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Michael Dansinger, MD

Joined: 02/03/2010

Expert Profile:

Michael Dansinger, MD, is a nationally recognized authority on dietary and lifestyle counseling for weight loss and disease prevention. He is the nutrition doctor for NBC's hit prime time series The Biggest Loser, and a contributor to the best-selling book series based on the show. He has been interviewed about his weight loss experience on the Today show, CNN, National Public Radio, Oprah magazine, Time magazine, Consumer Reports, USA Today, the New York Times, and many other media organizations.

Dansinger holds multiple academic positions. He is the clinical nutrition and obesity editor for the Medscape Journal of Medicine, an assistant professor at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, a scientist with the USDA Nutrition Research Center, and a member of the division of endocrinology at Tufts-New England Medical Center.

His research on dietary counseling in well known. He published the research study "Comparison of the Atkins, Ornish, Weight Watchers and Zone Diets for Weight Loss and Cardiac Risk Reduction" in The Journal of the American Medical Association in January 2005. He is currently conducting a clinical trial to determine the effectiveness of the USDA food pyramid and a low-starch version of the food pyramid for weight loss and heart disease reduction. He directs a "Diabetes Reversal Program" where he uses lifestyle coaching to achieve diabetes remission in over 25% of his patients.

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Reply: sweet potatoes vs baked potatoes

Sweet potato has a bit more fiber than a baked potato. That slight difference...

Posted by Michael Dansinger, MD

23 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:sweet potatoes vs baked potatoes Sweet potato has a bit more fiber than a baked potato. That slight difference...

Reply: Haylen where is my post?

Hi Deb, From your previous post: Dr D could you revisit this - pointed...

Posted by Michael Dansinger, MD

5 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:Haylen where is my post? Hi Deb, From your previous post: Dr D could you revisit this - pointed...

Reply: Big Bucks, Big Pharma: Marketing Disease and Pushi...

One of my blog posts dealt with the topic "Are Diabetics Overmedicated?"...

Posted by Michael Dansinger, MD

9 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:Big Bucks, Big Pharma: Marketing Disease and Pushing Drugs? One of my blog posts dealt with the topic "Are Diabetics Overmedicated?"...

Reply: meals for 12-hr car ride

Lots of good advice above. My favorites: Turkey slices, chicken breast,...

Posted by Michael Dansinger, MD

22 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:meals for 12-hr car ride Lots of good advice above. My favorites: Turkey slices, chicken breast,...

Reply: Dr D / biggest loser shakes

Dear Dolores, Thank you for sharing your important thoughts about the Biggest...

Posted by Michael Dansinger, MD

Dear Dolores,
Thank you for sharing your important thoughts about the Biggest Loser bars. I indeed had a lot to do with the formulation of these bars.

Everybody agrees that whole foods are best for health. Fruits, vegetables, healthy proteins, etc. Having said that, it is not the people who strictly eat mainly whole foods that are generally struggling to overcome obesity. The rest of us are fighting a very challenging daily battle to find an eating strategy that is strict enough to prevent health problems, but free enough and enjoyable enough to actually follow consistently. In principle we should all just snack on whole foods, but in the real world I'm often trying to find ways to help people with obesity and type 2 diabetes to eat less junk food, restaurant food, candy, etc. Helping people find practical ways to navigate this challenge is part of what I must do in order to fight diabetes and obesity.

Why do people even want protein bars and shakes? Why not just eat an apple or raisins or a piece of fish? I wish I could actually get people to do that, but some people want ready-to-eat snacks or "meal replacements" that will satisfy hunger and taste like chocolate etc. Should we ignore this consumer demand and say protein bars have no potential role, or should we take a middle ground and try to make something that is actually going to help people adhere to a moderate-calorie eating strategy? Furthermore, medical research studies consistently and convincingly demonstrate that such shakes and bars help people achieve and sustain weight loss. Therefore I believe it is important to have "mixed feelings" about this category of processed foods. They represent a middle ground between whole foods versus candy bars etc.

When Biggest Loser and Walgreens invited me to join their collaborative efforts to provide folks who want protein bars and shakes with better options, I saw it as a meaningful way to help improve on what is already being purchased by many consumers. We worked hard to make products that are "all natural", without artificial ingredients, with the minimal amount of processed ingredients that will allow the product to be simultaneously tasty, healthy, affordable, and economically viable.

