Some Low Carb Reading 4 U

  I've been involved in a spirited discussion about the positive benefits of eating low/lower carb on another forum. I thought you might enjoy checking out some of the following articles. I think many of them are available online- the rest you should be able to read in the public library through Medline.  In some circles, the dietary lifestyles advocated by Drs. Bernstein and Atkins are considered to be on the fringe. It helps to have convincing  scientific evidence that supports their work. I plan to share this with my doctor when I go for my next evaluation. sandy Boden G, Sargrad K, Homko C, Mozzoli M, Stein TP: Effect of a low-carbohydrate diet on appetite, blood glucose levels, and insulin resistance in obese patients with type 2 diabetes. Ann Intern Med 2005, 142(6):403-411. Gannon MC, Nuttall FQ: Effect of a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet on blood glucose control in people with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes 2004, 53(9):2375-2382. Velasquez-Mieyer PA, Cowan PA, Arheart KL, Buffington CK, Spencer KA, Connelly BE, Cowan GW, Lustig RH: Suppression of insulin secretion is associated with weight loss and altered macronutrient intake and preference in a subset of obese adults. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2003, 27(2):219-226. Volek JS, Feinman RD : Carbohydrate restriction improves the features of Metabolic Syndrome. Metabolic Syndrome may be defined by the response to carbohydrate restriction. Nutr Metab (Lond) 2005, 2:31. Volek JS, Forsythe CE: The case for not restricting saturated fat on a low carbohydrate diet. Nutr Metab (Lond) 2005, 2:21.   Volek JS, Sharman MJ, Forsythe CE: Modification of lipoproteins by very low-carbohydrate diets. J Nutr 2005, 135(6):1339-1342.   Westman EC: Is dietary carbohydrate essential for human nutrition? Am J Clin Nutr 2002, 75(5):951-953; author reply 953-954.   Yancy WS, Jr., Foy M, Chalecki AM, Vernon MC, Westman EC: A low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet to treat type 2 diabetes. Nutr Metab (Lond) 2005, 2:34.   Allick G, Bisschop PH, Ackermans MT , Endert E, Meijer AJ, Kuipers F, Sauerwein HP, Romijn JA: A low-carbohydrate/high-fat diet improves glucoregulation in type 2 diabetes mellitus by reducing postabsorptive glycogenolysis. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2004, 89(12):6193-6197.   Dashti HM, Mathew TC, Khadada M, Al-Mousawi M, Talib H, Asfar SK , Behbahani AI, Al-Zaid NS : Beneficial effects of ketogenic diet in obese diabetic subjects. Mol Cell Biochem 2007.   Dreon DM, Fernstrom HA, Campos H, Blanche P, Williams PT, Krauss RM: Change in dietary saturated fat intake is correlated with change in mass of large low-density-lipoprotein particles in men. Am J Clin Nutr 1998, 67(5):828-836. Feinman RD , Volek JS: Low carbohydrate diets improve atherogenic dyslipidemia even in the absence of weight loss. Nutr Metab (Lond) 2006, 3:24.   Garg A, Bantle JP, Henry RR, Coulston AM, Griver KA, Raatz SK, Brinkley L, Chen YD, Grundy SM, Huet BA et al: Effects of varying carbohydrate content of diet in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Jama 1994, 271(1:1421-1428.   Layman DK, Boileau RA, Erickson DJ, Painter JE, Shiue H, Sather C, Christou DD: A reduced ratio of dietary carbohydrate to protein improves body composition and blood lipid profiles during weight loss in adult women. J Nutr 2003, 133(2):411-417. Mozaffarian D, Rimm EB, Herrington DM: Dietary fats, carbohydrate, and progression of coronary atherosclerosis in postmenopausal women. Am J Clin Nutr 2004, 80(5):1175-1184.   Nielsen JV, Joensson EA: Low-carbohydrate diet in type 2 diabetes. Stable improvement of bodyweight and glycaemic control during 22 months follow-up. Nutr Metab (Lond) 2006, 3(1):22. Reaven GM: Effect of dietary carbohydrate on the metabolism of patients with non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. Nutr Rev 1986, 44(2):65-73.

Thanks Lanie,

There's a good trail of these studies that go back to the 70's- I was trying to stick to more current titles in my argument. I find it just amazing how people can continue to live with their heads buried in the sand despite a growing body of evidence. As for the ADA, a good percentage of their funding comes from drug companies- it's in their best interest to keep us addicted. I'm sure that's cynical-but they do not seem to be interested in advertising and pushing low/lower carb eating and exercise as a good solution to sugar control. sandy

Fergusc

I hope the articles help you make your point- there are plenty of additional references in the citations sections too.

I can remember that when Atkins popularized low carbing back in the 70's, several people died from kidney complications. The earliest Atkins diet was virtually carb free- esp in the Induction phase (I think I may still have a copy of his first book)- so the diet received a lot of negative press. I 'd be willing to wager that those folks had underlying kidney problems that contributed to their untimely demise- but the Atkins diet was blamed. To this day- if you mention that you are low carbing- people will talk about how you're ruining your kidneys.

Around the same time- fats  and eggs became the devil- so low fat dieting became all the rage- despite the fact that Mickey D's and the other fast food places were on the rise. (Do as I say, not as I do...?)

I find that many people in other diabetes arenas are almost violently opposed to low carbing, consider Bernstein and Atkins to be the brothers of the devil, and are willing to spend endless hours telling me how misguided I am and I'm not even close to being a low carber by Bernstein's definition. I'm bringing some of these articles to my next support group meeting. Several people are interesting in reducing their carbs but the CDE has them convinced that if they do so- the next step is dialysis. The fact that they are maxxed out on their orals and have to keep upping their insulin is irrelevant. She's got all the info about new drugs coming down the pipeline, recipes that average 45-60 carbs per serving ( holiday specials!), and samples of fake sugars- but nothing about exercise (the older ladies don't like it) and eating better. It just incites me...

sandy

Sorry Jeannie-

Didn't mean to get you all riled up   I absolutely agree with you on the food/carb thing- do you know how difficult it is to find non-carb + non meat protein sources when you travel? I do- lol

 I have never used processed foods and usually do my shopping at farmer's markets (in Rochester, NY- we had a year round public market), and co-ops but I hit the grocery chains for paper goods and soaps etc. I am always totally amazed at the garbage people put in their carts- I can't cut coupons because my foods are almost never featured- and I never had the money or desire to overpay for a box of cookies- when those lunchables came out- I thanked God every night that there was no vegetarian option bec my kids wanted to eat from the cute boxes like their friends-

There is a lot of bias against low carb diets- a lot of unfounded 'facts' that worked their way into the media, myths that get perpetrated - doctors who advise their patients against low carbing- CDEs who preach the ADA way- it's all 'he said-she said' unless you are armed with evidence that the listener will agree is valid. It's not me and how lower carbing has helped me control my numbers, it's me + the experts and the scientific evidence that takes the wind out of their sails.  I challenged the CDE moderator to bring her credible evidence to our discussion- we'll see if she found something. I looked and didn't find but 1 or 2 older studies that told how the magic 130 gram/day of carb number was derived- I'll bet she comes with magazine articles and textbooks (I'm hoping! I love a great discussion)

sandy