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Do Low Carb High Fat Diets Lead to an Early Death?

Tiffiny

Do Low Carb High Fat Diets Lead to an Early Death?

There seems to be quite the uproar in the medical community right now in relation to an article published in the Lancet claiming that “Both high and low percentages of carbohydrate diets were associated with increased mortality, with minimal risk observed at 50–55% carbohydrate intake.” So, if you eat low carb, you will die sooner.

As you can imagine, this caught the attention of the Low Carb High Fat (LCHF) community. Medical experts around the globe are furious that the Lancet, a normally very reputable medical journal, allowed a study to be published that was so flawed in its collection and use of data.

Check out the Tweet by Doctor Aseem Malhotra, explaining that this article is completely false.

The full interview can be found in https://youtu.be/Ly4b-0ATbsw.

Angela A Stanton, Ph.D. is also amazed that the Lancet allowed this study to be published and points out her opinion of the flaws in this study on her blog that can be found in https://cluelessdoctors.com/2018/08/17/when-bad-science-can-harm-you/

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This video from Doctor Ken D Berry is the most comprehensive review I have seen so far: https://youtu.be/Ce6eHcUOc4s

There seems to be such a war on right now on if you should eat carbs or not. As a low carb eater, I know I have been cautioned many times from well meaning citizens about how carbs are good and we can’t be healthy without them.

Let me clear up a couple of things:

#1. I still eat carbs. I just choose to eat less carbs and I choose foods that contain less carbs. I truly believe that eating too many carbs is harmful, and I have experienced the impacts myself.

#2. I am human. I still have a treat every now and then. But for at least 80% of the time I stick to a way of eating that keeps my carbs low.

#3. You actually don’t need to eat carbs. Carbohydrates are the one macronutrient that your body can produce itself using a process called gluconeogenesis. There is another really good video on this from Dr S arah Hallberg who explains this process and more. She is part of Virta, a company that specializes in reversing Type 2 Diabetes through low carb diets.

#4. I am getting lots of fiber. Vegetables have a lot of fiber and I drink more water than ever. Everything is slipping out quite well thanks.

#5. I know how to get all the vitamins and minerals I need. I find it quite fascinating that there is currently a billion dollar industry of vitamin and mineral supplements that are “so important” for “optimal health”, yet people caution that low carb diets will require you to take supplements. Ummm…I thought we had to take them on a high carb diet too? There are many doctors out there who don’t actually believe you have to take them on either diet if you pay attention to what you eat and get proper nutrients through food. Well except for Vitamin D. Nearly all of us have to take that.

Now that we have those things out of the way, I think it is important for people to know that I am really not one of those crazy people that just jumps on the latest band wagon. I spend a lot of time doing my own research. I have a medical background (trained as a medical laboratory technician) and I have been interested in fitness and nutrition most of my life.

I truly believe that both high carb diets and low carb diets can be healthy.

For years I lived on a high carb diet, probably around 60% carbohydrates and I was ridiculously healthy. I had experimented with the Paleo diet first, but I found that it really wasn’t for me so I moved more into a way of eating that would be considered a Mediterranean style diet. I would say that I used guidance similar to that provided in this article on Best and Worst Carbs to Add to your Diet. I ate lean meat, tons of fruits and vegetables and about a thumb size of fats (olive oils, cheese, nuts) each day. If I did eat sugar, I used honey.

The reason I know that I was ridiculously healthy is because of the lab test results my husband and I received after applying for medical insurance. When the tests came back, my husband received a more expensive insurance rate, and I came back with a “super preferred” rate. My blood tests, blood pressure, weight, everything were all better than normal, which was excellent considering I was in my early 40’s.

This shocked my husband so he decided to do something about it. He began jogging and eating my diet. In only 3 months, he was able to re-take the tests and get his results down to a normal range for his age. What you put into your body matters folks! There is absolutely no doubt about that.

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You have to do what works for you.

You may ask then, if I was so healthy, why I would switch to this seemingly crazy, low carb way of eating. Well, what I didn’t add to the explanation above, is how incredibly hard I had to work to keep my weight within the normal range. Although the tests came back all rosy, in order to stay within my target weight for my height, I would have to go through cycles of starving myself and exercising a lot to keep my weight down, only to gain it back gradually and start the process all over again. I would cycle within 10-15 pounds all the time, carefully monitoring and adjusting all the time. Doesn’t that sound fun?!?!??

