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Most diets are about losing weight - high protein, low-carb, low-fat, Mediterranean, South Beach, etc. Most diets also emphasize balance and variety, regardless of what they discourage people from eating. There is a new diet that is not about losing weight, balance or variety, though it may have other health benefits. Researchers at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York have conducted a trial in which patients ate an ultra-high fat diet - over 90% fat - to see if a diet "devoid of protein and carbohydrates might temper symptoms of several neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's and Lou Gehrig's disease." The results of the original study, published last year in Neurology, were encouraging. Patients with Parkinsons reported a decrease in their symptoms. Since then, additional studies have been done that have shown positive results, as well.
The success of the regimen is credited to the high numbers of ketone bodies that are produced when the body is taking in next to no carbs or protein. Even a very strict Atkins wouldn't produce enough keytones to have a measurable benefit, according to the doctors. A typical diet, which did allow up to 8% protein, for a study participant included butter, cream cheese and heavy cream, with small bits of fish or egg added for flavoring.
The results of all trials are not firmly conclusive, but are promising enough to have prompted another round of testing to see if doctors can devise a diet that is easier to follow. The problems with the diet are obviously things like heart problems, so the next round of testing involves a combination of the ultra-fat diet and the Atkins diet.
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5-17-2006 @3:08PM Nivedita said... The word is "ketone" and not "keytone".
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5-18-2006 @4:33PM Jason Truesdell said... Tom Robbins must have been on to something in Jitterbug Perfume... two of his immortal characters fasted most of the time, and ate small amounts of cheese when off the fast.
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5-22-2006 @6:50AM WanDa said... High protein diets promote calcium loss(resulting in osteoporosis) and also raises homocytsteine (a better marker for coronary artery disease) levels.
Homocysteine levels are KNOWN markers for Alzheimer's, Coronary Artery Disease AND Osteoporosis.
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5-22-2006 @7:17AM Ben said... I just want to point out that this diet is NOT a high protein diet as one reader has suggested. It is a high FAT diet. There is a huge difference between these two. And actually the biochemistry textbooks say that homocytstein is broken down by B12, B6, and folic acid. Unsable B12 is only found in animal foods, and B6 is mostly found in animal foods.
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5-22-2006 @7:50AM Barbara C said... If this sounds intruiging look up the Rosedale diet a low carb, protien moderate higher fat diet--I lost 25 lbs eating heart health fats and my blood pressure dropped from 130/90 to 123/80 in two months.
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5-22-2006 @8:36AM Mary Winebarger said... I wonder if the high fat could consist of only the heart-healthy fats, poly- and monounsaturated an still produce the same effects? Might be a topic of investigation.
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5-22-2006 @8:38AM Buzz said... I lost 105 pounds on Atkins. I went from 245 pounds to 140 pounds and 42" waist to 28" waist. I've kept it off with a modified Atkins diet for 8 years now. My fasting blood sugars were averaging 330, and I was giving myself shots of 44 units of 70/30 insulin twice a day. Now, I'm fit, and fine. No diabetic medications at all. ALL diets are beneficial for something or another. But being overweight, and not exercising is always detrimental to health.
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5-22-2006 @9:11AM Lisa K. Maddock said... I can't believe anyone would condone a high fat diet....it may help with some chronic disorders but will sure add more problems with weight gain and cardiovascular issues. Moderation and discipline are the keys no one wants to seem to follow.
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5-22-2006 @9:25AM rosette mccullough said... I would like to know how much time it took "Buzz" to lose 105 lbs. on the Adkins (I lost 60 lbs in 6 mos.-but did gain it back within two years)-also, what his modifed Adkins diet consists of?
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5-22-2006 @11:01AM Michelle said... My husband and I have been on the Atkins diet for 3 1/2 years. He lost 120 lbs. over a 12 month period I have lost 109 lbs and our 15 year old son lost 50 lbs. After studying diets for 1 year we choose atkins. It has been the best diet we've ever done. We are all healthy and my bloodwork went from always beeing anemic and out of wack to normal. My husbands bloodsugers were constantly 250 and above and that went down to 85-95 consistenly. Our son who was diagnosed as add improved All of his grades teachers noticed his attention span improved and he felt better about himself. We are active and last summer we Walked/Hiked over 100 miles! I have been jogging for 2 years now and I finished a 10k run in 1 1/2 hours which beat my time as a 15 year old at 1hr 56 min!
This lifestyle has changed our lives for the better McCullough you probably regained your weight because you started eating high carb foods again. It's all moderation. Portion control and EXERCISE. You have to move wheather it be walking swimming biking etc. it has to be a mainstay.
By the way way to go Buzz isn't it Great!
