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Low fat or not

  • Thread starter Thread starter Maybird
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Maybird

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I wonder if there are others on this forum who have type 2 or are prediabetic who also have raised cholesterol. I have been taking statins for over 3 years now for my raised cholesterol so since then as advised by my GP I have been on a relatively low fat diet I don't eat takeaways or ready meals and very little processed food I prefer to cook my own food. I mostly eat chicken and fish with plenty of fruit and vegetables not a big bread eater not keen on rice pasta or pizza and not got much of a sweet tooth.
I have been prediabetic for at least the last three years GB levels just under 7.0 but still just about keeping it at bay
I have been looking at what people on here eat and some say a low fat diet is not good for diabetics as a lot of low fat food tends to be high in sugar so I can't win. How do others overcome this...I must add I am not over weight I am under 9 stone . I have only seen a DN once after my bloods tests last month.. BG 6.8/9.. and she just said to carry on the way I have been eating and she did not want to see me again unless I did develop type 2 in the future
 
Hi, yes I do low fat, it seems to work for me...
I believe in low fat, and I do eat carbs but smaller portions...
Yes I take statins, which make me feel me feel very tired and muscle ache....

It's hard to win lol I never follow the advise of others this is to much of a complex and individual health issue to do that....do what works for you.......I like to hear about experiences and suggestions though.....
I have found no problems with reduced and low fat diet myself.....best wishes Kat x
 

Hi Maybird,

Your diet looks fine - same as mine! , so I suppose I would say that :lol: Your diet also doesn't include lots of unnecessary carbs which is great for helping to keep your prediabetes at bay, and good lean chicken and fish and veg. are great for helping with cholesterol levels. So you're doing great. :thumbup: Although, be aware that some fruits have much more sugar/carbs than others - I tend to stick with berries, small pears and apples, to keep the carb portions, and therefore my BG down.

PROCESSED food can be loaded with FAT and SUGAR - the reason being that FAT and SUGAR make the food taste good.

PROCESSED Low fat food has some of the fat removed, but this affects the taste - so manufactures ADD sugar (look for ingredients listed on the packet ending in '...ose') to make it taste better. So although a processed food product can be promoted as LOW in fat, (and therefore Healthy :roll: )it's quite likely that it could be even HIGHER in sugar than a product that hasn't had the fat content reduced. So, as far as the statement that "a low fat diet is not good for diabetics as a lot of low fat food tends to be high in sugar" goes - this refers to PROCESSED Low-fat food, which may be HIGH in sugar.

This is the source of a lot of the HIDDEN SUGARS (CARBS) in the modern diet, and IMO a direct cause of the so-called "obesity epidemic", as well as the increase of diabetes. Rant over....

Takeaway food tends to be loaded with both FAT and SUGAR - so IMO should only be eaten as a rare "treat" - although how much of treat it is debatable given how unhealthy this type of food can be - but it does taste soooo good. :crazy:

Since you don't eat much of these types of food, - this is clearly not an issue for you (or me) - so really you have nothing to worry about on the score. So you can win......and you have! Carry on as you are doing, cos you're doing great! :clap: :clap:

My total cholesterol is 6! :shock: - but my enlightened GP says he's not concerned about it, and wouldn't prescribe statins at present, as my Trigs are very low, my good cholesterol is high, and my LDL is low - all due to my diet & exercise regime, therefore my ratio is great. I also take comfort from the research I've done which suggests that women tend to have higher chol. than men but that it has a protective effect for women. My GP also says that my cholesterol numbers are off the bottom of the statistical scale for heart disease risk. Out of interest, how high was/is your total chol?


All the best,
Elle
 

I think I will stick to low fat and I have been testing BG and found that I can eat more carbs than I though I could and still keep within a good BG level range. I have never had a problem with the statins no side effects at all even when my GP raised the dose a little while ago. I take 20mg Simvastatin
 

Thanks Ellie yes processed food is not good but I do however have a guilty pleasure and that is Kentucky Fried Chicken but only have it as a rare treat but it tastes all the better for that. My last blood test showed my cholesterol was 5.6 but my GP said she would like it to be below 5 so she upped my statin dosage from 10 mg to 20 mg she said I do have a lot of good cholesterol. DN said a naughty treat once in a while does no harm at all even my GP said we all need a treat sometimes
 
Fats are not the issue but carbs are for diabetics. Reducing carbs is necessary for most of us to help with lower blood glucose. This is not a surprise as Carbs are rapidly turned to glucose in the blood. Reduced carbs may also help reduce cholesterol and/or improve the good form. The impact of fats on the body continues to be argued but are not as harmful as thought back in the 60s/70s. Whether you do or don't reduce fats will depend on your calorie needs having already reduced the carbs to a smaller or larger extent.
 
