High-fat diet: Ketogenic diet reverses kidney damage from diabetes

The Baltimore Sun ^ | 04/21/12 | Eryn Brown

[Pining_4_TX]

A high-fat "ketogenic" diet may reverse the kidney damage caused by diabetes, a study published online Wednesday by the journal PLoS One reports.

Past research has shown that lowering blood sugar through diet can prevent kidney failure but not reverse it in patients with diabetes. Lead author Charles Mobbs, a neuroscientist at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, said that this study -- in which mice were fed a high-fat diet of 5% carbohydrate, 8% protein and a whopping 87% fat -- was the first to show that dietary intervention alone is enough to reverse kidney failure caused by diabetes.

"This finding has significant implications for the tens of thousands of Americans diagnosed with diabetic kidney failure, and possibly other complications, each year," he said.

That's hopeful news, but there's a serious problem: Following a ketogenic diet is brutal.

[DaxtonBrown]

Go Paleolitic diet, most of these problems go away.

[perfect_rovian_storm]

Believe this, because after a lifetime of trying all these stupid diets and going up and down and up and down, I've finally found the answer.

You won't like it. Nobody does. The answer is you are burning less calories than you are taking in. Period. Doesn't matter what the calories are. That's the problem.

So, how do we solve the problem? That probably varies from person to person, but I'm a guy who can convince myself to follow a plan based on a guaranteed outcome.

How do we guarantee the outcome you ask? Follow these simple steps:

1) Go here and put in your weight, height, etc. (Don't lie here, because you'll be sorry later if you do. Get on the scale and do it right.)

2) Get a smartphone or a tablet or some mobile device. You can do it on the home computer, but it's better if it is mobile, so you can find out how many calories are in whatever you might come across.

3) Search for 'calorie counter' in whatever app store/market you have on your device and download it. I like the one from FatSecret, but others do well with MyFitnessPal. Either app will not only allow you to count calories, but it has a large database of foods and ingredients, including the entire menu of most major chain restaurants and fast food places. (Yes, I said fast food. I never ate fast food before I did this, but I do now all the time. It's in moderation, of course, because that's the whole point. It's all about portion control.)

4) Go back to the first step and put in your goal weight instead of your current weight. The number that it pops out is the number that you have to come in under after you are done in order to not lose weight. You'll need to count calories for the rest of your life, but you'll know where you stand.

You are now in possession of all the information necessary to lose all the weight you want. And if you stick to your plan there is NO WAY TO FAIL. That's right. No failure. No plateaus. No waking up one day having gained a bunch of weight back. No old habits creeping back. All that crap is out the window.

I've got everyone I know doing this since they saw the drastic change in me. I'll never go back to being the way I was, because there isn't any reason to. I can have whatever I want to eat, but I just have to control how much I take in.

For confirmation, here is another guy who did the same exact thing.

http://consumerist.com/2009/07/how-i-lost-1004-pounds-in-6-months.html

It is possible (and safe...don't listen to the idiots who enjoy 'managing' fat people. Not a one of them would know a fact if it crawled up their *** and died there.) to lose 100lbs in 6 months.

[Pelham]

I’ve been eating a high fat, very low simple-carbohydrate diet for months. Something along this line:

http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf

I eat all that I want any time that I want. This isn’t a calorie restriction diet. Although I haven’t bothered to measure it my calorie intake has to be much higher than what it used to be. I eat all the fats, protein, fresh fruit, and fresh non-starchy vegetables that I want. I just avoid as many sugars and starches as possible. The only bread I use is sprouted-grain, which is kind of dry so I’m not inclined to eat too much of it.

I have a physical job and this diet keeps my energy level high. I don’t get hungry. My weight is stable, waistline is smaller, clothes fit better. Eating simple carbs makes me fat, and eating fats seems to make me lean. Go figure.

