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Saturated fats;no longer deadly- BMJ

I was just referring to results and not taking "no news as good news".

If you want your results just go and ask for a printout.

GPs have to review results between patient clinic hours on top of asking for consultant appts, reviewing consultant notes, signing prescriptions, going to meetings about GMS/PMS contracts etc.. They don't look at the fine details necessarily of all the individual results.. If something is asterisked by the target range as abnormal they will give attention to that.. Not necessarily to individual breakdowns of hdl and ldl being very near out of target ranges etc...

Whoever guestimates a duagnosis correctly or incorrectly is insignificant really. Whether a twisted bowel or appendix.

All I am saying is that nowadays you have the resources at your fingertips. You can get your test results printed off by receptionist and check for yourself. Or by Apr 2016 (our GPs do it now) you can get info online.

I thiught your question related to "is no news good news". Just advice to find out rather thsn waiting...
 
zand said:
You can eat lots of leafy green veg, isn't that enough fibre for you?
Click to expand...

Looking at past Food diaries on my carbs table I will be a a lot under 120/ 25% of my calorie intake for the day by eating Bran Flakes and 2 X Wholemeal Bread and avoiding Carbs for the rest of the day, Granola appears to have more carbs in it and sugar.
Today is the first day I have ever reduced my Fiber intake so drastically.
If I can control my Blood Glucose by keeping it under 25 % calorie intake will a bowl of Granola be fine, being as though it's Carbs level is higher than Bran Flakes?
 
Your Diabetic DSN will know more about forxiga than a GP. A GP generally practices. A diabetic nurse has specialised and ubdertaken diabetes as a speciality. A GP is literally there for signing prescriptions if necessary or looking at perhaps complications and referring to specialists.

Dietary advice is all different. We have to find out what works for our own individual bodies. If lchf works-great, but its down to the individual.
I was recommended by one person to really low on fibre ie rice krispies, white bread etc... Because of my colonic issues. This didn't work and whilst other persons are happy to eat that food I'm not, never have been. I found my own way with mackeral snd salads, but the best thing was flax seed and chia seed. No health professional ever recommended this at all. They don't live in my shoes... So how can I ever expect them to know the answer to my problems diet wise?

Its your body...

Back to southportGP... Fantastic news doc.... Thanks to a few dedicated professionals we are hopefully shifting decades of ill advice ref fats..
 

@Montyshrew This website is a starting point to explain about cholesterol and different types: http://www.webmd.boots.com/cholesterol-management/guide/cholesterol-numbers It explains what levels are within acceptable ranges for each type of cholesterol. You need to ask for a break down of your cholesterol reading so that you can see where you are at.
HbA1c is a test to measure your blood sugar levels over the past 3 months. Have a read of this article: http://www.diabetes.co.uk/what-is-hba1c.html It should be done by your diabetic nurse every 3 months. The article explains what readings are 'normal', what are prediabetic and what are diabetic. You should have been told your HbA1c reading.
LCHF stands for low carb high fat which is a way of eating that some people on this forum have adopted very successfully to lower their blood sugar levels and are now within 'normal' readings as a result. As a starting point have a read of this:http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf Have you been given a meter and strips to test your own blood sugar levels? This is the only way that you can find out what foods you are and aren't able to process - test your levels before and then 2 hours after meals. This article gives information about what these levels should be: http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care/blood-sugar-level-ranges.html
I can't help with any advice on medication or eye tests I'm afraid but think you should contact your diabetic nurse and ask for more information as you seem to have been given the bare minimum and sent away. You need proper information and knowledge so you can start to take control of your condition.
 


I think I'm with you on the diet, flax seed is a good source of polyunsaturated fats, as is the mackerel.

But back to the news.

I've been thinking, I'm still not convinced I want saturated fats, if they're as just as healthy as refined carbs though.
If they where better, I'd be in there.

So, again I was thinking about it this morning, and an interesting website to compare stats on diabetic issues
http://www.changingdiabetesbarometer.com/diabetes-data/countries/United-Kingdom/fact-sheet.aspx

Compared to Mediterranean countries, we rank similar, but apart from CHD, where the UK is around twice as high as others.
Maybe the olive oil and fish may be working for them, and I certainly feel better since switching to fewer carbs and Mediterranean type fats. Very little dairy as well.

Another interesting article (thanks to @southportgp ) for the link, it's in the newsroom at the bottom of the page.

http://www.bmj.com/company/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/calories-nutritional-value.pdf

So, maybe more of the fish counter for me, and maybe a bit less of the sausages. (And I love the sausages out here)

tag for @Southport GP, I'd be interested to heat his comments, and if he is recommending replacing carbs with saturated fat in his diet now.
 
@Southport GP As a Heart Patient and Type 2 diabetic, this is music to my ears, reinforcing my decision to adopt the opposite of what I was told to eat in rehab. This is the right way to go in treating my two medical conditions as one wellness plan.

Keep up the good work
 

I (and non diabetic hubby) found the Med diet and the unsaturated fats from the oily fish, avocado, olives etc better for our cholesterol than either carb heavy or saturated fat heavy..

My gastroenterologist also mentioned to me that he was seeing a lot more diabetics than previously with gastro probs.. I wonder if this is also down to heavy carbs in diets or whether its because of tablets like metformin that can upset stomachs. He just generalused diabetics as a group not differentiating between the different types. He did not know what the cause was.

For me the med diet is the only one that I can eat now as even red meat and veg is giving me problems and I don't want to get to the stage where I am having to liquidise foods. Must admit I love the lashings of olive oil dressing... (To the point of licking my plate!!)
 
