My Low Carb path back to health: Keto was the key

[pdmjoker]

I have now published an update on the following which includes some corrected medical info and can be found here
==========================================
A big "Thank You" to those who host/run the Low Carb community forum and to all those on the forum who have helped me personally with advice or info. I was genuinely unable to lose weight on a typical calorie-restricted "Eat less, Move more" diet. However, a Ketogenic diet enabled me to lose 3 stone in 7 months and Reverse (put into remission) Prediabetes.

This post contains key dietary/health info, gleaned over a six month period, which gave me the confidence to start a Ketogenic (Keto) diet. I hope this post might in turn help and encourage others...

Other benefits of me starting a Ketogenic diet:

Increased mental alertness
No more loud snoring (for which my wife is truly grateful!)
No excess tummy acid so antacid medication no longer needed
No longer having feelings of lethargy like I used to

I gather that my positive experience is not uncommon for people switching to a Keto diet.

(For those new to the terms: HbA1c gives the average level of blood glucose over the previous 2 to 3 months. Below 42 mmol/mol (or 6.0%) is normal, 42 to 47 (6.0% to 6.4%) indicates Prediabetes, and 48 or over (6.5% or over) indicates Diabetes.

Type 1 Diabetes, where the pancreas produces little or no insulin, is caused by the immune system incorrectly destroying the insulin-producing beta cells. I gather there is currently no cure.

In Type 2 Diabetes, the pancreas is producing insulin OK but the body is not responding to it normally. This condition is called Insulin Resistance, which can indeed be reversed. Prediabetes is the precursor to Type 2 where HbA1c is above normal but not high enough for Diabetes to be diagnosed.

In both Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes, blood glucose is higher than normal and, if left untreated, causes serious damage to blood vessels leading to blindness, kidney problems, heart disease, possible limb amputation and other grim conditions.)

In Jan 2018 I had Metabolic Syndrome: Insulin Resistance/Prediabetes evidenced by elevated HbA1c, high Blood Pressure and abdominal obesity which indicated visceral fat (fat stored around internal organs). Consequently, I was not at all healthy - essentially, a Cardiovascular event (eg: stroke or heart attack) just waiting to happen as well as being on my way to getting full-blown Type 2 Diabetes.

Since I was diagnosed with Prediabetes (HbA1c of 42) I started attending the local Diabetes Prevention Programme (DPP) classes. I didn't eat badly - a varied diet with lots of fruit and veg and few sweet things, but I had already eliminated the small amount of honey and what little refined sugar remained in my diet before the classes started. The classes were taught and run well and helped me confront the situation and learn the various concepts and terminology - it all seemed rather overwhelming at first. Sadly, the key mechanism of Insulin Resistance wasn’t explained precisely, so remained nebulous and hard to tackle (which I found troubling). My Body Mass Index very nearly put me into the Obese category so weight-loss was a key objective. Calorie Restriction or “Eat Less, Move More” was the message we were taught (at length and in great detail), but for a couple of physiological reasons this proved ineffective for me:

Firstly, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome means I have strictly limited energy, so really can't exercise much. Secondly, when I reduced my food intake I experienced such raw hunger that I couldn't sleep and became exhausted. (This was despite being on antacid medication twice a day and taking Rennie etc.) I was very keen to avoid both Type 2 diabetes (with its associated complications) and also cardiovascular disease, but over a six-month period I was unable to lose any weight however hard I tried. (It really wasn’t because I was lacking willpower, as the lady leading the DPP course once unhelpfully suggested. However, on another occasion, when I detailed what I was eating, she had no suggestions for improvement and said that I couldn't do any better.) However, walking all I could over several months did reduce my BP from about 155/95 to about 135/90.

At the DPP classes, we were directed to the Diabetes UK website, but I came across diabetes.co.uk and found it rather more helpful and informative, especially the Low Carb community forum. I found people who had lost weight easily and significantly reduced their HbA1c by adopting a Low Carbohydrate High Fat (or stricter Ketogenic) diet. However, I was cautious about eating much saturated fat. One person even mentioned - horrors - the Atkins diet! I did, though, come across the name Dr Jason Fung and investigated some more.

