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Showing posts with label high carb diet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label high carb diet. Show all posts

Saturday, July 4, 2020

Nail to the coffin of prof Campbell's theory of cancer supposedly triggered by protein

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A long-time vegan diet promoter Prof-emeritus T.C Campbell of Cornell University, author of The China Study book, used to claim in his studies that adding protein to high carbohydrate mice diet does trigger the cancer while removing it reduces the frequency and size of cancerous tumors. Campbell argues that casein, a protein found in milk from mammals, is "the most significant carcinogen we consume" (see Wiki T. Colin Campbell and Talk by T. Colin Campbell Archived 2011-04-17 at the Wayback Machine, Google Videos, 20:24 mins, accessed December 3, 2010.).

Campbell's theory has been questioned for some time. Most notably, Denise Minger has posted some very in-depth and thorough analyses on-line discussing what exactly may have gone wrong with Campbell's research.

This study found that the reality is in fact quite the opposite to the scientist's claim, showing that a high protein low carbohydrate diet had in fact almost completely protected the genetically-modified cancer-susceptible mice against getting cancer (while the high-carbohydrate control group got 50% cancer!)

"A Low Carbohydrate, High Protein Diet Slows Tumor Growth and Prevents Cancer Initiation", by
Victor W. Ho, Kelvin Leung, Anderson Hsu, Beryl Luk, June Lai, Sung Yuan Shen, Andrew I. Minchinton, Dawn Waterhouse, Marcel B. Bally, Wendy Lin, Brad H. Nelson, Laura M. Sly and Gerald Krystal, Published in Cancer Research/AACR, July 2011



Quote

Abstract

Since cancer cells depend on glucose more than normal cells, we compared the effects of low carbohydrate (CHO) diets to a Western diet on the growth rate of tumors in mice. To avoid caloric restriction–induced effects, we designed the low CHO diets isocaloric with the Western diet by increasing protein rather than fat levels because of the reported tumor-promoting effects of high fat and the immune-stimulating effects of high protein. We found that both murine and human carcinomas grew slower in mice on diets containing low amylose CHO and high protein compared with a Western diet characterized by relatively high CHO and low protein. There was no weight difference between the tumor-bearing mice on the low CHO or Western diets.

Additionally, the low CHO-fed mice exhibited lower blood glucose, insulin, and lactate levels. Additive antitumor effects with the low CHO diets were observed with the mTOR inhibitor CCI-779 and especially with the COX-2 inhibitor Celebrex, a potent anti-inflammatory drug. Strikingly, in a genetically engineered mouse model of HER-2/neu–induced mammary cancer, tumor penetrance in mice on a Western diet was nearly 50% by the age of 1 year whereas no tumors were detected in mice on the low CHO diet. This difference was associated with weight gains in mice on the Western diet not observed in mice on the low CHO diet. Moreover, whereas only 1 mouse on the Western diet achieved a normal life span, due to cancer-associated deaths, more than 50% of the mice on the low CHO diet reached or exceeded the normal life span. Taken together, our findings offer a compelling preclinical illustration of the ability of a low CHO diet in not only restricting weight gain but also cancer development and progression. Cancer Res; 71(13); 4484–93. ©2011 AACR.

What was also interesting that an addition of an anti-inflammatory COX-2 inhibitor drug (Celebrex, 1g/kg body) slowed down the tumor growth by about a half, regardless of a diet! Not sure how to interpret it, perhaps that inflammation accelerates the tumor growth in general?

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Short-sightedness may be tied to high-carbohydrate diet

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Old but actual.

New Scientist article:

"Short-sightedness may be tied to refined diet", By Douglas Fox, 5 April 2002


Based on Wiki Eye


Quote:

Diets high in refined starches such as breads and cereals increase insulin levels. This affects the development of the eyeball, making it abnormally long and causing short-sightedness, suggests a team led by Loren Cordain, an evolutionary biologist at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, and Jennie Brand Miller, a nutrition scientist at the University of Sydney.

