Meat-heavy low-carb diets can 'shorten lifespan': study

Daily Mail ^ | August 16, 2018 | AFP

[fireman15]

Middle-aged people who get roughly half their daily calories from carbohydrates live several years longer on average than those with meat-heavy low-carb diets, researchers reported Friday. The findings, published in The Lancet medical journal, challenge a trend in Europe and North America toward so-called Paleo diets that shun carbohydrates in favour of animal protein and fat. Proponents of these "Stone Age" diets argue that the rapid shift 10,000 years ago -- with the advent of agriculture -- to grains, dairy and legumes has not allowed the human body enough time to adapt to these high-carb foods. For the study, receiving less than 40 percent of total energy intake from carbohydrates qualified as a low-carb regimen, though many such diets reduce the share to 20 percent or less. At the other extreme, a 70 percent or higher share of carbohydrates -- such as pasta, rice, cakes, sugary drinks -- can also reduce longevity, but by far less, the scientists found. "Low-carb diets that replace carbohydrates with protein or fat are gaining widespread popularity as a health and weight loss strategy," said lead author Sara Seidelmann, a researcher at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. "However, our data suggests that animal-based low carbohydrate diets might be associated with shorter overall lifespan and should be discouraged." Replacing meat with plant-based fats (such as avocados and nuts) and proteins (such as soy products and lentils) reduces the risk of mortality, Seidelmann and her team found. The optimal balance of food groups for longevity remains hotly debated. Many studies have concluded that eating carbohydrates in moderation -- 45 to 55 percent of total calorie intake -- is best, but others report improved short-term, cardio-metabolic health with high-protein, high-fat diets.

[Yaelle]

Yes, now that we can dna the little critters we can learn how important the bacteria in us actually are. What I love is how they are healing mental illnesses with diet (diet meaning what we ingest, but paying attention to what we eat to feed THEM.).

I found it out the hard way 5 years ago by being overrun in my gut by a bad bacteria, and finally healed it after 8 or 9 months of suffering. A boba drink was my first clue. For real. My first symptom free day was after drinking one filled with the little tapioca balls, too much sugar of course, but the wonderful starches did their thing. Then I got on a soil based probiotic and healed, and started learning. There is so much new science in the field, dealing with gut bacteria, that what they are teaching in nutrition programs is woefully outdated.

[Songcraft]

Thanks very much for your detailed answer, TheStickman.   That sounds like a very interesting approach to eating.

I had to leave for a while, but I've just scanned through the rest of the thread, and didn't notice if you posted this information here already, but a couple additional questions occurred to me.   Do you take any vitamins, or any kind of supplements on your plan?   Did you ever have any problem with blood sugar levels, and, if so, has this eating plan corrected that?   And, finally, a delicate question, does no-carb (no veggies) cause any problem with "regularity"?

Thanks again for any information you can supply.   I truly appreciate it.

[Levy78]

You got it 100% right. Carbs are super inflammatory, cause numerous health ailments (phycial and mental). With no inflammation in the arteries, the cholesterol runs right through. Sugar is garbage and should never be consumed when refined.

[Songcraft]

They're even pushing "low-carb" beers now, but I can't personally vouch for how any of them taste, or what they do to you.       :-)

       

[Songcraft]

Someone should find out what the heck Methuselah ate, as he lived to be 969.   (Baked mastodon?)      :-)

[CodeToad]

I knew a 40 year old vegan that never had meat in his life. He didn’t make 41.

[Grimmy]

I call shenanigans on the “report” and it’s “science”.

The low carb thing is relatively new. There hasn’t been enough time for a study on the effects of those who start in middle age.

Remember when more than one egg a week would kill you dead from cholesterol? Or when margarine would save you but butter would end you? etc. So on. So forth.

“Dietary Science” has been as much about science as Wemyns Studies for several decades now.

[SE Mom]

Ahhh...this seems reasonable.

[SoCal Pubbie]

Lighten up, Francis.

[TheStickman]

I do not take any supplements. No vitamins of any kind.

I plan on getting a blood test at the 6 month mark. I feel amazing. Zero digestive issues. Zero joint pain. Just walking around feels wonderful.

2 years ago I has started slipping on the low carb diet for a time & that’s when I learned I was not only pre-diabetic but also had hypothyroidism. I know to a certainty the hypothyroidism is gone because I know longer have those symptoms. I’m not concerned at all at this point because of how good I feel.

I have zero regularity problems. Our bodies absorb meat almost entirely in our small intestine. Observe any person with a colostomy bag & if they just eat meat you will find there is minimal physical waste & much of that is fluid. I just go 2-3 times a week now & I don’t produce as much waste when I do. I have zero bloating. Zero digestive discomfort of any kind.

My plan is to eat this way till the day I die. There is no food more nutrient dense on the plant than meat. Why ever eat anything else?

[TheStickman]

Maybe you don’t know as much as you think you do.

http://meatheals.com/category/gout/

[CJ Wolf]

Dang if I switch to butt select 55 I could probably drink an 18 pack and still lose weight. Not sure if I would want to drink it though.

[SoCal Pubbie]

You don’t have gout just in your big toe. You might exhibit symtoms there first, as I did, but gout is in the bloodstream. The reason it often manifests in the big toe first is because gravity tends to force the crystals to settle there.

So here we have a 230 pound female who lost weight on a meat heavy diet. Since I’ve never argued that was not possible, I haven’t learned anything that I didn’t already know. By losing weight, she appears to have reduced her symptoms of gout, if she in fact was actually diagnosed via a blood test to confirm high uric acid levels. Since she does not mention taking allopurinol. I’m guessing she wasn’t.

[A_perfect_lady]

I’ve noticed a recent trend around here toward the alinskyite tactic of dropping all pretext of intellectual debate and resorting to mocking the target,

I was watching this little spat quietly till now, but I have to say, you kind of started it on post #98 with that "you clearly don't have a clue" remark.

[yuleeyahoo]

I have been doing high fat / low carb for over a year now. The results?

Weight from 245 to 155
Blood sugar from 340+ to <100
Joint pain completely gone
Gingivitis completely gone
Psoriasis greatly reduced

Overall health greatly improved.

[BobL]

“IMO, one of the biggest lies in life today is the Standard America Diet.”

It is, but Big Ag and Big Drug and Big Doctor, they’re all like the Deep State. They will deny as long as they can, and if people continue to get sick, lose limbs, lose eyesight, and then die early - SO BE IT, as far as they’re concerned...they have retirements to worry about.

[TheStickman]

Congrats!!!

[Songcraft]

Thanks again for the additional information.   Your eating plan sounds like it is certainly worth looking into.   (I hope you will post again, and give us all an update here when you get that 6-month blood test, and let us know if you're still doing it, and how it's working out.)

[Songcraft]

"Chug-a-Lug"

[Songcraft]

Don't mean to become annoying with all these questions, but I'm interested in learning more about your eating program.   A few more questions popped into my head after I asked the last ones, so I hope you don't mind my asking a few more.

• Can you drink apple cider vinegar with water on your plan?

• Can you drink lemon juice with water, and lime juice with water?

• Can you drink coffee & tea, or any other drinks besides just plain water? (Do you usually drink a lot of water every day?)

• Does your plan completely eliminate the use of herbs & spices, and edible seeds like hemp seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds, psyllium husks, and other stuff like that?

• Do you use any/lots of extra salt on your meat, or in your water?

Thanks again for your answers, TheStickman, and for your patience.