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5-22-2006 @11:14AM Fiona said... High fat (ketogenic) diets have been used successfully to treat some cases of epilepsy. Coming from a background of holistic health, healing and nutrition, a ketogenic diet need not be harmful to the cardiovascular system. Either consume the fat from raw, unheated,(reliably safe and unpasteurized when it comes to dairy) sources or take lots of supplemental lipase to help your body digest the fat. Adding an emulsifier like lecithin could be beneficial as well, and help the liver cope with the increased dietary fat. Everyone is metabolically different. Some people digest fats well with no detrimental increase in blood fat values. With a nod to Peter D'Adamo, the blood type doc, this might be attributed to higher alkaline phosphatase levels in the small intestine of type O's and B's. (Whether one subscribes to blood type diet theories or not, certain body chemistry differences in blood types have been shown to be consistent)
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5-22-2006 @11:24AM Mona Najjar said... This is to "Buzz". PLEASE get in touch with a doctor who specializes in diabetes. A blood sugar of 330 is dangerously high and damage is being done to some of your organs now. A fasting blood sugar is 70 to 120! PLEASE contact a reliable doctor NOW. You probably need a change of insulin so that you can take much less and still retain good control. Good luck. I wish you the best and a happy and long life without the problems that will come with allowing blood glucose readings that are so high.
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5-22-2006 @11:28AM Jo said... My husband had trygliceride levels above 600, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. His doctor told him that he was pre-diabetic and wanted to put him on cholesterol and high blood pressure medication. Instead, He decided to do the Atkins diet and within 6 weeks he had lost 20 lbs., lowered his trygliceride level to 86, his blood pressure to 120/80, and his cholesterol to 176 with the proper LDL to HDL balance. That was two years ago. He now on the Atkins maintenance diet and he has kept the weight off and his blood pressure, cholesterol, tryglicerides have remained in the normal range. He is no longer pre-diabetic.
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5-22-2006 @12:24PM Shan said... Don't miss the linked article (http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-05-14-diet-treatment_x.htm)
- it also mentions an interesting aside about two girls with
inoperable brain tumors who were able to retard any further growth of
the tumors by following a high-fat/low-carb diet. Apparently tumors feast on glucose (what your body normally uses for fuel if you're not doing a diet which promotes ketogenesis instead), but not on
ketones. Though not the focus of the particular study being reported
upon, I thought that was absolutely fascinating.
And please remember, this was an high
FAT diet, it isn't Atkins - they only allowed roughly 8% protein to
the people in this study, as opposed to a typical diet of 15%, which
probably puts Atkins followers closer to 30 or 35%
protein.
(Oh, and Mona Najjar - Buzz mentioned that his
numbers had been that high, but were now completely normal and
controlled thanks to low-carb - pretty common for Atkins followers.)
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5-22-2006 @12:25PM Georgie said... This is to Mona Najjar: Mona, if you had been paying attention when you read Buzz's entry, you would have seen that the emphasis is on the word WERE!! Her blood sugars WERE averaging; She WAS giving herself insulin injections.
To Buzz, you are to be congratulated for getting yourself healthy, keep it up...
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5-22-2006 @12:29PM penney said... Mona, When Buzz said his blood sugar was 330, he meant before the Atkins diet. If you read his post he uses the word, were 330. Thought I would just clear that up for you.
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5-22-2006 @12:32PM penney said... Buzz, Please give us some tips on how you eat everyday! I'm interested, I've had it with white foods! I feel so bloated after dinner and I can't focus on my work. Thanks and please share. Penney
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5-22-2006 @12:53PM joanna said... It's upsetting that the media and mainstream medical doctors have pounded it into our heads that fat = death. What's killing us is overprocessed carbs/sugar and trans fats. Eskimos eat high fat, high protein diets and have low heart heart disease rates. Why don't they broadcast that study?? Poeple have been on Atkins for over 20 years now, where are all the patients that developed heart disease?? Maybe those that stayed with it aren't getting heart disease!
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5-22-2006 @1:33PM michele ayers said... Interesting article. My Syory First I was prediabetic, so I ate Atkins Later I developed Irritable Bowel. Guess what that diet is--Opposite of Atkins, basically white, no meat, so I became a semi veggie, fish fruit vegatables. Then I developed kidney stones, and am now eating a low oxalate diet big dairy, milk with every meal, some veg and fruit, white starches and protein. Have lost weight have lots of energy and time will tell what the #'s are, but I think my dis -eases are a kind of cosmic joke, so I'm enjoying the ride. Since I love dairy I'm doing o.k.
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5-22-2006 @1:35PM schica said... The zone is the best diet in the world--period :) High this, high that, low this, low that. How about a perfect balance between all of them? That is what the zone does and it is wonderful. Athletes perform incredibly on the diet, "normal people feel great, maintain a healthier body and people suffering from chronic diseases such as myself (MS) are practically cured when on it. I do not take any prescription drugs and only do the zone. I know others who follow this regime as well with awesome results. All of my doctors wonder how I do so well and have actually improved since the zone--MS is a degenerative disease and only gets worse in the long run so this is a feat. I suggest you all read it if you want to finally find "the one" in the diet world. Good luck all!
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