I avoid low fat foods. For a snack I’ll take plain, whole milk yogurt and mix in some half and half or whipping cream to boost the fat content. Chop up an apple and eat it with some high-fat cheese. I’m sure the low-fat crowd would faint in horror, convinced that this would kill them as fast as strychnine.

The last time I had blood work done everything was great. Cholesterol was on the high side, but that is mostly because my good cholesterol is very high.

[Talisker]

Honestly, I don't know what to believe any more. I've tried low carb and low cal/low fat, but I can't stick with any of them. We have 2 camps giving completely opposite advice, and they each have studies to back up their claims.

Buy the book "Eating Alive."

You're welcome : )

[BlackVeil]

Try to increase your level of exercise. Also, when wanting carbs - take a few in a measured, moderate way. Don’t be disheartened, you can succeed and lighten up physically.

[calex59]

That I’m weak and deserve nothing but contempt? Was that your point? Thanks, I sure needed that.

I have found that if I try to stay on the extremely low carbs it eventually overwhelms me also. What I found was that I eat less carbs than I normally would but I don't go to the point where I crave them absolutely. I gradually reduce them to the point where I start craving them and then increase them a little at a time until the craving stops. Usually I lose weight at that point.

BTW, the other guy who mouthed off is probably one of those skinny jerks who never has to worry about losing weight and thinks it is easy, simply because he has a different body type. Many people are still under the mistaken impression that all fat people are fat because they over eat and that is just BS. Yes, some fat people over eat but many simply gain weight even when they eat a very moderate amount.

I am one of them but fortunately I have found out how to control my weight, works for me but probably not for everyone. That is what is the matter with most weight loss programs, there is no "one program fits all" out there.

If you are rich and can afford Jenny Craig, that seems to work for most people but like a lot of diets, once you reach your goal weight and come off of it, you gain it back. So you are stuck with paying Jenny Craig for life if you want to stay slim.

[theKid51]

ping

[Rightwing Conspiratr1]

Buy the book "Eating Alive." Is it a better diet than the one in the book "Alive"? ;-)

[OhhTee5]

The best book I ever read was Fit For Life, by Harvey & Marilyn Diamond. Harvey Diamond has an updated version recently out. It’s good, but I feel the original does a better job.

By the way, our closest animal relatives are monkeys, etc. what do they eat in the wild? Might be a clue as to what we should be eating.

[Flyover027]

I very rarely post a reply but I’ll do it here because I finally discovered an amazing diet and one that ironically is consistent with the findings of the article here. It’s called The Harcombe Diet. Zoe Harcombe is a British nutritionist who has taken on all the ‘myths’ of the diet industry and proved them wrong. For the record, I tried Atkins, I tried calories counting, carb counting, you name it..Since December 5th I have lost 47 pounds in 17 weeks on ths diet. It works, I’m never hungry and I eat a lot of things that I love like..bacon, steak, lotsa butter, cheese, salads.And believe it or not a certain amount of carbs (more than Atkins) are allowed on this diet. It’s too lengthy to get into the details so just Google ‘Harcombe Diet’ and there’s plenty of info. Best wishes from a thinner and happier guy.

[georgiabelle]

BTTT

[coop71]

I love to eat (think volume!) but low-carb and low-fat/low cal left me craving more food and I was always hungry. I switched it up: now I stuff my face with veggies and a bit of meat, a few fruits (low glycemic index ones), some nuts and a bit of dairy. The cravings stopped. Cold. No processed junk either. I can eat all I want when I want. It just needs to be vegetables. I also avoid soda (diet or otherwise) and I always have meals planned and available so I’m not stuck with bad choices.

All the different diets and scientific findings can be frustrating and so confusing. Just go with simple common sense. Veggies are low cal, contain healthy carbs, and there has never been a doubt that they are good for you. Especially green cruciferous veggies. Most fruit is questionable because it’s bred to be super sweet...go with berries and other low glycemic index choices. Have one or two a day. Meat? Stick with chicken, turkey and seafood but if you want a steak, go for it. Just make veggies the bulk of your food for the day. Avoid processed junk all together and try to eat whole foods. Ignore all the fads.

