According to investigative science journalist Gary Taubes, much of what we “know” about nutrition is built on weak evidence, bad assumptions, and decades of groupthink. In this episode of A Whole New Level, Taubes joins Mike Haney to examine how nutrition science went off the rails—and why he remains convinced the carbohydrate–insulin model still offers the most coherent explanation for obesity.
Taubes explains how observational studies became policy, why randomized trials are often ignored, and why questioning the calorie-balance model remains controversial despite mounting contradictions. The conversation is less about winning an argument and more about how science should actually work—especially when public health is at stake.
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🎙 What Gary Taubes & Mike Haney discuss:
[4:10] — How Gary Taubes became interested in “bad science.”
[9:45] — Why nutrition science relies too heavily on epidemiology
[15:30] — Correlation vs. causation in diet research
[22:10] — The problem with the calorie-balance model
[29:40] — Introducing the carbohydrate–insulin model
[36:55] — Why insulin resistance changes everything
[44:20] — Why low-fat advice dominated for decades
[52:10] — What randomized trials actually show
[1:00:05] — Why dissent is treated as heresy in nutrition
[1:08:30] — How bad science survives criticism
[1:16:45] — What good nutrition science would require
[1:23:20] — Why this debate still matters
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Look for new shows every month on A Whole New Level, where we have in-depth conversations with thought leaders about metabolic health.
🔗 Helpful links:
Watch the conversation: https://youtu.be/74WAhHgEk_0
Find us on YouTube: https://youtube.com/levelshealth?sub_confirmation=1
📲 Connect with Gary Taubes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-taubes-942a6459/