Judith - When I attend these live interviews, I try to jot down some questions in advance using Microsoft Word. That allows me to pay attention to what’s going on and then to quickly cut and paste my question when I think it’s appropriate.
Like you, I am ambivalent about Hope Warshaw’s appearance here. Over the years she has stubbornly maintained the position of eating lots of carbs, including whole grains. She questioned limiting carbs as a viable way to live with diabetes.
Things are changing in the dietary world. The United States Department of Agriculture released its Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee earlier this year. This report made some significant changes to previous government dietary guidelines. Just last week the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) released their comments. Hope Warshaw is a Registered Dietitian and a member of the AND.
Here’s a good summary of the AND’s new positions, taken from the Low Carb Dietitians website:
“The Academy supports the decision by the 2015 DGAC [Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee] not to carry forward previous recommendations that cholesterol intake be limited to no more than 300 mg/day, as ‘available evidence shows no appreciable relationship between consumption of dietary cholesterol and serum cholesterol.’”
Conclusion: No restriction on cholesterol
“In the spirit of the 2015 DGAC’s commendable revision of previous DGAC recommendations to limit dietary cholesterol, the Academy suggests that HHS [Department of Health and Human Services] and USDA support a similar revision deemphasizing saturated fat as a nutrient of concern.”
Conclusion: Saturated fat no longer a villain
“There is a distinct and growing lack of scientific consensus on making a single sodium consumption recommendation for all Americans, owing to a growing body of research suggesting that the low sodium intake levels recommended by the DGAC are actually associated with increased mortality for healthy individuals.”
Conclusion: Restricting sodium can lead to negative health consequences
This final one fundamentally undermines Hope Warshaw’s long-held position on carbohydrates:
“Carbohydrate contributes a greater amount to the risk for cardiovascular disease than saturated fat, so the replacement of carbohydrate will necessarily result in a greater improvement in risk.”
Conclusion: High intake of carbohydrates is more detrimental to heart health than high intake of saturated fat
I believe that Hope Warshaw’s past positions regarding consuming over 50% of daily calories as carbs, even for people with diabetes, has profoundly harmed people in our community.
It’s good to see that the USDA guideline committee and the AND finally recognizing the damage that excessive consumption of carbs is the real nutritional villain.
I’ll be curious to hear what Ms. Warshaw has to say in light of her past position on carb limits, especially daily limits less than 100 grams, as an excellent way to control blood sugar in both T1D and T2D. The old “carb-up, shoot-up” advice appears to be crumbling.
I believe that interview guests be treated politely and with respect but Hope Warshaw’s case sorely tests this ethic. I think she owes our community an apology. I have no illusion that one will be forthcoming.
I will show up and intend to remain civil. I hope that Emily will allow some questions that calls her guest to task for past positions that harmed people with diabetes.