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Low carbohydrate diet is vindicated

BMJ 2003; 326 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.326.7400.1166-h (Published 29 May 2003) Cite this as: BMJ 2003;326:1166

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Low-carb diet has a very long-term safety record

It rarely seems to occur to people that no animal in its natural
habitat, eating its natural food, gets overweight? It doesn't matter how
plentiful its food supply. Primitive human cultures also are remarkably
free from obesity -- and all the other diseases that are the major killers
in our society.

The only animals on this planet that suffer these diseases are
"civilised Man" and his pets.

This is highly significant.

The reason why domestic dogs, for example get obese, diabetes, heart
disease and cancers, while their wild relatives do not, is that we feed
them the wrong foods. The dog is a carnivore, but we feed it wheat in the
form of biscuits. We also feed it rice and vegetable-laden commercial dog
food, the leavings from our plates and sweets. In other words we have
turned the dog into a vegetarian. That's why the domestic dog is so
unhealthy.

We get these diseases for exactly the same reason. Any study of the
human gut shows that it is remarkably similar to that of any carnivorous
animal, and totally different from any herbivore.

Tip the food pyramid on its head and you will much closer to what
really is a healthy diet. Our bodies run on fat as a fuel much, much
better than they do on glucose.

And, by the way, the low-carb diet is not American, it was first
written about by William Banting, a Londoner, in 1863. Over a century of
epidemiology and clinical study has consistently found it to be effective
and safe. I and my family have lived on a low carbohydrate, high animal
fat diet for 41 years.

Barry Groves, PhD (Nutritional Science)

Lecturer in diabetes and obesity

Author: The Calorie Fallacy, and Eat Fat, Get Thin!

No conflict of interest

Competing interests:  
None declared

Competing interests: No competing interests

06 June 2003
Barry A Groves
Lecturer in Diabetes and Obesity
Independent