# Opinions on David Perlmutter (anti-carb doctor)? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 13, 2014, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-david-perlmutter-anti-carb-doctor/678713 "2014-01-13T21:49:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2014, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-david-perlmutter-anti-carb-doctor/678713/1 "2014-01-13T21:49:46Z")
I received this book, [Grain Brain,](http://www.amazon.com/Grain-Brain-Surprising-Sugar--Your-Killers/dp/031623480X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389648726&sr=8-1&keywords=grain+brain) for Christmas. The giver is generally a pretty rational person, but seems to have an issue with carbohydrates. The synopsis from Amazon: > [@Amazon](#): > > Renowned neurologist David Perlmutter, MD, blows the lid off a topic that’s been buried in medical literature for far too long: carbs are destroying your brain. And not just unhealthy carbs, but even healthy ones like whole grains can cause dementia, ADHD, anxiety, chronic headaches, depression, and much more. Dr. Perlmutter explains what happens when the brain encounters common ingredients in your daily bread and fruit bowls, why your brain thrives on fat and cholesterol, and how you can spur the growth of new brain cells at any age. He offers an in-depth look at how we can take control of our “smart genes” through specific dietary choices and lifestyle habits, demonstrating how to remedy our most feared maladies without drugs. With a revolutionary 30-day plan, GRAIN BRAIN teaches us how we can reprogram our genetic destiny for the better. Right off the bat I’m suspicious because the book (and [its author](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Perlmutter)) received a glowing review from Mehmet Oz. Moreover, on page 16, there’s a short quiz (you can see this quiz using Amazon’s “Look Inside” function), with a bunch of true/false diet questions along the lines of “I eat bread” (that’s the actual first question). At the end of the quiz, he helpfully opines in part that “if you answered true to one question, your brain - and your entire nervous system - is at greater risk for disease and disorder than if you scored a zero.” Which sure sounds like a scare tactic designed to apply to everyone who reads the book. The author seems to particularly have it in for gluten, and claims that modern grain is dangerously different from what we used to grow. So what’s the deal? Is this guy peddling total woo? Is he exaggerating a non-negligible-but-relatively small hazard? Or is he wisely sounding the alarm for a real problem? Do I need to read this book cover to cover, or should I just politely say thanks and then tuck it away in long-term storage? ---
**Author:** ![jrsone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jrsone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jrsone)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2014, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-david-perlmutter-anti-carb-doctor/678713/2 "2014-01-13T22:30:47Z")
Sounds like a weirdo to be honest, and I’m pretty open minded. Dr. Oz is a joke. I hate fad diets and these anti-bread, anti-gluten for trend sake (not for actual life or death sake) “Paleo diet” people drive me nuts. That’s my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![sleestak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@sleestak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleestak)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2014, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-david-perlmutter-anti-carb-doctor/678713/3 "2014-01-13T22:58:25Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > I received this book, [Grain Brain,](http://www.amazon.com/Grain-Brain-Surprising-Sugar--Your-Killers/dp/031623480X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389648726&sr=8-1&keywords=grain+brain) for Christmas. The giver is generally a pretty rational person, but seems to have an issue with carbohydrates. > > So what’s the deal? Is this guy peddling total woo? Is he exaggerating a non-negligible-but-relatively small hazard? Or is he wisely sounding the alarm for a real problem? Do I need to read this book cover to cover, or should I just politely say thanks and then tuck it away in long-term storage? :: post snipped :: The book also gets good reviews from: Gerard E. Mullin: Director of Integrative Gastroenterology Nutrition Services and director of Capsule Endoscopy at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. [Link](http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/profiles/results/directory/profile/0001726/gerard-mullin?CLEARPAGECACHE=false&appRedirRef=https%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Egoogle%2Ecom%2F). And a few others that seems to have solid credentials. Some quick google results: Dietary ketosis enhances memory in mild cognitive impairment. [Link](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21130529). Ketosis happens when you do low carb. > [@](#): > > These findings indicate that very low carbohydrate consumption, even in the short term, can improve memory function in older adults with increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease. The only negative study I found for low carb diets was in children due to a still developing brain. Kids need more carbs. What I never understood is why people have such a hard time believing that low carb is good for you. Until recently (historically speaking that is), humans ate meat, fruit and veggies as the default diet small amounts of carbs. Joe Caveman wasn’t eating bread, chips, potatoes and pasta on a daily basis. The research seems pretty clear, low carb works for a lot of people and has positive health benefits. [Link](http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates/low-carbohydrate-diets/). Slee ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2014, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-david-perlmutter-anti-carb-doctor/678713/4 "2014-01-20T19:51:52Z")
He sounds like another guy trying to sell a book. You’ve gotta watch out for those. Having said that, I don’t think it would hurt anybody, and would certainly help a lot of people, to cut grains from their diets. ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-david-perlmutter-anti-carb-doctor/678713/5 "2014-04-03T14:00:22Z")
I am currently reading Grain Brain so I searched for a thread here on the subject. I also read Wheat Belly. that was interesting because I had no idea the wheat raised and sold now is extremely different than what was eaten up until recently. for one thing, it has a much bigger affect on your blood sugar, a bad affect I mean. I am bumping this up hoping to get more posts while I’m reading the book. and let me just add that Dr. Oz, whatever else he might say, thinks people should eat less sugar and more vegetables. so that MUST be wrong because he’s all WOO! seriously, don’t read the book because Dr. Oz endorsed it? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-david-perlmutter-anti-carb-doctor/678713/6 "2014-04-03T22:22:26Z")
