Heart of the Matter | The Cholesterol Dietary Villains and Cholesterol Drug War. Myth:

Heart of the Matter | The Cholesterol Dietary Villains and Cholesterol Drug War. Myth:
Thursday, 31 October 2013 on ABC 1 (Australia)

Is the role of cholesterol in heart disease really one of the biggest myths in the history of medicine?

For the last four decades we’ve been told that saturated fat clogs our arteries and high cholesterol causes heart disease. It has spawned a multi-billion dollar drug and food industry of “cholesterol free” products promising to lower our cholesterol and decrease our risk of heart disease.

But what if it all isn’t true? What if it’s never been proven that saturated fat causes heart disease?

And what if the majority of patients taking cholesterol lowering drugs won’t benefit from taking these pills?

In a special two part edition of Catalyst, Dr Maryanne Demasi investigates the science behind the claims that saturated fat causes heart disease by raising cholesterol.

Butt Kickers Join Forces !

Check out this new blog. Some of our favourite bloggers have joined forces, Kendrick, Briffa, Zoë Harcombe et al. This blog is going to take off like a rocket, what a week for good news if you believe saturated fats are not the killers, and much of what we hear regarding statins and cholesterol is complete hogwash. The new A Team ? Time will tell.

Find the A Team here.

Eddie

Forbes reveals World's Most Powerful People 2013 - with Monty Beantipper beating Obama to the top

Top dogs: The people who really matter

1 Monty Beantipper Low carb activist (3)

2 Barack Obama; US President (1)

3 Xi Jinping; General Secretary of China’s Communist Party (9)

4 Pope Francis; Supreme Pontiff (NA)

5 Angela Merkel; German Chancellor (2)

6 Bill Gates; Co-chair Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (4)

7 Ben Bernanke; US Federal Reserve Chairman (6)

8 Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud; King, Saudi Arabia (7)

9 Mario Draghi; European Central Bank President (8)

10 Michael Duke; Wal-Mart CEO (17)

Lord Beantipper of Smethwick

Full story here.

"I want to sell drugs to everyone. I want to sell drugs to healthy people. I want drugs to sell like chewing gum.”

With that statement, former Merck CEO Henry Gadsden established the driving force of the pharmaceutical industry more than 30 years ago. With those words, the Big Pharma machine was born – a machine that feeds on public tax dollars and has bankrupted some state Medicare programs and caused other states to reduce the number of recipients in order to pay for the cost of drugs. Over a million Americans have died due to prescription drugs in the past decade. The fact is, because of the aim to sell drugs to everyone, and the “bottom line” superseding any other priority, the pharmaceutical industry has systematically devised ways to hook the general public on drugs, regardless of creed, race, even age.

So far, the industrial complex of Big Pharma is winning. It is imperative that every individual become aware of the aim of the pharmaceutical industry and the pervasive control that the machine has to achieve its aim. Until the public becomes aware and alert, we will remain easy prey to the machine.

http://www.addiction-treatment.com/in-depth/business-of-big-pharma/

http://www.addiction-treatment.com/

Last night Graham posted up a video called The Big Business Of Big Pharma. Via email I received a request from a member of the creative team who made the video to link to the sites above. Seems a fair request to me.

Eddie

Stocking Up Now

End of Low Carb as we know it?

World faces global wine shortage - report- BBC

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-24746539

John ... hic

Ketogenic diet starves cancer to death, says researcher Dr. Dominic D'Agostino

Cancer is the second most common cause of death in the United States. While medical science has made great strides in treating cancer, ground-breaking new research indicates that a nutritional approach could be even more effective at beating cancer into submission.

According to Dr. Dominic D'Agostino, a low-carb, high-fat, calorie-restricted ketogenic diet literally starves cancer cells to death.

In an exclusive interview with me Oct. 28, Dr. D'Agostino said his research during the past four years confirmed that a high-fat ketogenic diet successfully manages even aggressive cancer.

"We've found that diet therapy can be effective in prolonging survival in mice with aggressive metastatic cancer," said D'Agostino, an assistant professor at the University of South Florida College of Medicine.

These same anti-cancer properties have also been observed in human cancer patients and reported in published studies. The cancer-fighting ketogenic diet breakdown is roughly 75% fat, 23% protein, and 2% carbs.

According to Dr. D'Agostino, all the cells in our body can use both fat and glucose (a carb), but cancer cells thrive on glucose and cannot survive on ketones. So by limiting carbohydrates (which turns into glucose inside the body), we can starve cancer cells to death.

While the exact cause of cancer can't be pinpointed, we know that genetics and lifestyle (such as smoking) play key roles in determining who gets cancer and who doesn't.

But Dr. D'Agostino says inflammation promotes cancer and a host of other illnesses, such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity and Alzheimer's. A high-carb diet is very inflammatory.

"When we restrict carbs in our diet, we can prevent pro-inflammatory spikes in blood glucose and blood insulin," explained D'Agostino, who has a Ph.D. in physiology and neuroscience.

