Tag Archives: LCHF

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Low-carbohydrate
high-fat (LCHF) diets are at least as effective as other dietary
strategies for reducing body weight, with the additional advantage of
increased satiety and spontaneous reduction in energy intake.

LCHF
diets are an effective dietary strategy to improve glycaemic control
and reduce hyperinsulinaemia in type 2 diabetes mellitus and in
otherwise healthy patients with insulin resistance.

LCHF
diets have unique effects on blood lipid concentrations and
cardiovascular risk factors, characterised by decreased blood TG, ApoB
and saturated fat concentrations, reduced small LDL particle numbers and
increased HDL-C concentrations. The effect on LDL-C concentrations is
variable.

Evidence that supports the prescription of low-carbohydrate high-fat diets: a narrative review — Noakes and Windt 51 (2):
133 — British Journal of Sports Medicine

Cell Walls – Essential Role of Fats & Cholesterol

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The outer and inner membranes protect and define the cells in the tissues of our bodies. They give them shape and strength. These membranes organise, support and protect the proteins (enzymes) that give function and purpose to the tissues and organs of our bodies.

Cell Membranes are made of fat (lipids) and cholesterol. To work and protect the cell there has to be at least 1 cholesterol molecule for every 4 fat molecules.  Less cholesterol causes the membrane to become weak and leaky.
The maintenance of organs and tissues relies on a regular supply of fats and fat soluble nutrients. This supply comes from the large LDL lipid droplets which are recognised and absorbed by the LDL receptors on the cells. The recycling waste involves the return of smaller HDL  lipid droplets to the liver via the blood stream.

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As we age ours cells LDL receptors can become damaged by sugar leading to poor maintenance of the membranes.  The cell has a shortage of lipids (fats) and cholesterol. Cell walls  becomes leaky and prone to fail. LDL lipids are left unused in the blood stream. HDL lipids are not being returned.

As we age what we we required is a reduction in damage caused by excess blood sugars (glucose and fructose) together with an adequate supply of fats and cholesterol.  

This is the basis of the success of the Low-Carbohydrate High-Fat diets in addressing the modern dietary health issues.

Published research on cell membranes and lipids is at complete odds with modern medical practices and much dietary guidance.  Statins and low fat diets are misguided attempts to prevent fatty nutrients from entering the blood stream by blocking the production of mevalonate.  Mevalonate is used to make steroids hormones, cholesterol, signalling molecules, dolichols and co-enzyme Q10 etc – a whole series of vital health promoting substances.

The Statin-Damage Triad is a modern health crisis progressively brought on by a combination of 3 lifestyle factors: Excess Blood Sugar, Low Dietary Fat intake and statin medications.

Links:  The supporting references to published research are contained in my conference paper  ‘The High-Cholesterol Paradox’ which was especially requested to make facts and history widely accessible.

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The inability of current recommendations to control the epidemic of diabetes, the specific failure of the prevailing low-fat diets to improve obesity, cardiovascular risk or general health and the persistent reports of some serious side effects of commonly prescribed diabetic medications, in combination with the continued success of low-carbohydrate diets in the treatment of diabetes and metabolic syndrome without significant side effects, point to the need for a reappraisal of dietary guidelines.

•They present major evidence for low-carbohydrate diets as first approach for diabetes.
•Such diets reliably reduce high blood glucose, the most salient feature of diabetes.

•Benefits do not require weight loss although nothing is better for weight reduction.

•Carbohydrate-restricted diets reduce or eliminate medication.

•There are no side effects comparable to those seen in intensive treatment with drugs.
Feinman RD, Pogozelski WK, Astrup A, Bernstein RK, Fine EJ, Westman
EC, Accurso A, Frasetto L, McFarlane S, Nielsen JV, Krarup T, Gower BA, Saslow L, Roth KS, Vernon MC, Volek JS, Wilshire GB, Dahlqvist A, Sundberg R, Childers A, Morrison K, Manninen AH, Dashti H, Wood RJ, Wortman J, Worm N, Dietary Carbohydrate restriction as the first approach in diabetes
management. Critical review and evidence base, Nutrition  (2014), doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2014.06.011.

