Quote of the week !

"Choking the chicken won't satisfy all my paleo needs...." 

Borofergie at the flog.

Vangelis - conquest of paradise

A glass of Rioja and the music of Vangelis. Graham

Elvis Presley THE KING !

Someone just phoned me and said I forgot to mention THE KING. OK here ya go.

OK Let's have all the KINGS !

Thanks Eddie

After a day of reading digital TV and DVD recorder manuals obviously written by a dyslexic Welsh dietician, translated into Japanese, then translated into Klingon, the choice much appreciated!

The Holy Trinity, B.B. King, Albert King and Freddy King, together with Buddy Guy, a young Eric Clapton certainly listened.

When I was a young boy, I attempted to play blues guitar. One of the local blues clubs in Middlesbrough was the Scene. I was there to see John Lee Hooker, chatting him, he give me his guitar and asked me to play. I played some 12 bar and he interrupted and said “you’re too hung up about the patterns”. I never played guitar again and became a mathematician.

If I can keep a good karma in my next life I will meet Emmylou Harris and ….

I raise a glass to Eddie, Graham, and all the other good people

Stay Lucky

B.B. King Type two diabetic.

B.B. started out picking cotton for a dollar a day. He is a descendent of slaves. Worked his way up to be one of the worlds best musicians and performers. This guy has met US Presidents. A long time type two diabetic and mega star.

One for you John

One of my musical heroes is B.B.King I was lucky enough to see him perform twice. This man another man called King, Albert King I missed out on, but I would have paid serious money to have been at this concert. One of the finest guitar players ever to draw breath and a totally stunning band, check out the bass player.Remember this is a live concert ! Eddie

Carlos Santana & Sarah Mclachlan - Angel (live)

EMMYLOU HARRIS - GOODBYE

Yes it’s Saturday night again and Saturday night is music night on this blog. Does music get any better than this ? The voice, the musicianship, simply stunning. Eddie

Confirmed Again: Statin Drugs Calcify The Coronary Arteries !

I suffer from atherosclerosis, angioplasty and two stents fitted around three years ago, so you would think I am an absolute natural candidate for statin drugs. Very few if any people benefit from statins, but people like me are almost always put on statins. Various HCP’s have tried over the years, but I have kept away from them. The reasons are numerous, but having read Dr. Malcolm Kendrick’s book The Cholesterol Con and having friends almost crippled by statins, I thought I would roll the dice and take my chances. Well it looks like I made the right decision three years ago, statins make atherosclerosis worse !

"A new study published in the journal Atherosclerosis found that statin use is associated with a 52% increased prevalence and extent of coronary artery plaques possessing calcium.[i] This study, published on August 24^th, was preceded only three weeks earlier by one in the journal Diabetes Care, which found that coronary artery calcification "was significantly higher in more frequent statin users than in less frequent users," among patients with type 2 diabetes and advanced atherosclerosis.

Coronary artery disease is one of the primary risk factors for heart attack and cardiac mortality, and calcification marks the end-stage of atherosclerosis, the gradual plaque-driven narrowing of the arteries, as the lumen (opening of the artery) can no longer compensate for the obstructive build-up of plaque by expanding, once the calcification process has taken place.

Statins are increasingly recognized to have profound cardiotoxic properties, despite their widespread use in the prevention and treatment of heart disease."

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/confirmed-again-statin-drugs-calcify-coronary-arteries1

Eddie

Dr. John Briffa nails the British Nutrition Foundation !

Yet again we see an organisation that boasts they are independent and unbiased with their advice being caught out. Remember the government and other organisations are advised by the BNF on food safety and nutritional advice. The bribery and corruption never ends.

John Briffa

"Last week one of my blog posts focused on a widely reported ‘news’ story which concerned the supposed value of bread in the diet.

I feel there’s a clear conflict of interest with the BNF, and that concerns about transparency are legitimate, and it seems I’m not the only one.

Professor Buttriss does leave the best for last, when she draws our attention to the fact that Warburtons “financially [supported] time spent on the preparation of the review.” So, let’s not mince our words and tell it straight: A bread manufacturer has funded a review which lauds the supposed nutritional attributes of bread. This, despite the fact that, as I stated in my original blog post, superfood it ain’t. And then there’s plenty about bread we should be wary of."

Read the full story here.

http://www.drbriffa.com/2012/09/26/the-head-of-the-british-nutrition-foundation-responds-to-my-blog-post-on-bread-and-i-have-a-few-words-for-her-too/


Eddie

Edited to add this from The Cochrane Library

Wholegrain cereals for coronary heart disease

Authors' conclusions.

Despite the consistency of effects seen in trials of wholegrain oats, the positive findings should be interpreted cautiously. Many of the trials identified were short term, of poor quality and had insufficient power. Most of the trials were funded by companies with commercial interests in wholegrains. There is a need for well-designed, adequately powered, longer term randomised controlled studies in this area. In particular there is a need for randomised controlled trials on wholegrain foods and diets other than oats.

