Re:Type 2 diabetes can be reversed with a low-calorie diet
by sleavey on Saturday February 17, 2018 @03:38AM
(#16399744)
If your friend is just eating copious amounts of meat without any care for vitamin and mineral intake, then of course this leads to suboptimal nutrition. It's worth saying that recommended daily allowances are set for entire populations, and not individuals, and individuals' genes determine specific requirements. For example, people with the genetic mutation responsible for Morton's toe [1] typically absorb B6 with 65% efficiency compared to those who don't have this mutation [2]. Without adequate B6, zinc is also absorbed less.
Another consequence of bad health on low-carb diets can come from high intake of linoleic acid (omega-6). This is found in "vegetable" oils such as canola, sunflower and nut (even though they are actually not vegetables) [3]. We're told to take this fatty acid for our health, but we only need trivial amounts when our diet is optimal, and too much can disrupt the way that cell mitochondria work.
One fact I find absolutely amazing is that in cancer studies with rats, tumour formation is heavily influenced by levels of linoleic acid in their diet [4].
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morton's_toe
[2] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030698771...
Re:Type 2 diabetes can be reversed with a low-calorie diet
by mrek0 on Saturday February 17, 2018 @02:01PM
(#16402102)
Tell you friend to watch What the Health [1]. Sure, it provides a somewhat biased view on the topic of eating too much meat, but it is thought provoking anyway.
Re:Type 2 diabetes can be reversed with a low-calorie diet
by newnewpdro on Monday February 19, 2018 @03:45AM
(#16411604)
Based on what's in the linked wikipedia article I'm doubtful this would actually do less harm than good, all while causing him to question my judgement.
Additionally, it's quite common for those embracing a keto/atkins diet to use it as a warrant to eat copious amounts of red meat or any meat at every meal. There's substantial evidence suggesting such a diet increases risks of a number of serious cancers.
A friend of mine has been using the keto diet to try lose weight for a few years now. He burns through bulk cases of SlimJim beef sticks on a weekly basis. I am not looking forward to the future hospital visits. The last time I tried going on a hike with him he nearly collapsed on the first climb. I'm not trying to suggest keto diets are inherently bad for you, but it certainly seems more likely to be problematic than calorie restriction when viewed through the lens of how the average American is going to apply the keto concepts.
[1] https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/calorie...