You can’t get funding very easily for lifestyle trials because there is no profit to be made. Or is there? Medical Insurance and NHS costs would be reduced dramatically – so there is a cost reduction motive for funding!

Dietary Carbohydrate restriction as the first approach in diabetes management

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Sweden has become the first Western nation to develop national dietary guidelines that reject the popular low-fat diet dogma in favor of low-carb high-fat nutrition advice.

Some quotes from Prof. Nyström translated into English from Dr. Eenfeldt:

Butter, olive oil, heavy cream, and bacon are not harmful foods. Quite the opposite. Fat is the best thing for those who want to lose weight. And there are no connections between a high fat intake and cardiovascular disease.

On Monday, SBU, the Swedish Council on Health Technology Assessment, dropped a bombshell. After a two-year long inquiry, reviewing 16,000 studies, the report “Dietary Treatment for Obesity” upends the conventional dietary guidelines for obese or diabetic people.

For a long time, the health care system has given the public advice to avoid fat, saturated fat in particular, and calories. A low-carb diet (LCHF – Low Carb High Fat, is actually a Swedish “invention”) has been dismissed as harmful, a humbug and as being a fad diet lacking any scientific basis.

Instead, the health care system has urged diabetics to eat a lot of fruit (=sugar) and low-fat products with considerable amounts of sugar or artificial sweeteners, the latter a dangerous trigger for the sugar-addicted person.

This report turns the current concepts upside down and advocates a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet, as the most effective weapon against obesity.

The expert committee consisted of ten physicians, and several of them were skeptics to low-carbohydrate diets at the beginning of the investigation.

Sweden Becomes First Western Nation to Reject Low-fat Diet Dogma in Favor of Low-carb High-fat Nutrition

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Zoe Harcombe et al. brilliantly expose the erroneous basis of much official dietary advice.

PDF (Size:82KB) PP. 240-244   DOI: 10.4236/fns.2013.43032

ABSTRACT

Background: Since 1984 UK citizens have been advised to reduce total dietary fat intake to 30% of total energy and saturated fat intake to 10%. The National Institute of Clinical Excellence [NICE] suggests a further benefit for Coronary Heart Disease [CHD] prevention by reducing saturated fat [SFA] intake to 6% – 7% of total energy and that 30,000 lives could be saved by replacing SFAs with Polyunsaturated fats [PUFAs]. Methods: 20 volumes of the Seven Countries Study, the seminal work behind the 1984 nutritional guidelines, were assessed. The evidence upon which the NICE guidance was based was reviewed. Nutritional facts about fat and the UK intake of fat are presented and the impact of macronutrient confusion on public health dietary advice is discussed. Findings: The Seven Countries study classified processed foods, primarily carbohydrates, as saturated fats. The UK government and NICE do the same, listing biscuits, cakes, pastries and savoury snacks as saturated fats. Processed foods should be the target of public health advice but not natural fats, in which the UK diet is deficient. With reference to the macro and micro nutrient composition of meat, fish, eggs, and dairy foods the article demonstrates that dietary trials cannot change one type of fat for another in a controlled study. Interpretation: The evidence suggests that processed food is strongly associated with the increase in obesity, diabetes, CHD, and other modern illness in our society. The macro and micro nutrients found in meat, fish, eggs and dairy products, are vital for human health and consumption of these nutritious foods should be encouraged.

The Wrong Dietary Advice?

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Thank you Björn Hammarskjöld for the link.

The impact of sugar on diabetes was independent of sedentary behavior and alcohol use, and the effect was modified but not confounded by obesity or overweight. Duration and degree of sugar exposure correlated significantly with diabetes prevalence in a dose-dependent manner, while declines in sugar exposure correlated with significant subsequent declines in diabetes rates independently of other socioeconomic, dietary and obesity prevalence changes. Differences in sugar availability statistically explain variations in diabetes prevalence rates at a population level that are not explained by physical activity, overweight or obesity.