I had learnt that dietary carbohydrate becomes blood glucose and (normally) any excess gets stored in adipose (body fat) cells by the action of insulin. Jason Fung gives a specific (and helpful) explanation of Insulin Resistance: long-term excess carb consumption causes individual adipose cells to swell and become so “full” that they no longer respond normally to insulin. Consequently, blood glucose levels rise. (Thus tackling Insulin Resistance by carb restriction makes perfect sense.) I noted his book The Diabetes Code had a foreword written by Nina Teicholz.

 

[pdmjoker]

I listened to both Jason Fung and Nina Teicholz on episodes of The Low Carb Cardiologist Podcast hosted by Dr Bret Scher (who now hosts the Diet Doctor podcasts) and I learnt about the American physiologist Ancel Keys. His work came to prominence following President Eisenhower’s heart attack in 1955 since there was an urgency to discover what had caused it. Keys had hypothesized that eating saturated fat causes heart disease and should be avoided. Political and commercial weight were thrown behind his (as yet) unproven hypothesis. His “Seven Countries Study”, which took decades to do, is supposed to support his claim, but is actually ‘weak science’ since an epidemiological study can only show association and not causality. (Yellowed fingers are associated with lung cancer, but the cause is cigarette smoking.) Keys' claim and study are the rather shaky foundation that decades of low fat dietary dogma are built upon.

Even though subsequent and better studies either vindicated dietary saturated fat or showed no link to heart disease, repeatedly the dietary (and treatment) guidelines have not been updated, essentially for non-scientific reasons. The UK, among many countries, has simply adopted the US lead against dietary saturated fat and continued with it, despite the contrary evidence. (This page illustrates a recent example of the guidelines not being changed despite the contrary evidence and medical professionals realising the guidelines are incorrect:
http://www.zoeharcombe.com/2018/07/saturated-fat-consultation-sacn-my-response/)

Saturated fat build-up in the blood (and body cells) indeed indicates an increased risk of Cardiovascular disease. However, it doesn’t originate from eating saturated fat, as research studies by Professor Jeff Volek and others have shown. Someone eating a Ketogenic diet (very low carbs, adequate protein plus saturated/mono fat) will tend to have lower levels of saturated fat in their blood and body tissue than someone eating a low fat diet rich in carbs. The saturated fat is made by the liver - a process called hepatic de novo lipogenesis - when dietary fat is replaced by carbs (since its production is triggered by insulin).

This mechanism neatly explains why a March 2018 study entitled Global Correlates of Cardiovascular Risk: A Comparison of 158 Countries stated: "However, regardless of the statistical method used, the results always show very similar trends and identify high carbohydrate consumption (mainly in the form of cereals and wheat, in particular) as the dietary factor most consistently associated with the risk of CVDs." where CVDs = cardiovascular diseases.

Nina Teicholz spent 9 years reading and analysing the relevant US dietary research studies published since the 1950s and wrote her findings in the book The Big Fat Surprise. Her book was reviewed in The Lancet Vol 390 August 19, 2017 in a piece called “Fat and heart disease: challenging the dogma” which says “The Big Fat Surprise is a gripping narrative, but readers might be incredulous at some of Teicholz’s claims and want to check the references. When many of those papers are read again from a more critical perspective, the angst and anger will rise.” ie: what Nina claims in her book can be verified, and realising how for decades we have followed incorrect advice about diet and saturated fat will cause anger and angst to rise. The review continues: "Teicholz reminds us to critically question research and, more importantly, challenge unjustified extrapolation; remember that associations do not provide evidence of causality; and to be alert for misrepresentation and non-reporting of inconvenient results." (Note the important distinction between association and causality.) Sadly, such logical errors can exist in both medical research studies (whether conducted by pharmaceutical companies or not) and the medical advice we are given. I found glaring logical errors in the advice against Low Carb diets on both the Diabetes UK website and the NHS website, although it seems Diabetes UK is now more pro Low Carb than it was.

In August 2018 there were numerous press reports claiming a 25-year US study showed that Low Carb diets can shorten life expectancy. In the study paper, subjects were placed in one of five groups depending on their percentage of carb consumption. The "Low Carb" group had a median of energy from carbohydrate of 37%. Assuming they ate 2000 calories daily, that makes about 185g of carbs per day. This is far too high even to be called liberal Low Carb so the press reports didn't accurately convey the study findings nor interpret them properly. (Also, the study relied on people accurately remembering the amount of carbohydrate they had previously eaten, which is unlikely.)

