Monday, January 18, 2010

Krauss is in the HOUSE: 'Low-fat Message Was a MISTAKE'

"Everybody I know in the field -- e v e r y b o d y -- recognized that a simple low-fat message was a mistake," says Dr. Krauss, as interviewed in the latest Men's Health magazine, see below.




Why is Men's Health interviewing Krauss??! What is this revolutionary MH reporter saying?

Don't. S-W-A-L-L-O-W . . . ! ? ? *haa!!*

Men's Health, Your Unstoppable Heart: Before you swallow what your doctor prescribes, we suggest you read this article By: Paul Scott

CHOLESTEROL IS A NATURAL SUBSTANCE your body produces for a variety of uses. It is carried through the body in three containers -- LDL, HDL, and VLDL -- that deliver it to cells along with triglycerides. The average man reasons that the cholesterol in his scrambled eggs must surely end up in his arteries somehow, and this makes him do things like order egg-white omelets for breakfast. There is indeed a link between the cholesterol you eat and the cholesterol in your arteries.

It's just not the "eat more, have more" worry that's been drummed into you for years. In fact, your body's production and uptake of cholesterol is highly regulated; eat a six-egg omelet and your body simply produces less cholesterol because of the dietary onslaught.

"There is a very weak connection between the LDL cholesterol we measure and dietary cholesterol," Dr. Krauss says. "I spend a lot of time talking to reporters and trying to explain that dietary cholesterol is not the same as blood cholesterol." He adds that the 200 milligrams of cholesterol most people eat every day is NOTHING compared with the 800 milligrams their bodies produce [my EMPHASIS].

But you don't have to take his word for it. "It is now acknowledged that the original studies purporting to show a linear relation between cholesterol intake and coronary heart disease may have contained fundamental study design flaws," wrote the author of a recent review in the International Journal of Clinical Practice. [HERE. Jones PJ citing Hu et al]


The author suggests to lower small dense LDL, the actual heart disease culprit:

Targeting the Killer LDL
Small changes, fewer small particles

"Small, dense particles of LDL are much more inflammatory than larger particles," says Paul Ziajka, M.D., Ph.D., a clinical lipidologist with the Southeast Lipid Association. Here's how to snuff the little devils.

Crack an egg
Down an omelet every morning and you may lower your small-particle count, University of Connecticut researchers recently found. People who ate three whole eggs a day for 12 weeks dropped their small-LDL levels by an average of 18 percent.

Choose your meds wisely
A class of drugs known as fibrates, which includes Tricor, specifically targets small, dense LDL, says Dr. Ziajka. The effect is significant only when your triglycerides are also elevated, he says. [Note: no statin mentioned...*haa*; actually low carb, sat fats and fish oil omega-3 work far FAR better than fibrates, PPAR drugs]

Pop some niacin
"Most drugs shift particle size after the cholesterol is made," Dr. Ziajka says. "Niacin causes the liver to produce larger particles." Try a no-flush variety (Dr. Ziajka recommends Slo-Niacin) starting with 500 milligrams a day and building to 2,000. There are side effects, so talk to your doctor first. [Note: no-flush doesn't work; slo-niacin is a lower-flush type of niacin]

Lighten your load
Deflating your spare tire may reduce your small, dense LDL cholesterol, say scientists at Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute. The majority of overweight men who were pattern B (mostly small LDL) switched to pattern A (mostly large LDL) after they lost an average of 19 pounds.

Have a glass
That nightly beer does more than relax you -- it may also lower your small, dense LDL, a recent Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism study found. Men who drank 7 to 13 alcoholic drinks a week had 20 percent fewer small-LDL particles than men who didn't drink at all. [Note: beer aint paleo]




Thank you Mr.Yard as always. You R-O-C-K dude!