Plain language summary

Wholegrain  foods encompass a range of products and examples are wholegrain wheat, rice, maize and oats. The term wholegrain also includes milled wholegrains such as oatmeal and wholemeal wheat. The evidence found by this review is limited to wholegrain oats, and to changes in lipids as an outcome. There is a lack of studies on other wholegrain foods or diets. There is some evidence from this review that oatmeal foods can beneficially lower lipid levels such as low density lipoproteins (LDL) cholesterol and total cholesterol in those previously diagnosed with risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD) even with relatively short interventions. However, the results should be interpreted with caution because the trials found are small, of short duration and many were commercially funded. No studies were found that reported the effect of wholegrain foods or diets on deaths from, or occurrence of CHD.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD005051.pub2/abstract

Graham

Cholesterol and heart disease Dr.Malcolm Kendrick

We are constantly told high cholesterol levels will lead to heart disease, is this true ? This video lasts 1 minute 17 seconds, you may find the information very surprising.There is no correlation in cholesterol levels and heart disease !

Dr. Malcolm Kendrick  is a GP living in Macclesfield, having graduated from Aberdeen medical school. He is a peer-reviewer for the BMJ. He also helped set up the original website for NICE, and spent three years developing the on-line educational website for the European Society of Cardiology.  He has also been invited to give lectures on this topic to the BMA, the Medical Research Trials Unit, the Society of Chemical Industry and more recently the International Society of Cardiology.

Study Shows Low-Carb Diet Improves Cholesterol.

DURHAM, N.C. -- People who followed a low-carbohydrate diet for six months raised their good cholesterol and lowered their triglycerides, changes that can help lower the risk of heart disease, Duke University Medical Center researchers found.

Overall, both diets had positive effects on cholesterol, Westman said. The triglyceride levels improved significantly in both groups, falling 74.2 points for the low-carb group and 27.9 points for the low-fat group. People on the low-carb diet showed an increase in HDL cholesterol by 5.5 points, a positive change, while those following the low-fat diet did not have a significant change. LDL cholesterol levels did not change significantly in either group but small LDL particles decreased 17.4 points for the low-carb dieters and 19.2 points for the low-fat dieters, a similar improvement. The total cholesterol of the low-fat dieters saw a 13.7 point decline over 6 months but did not change significantly in the low-carb dieters.

Westman noted that the diets have one often-ignored similarity. "It's possible that the common denominator of these diets is what they're not eating – both diets did not allow refined sugar or junk food," Westman said.

http://www.dukehealth.org/health_library/news/9412

Sugar in blood can shrink your brain !

Researchers in Australia have found that even those now considered normal are at greater risk of the brain shrinkage that comes with type-2 diabetes and is evident in dementia patients.

“We found that even within the normal range, and in people without diabetes, higher sugar levels were associated with greater shrinking of the hippocampus,” said Nicolas Cherbuin, head of the brain lab at the Australian National University in Canberra.

“If these findings are replicated in other cohorts, norms for blood sugar levels and diabetes may need to be re-examined.” Over four years Cherbuin studied 249 people aged 60-64 whose blood sugar was in the normal range of 4-6.1 millimoles per litre.

http://www.thehindu.com/health/fitness/sugar-in-blood-can-shrink-your-brain/article3907535.ece

"Rejoice, for the tent of low-carb is with mankind, and normoglycemia resides with them" Monty Beantipper

“It was installed in me as a child, that no matter what, you treat people how you would like to be treated yourself. Respect and good manners don't cost anything, often it is the younger generation that is chastised for being disrespectful, but I suppose at the end of the day it is up to the older generations to lead by example."

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=14240&hilit=nigel&start=15#p130836

"Seriously, I've never read so much rubbish in all my life in what you have written!.... Just remember what works for one will not necessarily work for another, and as long as someone with diabetes establishes good blood glucose control it doesn't matter how many carbs they eat" 

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=16428&hilit=wortman&start=15

"As we have said before, diet advice and what one should and should not eat should be carried out on a personal bases with a qualified gp, diabetes consultant or dsn, who are aware of your past and present medical history."

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=13981&p=128051&hilit=nigel#p128051

"I have seen dieticians, read books, spoke to my diabetic care team, and none have offered any constructive advice on controlling weight. Reading this forum has been helpful, and reading other peoples experiences in controlling their diabetes and improving Hba1c's, has been inspirational !

I can't recollect at any time been given advice on reducing carbs to control weight. I have always been told to eat plenty of carbs at every meal, together with the usual meat and veg. Once I was told that a bowl of cereal for breakfast was insufficient, and should include 2 slices of toast also. Looking back I can now see how flawed this advice/information has been"

noblehead September 4th, 2009, 12:05 pm        deleted by noblehead September 11th, 2012, 5:20 pm

Drug giants fined $11bn for criminal wrongdoing !

The global pharmaceutical industry has racked up fines of more than $11bn in the past three years for criminal wrongdoing, including withholding safety data and promoting drugs for use beyond their licensed conditions.