 

[pdmjoker]

I continued listening to other episodes of The Low Carb Cardiologist Podcast, including those with Dave Feldman, Siobhan Huggins and Ivor Cummins. I also discovered The Fat Guy Podcast (hosted by Brett Mason) for Keto vs Atkins (Atkins doesn’t restrict protein as Keto does), electrolyte info (the need for sodium, magnesium and potassium to avoid "Keto Flu" and muscle cramps), how to estimate your daily protein requirement by considering your Lean Body Mass and I found it to be very encouraging. I even bought the 2009 update of the original Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution book, as recommended by forum member @Resurgam (thank you!), and found it helpful and took many notes.

Dr Atkins was actually scientific, sensible and nuanced but perhaps a little brash. However, his 2009 book contains an apology: “When I wrote the first edition of this book in 1992, I was hotly indignant over the dietary guidelines that I felt were ruining people's lives. I was very critical of some of the individuals who proposed low-fat weight loss programs, and I apologize, because many of them were sincere in their efforts to help people.” Sadly, although Dr Atkins was right about low carb and high fat, he was shunned/ridiculed by much of the Medical Establishment and thus ignored by people who could have found help through his methods.

I continued attending the Diabetes Prevention Programme classes where we were rightly encouraged to avoid "free" (ie: added) sugar and fruit juice (although sugar in fruit/dried fruit was considered OK). We were also advised to have wholemeal bread, potatoes with their skins on and wholemeal pasta, which I duly did. This advice seems sensible since their Glycaemic Index (which indicates the effect of a carbohydrate on a person's blood glucose level) is lower than that of white bread, peeled potatoes and regular pasta. I then came across Dr David Unwin.

Dr David Unwin, a senior GP from Southport, and his wife Dr Jen Unwin (a Consultant Clinical Psychologist) had a paper published in 2014 entitled Low carbohydrate diet to achieve weight loss and improve HbA1c in type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes: experience from one general practice which says:

The authors’ interest was first sparked by the fact that even wholemeal bread (GI index 71) or baked potato (GI index 85) has a higher glycaemic index than table sugar itself (GI index 68).

This sentence eloquently shows the inadequacy of the "continue eating carbs" dietary advice being given to people with Type 2 Diabetes/Prediabetes, and which we were given at the DPP classes. (Depending on size, eating a baked jacket potato is likely rather worse for your blood glucose than eating 20 sugar cubes, which you probably wouldn't even dream of doing.) I gather David Unwin has been working closely with diabetes.co.uk on their Low Carb Programme for some time now.

Through Jason Fung's website I even found that a 1919 book A Biometric Study of Basal Metabolism in Man shows that calorie-restriction ("Eat less, Move more") inevitably leads to a comparable metabolic slowdown, so is bound to fail long-term for physiological reasons. Even if initially successful, it will become less and less effective until weight loss grinds to a halt. Then calorie-restriction is essential not to gain weight, and all the while various hormones (including ones triggered by eating carbohydrate) are screaming at you to eat something. When you finally succumb to the overwhelming odds, you will probably end up heavier than you were to begin with. You are then probably accused of (or feel guilty about) being weak and lacking will-power, which is actually quite untrue. (Metabolic slowdown is not at all pleasant, and far worse than mere hunger pangs. Some totalitarian regimes have used calorie-restriction and the resulting metabolic slowdown to torture their political opponents.) Happily, a Low Carb diet gets around the physiological problems associated with calorie-restricted diets.

Metabolic slowdown and the failure of calorie-restricted diets has been the personal experience of many who have repeatedly struggled with their weight and is borne out in various studies: https://www.dietdoctor.com/caloric-restriction-cause-weight-loss-not-according-science

One study, I think from 1956, showed the success rate for calorie-restricted diets of someone losing 20 pounds and keeping it off for two years, even if they are supervised and supported, is just 2%. (Other such studies give very similar results.) I'm not at all surprised by the 98% failure rate. What is surprising is that instead of entertaining the possibility that "Eat less, Move more" is inadequate (or simply does not suit everyone), dietitians blame the patient for the failure of a treatment plan that was known would be ineffective 100 years ago. It is also surprising that (seemingly) most dietitians and health professionals view Keto as a "fad diet" having no scientific basis.