Previous animal pharm: Men's Health interview with Mozzafarian MD on benefits of dietary saturated fats



Read more about Krauss et al's newest research that redeems the role of saturated fats at my fave peeps and playgrounds:

32 comments:

  1. Wow, there is a pulse and a brainwave among the mainstream. Good news!

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  2. Keith,

    I do hope this research gets more than a flash in the pan, unlike Mozzafarian's research at Harward showing sat fat REGRESSED plaque in women.

    We are not just pioneers without a frontier... too often feels like it! You know what I mean.

    -G

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  3. I agree Keith, this meta-analysis has been popping up everywhere. I couldn't help myself but to jump on the bandwagon!

    Awesome post as usual, Dr. BG. Glad to see you've kept this blog going in light of your joining at Nephropal.

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  4. Mike!

    I see you have JUMPED IN and that is AWESOME!!! I love LOVE your BLOG -- you've got so many awesome tips and make salient points for everyone.

    -G

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  5. What's that whooshing sound? It's the sound of the tide turning!

    See Google Fight between "Healthy Low-fat" and "Healthy Low-carb" :-D

    Nige.

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  6. Nige,

    *haaa* Go TEAM Low Carb!!

    -G

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  7. What worries me is that when all this low carb/high fat stuff becomes mainstream, we won't be rebels any more.. we'll be... Mainstream!.
    People will agree with us about stuff... I won't be a social outcast any more... I'll get all confused!

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  8. Dr. A,

    Grrrl!! You CRACK ME UP.

    Don't fret my dear, we'll rebel about something... the price of vanity sizing on lingerie or the abundance of young HAAWT paleo cooks or personal trainers knocking down our doors...

    I will think of something. *ahaaa HAA* We are creative.

    -G

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  9. OK-- It doesn't change the fact that a low fat/low fructose/low polyunsaturated fat diet without refined carbohydrates is still healthy. There are a couple of ways to health.

    I sure hope the postpandial surge in trigs from a high fat meal does not cause blood vessel dysfunction in older individuals (I'm not worried about middle aged people).

    Will still need to see the research play out. I want to see more people who are 100+ who eat <50 carbs a day. I doubt you will find many.

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  10. VERY nice. Krauss is a household name over here. Glad to see him getting some attention in some of the popular outlets.

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  11. The only thing I am a little concerned about is that popping
    Slo Niacin is that there is some indication that homocystein levels
    are raised.

    Now how much bad is that in relation to having a higher HDL?


    Dexter

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  12. brillant .. thanks for posting !!!

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  13. Does this mean we can drink beer every night? HA! Love your blog Dr. BG.

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  14. Aaron,

    The funny thing I've noticed is that those 80-100 yrs old are often 'healthier' than me. Less insulin resistance-wise. They grew up in a generation that often still ate butter, beef and eggs without restriction or fear.

    Personally I do not fear the postprandial surge of TGs. This is the natural way that the body 'packages' nutrients for UPS shipping across the continent of your haaawwt neo body.

    I would instead fear the post prandial insulin surges that saturatedarterycloggingfatf*ckinPHOBES don't appear to understand b/c they lack the nutritional devotion to figure it out...

    Insulin will trigger sdLDL which surges in the AM fasting under a circadian rhythms (see Ai M research), not postprandially.

    As always your comments are thought-provoking!




    David and Elizabeth,

    Yes -- it is wonderful FINALLY to see progress with Krauss and some academia.



    Dexter,

    I've worried a little about that.

    My thoughts trail back to the small HATS trial (NEJM 2001) where 4 grams niacin was used in a post-MI study group of men and women. Obviously this group had elevated homocysteine without a doubt. Lp(a) was elevated in ~25% of men and ~30% of women.

    Niacin still was associated with a 90% relative risk reduction in this population. I don't think any homocysteine bump negated the results, but who knows.

    I think theoretically the methylation patterns for certain genetic types may benefit from different versions of B-vitamins. This is where I think aruvydic and Eastern/Chinese medicine converge and have an edge up on us (Western which tends to ignore genetics and treats specialized symptoms, not the whole body). Eastern medicine reveal the same things that genomic and SNP testing are currently showing us.