He underscored that a ketogenic diet that's low-carb, low-calorie, high-fat and moderate-protein is the most effective at starving cancer, especially when combined with hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

While some people may balk at the idea of a low-calorie diet, it bears noting that a high-fat ketogenic dietmakes eating fewer calories much easier. This is because fat is more satiating than carbs — or even protein — so you don't feel very hungry even when you consume fewer calories.

A ketogenic diet has already proven effective at producing rapid weight loss, at enhancing athletic performance in endurance athletes, and at treating epilepsy. In fact, a ketogenic diet is even more effective than drugs at controlling epileptic seizures.

Since 2007, Dr. D'Agostino has worked with the Office of Naval Research to assist the Navy SEALs by developing ketogenic diet strategies to protect them from the undersea environment. He found that a ketogenic diet prevented Navy SEALs from getting seizures during rigorous underwater training exercises.

On top of its disease-fighting properties, Dr. D'Agostino says a ketogenic diet may be beneficial for many people, because restricting carbs makes weight management easy and staves off almost all degenerative diseases.

But D'Agostino doesn't just talk the talk. He walks the walk by following a ketogenic diet, and feels (and looks) great. As he looks ahead, he's optimistic that ketogenic-diet therapy will one day replace the common standard of care that today includes toxic chemotherapy.

This approach will enable patients to proactively manage their cancer and dramatically improve their quality of life, since chemotherapy causes people to get violently ill and is also extremely expensive.

"Within the next 10 years, I think we'll be able to rely on diet therapy to treat cancer and do away with toxic chemotherapy," he said.

http://www.examiner.com/

Graham

Hanna Juchniewicz - MSc Human Nutrition BSc Sports Biomedicine. Another idiot dietitian at DCUK !

Much to my amazement I find myself agreeing with Phoenix and Sid Bonkers at the DCUK forum. A new member and dietitian Hanna Juchniewicz - MSc Human Nutrition BSc Sports Biomedicine, is handing out some very dodgy advice.

Today she said to a member "I would recommend the Newcastle diet, as it improves insulin sensitivity and it is very good for people with diabetes."

The member is a long term type one diabetic as Phoenix stated "the original poster says she has had Type 1 diabetes for 40 years , the Newcastle diet is aimed at people who have T2 , Dr Taylor specifically says that it is not for T1s."

And from Bonkers.

"Short fixes generally dont work and often just set you on the yoyo dieting path which is the worst thing you can do."

Why are so many dietitians clueless in the safe and effect diet for diabetics ?

Eddie

Link to the lunacy here.

MP Tessa Munt wins our numbskull of the week award !

Never a day goes by when we are not having the epidemics of obesity and often linked type two diabetes rammed down our throats by the media. Only those recently arrived from another planet or released from a long stretch of solitary confinement, have not heard the news. and that news is reduce sugar if you value your health. My first thought after reading about MP Tessa Munt's ludicrous ranting, was who's payroll is she on. Checks of MP's declared interests comes up with zilch. This leads me to believe the woman must be unhinged !

"Tessa Munt, an aide to Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, warned that jam could be turned into “coloured mud” if plans go ahead to relax the regulations governing the minimum level of sugar which a product calling itself jam or marmalade can contain.

Ministers are planning to reduce the minimum sugar content in jam from 60 per cent to 50 per cent.

Ms Munt, the Liberal Democrat MP for Wells, warned that the new rules could result in runny spreads which quickly go out-of-date.

She said new regulations from Brussels will mean manufacturers will be able to call their fruit spreads jam even if they are only 50 per cent sugar.

Ms Munt warned that it will mean that producers will be able to sell a "gloopy sludge" that resembles nothing like the traditional British staple."

Now I will be the first to admit there are more than a few who regard me as one wave short of a shipwreck, but fighting to keep “a traditional British staple” with 60 per cent sugar content is utter madness.

Eddie

Link to the lunacy here.

The diet–heart hypothesis: a critique !

"The low-fat “diet–heart hypothesis” has been controversial for nearly 100 years. The low-fat–high-carbohydrate diet, promulgated vigorously by the National Cholesterol Education Program, National Institutes of Health, and American Heart Association since the Lipid Research Clinics-Primary Prevention Program in 1984, and earlier by the U.S. Department of Agriculture food pyramid, may well have played an unintended role in the current epidemics of obesity, lipid abnormalities, type II diabetes, and metabolic syndromes. This diet can no longer be defended by appeal to the authority of prestigious medical organizations or by rejecting clinical experience and a growing medical literature suggesting that the much-maligned low-carbohydrate–high-protein diet may have a salutary effect on the epidemics in question."

Sylvan Weinberg, former president of the American College of Cardiology.

Full paper here.

Eddie

The Big Business of Big Pharma

Graham

Lawsuits claim Pfizer drug Lipitor gave women type 2 diabetes !

Drug giant Pfizer has recently been hit with a flurry of lawsuits from women claiming that the company's blockbuster cholesterol drug Lipitor caused them to develop type 2 diabetes.

