Does Cyrus Khambatta, PhD really “debunk” low carb keto diet claims?

Cyrus Khambatta, Ph.D. of masteringdiabetes.org in a youtube video posted by plantbasednews.org “debunks” 7 misleading statements by low carb keto diet advocates.  You may view the video here:  LOW CARB KETO DIET – Debunking 7 Misleading Statements.

I found this from a posting in the “Ketogenic Intermittent Fasting” Facebook group.  I’ve joined a lot of Facebook groups lately, ones that have to do with diets and fasting.  I am investigating and experimenting with these to improve my own health.   I have not yet settled on a particular diet to follow long term, but I have found a ketogenic diet to be helpful with starting longer term fasts.  I viewed the video with some interest, and it has some good points to make, but I was seriously disappointed in the blatantly bad logic employed by someone claiming to be a Ph.D.  So, I thought I would reply to the points in this video.  It is relatively long.  So I have broken this up into three parts (part 1, part 2, and part 3).

Here are his first three “debunked” claims that keto advocates make and my response:

1.  Insulin is your fat storage hormone.

He does not deny that the insulin signals the shutdown of the release of fatty acids from fat and the increase of fat storage. In fact, he describes one of the functions of insulin is to “transport fatty acids to be burned for energy or to be stored as triglycerides” — also known as fat. That is fat storage! That is what you will learn from any textbook on dietary nutrition!

No keto advocate has said anything different. He implies with no references that ketogenic advocates claim something different that is false.

Perhaps he thinks they are claiming that insulin is primarily for fat storage, but no one has said that. And no one blanketly condemns the role of insulin in metabolism. These are false claims and a false characterization. He makes a classic strawman argument.

2. Eating carbohydrates spikes [sic] your blood glucose.

Another false claim! The normal keto claim is that eating high glycemic carbohydrates such as sugar and processed foods will spike blood glucose in most people. Does he deny that? No one claims that eating any carbohydrate will spike your blood sugar. He admits that when you eat carbohydrates that your blood sugar will rise. Also, no one claims that you should pay attention only to carbohydrate intake or that carbohydrate is the one single item that controls your entire blood glucose profile.

This is another obviously bad strawman argument.

And talk about misleading. He says, “Your blood glucose is primarily determined by how much fat you eat!” Is he saying eating fat spikes blood glucose levels? That is clearly false. But we can read between the lines to determine what he means.  Eating high-fat meals contribute to insulin resistance. No one denies that. However, the key point is that high fat does this only in the presence of high insulin levels triggered by an accompanying high carbohydrate load — think pizza, or ice cream or any one of hundreds of SAD food abominations all downed with a can of coke. Eating a ketogenic diet keeps insulin levels lower, permits the release of fatty acids from the tissues, and does not promote persistent insulinemia. By implying keto advocates say something different is very misleading and is another strawman argument.

He goes on to admit that a ketogenic diet keeps your blood sugar level low and stable, but then he makes another misleading statement. “but the minute you choose to eat carbohydrate-rich foods such a banana, a potato, or a bowl of quinoa your blood glucose is likely to increase significantly due to a hidden state of fatty-acid induced insulin resistance.”

Does he realize that this occurs when someone is in ketosis precisely because of the presence of FFA and ketones in the blood? And that it is very temporary? In the presence of carbohydrates, the body will drop out of ketosis. Once the fats and ketones are cleared from the blood the temporary state of insulin resistance will clear up rapidly. It is not due to any inherit insulinemia or incipient type 2 diabetes. And we agree completely about SAD! I don’t have any argument regarding whether a vegan diet that avoids sugar is effective in preventing insulinemia. Maybe it is, but what does that have to do with the effectiveness of a ketogenic diet?

3. Diabetes is a state of carbohydrate toxicity and insulin resistance is a state of carbohydrate intolerance.

Wow, it sure would be nice if he could give some sources. Is he saying that carbohydrates in sufficient quantities are not toxic to type 2 diabetics? Or that type 2 diabetics tolerate carbohydrate intake? Tell that to all those poor people who enter a diabetic coma from eating too much sugary food.

This is also a strawman argument. When a keto advocate describes diabetes in these terms, it does not mean that they are defining diabetes this way. We all know the definition of type 2 diabetes (insulin resistance resulting in abnormal metabolism and elevated blood glucose). He implies that keto advocates by using descriptions like this are giving out false definitions. Not so.

Also, is insulin resistance caused by high levels of insulin? Well, if you regularly inject non-diabetic people with insulin over a longer period, they will get fat and become insulin resistant. Doesn’t that justify a connection here?  I can agree that merely saying that insulin causes insulin resistance is an oversimplification, but there is a reasonable rationale to justify the idea that high insulin does, in fact, cause insulin resistance.

More to follow.