My Brain Hurts!

To say my "brain hurts" from all the data presented this past weekend at the 2006 NMS Scientific Sessions: Nutritional & Metabolic Aspects of Carbohydrate Restriction is an understatment! I was blown away by the data presented by dozens researchers and clinicians along with the posters on display that highlighted findings from soon-to-be or recently published research findings from more than a dozen others!

As I sit here this morning, I am left wondering where to begin to tell you all about this incredible weekend of learning, made possible not only by those in the trenches of scientific inquiry and investigation who presented data, but also the dozens of scientific & medical experts who were attending the conference too!

Each presentation truly deserves its own time - from the opening presentation that provided the general overview of carbohydrate restricted diets as a potential therapeutic model for a number of metabolic disorders and detailed where the evidence stands along with how important the future research is, to the complicated presentations that detailed various aspects of the dietary approach from animal models to the highly specific role of genetics, macronutrients, micronutrients, thermogenesis, activity and more.

This is important stuff!

What's more important is writing about it in a way that a non-scientific person will understand - and that is something that I will be trying to do in the coming weeks as I review my notes and write about the presentations and posters in a style I hope will bring the science to you, my readers, in an easy-to-digest manner.

I have a feeling I won't be the only one writing about this conference - other sites you may want to read and bookmark for future reference include Drs. Mike & Mary Dan Eades and Jimmy Moore - who have blogs and were in attendance too!

Overall the conference provided invaluable insight into the role of dietary carbohydrate restriction and made it clear this isn't just an alternative approach for weight loss. The evidence supports the idea that carbohydrate restriction has a much more important role as a tool for dietary management of a number of metabolic disorders that include diabetes, metabolic syndrome and the like. Hopefully, in the coming days I'll get started with the various presentations and writing about the research and data presented!