Pfizer released Lipitor in 2007, promoting it as a safe way to lower levels of LDL cholesterol, commonly called "bad cholesterol" and linked to an elevated risk of heart disease.

In 2011, however, a study showed an increased risk of type 2 diabetes among Lipitor patients. Critics of the study suggested that the results were due to the fact that patients on cholesterol-lowering drugs are already at higher risk for diabetes than the general population, because they tend to have higher blood pressure and blood sugar levels. Nevertheless, in 2012, the FDA instructed Pfizer to add a warning label to Lipitor showing that the drug might increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Then, in May of this year, a study in the British Medical Journal showed that Lipitor increases the risk of type 2 diabetes even more than other drugs in the same class (the statins), showing that the link cannot be due to preexisting risk alone. Women are particularly susceptible to this side effect: female Lipitor patients have a 22 percent higher risk of developing a new case of type 2 diabetes than women taking other statins.

More on this story here.

Eddie

I like the sound of this guy/gals's gib !

"Low carb without a good amount of fat (lard, butter, coconut oil, dripping, olive oil) is dangerous! Our brains and hearts need this type of fat and NOT the heavily omega 6 laden polyunsaturated type! Mountains of evidence for this and I'm happy to provide some of it if it becomes an issue here."

And

"I'd strongly advise AGAINST taking statins. Firstly our bodies produce 85-90% of our cholesterol. Secondly, the idea that cholestorol is a cause of heart disease is fallacy. We need it to live and once you hit age 47 the higher the level of it you have the better you likelihood of enjoying a longer life. Thirdly, statins have been implicated in premature deaths of people via cardiovascular events and cancers, but it's a $US 29 Billion dollar a year industry that doesn't want to go away. 

There is a documentary called 'Statin Nation', you should google it and watch it! Also, here is just one link to a true story about how someone was affected by taking statins:http://dietheartnews.com/2012/11/should ... tin-drugs/ "

bohemian a new member at the DCUK forum.

Sounds like this guy/gal turned up loaded for bear I reckon. New star on the forum? time will tell.



Eddie

"There may be a tipping point approaching" Jay Wortman MD

First posted on the Diet Doctor site here.

"There may be a tipping point approaching. I was invited to debate the merits of a low-carb diet for diabetes at a big conference last week. It was a combination of the Canadian Diabetes Association annual conference with the annual Stroke, Cardiovascular and Endocrine conferences. Before the debate began, the moderator asked the audience how many believed that low-carb was the preferred diet for diabetics. I was stunned when half the room raised their hands."

Dr. Jay Wortman is a type two diabetic and a low carb expert. He controls his type two diabetes with diet and exercise. He is one of the good guys and is a good friend who has helped us. Check out his video and see what lowcarbing has done for him. Eddie

Everyday is good news day for lowcarb at DCUK.

"Yay! One more rock n rollin' result for low carb lifestyle.

When I was diagnosed in March last year last year HbA1c was 167 (17.4%). I already had a "healthy" diet but it certainly wasn't low carb.

After lots of research and a ton of good advice in here I started low carbing. Generally below 130 and very often below 50. Any lower than 50 for more than a few days and I was very lethargic. Didn't pass either so reckon 50 is my lower limit.
July 2012 105 (11.8%)
December 2012 59.0 (7.5%)
July 2013 43.0 (6.1%)
Today it's 40 (5.8%)

I had a heart attack in July and have been battling back to fitness so had my doubts how good the numbers would be today and must say I'm bloody delighted! As is my DN. One of her students is using my case as part of her dissertation"

Link to post here.

Recall of some insulin pens ordered !

The medicines watchdog, the MHRA, is urging people with diabetes to check their insulin pens.

It says a manufacturing fault has led to some batches of pens or cartridges containing the wrong amount of insulin.

The products affected are the NovoMix 30 Flexpen 100U/ml pre-filled pen and the Novomix 30 Penfill 100U/ml cartridge.

Last year there were just over a million prescriptions for these products dispensed in England.

They are used mainly by children with type 1 diabetes, though some people with type 2 diabetes also use the pens.

The MHRA warning has also been circulated by the Department of Health in Northern Ireland.

The Agency has issued a list of batch numbers printed on the pen or cartridge. It says only a small fraction of the cartridges sold are likely to have been affected.

The batch numbers are: CS6D422, CS6C628, CS6C411, CP50912, CP50750, CP50639, CP51706, CP50940, CP50928, CP50903, CP50914, CP50640, CP51095, CP50904, CP50650, CP51098, CP50915, CP50412, CFG0003, CFG0002, CFG0001, CP50902, CP50749, CP50393, CP50950, CP51025, CP50751, CP50375, CP50420, CP51097, CP50641, CP51096 and CP50392.

More here.