    The risk benefit profile for niacin IMHO still favors benefit for those who can't seem to do low carb/high fat/IF paleo and workout and take some pharmacopeia to fill in the gaps of diet/nutritional/lifestyle/hormone deficiencies. [Mitochondrial pellagra will someday be identifiable (like Star Trekkie med scanners *haa*!).]

    Otherwise. Remember niacin is not without other potential adverse effects (higher glucoses, insulin resistance, gout, hyperuricemia, weight gain, increased liver tests, etc).

    -G

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  15. Anthony Colpo has new articles in his website about heart disease, cholesterol and saturated fat. http://www.anthonycolpo.com

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  16. O Primitivo,

    Good summary esp with the Fukui and Swedish farmer data.

    Here's the link:
    Colpo update


    THANXXXS! :)

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  17. hi! again off topic- i remember you wrote that saturated fat gave you back your t and a. Question 1) why is that?

    i recently discovered thai kitchen coconut milk and love it too much- the reaction in my brain is like i am eating whipped cream. during the course of a day, i can finish a can. it is filling, but i always want more later. it feels a little addictive. but i feel great afterwards. it's not like a tiring carb-hangover. Question 2) do i have anything to worry about with this coconut milk? it doesn't have any additives except for guar gum. thx!!! ps i told my tawian husband about the ok chinese foods you mentioned, but when i said white rice was ok- he went overboard and had a HUGE plateful!! with pork rou song and dried seaweed and canned eel all over it. not a green in sight! he was in taiwan heaven! but i'm not sure how healthy it was ;)

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  18. Hey Mary

    Good hearing from you! Your hubby is going to get there... Well the rice is a inflammation driver for anyone with 'broken' metabolism issues (e.g. the great majority of the world on the SAD, thin/fat, etc). Literally 2 bites (1/3 cup) is 15 grams of refined processed carbs. For me, more than 1/3 - 2/3 cup drives up my glucoses to 180-200 g/dl for 5min and I feel crappy for a while.

    1) When I work out I lose the T&A fast. Eating appropriate saturated fats like coconut oil and butter/ghee for me prevents some of that. Dairy works too but unfortunately I get FAT really FAST on dairy. Coconut oil/ghee on the hand maintain/prevent further T&A losses (for me). The medium chain saturated fats BURN visceral fat that fill the endothelium and organs (not the b**bies, for me). It's not scientific but hey I haven't required surgical enhancement yet. And coconut oil's CHEAPER. I'm Asian thus CHEAP *haaa* (not really j/k) Deficits in energy shift energy to only vital processes; reproductive traits are the first to go for me.

    2) Unless one is allergic to fruit oils like olive and coconut (typically related to their content of salicylates), usually coconut oil is well tolerate and not a problem. The thing with canned coconut milk or cream is the BPA from the can lining and the sulfites used in preservation (I sensitive taste and can't stand the taste).
    Read some of the comments at one of my fave websites MDA -- I guess only one brand does not contain BPA is Native Forest; TJ's and Whole Foods DO contain (I can taste them).

    http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-wonderful-world-of-coconut-products/

    Great info there!
    -G

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  19. thx dr bg.

    i'm going to mda to read that article. i gained a half a pound in a day from coconut milk. first off, i mixed it with papaya and blueberries and then even when i was really full, i couldn't stop eating it. it was like whipped cream that was good for me, so i went nuts (i mean crazy). so, for me, i'm going to have to lay off it except as a treat. it tasted so sweet, but the ingredients said it was only coconut and guar gum- no preservative or added sugar.

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  20. These statements from Dr. Krauss that saturated fat is not the devil are great - but I worry about his theory that replacing some saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat would be beneficial. No distinction is made in his remarks between n-6 and n-3. I think some n-3's with your saturated fats are a good idea, but n-6's are probably a very bad idea, beyond what naturally occur in whole, wholesomely-raised foods.

