The Wab Diet

[cute fuzzy bunny]

John -

My fathers father ate grease by the bucket, smoked and lived a long time too. On the other hand, my uncle (by marriage) ate that way too and dropped dead of a heart attack in his early 50's.

Try these:
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3006624
http://www.oilofpisces.com/cholesterol.html
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=23820

Wab - that danish study was specifically designed to see if fish oil would help diabetics. It was limited to 42 people over a 4 week period, tested vs a control of corn oil. It did show some improvements in triglycerides but they didnt note any improvements in LDL/HDL ratios. In my opinion (I'm not a doctor and I dont play one on tv either), a study of 42 people that have a pre-existing health problem for a month isnt very comprehensive.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine issued the following statement: ( http://www.atkinsdietalert.org/ )
"PCRM has been speaking out about the dangers of high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets since its founding in 1985. Scientific studies show that low-carbohydrate diets raise cholesterol levels in considerable number of individuals, sometimes to a dramatic degree. These diets also typically accelerate calcium losses and have led major health organizations to raise important questions about their possible contribution to heart problems, kidney abnormalities, osteoporosis, and other health problems.

Given the seriousness of these health risks, and the strength of the scientific evidence currently available, PCRM hopes this Web site will encourage people to be wary of high-protein diets and to choose healthier options. PCRM is also concerned about possible legal liability for doctors who prescribe these diets."

Look here:
http://heartdisease.about.com/cs/riskfactors/a/Atkinsuhoh.htm
and here:
http://www.bupa.co.uk/health_information/html/health_news/300503diet.html

Bottom line is most doctors agree that for obese people, a short term burst of this kind of diet is not a bad idea. But I cant find many (who arent making money off of it) who recommend it for long term use.

As with anything health related: see your doctor first.

 

[charlie]

Concerning fish oil, all those Eskimos and Japanese
can't be wrong. In any case, my heart doctor
has me on 1 tablespoon of Carlson's fish oil daily.
It can't hurt, but boy does it taste awful.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

[John Galt]

My Dad (87) says "stay away from doctors!". I think this is wise counsel. BTW. I've always felt that life span
was mostly a crap shoot. At age 60, I've lost
relatives, business associates, fishing buddies,
hunting buddies, girl friends, etc, ranging from their 20s
to 50s. Anyway, all younger than I am now. Certainly
makes a thinking person contemplate their mortality.

John Galt

 

[wabmester]

My Dad (87) says "stay away from doctors!".

I tend to agree.   I find that many doctors shoot from the hip, but try to pass off what they're doing as science.   Auto mechanics are the same way.  My car always has something new wrong with it when it gets back from the mechanic  

Luckily, we ER's have lots of time on our hands.   So, my advice would be to be wary of any advice, look at the data yourself, make your own judgement, and then experiment on yourself to see what works best for you.

I'd seriously love to see the before and after lipid profile of anybody who wants to try the Costco fish oil capsule experiment.    And I'll try to post the results of my experiments as well.

 

[bruce1]

My Grandfather also said stay away from Doctors or to make a direct quote 'I don't need any Doctor to tell me I'm 89". He passed away at 90. His normal Breakfast was oatmeal, bacon and toast dipped in the bacon grease. Other meals were the meat and potatoes type. His secret was hard work (farmer until 86) and he did not worry.


Bruce

 

[trumpeting_angel]

Hey, fish oil folks!

Check the label and make sure that the fish oil tablets have been processed to rid them of mercury, ok? Most are, some aren't.

Fish oil (and fiber, and vegetables with flavanoids and antioxidants) is (are) good for other things besides one's heart. Fish oil has been successful in treating depression and reducing cancer risk. Fiber and all the things one can get from vegetables but not vitaminn pills, lower risk of colon cancer, breast cancer, and I don't remember what else. You guys might end up with great hearts but all-around health is important!!

Anne

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

What was it that George Burns said? Something like "I had doctors all my life tell me to quit drinking, smoking and chasing women if I wanted to live longer...they're all dead now"...

I actually heard a few not so great things about costco's fish pills, I get 'em from Sam's. I suspect whatever the scuttlebutt was that I heard, it may have been localized. Costco's stuff tends to be first rate. Nothing really awful, just that they werent as effective in some trials as other products. I do know that they're very sensitive to light, heat and storage time.

I heard Carlsons was one of the finer products though, Charlie.

 

[wabmester]

And now for something completely different, an on-topic CHD risk calculator:

http://hin.nhlbi.nih.gov/atpiii/calculator.asp?usertype=prof

 

[marty]

I wouldn't skimp on the fish oil capsules. You should look for brands that are mollecularly distilled to make sure they are free of the toxic chemicals that are dumped in the oceans. Two brands I would recommend are Health From The Sun and Nordic Naturals.

 

[John Galt]

Okay folks.....the much anticipated results are in.