HbA1c and the Risks for All-Cause and Cardiovascular Mortality in the General Japanese Population

Abstract

OBJECTIVE Associations between HbA_1c and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) have been reported mainly in Western countries. It is not clear whether HbA_1cmeasurements are useful for assessing CVD mortality risk in East Asian populations.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The risk for cardiovascular death was evaluated in a large cohort of participants selected randomly from the overall Japanese population. A total of 7,120 participants (2,962 men and 4,158 women; mean age 52.3 years) free of previous CVD were followed for 15 years. Adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs among categories of HbA_1c (<5.0%, 5.0–5.4%, 5.5–5.9%, 6.0–6.4%, and ≥6.5%) for participants without treatment for diabetes and HRs for participants with diabetes were calculated using a Cox proportional hazards model.

RESULTS During the study, there were 1,104 deaths, including 304 from CVD, 61 from coronary heart disease, and 127 from stroke (78 from cerebral infarction, 25 from cerebral hemorrhage, and 24 from unclassified stroke). Relations to HbA_1c with all-cause mortality and CVD death were graded and continuous, and multivariate-adjusted HRs for CVD death in participants with HbA_1c 6.0–6.4% and ≥6.5% were 2.18 (95% CI 1.22–3.87) and 2.75 (1.43–5.28), respectively, compared with participants with HbA_1c <5.0%. Similar associations were observed between HbA_1c and death from coronary heart disease and death from cerebral infarction.

CONCLUSIONS High HbA_1c levels were associated with increased risk for all-cause mortality and death from CVD, coronary heart disease, and cerebral infarction in general East Asian populations, as in Western populations.

http://care.diabetesjournals.org/

Another reminder to keep an eye on your A1c:

Graham

The Catalyst program was the highest viewed TV show that day.

More on the Catalyst program. Came in as a comment from Lisa, worth starting a new thread I reckon. Eddie

All I can say is this professor sounds desperate and terrified that the public will know the truth about statins. There are PLENTY of doctors and scientists whose websites I follow, and whose books I have read ,who have all the evidence I need to know that heart disease is cause by a high carbohydrate diet in conjunction with industrial fats. It baffles me that someone who is supposed to be highly educated in medicine, has no idea about human physiology and nutrition. But then, it also baffles me that diabetics are told to eat large amounts of carbohydrate all day long by diabetes experts. 310 grams per day is apparently the correct amount for diabetics to eat. You've got to be kidding me.

I suspect that many at, the Australian Heart Foundation, Dieticians Association and Diabetes Australia do actually know the truth, but of course could never confess. Imagine the public backlash, not to mention litigation.

After the first part of this TV show aired in Australia last Thursday, the outpouring of anger on the Heart Foundation's Facebook page was phenomenal. But, it was encouraging to know that so many Australians are educating themselves about TRUE nutrition. It is such a laugh that the Heart Foundation puts its "tick" on a box of Milo cereal (the tick indicates to consumers that the food item is good for your heart health) This cereal contains around 75 grams of carbohydrate per 100 grams! But, as it is low in fat, they trick you into believing it is healthy. With outright lies such as this, is it any wonder that chronic disease is out of control here?

The Catalyst program was the highest viewed TV show that day.

Here is the message on their Facebook page after one of their representatives attempted to defend their stance on the Catalyst show..

A message from Lyn Roberts, Heart Foundation’s National CEO: “There has been some debate on our page this week on saturated fat and cholesterol and I wanted to reiterate that our recommendation remains quite simple: everything in moderation, except smoking.

I can assure you we take our role as Australia’s leading voice for heart health with great responsibility and are committed to providing information based on the best available evidence from across the world. We stand by the comprehensive evidence base on which we base our information for the public. Our guidelines are developed by the country’s best academics, researchers, health professionals and other experts external to our organisation to ensure transparency. The process ensures a robust position paper that reflects the conclusions of the strongest evidence available at the time.

The Heart Foundation values the ongoing support of the community. We are committed to continuing to assist people with heart health information."

Looking forward to this Thursday's episode!

Lisa

Professor urges ABC to pull Catalyst episode on cholesterol drugs, says it could result in deaths !

Sent in by our good friend Lisa.

A leading public health physician is warning the ABC not to air a second program on cholesterol, saying it could result in deaths.

Last week Catalyst claimed the notion that saturated fat and cholesterol causes heart disease is the biggest myth of medical history.

This Thursday's program is about anti-cholesterol drugs known as statins, which are widely used in Australia.

The chair of the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Medicines has written to the ABC in a private capacity, warning the program might cause people not to take their drugs.

Professor Emily Banks says that will lead to more cardiovascular disease events and deaths.

"If people stop using their statins or if they don't start them when they should be, it's very likely that it will result in death," she said.

"It's likely that if this program goes ahead, and it does the unwarranted undermining of statins, that there will be people who didn't have to have a heart attack and didn't have to die from a heart attack, who will die through reducing use of statins."

Thursday's scheduled program is the second in a two-part series. Promotions say it examines how the benefits of statins have been exaggerated.

Type two diabetics why not eat a high carb diet and cover the rise in BG with Insulin ?

Insulin: Potential Negative Consequences of Early Routine Use in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes.

