low carb, high fat

[Resurgam]

I had been eating high carb and low fat for almost two years before diagnosis, with little lowering of cholesterol levels. When my cholesterol went down after diagnosis and some months on low carb, the nurse declared it was a delayed reaction.

 

[Robbity]

I've eaten a full/normal fat diet for over three quarters of a century, and after being diagnosed as T2 just upped the quantity slightly to compensate for the reduction in carby fuel when eating LCHF. It's never done me or my cholesterol levels any harm.

Very often the fat in a low carb high(er) fat diet is just a matter of replacing low/reduced fat foods with their natural full fat equivalents, so it's simply high(er) in comparison. (And I see absolutely no sense in taking something like dairy produce which is naturally high in fats and believing it's necessary to cut out that nutritious fat and then often replace it with added carbs to make it palatable again.)

 

[aealexandrou]

Hi All
I am of the view that a low carb diet is necessary for beating type 2 diabetes. I also believe that a low fat diet is also necessary, though many would disagree.
But what I don't understand about low carb diets is that many of them come with a high fat content.
Diabetes control aside, that to me seems strange. All cardio-vascular hospital consultants are very emphatic in their view that a low fat diet is best for avoiding clogged arteries, strokes, heart attacks and other vascular conditions. It seems to me that even if a low carb high fat diet can help you control your diet, it will be injuring cardio-vascular system ... so why do so many on this website recommend a high fat diet?

I am not sure where you are getting your research or which cardiologists you are relying upon for your assumption that fat is an issue. We now know that there has not been any controlled tests which have identified fat as the cause of cardio-vascular disease. What we do know is that as individuals we have all consumed less fat, less meat and have exercised more but cardio-vascular disease has continued to increase with the rise of insulin related diseases.
When you eat fat, your body merely converts it into its constituent parts which it needs to survive. Fat is an essential nutrient. 50% of your cell lining is comprised of fat. Without it your body cannot distribute the other essential nutrients and vitamins around your body. Excess fat is only an issue if you have a high carb wheat based diet because that does cause cardio-vascular issues. As in nature fat and carbs do not mix. By avoiding fats you are fighting your insulin related metabolic issues with one hand tied behind your back.

 

[aealexandrou]

I've eaten a full/normal fat diet for over three quarters of a century, and after being diagnosed as T2 just upped the quantity slightly to compensate for the reduction in carby fuel when eating LCHF. It's never done me or my cholesterol levels any harm.

Very often the fat in a low carb high(er) fat diet is just a matter of replacing low/reduced fat foods with their natural full fat equivalents, so it's simply high(er) in comparison. (And I see absolutely no sense in taking something like dairy produce which is naturally high in fats and believing it's necessary to cut out that nutritious fat and then often replace it with added carbs to make it palatable again.)

Just had my first full blood test following starting my keto/IF regime nearly a year ago. HbA1c 23, lost 15k in weight and keeping neuropathy and background retinopathy manageable without medication. Having largely removed processed carbs from the diet I cannot see how I could have coped if fats weren't available to add taste and substance to my diet. It also plugs the nutritional hole everyone who avoids fats suffers from.

 

[PaulDK]

I am overwhelmed by the opinions of responders to my initial query. I am not sure that all the cardio-vascular consultants can be wholly wrong. Anyways here's my story:
Some years ago I read somewhere that type 2 diabetes was caused by fat blocking the receptors in our muscle cells which prevented insulin from opening the cells so that glucose from the digestive system (that was floating around in the blood) could enter and deliver energy to the cells. So I decided to get rid of as much fat as possible from my diet so see if doing this would "reverse" my diabetes. I also eliminated sugar from my diet as much as possible. At that time my numbers were all over the place and I was overweight. In addition I could hardly walk due to pains in my feet due to diabetic neuropathy. For a few weeks nothing happened then I began to lose weight rapidly, about 2kg a week, and my numbers began to improved dramatically ... after about 2 months my numbers were almost "normal" and I felt a whole lot better and could walk easily again. Since then I have become less strict about the fat in my diet and just try to keep it below 10% of my energy intake. Today I am pretty healthy and quite fit and follow a diet like this ... natural foods as far as possible (ie, minimal processed foods), low sugar, low fat, low salt, low GI, high fibre. I eat meat and fish, especially salmon, but cut off the fat. My personal opinion now is that the most important thing in my diet, now that the receptors in my muscle cells are no longer blocked with fat, is to eat fresh foods that have a low GI (glycemic index) as theses foods are digested slowly and so they release glucose into the bloodstream slowly thus avoiding large spikes in blood glucose levels ...

