Dr. Jessica Turton is the Director of Ellipse Health and holds a PhD in nutrition awarded by the Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney. Her thesis investigated the use and efficacy of low-carbohydrate diets for diabetes management, with a specific focus on type 1 diabetes. Dr. Turton conducted a clinical trial in collaboration with the CSIRO using a fully online delivery model which enabled Australia-wide participation. The aim of the study was to assess the safety and effect(s) of a nutritionally adequate low-carbohydrate diet on type 1 diabetes management outcomes.
Jessica has also co-authored several research articles in leading scientific journals, including "An Evidence-based Approach to Developing Low-carbohydrate Diets in Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review" in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism. Jessica was invited to speak at the American Diabetes Associated Conference in June 2020 to present the evidence for low-carbohydrate diets and nutritional ketosis in the treatment of diabetes and obesity.
Jessica has a passion for working with individuals to identify the primary nutritional problems affecting their health and preventing them from reaching their goals. She was the recipient of the Charles Perkins Centre Summer Research Scholarship in 2016/17 where she was part of a team that conducted analyses to investigate the association of industry-funding and results in published studies examining the effect of whole-grain intake for cardiovascular disease prevention.
generated summary
Calories and metabolic adaptation
- Food supplies energy and nutrients; calories support movement, digestion, and vital organ function.
- "Eat less and move more" can produce initial weight loss, but continued progress can demand progressively lower intake.
- Most daily energy expenditure comes from basal or resting metabolism rather than deliberate exercise.
- Excessive calorie restriction activates homeostatic energy conservation and can reduce energy, health, and metabolic rate.
Semi-starvation and extreme weight loss
- The Minnesota experiment placed 36 healthy men on about 1,570 kcal/day for six months, producing about 25% weight loss. [1]
- The men lost strength, stamina, libido, and concentration and developed depression, anxiety, food obsession, and disordered eating. [1]
- Rehabilitation included three months of increasing calories and two months of unrestricted eating; some men ate up to 10,000 kcal/day with distressing symptoms. [1]
- Resting metabolic rate fell during semi-starvation and remained suppressed after calories and body weight returned toward baseline. [1]
- Biggest Loser contestants fell from about 148.9 kg to 90.6 kg, then returned to 131.5 kg six years later. [2]
- Their average resting metabolic rate fell from about 2,600 to 1,996 kcal/day and remained about 1,903 kcal/day six years later despite weight regain. [2]
- Persistent metabolic adaptation makes long-term weight loss a continuing struggle against reduced energy expenditure. [2]
Three foundations for eating more
- Higher protein intake can raise resting energy expenditure by about 200 kcal/day, increase diet-induced thermogenesis two- to threefold, and support muscle mass.
- Greater muscle mass supports insulin sensitivity, lower circulating insulin, and greater fat oxidation.
- In a randomized trial of 162 adults, isocaloric diets supplied 60%, 40%, or 20% of energy from carbohydrate while protein stayed constant. [3]
- The 20%-carbohydrate diet increased total energy expenditure by 209 kcal/day compared with the 60%-carbohydrate diet. [3]
- Real, nutrient-dense foods supply micronutrients such as B vitamins, iron, and magnesium that support energy metabolism.
- A systematic search of the Australian Food Composition Database identified top low-carbohydrate food sources for essential micronutrients and produced food lists and a sample meal plan. [4]
Clinical program outcomes
- Ellipse Health instructed patients to eat listed foods to satiety, meet minimum protein and fat targets, prioritize real foods, and use individualized nutrition support.
- Ten completers, averaging 62 years of age and 61 weeks of follow-up, increased mean intake from 1,411 to 2,190 kcal/day.
- Mean body weight fell from 108 to 98 kg, while high energy levels rose from 0% to 50% and no participant had low energy at follow-up.
- Two participants had not yet lost weight; one had consumed about 800 kcal/day for more than 50 years and required a longer restoration period.
- Weight loss became a side effect of nourishment, while gains in energy, physiological function, cognition, and mental health became the larger benefits.
Who may benefit
- The approach targets people with long histories of low-calorie dieting, low energy, disordered eating, mental-health concerns, or worsening health despite dieting.
- A low-carbohydrate or real-food diet can still be inadequate when total food intake is too low.
References
- [04:33] They Starved So That Others Be Better Fed: Remembering Ancel Keys and the Minnesota Experiment — https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/135.6.1347
- [08:14] Persistent metabolic adaptation 6 years after "The Biggest Loser" competition — https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.21538
- [11:52] Effects of a low carbohydrate diet on energy expenditure during weight loss maintenance: randomized trial — https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k4583
- [13:44] Formulating Nutritionally Adequate Low-Carbohydrate Diets: An Analysis of the Australian Food Composition Database — https://doi.org/10.26717/BJSTR.2022.44.006991
GPT-5.6 Thinking - high - 2026-07-12 - 2026-07-12