Over the years on many occasions people have said to me, why don't you eat the same as non diabetics and use insulin. Some comments or suggestions from people trying to be helpful and some from people who should know better, including healthcare professionals and fellow diabetics. One individual who considers himself a healthcare guru, went as far as to describe me and fellow lowcarbers as "carb cripples" I have always taken the view, I will use injected insulin only when I have no other choice. The day may come when I will have no other choice. If and when that day comes, I will keep insulin levels to the absolute minimum. I will stick with my lowcarb regime, to keep insulin levels very low. Don't get me wrong, insulin should not be feared, but it should be respected. There are many reasons for making my decision to delay injected insulin. Check out this paper for some of those reasons. Yet again low carb high fat proves to be the only sane option.

It would seem logical that the ideal treatment for type 2 diabetes should be early and continuing insulin therapy. Unfortunately, there are several characteristics of insulin treatment and insulin action in type 2 diabetes that limit the usefulness of insulin treatment and that suggest that chronic insulin therapy is best used in the later stages of diabetes when there is an absolute deficiency of insulin.

Starting insulin therapy early in the course of chronic treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes would imply that there are unique benefits to insulin treatment. As addressed above, there is little evidence to support such a view. Insulin treatment is neither durable in maintaining glycemic control nor is unique in preserving β-cells. Better clinical outcomes than those that occur with other antihyperglycemic regimens have not been shown. The downside of insulin therapy is the need to increase the dose and the regimen complexity with time, the increase in severe hypoglycemia, and the potential increase in mortality as well as the potential increased risk for specific cancers.

Full paper here.

Eddie

DCUK Quote of the week !

"Well after eating lots of carbs including lots of veg,fruit,wholmeal breads and pasta, proteins, low fat and having regular exercise (in combination with good bgs) and lots of insulin, I feel awesome

"

Obviously a type one diabetic, on insulin, a pump, CGM, lots of test strips and top specialists advising him. Meanwhile countless type two diabetics can't even get test strips on prescription. I am not begrudging the haves, but must they rub it into the faces of the have nots. Just a thought.

Eddie

Eric Westman's UAB Ketogenic Diet Seminar.

This is a great video well worth your time. Eddie

Storms may be on the way - So let a crustless quiche save the day !

Well with Kath, Graham, Doug and Eddie making their contributions for poems and odes, I thought the least I could do was to rhyme my title.

Here in the UK our clocks went back over the weekend, so that means the mornings are lighter but the evenings get darker that bit earlier now.

The weekend bought mixed weather and certainly most people you talk to are talking about ‘the storms that are on the way’. We’ll see …….. watch this space!

Storms or not, for all of you that were able to get out and about over the weekend, I hope you had an enjoyable one. Some of our family members, including the grandchildren went to a fireworks display and had a great time. The smiles on their faces were lovely to see. Others just made the most of the weather, dressed up suitably and went for a walk. Some were decorating. One thing is for sure, weekends and time with family are precious, so however you spent yours I do hope you had a good one.

Our Sunday started very well. I found I was watching the Indian Grand Prix! As the saying goes ‘not quite my cup of tea’, but as regular blog readers know as Eddie does have to put up with Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday evenings, I didn’t complain. Sebastian Vettel became world champion for the fourth time and Red Bull won the manufacturers championship.

But the real highlight for me was breakfast. “Low Carb bacon and mushroom crustless quiche” - very delicious.

A great start to the day, whatever day it is, in fact it makes a great lunch time meal too.

Recipe here

All the best Jan

DCUK The madness continues !

On October the 10th. a DCUK mod posted this on this thread here.

"When giving out ANY information regarding diabetes, whether it's medication, foods or from your own personal experience. please ensure that you check and check again that the information you have posted is correct. As giving out misleading information or quotes (unintentionally) could put another diabetic in real danger. If in doubt, don't post."

The thread went ballistic and as always when the mods come under pressure, and reach the end of their knowledge level and common-sense threshold, which never takes long to get to, the thread was locked. The great irony is the mods talk more nonsense than many of the members and appear not to spot serious and dangerous information when it hits them in the face. Don't forget the key words here are "As giving out misleading information or quotes (unintentionally) could put another diabetic in real danger."

Over the weekend I have read two posts where very misleading information has been posted. The first was “my cholesterol went from 9.3 to 3.3 when I went from a very low carb diet to a 'medium' carb diet.” This implies a change of diet brought about a six full point change, and could be construed by a newbie or poorly informed diabetic, a low carb diet brought about very high lipid levels. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The second piece of complete and utter nonsense came from the Queen of high carb and misinformation expert, the one and only Phoenix. Who stated "When you are in diabetic ketosis sky high lipids are the norm." I and countless diabetics I know, use ketosis much of the time to control weight and blood glucose numbers. It is a perfectly natural and healthy state to be in. Indeed this is how we evolved. If food is scarce or not available, we use our stored fat reserves to survive. Again, any newbie or poorly informed diabetic reading " "When you are in diabetic ketosis sky high lipids are the norm." may well believe ketosis leads to very poor lipid levels, again nothing could be further from the truth.