The theory could help explain the dramatic increase in myopia in developed countries over the past 200 years. It now affects 30 per cent of people of European descent, for example.

“The rate of starch digestion is faster with modern processed breads and cereals,” says Brand Miller. In response to this rapid digestion, the pancreas pumps out more insulin. High insulin is known to lead to a fall in levels of insulin-like binding protein-3, the team points out.

That could disturb the delicate choreography that normally coordinates eyeball lengthening and lens growth. And if the eyeball grows too long, the lens can no longer flatten itself enough to focus a sharp image on the retina, they suggest.

...

But while reading may play a role, it does not explain why the incidence of myopia has remained low in societies that have adopted Western lifestyles but not Western diets, says Cordain.

“In the islands of Vanuatu they have eight hours of compulsory schooling a day,” he says, “yet the rate of myopia in these children is only two per cent.” The difference is that Vanuatuans eat fish, yam and coconut rather than white bread and cereals.

The theory is also consistent with observations that people are more likely to develop myopia if they are overweight or have adult-onset diabetes, both of which involve elevated insulin levels. The progression of myopia has also been shown to be slower in children whose protein consumption is increased.

Journal reference: Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica (vol 80, p 125)





Saturday, May 18, 2019

Denise Minger's different kinds of magic

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I love her presentation!


Probably not true!
Who is a bastard who wrote "why"?
Magic rocks!   :)


I highly recommend to listen to her video. She is reviewing some old studies showing therapeutic effects of the very low fat high carbohydrate diets (VLFHC). Low fat means well below 10% preferably about 2%. When I begun my high fat low carb experiment back in 1999, which grew into my ongoing lifestyle nutrition to this day, I was aware that the very low fat natural food diet has been successfully used in halting progression of coronary heart disease and MS. I was familiar about Pritikin and Dr. Swank work. Prior to 1999 I was experimenting with vegetarian nutrition but I found it unpalatable, unless a sufficient amount of fat was added. More than 10%. So for me finding dr. Kwasniewski's Optimal Diet was a "gift from God", or I should say a gift from a friend of mine (Andrew S.)! Kwasniewski's Optimal Diet is high animal fat low carb diet (HFLC). After noticing back then that the VLFHC diets have some therapeutic property, I had many questions (i.e. "question everything"). One of them is about the long term viability and the side effects. Like with every therapy, there may be side effects. Are there side effects of VLFHC diets? How do people do on such nutrition scheme fare in the long term? Longevity issue? Longevity with a robust health or not so well? The same question can also be asked about any other diet, including the HFLC diet.

Unlike most other low carb promoters at that time (1970-ties - 1990-ties), dr. Kwasniewski did acknowledge that a high carbohydrate diet may also be healthy, quoting Japanese rice based diet as an example. He also insisted that, on such a diet (1) fat intake must be limited to abut 10% and (2) a sufficient amount of (lean) protein must be consumed. Insulin sensitivity is very high on such a diet because the intake of fat is very low but the pancreatic insulin secretion is medium. Insulin cannot be too low, due to carbohydrate-based metabolism. Typically it amounts to about 20-30 iu per day, based on my understanding and from reports by t1 diabetics (quoting from memory so verify this before you requote me!)

Dr. Kwasniewski also noticed, based on his patients record, that a particular proportion of macronutrients, consisting of about 35-45% of fat (by calories) and about 45-35% of carbohydrates is particulary unhealthy and makes people prone to developing diabetes and atherosclerotic heart disease. Kwasniewski also noticed that it causes a peculiar form of neuro-degeneration for people in their 40-ties and 50-ties manifesting itself in form character disorder (psychopathy). He called that dietary zone "dangerous middle zone". Pancreatic insulin secretion has to be very high (typically 40-60 iu/day or more) on such a diet in order to overcome the insulin insensitivity induced by the high fat intake.