In all, 26 companies, including eight of the 10 top players in the global industry, have been found to be acting dishonestly. The scale of the wrongdoing, revealed for the first time, has undermined public and professional trust in the industry and is holding back clinical progress, according to two papers published in today's New England Journal of Medicine. Leading lawyers have warned that the multibillion-dollar fines are not enough to change the industry's behaviour.

Trust in the industry among doctors has fallen so low that they dismiss clinical trials funded by it, even when the trials have been conducted with scientific rigour, according to a second paper in the journal by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/drug-giants-fined-11bn-for-criminal-wrongdoing-8157483.html

Celeriac is one of the lowcarb mega stars !

Celeriac Dauphinoise

Celeriac is one of the lowcarb mega stars. Much tastier than potatoes, lowcarb and unlike other root vegetables, which store a large amount of starch, celery root is only about 5-6% starch by weight. Collins Gem calorie counter states flesh only boiled 1.9 grams of carb per 100 grams.

Celeriac may be used raw or cooked. It has a tough, furrowed, outer surface which is usually sliced off before use because it is too rough to peel. Celeriac has a mild celery flavour, and is often used as a flavouring in soups and stews; it can also be used on its own, usually mashed, or used in casseroles, gratins and baked dishes. It can be roasted like a potato, giving it a crispy edge.

Celeriac is not available in some supermarkets. I get mine from Waitrose who sell two types ordinary and organic. Ordinary £1.79 per kilo. 

Celeriac Dauphinoise 
1 celeriac
300ml double cream
100 grams mature cheddar cheese, grated
Dried mixed herbs, salt and pepper to taste.
Optional 2 cloves garlic

Cut the celeriac into quarters then peel. Slice the celeriac into 5 mm thick pieces. Place a layer in a baking dish and add some double cream and dried herbs, salt and pepper. Continue layering up. Place in a hot oven 200 centigrade and cook for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and add a layer of grated cheddar cheese. Place back in oven and cook until cheese is golden brown. Serves 4

One of our favourite foods this dish goes with anything, meat, fish and even tastes great warmed up for breakfast with a couple of poached eggs and some mushrooms, or try with some kippers, great grub at anytime for sure and won’t raise BG.

Please check out our other food ideas at http://lowcarbdiabetic.co.uk/Recipes.htm

And http://www.lowcarbdietsandrecipes.blogspot.co.uk/

Eddie

More big pharma corruption ?

The World Health Organization (WHO) began with high ideals on the April 7^th 1948, headquartered in Geneva with a brief for "..the attainment by all people of the highest possible level of health." But has the WHO become a clubby job creation scheme with serious conflicts of interests with pharmaceutical companies, following the grant money? 

The A/H1N1 virus panic is still haunting the WHO three years later.  You will see it hyped up by the Director General Dr. Margaret Chan from advice from her panel of experts, many of whom have and were receiving payments from pharmaceutical companies who manufacture vaccines and anti-virals. These conflicts of interests were never declared and the WHO refused to publish the information despite repeated requests.

http://www.thecommentator.com/article/1344/is_the_world_health_organization_its_own_pandemic_

Lowcarb Raspberry Cheese Cake.

Someone described our cake recipe posted yesterday as bordering on food porn, if that's true what would you call this beauty ? This recipe was sent in some time ago by a friend who is a lowcarbing diabetic with HbA1c in the fives on zero meds. Obviously she is a great cook and her cheesecake is far more accomplished than our usual recipes. If you give it a go please let us know how you get on.

Basic Cheesecake

Base

150-200g ground almonds

50-75g butter

Filling

570g cream cheese 

100g zsweet (original recipe I adapted from said 180g caster sugar, you can add more or less according to personal taste)

1 tbsp cornflour 

4 large eggs, beaten 

380ml sour cream (I just add a squirt of lemon juice to double cream)

Method

1. Cover the outside of the cake tin with a double layer of foil, moulding it to the tin, but being careful not to puncture it so it remains watertight. 

2. Line the base of a 25cm springform cake tin with the baking parchment. 

3. Preheat the oven to 180C (350F) Gas 4. 

4. Mix almonds with enough melted butter to gently bind – minimum possible, you don’t want a paste, just so you can press it on base of tin to make a crust, almonds have lots of oil, too much butter and it will leech out. Almond amounts loose depends on how thick you like your base, for me I don’t want it too thick.

5. Spoon the base into the prepared tin and press down to form an even layer. Bake in the preheated oven for 5-10 minutes, then let cool. 

6. To make the filling, put the cream cheese and sweetener in a large bowl and beat until smooth. Beat in the cornflour, followed by the eggs in about 4 batches. When smooth, beat in the sour cream. Pour the mixture over the crumb base. Set the cake tin in a roasting tin and pour very hot water into the roasting tin to come just over half-way up the sides of the cake tin. 

7. Transfer the tins to the oven and bake, at the same temperature, for 45-50 minutes or until the cheesecake is just set in the centre, if necessary leave in another few minutes but in my oven 50 minutes is max.

