10: Dr. Sofie Hexeberg: Low Carbs = Healthy

While I greatly appreciate your comment here based on that you read in “Dagbladet”, which is foreign to me, I am disappointed with the continuing refusal by the “medical experts” to review the links of the ill health consequences, including the rising trends in obesity, diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis, cancer, and many diseases, to the carbohydrate-rich, fat-restricted diet, which is the diet campaigned for improving our health by both governments and medical professional organizations for the past half a century. I wish they would show us the real science especially the very basic that traces the consumption of carbohydrate to the metabolite of carbohydrate and impacts on health.

Thank you very much.
Robert Su, Pharm.B., M.D.

Thank you very much for sharing with us your personal experience, Lisa. There no joke at all. As a physician, I have been conducting self-experiementations, and observed changes in my body. All the changes have been for good. Most importantly, we have had such a culture of using carbohydrates for several thousands of years. For now, we may not be able to have everyone get rid of carbohydrates, because we need to educate everyone about how to choose “really healthy” foods. But, the first step in reversing the trends in obesity, diabetes mellitus, and many diseases is to restrict carbohydrates.

Dear Catherine:

Thank you very much for visiting this website and listening to the interview with Dr. Hexeberg. She is indeed a wonderful physician working hard to help patients restore their health with carbohydrate-restricted diet. Let me answer your questions.
(1) Yes, indeed, hypothyroidism as a result of thyroidistis such as Hashimoto disease (or subacute thyroiditis) did happen (probably more often now) with the low-fat/high-carb diet. The problem, in my experience, is due to inflammation as a result of repeated postprandial hyperglycemia. The same could happen in elsewhere such as the adrenal gland. With dysfunction or hypofunction of the endocrine system, the balance of physiological state would be off that would slow down the basal metabolic rate. The patient ought to be tired and hate to move around with a low basal metabolic rate. In addition, continuing to consume more carbohydrate would damage the pancreatic beta cells and reduce the insulin production. The individual would become diabetic sooner or later if he did not start to restrict carbohydrates. All the problems combined, the excess consumption of carbohydrates would make the patient gain weight until his pancreas could no longer produce insulin.
(2) Switching to carbohydrate-restricted diet would help keep the blood glucose level stable and low within a normal range, however, this will depend on the state of his beta cells. If the beta cells mass had been damaged so much, then he might have more difficulty in keeping his blood glucose level down unless he restricted carbohydrates to as little as possible. Yes, restricting carbohydrates should be able to reverse the course, but, again, the outcome will depend on the state of health of the organs, For example, if the thyroid is damaged very much, hypothyroidism may continue to stay. Nevertheless, it is worth to use the carbohydrate-restricted diet for restoring the health even if he cannot reverse the course 100%. Just take myself as an example. I am not 100% like who I was 20 years ago. I wish I knew what I know now 20 years ago. But, it is never too late to become healthy again.

Good luck!