Fasting can Save Your Life?

[andyswarbs]

A video has just come out by Dr Alan Goldhammer on this subject. I hope it helps those interested in the subject. youtube.com/watch?v=fB-sJQM...(Not working as expected?)

[S11m Volunteer 70lb IF20]

Thanks, andyswarbs , this is interesting.

I agree with most of what he says, but my internet searches indicate:

High cholesterol is not generally bad (and statins have no net benefit).

The human diet requirement for carbohydrates is zero.

We need salt - the most serious condition in his study was salt deficiency... do they not give their fasters mineral supplements?

Some studies indicate that low blood pressure is bad - but I do not know if this is only when it is caused by drugs. (My bp is 108/70, and this is low, but I do not know if my GP thought it is sub-optimal, or just lower than average for a 70-year-old.)

[andyswarbs in reply to S11m]

Whilst the efficacy of statins is vastly over sold, for some people they help reduce heart attack risk. If I had related problems then I would take statins in the short term and alter my diet to reduce the risk for the long term.

You obviously adhere to the low-carb high-fat diet whilst I go with the high-carb low-fat way of living. Salt is in foods anyway and I see added salt as a contributor to health challenges, not least because it distorts the taste buds and thus encourages overeating and obesity (as do fats/oils and added sugar).

High cholesterol is one important indicator of risk. The story around cholesterol is much more nuanced. Some people have naturally higher cholesterol levels, for example. To reduce the argument to just cholesterol misses the bigger picture. I would argue to be very wary of anyone who says that high cholesterol is not bad - the dairy industry has a strong track record of pushing out "fixed" study after study to defend its market share. Chris Kresser & Joseph Mercola (for example) often rely on such studies to support their advice. One often used trick in setting such rigged studies up is to compare the intake of 2 eggs with, say 3 eggs in an already high fat diet, which guarantees to show little cholesterol change. Another trick is to limit meta analysis to recent research. This tends to yield favourable results to the cholesterol debunkers because the only research done these days is by people wanting to debunk the subject: it is a way of cherry picking research!

While I am sure anything I say is not going to dissuade you, after all, "who am I?" All I would say when researching is follow the money. Get back to the original research supporting claims. Learn how to read research. Take news headlines in particular with a big pinch of salt. Always ask is someone advising something and at the same time selling foods/books/supplements to address those problems highlighted, for example. If so have a bag of salt ready to throw over that same shoulder.

[S11m Volunteer 70lb IF20 in reply to andyswarbs]

Whilst the efficacy of statins is vastly over sold, for some people they help reduce heart attack risk. If I had related problems then I would take statins in the short term and alter my diet to reduce the risk for the long term.

Agreed... Doc put me on statins - and I got her to take me off them after I had lost about four stone.

We need salt, and my bp is 108/70.