The Banting Diet
Low-Carbohydrate Healthy-Fat

Key Medical and Health Claims

Poor nutrition is the leading factor in metabolic disorders, many cancers, type II diabetes and cardio vascular disease, yet it not the focus of attention. People worry about high cholesterol.

Old institutions often show their age in what they cling too as a standard. In 2014, the Stellenbosch University, University of Cape Town and Cochrane Collaboration Review, compared Low Carbohydrate Diets with the Standard Diet and found "no difference". For this study they claimed that any diet that is 40% carbohydrate or less is "low-carbohydrate" and extend that to mean "like the Atkins Diet" or like their real target the Banting Diet.

Of the nineteen trials chosen for inclusion in their study, only ONE, was actually a Banting style diet and that had 20% carbohydrate (about 75g/d Carbohydrate.) The other diets were 30% to 40% carbohydrate (113g/d to 150g/d of carbohydrate.) and often very lipo-phobic as well. Not at all in the spirit of Banting.

About the same time (2014) Richard Feinman in his book "The World Turned Upside Down" defined very low carbohydrate (“keto”) diet, low carbohydrate diet and moderate carbohydrate diet as follows:

1. very low carbohydrate (keto) diet: 20—50g carbohydrate /day, less-than 10% total energy intake.
2. low carbohydrate diet: Less-than 130g carbohydrate /day, less-than 26% of total energy intake.
3. moderate carbohydrate diet: 130—225g carbohydrate /day, 26—45% of total energy intake.

The above definitions have been used by Diabetes Associations around the world, including the American Diabetes Association, the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), Diabetes Australia, and Diabetes Canada.

In a feeding study by Jeff Volek, I note that he found that about 100g of Carbohydrate a day was for most people a threshold where weight loss began. Below that most people were in mild dietary ketosis.

Key Health Claims for the Banting Diet (LCHF)

Lower Blood Glucose
Weight Loss
Lack of hunger
Improved body composition
Lower Triglycerides
Higher HDL
Fatty liver and Fatty pancreas corrected
Less inflammation, so fewer autoimmune problems
Successful treatment for Epilepsy
All the above are scientifically demonstrated.

It's claimed that this lifestyle corrects metabolic disease, protects against many cancers, and is protective against cardio vascular disease.

Less certain, but high success reported for;
IBS
PCOS
Migraine headaches
High Blood Pressure
Bipolar disorder

There is significant evidence that in ketosis, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases are better controlled.

"Dr. Penny Figtree - 'The Life of a Low Carb GP'"

Dr Penny Figtree graduated from the University of Sydney in 1993 with first class honours. With over 20 years in general practice she has now decided to focus on weight loss and diabetes.

Low Carb Downunder - Published July 2021

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"Are we blaming salt for what the sugar did? by Dr David Unwin | PHC Conference 2019"

Filmed at the Public Health Collaboration Conference 2019 at the Royal College of General Practitioners in London.

In his own quite way, Dr Unwin encourages medical practitioners to enjoy success in seeing patients with non-communicable health problems become well again.

Public Health Collaboration
Published on 17 October, 2019

What's the main knowledge claim?

Banting (or LCHF) has been shown to be the most reliable way to lose weight. That has been scientifically validated. Promoted in South Africa for the last six years by "The Real Meal Revolution," and Dr Tim Noakes who is a well known figure in sports science. You should also know about the New Atkins Diet, and the work of Dr Erik Westman.

In the UK the Public Health Collaboration has been very successful in raising public awareness. The Public Health Collaboration has produced a list of 62 randomized control trials testing low fat diets against low carbohydrate diets. The results are interesting. They have been helped by the charity Diabetes UK which has over 600,000 members. Dr David Unwin has become their official medical adviser.

Dr. David Unwin (40 minutes)

Published by: Low Carb Downunder - 9 Feb 2020

Comment from YouTube: What a great and humble man. I only live 30 miles from his practice so maybe you would think his success with type II diabetes would have been taken up by all our local GP's. Unfortunately not, I've tried myself to talk to my doctor about it but he's not interested. Over the last 12 months I've lost 90lbs cured my arthritic knee, come off 2 BP med's and normalised BP and stopped my GERD medication. I've suffered from chronic indigestion since 13 yrs old (40yrs total) I told my doctor recently I'd made these improvements by going low carb, high saturated fat, and he told me I had to change my diet because it was bad for my health. Its like banging your head against a wall

Banting has also been used by thousands of people with type II diabetes, to normalise blood glucose and eliminate the need for medication. Here's what I say about diabetes in the web site. (there are two more pages on type 2 diabetes)

Banting has also been effective in significantly reducing the amount of insulin type I diabetics need to use. There are valuable long term health benefits in that. Here's the type I diabetes page in the web site.

Banting is also one of the key aspects of The Bredesen Protocol for the prevention, and reversal of type III diabetes, which you usually call Alzheimer's disease. There are certainly many things you can actively do what will help those patients. I've written about that in the web site here.

From Healthline Media in the USA

15 Health Conditions That May Benefit From a Ketogenic Diet Written by Franziska Spritzler

A Ketogenic Diet to Lose Weight and Fight Metabolic Disease Written by Rudy Mawer, MSc, CISSN — Medically reviewed by Adrienne Seitz, MS, RD, LDN.

Moderator Prof. Grant Schofield (46 minutes)

Published by: Low Carb Downunder - 1 March 2020

General Practitioners who advocate for LCHF are interviewed by Prof. Grant Schofield. Featuring Dr. Victoria Buntine, Dr. Jackie Montefiore, Dr. Joe Kosterich and Dr. Susan Swanston.

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