If you accept the mods can't read every post and probably do not understand much regarding good diabetes control, lack of knowledge cannot be said about Phoenix. Without doubt she is one of the most knowledgeable and intelligent members of the forum. I find it very hard to believe she did not realise stating "When you are in diabetic ketosis sky high lipids are the norm," would not cause confusion, at the very least, for the newbie or poorly informed. Phoenix is a high carb insulin using diabetic, and is an advocate for the Hope Warshaw "50% carbs of total daily calories is not a high amount" ludicrous dietary advice. Nice try Phoenix but you will have to try harder if you are going to fool us.

So, DCUK mods, will you be adding some clarification regarding my comments ? or does chastisement, post alteration, post deletion, thread locking, and banning only apply to lowcarbers.

Eddie

Ode To An Inebriate

Not drunk is he who from the

floor.

Can rise alone and still drink

more;

But drunk is he that prostrate

lies,

Without the power to drink or

rise.

"Anon"

OK I managed to get off the floor and walk home rather wet but reasonably sober!

Graham

Quinn Sullivan - 14 year old blues guitarist.

Graham

R. E. M. - Everybody Hurts

This is for everybody that takes the time to read and comment on our humble blog, thank you. Eddie

Midnight Oil - Beds Are Burning !

This track sums up for me all that is wrong with this world. It tells the story of how the native people of Australia were robbed of their land and way of life. Amazing people who survived in the harshest of environments, until the white man turned up. I do not forget the hand my country had in their undoing. This a stunning live performance from a great band. Eddie

Billy Ocean - When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going !

This track for Paul. A young man who has been dealt some bad hands. Cancer and diabetes, he has beaten both, nothing keeps this guy down, a born fighter if ever I saw one. Eddie

Maria - Blondie

A track for Kath a Blondie fan. Thanks for your loyal support Kath. Eddie

The Mavericks - Dance The Night Away.

Saturday night is music night on this blog. What a fantastic week for low carb high fat. The gig is up for the high sugar high starch mobs. Keep kicking butt my friends. Eddie

DCUK Member makes medical history !

Over at the forum of fun we believe a medical phenomena has taken place. Today the member Rockape671 stated “my cholesterol went from 9.3 to 3.3 when I went from a very low carb diet to a 'medium' carb diet.”

Another member asked “any idea what the HDL/LDL is, and your triglycerides?”

Followed by Rockape671 stating “HDL went from 1.5 to 1.32 LDL 'no result' then 1.7 Triglycerides 1.3 to 0.6”

This data has got the worlds leading scientists and physicians in a tail spin. Never before has a man dropped 6 full points in total cholesterol by diet alone, let alone increasing his carb intake.

Professor N J Knobheadski head of research at the Broadmore institute of research was left agog when he heard the news. “ We never got a six point reduction in total cholesterol even when we fed four pounds of statins a day to participants in our Go For It Trial, the best we managed was five full points and most of the participants croaked.”

This blog is a bull shit free zone

So there you have it folks. As I often say, welcome to the crazy world of diabetes. And it don’t get any crazier than at DCUK.

Eddie

Link to the amazing information here.

Fat pledge by top food makers 'a drop in the ocean' BS Brigade out in force !

"A pledge by food manufacturers to cut saturated fat levels is a "drop in the ocean" in the fight against obesity, a top public health expert says.

The commitment is part of the voluntary "responsibility deal" between industry and government.

But Prof John Ashton, president of the Faculty of Public Health, said the approach "lacked credibility".

Among those who will change recipes are Morrisons, Subway and Nestle - who are to alter the make-up of KitKats. (and add even more sugar)

The average man should eat no more than 30g of saturated fat a day, while the average woman should eat no more than 20g.

Most people eat about 20% more than the recommended levels - and a survey of 2,000 people for Sainsbury's found 84% of those questioned did not know how much saturated fat was a healthy amount.

Public health minister Jane Ellison said it was "hugely encouraging" that so many companies had committed to this new pledge.

And Prof Susan Jebb, chairwoman of the Responsibility Deal Food Network, said: "These commitments to help reduce saturated fat are an important step forward."

Writing in the British Medical Journal, Dr Aseem Malhotra said there was too much focus on the fat with other factors such as sugar often overlooked.

However Victoria Taylor, senior dietitian at the British Heart Foundation,(on the Flora margarine payroll) said: "Cutting back on saturated fat is one way to keep your cholesterol on track.

"It's really important to keep an eye on our cholesterol levels, as we know that high cholesterol raises the risk of coronary heart disease.

"By reducing the amount of saturated fat in everyday foods, these manufacturers and retailers are helping us to lower our intake. "

THIS IN THE UK IS KNOWN AS TOTAL BOLLOCKS !

As you can see the bull shit brigade are out in force. All over the world this week people have been speaking loudly and have clearly had enough of the dietary lunacy. People know it's sugars and starches and factory made junk that is wrecking millions of peoples health. The gig is up for the junk food mobs and what happens ? They start kicking saturated fat to death.

