Health24: SA doctor on why Banting 'sucks'

Dr Howard Rybko challenges some assertions made by proponents of Banting and why Banters are struggling to keep their weight down

According to Rybko there are three major shortcomings to Banting. Firstly, Banting takes into consideration carbs and how they work but does not fully understand insulin and the role it plays.

The article goes on to say:

Time to set the record straight

The book stresses that food intake is just as important as the mental approach and physical activities that accompany weight loss and that all need to work together, to be effective.

The type of lifestyle described in the book is an ideal support for conventional medical treatment of Type 2 diabetics. “Some of the type II diabetics find that they no longer need medication when following this diet,” says Dr Rybko.

An established author, Rybko’s previous book "Decarb Diet" took a very different approach to dieting. “I wrote about low-carb diets, while I was still very new to this phenomenon; it worked well for me like it did for many other people, until the same problems presented itself as in all other Banting, low-carb and high fat diets.”

Too Much Protein

The article goes into the dangers of eating too much protein, other a consequence of substituting animal protein for carbs on a low-carb diet.

Too much lean animal protein increases levels of growth promoting hormones that lead to increased cancer risks as well as faster ageing. Our protein intake should be at or below 1 gram of fat per kilogram of body weight and this suggests that you need to weigh 200 kilograms to earn that 200-gram "Lady’s Steak" at Steers