The FastDay Forum

Anyone watching this tonight?
And my GP po-pood my questioning of Januvia last January, and I CONTINUED to take it!
OMG! I am not a panicky type, but anyone looking for a pharmaceutical way to get the weight off, really must research things!

just missed it, there's another food related thing on after it then it'll be back at 9 on C4+1

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/disp ... icles/home

PhilT, you must see it. I am appalled at the lack of transparency in all walks of life these days.
Even after questioning my GP, I was made to feel stupid. I am on holiday, but if I were at home, I think I would be beating a path to the surgery in the morning!. I bet there will be many doing so after this programme, and no doubt will be told what I was fobbed of with ....." Well, there haven't been any such reports in our surgery ". Totally illogical clap trap by a medical professional. I am LIVID.

The link between the diabetes drug, Januvia, and pancreatic cancer has come as dreadful shock to those who have either taken it in the past, or who are on it at the moment.

Diabetes is an awful disease, but its effects can be lessened, and even reversed, by adopting a low-carb way of eating.

Dr James LeFanu in the Telegraph today reports a low carbohydrate versus conventional treatment story, with low carb winning. It's hardly scientific being based on one person and his doctor, and lacking long term follow up but clearly plenty of people think it works.

Yes it does work. I am no longer taking any meds for diabetes, cholesterol regulation or hypertension. Start questioning your GPs folks, as DrLeFanu's story shows, the thresholds for undiagnosed illnesses are being so artificially adjusted, that the whole blooming lot of us are being classed as ill and in therefore in need of multiple medications. I THINK NOT!!!

If you are wondering where health professionals are "coming from" in being unhappy with low carb diets you can read this.
http://guidelines.diabetes.ca/Browse/Chapter11
An extract follows.
"Very-low-CHO diets may not ensure sufficient vitamin, mineral and fibre intake. It is recommended that the percentage of total daily energy from CHO should be no less than 45% to prevent high intakes of fat, as this is associated with reduced risk of chronic disease for adults (32). If CHO is derived from low glycemic index (GI) and high-fibre foods, it may contribute up to 60% of total energy, with improvements in glycemic and lipid control in adults with type 2 diabetes (34)."

colkerr - obviously, the Canadian Diabetes Association have got the same crazy idea as the British Diabetic Association, when it comes to recommending carbohydrates for diabetes sufferers.

Up until the 1950s, diabetics were told to avoid eating carbohydrates, but, for some reason, they seem to be back on the menu.

It has been proved, time and time again, that carbs raise blood-sugar levels.

I hope that 140lbs sees this. She has managed to get herself off her diabetes medication, by eating a low-carb diet.

She will have much more info.

Colkerr, I read the report, thankyou. It equates with stuff being advised in UK. I advise folks to read up on work by Dr Robert Lustig ( re sugar), Barry Groves ( re fat), Gary Taubes ( all nutrition aspects) and Kendrick ( cholesterol), plus Zoe Harcombe 's work, then draw their own conclusions. The akward thing is to turn your back on conventional mantra if you take on board their writings, because you will be out on a limb. At 65, with minimal family responsibilies, that is easier ( note, not easy),for me, and I will stick with what has reversed all the bad things that were happening to my body, and got me off all meds.
Happy researching everyone. Education gives you the knowledge, and knowledge is power. You can only benefit from reading around the subject for yourselves.

Just an attempt to contribute to the discussion. A lot of the confusion seems to stem from what 'low carb' entails. For me it means: do not add sugar, do not eat 'refined' grains, no soft drinks (who needs them anyway?). Just eat wholemeal products (eg pasta, brown rice etc), fruit (which contains the dreaded fructose but also fibers which neutralize the damage). Even Robert Lustig, an MD who made a comprehensive study of the damaging effects of fructose, said that fructose in fruits/veggies does not matter so much, because a) the concentration is low and b) fruits contain the 'antidote' to fructose, ie fibre. Fibre slows down the release of sugars to the blood, so eating fruit does not cause a glucose spike and therefore no insulin spike either with all the damaging effects this may have.
Cutting out carbs from the diet completely (which would be very difficult and perhaps even impossible) might cause a shortage of certain minerals and vitamins, because it would mean that you'd have to stop eating fruits and veggies, which would not be healthy. So strictly speaking saying that restricting the carb content of your diet might lead to malnutrition is true, but it certainly isn't the whole truth.
Last year I followed a course at Leiden University called 'current developments in medicine', and all the lecturers from the lung specialist to the cardiologist to the internist stressed the beneficial effects of reducing calories, losing weight and reducing the amount of carbohydrates in the diet. All of them had the metabolic syndrome as their theme and how to prevent it or, in some cases, reverse it.

Josie50. An excellent response. I follow a very low carbohydrate diet, between 30g and 60g per day, found in green veggies mainly, and nuts and seeds, the sort high in Omega 3. If there are such good conferences emphasising these things, why is NHS lagging so far behind?
We need to get back to eating real, natural food, but when we learn that apples etc are being modified to the extent that they are just balls of sugar, and coconut products are being hydrogenated, what are we to do?

Just been looking through some old posts. I was most impressed to see that 140lbs has come off all medication for cholesterol control, Type-2 diabetes and hypertension.

What really surprised me, though, was the lack of response from members of the forum.

There must be quite a few on here who are affected by at least one of these three health problems, and they, in turn, must have relatives or friends who are as well.

Anybody who has gone against advice from the medical profession, and done things their own way, after having made their own investigations, should be commended.