We must keep the momentum going, post on every site that people read, post anywhere you can, spread the word WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE BEEN FED LIES along with junk food, fight as hard as you can for the truth. Don't forget the bull shit brigade are going to throw £/$ billions at people like us to keep the greatest lies in the history of the human race going.

AS ALWAYS FOLLOW THE MONEY

Who are THE Responsibility Deal Food Network.

Link to all the usual suspects here.

Eddie words in brackets mine.

Link to the BS here.

Who is this crazy SOB ?

Around four years ago and after too much booze on a Saturday night one of my kids videoed this in our photographic studio. No script and one edit. Since those days I have become even madder, just ask Jan. Eddie

This is a vid I made in our music studio, barking mad or what ?

Sugar: Sweet With a Bitter Aftertaste (Credit Suisse Research)

Published on 21 Oct 2013

Sugar may be sweet, but excess consumption leaves a bitter aftertaste: millions of people worldwide are affected by type II diabetes or obesity, costing the global healthcare system billions of dollars every year. As the Credit Suisse Research Institute's 2013 study "Sugar: Consumption at a Crossroad" found, close to 90 percent of general practitioners in the US, Europe and Asia believe excess sugar consumption is linked to the sharp growth in these health problems.

PDF of study: https://doc.research-and-analytics.csfb.com/

Graham

This is a great product in my opinion.

This is a great product in my opinion. We have a couple of good computer systems, but like me they are getting on a bit but still useful. For whatever reason they are not the fastest machines for surfing and posting on the internet. As photographers they work perfectly for picture editing etc. but as I say for posting on blogs etc. they were getting past there sell buy dates. I went out yesterday to buy a new computer, to stop myself going completely mad and putting a fist through a monitor screen.

A great guy at PC World introduced me to this gadget. So far I am very impressed. £199 and very fast. It boots up in seconds and I can be posting on the blog within no time all. The beauty of this machine is the size of the screen and keyboard. I had tried out ipads etc. and found the screens too small and typing on screen a right palaver. If you are looking for a cost effective way to go on line and work fast this may suit you very well. Bear in mind this is not a laptop computer, you cannot load software on to it. The advantage there is nor can anyone else, so no virus protection etc.is needed.

Product description / spec

CPU, Memory and Operating System:

Intel Celeron 847 processor.
1.1GHz processor speed.
4GB RAM.
16GB hard drive.
Google Chrome OS.

Display features:

14 inch screen.

Graphics:

Shared graphics card.
Intel HD Graphics.

Interfaces and connectivity:

3 USB 2.0 ports.
1 HDMI port.
Wi-Fi enabled.

Multimedia features:

Built-in webcam.
Built-in mic.
Altec Lansing Speakers sound system.

General features:

Size H34.5, W48, D8cm.
Weight 1.8kg.
EAN/MPN/UPC/ISBN: 887758492352.

Eddie

The Eyes Have It - Introduction.

By the end of this year I shall have reached my century. No, I am not yet eligible for my 'telegram' but I shall have had my hundredth appointment at the hospital's eye clinic. Its been interesting. Really. None of my appointments has been a straightforward, routine check up - all have contained an element of stress and discomfort. I have no way of calculating the number of hours I have spent there but-never less than three and sometimes up to twelve hours when admitted for day surgery.

These visits have taken place over six years - so fairly regular and frequent. I have always taken the opportunity to talk to nurses, technicians, doctors etc. When I get home, armed with this information I do my own research. This enables me to understand the decisions I am often asked to make and to follow what is going on - to be an informed, not a passive, patient.

Its not possible to read when your eyes are dilated or after certain procedures, so as well as seeking information I also take the opportunity to try to inform less experienced patients, who are asking questions of those around them. Sometimes the nurses will ask me to speak to very nervous patients, to help reassure them.

For a few years now I have been trying to use my experience to help others whenever I see questions on various fora. and by pm. Now that retinal screening has become established and more people are experiencing diagnosis and treatment, there is both more demand for this help and more people in a position to offer it.

I don't claim any special knowledge -certainly not medical -and am fully aware that practices and opinions differ but it may be useful to some to read of my personal experiences and opinions - always bearing in mind that that is all they are.

I was referred to the eye clinic on my second visit to the GP after diagnosis. Retinal screening was in the process of being rolled out across the country but apparently my GP couldn't wait. Although I had been diagnosed only four weeks earlier I had to have an annual review and an eye test. He thought he could see something on the macular through his hand lens and managed to strain my eye muscle by forcing me to look to the right for far too long. I then had to wait for several months for the appointment while trying to come to terms with diabetes, medication, testing etc. And I was terrified, I shall never forget this period. No one explained, I knew nothing of retinopathy or what was likely to happen in the eye clinic.

Metformin caused me to suffer stroke-like symptoms yet I was told I must continue with it and I was too ill to argue. All I knew was that diabetes was said to lead to blindness in some cases. When I hear people complaining about the inadequacy of the screening programme -and- there are problems with all screening programmes - I am just pleased that they are at least carried out by qualified opticians.

