This year’s Foltyn Seminar featured Dr. Carol Kirkpatrick, who discussed the scientific evidence available regarding low-carb and very-low carbohydrate diets. Kilpatrick co-authored the recommendations made in the National Lipid Association (NLA) scientific statement, which were developed to help guide health professionals as a result of increased interest from patients in carbohydrate-restricted and ketogenic diets.

The lecture was presented virtually on Oct. 15, with more than 480 people registered for the annual event. The seminar is made possible by the generosity of Ted Foltyn and Kathi Hetrick Foltyn, both UD graduates of the Class of 1981. 

In her talk, Kirkpatrick noted that the NLA developed its statement because of clinicians recognizing the popularity of carbohydrate-restricted diets. 

“Many clinicians just were unsure about the evidence to support the use of these types of dietary patterns,” she said.  “So the purpose of the scientific statement was essentially to review the current evidence, looking at meta analyses and systematic reviews of randomized control trials, and presenting that evidence that you can use and have key recommendations for the conversations you might have in your clinics.” 

Kirkpatrick said that a low or very-low carbohydrate diet may be a reasonable option for some patients for a limited period of time – two to six months – to induce weight loss. But she said restrictive diets are difficult to maintain long-term, making a more moderate carbohydrate intake reasonable for longer-term weight loss and maintenance. 

As clinicians work with patients interested in low carbohydrate diets, it’s important to have a discussion about what will work best for the patient, depending on their health status and reason for doing the diet. At the same time, there should be an emphasis on the foods already known to be associated with improvements in cardio and metabolic health, such as unprocessed carbohydrate-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes.  

“It’s reasonable to work with your patients and decide for each person, what’s going to be the best fit for them,” she said. “So if they have if they have an interest in losing weight, if they’re really feeling like they need that extra motivation, maybe the low carbohydrate or very low carb dietary pattern will be an option, but really emphasizing that for long term, especially sustainable changes, sustainable weight loss, and a more moderate amount of carbohydrate is recommended.” 

The Foltyns established this endowed fund in February 2013 for the purpose of recruiting outstanding speakers to deliver the most up-to-date, relevant information to the campus and community on topics related to behavioral health, nutrition, wellness, and disease prevention.  

Kathi Foltyn is a registered dietitian who provides care coordination and education for stage 4 and 5 kidney disease patients. Ted Foltyn is an adjunct faculty member in the Horn Entrepreneur Program.

“I think we had 50 people at the first event, and we were thrilled that we had 50 people,” Ted Foltyn told participants. “It’s such a team effort to be able to bring it to so many more people and generate more interest in our topics.”