 

[Deleted member 308541]

Certainly it is Low Carb, but the Fat bit should really be just enough, not High.

Perhaps "healthy" fat instead of high fat might be a better term to use...

 

[Mike d]

I am overwhelmed by the opinions of responders to my initial query. I am not sure that all the cardio-vascular consultants can be wholly wrong.

Then what can we tell you.

 

[HSSS]

I also eliminated sugar from my diet as much as possible.

Quite possibly this is what had a bigger effect

 

[HSSS]

I am not sure that all the cardio-vascular consultants can be wholly wrong

They don’t all say the same thing though! Assem malholtra springs first to mind and he is not alone.

 

[Member496333]

I am not sure that all the cardio-vascular consultants can be wholly wrong.

Your view on this will probably depend largely on whether you think that every cardiologist performs their own rigorous studies, or if they all get their information from the same pool of questionable ones.

 

[ianf0ster]

Perhaps "healthy" fat instead of high fat might be a better term to use...

'Healthy' fat is a term like 'Mediterranean diet' - it means many different things to many different people.
I would prefer traditional except that it doesn't start with an H.

 

[Deleted member 308541]

'Healthy' fat is a term like 'Mediterranean diet' - it means many different things to many different people.

As I said it is just a name, it does not bother me being labelled a T2 and eating low carb and healthy fat food.

I have got my bgl under control, and I have not been on Metformin for almost a year now.

My next hba1c in March will see the last of the speed bump disappearing of the graph thanks to LCHF.

 

[Jam&Scones]

I am overwhelmed by the opinions of responders to my initial query. I am not sure that all the cardio-vascular consultants can be wholly wrong. Anyways here's my story:
Some years ago I read somewhere that type 2 diabetes was caused by fat blocking the receptors in our muscle cells which prevented insulin from opening the cells so that glucose from the digestive system (that was floating around in the blood) could enter and deliver energy to the cells.

Do you know, I recall reading that too and I can't remember for the life of me who was speaking about it But I do recall there was some doubt as to whether it was the cause of insulin resistance or not - perhaps you could send me a link to refresh my memory?

I see people have mentioned Aseem Malhotra and Ivor Cummins. I would definitely check out their videos/blogs etc for an alternative view on fat and cardiovascular issues. They make some intriguing points.

I also do not follow a strict version of the LCHF diet - I just make sure the carbs are kept low to a level which means my bs is not spiking. But I don't watch my protein levels closely. For me fat is always about topping up with just enough fat to feel satiated and I feel fine doing so. Everyone is different and we must all find our own sustainable balance. It sounds like from what you are eating you are still getting lots of good fats.

The one thing all cardiologists seem to agree on though is trans fats (i.e. processed food like margarine) are definitely bad for you. So I would agree that concentrating on whole foods is one of the best things we can do.

 

[sandysan]

Been eating ....bacon,eggs,mince,cauliflower chicken, salads for a month now I haven't lost an lb I weight

I have porridge for breakfast. I'm getting g so fed up with eating just the above .my bs are all over the place I'm taking 40mg gliclazide 500mg merformin
Due to having a skin rash and burni g sensations which I've had a biopsy for and waiting for results ....my diabetic nurse is monitoring my bs which I have to take before break,lunch.eve meal .at present there ranging from 9 to 7.5 some 6.5 just Ll over the place

 

[Jam&Scones]

Been eating ....bacon,eggs,mince,cauliflower chicken, salads for a month now I haven't lost an lb I weight

I have porridge for breakfast.

I'm not sure I can help, but I do know porridge is high in carbohydrates (50g serving is roughly 30g carbs). It spikes me far too much and that spike can last for a while.

It may be best to make a separate thread, if you have not already done so, to get some advice from others who are familiar with those meds and can give advice about testing, etc.

