digest
Short Summary
Main recommendation: Dr. Ken Berry presents a UK study by Dr. David Unwin, published in Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Obesity, arguing that a low carbohydrate diet (higher protein and fat as a result) can improve kidney function in people with type 2 diabetes, not just slow its decline. The study followed 143 of Dr. Unwin's general-practice patients with type 2 diabetes, with an average age of 61 and an average diabetes duration of 5 years and 3 months.
Key Points
- Among the 143 patients, 67% showed improvement in serum creatinine, and the video reports significant improvements in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and the urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio.
- Dr. Berry argues that the results run against expectations, since many doctors believe age and type 2 diabetes are normally associated with declining kidney function.
- The video says the diet was confirmed through a consistent set of lab and body changes: lower hemoglobin A1c, lower triglycerides, higher HDL cholesterol, weight loss, and lower blood pressure.
- About 48% of the patients completely reversed their type 2 diabetes and stopped all diabetes medications, according to the video.
- Dr. Berry notes that the diet used in the study was eating real food, observed in real clinical care rather than from food frequency questionnaires.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions: The video does not give a specific meal plan, carbohydrate gram limit, or step-by-step protocol. The only actionable advice is to print the study (linked in the show notes as a PDF), take it to your own health care provider, and ask whether a diet like this can be tried with them to monitor kidney function. Health care providers are advised to read the study, check its references, and reexamine their beliefs about high-protein diets in kidney patients.
- Berry states that for years he was taught to avoid high-protein diets for people with decreased kidney function, and that this study challenges that teaching.
- The video frames the study as a single set of 143 personal patients, not a randomized trial, and describes the diet as low carbohydrate, which by definition means higher fat and protein intake.
- Berry describes Dr. Unwin as a trustworthy researcher he has met twice and says he personally trusts the study's results.
Bottom Line
The video presents a single, observational-style study claiming a low carb diet improved kidney markers in type 2 diabetes patients, and Berry urges patients and clinicians to examine the study directly before deciding.