8. Remove the cheesecake from its water bath, let cool on a wire rack, then chill, preferably overnight, before removing the foil and unmolding the cheesecake. You can make early on the day you wish to serve it but it needs several hours to cool and chill. Serve at room temperature.

Variations 

Add 2 teaspoons ground ginger to almonds before adding butter, then serve with rhubarb and ginger compote made with rhubarb stewed with ginger and sweetener, or even better roasted with ginger and sweetener.

Add zest of 2 unwaxed lemons to cheesecake mix when you add sour cream.

Serve topped with berries or a berry compote

Enjoy with whatever your blood sugars allows!

The cake can be divided into portions and frozen. Do serve at room temperature as it tastes far better. This cheese cake is quick and easy to make with a lovely texture. Don’t forget to adapt to your own taste re. base thickness and amount of sweetener.

Eddie

Maybe AliB was right all along !

Most regular forum of flog watchers over the years will remember AliB. She wrote some very interesting and well constructed posts and was a lowcarber. Always very polite despite lots of ridicule and abuse from the usual suspects, lead by the disappeared one and font of all knowledge Cugila. AliB often wrote about the importance of good gut flora, and how she believed many illnesses and diseases could be linked to bad gut flora. She was a very patient woman, but like so many other good posters, the barmy army wore her down and she walked. Well low and behold I found this article this morning.

Type 2 diabetes breakthrough: Imbalance in gut bacteria likely cause.

But breakthrough research just published in the journal Nature strongly indicates another, bottom line cause has been discovered - an imbalance of "good" versus "bad" bacteria in the intestinal tract appears to trigger type 2 diabetes.

The research team pointed out the 1.5 kilograms of bacteria that each of us carries around in our intestines have a huge impact on our well-being. If the equilibrium of what is known as this "microflora" in the gut is disrupted, health can suffer. For their study, the scientists zeroed in on the intestinal bacteria of 345 people from China. The 171 research subjects who had type 2 diabetes were found to have "a more hostile bacterial environment in their intestines" than those not suffering from the disease. The study suggests this kind of out-of-balance gut flora could increase resistance to different medicines as well as likely be the trigger for type 2 diabetes. The scientists identified specific biological indicators in the gut flora that could eventually be used to identify those at risk of type 2 diabetes as well as to diagnose the disease
.
http://www.naturalnews.com/037336_type-2_diabetes_gut_bacteria_imbalance.html

The usual suspects in action.

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=16428&hilit=wortman&start=15



Eddie

Relative Intake of Macronutrients Impacts Risk of Mild Cognitive Impairment or Dementia

                               Journal of Alzheimer's Disease

Abstract

High caloric intake has been associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment. Total caloric intake is determined by the calories derived from macronutrients. The objective of the study was to investigate the association between percent of daily energy (calories) from macronutrients and incident mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia. Participants were a population-based prospective cohort of elderly persons who were followed over a median 3.7 years (interquartile range, 2.5–3.9) of follow-up. At baseline and every 15 months, participants (median age, 79.5 years) were evaluated using the Clinical Dementia Rating scale, a neurological evaluation, and neuropsychological testing for a diagnosis of MCI, normal cognition, or dementia. Participants also completed a 128-item food-frequency questionnaire at baseline; total daily caloric and macronutrient intakes were calculated using an established database. The percent of total daily energy from protein (% protein), carbohydrate (% carbohydrate), and total fat (% fat) was computed. Among 937 subjects who were cognitively normal at baseline, 200 developed incident MCI or dementia. The risk of MCI or dementia (hazard ratio, [95% confidence interval]) was elevated in subjects with high % carbohydrate (upper quartile: 1.89 [1.17–3.06]; p for trend = 0.004), but was reduced in subjects with high % fat (upper quartile: 0.56 [0.34–0.91]; p for trend = 0.03), and high % protein (upper quartile 0.79 [0.52–1.20]; p for trend = 0.03) in the fully adjusted models. A dietary pattern with relatively high caloric intake from carbohydrates and low caloric intake from fat and proteins may increase the risk of MCI or dementia in elderly persons.

http://iospress.metapress.com/content/qh341365j35865q7/

Graham

Lowcarb Kiwi fruit and Blackberry clotted cream cake.

Ingredients

100 grams of ground almonds

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon of melted butter

2 tablespoons of double cream

One Kiwi fruit

100 grams of blackberries

125 grams of clotted cream

Method:

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl.

Melt the butter I used a Pyrex jug, add the eggs, cream, then add the dry ingredients and mix.Pour mix into a 6" x 3" micro-wave safe glass dish. Microwave in a 700watt for 4 minutes. Allow to cool and cut in half. Spread on extra thick clotted cream add the sliced kiwi fruit. Place top on cake and cover with clotted cream and add the blackberries. Tastes fantastic serves four. 

Eddie

Our second youngest grandchild, by two weeks !

At five months old he finds his little feet. Started solid food and lowcarb. No junk for this lad !

Eddie

Boehringer and Lilly Introduce Online Program for Adult Type 2s

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Eli Lilly and Company have introduced My Well Planner, a new online program offering customized educational content to help adults with type 2 diabetes make simple lifestyle changes to improve their health. Sample topics include general information abouttype 2 diabetes, better eating habits, building physical activity into daily life, taking medication, and communication strategies.