He also noticed that as soon as you up the total fat intake to above 50% of calories then these pathological effects gradually subside and the diet becomes healthy again, even therapeutically healthy. The widely popular diet he publicized in the 1980-ties, arrived at the macronutrient proportions P:F:C (Protein to Fat to Carbohydrates) in gram per day per 1kg of ideal body weight of 1:3-3.5:0.8 to 1:2-2.5:0.5 . This typically works out at way over 60% (typ about 85%) of fat by calories. Notice that fat has 9kcal/g, glucose 4.5kcal/g and protein 3.5kcal/g (or less if used anabolically). Interestingly, Kwasniewski also found that his patients with coronary heart disease begun reversing and recovering. So his patients with many autoimmune disease such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, MS, IBS, and other - also recovered on his diet! Even though the HFLC diet is the exact opposite of the VLFHC diet, it nevertheless produced surprisingly similar (if not greater) therapeutic effects! Notice that the insulin sensitivity (and the effect of fat upon it) becomes irrelevant due to very low intake of carbohydrates. Kwasniewski quoted insulin requirement at this point, to be about 6-10 iu/day. How did he measured it? By observing his type 1 diabetic patients!

What Denise Minger has done, is rediscovering and publicizing that fact that there are 2 dietary zones that have therapeutic properties, not just one diet!

What I would disagree with, is her presumption that the VLFHC diet would:

- "results in healthier gut microbiome long term"

There is not proof or comparison studies done for VLFHC vs HFLC on that, while there is enough reports indicating the long term gut flora deterioration among vegans (I would put refs to Dr. Stanley Bass and Dr. Gian-Cursio reports on Natural Hygienists).

- "may do best for ApoE4 carriers"

No proof either, other than high serum cholesterol which does not always translate to a health risk, except for people eating in the dangerous middle zone.

- "may be able to restore and heal glucose tolerance which does not happen on the high fat..."

This is not true based on my personal observation. Initially yes, HFLC diet did not restore my glucose tolerance, it only allowed my body to bypass the issue by not showering my body with the excess carbohydrates. Whenever I tried to eat a little bit more than 50g of carbohydrates in a day, I would inevitably come to regret it! Carb-headache and nausea. Beer was especially bad for me. However, after about 2 years I noticed that I was able to increase that limit and add more than previously and after about 6-7 years I noticed that my carbohydrates tolerance has been totally restored! For example I can now consume a high carb dinner if I have no other choice without any adverse side effects. I don't do it often, but it is nice to know that my metabolism has completely been restored. I suspect it has to do with the mitochondrial regeneration. It takes about 7 years to regrow and renew most of our muscular tissues from our stem cells. I also found it that initially I had to watch not only the total carbohydrates intake, but I also had to limit the overall caloric intake from fat as well. Initially the total limit was about 1800kcal. Believe it or not that is actually perfectly sufficient for an adult leading an active life on the high fat diet, without any problems (I was 43 in 1999 when I begun HFLC and I weigh 64k, 173cm height) It was as if my metabolic channels were impaired for both macronutrients, for carbs as well as for fat, except the metabolism of fat, being more effective, allowed me to live better and have more energy in spite of the limitations. Again, that restriction is no longer applicable and lifted itself after about 7 years.

Stan (Heretic) Bleszynski







Friday, September 28, 2018

Fructose-copper connection

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"The fructose–copper connection: Added sugars induce fatty liver and insulin resistance via copper deficiency", James J. DiNicolantonio, Dennis Mangan, James H. O'Keefe

Quote:

The overconsumption of sugar may be one of the biggest drivers of NAFLD.4 Several factors may be involved in sugar-driven NAFLD, including bacterial translocation from the gut to the liver and advanced glycation end products.8 However, low hepatic copper levels are also implicated in NAFLD; thus sugar consumption can lead to low copper.9 This suggests that the overconsumption of sugar may lead to NAFLD and insulin resistance via hepatic copper deficiency.

