Low Carb Diets Dangerous

Guzzler

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In that case, there should be! You are saving the NHS loads of money and freeing yourself from dependency on the drug industry. What sort of prize would members like?
Sally

A Porsche, please. With go-faster stripes and an Italian chauffeur who will work for nowt.
 
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Concordjan

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Unfortunately for me I totally and absolutely believed this. I thought I was doing the absolute best I could to manage the T2D successfully but had been given very dangerous and outdated advice from the very people who were supposed to be helping me.

I religiously weighed and measured my starchy carbs and my state of the art Aviva Expert glucose meter worked out my insulin dosage. I was congratulated on managing my T2D so well. However, I was in despair. The BBC Panorama programme didn't help - the heartbreaking footage of people about to have a foot amputated was almost to much to bear.

My right foot had progressed from low risk to medium risk and the numbness was getting worse. The diabetic retinopathy and macular oedema was also getting worse and I was having regular Lucentis injections straight into my eyes. Each of these injections cost the NHS an extortionate £600. When you also add the glucose testing strips, the Lantus and Novarapid Insulin, the appointments with the Eye and Diabetes clinic consultants and nurses - I was single handedly bankrupting the NHS.

All this medication did not help my eyes and foot - the deterioration continued unabated. To say I was in despair was an understatement.

Low carb was literally a lifesaver. I first cut out the sugary and starchy carbs but found that to come off the insulin I had to cut the good carbs to 20g. I eat above ground veggies plus nuts, flaxseeds, a small amount of berries and kefir and yoghurt. The rest is protein and fat.

So now, diabetic retinopathy and macular oedema reversed, diabetes in remission and almost best of all is that my right foot is now at low risk. This is why I passionately believe in low carb.

Lucylocket61's post is absolutely spot on - I agree with everything she has said.

Congratulations, excellent news. You’ve done really well and deserve a prize. Although reversal of complications must be reward enough. I also followed the guidelines and just took the meds, which increased at every review. Thankfully discovered low carb and this site before getting complications.
 
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Pinkorchid

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As the study was not relevant to us... not done with diabetics.. we will have to wait until a study is done on long term diabetic low carbers and see what that says
 

Concordjan

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[QUOTE="Tannith, post: 1861910, member:
There is no need to risk knocking four years off your lifespan by going low carb.

I have heard that type 2 diabetes knocks 10 years of your life expectancy. By going low carb and reversing this, even taking off 4years you will still gain 6!
 

Guzzler

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As the study was not relevant to us... not done with diabetics.. we will have to wait until a study is done on long term diabetic low carbers and see what that says

Virta Health recently published their first year findings. DCUK are currently monitoring the Low Carb Programme. If Prof. Taylor can say 4-5 years is long term then we will not have to wait that long at all.

When all said and done the great 'experiment' that is/was Low fat High carb has had 40+ years and we see the results all around us.
 

ickihun

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The low carb programme gathers info. Info that should be evidence enough as to how it benefits its users.
A far cheaper way than researched data from a set of patients.

ND isn't designed to be low carb but personally if it was their research would have spoke volumes, if not high fat too.

Low to medium fat is only way I lose weight on low carb. I'm on insulin thou.
Injected insulin doesn't work well on high fat.
 

NicoleC1971

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The low carb programme gathers info. Info that should be evidence enough as to how it benefits its users.
A far cheaper way than researched data from a set of patients.

ND isn't designed to be low carb but personally if it was their research would have spoke volumes, if not high fat too.

Low to medium fat is only way I lose weight on low carb. I'm on insulin thou.
Injected insulin doesn't work well on high fat.
Out of interest (as a type 1) why doesn't high fat work with injected insulin in your experience?
 

ickihun

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Out of interest (as a type 1) why doesn't high fat work with injected insulin in your experience?
It slows my digestion down, so if, with any carb that carb effect/spike comes later than what novarapid can cover. So often a hypo from insulin units; then its treated. Treatment and the meal carbs compound things. Resulting into a much higher bg later on.

Similiar with fatty protein but much less spike so I use this effect to my advantage to block a liver dump. Eating a tiny fatty protein before bed.
 

NicoleC1971

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It slows my digestion down, so if, with any carb that carb effect/spike comes later than what novarapid can cover. So often a hypo from insulin units; then its treated. Treatment and the meal carbs compound things. Resulting into a much higher bg later on.

