Does Low Carb have any other benefits ?

[tubamanandy]

Apart from weight loss and much better BG control, does the Low Carb approach have any other proven benefits eg.medical/psychological ?

Just curious as, being T2, I'm on it for life

 

[librarising]

The late Barry Groves was a UK-based early proponent of a low carb diet, and his website is a good place to start.
http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/index.html#.WnLnCdSWTiw
If you click on any medical condition listed down the left side of the page, a page opens with 'causes', often carbs.
He wasn't a doctor, so I say it's a place to start. Simply do a search for 'medical condition (of your choice)' and carbs. This will provide other material for consideration

Who was Barry Groves ?
http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/low-carb-high-fat-diet-guru-barry-groves-77-passes-away/18318

Benefits I see from lowcarb ?
Food cravings disappear.
Better heart health
More stable energy
Better eyesight (personally experienced)
The reduction or elimination of wheat, which I believe so many suffer from gastro-enterologically, even in the absence of a diagnosis of IBS etc.etc. See http://www.wheatbellyblog.com in this regard.

Food for thought
Geoff

 

[Guzzler]

From personal experience I have seen a reduction in inflammation. This was not due to weight loss as I was not overweight on diagnosis and have lost only a little weight since embarking on LCHF.

 

[Ross.Walker]

hello

personal view, (low carbing, not gone to the extremes of low carb ) yes it makes me fuller for longer, it us sustainable long term for a life style which keeps well

 

[Boo1979]

Call me picky, but I lend to trust data from large numbers when it comes to evaluating data
Following the second link ( the first doesnt work) theres no indication of any particular health issues that led to Mr Groves embarking on a low carb diet but it celebrates that he lived to 77 and credits lc for that. Average life expectancy for men in the uk in 2013 was 81years, so no great shakes for lc there
In saying that, I am in now way disagreeing with the benefits of following a low carb diet which I do myself, but I am challenging many of the miracle cure like claims made about it

 

[librarising]

Following the second link ( the first doesnt work) I am challenging many of the miracle cure like claims made about it

Just clicked the first link from my post above. Worked for me.

I'm suggesting the OP uses Barry Groves website as a signpost for investigation, not a sacred text.
If you've looked into it further and come to your own conclusion that's fine.
Geoff

 

[Rachox]

I agree with @Guzzler about low carb diet having anti inflammatory effects. Since low carbing my arthritis has been better, not just weight bearing joints due to weight loss but my neck and fingers are better too

 

[walnut_face]

I am buzzing with energy these days, not had a gout attack for 3 years, can see my toes again! Doesn't mean I can touch them though

 

[tubamanandy]

One of the best benefits I have found is a total reduction in cravings and being much fuller for longer.

I used to hunt out something sweet around 3-4pm daily - hasn't happened for months now.

 

[ringi]

I expect that if you find a list of medical conditions that are more common in people who eat/drink a lot of suger, these risks would improve even more on a moderately low carb diet. (Some of these seem to get great results from a very low carb diet.)

• Strokes
• Cancer
• Heart Issues
• Anything related to inflammatory including arthritis
• Asthma
• Issues with poor sleep
• Alzheimer
  
• Epilepsy
• High blood pressure
• Fatty Liver
• Chronic migraines sometimes.

The science is starting to show clearly that high level of blood insulin is a factor in most (I expect) all of these and that people who are insulin resistant (about 50% of people in the UK) have high blood insulin levels unless they reduce sugar/carbs.

(Some mental health issues seem to be related to fast drops in BG, there will also clearly improve, and clearly, mental health response well to an overall improvement in physical health. For example, a lot of people report wanting to exercise a few weeks after they started "low carb" or "sugar-free". The exercise clearly improves a lot of mental health issues.)

 

[Jenniewren1958]

My blood pressure seems to be down

 

[Bluetit1802]

For me personally,
My arthritis appears to have disappeared (one hip and one knee)
My HDL "good cholesterol" has jumped up from 1.5 to 2.5 and stayed there.

 

[Grateful]

I considered myself fit, albeit too sedentary, when I was diagnosed with T2 Diabetes as the result of a routine medical one year ago (I had no diabetes symptoms).

I cannot say that I feel markedly healthier as a results of being on a low-carb diet (and reversing my diabetes) for the past year. I have noticed that I am sleeping better, but I attribute that entirely to taking much more daily exercise than I did, pre-diagnosis. I did lose eleven kilos, but I was not (medically speaking) overweight in the first place and now hover close to "underweight." The beer paunch disappeared, but that's just "by the by." I don't feel any more "energetic."

Having said all of the above, reversing a serious chronic disease using diet-only was, and continues to be, an enormous benefit (and came as a huge surprise, perhaps even more surprising than the T2 diagnosis itself). That is quite enough for me!!!

 

[lucylocket61]

Barry Groves died of an inherited heart condition, so did his father and his brother. His brother died just six days before Barry died. We will probably never know if his low-carbing extended his life.I am placing bets that it gave him a better quality of life.

Personally, my inflammation has got a lot better low carbing.

 

[daisyduck]

My fatty liver completely reversed on LCHF. I'd had readings of 185 before.. six months on LCHF and I was back down to 35 and have stayed there. I have been discharged from the liver clinic at the hospital as I had consistently good results.

 

[Goonergal]

Personally my life long chronic migraines have gone. Prior to diagnosis I was treating between 6 and 8 a month. I have not taken any medication = or experienced anything other than a mild headache = since early July. My quality of life has improved immeasurably.

 

[Eliza52]

My bad cholesterol is down, and my triglycerides reduced from 7 (way above normal) to 1.6, so I'm off the meds I'd been taking for over 30 years (high triglycerides are NOT caused by fats in the diet, but sugars, and that has been known for decades - my consultant told me that early not long after I was first discovered to have high levels). Recently, I have also discovered that skin tags are associated with insulin resistance (who'd have thought it?!) and in fact, after someone else reported that theirs had disappeared, I checked mine, and yep, all gone! Amazing! Rough skin on the feet too is another symptom of insulin resistance - so if your feet feel softer, it's not your imagination - it's probably the low carb diet!

 

[Lamont D]

I was in a bad way!
Continually battling with weight, heart, liver, kidney, anxiety and probably everything else. I was totally unhealthy! And until I got referred to a specialist endocrinologist, no one knew what was going on.

His diagnosis and going very low carb, saved my life.
The benefit,
I've got my health back and my life.
My last blood panel in October was testimony to very low carb! (Perfect!)

I think that sums it up!

 

[Rachox]

My bad cholesterol is down, and my triglycerides reduced from 7 (way above normal) to 1.6, so I'm off the meds I'd been taking for over 30 years (high triglycerides are NOT caused by fats in the diet, but sugars, and that has been known for decades - my consultant told me that early not long after I was first discovered to have high levels). Recently, I have also discovered that skin tags are associated with insulin resistance (who'd have thought it?!) and in fact, after someone else reported that theirs had disappeared, I checked mine, and yep, all gone! Amazing! Rough skin on the feet too is another symptom of insulin resistance - so if your feet feel softer, it's not your imagination - it's probably the low carb diet!

OMG my skin tags have gone too! I never noticed til now, but I had some round my neck and they’re gone!

 

[Resurgam]

I mentioned skin tags to my doctor when I saw her after the birth of my first child - he is 36 years old now.