In a rat model of NAFLD, dietary sucrose and copper deficiency increased inflammation, fibrosis and lipogenesis.9 Compared to a control diet in which rats were fed with sufficient copper and 10% sucrose, either a high-sucrose diet or a low copper diet increased the hepatic expression of genes regulating inflammation and fibrosis. The low copper diet led to low serum and hepatic copper, increased lipid peroxidation and histopathology similar to that found in NAFLD. The combined low copper and high sugar diet led to all of these changes as well as hepatic insulin resistance and liver damage, but neither low copper nor high sugar caused weight gain. Low copper and high sugar promoted gene expression and physiological processes typical of NAFLD as well as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) even without weight gain.

The fructose component of dietary sucrose, in particular, can induce copper deficiency. In rats, a diet of only 3% fructose from beverage intake – a rather modest fructose consumption that is lower than typical intake of Americans – impaired copper status and led to a significant induction of hepatic injury, iron overload and fat accumulation.10 Therefore, fructose-induced copper deficiency could be an important mechanism behind fructose-induced NAFLD. Ultra-high consumption of fructose is not necessarily required for fructose-induced fatty liver with levels lower than the average American consumption capable of inducing it in rats.

Monday, June 18, 2018

Recovered raw data of old study undermines 40y of dietary dogma

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SciAm article: Records Found in Dusty Basement Undermine Decades of Dietary Advice
Raw data from a 40-year-old study raises new questions about fats
By Sharon Begley, STAT on April 19, 2017


Quote:

Ramsden, of the National Institutes of Health, unearthed raw data from a 40-year-old study, which challenges the dogma that eating vegetable fats instead of animal fats is good for the heart. The study, the largest gold-standard experiment testing that idea, found the opposite, Ramsden and his colleagues reported on Tuesday in BMJ (formerly the British Medical Journal).

Although the study is more than just another entry in the long-running nutrition wars—it is more rigorous than the vast majority of research on the topic—Ramsden makes no claims that it settles the question. Instead, he said, his discovery and analysis of long-lost data underline how the failure to publish the results of clinical trials can undermine truth.
...
The coleader of the project was Dr. Ancel Keys, author of the Seven Countries Study, Time cover subject, and the most prominent advocate of replacing saturated fat with vegetable fat. “The idea that there might be something adverse about lowering cholesterol [via vegetable oils] was really antithetical to the dogma of the day,” Bob Frantz said.

His father, he said, “was always committed to discovering the truth. He would be pleased this is finally coming out.”


From The Telegraph "Modern dunce's cap"



I beg to differ. I doubt if Dr. Ivan Frantz would be proud of publishing the truth, because he could have but he didn't! I think he was afraid of the truth! Like many academics, intellectuals and most people I knew worked with.   Not only Dr. I. Frantz kept the study's most important data unpublished but also actively obfuscated it by publishing a misleading partial summaries and whitewashed watered-down inconclusive "conclusions".

Half-truth = full lie!


Because of Dr. Ivan Frantz' and other fake scientists' failure to publish the truth, What followed was 40-more years of suffering by millions of people from preventable diseases, due to bad dietary advise and corporate self-served food marketing that was based on the academically-supported half-truth, lies and distortions!

United Stated needs no external enemy - it is being destroyed by their own luminaries and the establishment through half-truth, lies and deception.

Bob Frantz, Dr. Franz's son, who rediscovered the hidden records and got them published, can't really feel proud of his father, but he definitely deserves to be proud of himself and be praised for bringing the truth! He is also lucky to have survived his father's bad diet at home, as a child.

Reference:
Appendix: Supplementary material [posted as supplied by author
Part 1: MCE supporting materials and historical context
Tribute to Dr. Ivan Frantz in leading the Minnesota Coronary Experiment team
Reared on Margarine and to the Tune of Spinning Ultracentrifuges:
A Son’s Recollections of Ivan D. Frantz, Jr. During the Early Days of Lipid Research
Robert P. Frantz, M.D.