 

[Tophat1900]

BMJ article

Saturated fat does not clog the arteries: coronary heart disease is a chronic inflammatory condition, the risk of which can be effectively reduced from healthy lifestyle interventions

https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/51/15/...99XFKFKP3abu8lwCftYZ5l4iMZbG_nwXIpSOx84stCHnY

 

[Sunstreaker]

Hi All
I am of the view that a low carb diet is necessary for beating type 2 diabetes. I also believe that a low fat diet is also necessary, though many would disagree.
But what I don't understand about low carb diets is that many of them come with a high fat content.
Diabetes control aside, that to me seems strange. All cardio-vascular hospital consultants are very emphatic in their view that a low fat diet is best for avoiding clogged arteries, strokes, heart attacks and other vascular conditions. It seems to me that even if a low carb high fat diet can help you control your diet, it will be injuring cardio-vascular system ... so why do so many on this website recomment a high fat diet?

There have been a lot of responses in this thread relating to high fat and heart disease, but one of the biggest cardiac related stroke risk comes from Atrial Fibrillation and I have noted a significant increase in research and articles citing Low carb diet as a causative factor in the
Development of Afib.

 

[Goonergal]

There have been a lot of responses in this thread relating to high fat and heart disease, but one of the biggest cardiac related stroke risk comes from Atrial Fibrillation and I have noted a significant increase in research and articles citing Low carb diet as a causative factor in the
Development of Afib.

Could you share some links to that research, please?

 

[Tophat1900]

Could you share some links to that research, please?

Well, here's a write up that counters the claim that low carb causes Atrial fib.... link at the bottom. Interesting the researchers think low carb is 40%

I tried to ignore it, but I just can’t anymore. The misinformation being publicly touted needs clarification.


Popular news articles are covering an observational study linking “low-carb” diets to atrial fibrillation, a potentially dangerous heart-rhythm disorder.


For starters, this study is not published yet, and it hasn’t even been presented at a scientific meeting. It looks like it will be presented next week at the American College of Cardiology’s annual meeting. Scientific integrity, but apparently not journalistic integrity, dictates that one should not discuss the details of a study until it is published. The reasons for this are clear, one of which is that we may draw false conclusions without having the actual data available to review.


This study is a perfect example. The headlines state this study determined those who ate a “low carb” diet were at higher risk of developing atrial fibrillation. Once again, however, the definition of low carb was less than 40% of calories from carbohydrate. That’s 200 grams on a 2,000-calorie diet. I have seen responses on social media such as, “I eat fewer carbs than that on my biggest cheat days!”


While 40% may be low carb by Standard American Diet (SAD) standards, it is a far cry from the less than 50 or even 20 grams of carbs to which most low-carb eaters adhere. There is a reason for the differentiation. At 40% carbs, our bodies are still burning carbs and glucose for fuel. So what happens to the fat? It gets stored. Or worse, it gets oxidized and stored. Either way, the combined high-carb and high-fat diet is the one that is most prone for health problems.


But the problems with the study don’t stop there. This is the same poor quality of evidence that we point out time and time again. Observational trials can suggest an association, but do not prove causation. The food frequency questionnaires used to record participants’ diets are notoriously inaccurate at capturing what people really eat, and they miss dietary changes that happen after the questionnaire was completed. Last, there are numerous potential confounding variables. Did people decrease their carb intake from very high to slightly high (from more than 60% to less than 40%) because they were obese and wanted to lose weight? Did they have diabetes or hypertension and wanted to improve them?


Obesity, sleep apnea, hypertension and diabetes are all risk factors for atrial fibrillation. It turns out that a low-carb diet (the real low carb diet, not the fake one in this study) improves obesity, sleep apnea, hypertension and diabetes. It’s my guess that a higher-quality, better designed study would likely show that low-carb nutrition prevents atrial fibrillation. That’s what I see in my practice, and that is how I am going to continue to use low-carb nutrition. When followed correctly, low-carb nutrition is as a powerful tool to improve health.


Thanks for reading,
Bret Scher, MD FACC

https://www.dietdoctor.com/inaccurate-news-stories-suggest-low-carb-causes-atrial-fibrillation

 

[Member496333]

These "studies" are just turning into to straight-up information warfare now. Shameless industry protection projects with a predetermined outcome. Some balderdash statistics sprinkled on-top to create the illusion that some actual science was involved. Remember, folks: The truth doesn't matter. It only matters what you can make people believe. A couple of headlines are all it takes.