My Well Planner is designed to address the emotional barriers that people with type 2 diabetes face every day. Modeled on a behavioral change approach, it offers personalized content that adjusts as patients use it over time. The program helps adults with type 2 diabetes and their healthcare providers work together to set small lifestyle goals at their own pace, building toward bigger goals in the future. 

People with type 2 diabetes can register and create their ownMy Well Planner account at www.mywellplannerinfo.com. Once enrolled in the program, patients are asked to take a self-assessment to determine their motivation levels. The program delivers tailored tips based on the evaluation results to help patients take an active role in their condition and maintain healthy behaviors over time. It also creates progress reports that they can print out and discuss with their healthcare providers during visits.

According to Francine Cabrera, RN, CDE, WOCN, a Philadelphia-based nurse and diabetes educator, “It’s not easy to break old habits and create healthier ones. What sets My Well Plannerapart is its personalized content based on a graduated approach to help patients build goals and confidence to make healthy life changes.”

http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2012/09/22/7657/boehringer-and-lilly-introduce-online-program-for-adult-type-2s/

So what has big pharma got to offer in the way of dietary advice for Type 2 diabetics! I doubt anyone will be surprised when they read the following:

TRADJENTA Food Smart Guide

As someone living with type 2 diabetes, you know that making healthy food choices is important. But that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice taste in order to improve control of your blood sugar levels. There’s a world of palate-pleasing options that with even a slight change in food preparation and portion size can help make a difference when it comes to managing your type 2 diabetes. Limiting fat intake is important, as is choosing the right amount of carbohydrates. Half of your daily calories should come from carbohydrates, but choose ones made of whole grains which are filled with important vitamins and minerals that are lost in refined grain foods like white bread, rice and pasta. There’s a lot more to learn! Check out the food tips below. Some tips are just what the doctor ordered in an effort to control your glucose level, others will help manage things like your weight, blood pressure and cholesterol. All these tips will help you be at your nutritional best. Bon appétit!

https://www.tradjenta.com/diabetes-diet-and-exercise

Graham

My ugly mug !

Just so people cannot  say I am an anonymous person hiding in the shadows.

 My name is Eddie Mitchell and I can be contacted at the contact page at lowcarbdiabetic.co.uk I am more than happy to meet anyone any time.

Eddie

Everything Must Change !

Lowcarb diabetics that have got control of their weight, blood glucose and lipids shudder at the lunacy pushed by DUK the NHS and ADA. They know how far wrong the standard dietary advise is wrong, the NHS stats prove it. Eddie. Check out the best, at her best, all things must change.

Look after your feet !

These days I’m pretty much retired and on a very limited income. Having said that, I never spent much money on clothes when I earned good money. I have always hated shopping for clothes, but for as long as I can remember, I have coveted good shoes. Since being a diabetic I take good shoes and socks very seriously. A firm I have found make great shoes and boots, and I highly recommend is Brasher. No, I don’t sell them or know anyone that works for the company, but their shoes are great.

I appreciate their shoes are not cheap but what price do you put on your feet ? If you cannot afford to buy new check out ebay. I once bought my wife a brand new pair of Brasher walking shoes in the box for £30. These had been bought in error and did not fit the purchaser. A good tip is to buy some good thick cotton or wool socks before trying on walking shoes or boots. If you are buying from eBay buy a pair one size bigger than your usual shoes. If when you receive them, and putting on your thick wool or cotton socks they do not feel like slippers, re-list them on eBay and sell them. At the worst you will loose a small fee and postage charge. Look after your feet and they will look after you !

Brasher walking shoe.

Countrymaster® GTX® for men

http://www.brasher.co.uk/catalogue

Eddie

Whatever you do don’t give your ferret a flu jab !

Dr. Danuta Skowronski from the Canadian equivalent of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently observed as part of a comprehensive analysis that individuals who received an annual flu shot during the 2008-09 winter season had a disproportionately higher risk of developing H1N1 infection than individuals who were not vaccinated. Confirming earlier suspicions, Dr. Skowronski and her colleagues observed after recreating the phenomenon in a group of ferrets that the annual flu shot from that year was definitively linked to higher rates of H1N1 infection.

Upon conclusion, all the ferrets ended up developing H1N1, but the ferrets from the vaccinated group were the first to get it. The vaccinated group also became much sicker than the unvaccinated group, and appears to have very likely infected the unvaccinated group. These findings match up with those of five other Canadian studies conducted in other provinces outside British Columbia where elevated rates of H1N1 infection were also observed among individuals who had received their annual flu shot.

"The findings are consistent with the increased risk that we saw in the human studies," said Dr. Skowronski to the Vancouver Sun.