Some perspective: On the whole I have found medical professionals to be sincere, well-trained and helpful and I wouldn't be alive without them. Perhaps one reason for the intense feelings on both sides of the dietary debate is to do with apportioning blame: I wasn't chastised or had my character brought into question when I needed an emergency appendectomy. However, I gather my negative experience is not unusual for people struggling to lose weight. Also, dietitians are merely following their flawed training and not deliberately misleading/mistreating people, but it does seem rather unfair on the poor patient! As the information is 100 years out-of-date, isn't it time the training given to dietitians and health professionals is updated?

Some background: Cholesterol, a lipid, can't dissolve in blood, so proteins carry it where it needs to go. These carriers are called "lipoproteins". Blood cholesterol is divided into HDL (High Density Lipoproteins or so-called "good cholesterol") and LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein or so-called "bad cholesterol"). A blood lipid profile consists of values for HDL, LDL and Triglycerides.

I knew that elevated LDL was often an issue for people doing Keto (or, rather, it troubled their physician!), but I found the talk "Making Sense of LDL" by Asst Prof. Ken Sikaris on YouTube very helpful. He states that not all LDL is harmful: small dense LDL (sdLDL) is the most atherogenic and likely to cause arterial plaque and then narrowing and hardening of the arteries (which in turn could lead to Cardiovascular Disease) but people on a Ketogenic diet tend to have less sdLDL than those eating a diet rich in carbs, and starting a Ketogenic diet will reduce a person’s percentage of sdLDL. Also, cardiologists find Triglycerides/HDL is a much better indicator of Cardiovascular risk than just serum LDL cholesterol.

Someone on a Ketogenic diet is in Ketosis, ie: in fat-burning rather than glucose-burning mode. LDL becomes the transport mechanism which carries fat energy around the body. When the payload has been delivered, the resulting LDL is quickly recycled by the liver for reuse so doesn't get small and dense and then possibly clog the arteries. Hence elevated LDL for someone in Ketosis isn't necessarily a health problem at all.

Having thus satisfied myself of the scientific basis and safety of Keto and knowing I had to do something about my health, I decided to give it a try. It was something of an experiment but I had various blood tests done before I started, as Atkins suggests, to make sure it would be done safely. I kept my GP onside with a carefully worded approach, saying that I anticipated he might want to keep an eye on things, eg: my lipid profile (HDL,LDL,Triglycerides), HbA1c, liver and kidney function etc. and he was happy to oblige. He was concerned, though, that my LDL would rise so was advocating it should only be short-term for weight loss. I replied "I know you aren't expecting this, but should my HDL go up and my Triglycerides go down, would you be happy for me to do it long term?" and he confirmed that he would.

Happily, my Triglycerides were surprisingly low at the pre-diet blood test and and have stayed low. My HDL has increased steadily since, suggesting I have reduced my cardiovascular risk. LDL has increased somewhat, as expected, but taken in context that doesn't cause concern. My HbA1c is now in the low/mid 30s so is classed as Normal, and I have (to date) successfully lost 3 1/2 stone without feeling starved or deprived!

Once again, "Thank You" to everyone who has helped me, including the church friend who is a nurse and has proof-read this post and provided helpful feedback!

 

[bulkbiker]

Very well written piece, many thanks and of course many congratulations on your successes.

 

[jpscloud]

Brilliant inspiration, thank you for posting.

 

[poemagraphic]

I listened to both Jason Fung and Nina Teicholz on episodes of The Low Carb Cardiologist Podcast hosted by Dr Bret Scher (who now hosts the Diet Doctor podcasts) and I learnt about the American physiologist Ancel Keys. His work came to prominence following President Eisenhower’s heart attack in 1955 since there was an urgency to discover what had caused it. Keys had hypothesized that eating saturated fat causes heart disease and should be avoided. Political and commercial weight were thrown behind his (as yet) unproven hypothesis. His “Seven Countries Study”, which took decades to do, is supposed to support his claim, but is actually ‘weak science’ since an epidemiological study can only show association and not causality. (Yellowed fingers are associated with lung cancer, but the cause is cigarette smoking.) Keys' claim and study are the rather shaky foundation that decades of low fat dietary dogma are built upon.

