Heart attacks and Type 2 Diabetes

Sorry to hear of your recent heart attack, glad your okay.

Inchindown said:

I had a minor heart attack on Monday and had 4 stents fitted on Tuesday. I'm ok really and am back home now.

As might be expected. I've been advised to cut out most fat and to eat more vegetables and fruit.

So I'm wondering how I should balance my fat and carb intake while controlling both my diabetes and the new problems thrown into the mix by having a heart attack.

Any insight will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

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Wow, glad to hear your alright. I have the same issue. I was eating low carb high fat to control type 2 diabetes. After having a stent put in the cardiologist wants me eating low fat.

I'm a little lost now. I've been struggling, trying to do both and as a result not doing either. I see him again in December, I think that until then I'll continue low carb high fat. I feel horrible when my blood sugar gets over 10 mmol. My cholesterol levels are very good and were even improving a little when I was eating low carb high fat.

When I see him in December I think I'll request to see a dietitian. I don't think I'm qualified to figure this out on my own. The Dr. Just seems to want to see the blood test numbers and prescribe medication. Not that I'm against that, but I feel I'd like a little more direction.

I'm glad you're better. Most T2's in the UK control their T2 using drugs like metformin. You could always do that if your doctor has advised against the high fat diet. If you block up the new stents your only option left could be a quadruple by pass and few people are fit enough to withstand one of those.

Tannith said:

. . . . . your only option left could be a quadruple by pass and few people are fit enough to withstand one of those.

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Well, except for the 16,000 UK patients who have bypass surgery every year and the 500,000 US patients who have bypass surgery every year.

Edit: Double checked the 500,000, so that's 30 (ish) times as many operations for a population 5 (ish) times the size. I might have to treble check that number although as I mention below, they were very keen to give me a bypass, and my UK cardiologist thought differently. Different financial motivations maybe?

The interesting thing about the US figure is that I was told by a US MD that I needed a triple bypass, until I said I didn't think my travel insurance covered that. Pleased to say that a UK cardiologist using the same tests that were done in the US, disagreed. I'm still walking up hills (no choice in High Wycombe without getting puffed.

Inchindown said:

So I'm wondering how I should balance my fat and carb intake while controlling both my diabetes and the new problems thrown into the mix by having a heart attack.

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I have always felt that there's is an over emphasis of "high fat" in what is essentially a low carb diet. When I first mentioned low carb to my GP about 5 years ago, she wasn't very supportive because she thought it automatically meant "high fat" as well. I have no doubt that LCHF works for lots of people. I literally couldn't stomach increased fat, probably because of the years and years of low fat everything. Now you have been told to lower your fat intake which can be a problem on the calorie front, you obviously don't want to increase carbs to make up for lower fat calories but if you start to lose weight that you don't want to lose, you'll have to do something, maybe look at some of the different shakes that are available, low carb - low fat, high calories. Perhaps your medical team can advise on how to maintain calories while keeping carbs to a minimum.

Sorry to hear of your heart attack, I'm sure the stents will do a great job. Two of my friends have recently had stents, and another two have had bypass surgery. If there is a "typical" person requiring surgery, none of them were typical, in fact one of my friends who had bypass surgery is a karate black belt and incredibly fit. All the best.

Tannith said:

I'm glad you're better. Most T2's in the UK control their T2 using drugs like metformin. You could always do that if your doctor has advised against the high fat diet. If you block up the new stents your only option left could be a quadruple by pass and few people are fit enough to withstand one of those.

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Most T2s control their diabetes using metformin?

Sorry to hear about your heart attack, hope you are recovering well.

Do you have any idea how many carbs you can eat for a meal without your blood sugar going to high?

If you can work that out then you can work towards getting those carbs from more fruit and veg.

That will mean changing your diet, but there are lots of fairly low carb vegetables, and you can try out different things and see what you like best, and what works best for you.

It's a shocking fact that some with low cholesterol have arterial calcification that can cause an heart attack at a relatively young age.