Saturday, May 19, 2018

Fats don't kill - carbs kill!

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According to conclusions from the recent study published in The Lancet (thanks JC for the link).

Associations of fats and carbohydrate intake with cardiovascular disease and mortality in 18 countries from five continents (PURE): a prospective cohort study

A decade-long study on 135 thousand participants, examined mortality risk versus macronutrients correlations, based on reported food-questionaires. The findings:

1) Higher carbohydrate intake was associated with 28% increased risk of total mortality (highest quintile 5 vs lowest quintile 1 category).

2) Higher intake of total fat was associated with 23% lower risk of total mortality (quintile 5 vs quintile 1).

3) Total fat and saturated and unsaturated fats were not significantly associated with risk of myocardial infarction or cardiovascular disease mortality.

Quote:

"Global dietary guidelines should be reconsidered in light of these findings."


Source link , design by Trey Cox

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Low fat diet rises risk of early death by a quarter

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New study reported here:



Low-fat diets could raise the risk of early death by almost one quarter, a major study has found.
The Lancet study of 135,000 adults found those who cut back on fats had far shorter lives than those enjoying plenty of butter, cheese and meats.
Researchers said the study was at odds with repeated health advice to cut down on fats.


Reference:

Associations of fats and carbohydrate intake with cardiovascular disease and mortality in 18 countries from five continents (PURE): a prospective cohort study

Quote:

Findings
During follow-up, we documented 5796 deaths and 4784 major cardiovascular disease events. Higher carbohydrate intake was associated with an increased risk of total mortality (highest [quintile 5] vs lowest quintile [quintile 1] category, HR 1.28 [95% CI 1.12–1.46], ptrend=0.0001) but not with the risk of cardiovascular disease or cardiovascular disease mortality. Intake of total fat and each type of fat was associated with lower risk of total mortality (quintile 5 vs quintile 1, total fat: HR 0.77 [95% CI 0.67–0.87], ptrend<0.0001; saturated fat, HR 0.86 [0.76–0.99], ptrend=0.0088; monounsaturated fat: HR 0.81 [0.71–0.92], ptrend<0.0001; and polyunsaturated fat: HR 0.80 [0.71–0.89], ptrend<0.0001). Higher saturated fat intake was associated with lower risk of stroke (quintile 5 vs quintile 1, HR 0.79 [95% CI 0.64–0.98], ptrend=0.0498). Total fat and saturated and unsaturated fats were not significantly associated with risk of myocardial infarction or cardiovascular disease mortality.

----- Update 8/09/2017 -----
Another article, from the NYT, commenting on that study:

New Study Favors Fat Over Carbs

Quote:

Compared with people who ate the lowest 20 percent of carbohydrates, those who ate the highest 20 percent had a 28 percent increased risk of death. But high carbohydrate intake was not associated with cardiovascular death.
People with the highest 20 percent in total fat intake - an average of 35.3 percent of calories from fat - had about a 23 percent reduced risk of death compared with the lowest 20 percent (an average of 10.6 percent of calories from fat). Consuming higher saturated fat, polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fat were all associated with lower mortality. Higher fat diets were also associated with a lower risk of stroke.




Sunday, October 16, 2016

Potatoes and cereals are heart disease risk while dairy, fat and meat are good for you

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- says the new study: "FOOD CONSUMPTION AND THE ACTUAL STATISTICS OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES: AN EPIDEMIOLOGICAL COMPARISON OF 42 EUROPEAN COUNTRIES" .

Results: ...The most significant dietary correlate of low CVD risk was high total fat and animal protein consumption. Additional statistical analyses further highlighted citrus fruits, high-fat dairy (cheese) and tree nuts. ... The major correlate of high CVD risk was the proportion of energy from carbohydrates and alcohol, or from potato and cereal carbohydrates.

