Their Failure?

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