Even though subsequent and better studies either vindicated dietary saturated fat or showed no link to heart disease, repeatedly the dietary (and treatment) guidelines have not been updated, essentially for non-scientific reasons. The UK, among many countries, has simply adopted the US lead against dietary saturated fat and continued with it, despite the contrary evidence. (This page illustrates a recent example of the guidelines not being changed despite the contrary evidence and medical professionals realising the guidelines are incorrect:
http://www.zoeharcombe.com/2018/07/saturated-fat-consultation-sacn-my-response/)

Saturated fat build-up in the blood (and body cells) indeed indicates an increased risk of Cardiovascular disease. However, it doesn’t originate from eating saturated fat, as research studies by Professor Jeff Volek and others have shown. Someone eating a Ketogenic diet (very low carbs, adequate protein plus saturated/mono fat) will tend to have lower levels of saturated fat in their blood and body tissue than someone eating a low fat diet rich in carbs. The saturated fat is made by the liver - a process called hepatic de novo lipogenesis - when dietary fat is replaced by carbs (since its production is triggered by insulin).

This mechanism neatly explains why a March 2018 study entitled Global Correlates of Cardiovascular Risk: A Comparison of 158 Countries stated: "However, regardless of the statistical method used, the results always show very similar trends and identify high carbohydrate consumption (mainly in the form of cereals and wheat, in particular) as the dietary factor most consistently associated with the risk of CVDs." where CVDs = cardiovascular diseases.

Nina Teicholz spent 9 years reading and analysing the relevant US dietary research studies published since the 1950s and wrote her findings in the book The Big Fat Surprise. Her book was reviewed in The Lancet Vol 390 August 19, 2017 in a piece called “Fat and heart disease: challenging the dogma” which says “The Big Fat Surprise is a gripping narrative, but readers might be incredulous at some of Teicholz’s claims and want to check the references. When many of those papers are read again from a more critical perspective, the angst and anger will rise.” ie: what Nina claims in her book can be verified, and realising how for decades we have followed incorrect advice about diet and saturated fat will cause anger and angst to rise. The review continues: "Teicholz reminds us to critically question research and, more importantly, challenge unjustified extrapolation; remember that associations do not provide evidence of causality; and to be alert for misrepresentation and non-reporting of inconvenient results." (Note the important distinction between association and causality.) Sadly, such logical errors can exist in both medical research studies (whether conducted by pharmaceutical companies or not) and the medical advice we are given. I found glaring logical errors in the advice against Low Carb diets on both the Diabetes UK website and the NHS website, although it seems Diabetes UK is now more pro Low Carb than it was.

In August 2018 there were numerous press reports claiming a 25-year US study showed that Low Carb diets can shorten life expectancy. In the study paper, subjects were placed in one of five groups depending on their percentage of carb consumption. The "Low Carb" group had a median of energy from carbohydrate of 37%. Assuming they ate 2000 calories daily, that makes about 185g of carbs per day. This is far too high even to be called liberal Low Carb so the press reports didn't accurately convey the study findings nor interpret them properly. (Also, the study relied on people accurately remembering the amount of carbohydrate they had previously eaten, which is unlikely.)

Just finished part two.... well written and put together my friend well done... on to part three

 

[poemagraphic]

I continued listening to other episodes of The Low Carb Cardiologist Podcast, including those with Dave Feldman, Siobhan Huggins and Ivor Cummins. I also discovered The Fat Guy Podcast (hosted by Brett Mason) for Keto vs Atkins (Atkins doesn’t restrict protein as Keto does), electrolyte info (the need for sodium, magnesium and potassium to avoid "Keto Flu" and muscle cramps), how to estimate your daily protein requirement by considering your Lean Body Mass and I found it to be very encouraging. I even bought the 2009 update of the original Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution book, as recommended by forum member @Resurgam (thank you!), and found it helpful and took many notes.

Dr Atkins was actually scientific, sensible and nuanced but perhaps a little brash. However, his 2009 book contains an apology: “When I wrote the first edition of this book in 1992, I was hotly indignant over the dietary guidelines that I felt were ruining people's lives. I was very critical of some of the individuals who proposed low-fat weight loss programs, and I apologize, because many of them were sincere in their efforts to help people.” Sadly, although Dr Atkins was right about low carb and high fat, he was shunned/ridiculed by much of the Medical Establishment and thus ignored by people who could have found help through his methods.

