Reversing Insulin Resistance: Low Carb Denver 2023

Low Carb Denver 2023

Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend Low Carb Denver. The theme was "Where is Nutrition headed".

The event was huge, with many experts from the low-carb community. Despite the size, I could connect with my favourite peeps and have meaningful conversations. It was a truly unforgettable experience.

Following this lifestyle for over three years, I loved spending time with like-minded people and learning about cutting-edge science and nutrition.

If you have never been to an in-person low-carb event and are on the fence about attending one, please go. You will not regret it. Unlike most medical conferences, these events are fun and make great memories.

The conference was held from February 23rd to 26th at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center near Denver, Colorado. My room didn't have a beautiful view of the Rocky Mountains, but I snapped this picture on the conference's final day.

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Meeting my favourite people

Meeting the tribe, members of the PHD community

Meeting my Twitter and Facebook friends

These are two of my favourite pics

First, Dave Feldman and his legendary selfie arm. He makes everyone look great. Second, standing between giants. Andreas Eenfeldt and Shawn Baker. This makes me look really small 😂

Here are a few memorable quotes (some are paraphrased)

The line-up of speakers was impressive. And while I have been following this space for over three years (talk about sustainability), I am still learning new things.

"Alcohol abuse is as much a hydration problem as carbohydrate addiction is a nutrition problem."
"Humans are not omnivores by design. They are omnivore by technology."
–Bill Schindler

"Standard medical care is a pill for every ill."
"Therapeutic nutritional ketosis is on par or better than FDA-approved drugs to put mental disease and T2D in remission."
"A diet is not a diet when it changes our physiology."
Bret Scher, MD

"All mental disease is associated with decreased lifespan. Heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, and Alzheimer's, only at a younger age."
Chris Palmer, MD

"Narcolepsy is associated with binge eating disorder."
Abby Bleistein, MD

"When you have a flat tier, you need to pump more air in than you let out."
Tro Kalayjian, DO
(The same idea as CICO, calories-in, calories-out. It's not helpful and doesn't work)

"Reverse T3 blocks the action of T3".
Amy Berger

"Fructose suppresses the mitochondria, so they don't make enough ATP; it breaks the ability to break fat down."
"Uric in the cell is mitochondrial poison."
"Alcohol and fructose lower ATP."
"Fructose causes Leptin resistance."
"Glucose and fructose drive hunger by making people hungry. It drives metabolic syndrome."
Richard Johnson

"When people back off the dietary guidelines, they get a lot healthier. They turn the food pyramid upside down."
Nina Teicholz

"Lipotoxicity causes insulin resistance. Not carbs."
"Statins cause insulin resistance; they deplete mitochondria of CoQ10."
Nadir Ali

"Having high LDL is healthy."
"Stress triggers clotting."
"People with high fibrinogen have more heart disease and more stroke independent of LDL."
David Diamond

"Tourette Syndrome improves on Carnivore."
"Fibre is making rheumatoid arthritis worse."
Shawn Baker, MD

Photos Speaker:

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Introduction by Jeffrey Gerber, MD

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Introduction by Jeffrey Gerber, MD, and Cory Jenks

3 / 34

Bill Schindler: Where is Nutrition Headed? Ancestral Diets, Food Processing and the Domesticated Ape

4 / 34

Bert Scher, MD: Therapeutic Nutritional Ketosis

5 / 34

Thomas DeLauer: Strategies for the Low-Carb Athlete & Male Hormone Optimization

6 / 34

Layne , PhD: Common Logical Fallacies in Nutrition Science

7 / 34

Andreas Eenfeldt, MD: Low Carb, Protein or Satiety for Metabolic Health?

8 / 34

Speaker Panel Discussion Q&A - Where is Nutrition Headed?

