Dr. Nina Teicholz | America's Metabolic Decline: The High-Cost of Low Fat | The Metabolic Link Ep 80
The Metabolic Link
How the Low-Fat Hypothesis Took Hold
Victoria asks where dietary recommendations went wrong, and Nina explains Ancel Keys, the diet-heart hypothesis, and policy adoption.
For over fifty years, Americans have been told that cutting fat was the key to better health. Yet after decades of low-fat guidelines, rates of obesity, diabetes, and metabolic dysfunction have skyrocketed - now affecting more than 88% of the population.
In this episode of The Metabolic Link, Victoria Field sits down with Dr. Nina Teicholz, science journalist and author of The Big Fat Surprise, whose decade-long investigation into nutrition science uncovered how flawed evidence and policy decisions shaped the way we eat. Her research reveals a troubling gap between the science and the guidelines meant to protect public health.
Answered in this episode:
- How did you transition from investigative journalism into becoming one of the leading voices challenging nutrition policy?
- What specifically makes the original science behind the low-fat diet hypothesis so weak?
- How did Ancel Keys' controversial research become official U.S. nutrition policy?
- What were the metabolic consequences when Americans replaced dietary fat with carbohydrates?
- How did seed oils come to dominate the American food supply, and what are the metabolic implications?
- What do randomized controlled trials reveal about low-carb versus low-fat diets for metabolic health?
- How has industry funding influenced the direction of nutrition research and policy?
This conversation provides a rigorous examination of how weak associational data became entrenched policy, the metabolic consequences of replacing saturated fats with refined carbohydrates and seed oils, and what the path forward looks like for evidence-based nutrition science.
More of Dr. Teicholz:
- Unsettled Science on Substack
- The Nutrition Coalition
- The Big Fat Surprise
- X.com
Big thanks to our sponsors:
✅Genova Connect – Get 15% off any test kit with code METABOLICLINK here!
✅ Fatty15 – Get 15% off a 90-day Starter Kit with code METABOLICLINK here.
✅ ZocDoc - Find and instantly book a top-rated doctor here.
✅Cowboy Colostrum - Get 25% off when you use code METABOLICLINK at checkout!
In every episode of The Metabolic Link, we'll uncover the very latest research on metabolic health and therapy. If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, follow, and leave us a comment or review on whichever platform you use to tune in!
You can find us on all your major podcast players here and full episodes are also up on our Metabolic Health Summit YouTube channel!
Find us on social:
Please keep in mind: The Metabolic Link does not provide medical or health advice, but rather general information that does not serve as a substitute for a licensed healthcare professional. Never delay in seeking medical advice from an appropriately licensed medical provider for any health condition that you may have.
The AI-powered Podcast Player