    Can you really taste BPAs in some brands of coconut milk, Dr. B G? Ick. I want to consume more coconut milk but have been discouraged by the BPA issue.

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  21. mary,

    Interesting! Yes MDA is so informative.


    Helen,
    Whoops I was thinking of the tomatoe cans and sulfites! I can't taste BPA or the natamycin/fungicides on sliced/shredded cheese products (like at Trader Joe's-- sometimes it's labelled sometimes it's not wtf).

    We live in a world full of endocrine disruptors and gut disturbors.

    -G

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  22. You are so right...

    Regarding Krauss and meta, LC folk here in Scandinavia have been sleeping - no media coverage at all. ^^

    One nutrition prof already commented that Krauss et al. doesn't change anything, because even if SAFAs are neutral, 6-PUFAs remain protective.

    Protective from male infertility, certain breast cancers, male depression and Colitis ulcerosa ?

    Yes, even depression...

    http://tinyurl.com/ybjka8p

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  23. Neo,

    That is indeed sad... OMG omega-6 are protective ?! Even SADDER.

    No wonder is it that cancer has eclipsed heart disease mortality in the U.S. since 1-2 yrs ago. That has never happened before. I think women respond to omega-6 PUFAS poorer than men and develop inflammatory conditions faster (e.g. colon and breast CA, etc).

    -G

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  24. Great news!!! Can I have all those beers in one go:)

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  25. Dr. B G,
    This one is off topic as it relates to the post and may seem "out of left field" but I have a question on behalf of my wife. For the past 5 years she's been suffering from intense pain due to ovulation. The pain starts with ovulation and last up to menstration. She's been checked out by a couple docs who have basically said there isn't much she can do. She is trying birth control but hates that because she thinks it might be stalling BF loss. We are eating paleo except for dairy- she likes her cheese-other than that no other dairy. Any thoughts on things we might be able to adjust diet wise? I'm wondering if extra fish oil might help? Currently she only takes one gram a day. Thoughts?
    Thanks,
    M

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  26. Hey M,

    Has the birth control (BC) helped at all? They work by suppressing ALL ovulation (no eggs exiting the ovaries).

    Like 99% of modern diseases are hormone and/or autoimmune related.

    Yes you are right!

    What helps hormones and strengthens the immune system will undoubtedly improve and reverse modern conditions (as you have read at RobbWolf.com and NephroPal sites).

    For minimal health consider:
    --vitamin D enough for blood levels of 60-80 ng/ml
    --enough Mag to have loose stools (mandatory for 375~ enzymatic and bioenergetic reactions)
    --CoQ10 -- housekeeper of mitochondrial -- gets rid of garbage and maintains bioenergetics
    --FISH OIL FISH OIL minimum 4000 mg of EPA DHA (if using Now product SUPER EPA -- need 7 caps daily and more is GOOD STUFF *wink*) don't forget to minimize all veggie/soy omega-6 sources (no beans, no soy, no veg oils)
    --fermented cod liver oil and/or butter oil -- for vit A D K1 K2
    --vitamin C, B-complex and tocopherols/tocotrienols. Important for all the above
    --continue paleo and really consider the high value of STRICT paleo to reverse all potential for autoimmunity -- dairy/casein are the 2nd biggest triggers for autimmune disease (RA, Type 1 diabetes, etc)
    --taurine (search the blog -- there's some info but if you can't find email me)
    --MCT oil or coconut oil (if not allergic) to reduce visceral fat (is it enclosing the ovaries?) and to improve immunity
    --identify and treat hypothyroidism (i have a post coming up for the next wk). EVERYONE is low thyroid. the prevalence cannot be overstated.


    This is the same 'dog-n-pony' show for all diseases... *haa* Please let me know how it goes!
    -G

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  27. Dr.
    Thanks so much for the speedy response! To answer your question the birth control ( quasense )did help for the first 5 months and now the evil pain is back. We'll take your advice/suggestions and see how it goes. Thanks much.
    M

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  28. Dr B G said...