The one thing I do not understand is the fuss made by some over the use of dilating drops. Why would anyone want to refuse them ? A tiny percentage of patients may be allergic or sensitive but there are always alternatives. The point is that everyone I have spoken to in the hospital - biometrists, doctors, opticians and consultants all consider the retinal photo to be useless if the pupil is not dilated. Why would anyone bother to attend for a test which could be entirely meaningless because the pupil was not dilated ? Minor changes could easily be missed. The main use of the retinal photo is for purposes of comparison. It is carried out only once a year. Really People - get over it. Diabetic retinal checks are not the only occasions these drops are used, after all. I think the NHS should refuse to pay when pupils are not dilated as its just a waste of money. Why take the chance? I hear people saying that their vision is fine so that they are confident they can't have a problem. Very often there are no signs. I have suffered massive bleeds behind my eyes and been totally unaware of any problem.

Who are you cheating by refusing dilating drops? Only yourself. Some cite problems after the drops have been instilled as their reason for refusing them. There is always the human factor. I always have dilating drops on my hospital visits - sometimes twice or thrice per visit. Some nurses are expert - others not. Some drop the contents of the bottle into your eye and it takes many hours for the effects to wear off, some use exactly the right amount precisely placed and there is no problem at all. My consultant has a little metal dropper and is so gentle and precise I am not even aware it has been done. People ask why there is no measured dose - but anyone who has ever had to self - administer eye drops will understand the difficulties. Then there are the iodine drops, of course - but that's for another time..........

Next time I shall write about what to expect if you should be referred to an eye clinic, a terrifying thought for many but also something which raises unrealistic expectations.

Kath

Higher cholesterol levels associated with improved outcomes in stroke !

I recently came across a new study that assessed the relationship between cholesterol levels and stroke. In it, researchers assessed the relationship between cholesterol levels in those who had suffered an ischaemic stroke and their survival over time. Individuals were classified as either having ‘high’ cholesterol (> 4.6 mmol/L/178 mg/dl) or ‘low’ cholesterol (levels lower than this), and survival was assessed 3 months, 1 year and 5 years later [4].

For those with low cholesterol, overall survival at these respective time points were 92, 87, 57 per cent. Survival for those with high cholesterol was significantly better, though: 100, 98, 84 per cent respectively. Overall, lower levels of cholesterol were associated with an increase in risk of death of about 90 per cent.

From Dr.Briffa's blog full article here.

Eddie

Metabolism 'obesity excuse' true !

The mocked "obesity excuse" of being born with a slow metabolism is actually true for some people, say researchers.

A team at the University of Cambridge has found the first proof that mutated DNA does indeed slow metabolism.

The researchers say fewer than one in 100 people are affected and are often severely obese by early childhood.

The findings, published in the journal Cell, may lead to new obesity treatments even for people without the mutation.

Scientists at the Institute of Metabolic Science, in Cambridge, knew that mice born without a section of DNA, a gene called KSR2, gained weight more easily.

The Heart of the Matter - ABC (Australia) Catalyst - 24 October 2013

Credit to Dr Malcom Kendrick for posting this on his blog: http://drmalcolmkendrick.org/

BTW Graham Lisa gave me this link this morning. Thanks Lisa for being ahead of my game. Eddie

Graham

Lower Blood Sugars May Be Good for the Brain

Oct. 23, 2013 — Even for people who don’t have diabetes or high blood sugar, those with higher blood sugar levels are more likely to have memory problems, according to a new study published in the October 23, 2013, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

The study involved 141 people with an average age of 63 who did not have diabetes or pre-diabetes, which is also called impaired glucose tolerance. People who were overweight, drank more than three-and-a-half servings of alcohol per day, and those who had memory and thinking impairment were not included in the study.

The participants’ memory skills were tested, along with their blood glucose, or sugar, levels. Participants also had brain scans to measure the size of the hippocampus area of the brain, which plays an important role in memory.

People with lower blood sugar levels were more likely to have better scores on the memory tests. On a test where participants needed to recall a list of 15 words 30 minutes after hearing them, recalling fewer words was associated with higher blood sugar levels. For example, an increase of about seven mmol/mol of a long-term marker of glucose control called HbA1c went along with recalling two fewer words. People with higher blood sugar levels also had smaller volumes in the hippocampus.

“These results suggest that even for people within the normal range of blood sugar, lowering their blood sugar levels could be a promising strategy for preventing memory problems and cognitive decline as they age,” said study author Agnes Flöel, MD, of Charité University Medicine in Berlin, Germany. “Strategies such as lowering calorie intake and increasing physical activity should be tested.”

http://www.sciencedaily.com/

Wev'e long argued about the two hour post prandial NICE guidelines of 8.5 mmol/L: The following shows the effect of a one hour PP of 8.6 mmol/L on non-diabetics.

Elevated 1-Hour Postload Plasma Glucose Levels Identify With Subjects With Normal Glucose Tolerance

http://jcem.endojournals.org/

Graham