Paper from Sanjay Basu, Paula Yoffe, Nancy Hills, Robert H. Lustig

At last! Sugar consumption does cause diabetes!

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A small increase in a small risk is still a slightly bigger but small risk and we are relieved to note there is no association of cancer with red meat consumption.

Why do we allow the abuse of statistics to create a scare story about food and health, because the figures quoted are meaningless due to confounders not discussed. 

How to make a scare out of very little with statistics:

Suppose a 1% risk is a 1.3% risk…lets use the 0.3% increase in (absolute) risk or use the ratio (0.3 to 1) to get an impressive 33% increase in (relative) risk – Same risk increase but more journalistic scare power!

Enjoy the bacon with eggs – as with all traditional foods.

CBN News has a much more important story to tell!.

BBC News – Processed meat ‘early death’ link

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The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges Obesity Initiative was launched at a parliamentary reception.  At this reception I was able to confirm with several members of the Steering Group that the submissions of evidence (Appendix B in their report) clearly identified Dietary Sugar as a major contributor to this epidemic of Obesity which has steadily increased since around 1980. 

This was the time when we were ill-advised to eat less fat and eat more sugar generating carbohydrate foods (McGovern & COMA). Ironically it was also the time when the food industry gave us low fat options by replacing healthy fats with cheap unhealthy sugars. A 35 year obesity epidemic has ensued.

Dietary Fat and cholesterol was never a cause of obesity or heart disease. It was always the dietary Sugar particularly Fructose that did the damage.

There were many notable contributors and I commend the following evidence submission (click on names for links)

Barry Groves

Bjorn Hammarskjold

Stephanie Seneff

Zoe Harcombe

Robert Suchet

Obesity is generated by Sugar

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A note to Dr Briffa from a T2 diabetic

I had my 6 monthly diabetes check-up last Wednesday. The diabetes consultant was really happy with all of my figures on cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, weight (I’ve lost another 4 kg since February without really trying), kidney and liver function are excellent – in fact he was really impressed and asked me what I was doing to get these improvements.

Simple, I said, I’ve stopped eating wheat in all its forms and grains in general, I avoid rice and all potato products. I eat animal fat and the only oil that I use is extra virgin olive oil. Breakfast is typically a one-egg omelette and with a small amount of bacon, smoked salmon or Parma ham. I have spinach or other leafy greens and tomatoes. Lunch is often not taken as I do not feel hungry until 6.00 pm when I have my evening meal. Another small portion of meat and plenty of veggies. The only fruit that I have are a few blueberries, wild strawberries (when they are available) and raspberries – and I mean a few.

I sleep better than ever, don’t feel tired and have lost weight. I really ought to exercise though, that is the only flaw in my regime.

“No, you MUST eat some carbohydrates” he said.

“I do, I told you, I eat plenty of vegetables.” I said.

“No, no, starchy carbohydrates, you NEED them”

“Why do I NEED them?”

“For energy, your body needs carbohydrates for energy” came his concerned reply.

“How do you think that I’ve managed to survive since you last saw me then? And, you told me how pleased you were with all of my readings – doesn’t that suggest that I’m doing fine without refined, starchy carbohydrates?”

He had no reply other than to repeat to me that I MUST eat carbohydrates for energy.

I urged him to read Primal Body, Primal Mind by Nora T Gedgaudas and made him write it down. I could see that he wasn’t convinced. So, I told him that the bullshit that he’d been taught by the food industry-research funded nonsense that the Government taught him is causing all of the major health problems that he has to deal with every day.

I also said that I throw a fat-fuelled log onto the fire in the morning rather than the carbohydrate kindling throughout the day to keep me provided with energy and avoid the feeling of hunger. Again, nothing seemed to penetrate that simple head of his; it was full of the guff that he’d been taught not to question.

Diabetic transforms his health with a low-carb diet, BUT his doctor urges him to eat more carbs