Similiar with fatty protein but much less spike so I use this effect to my advantage to block a liver dump. Eating a tiny fatty protein before bed.
Oh I understnd now. I am guessing you need high ish doses if you are insulin resistant. It is interesting to me as a type 1 using a pump (steady trickle of background going in with the ability to bolus for an extended period to cover a fatty meal with carb e.g. pizza. Anyway its very hard to get on an even keel without your own pancreas doing working as it should!
 

bulkbiker

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The study states that the mean total energy intake of the participants was around 1,600 kcal. This seems very low. Makes me suspicious of the accuracy of the food diaries.
Minnesota starvation experiment was based on 1540 cals I think?
 

bulkbiker

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They said replacing the carbs with more meat was not a good idea and for me personally I do tend to agree with that. I am 79 and suppose I do moderate carb I think that as we get older our digestion changes and does not process certain foods so well and meat can be the most difficult for the digestion system to cope with. I do not eat red meat bacon or sausages any more I find that chicken suits me best but I do love all vegetables so they are the main part of my meals. I do believe as an older person I need the variety of colours in food to get the full compliment of vitamins and minerals rather than take supplements but that is just the way I do it we must all do what we think is best for us personally
You do realise that the Harvard centre responsible for the study and Walter Willett in particular are vegan advocates don't you?
Do you really think they will give an unbiased opinion from what is at the heart of it a completely flawed study in the first place.
 

bulkbiker

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The conclusion of the study is unambiguous
I think you mean biased.. and the whole study worthless so a bit pointless extrapolating any advice from it.
It has after all been thoroughly debunked and was written by people with an agenda of promoting a Whole Food Plant Based way of eating supported by some very dodgy science.
 

bulkbiker

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There are no prizes for avoiding medication. The majority of T2s control their diabetes and prevent complications by just popping a pill and eating as before. If Metformin gives you tummy problems there are slow release versions, and a range of other anti diabetic drugs you can take. There is no need to risk knocking four years off your lifespan by going low carb. Medication can protect your feet, eyesight etc from damage perfectly well, as it does for the majority.
There is no risk of "knocking" 4 years off your life.. are you able to read anything with a critical eye or are you happy to accept everything that is written.. if so how can you align the findings of the PURE study with the findings of this one? They are almost diametrically opposed (although both are flawed)
 

Tannith

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@dbr10 - The conclusion of the study is unambiguous and dealt more with energy replacement on Low Carb:

Low carbohydrate dietary patterns that replaced energy from carbohydrate with energy from animal-derived protein or fat were associated with greater risk.

However, this association was reversed when energy from carbohydrate was replaced with plant-derived protein or fat.

Please understand the research findings and follow their advice. Low Carb is fine but as I kept warning in this Forum - replacement with animal fats and high animal protein is wrong for DT2.
I missed your warnings. I have not been on here that long. Please repeat them for my benefit, together with liks to any related articles. Thank you for your help. Tannith
 

kokhongw

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There are no prizes for avoiding medication. The majority of T2s control their diabetes and prevent complications by just popping a pill and eating as before.

Perhaps we can rephrase that...

The majority of T2s and healthcare provider thinks that they can prevent complications by just popping pills and eating as before, without actually ever achieving or maintaining normal glucose levels.

They then accept any resulting complications as inevitable and simply a natural progression of a chronic and progressive condition...

No...there is no benefit whatsoever in striving to maintain a medication free, normal glucose lifestyle at all especially when animal fats or protein is involved. That will condemn us to a shorten life. Please continue to eat your carbs and take your medication.
 
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kokhongw

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The crux of the study is really aimed at discrediting the runaway success of low carbs diets that has animal proteins/fats...key vegans advocates no longer denies that fats from whatever sources flatlines glucose.

What surprises me is that the underlying data in this study has a 19 year data gap and assumption. Hardly compelling I would think. I would expect similar data to in support of low carbs high fats diet to be met with derision...

Vegetarian Diet and Cardiometabolic Risk among Asian Indians in the United States
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jdr/2018/1675369/

It has always puzzled me that
"Contrary to the Western perspective of vegetarianism as an adopted lifestyle by choice in adulthood, vegetarianism in India is a way of life from birth for a third of its population. Derived from religious scriptures and beliefs of Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism, the practice of vegetarianism goes beyond the principle of ahimsa or nonviolence and is considered a conscious and ethical way of living and eating [25]."

Yet

"Despite the many touted health-promoting features of the predominantly vegetarian Asian Indian diet, studies report on the increasing rates of NCDs (noncommunicable diseases) such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic syndrome marked by the raised concentrations of inflammatory markers and cytokines [13, 30]."

Hence I never worry unnecessarily about bias arguments against animal proteins/fats. Except that it denies the general public from access to an effective tool.