The diet heart hypothesis is thought to be flawed. It is high insulin and high blood glucose in T2D that is causing the enormous increase in heart attacks.
It doesn't help having drugs like statins and warfarin that block vitamin K2.

One of the best things we can do is increase vitamin K2 and reduce blood glucose and insulin, it is said to stop calcification. Therefore stopping plaques, blockages and the need for stents.
One should to get a CAC done in one's forties and fifties and mend our ways accordingly or do what is keeping us healthy already.
D.

Personally I would follow the cardiologist's advice on diet.He is the expert.

Inchindown said:

I had a minor heart attack on Monday and had 4 stents fitted on Tuesday. I'm ok really and am back home now.

As might be expected. I've been advised to cut out most fat and to eat more vegetables and fruit.

So I'm wondering how I should balance my fat and carb intake while controlling both my diabetes and the new problems thrown into the mix by having a heart attack.

Any insight will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

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Did they give you any reason for the minor heart attack? Have you had a heart scan to see if you have arterial plaque build up?
The avoid fat and eat more fruit and veg is, as I'm sure you know, just a hang over from the Eatwell Guide advice. Fruit especially and any seed oils I would avoid like the plague in your situation. Healthy fats from good food however I wouldn't consider t be "bad" for you. But as with everything.. its up to you.

Tannith said:

Personally I would follow the cardiologist's advice on diet.He is the expert.

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The only cardiologist I trust on diet is Dr Aseem Malhotra.

As to asking to see a dietitian, I can't think of a worse way to increase my stress level for no benefit..... (Sorry most dietitian only know what their food industry masters include in their training.)

But remember the HF in LCHF can mostly come from your stored body fat if you are overweight, so there is no need to add a lot of fat to your food.

Tannith said:

Personally I would follow the cardiologist's advice on diet.He is the expert.

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It depends which cardiologist you listen to. Here's an article from top UK cardiologist Dr Aseem Malhotra
https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/51/15/1111 (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)

From a US cardiologist :
https://www.drsinatra.com/foods-high-in-saturated-fat-arent-the-enemy

The current state of the debate :
https://www.theguardian.com/science...ated-fat-your-health-and-what-the-experts-say

As someone who's recently had a heart intervention (replacement aorta) I believe saturated fat is a necessary part of my diet.
The 'saturated fat is bad' mantra is simply decades-old dogma. Modern research is blowing it out of the water.
Geoff

My advice would be to cut out inflammatory foods from your diet and the main culprits are carbohydrates, especially highly refined carbs in most processed foods, and vegetable oils i.e cooking oils.

Fish high in Omega 3s is said to be beneficial and even I, a fish-a-phobe, have been known to force salmon down my neck a couple of times (Yuck!). If you smoke give it up and if you do not drink then a glass of red wine is said to be good for the ol' ticker so you might want to start.

My very best wishes to you.

There is no good evidence that Red Wine is good for our hearts, but there is also no good evidence of harm from a little red wine. Therefore provided you don't have issues with Liver Function, drink a small glass of red wine a few times a week provided you like doing so.

Sorry, I must have been half asleep this am, it is Vit K2. that antagonises Warfarin and statins, but they also prevents the absorbion of Vitamin D.
I always found it quite sad when I was on warfarin I couldn't eat as much green veg as I would like.
regards
Derek
Ps by all means follow your consultants advice if you find conflicting advice elsewhere.
If his advice makes you well don't knock it, but there are alternative views on diet.

QUOTE="lindiel, post: 1909529, member: 57698"]It's a shocking fact that some with low cholesterol have arterial calcification that can cause an heart attack at a relatively young age.

The diet heart hypothesis is thought to be flawed. It is high insulin and high blood glucose in T2D that is causing the enormous increase in heart attacks.
It doesn't help having drugs like statins and warfarin that block vitamin K2.

One of the best things we can do is increase vitamin K2 and reduce blood glucose and insulin, it is said to stop calcification. Therefore stopping plaques, blockages and the need for stents.
One should to get a CAC done in one's forties and fifties and mend our ways accordingly or do what is keeping us healthy already.
D.[/QUOTE]