> [@sleestak](#): > > What I never understood is why people have such a hard time believing that low carb is good for you. Until recently (historically speaking that is), humans ate meat, fruit and veggies as the default diet small amounts of carbs. Joe Caveman wasn’t eating bread, chips, potatoes and pasta on a daily basis. You really need to [read this article](http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-paleo-diet-half-baked-how-hunter-gatherer-really-eat/). Ultimately, what we did in the hunter-gatherer days doesn’t have much to do with finding the optimal modern diet. The hunter-gathers that still exist have quite varied diets. We as humans have adapted to be omnivores, and can handle quite a few diets. That’s probably the biggest problem some people have: they have problems entertaining the idea that we can handle so much variation. They’ve seen the low-fat diets or even vegan diets work, and so assume that must be the “correct” way to eat. So high-fat, low carb must be bad. The human diet is much more complicated than all that. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-david-perlmutter-anti-carb-doctor/678713/7 "2014-04-03T22:29:54Z")
> [@JackieLikesVariety](#): > > seriously, don’t read the book because Dr. Oz endorsed it? No one said that. But when someone endorses a lot of woo and not a lot of non-woo, you have to wonder if their endorsement is of woo. At best, his endorsement means nothing. ---
**Author:** ![PurpleClogs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f04885/32.png) [@PurpleClogs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurpleClogs)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-david-perlmutter-anti-carb-doctor/678713/8 "2014-04-03T22:49:42Z")
Ketosis is the only way I’ve ever successfully lost weight and maintained the loss long term. It works! I’m doing Adkins but they’re all basically the same. It’s whole unprocessed fresh food. No one’s cutting out any food groups. And ketosis is not the same thing as ketoacidosis. The myths are abundant. There are naysayers because there’s tons of money dependent on our carb consumption both in the medical and food industries. As for Oz… Just ignore his endorsement altogether. It’s just a way for the author to get onto yet another book list and sell more books. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-david-perlmutter-anti-carb-doctor/678713/9 "2014-04-04T00:39:28Z")
> [@PurpleClogs](#): > > I’m doing Adkins but they’re all basically the same. It’s whole unprocessed fresh food. That all [depends](http://www.atkins.com/Products/Product-Overview.aspx)… pretty much none of those name-brand Atkins products fit that description. ---
**Author:** ![PurpleClogs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f04885/32.png) [@PurpleClogs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurpleClogs)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-david-perlmutter-anti-carb-doctor/678713/10 "2014-04-04T01:59:47Z")
The Atkins (oops, I misspelled earlier) packaged products are not a part of the original diet books that Robert Atkins wrote and will just stall one’s progress with sugar alcohols. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-david-perlmutter-anti-carb-doctor/678713/11 "2014-04-04T02:46:24Z")
Atkins can be great for losing weight, although I think it’s difficult to maintain long-term. Even so, though, that’s a world away from claiming that carbs are responsible for a whole laundry list of ills and unhappinesses. It’s that “one simple fix will cure dementia, ADHD, depression, insomnia, erectile dysfunction, back pain, carpal tunnel, and dry skin” sales pitch that marks it as nonsense, in my view. Besides, as one data point, I feed my dog a grain-free diet, and she’s still as dumb as a sack of hammers. Very sweet temperament, though. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-david-perlmutter-anti-carb-doctor/678713/12 "2014-04-04T04:32:09Z")
Low carb works well for some people. More power to 'em. Stating that it can work well for some people is one thing. Stating that “whole grains can cause dementia, ADHD, anxiety, chronic headaches, depression, and much more” is peddling woo. The simple fact is very well established that [complete diets](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3705810/) that include lots of whole grains, along with vegetables, fruits, protein, and certain fats, low in refined carbs, added sugars, and processed meats, are strongly associated with beneficial heath outcomes, including mental health ones. Let’s just focus on the first claim, dementia … > [@](#): > > A dietary pattern, characterized by a high intake of meat, butter, high-fat dairy products, eggs, and refined sugar, has been found in AD patients [161]. … In a cohort of 3054 participants, a healthy diet was defined as one positively correlated with consumption of fruit, whole grains, fresh dairy products, vegetables, breakfast cereal, tea, vegetable fat, nuts, and fish and negatively correlated with meat, poultry, refined grains, animal fat, and processed meat. Participants with the highest compared with lowest adherence to the health diet had a better cognitive function [64] … The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet contains a high intake of plant foods, fruits, vegetables, fish, poultry, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, and nuts, while minimizing intake of red meat, sodium, sweets, and sugar-sweetened beverages [165]. In a randomized clinical trial of 124 participants with elevated blood pressure, subjects on the DASH diet exhibited greater neurocognitive improvements when compared to normal subjects … The Mediterranean diet, a typical diet of the Mediterranean region, is characterized by a high consumption of fruits, vegetables, cereals, bread, potatoes, poultry, beans, nuts, olive oil, and fish; a moderate consumption of alcohol; a lower consumption of red meat and dairy products. > > Adherence to the Mediterranean diet may not only affect the risk of AD but also mortality in AD [167]. A meta-analysis of eighteen cohort studies with 2,190,627 subjects showed that adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with a significant reduction of overall mortality and neurodegenerative diseases [168]. Several researches supported a beneficial association between adherence to a Mediterranean diet and AD … (AD = Alzheimer Disease.) Yeah, woo.