What this all goes to show, of course, is that not only was the seasonal flu shot a failure at preventing H1N1, but it was also apparently a cause of H1N1 infection. If the seasonal flu shot had been properly tested, which it most definitely was not, it would have become apparent that the shot was not only ineffective at preventing H1N1, but also a definitive cause of H1N1 infection.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/037302_flu_vaccines_H1N1_infections.html#ixzz27URubyzY

Man with ferret on head ?

Lowcarb diabetic team recruit a minder !

Over the years our team has been subjected to all sorts of ridicule and threats. Banned from many forums and subjected to threats of legal action and grief from the old bill. Because of a recent increase in threats of violence we have regretfully taken the decision to employ a bodyguard. Known in the industry as The Enforcer, and Steve The Spanner by his mates, be warned, any more grief from Carboholics and Steve will be paying you a visit.

Don't let that smiling happy face fool ya, he's one mean dude !

The European Food Information Council another member of the bullshit brigade.

“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.” Joseph Goebbels

The truth is the greatest enemy of big pharma and multi-national food companies. They employ thousands of people to lie. They falsify trials, bribe medical professionals, control most of the media and politicians. Graham posted an item on The British Nutrition Foundation an organisation Goebbels would have been proud of. Another propaganda outfit for the junk food mob is The European Food Information Council. As always the usual suspects are controlling it.   It is governed by a Board of Directors which is elected from member companies. Current EUFIC members are: AB Sugar, Ajinomoto Sweeteners Europe, Bunge, Cargill, Cereal Partners, Coca-Cola, Danone, DSM Nutritional Products Europe Ltd., Ferrero, Kraft Foods, Mars, McDonald's, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Pfizer Animal Health, Südzucker, and Unilever. 


These black op outfits always have names that sound as if they are government controlled or neutral benefactors and un-biased educators to the general public. The European Food Information Council (EUFIC) is a non-profit organisation they tell us, they offer “science-based information on nutrition and health, food safety and quality, to help consumers to be better informed when choosing a well-balanced, safe and healthful diet” If you believe that, you will probably believe tigers make good house pets. Check out how they try to defend high fructose corn syrup.

“Public health policies should focus on promoting a healthy lifestyle that includes physical activity, fresh fruits and vegetables, and a moderate caloric intake, rather than targeting fructose in the diet. This is the conclusion of two recent publications by researchers from the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, which look at the scientific basis behind claims that fructose is toxic. This Science Brief is based on those publications. Recently, fructose has been the focus of attention in a debate on the potential adverse health effects of sugars. It has been suggested that fructose is involved in the development of obesity and associated metabolic diseases such as heart disease, fatty liver, and diabetes mellitus. In their reviews, the Swiss researchers present scientific evidence demonstrating a trade-off between potential risks and benefits of fructose consumption. They also highlight a number of knowledge gaps.”

“Finally, it has been suggested that fructose leads to impaired insulin sensitivity. Insulin is a hormone which stimulates the body to metabolise glucose. In cases where the body becomes less sensitive to insulin, there is an increased risk of developing metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Studies show that providing people with 20-30% extra energy as fructose over a short period appears to lead to some impairment of insulin sensitivity in the liver, but does not result in any significant whole body insulin resistance. This suggests that fructose is unlikely to be adversely implicated in the ability of insulin to regulate glucose metabolism.”

HFCS is probably harmless in very small quantities, the same can be said for 4ozs of lead. But 4ozs of lead inserted behind the right ear at 700mph is usually goodnight Vienna. HFCS is ending up in ever more foods and is being consumed at ever greater quantities. At the level countless millions are consuming it’s a nail in the coffin for most of them. A few years ago the EU tried to bring in honest and accurate food labelling. The usual suspects spent close on one billion euros making sure that never happened. Meanwhile the likes of EUFIC and it’s partners target children and the general population with their toxic and highly profitable junk food products.

http://www.eufic.org/page/en/page/ONEUFIC/

Eddie

The John Terry guide on how to wind up forum lowcarbers.

Is the British Nutrition Foundation having its cake and eating it too?

Group dedicated to healthy eating is partly funded by the food industry

One of Britain's most influential institutions on diet and health has come under fire over its close links with the food industry.

The British Nutrition Foundation, established more than 40 years ago, advises the Government, schools, industry, health professionals and the public. It says on its website that it exists to deliver "authoritative, evidence-based information on food and nutrition" and that it aims to be "world class in the interpretation and translation of complex science."

However, the organisation's 39 members, which contribute to its funding, include – beside the Government, the EU – Cadbury, Kellogg's, Northern Foods, McDonald's, PizzaExpress, the main supermarket chains except Tesco, and producer bodies such as the Potato Council. The chairman of its board of trustees, Paul Hebblethwaite, is also chairman of the Biscuit, Cake, Chocolate and Confectionery Trade Association.

Critics say the foundation's dependence on the food industry is reflected in its support for the views promoted by industry and that it is not fully transparent about its funding.

The foundation is holding a conference next month on the science of low-calorie sweeteners, which aims to "separate fact from fiction". The web page for the event says "intense sweeteners have been available as a means of reducing sugar intake for more than a century" but the perceptions of them "can be somewhat negative". The conference aims to "explore the facts behind the stories and see where low-calorie sweeteners fit into today's foodscape."

