LCHF

[satum1954]

I am diabetic type 2 and heart patient. Is LCHF diet safe for me? What's the effect on lipids and BP? Thanks.

[Diab2]

Are you on statin / blood thinner? LCHF - 60:20:20 will help you improve on lipids! But do not stop medicines till you improve on test reports and consult to your Doc!

[TheAwfulToad]

Yes it is safe, but you DO need your doctor's advice to adjust medications. Do not attempt to do it without his advice. That's not because LCHF is inherently dangerous, but it'll cause problems if the drugs are messing with your body's attempt to adapt to it. Statins, diuretics, and insulin will all have detrimental effects. All of those drugs are designed to counter the damage done by a high-carb diet and have no purpose when you reduce your carb intake to a minimal level.

If you doctor tells you you'll die if you eat LCHF, find a different doctor. Many of them quietly support LCHF for managing chronic disease but have to be softly-softly about it: unless things have recently changed, their practice bonus depends on diagnosing a certain quota of people with hypercholesterolemia and putting them on statins (I'm not making this up - your doctor might tell you outright if you ask him). Curing people, by definition, will result in them not meeting their quota.

You can expect your blood lipid profile to improve dramatically on LCHF. Most people also report a positive effect on BP over the long-term too.

Having said that, LCHF isn't a magic bullet. One of the best things you can do for your health is to exercise. If you have a sedentary job, even getting up and moving around every 20 minutes can make a big difference to your health.