Conclusion: Our results do not support the association between CVDs and saturated fat, which is still contained in official dietary guidelines. Instead, they agree with data accumulated from recent studies that link CVD risk with the high glycaemic index/load of carbohydrate-based diets. In the absence of any scientific evidence connecting saturated fat with CVDs, these findings show that current dietary recommendations regarding CVDs should be seriously reconsidered.

(CVD stands for "Cardio Vascular Disease")


by Cecilia Bleszynski (C) 2017



The first graph published in the paper:


is the most interesting in conjunction with the rest of the results, showing that the high consumption of animal fat and protein correlates very well with high blood cholesterol level and at the same time (see for example Fig.4 and 7) the high cholesterol and high consumption of animal fat and protein correlate consistently and strongly with the low cardiovascular and other diseases' risk! That is yet another nail to the coffin of the cholesterol-heart hypothesis and an indication that the blood cholesterol correlation with cardiovascular disease (+ or -) is secondary and spurious while the primary risk factor appears to be related to the carbohydrate contents of the diet! Note that some of the graphs refer to women some for men but the actual correlation factors are similar for men and momen (see Table 1) with the exception of correlations involving BMI and smoking which are opposite for women and men (that is another interesting subject).


Most of the results point consistently and strongly, see for example Fig.10 towards the carbohydrates contents of the diet as being the strongest positive correlator with the cardiovascular disease risk, where as the animal and most plant fats correlate most negatively (that is being protective) against cardiovascular disease, see Table 1, with the notable exception of sunflower oil which correlates strongly and positively with the CVD.


It is also interestingly to notice a strong linear correlation graph with very low data scatter, between the prevalence of raised blood glucose and consumption of carbohydrates plus alcohol ('CA' variable), on Fig.9:


Although diabetes risk was not directly measured in the study, Fig.9 appears to indicate that diabetes risk may be steeply correlated to the total consumption of carbohydrates plus alcohol, and strongly inversely correlated with the consumption of animal fat and protein (see Table 1). For example an increase of the dietary carbohydrate+alcohol contents from 42% to 68% seems to increase the prevalence of high blood glucose (and thus probably diabetes risk as well) by a factor of 3!

The overall results of this study are also remarkably consistent with the original China Study data as published on the Oxford University web site and  discussed on this blog (see my previous posts).

The study is also discussed in the following journalistic article:

"Potatoes and cereals are health risk, while dairy is good for you, says new study".




Saturday, February 28, 2015

Bad science and politically motivated low fat dietary guidelines finally exposed and ditched!

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Recent (20/02/2015) New York Times article by Nina Teicholz (**):

The Government’s Bad Diet Advice

Quotes
First, last fall, experts on the committee that develops the country’s dietary guidelines acknowledged that they had ditched the low-fat diet. On Thursday, that committee’s report was released, with an even bigger change: It lifted the longstanding caps on dietary cholesterol, saying there was “no appreciable relationship” between dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol.
...
Instead of accepting that this evidence was inadequate to give sound advice, strong-willed scientists overstated the significance of their studies.
Much of the epidemiological data underpinning the government’s dietary advice comes from studies run by Harvard’s school of public health. In 2011, directors of the National Institute of Statistical Sciences analyzed many of Harvard’s most important findings and found that they could not be reproduced in clinical trials.
...
In 2013, government advice to reduce salt intake (which remains in the current report) was contradicted by an authoritative Institute of Medicine study[*]. And several recent meta-analyses have cast serious doubt on whether saturated fats are linked to heart disease, as the dietary guidelines continue to assert.

Uncertain science should no longer guide our nutrition policy. Indeed, cutting fat and cholesterol, as Americans have conscientiously done, may have even worsened our health. In clearing our plates of meat, eggs and cheese (fat and protein), we ate more grains, pasta and starchy vegetables (carbohydrates). Over the past 50 years, we cut fat intake by 25 percent and increased carbohydrates by more than 30 percent, according to a new analysis of government data. Yet recent science has increasingly shown that a high-carb diet rich in sugar and refined grains increases the risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease — much more so than a diet high in fat and cholesterol.