I feel so bad for people who don’t like eating vegetables and don’t like exercise. How can they possibly lose weight? I love vegetables and I love exercise and I still struggled to lose weight and had to focus on being careful everyday!

What I didn’t realize at the time was how my relationship with sugar, even that found naturally in honey and fruits, was causing my challenges and how it could be solved by eating a low carb diet.

My past regular cycle would go something like this:

I would start my day with a piece or two of whole wheat toast with cheese or else peanut butter and jam, or fruit and yogurt, or a smoothie, or a quick breakfast bar. By about 10:00 I would get hangry (so hungry I was angry). I would eat veggies and cottage cheese or some other protein. Lunch would be a healthly wrap with meat, cheese and lettuce, more veggies, some fruit and sometimes a cookie or one of those “100 calorie” snack packs. I would always crave food in the afternoon so would satisfy myself with healthy energy balls filled with peanut butter, dates, seeds and natural honey. Then I would be aching for food once I was home so would snack on some whole wheat crackers or some other tasty snack while I made a healthy supper of lean meat and grilled vegetables. If I was ambitious and felt like doing something special I would whip up a yummy dessert.

That doesn’t seem too bad does it? I ate mostly whole real foods. Definitely much healthier than a lot of people I know. Even though the food looks healthy, I was eating too frequently, causing insulin to constantly be in my blood stream to regulate the sugar levels and storing it as fat. The insulin (and its friend ghrelin) were there to tell me to eat more. The hormone leptin was supposed to be there to tell me to stop eating, but it must have been taking a nap. Speaking of nap, I would have a mental fog nearly every afternoon and would feel so sleepy.

Then I discovered the low carb way of eating and everything changed.

I clearly remember the first day I didn’t have a snack in the morning. I had a busy day at work and the next time I looked at the clock it was 12:00 and I had not eaten anything since breakfast. That had never happened before. I never understood how people could forget to eat, until that very moment.

Then I started to lose weight. I had my usual 15 pound target to make, so I kept with the plan until I had reached my goal. I was so excited! And then the strangest thing happened. I hopped on the scale one morning and had lost an additional 2 pounds! I had never, ever, “accidentally” lost weight before. Losing weight was always a challenge. Losing those pounds accidentally actually scared me so I started eating more on purpose until I went back up to my original target.

Then I noticed my constant level of energy. No more highs and lows. No more afternoon mental fog and sleepiness. I was just always the same. All day. I didn’t even realize how bad it was before.

Then I started to read more about Type 2 Diabetes after I did an online survey to detect my risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes. My risk was high. Even though the food I was eating was considered healthy, I was eating in a way that would lead my cells to become insulin resistant. That was the clincher and that will probably keep me eating this way for most of my life.

So will a low carb diet cause me to die early?

I am not a fortuneteller, so I guess I can’t say for sure, but I know that based on the warning signs, my family history, and my observations of people my age, that my high carb diet was definitely taking me down a dangerous path. If a low carb diet is going to prevent me from getting Type 2 Diabetes, and Type 2 Diabetes is proven to decrease your life span, then I can say that a low carb diet will give me some additional years. Are there other factors in the low carb way of eating that will cause a decrease lifespan? I haven’t found a single credible study proving so as of yet. But I will keep looking.

So what is the healthiest way to eat?

Although I am not a doctor and would never give you medical advice, from the reading and research that I have done, I would say a healthy diet is one that:

  • provides you with all the nutrients you need to feel healthy
  • keeps your waist size and visceral fat at a healthy level
  • is customized to work with your lifestyle

What more can you want than that? I hope you stay open to the options out there, take a good look at how you feel and where you want your health to be and know that you are in control of your choices.

I wish you all the best of health!

Published by Tiffiny

I am a previous sugar addict who discovered the low carb way of living and have not gone back since. I have become a certified keto coach and I dedicate much of my time to helping others discover this way of eating and how it can positively impact your health.