Hi Daibell,

Daibell said:
Fats are not the issue but carbs are for diabetics.
Click to expand...
Whilst I agree with you that carbs are ABSOLUTELY the issue for diabetics, in part. I would also agree with the OP that fats are an additional important issue for those of us with high cholesterol. We must adjust our diet and/or medicate to address both issues for better health. It SEEMS counter-intuitive to increase fats if high cholesterol is present. I accept that this attitude is prevalent as a result of the medical profession over some decades ago deciding, on not much evidence, that fat was the enemy and the cause of heart disease. However, evidence is slowly emerging that this premise may be wrong, and that carbs may be the culprit, or what I think is even more likely, (and this just my opinion), that the combination of high fat AND high carb in the western diet is the real killer. Even so, insufficient evidence-based data exists at the present time to convince me to fully embrace the LCHF lifestyle. I think a healthy diet should be balanced ... not HIGH in some things and LOW in others, but moderate where possible in all things, although this is more tricky for diabetics because of the BG issue. So until the evidence is irrefutable that carbs is the ONLY issue, I'm hedging my bets. :crazy:

Daibell said:
Reducing carbs is necessary for most of us to help with lower blood glucose. This is not a surprise as Carbs are rapidly turned to glucose in the blood.
Click to expand...

Agreed, although I would qualify that by saying that some carbs are converted to glucose quicker than others.

Daibell said:
Reduced carbs may also help reduce cholesterol and/or improve the good form.
Click to expand...

I'm still not convinced on that one - see above. I note your use of the word 'may' in that statement - are you hedging your bets too? I found that exercise increased my HDL, so it's not all about the carbs.

Daibell said:
The impact of fats on the body continues to be argued but are not as harmful as thought back in the 60s/70s. Whether you do or don't reduce fats will depend on your calorie needs having already reduced the carbs to a smaller or larger extent.
Click to expand...

Yes, but there's insufficient evidence as to the efficacy of a high fat/low carb diet. Certainly not enough to effect a change in the attitude of the medical profession that FAT causes heart disease. Until further research is done in the area of diet, and the effect of the balance of carbs, proteins and fats etc., then this area will remain something of a black art. Anything else is anecdotal. I don't think it's quite as simple as just lowering carbs and upping fat. I have noticed that a number of people on the forum have said that following a LCHF or VLCHF diet has reduced their cholesterol. But as we are all different, who's to say it works for everyone? More research is needed.

I reduced both carbs and fat to lose weight after my T2 diagnosis. This worked well for me and I now have a BMI in the normal range. Since reaching my target weight, I have increased both carbs and fat a little at a time, whilst keeping an eye on my BG, and have reached a level I can live with, which suits me, and keeps my weight stable. However, a recent test revealed that l have a total cholesterol of 6, albeit the HDL, trigs & ratios are very good - enough to convince my GP that statins are unnecessary at the present time.

If I were to do as you suggest, and reduce my carbs further to reduce my cholesterol, I will inevitably start to lose weight again, which I don't want - unless I also increase my fat intake to satisfy my current calorie needs. I suppose I could instead increase my protein intake, but that may bring it's own problems.

I now never eat more than 130g carbs per day ....and usually less than 100g. I enjoy my diet, which is important so that it's sustainable in the longer term. Although BG-wise this carb level suits me at present, and keeps my weight stable, it has not reduced my cholesterol. I don't worry about fat .... however, I would say that my fat intake is lowish to moderate. I am not convinced that decreasing my carbs further and increasing my fat intake would improve my cholesterol, and until I can see some compelling evidence that to do so would make a significant difference, I'm not (yet!) inclined to test that hypothesis.
I am instead, currently experimenting with foods in my diet as it is now, which may lower cholesterol . e.g. oats and continuing with exercise, whilst keeping an eye on overall calories.

I do have an open mind on this subject, but have other things I would like try first! I have a diet that works for me in every respect except my total cholesterol level. I would be very grateful if you could direct me to any evidence based research that shows that LCHF diets will reduce cholesterol.

regards,
Elle
 
Weens12 said:
Even so, insufficient evidence-based data exists at the present time to convince me to fully embrace the LCHF lifestyle.
Click to expand...

Hello,

Here are 23 studies on just that; mainly with reference to obesity but also many deal with lipids. I'd say that the obesity is analogous to diabetes as it is symptomatic of poor metabolic function.

Regards

Dillinger

http://authoritynutrition.com/23-studie ... fat-diets/
 
the only evidence i need to see regarding this is.... LCHF diet has reduced my chol from 5.8 to 2.8 in 8 months hba1c 112 to 36

30g a day carbs with no regard to calories or fat other than eating lots of fat, bmi 33 to 23

i cant really argue with that


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 


Hi Dillinger,

Brill, Thanks for that.

Knowledge is power!

regards,
Elle
 


Hey Andy,

You've done fabulously well! I wouldn't argue with it either, but although I haven't gone quite as low as you carb-wise, it doesn't seem to have had any effect on me.