It’s not that health authorities weren’t warned. “They are not acting on the basis of scientific evidence, but on the basis of a plausible but untested idea,” Dr. Edward H. Ahrens Jr., a top specialist at Rockefeller University and prominent critic of the growing doctrine on dietary fats and cholesterol, cautioned back in the ’80s.
...
Since the very first nutritional guidelines to restrict saturated fat and cholesterol were released by the American Heart Association in 1961, Americans have been the subjects of a vast, uncontrolled diet experiment with disastrous consequences. We have to start looking more skeptically at epidemiological studies and rethinking nutrition policy from the ground up.
Until then, we would be wise to return to what worked better for previous generations: a diet that included fewer grains, less sugar and more animal foods like meat, full-fat dairy and eggs.

Other links:

*) She probably meant this report: Sodium Intake in Populations: Assessment of Evidence (14/05/2015)

**) Nina Teicholz, author of “The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet.”

http://stan-heretic.blogspot.ca/2015/02/useless-low-fat-dietary-guidelines-by.html

http://stan-heretic.blogspot.ca/2015/01/salt-intake-not-correlated-with.html

http://stan-heretic.blogspot.ca/2015/01/are-some-diets-mass-murder.html

http://stan-heretic.blogspot.ca/2013/05/dietary-fats-undeserved-bad-reputation.html

http://stan-heretic.blogspot.ca/2013/10/lesson-from-medical-history-beware-of.html



.

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Useless low fat dietary guidelines by governments, no scientific justification!

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Open Heart/BMJ just published a meta-study:

Evidence from randomised controlled trials did not support the introduction of dietary fat guidelines in 1977 and 1983: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objectives National dietary guidelines were introduced in 1977 and 1983, by the US and UK governments, respectively, with the ambition of reducing coronary heart disease (CHD) by reducing fat intake. ...

Conclusions

Dietary recommendations were introduced for 220 million US and 56 million UK citizens by 1983, in the absence of supporting evidence from RCTs.

Discussion
The main findings of the present meta-analysis of the six RCTs [Randomized Controlled Trials] available at the time of issuing dietary guidelines in the US and UK indicate that all-cause mortality was identical at 370 in the intervention and control groups. There was no statistically significant difference in deaths from CHD. The reductions in mean serum cholesterol levels were significantly higher in the intervention groups; this did not result in significant differences in CHD or all-cause mortality.
It is a widely held view that reductions in cholesterol are healthful per se. The original RCTs did not find any relationship between dietary fat intake and deaths from CHD or all-causes, despite significant reductions in cholesterol levels in the intervention and control groups. This undermines the role of serum cholesterol levels as an intermediary to the development of CHD and contravenes the theory that reducing dietary fat generally and saturated fat particularly potentiates a reduction in CHD.
...
There was best practice, randomised controlled trial, evidence available to the dietary committees, which was not considered and should have been. The results of the present meta-analysis support the hypothesis that the available RCTs did not support the introduction of dietary fat recommendations in order to reduce CHD risk or related mortality. Two recent publications have questioned the alleged relationship between saturated fat and CHD and called for dietary guidelines to be reconsidered.31 ,32 The present review concludes that dietary advice not merely needs review; it should not have been introduced.
Actual data from the publication:




References and links:

http://www.zoeharcombe.com/blog/

Interestingly, the original studies at that time produced similar similar conclusions of non-supporting the reduction of dietary fat.  The following quotes are from Zoë Harcombe's blog (one of the main author of the above quoted study):

The studies’ own conclusions.  These are the verbatim conclusions from each of the studies:

1965 Rose Corn and olive oil: “It is concluded that under the circumstances of this trial corn oil cannot be recommended as a treatment of ischaemic heart disease. It is most unlikely to be beneficial, and it is possibly harmful.” (ref 9)

1965 Research Committee Low-fat diet: “A low-fat diet has no place in the treatment of myocardial infarction” (ref 10) [heart attack].

