Dairy: The low-carb pitfall you’re better off without

Q: I know that you recommend a low-carb approach to eating, but I also know you recommend against dairy products. I’m a bit confused, since most low-carb plans include quite a bit of dairy. Can you help clear this up for me?

Dr. Wright: Although milk and cheese are high in protein and low in carbohydrates, this is one aspect of many low-carb diet plans that I just don’t agree with.

Aside from the numerous health problems — from allergies to osteoporosis to prostate cancer — associated with milk and dairy, there’s an even more specific reason I advise against them in this case: Researchers have found that even though milk and fermented milk products don’t drastically raise blood sugar levels, they do cause significant insulin secretion. In fact, milk and fermented milk products stimulate as much insulin secretion as whole wheat does. And some cheeses stimulate more insulin secretion than pasta, porridge, or “all-bran” cereal and almost as much as brown rice and popcorn.

Since the weight-reducing effect of a low-carb diet is directly connected to it minimizing insulin secretion, drinking milk and fermented milk products and eating cheese is actually counterproductive.