I continued attending the Diabetes Prevention Programme classes where we were rightly encouraged to avoid "free" (ie: added) sugar and fruit juice (although sugar in fruit/dried fruit was considered OK). We were also advised to have wholemeal bread, potatoes with their skins on and wholemeal pasta, which I duly did. This advice seems sensible since their Glycaemic Index (which indicates the effect of a carbohydrate on a person's blood glucose level) is lower than that of white bread, peeled potatoes and regular pasta. I then came across Dr David Unwin.

Dr David Unwin, a senior GP from Southport, and his wife Dr Jen Unwin (a Consultant Clinical Psychologist) had a paper published in 2014 entitled Low carbohydrate diet to achieve weight loss and improve HbA1c in type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes: experience from one general practice which says:

The authors’ interest was first sparked by the fact that even wholemeal bread (GI index 71) or baked potato (GI index 85) has a higher glycaemic index than table sugar itself (GI index 68).

This sentence eloquently shows the inadequacy of the "continue eating carbs" dietary advice being given to people with Type 2 Diabetes/Prediabetes, and which we were given at the DPP classes. (Depending on size, eating a baked jacket potato is likely rather worse for your blood glucose than eating 20 sugar cubes, which you probably wouldn't even dream of doing.) I gather David Unwin has been working closely with diabetes.co.uk on their Low Carb Programme for some time now.

Through Jason Fung's website I even found that a 1919 book A Biometric Study of Basal Metabolism in Man shows that calorie-restriction ("Eat less, Move more") inevitably leads to a comparable metabolic slowdown, so is bound to fail long-term for physiological reasons. Even if initially successful, it will become less and less effective until weight loss grinds to a halt. Then calorie-restriction is essential not to gain weight, and all the while various hormones (including ones triggered by eating carbohydrate) are screaming at you to eat something. When you finally succumb to the overwhelming odds, you will probably end up heavier than you were to begin with. You are then probably accused of (or feel guilty about) being weak and lacking will-power, which is actually quite untrue. (Metabolic slowdown is not at all pleasant, and far worse than mere hunger pangs. Some totalitarian regimes have used calorie-restriction and the resulting metabolic slowdown to torture their political opponents.) Happily, a Low Carb diet gets around the physiological problems associated with calorie-restricted diets.

Metabolic slowdown and the failure of calorie-restricted diets has been the personal experience of many who have repeatedly struggled with their weight and is borne out in various studies: https://www.dietdoctor.com/caloric-restriction-cause-weight-loss-not-according-science

One study, I think from 1956, showed the success rate for calorie-restricted diets of someone losing 20 pounds and keeping it off for two years, even if they are supervised and supported, is just 2%. (Other such studies give very similar results.) I'm not at all surprised by the 98% failure rate. What is surprising is that instead of entertaining the possibility that "Eat less, Move more" is inadequate (or simply does not suit everyone), dietitians blame the patient for the failure of a treatment plan that was known would be ineffective 100 years ago. It is also surprising that (seemingly) most dietitians and health professionals view Keto as a "fad diet" having no scientific basis.

Some perspective: On the whole I have found medical professionals to be sincere, well-trained and helpful and I wouldn't be alive without them. Perhaps one reason for the intense feelings on both sides of the dietary debate is to do with apportioning blame: I wasn't chastised or had my character brought into question when I needed an emergency appendectomy. However, I gather my negative experience is not unusual for people struggling to lose weight. Also, dietitians are merely following their flawed training and not deliberately misleading/mistreating people, but it does seem rather unfair on the poor patient! As the information is 100 years out-of-date, isn't it time the training given to dietitians and health professionals is updated?

Some background: Cholesterol, a lipid, can't dissolve in blood, so proteins carry it where it needs to go. These carriers are called "lipoproteins". Blood cholesterol is divided into HDL (High Density Lipoproteins or so-called "good cholesterol") and LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein or so-called "bad cholesterol"). A blood lipid profile consists of values for HDL, LDL and Triglycerides.

I knew that elevated LDL was often an issue for people doing Keto (or, rather, it troubled their physician!), but I found the talk "Making Sense of LDL" by Asst Prof. Ken Sikaris on YouTube very helpful. He states that not all LDL is harmful: small dense LDL (sdLDL) is the most atherogenic and likely to cause arterial plaque and then narrowing and hardening of the arteries (which in turn could lead to Cardiovascular Disease) but people on a Ketogenic diet tend to have less sdLDL than those eating a diet rich in carbs, and starting a Ketogenic diet will reduce a person’s percentage of sdLDL. Also, cardiologists find Triglycerides/HDL is a much better indicator of Cardiovascular risk than just serum LDL cholesterol.