1968 MRC soya-bean oil: “There is no evidence from the London trial that the relapse-rate in myocardial infarction is materially affected by the unsaturated fat content of the diet used.” (ref 11)

1969 Dayton LA Veterans study: “Total longevity was not affected favorably in any measurable or significant degree… For this reason, and because of the unresolved question concerning toxicity, we consider our own trial, with or without the support of other published data, to have fallen short of providing a definitive and final answer concerning dietary prevention of heart disease.” (ref 12)

1970 Leren Oslo Diet Heart study: “Epidemiological studies have demonstrated several factors associated with the risk of developing first manifestations of coronary heart disease. Blood lipids, blood pressure and cigarette smoking are such risk variables… In spite of the small numbers this observation lends some support to the view that the multi-factorial approach is the best way to the solution of the coronary heart disease problem.”(ref 13)

1978 Woodhill Sydney Diet Heart Study: “Survival was significantly better in the P [control] Group.” “It must be concluded that the lipid hypothesis has gained little support from secondary intervention studies.” (ref 14)
...




Monday, October 29, 2012

High carb and low caloric intake from fat and proteins may increase the risk of dementia in elderly!

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The title is a short version of the concluding sentence from a new Mayo Clinic study. The study tracked 937 initially healthy people aged 70-89 for 3.7 years. During this period 200 developed mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia.

Those patients who were in the highest quartile (i.e. a group) of carbohydrate consumption (as percentage of total calories), have had approximately twice the risk of MCI or dementia (1.89 times, confidence interval P for trend =0.004(*)). Those who belonged to the highest quartile of fat consumption had about one-half the risk of developing MCI or dementia (0.56, P for trend = 0.03(**)). Those with the highest protein intake had 21% lower risk.

The fact that fat, especially saturated seems to be beneficial in dementia and other neurological degenerative diseases, has been known for some time, see for example the references in my past posts: this or this

This study however, is probably one of the first, if not the first, to concentrate on all three macronutrients' intake rather than some partial aspects of the diet.

Quote:

A dietary pattern with relatively high caloric intake from carbohydrates and low caloric intake from fat and proteins may increase the risk of MCI or dementia in elderly persons.

Although the full text is pay-walled, a short writeup is posted on the Mayo Clinic website.

Interestingly, a comparison between the highest quartile of total carbohydrates with the highest sugar (see the quote below), shows that the sugar impact was negative but not to the same extent as the total carbohydrate. This may be indicating that some other form of cabohydrate than the sugar alone, may be the most detrimental to the neurological health. Perhaps the total starch [ *** WHEAT?! ***] or just the total glycemic load?

Those who reported the highest carbohydrate intake at the beginning of the study were 1.9 times likelier to develop mild cognitive impairment than those with the lowest intake of carbohydrates. Participants with the highest sugar intake were 1.5 times likelier to experience mild cognitive impairment than those with the lowest levels.

But those whose diets were highest in fat - compared to the lowest - were 42 percent less likely to face cognitive impairment, and those who had the highest intake of protein had a reduced risk of 21 percent.

When total fat and protein intake were taken into account, people with the highest carbohydrate intake were 3.6 times likelier to develop mild cognitive impairment.

"A high carbohydrate intake could be bad for you because carbohydrates impact your glucose and insulin metabolism," Dr. Roberts says. "Sugar fuels the brain - so moderate intake is good. However, high levels of sugar may actually prevent the brain from using the sugar - similar to what we see with type 2 diabetes."

Wiki 


----------------------
Notes:
(*) It means that the probability of the result being by chance is 1/250.
(**) Probability of the result being by chance is 1/33.
(***) Added 13/01/2013, inspired by this .

(I am grateful and indebted to the best source of alerts about new interesting nutrition studies - vegan discussion groups!  Oh my oh my...  Thank you drmcdougall.com )
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