Louisville Medicine Volume 63, Issue 2 | Page 12

BANTINGS AND BARBELLS Martin Huecker, MD W e live every day with a poor little guy who gets picked on a lot. Taking the blame for inflammation, obesity, heart disease, visceral fat accumulation, post-prandial slumber; we are supposed to do everything we can to prevent blood borne exposure to this molecule, insulin. consulted Dr. William Harvey. Harvey placed him on a low carbohydrate diet (avoiding sugar and starch most crucially), essentially a precursor to Atkins.’ William Banting’s “Letter on Corpulence, Addressed to the Public” outlined how he was able to lose weight while still imbibing several alcoholic be