The bars are mainly made of dried fruit and nuts. They have soy protein, natural sweeteners (stevia) and natural flavoring such as cocoa. These bars are about as "clean" as you can get and still have a viable product. I'm pretty happy with the way they came out.

The shakes are made of milk protein, canola oil, natural flavorings like chocolate or vanilla, and some natural gums and fibers to provide body. They are sweetened with natural rather than artificial sweeteners, with no more than the minimum amout of sugar necessary to make an acceptably tasting product. The shakes are about as "clean" as you can get and still have a viable product. It was challenging to get it as good as we got it. Keeping the sugar low and the taste good was a major challenge that I pushed and pushed until we got it right.

I learned a lot in the process about why it is so hard to make processed food healthy. We should all stick mainly to whole foods, but for occasions when that is not realistic, we've got these "middle ground" products that are not ideal, but not so bad either. I stand by what I said: "the shakes and bars are for people who want to harness the power of natural foods and ingredients to maintain a healthy body weight, stay strong and live life to the fullest...people will find them to be a satisfying and practical way to help them meet their health goals."

Michael Dansinger, MD

There is no clear formula for the optimal bar or shake. It would be easier if shelf stabilityView Thread

Posted byMichael Dansinger, MD

17 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:Dr D / biggest loser shakes Dear Dolores, Thank you for sharing your important thoughts about the Biggest...

Reply: Anemia and A1C

Deb, My best guess is that your A1c level in the normal range is an accurate...

Posted by Michael Dansinger, MD

10 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:Anemia and A1C Deb, My best guess is that your A1c level in the normal range is an accurate...

Reply: Anemia and A1C

Laurie, I'm impressed by your explanation. The rate of red cell turnover is...

Posted by Michael Dansinger, MD

10 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:Anemia and A1C Laurie, I'm impressed by your explanation. The rate of red cell turnover is...

Reply: Dr. Dansinger

Hi Deb, Thank you for thinking of me and asking about me. I am well. I have...

Posted by Michael Dansinger, MD

4 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:Dr. Dansinger Hi Deb, Thank you for thinking of me and asking about me. I am well. I have...

Reply: Medformin and alpha lipoic acid

Dear Steve, Thank you for your questions about how to treat your diabetes. As...

Posted by Michael Dansinger, MD

Dear Steve,
Thank you for your questions about how to treat your diabetes. As you indicated, your A1c in the 8 to 10 range puts you at high risk for complications such as damage to the retina, kidneys, nerves, and arteries. Blindness, kidney dialysis, limb loss and lethal heart attacks often occur in patients who allow their a1c's to remain at those levels for prolonged periods of time. You have been taking metformin and diamicron, but in most cases, doctors would also recommend additional medications such as insulin shots to bring the A1c to 7% if lifestyle changes cannot get you there.

In patients with type 2 diabetes who are not particularly overweight, we usually find low insulin levels. This indicates that the beta cells of the pancreas are making very little insulin and therefore the treatment of choice is typically insulin shots (or pump). I am not in a position to offer specific medical advice, but your doctor's recommendation of insulin shots certainly fits with what I would expect.

I am a strong proponent of lifestyle change (ambitious eating and exercise strategy) to push the A1c as low as possible

Here is a link to my blog post about the role of medications in type 2 diabetes:
http://blogs.webmd.com/life-with-diabetes-2/2010/04/are-diabetics-overmedicated.html

The supplements you mention are not really proven to make a difference. That does not mean they have no role, but we have convincing scientific evidence that pushing your A1c to 7% with prescription drugs including insulin can reduce the risk of complications and possibly increase survival, compared to leaving your A1c where it is.

Ultimately, it is always best to discuss these issues with your doctor, and if you feel like communication with your current doctor is not so good, then I encourage you to either address that issue or find a doctor with whom you feel comfortable. In my view there is too much at stake to leave your A1c in the high range any longer.

Thanks again for your important questions.

Michael Dansinger, MDView Thread

Posted byMichael Dansinger, MD

9 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:Medformin and alpha lipoic acid Dear Steve, Thank you for your questions about how to treat your diabetes. As...

Reply: Should I eat that Halloween chocolate bar?

I favor the taste of dark chocolate over milk chocolate. I'm particularly...

Posted by Michael Dansinger, MD

20 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:Should I eat that Halloween chocolate bar? I favor the taste of dark chocolate over milk chocolate. I'm particularly...

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