I received the following email yesterday and felt it was too important not to share. We have come a long way in our battle for acceptance of the low-carb lifestyle. When I started in 2001, low-carb diets were a joke and I constantly heard how much danger I was putting myself in. Now we have articles citing studies that back up what we’ve been saying for years. We have doctors prescribing this way of life for paitents with a variety of ailments, as well as obesity. The tide is starting to change. But the fight is far from over. Below you’ll see the email I referred to. Please help and spread the word. Together we can continue to make a difference!

Greetings!

I have been working with the Nutrition & Metabolism Society since the New Year as your voice in Washington. Among other activities, I’ve been meeting with congressional staff on Capitol Hill, trying to make the case that the Federal government is seriously off track in many of its recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, especially that half to two-thirds of one’s calories each day should come from carbohydrates.

Unfortunately, publishing and funding studies that show benefits of dietary carbohydrate restriction have met strong resistance from much of the nutrition establishment. It is difficult to get studies published and when they are, are rarely cited. Most of all, the only long term studies that get funded are those that set out to trash low-carbohydrate diets.  These usually show benefit but the authors frequently put a negative spin on things.  So, the position of the private and public health agencies is that they will only accept long term studies but they will not fund long term studies except by people opposed to carbohydrate restriction.

The obesity epidemic continues and especially in diabetes, a severe disease, there is much suffering.  At the same time, basic science is following unproductive lines of research because, there too, that’s what has the best chance of funding.

What can you do?

It appears that it is going to take political pressure to bring about a resolution of this issue. We need your help. First: we need you to write to your congressman and senators, urging them to start putting pressure on USDA and the National Institutes of Health (the main agency within HHS that funds biomedical research) to support research that objectively looks at the value of carbohydrate restriction as a therapy for obesity and various illnesses, including Type 2 Diabetes in particular and that includes researchers with expertise and understanding of the potential of dietary carbohydrate restriction.

You can reach any Member of Congress or Senator through the US Capitol switchboard, at 202/224-3121. All members of the House of Representatives can also be reached through the House website, at www.house.gov. This page gives you an alphabetical listing of all members of the House of Representatives. If you don’t know who your representative is, there is a search engine-type your zip code in the appropriate box (it is obvious on the homepage) and your Member’s name will pop up. The Senate website (www.senate.gov) has a similar feature. If you don’t know who your senators are, no problem-you just have to know what state you live in!
You should make several points. First, they should start asking USDA and the NIH why they are not funding research in carbohydrate restriction as a therapy for obesity and the diseases that flow from that condition. Second, you should urge them to mandate (if necessary) a 5-year clinical trial, comparing a low-fat diet and a low-carbohydrate diet in terms of their relative efficacy in combating obesity, T2D, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic syndrome. Third, the study should be designed by people with a variety of perspectives on the issue.

The House and Senate are responsive to public concerns. The more letters and phone calls they get on an issue, the more likely they are to act upon what they are hearing.

Please contact me at pdfarnham@aol.com if you have any questions or want some specific advice or assistance.

Thank You.

Peter Farnham
Director of Communications
Nutrition and Metabolism Society

pdfarnham@aol.com