Before going on the Wabmester diet, My LDL was at
301. Now I am down to 245! Still high but a major
improvement, to say the least. I was shocked,
especially since I cheated a bit. I have been on the diet
close to 2 months. I also exercised a little more and ate
more oat bran. That's it. I figure with this diet,
taking a baby aspirin daily, plus ginkgo biloba, and with
all the booze I consume, my arteries must be flowing like
Niagara Falls

John Galt

 

[wabmester]

Congrats, JG. Not bad for a quick and easy diet, eh? I'm still trying to run several days/week in the most recent phase of my experiment. I forgot how much I hated running. Still waiting for the endorphin rush to kick in

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Got my numbers for the first time in a few years.

Total chol: 157
Trig's: 270 (low for my family, my dad does and grandpa did run in the 4-500's)
HDL: 91
LDL:69

Not too shabby. I might live.

 

[Shredder]

Total chol 222
HDL 44
LDL 131
Trigs 236

My doc said not to worry at this time, just watch my diet. Should I make my will out today? Shredder

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I'm not on the wab diet either. We eat a lot of grains, fruits and vegetables, especially this time of year when I cant turn a corner without slamming into a farmers market full of local goodies. I took this test after polishing off a substantial portion of a large pizza with everything on it the night before.

Now just to show what genetics does for you, my wife eats about the same although she's more likely to turn to oatmeal than eggs in the morning and I'm the other way around, and I have some 'midnight snacks' after feeding the baby that she doesnt partake of. She treadmills a lot and my exercise is catch as catch can at best.

Her #s:

Chol: 289
Tri: 57
HDL: 97
LDL: 187

Not very good. And she cant take any statins unless she stops breast feeding.

 

[haha]

Her #s:

Chol: 289
Tri: 57
HDL: 97
LDL: 187

Not very good.  And she cant take any statins unless she stops breast feeding.

Many doctors use ratio of total cholesterol to HDL. Your wife's ratio is quite good.

 

[MJ]

Her #s:
Chol: 289
Tri: 57
HDL: 97
LDL: 187

Not very good. And she cant take any statins unless she stops breast feeding.

I wonder if pregnancy and childbirth raises a woman's stats temporarily?
How were her #'s 2 years ago?

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

They do, but the effect drops off in 2-6 weeks, usually closer to 2 weeks.

However the pregnancy has majorly affected her thermostat. We were always ~5 degrees off, If I was comfy she was hot or cold. Now its about 10 degrees. She thinks 72 is freezing and 82 is comfy. I think 65 is pretty comfy...

 

[Eagle43]

I think I told this before but here's the numbers again.

Total Cholesterol...225
HDL........................72
LDL.........................140
Triglyceride..............67
BloodSugar..............98 (Ithink 99 is max for this).

Question:
Triglyceride's should be what.... lower the better or higher the better??What's the optimum number??

Fish Oil tablet and ground flax seed, plus a couple of vitamins daily.

 

[wabmester]

Triglyceride's should be what.... lower the better or higher the better??What's the optimum number??

Anything below 130 is considered fine.

 

[wabmester]

Total chol    222
HDL             44
LDL              131
Trigs            236

My doc said not to worry at this time, just watch my diet. Should I make my will out today?     Shredder

Did he tell you specifically what to watch in your diet? Of all the profiles posted here today (is today bloodwork day or something?), yours looks like it would benefit most from a low-carb diet. Check out a book called "Protein Power" for a pretty easy approach, or if you want a dead-simple approach just cut way back on sweet and starchy stuff like breads, juices, colas, cookies, candies, etc. and then retest after a few weeks.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Anything below 130 is considered fine.

Wab - do you have any good pages on triglycerides? Everything I've read says everyone is dang worried about them but no actual hard data that says that they're bad. Everybody in my family has high tri-g's and the doctors always hem and haw about it and do nothing but worry us and then we live to 90.

 

[wabmester]

I don't have anything bookmarked, but you're a googlemeister, so try: triglycerides independent risk factor.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Oh I'm not going for that "here, try this google search" trick I used on Art...

I've read a bunch. Inconclusive. Lots of people feeling there should be something wrong with little bits of fat floating around in your blood. Makes sense. Still havent seen the silver bullet though.

My grandpa had asthma, smoked, drank, ate all the leftover bacon grease spread on his toast after consuming the bacon and eggs cooked in the bacon fat. When my grandma died he sat down in a chair and watched baseball and other than that didnt eat much or do much. Couldnt really talk to him. A year later at 87 he passed on. I suspect if grandma kept going another 10 years, so would he.

So %$$@# triglycerides!

 

[wabmester]

I've read a bunch.  Inconclusive.

I guess you can interpret data the way you want to, but I think there's a wide consensus that high triglycerides is an independent risk factor for CHD and stroke. Here's a pretty graph from a drug company trying to sell you drugs:

FWIW, I'm envious of your high HDL. Those puppies will carry all the bad crap out of your system.

 

[Mr._johngalt]

I guess you can interpret data the way you want to, but I think there's a wide consensus that high triglycerides is an independent risk factor for CHD and stroke.   Here's a pretty graph from a drug company trying to sell you drugs:

FWIW, I'm envious of your high HDL.    Those puppies will carry all the bad crap out of your system.

Hey Wab! My heartscan came back 100% A+ perfect. Unfortunately,
everything else is going to hell. Still................

JG