    "--identify and treat hypothyroidism (i have a post coming up for the next wk). EVERYONE is low thyroid. the prevalence cannot be overstated."


    For a long time I thought that it's just "runs in my genes" to have constant non-sick 35,9 C temps when I was a child. And being overweight since 9 years. And with a high "genetic" BP. And somewhat lethargic. Wheat induced perhaps ?

    My mom too. Being very overweight, T2-diabetic, lethargic (with serious obstructive apnea) and eventually on simvastatin & warfarin... you know the drill. Not anymore none of those applies to me, even with -25 C temps outside, thanks to iodine supplements and eating this "old" food. Iodine rocks !

    But hey B G, can you comment on how huge single doses of iodine act in a body, like ones that are given in fear of nuclear accident ? With Vit D it obviously works, even if not quite as effective as weekly or daily doses. Just wondering.

    Please keep on posting whatever happens ! You've got some distant fans you know ! ^^


    PS: A compulsory Scandinavian tidbit - I was told by my anthropologist friend that people here probably ate fish and lake seals (+ some moose) over pound a day thousands of years ago and not much else for most time of the year. Too much snow (good for freezing game). Seems reasonable since according to Cordain hunting does not increase too much up North, yet fishing really does.

    "Fish-based ketogenic diet" combined with Mediterranean food choices also has been studied in this incredible controlled trial:

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2586625/pdf/1475-2891-7-30.pdf

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  29. Neo,

    So nice to hear from you! No worries, I don't think I will stop bloggin anytime soon :) And... when/if the 6-pack emerges(definitively), don't fear I'll flash you again *haaaaaaa EVIL LAUGH*

    The link is an AWESOME gem of an article --thank you soooo so much!

    Are you saying that your body temps are consistently 37 C now? If so, that is so wonderful!! I've been reading Sally Fallon at WAPF (which has some great NEW material there on adrenals and thyroid). She is somewhat of an expert I believe. She reports that iodine protects the thyroid from radioactive (toxic) iodine. Medically I-131 is used to kill off parts or all of the thyroid gland for management of hyperthyroidism. The thyroid gland is a particularly sensitive organ. Recently I had a wife of a patient who adenoids irradiated (that was the standard apparently in the 1950s but then it was stopped she said, right after her treatment). They administered the doses via the ears -- flashed 3min each ear, twice (total 12 min).

    The radiation completely killed the thyroid. As an adult she became > 300 lbs and subsequently had gastric bypass. She was on thyroid replacement since a child (but I have a feeling it was not optimal dosing among other downstream hormone problems).

    You are quite progressive to escape the health of standardized medicine (unlike your poor mom!) and seek out real solutions (Crohn's reversal, b-ala/carnosine deficiency, vit D deficiency, omega-3 deficiency, iodine deficiency, *haa j/k* FUN BLOGGERS, etc)!

    Iodine is neat -- ancestrally and for man's giant leap to humanity (from neanderthal cretinism)! Lot of theories out there and I think they lend themselves to credibility the more I read about our metabolic, hormonal and mitochondrial deficiencies. Also iodine can be dangerous. At TYP -- several members reported palpitations. Sally Fallon herself reports that she had adverse reactions. Administration requires VERY CLOSE MONITORING. Every person and their hormone/mineral/toxicity status are different and thus the iodine effects really can vary.

    -grace

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  30. How are you, G? Feels like forever since I've done a "real" comment on here.

    On the iodine thing, do you have an opinion on the best form? Some swear by the I2/I- combo (Lugol's/Iodoral, etc), whereas others (like Mercola) are very much against Lugol's because of the I2. Mercola talks about it here.

    I dunno. Seems like people have either good or bad reactions no matter which way they go with it. I've taken Iodoral in the past, but also have tried SSKI drops. Never noticed anything too dramatic either way, except for some increased acne when I first started (exiting bromides?). I think a lot of research still needs to be done with real people to hammer out some of the questions.

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