The web page doesn't say, though the information is available elsewhere on the website, that the foundation is financially supported by Tate & Lyle, British Sugar, Ajinomoto (maker of AminoSweet), and McNeil Consumer Nutritionals (maker of Splenda).

A foundation press release in February said people could shake off the winter blues by drinking more fluids. It didn't say that its donors include Danone (producer of Evian, Volvic, and Badoit), Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Innocent, Twinings, Nestlé, and various yoghurt drink manufacturers. A footnote mentions the food industry as one of the foundation's funding sources.

Joe Harvey of the Health Education Trust, a charity promoting health education for young people, said: "Organisations like the British Nutrition Foundation which want to be seen as offering independent advice should avoid donations from the food industry or be much more up front about them so the public are aware of the involvement. It is naive to take industry money and believe there is no quid pro quo."

The foundation has contracts with the Government and the Food Standards Agency to produce educational materials, including the Licence To Cook website for the Department for Children, Schools, and Families, a recipe book for 11- to 12-year-olds, and aids for teachers. Food companies have been happy to fund these projects.

Tim Lobstein, the director of policy at the International Association for the Study of Obesity, said educational resources produced by the foundation in the past had sometimes been less than critical of the industry. "It did a big piece of work for the Food Standards Agency reviewing influences on consumer food choices which conveniently left out any review of the influence of marketing and advertising techniques," he said.

Oliver Tickell of the Campaign Against Trans Fats in Food said the foundation had produced a briefing sheet on trans fats which was "balanced" but also a submission to the Scottish parliament on a bill to limit trans fats which "essentially said 'do nothing' ". That, he said, coincided with the view of the industry, which opposed regulation. The foundation says it aims to provide swift, expert advice to journalists, and it delivers succinct analysis in a style that suits its audience but does not offend its partners in Whitehall or the food industry. A search for British Nutrition Foundation references in UK newspapers in the past year returned 128 hits, of which only two mentioned that it had industry funding.

Sara Stanner, the foundation's science programme manager, said: "The foundation attracts funding from a variety of sources, including contracts with the European Commission, national government departments and agencies, a wide range of food producers and manufacturers, retailers and food service companies, grant providing bodies, trusts and other charities. The donations we receive from food and drink companies are used at arms length and in a generic sense to supplement the funding we secure from the other sources. Our ability to protect our independence is strengthened by this diversity in funding and centres on our strong governance. We are not pressurised, commercially or politically, to be selective in the repertoire of nutrition topics we address."

She added: "If we engage in any piece of project work that involves support from one of our member companies (or any other industry link), we always clearly acknowledge this."

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/news/is-the-british-nutrition-foundation-having-its-cake-and-eating-it-too-1925034.html

Graham

More great lowcarb grub !

Salmon and asparagus quiche 

Ingredients:
6 eggs

One tin of whole asparagus spears 244 grams

200 grams chopped smoked or tinned salmon
6 tablespoons of double cream

Salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4

Mix the ingredients in a bowl or pyrex jug

Pour into a non stick baking dish 8" x 1.5"

Place the asparagus spears

Place into a pre heated oven at 190c and cook for twenty minutes.

Serve with a mixed salad. Great lowcarb food and won't break the bank.

Please check out our lowcarb recipe blog http://www.lowcarbdietsandrecipes.blogspot.co.uk/

Eddie

It’s official, I’m a mentally deranged evangelist !

Over on the forum of fun diabetes.co.uk a new member is rocking the boat. A GP for 20 years with a special interest in diabetes (including type 2) he proudly proclaims. It’s not often a serial killer is captured alive, but this guy turned himself in. As most lowcarbing and informed diabetics know we are considered a blot on the landscape by most healthcare professionals. The same goes for Carboholic diabetics whose brains have been addled by years of substance abuse. I used to wonder what motivated a lowcarb high fat anti, now I know, their nutters to a man and woman. This guy takes lunacy to a whole new level, but I suspect he speaks for many healthcare professionals. Check out his post below.

"Actually, you know what, forget my last post. I think I've stumbled onto a site for mentally derranged evangelists.

What reason's are there that a T2 shouldn't have an HbA1c of less than 7%...??/? Now let me think:

1. They're overweight (despite their best efforts - yes they have a life) and have significant insulin resistance.
2. They are unresponsive to oral therapy as most treatments after metformin cause weight gain and make their insulin resistance worse
3. They are elderly and don't understand or want to change their lifestyle
4. They are normal people who have lives (did I mention that already?) and quality of life is more important to them than quantity and don't want to change their lifestyles
5. All oral treatments have failed and they end up on insulin which makes them put on more weight, which makes their insulin resistance worse , which leads to higher levels of insulin which makes them put on more weight etc etc
6. They want to live in denial and won't engage in the treatment of their diabetes
7. they don't (or won't) accept the risks of poorly controlled diabetes.
8. They have low IQ's and can't understand the management requirements for diabetes
9. They come from poor socio-economic backgrounds and can't afford or don't have the experience of cooking healthy low fat/low carb meals

Welcome to THE REAL WORLD. This is an average diabetic population, you should all get yourselves out there and look at them some time.

