You might wish to read Life Without Bread: How a Low-Carbohydrate Diet Can
Save Your Life
by Christian B. Allan, Wolfgang Lutz

You might also want to read articles linked from this page:

http://www.lowcarbresearch.org/lcr/results.asp

My Cholestrol dropped 50 points eating the low carb diet. I am quite
strict on cheating though. Also, my triglycerides dropped from 731 to
137 in 90 days. My Hemoglobin A1C results dropped from 10.9% to 5.2% in
that same 90 days.

Do not let the Low Fat Wacko's sway you. It works and It's Safe if you
don't cheat.

Chose a way of eating, But Only One, Fat or Carbs, just not both. Low
fat will reduce your cholestrol too, just increases your waste line :)

I've been LCing for 5 1/2 years.

Because of various health concerns, mainly concerned to pre-existing
kidney damage, I have a series of blood tests done every 6 months.

My cholesterol has remained stable.  My liver function has remained
stable.  My kidney function improved DRAMATICALLY and went from badly
compromised to mid-point normal within 12 months and has remained
there.

I have developed diabetes since starting LC ***BUT*** I was borderline
diabetic when I started and my doctor expected I'd be 'over the line'
within 6 - 12 months.  It actually took 3 years, and my HbA1C got into
near-normal levels almost immediately and has stayed there.

My asthma has improved a lot.  My joint pain is almost non-existant.
Before starting LC I found any exercise difficult, now I walk about an
hour most days, and hit the pool for aquarobics twice a week and the
gym twice a week.

If this is cause for concern over my health, I'll take it!

Aramanth
LC since May 29th, 1998

And quit calling it a freaking HIGH FAT diet. Initially it got pushed like
that but there are PLENTY of low fat ways to low carb and even Dr Atkin's
realized that at some point.
You cannot consider this a *diet* in that it would be something you do to
lose weight and then *go off* it. That will just make you fat again. I has
got to be a LIFESTYLE CHANGE for the REST OF YOUR LIFE or there is no point
to even bothering. It is not a race where you get to *the end* and then you
can quit running.

Teeb

I have not seen any evidence that a very high fat, low carb diet is
safe in general. That does not imply that it is necessarily unsafe,
just that we need to be cautious.

There is some low quality evidence (epidemiological studies) pointing
out that there may be risk associated with high fat diets. These
studies though point out correlations that do not imply causation. But
there is plenty of such studies finding such correlations for various
populations, etc, so they need to be given some consideration.

I am looking at safety of a diet that is followed for decades, not for
1-3 year long studies.

Personally, after having lost weight, I try to make sure that I eat
good carbs, and even those, in moderation. No junk food, limited
quantity of flour and potatoes, etc. I try to get most of my carbs
from vegetables and a bit of fruits.

Also, there are good fats and not so good fats. Fats cooked at high
temperatures are doubtless harmful for health due to their well
established carcinogenic properties. It is a good idea to obtain a
good quantity of fat from fish and plant sources. (nuts, etc)

i
223/177/180

wendy,
what LC WOE have you chosen?
do you have the book yet?

I felt pretty bad while doing a low fat diet, to the point of even
feeling the odd  tightness in my chest..  I've been low carbing for a
little over four months now..I just got my cholesterol numbers back,
and they have gone from 6.1 down to 4.9, while my triglycerides have
gone from 1.2 down to 0.5.  So, if you believe cholesterol is an
indication of cadiovascular health, then mine has gotten much, much
better by eating low carb (granted I've lost 30 lbs this way, and that
has a big impact on cholesterol as well).

Sure.  Whoever is telling you this nonsense is clueless.  Maybe they are
sincerely repeating falsehoods they heard.  Maybe they are just trying
to sabotage you.

Correct.  High fat is good for you.  It is the cause of several of the
benefits of the plan.

Correct.  It is the cause of the rest of the benefits.

Absolute nonsense.  Dr Atkins was a cardiologist who developed to process
for his heart patients.  And he was so healthy on his own plan that he
had to slip on the ice and bash his head to die.  While walking to work
because he go too much pleasure from working that he didn't feel like
retiring.

Absolute nonsense.  The usual lie is it is bad for your kidneys.  Whoever
repeated the story too you couldn't even get the right organ.  But anyways,
no cases of kidney damage have ever been reported by anyone who started
with healthy kidneys and followed the directions.

Think about it.  You wrote: "I have never felt better in my life".  How
could that possibly jive with a shortened lifespan.

Somebody flunked freshmen biochemistry.  The reasons low carbing lower
cholesterol are basic biochem.  In fact it lowers cholesterol in about 80%
of people after 6+ months on the process.

Don't forget blood pressure.  Curing high blood pressure is one of the
most common results.