[palmer]

Unless you are measuring the calories you excrete (with a calorimeter) then your calculation is missing a critical factor. Also the the form of the calories matter, the biggest distinction being how they are absorbed. For example you could have a diet of pure oil, high in calories, but lose weight even doing no exercise at all. That’s because the oil won’t be digestable and won’t be absorbed. (you would also slowly starve to death)

[Pining_4_TX]

Thank you all for your help. This really does give me some direction and new things to try. I appreciate it very much!

[gleeaikin]

The critical item in Atkins is to eat no more than 20 grams of carb. You can google this for vegetables, and most packaged stuff has a carb count listed on it. Also take some good well balanced vitamins along with the diet.

I had a 60 year old friend diagnosed with diabetes and they wanted him to go on medication. He called me and I recommended a diet with several salads a day, and lean fish, fowl and meat, oil and vineger dressing, and after a few weeks a small piece of fruit or small potato per day. He did that, lost about 30 lbs (he was a big man) and the doctor said he didn’t need to go on medication.

You might also want to look into fasting a few days a month, but research this and talk with your doctor.

There have been studies using whole grains, fruits and vegetables that also show weight loss, but I think the very low carb diets work the fastest. It takes about 48 hours for the ketogenic effect to kick in and then you feel very little in the way of hunger as your body starts to metabolize the fat for energy. Just remember the 8 glasses of water a day to flush the system.

[gleeaikin]

I’m glad this works for you. The exercise is important. If you had a less active life, you would probably need to reduce the fat content a little.

[gleeaikin]

I was referring to a situation in which you are already at a reasonable weight, but want to indulge occasionally.

[Pelham]

“The exercise is important.”

Probably. I hate to think so because I regard exercise as a necessary evil of my job that intrudes on my otherwise lazy lifestyle. I was recently on vacation for a week and did as little as possible, other than to eat more often than usual. The fact that I didn’t gain a pound really surprised me.

[Bellflower]

MSG and some other food additives is a huge contributing factor as to why so many Americans are so fat and have such a hard time losing weight. This article, excerpted below, is worth reading. After reading it go to the home page and see how many different names MSG goes by in food and why it is also bad for us in many other ways. Also, there is good fat and bad fat. Fats such as canola and soy is very fattening and also contributes to the development of fatty tumors. If we would go back to eating foods as God intended them to be rather than all of the chemicals and additives we all would feel better, be healthier and find out, again, what truly good food taste like.

http://truthinlabeling.org/Obesity_Data.html

MSG and OBESITY

The human body is a wonderful thing. There are systems working together that create checks and balances to keep us well – or to fight disease should we encounter it. Obesity happens when one or more of those systems is not working. It can happen when stress or depression throw the endocrine system off balance, and there is loss of appetite control. It can happen when there is an injury (a blow to the head for example), that disrupts the endocrine system. And it can happen when MSG is fed to the unborn and the very young – fed to them before their blood brain barriers are well enough developed to protect the brain cells destined to control endocrine function later in life. There are actually two separate and possibly distinct paths through which MSG-induced obesity can thrive. In the first, MSG moves through the incomplete (immature) blood-brain-barrier in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus of the unborn and very young, and kills brain cells (neurons), causing permanent damage to the endocrine system that controls appetite. In other words, when delivered to the fetus in utero and/or fed to the very young, MSG produces brain damage that damages the endocrine system and causes obesity as children approach maturity. Diet and exercise will do little of a permanent nature for a person whose endocrine system has been damaged in this way.

If that isn't bad enough, in both children and adults continuous ingestion of MSG will raise some hormone levels, including levels of the hormone insulin. When the insulin level is raised, the glucose level is lowered, which is the body’s signal to eat more food in order to raise (balance) the glucose level. With the brain signaling the body to consume more food, diet and exercise have little chance of controlling weight gain without a permanent highly restrictive diet.......