Someone on a Ketogenic diet is in Ketosis, ie: in fat-burning rather than glucose-burning mode. LDL becomes the transport mechanism which carries fat energy around the body. When the payload has been delivered, the resulting LDL is quickly recycled by the liver for reuse so doesn't get small and dense and then possibly clog the arteries. Hence elevated LDL for someone in Ketosis isn't necessarily a health problem at all.

Having thus satisfied myself of the scientific basis and safety of Keto and knowing I had to do something about my health, I decided to give it a try. It was something of an experiment but I had various blood tests done before I started, as Atkins suggests, to make sure it would be done safely. I kept my GP onside with a carefully worded approach, saying that I anticipated he might want to keep an eye on things, eg: my lipid profile (HDL,LDL,Triglycerides), HbA1c, liver and kidney function etc. and he was happy to oblige. He was concerned, though, that my LDL would rise so was advocating it should only be short-term for weight loss. I replied "I know you aren't expecting this, but should my HDL go up and my Triglycerides go down, would you be happy for me to do it long term?" and he confirmed that he would.

Happily, my Triglycerides were surprisingly low at the pre-diet blood test and and have stayed low. My HDL has increased steadily since, suggesting I have reduced my cardiovascular risk. LDL has increased somewhat, as expected, but taken in context that doesn't cause concern. My HbA1c is now in the low/mid 30s so is classed as Normal, and I have (to date) successfully lost 3 1/2 stone without feeling starved or deprived!

Once again, "Thank You" to everyone who has helped me, including the church friend who is a nurse and has proof-read this post and provided helpful feedback!

Your church friend has done you a great service.
This is a long read for a 'normally short' post place. However it well worth the time to take onboard everything here you have posted. I am certain that people who are serious about their health and well-being will find it both informative and inspirational in equal measure.
GREAT JOB
Po

 

[1spuds]

I bookmarked this and will pass along to folks who just cant understand agenda and poor science,and the renaissance of some fine true scientific studies that are available today.I keep saying to peeps,you have a lot to learn,and a lot to UNLEARN in what you 'know' about diet and nutrition.

Once people see how we got to where we are at,its easier to point them to where we need to be going.IMO.

The damage Ancel Keys has caused is a tremendous world wide disaster.

Excellent post pdmjoker,well done!!

 

[jjraak]

hi @pdmjoker

it was a long post .but a worthwhile read.

Thanks for compiling and posting ..
will be most useful.

 

[Brunneria]

Brilliant.

Well done for sticking with it, and persisting until you understand.
And Ikm so glad it is working so well for you.

 

[Ketocate]

Having never posted, I have been reading this forum for several months. Thank you for your posts they are very well written and informative and massive congratulations on turning things around.

 

[chrestomanci]

Brilliant!

 

[HSSS]

Missed this first time around so I’m glad it’s popped to the top again. Amazing posts.

 

[pdmjoker]

Many thanks for all the positive and encouraging feedback.

To make them easier to access and more portable, I have created a pdf of my above posts, called My Low Carb Journey. I have attached it here. I hope it is useful to you or those you know...

 

[pdmjoker]

hi @pdmjoker

it was a long post .but a worthwhile read.

Thanks for compiling and posting ..
will be most useful.

Glad it will be useful...

 

[pdmjoker]

I bookmarked this and will pass along to folks who just cant understand agenda and poor science,and the renaissance of some fine true scientific studies that are available today.I keep saying to peeps,you have a lot to learn,and a lot to UNLEARN in what you 'know' about diet and nutrition.

Once people see how we got to where we are at,its easier to point them to where we need to be going.IMO.

The damage Ancel Keys has caused is a tremendous world wide disaster.

Excellent post pdmjoker,well done!!

Many thanks, hope it helps others to discover the truth.

 

[pdmjoker]

Your church friend has done you a great service.

Indeed. Now TWO friends from church who are nurses have proof-read my post!
Thank you for the positive response...

 

[pdmjoker]

Very well written piece

Praise indeed. Thank you...