Oh and did I mention - they have a life (outside of diabetes)?"

Welcome to THE REAL WORLD he bellows, yes this is the real world, a world that he and his kind created. As can be seen on the forum on a daily basis. New members joining with horror stories regarding the abysmal care received from their medics. Dietary advice guaranteed to lead to higher BG numbers and future complications. Drugs prescribed that are either useless or banned because of the high death rates. Test strips withheld for most type two’s, the list of catastrophic failure getting longer with every NHS audit published. Woefully inadequate NICE guidelines regarding HbA1c that the Doctor David’s of the real world can’t get close to. Can anyone think of a successful business in the real world where this sort of failure rate would be tolerated for a week ? Don’t forget I’m not talking about finding a cure for diabetes here, all that is required is some sensible advice such as eating to your blood glucose meter, some sound dietary advice, and the truth regarding HbA1c safe targets. The NHS and DUK have failed to combat the epidemic of type two diabetes, and they will keep on failing until all the Doctor David’s have retired, and the vice like grip of corrupt big pharma is broken.

Eddie

The reason for the NHS failure in controlling diabetes in the UK !

This post on diabetes.co.uk from a diabetic doctor. Nothing illustrates better why NHS Doctors like him are responsible for the gruesome NHS audit statistics for diabetics in the UK.

This sort of attitude and advice creates the HbA1c numbers from the NHS audits.

Results for England. The National Diabetes Audit 2010-2011
Percentage of registered Type 1patients in England
HbA1c >= 6.5% (48 mmol/mol) = 92.6%
HbA1c >   7.5% (58 mmol/mol) = 71.3%
HbA1c > 10.0% (86 mmol/mol) = 18.1%

Percentage of registered Type 2 patients in England
HbA1c >= 6.5% (48 mmol/mol = 72.5%
HbA1c > 7.5% (58 mmol/mol) = 32.6%
HbA1c >10.0% (86 mmol/mol) = 6.8%

These results are very similar to those obtained in previous NHS audits over the past 5 - 6 years.

Thank the Lord he has recently retired !

"by david252 

Hi guys, 

I don't want to pull rank here but I have had diabetes for 34 years - yes type 1 - but have also been (recently retired on ill health  ) a GP for 20 years with a special interest in diabetes (including type 2).

The debate over home blood glucose testing in type 2 is not really a debate, I just didn't want to appear arrogant. It is pretty well accepted by most health care professionals with an interest in diabetes including NICE and my consultant colleagues in endocrinology, that home BG measurement in type 2 diabetes has a very limited role to play and with the occasional exception (there are always exceptions in medicine) is of very little value and hence is not encouraged.

I fully accept that type 2 DMs need to CHO count as much as type 1's but there is no need to test. Whilst there is some merit in what has been said about learning which foods will raise your blood sugars rapidly, all you really need to do is look at the glycaemic index of foods. A food with a low glycaemic index is absorbed slowly and will not spike your blood sugars, whereas the reverse is true for foods with high glycaemic indices. This holds true for everybody - type 1, type 2 and people without diabetes. There are stories of soldiers feigning DM to get out of the army by drinking tea with a lot of sugar in - their blood sugars would spike above the renal threshold and they would present with glycosuria - same for everybody. The key in diabetes (both types - although pumpers may get away with this) is to avoid high GI foods, or take them as part of a meal with lots of low GI foods, hence delaying their absorption. The focus from health care professionals over recent years has been on giving this sort of specific, detailed dietary education rather than on home BG monitoring.

My point is, you don't need a finger prick to tell you this (which in any case would take a lot of trial and error to pinpoint which foods were causing the elevation), you just need to know which foods have fast absorption rates (ie high glycaemic indices) - your GP should have access to a local primary care based type 2 DM specialised education group, usually led by dieticians, that he/she can refer you to for this type of advanced patient education (its obviously not for everybody) - alternatively you can always google it!

As far as HbA1c's are concerned, there are a few but rare conditions that will cause inaccuracies (usually conditions which increase the rate of turnover of red blood cells) but these are rare and often inherited, so you and your doctor would probably be aware of them."

by Pneu

"David.. you have antagonised people because you have not read the original post properly.. the OP clearly stated his readings were +2 hour post meal.. he stated he had checked the meter(S) for accuracy.. one can assume this is with control solution.. the difference between his average reading on the meter and the lab HbA1c is VAST around 4 mmol/l average.. I suspect he probably has the wrong persons lab results.. you then go on to make sweeping generalisations about type II diabetics and show frankly the sort 'I know best' attitude the infuriates members on this forum... the sort of thing they here week in week out... the NHS approach is the only approach despite the fact that it is years behind the rest of the world..

We welcome all contributors here but you are going to get pretty short shift unless you can defend what most would see as an antagonistic starting position... 

To be blunt it comes across as "your type II your going to get bad readings because that's what you have to expect"

Eddie