Experts Convene for Keto Conference

Earlier this month Dr. David Jockers hosted the Keto Edge Summit, an online conference on the many benefits of the keto diet.1 Jockers, both a doctor of natural medicine and a nutritionist, defeated his skin cancer and attributed much of his success to the keto diet. Jockers said that, after his switch to keto, he not only beat his cancer but found renewed physical and mental strength. Jockers’ story reflects a growing national interest in keto that extends beyond weight loss, looking to the diet for disease prevention, improved mental performance, and other more holistic benefits.

The Panel of Professionals

The summit, which functions as an introduction to keto, an exploration of its facts and fictions, and a guide to the keto lifestyle, demonstrates the variety of goals that motivate people to begin the diet. Jockers and his many colleagues covered a wide range of topics: keto for brain health, different kinds of cancer, diabetes, and menopause, how to beat the “keto flu,” how to shop for keto, and much more. The speakers, from doctors to PhDs to professionals, are all experts in the world of keto.

Jockers himself is a world-renowned expert and nationally coveted speaker, not only in keto but in subjects like weight loss and brain health in general.2 The conference itself ended in mid-May but is available for download online. It consists of several dozen talks and bonus material that come together as a comprehensive package for anyone in search of guidance and in-depth information on the keto diet.

A Diet for the Fight Against Sugar

Jockers’ conference is just one of the more notable examples of the keto diet’s national surge, spreading from researchers looking to combat obesity, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other related illnesses. The conference also covered subjects like Halle Berry and Kim Kardashian’s use of the diet as well as pop culture at large.

The expertise and medical credentials of the conference’s speakers is a testament to the unique nature of the keto diet, which presents itself more as a distinct approach to overall healthiness and disease prevention than a miraculous strategy for weight loss. Since the early 2000’s, the research has been piling up that points to overconsumption of sugar as the leading cause of obesity and obesity-related diseases. What’s more, recently uncovered documents showing the sugar industry’s manipulation of fundamental research on the relative danger of sugar versus fat calls into question not only the trajectory of such research over the last half-century, but also the reliability of federal guidelines on a healthy diet. In this context, the Keto Edge Summit and similar events represent a growing pushback against sugar, among scientists, dieters, and the general public alike.