Comment by mikeytown2 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by mikeytown2 | Hacker News Reader

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I believe this is the study you're thinking about http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2015/07/29/ajcn.115....

"The LC diet, which was high in unsaturated fat and low in saturated fat, achieved greater improvements in the lipid profile, blood glucose stability, and reductions in diabetes medication requirements, suggesting an effective strategy for the optimization of T2D management."

I haven't heard of any formal studies where they got off of medication 100%; I've only heard of n=1 studies (single person reporting) where that has happened. The most remarkable n=1 is this from a type 1 diabetic: https://www.reddit.com/r/keto/comments/2rnn9b/doctors_can_su... but in this case the person is still on it which isn't a surprise as they are type 1.

I don't know of any formal studies offhand, but for some pretty consistent anecdotal evidence you may want to read some of Maria Emmerich's work. She's a nutritionist who specializes in treating people's metabolic issues.

http://mariamindbodyhealth.com/about-me/

I don't necessarily want to suggest that when I see "nutritionist" I read "witch doctor", but if there is any field of science which has made less progress over the centuries, it is nutrition. I am not suggesting that any particular practitioners are ignorant or incompetent (per se), merely that it is a very hard problem to study. Among other issues, there is evidence to suggest that glycemic responses are highly individual[1]. However, this is also an area of political and commercial interest, and there are many actors presenting shall we say "motivated" studies, demanding an exacting scrutiny of any empirical results.

In short, not only are the self-reported anecdotes of a person with a bachelors in nutrition not adequate evidence of anything, but even formal studies are suspect. As far as my own opinions go I suspect that I would be inclined to believe what she says, but truths that mesh with one's preconceptions demand an even higher standard of evidence. Were I you, I would not be promoting this person's work, and I feel it was inappropriate as a response to the parent.

[1] http://www.cell.com/abstract/S0092-8674(15)01481-6

Thanks for clearing that up.

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