The Truth About Nutrition Science: Is The Government Getting it Wrong?
Metabolic Mind
Rethinking Ultra-Processed Foods
This chapter examines the contentious debate surrounding the impact of ultra-processed foods on public health and obesity. It questions the classification and understanding of these foods, advocating for a more nuanced approach to nutrition research and policy.
Is nutrition research getting the support it needs to inform public health policy?
Despite the rise in chronic diseases related to lifestyle factors like diet, nutrition research only receives $2.2 billion of the $30 billion NIH budget.
At first glance, this may seem like a lot of money, but its utilization is spread thin, and, as Dr. David Ludwig and Gary Taubes highlight in this interview, it’s primarily used to fund misleading short term trials that confirm existing nutrition biases.
However, if we want to actually address the chronic disease epidemic, we must increase the resources allocated to nutrition research AND the quality of that research.
In this video, journalist Gary Taubes and Harvard endocrinologist Dr. David Ludwig expose the core problems in today’s most cited nutrition studies and offer a bold new path forward.
In this conversation, you’ll learn:
- Why short-term feeding studies can’t tell us much about chronic disease
- How confirmation bias shapes which nutrition studies get funded, published, and accepted by the medical community and policy makers
- The major flaws in NIH-funded research comparing low-carb vs. low-fat diets
- Why the focus on ultra-processed foods is only part of the solution
- How we could design better long-term studies that actually help people get healthier
It’s time to question the status quo and demand better utilization of research funds to inform public health policy in a way that can impactfully improve the health of our population.
We encourage you to share this interview so more people can understand the flaws in existing nutrition science and what we can do to fix it.
Expert Featured:
Gary Taubes
Dr. David Ludwig, MD
Resources Mentioned:Studies
- https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2024-082963
- https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.10.03.23296501
- https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2673150
- https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1212914
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2019.05.008
Short-term diet trials are designed to fail
Gary's Substack Article
CMEs Mentioned:Managing Major Mental Illness with Dietary Change: The New Science of Hope
Brain Energy: The Metabolic Theory of Mental Illness
Follow our channel for more information and education from Bret Scher, MD, FACC, including interviews with leading experts in Metabolic Psychiatry.
Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/
About us:Metabolic Mind is a non-profit initiative of Baszucki Group working to transform the study and treatment of mental disorders by exploring the connection between metabolism and brain health. We leverage the science of metabolic psychiatry and personal stories to offer education, community, and hope to people struggling with mental health challenges and those who care for them.
Our channel is for informational purposes only. We are not providing individual or group medical or healthcare advice nor establishing a provider-patient relationship. Many of the interventions we discuss can have dramatic or potentially dangerous effects if done without proper supervision. Consult your healthcare provider before changing your lifestyle or medications.
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