Just a big jar of olives for me now.
Go with anything!
 
Interesting article @SunnyExpat. Is there anything for more recent comparisons- that article was scarey for 2008-wonder what todays figure show.

"Indeed, more than 50% of this sum is spent on treating the complications of the disease, while only 7% of all diabetes costs are attributable to the prescription of medicines.1,14-15"

That is shocking.. Trouble is how do you get people to take more care and not get the complications etc?

Patients only go to GPs once they start to feel ill. So how can all this news with check ups etc get in to the workplaces instead? That way alot more people would get the info before they are ill...
 


Would be most interested in @Southport GP reply to this post...

...Would you recommend that this member goes against the diet recommended by his/her cardiologist?
 
Sid Bonkers said:
reply to this post from @Southport GP...

...Would you recommend that this member goes against the diet recommended by his/her cardiologist?
Click to expand...


I'll answer that for you, shall I?

It's the patients right to decide what they do with their own health. @Southport GP can not answer your question, he does not have access to patients records or, know the circumstances that led the patient into making the decisions they have, with extremely positive results, I might add.
I have been bullied by the medical profession for being non compliant on their tick box system - it resulted in a serious complaint and threat of legal action, from me towards my old GP's and their practice.
It is very good of Dr Unwin to take an interest in the diabetics here and update with his own progress. It is not right or, fair to ask him to comment on a persons condition without the full facts, it would also put him in an extremely vulnerable position
 
Sid Bonkers said:
Would be most interested in @Southport GP reply to this post...

...Would you recommend that this member goes against the diet recommended by his/her cardiologist?
Click to expand...
A cardiologist is not a blood disorder metabolic specialist or a dietician!
I'm certain that if he was any good and he saw that it would be beneficial to him to have a diet that made him healthier, the cardiologist would not have a problem, maybe a reservation!
 
Sid Bonkers said:
Would be most interested in @Southport GP reply to this post...

...Would you recommend that this member goes against the diet recommended by his/her cardiologist?
Click to expand...

The others have said most of what I was going to say so I won't repeat it.

The only thing I would add is that my own cardiologist told me that the only way I would lose weight was to use the fat blocker capsules that you can buy to soak up fat, that way I could continue to eat doughnuts and pizza as much as I liked (he was rather plump himself). I can't tell you what I thought when I heard that, but I didn't have a lot of respect for him after that judgemental and wholly inaccurate comment. He was wrong about my diet at the time and he was wrong about how to lose weight. So I chose to ignore the bad advice, that's the patients' right to decide for themselves.
 
Please can we stop this now. We are a friendly supportive forum and this is not pleasant to read.
 
This has all kicked off a bit since I last had a look at the thread.

I've not been here long so really don't know who @Southport GP is.
But I must admit to a bit of confusion, as I looked back at the previous threads he started.
Let me know if I've gone astray anywhere.

First one I found, he called 'low cabohydrate', no mention of fats,
'though porridge, new potatoes and oat cakes in moderation
may be fine'

'Proteins such as in meat, eggs, fish – particularly oily fish such as salmon, mackerel or tuna –
are fine and can be eaten freely.'

'Plain full fat yoghurt makes a good breakfast with the berries.
Processed meats such as bacon, ham, sausages or salami are not as healthy and should only be
eaten in moderation.
Fats (yes, fats can be fine in moderation): olive oil is very useful, butter may be tastier than
margarine and could be better for you! Coconut oil is great for stir fries. Four essential vitamins
A, D, E and K are only found in some fats or oils. Please avoid margarine, corn oil and vegetable
oil'

http://www.practicaldiabetes.com/Sp.../March 2014/PP Unwin final proofs revised.pdf


Second post, again called a 'low carbohydrate diet', no mention of fats.

' This was accomplished using a low carbohydrate diet—in his words: “more a lifestyle than a diet.” The weight loss enabled him to take more exercise, join a gym, and take up yoga. He has come off sugar altogether and cut out bread (he previously consumed a lot of this), potatoes, pasta, cereals, and rice. This has led to greater consumption of green vegetables, but also eggs, full fat Greek yoghurt, and cheese.'

http://www.bmj.com/content/351/bmj.h4023.full?ijkey=AN2nBwW6h3wuQJK&keytype=ref

All sounds good so far.
I realise now that a lot of members on here obviously do high fat, and seem to have adopted Southport gp, and credited him with a LCHF 'prescription' diet, which he seems to have let carry him forward, without ever actually saying anything about fat.

But now he seems to be the champion of a high fat diet, and not only that, it's based on a report that says saturated fat is no worse than refined carbs.
Which means exactly the same as it's no better than refined carbs.
But it is better than trans fats.

So, a respectable journal like the BMJ seems to be recommending we eat saturated fats, as they are no worse than refined carbs, but they are better than a fat you would go to jail for using in some countries.
And Southport gp is suggesting we switch to it?
And quoting references to people that suggest we use it for what, 80% of our diet.
As saturated fat?
Like I say, must have missed something inbetween.

Me, I have to be honest, I missed the thread because I was out getting fish, and a few yams and some yuca.
After reading the evidence for saturated fat, it's well on the back burner, the grill is coming back out, the fat is being cut off, and I'm going for polyunsaturated, which the report shows actually is better than refined carbs for your health.

I don't do well with refined carbs, I don't want fat that is, at best, no worse than refined carbs for your heart.

I would be interested to see his response, as no doubt I have got something wrong, so I have tagged him in this post.
 
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