9 / 34

Chris Palmer, MD: DBrain Energy: The Metabolic Theory of Mental Illness

10 / 34

Abby Bleistein, MD: Understand and Recognize Eating Disorders in Practice

11 / 34

Tro Kalayjian, DO: The Clinical Approach To Food Addiction

12 / 34

Amy Berger: Optimizing Thyroid Hormones for Better Results on Low-Carb Diets

13 / 34

Richard Johnson: A Biologic Switch that Drives Obesity, Diabetes, and other Common Diseases

14 / 34

Nina Teicholz: US Dietary Guidelines are Out of Step with the Science

15 / 34

Khurram Nasir, MD: Power of Zero - Shaping the Past Present
and Future of CV Risk Assessment and Management

16 / 34

Nadir Ali, MD: Is a High Fat Diet Harmful in individuals with Coronary Artery Disease
and Heart Attacks? What is Lipo-toxicity?

17 / 34

Dave Feldman: Rethinking ApoB - Is It Famous for the Wrong Reasons?

18 / 34

David Diamon, PhD: Should Low Carbohydrate Diet Guidelines
Include Concerns Over Elevated LDL Cholesterol?

19 / 34

Speaker Q&A

20 / 34

Mariela Glandt: Treating Diabetes Requires a Whole New Paradigm

21 / 34

Cynthia Thurlow: Insulin Sensitivity in Overweight People

22 / 34

Peter Brukner, MD: Chronic disease. Does what we eat make any difference?

23 / 34

Shawn Baker, MD: Demystifying the Carnivore Diet

24 / 34

Kwadwo Kyeremanteng, MD: The Clinical & Economic Impact of Poor Metabolic Health: An ICU Perspective

25 / 34

Jamie Seeman, MD: Metabolic Health For Women

26 / 34

Gabrielle Lyon: A Protein-Centric Perspective for metabolic health and longevity

27 / 34

Dr. Ken Berry, MD: Principles of a Proper Human Diet

28 / 34

Nadia Pateguana, ND: Time Restricted Eating vs Intermittent Fasting

29 / 34

Q&A

30 / 34

Marty Kendall: Your diet doesn't need a name or a belief system... just enough nutrients

31 / 34

Mark Cucuzzella, MD: The Magic of Zone 2 training to Improve your Health and Your Life

32 / 34

Amy Goss: Pediatric Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Can a carbohydrate-restricted
diet deplete fatty liver and improve insulin resistance in adolescents with NAFLD?

33 / 34

Leslyn Keith, Siobhan Huggins: Lipedema - Solving the Puzzle of a Complex
Lymphatic/Fat Disorder from a Metabolic Perspective

34 / 34

Final Q&A

❮ ❯

Selfies with the stars, an unforgettable experience:

Names like Ken Berry, Dave Feldman, Chris Palmer, Shawn Baker, and Cynthia Thurlow, if they ring a bell, you are a low-carber. Embarrassingly, I used to be star-struck. But someone on Twitter described better how I feel. I have a "cognitive crush". I love these people. I loved getting to know and chat with them. I love the feeling of being a part of the family.

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Chris Palmer

2 / 29

Bret Scher

3 / 29

Bill Schindler

4 / 29

Thomas DeLauer

5 / 29

Chris Irvin and Mike Mutzel

6 / 29

Shawn Baker

7 / 29

Chris Bair

8 / 29

Philip Ovadia

9 / 29

Layne Norton

11 / 29

Kim Howerton

12 / 29

Marty Kendall

13 / 29

Anthony Chaffee

14 / 29

David Diamond

15 / 29

Andreas Eenfeldt

16 / 29

Khurram Nasir

17 / 29

Jeffrey Gerber

18 / 29

Ivor Cummings

19 / 29

Cynthia Thurlow

20 / 29

Ben Azadi

21 / 29

Peter Brukner

22 / 29

Ken Berry and Tia Reid

23 / 29

Nina Teicholz

24 / 29

Amy Berger

25 / 29

Mariela Glandt

26 / 29

Nadir Ali

27 / 29

Amber O'Hearn

28 / 29

Peter Ballerstedt

29 / 29

Gabrielle Lyon

❮ ❯

First selfie with my bestie Tia Birchler Reid who went on to win the Social Butterfly Award. How awesome is that?

Delicious meals and good times

Glucose control

I am unsure what happened, but my sugars were all over the place during the conference. Every morning started great, but the excitement might have gotten the better of me. The graph flattened to my usual in-range glucose levels when I returned home.