I really want to know if it works for everybody - that way I know it's scientifically proven..
i.e.. you do this ... that happens... every time.

My BMI went from almost 32 to 22.8 on lowish fat, lowish carb - not as low as 30g a day tho' maybe around 60-75g ... do you count veg in the 30g? It didn't make any difference to my total cholesterol.

LCHF seems to work better for men than women so far as total cholesterol goes.... it's not fair! <stamps foot>

Elle
 
lol

yes i count everything in my carb count, though to be honest i dont need to count or test these days, i very occasionally randomly do


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 


That sounds like it is good for you but we are all different so probably would not work for all of us
 
i would agree, but if you havent tried it..... it is from what i have read often very effective as it has been with me, what i dont understand is people that have decided it is a bad idea without trying it, ive heard people say it is unsustainable or theres no evidence on the long term effects.... well i know the long term effects of eating low fat (the missus) and the long term effects of high carb (me) they suck, so why wont everyone try this? its not unhealthy at all, ive never eaten better, i may have got good results being as strict doing things different, this is my very first diet of any kind in my life, but this for diabetics must surely be the first course of self treatment? once it dosent work for someone they can try something else (my opinion )
 

You're a low-carb ninja! You've clearly hit on the magic formula for you....

Do you take statins or any DB meds or is your reduced cholesterol purely down to your diet? I don't take any DB meds

I hear what you say about not understanding people deciding LCHF is a bad idea without trying it, but we're all well aware of the "low fat - GOOD - high fat - BAD, eat lots of starchy carbs" messages that have been pushed by the medical professionals for decades. It's kinda hard sometimes to fight against that. WE won't even mention SALT!! lol!

Wusses like me, like to hedge their bets... I've taken the middle ground, but hey! it's working for me (mostly except the TOTAL cholesterol - ask me about my Trigs, HDL, great - Total Chol. - pants!). When I was losing weight, my total daily carbs was on average around 60g - I've upped it a bit since then, what can I say? ... I like some carbs. Now, granted 60g is double what you have, but don't you think that only 60g would have had some effect on my total cholesterol - even a teeny tiny bit?

btw.... my last HBA1c was 39.... so I've got some bragging rights hehe!

Do you think 30g would have an effect on total cholesterol, but not 60g?

Elle
 
your doing great

i am not the best at researching, so i can only say whats worked for me, i do take metformin 2g a day, i didnt take statins when prescribed due to all the bad things id read but didnt take them and my chol went down to 4.something so it went by about 2, i did start taking them once i noticed that i had some kidney issues and read that my risk of heart attack was 10 fold due to ckd, thats a whole other story hehe, so yes i take statins :thumbdown: but i believe in lchf so completely that id have to say yes i think it would reduce your chol, my trigs are 0.7 btw and i really do eat as much fat as i can lol, i never eat anything that says low fat, i dont always eat "good fats" mainly due to fry ups in the cafe, i have no idea what fat they use, i also do silly amounts of exercise so i dont know how much effect this has had, its all a bit inconclusive sorry
 


I actually like researching.... probably because researching stuff has always been a big part of my job (IT) ... I love learning things.

So it would seem that you did get a drop of 2 without statins... sounds good....I got a drop of zilch on 60g carbs... It doesn't seem right to me that I wouldn't see any improvement at all on that level ... it's still pretty low carb by any measure. I've got an underactive thyroid (yeah... another metabolic problem... just lucky I guess). I think that can be a factor in raising cholesterol.

Sorry to hear about your kidney problems - fortunately I was diagnosed before I managed to collect any (noticeable) complications. phew! ..... so far ......touch wood.

Hat's off to you... You've had great results on lchf, but I've also had reasonably good results on my diet.... my trigs are 0.5 btw...
So, to my mind... the jury's still out. ... I'm drooling at your mention of fry up in the cafe lol! I do a fair bit of exercise too.... but I don't do running..... I've perfected a VERY fast walk which I think might look kinda funny .... seems to make people coming towards me smile tho' ... so I'm working on my technique :lol: ....... but I know that my HDL has improved - from 1.3 to 2.4 - I think as a result of the exercise. Soo..... going in the right direction.

I'm going off to read up on the stuff in the link Dillinger posted on LCHF research to see if things become any clearer. It might not make me change my mind - but at least I'll be better informed.

Have a good night!
Cheers,
Elle
 
you too ill let you do the research for me too hehe, best of luck :thumbup:
 
Hi im trying very low carb. My cholesterol was 5 when i had my first blood test results (diagnosed T2 3/4. Months ago) and trig level high my Gp wanted to put me on statins then but i avoided it. I try and stay low fat because im not brave enough to risk LCHF in case it makes my chol worse


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from what ive gathered from others research lol dietary fat dosent effect your cholesterol, it hasnt mine, although it seems that trans fats are to be avoided regardless.....so be brave :thumbup:
 
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