High Protein Diet Risk
 

Special Report: High-Protein Diet
An NBC 30 Special Report
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. -- It's become a breakfast ritual for Mark Finocchiaro -- a bacon, egg and cheese omelet at Lottie's Diner, every morning.

Mark has been following a high-protein, high-fat regimen for the past three months. He's lost about 30 lbs.

Even reports about potential health risks, like heart problems and reduced kidney function, have not deterred him.

"I know it's bad for me, but the good outweighs the bad," Mark said.

But researchers at the Yale School of Medicine have uncovered another serious diet danger.

"What we found is people who have high protein intake and fat intake have increased risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma," said Dr. Tongzhang Zhen.

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is a killer collection of different white blood cell cancers. Doctors are reporting a huge surge in the number of cases. It's been as mystery as to why.

Dr. Zhen studied 600 Connecticut women with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and 700 without cancer.

He found the women who ate a high-protein diet had a 70-percent increased risk of developing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

"On the other hand, if people have a low intake of dietary fiber, they also have a risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma," Zhen said.

Zhen said that by eating more fiber, such as fruits and vegetables, you can lower the risk of the disease by 40 to 50 percent.

Zhen's research supports earlier findings. Researchers are still studying why the increased risk occurs, but animal studies reveal some clues. For example, over-nutrition from animal protein could cause immune disturbances.

Healthy immune function depends on proper nutrition. Zhen worries that any diet that radically eliminates certain nutrients of food groups will disturb our body's ability to repair things, and put us at greater risk.

"People don't take the time to really understand and learn how that particular diet is supposed to and has been designed to work," said Albert Petrunti of Avon.

The Petruntis have been Atkins advocates for years. Michelle Petrunti has lost 93 pounds. Albert lost 25 pounds.

They even based their business, IngenHealth, around the popular diet. But both make sure that they eat the healthier fats, the mono-unsaturated kind. They also eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.

Zhen said that balance is the key. A balanced diet is what's need to maintain a healthy lifestyle and lower the risk of disease.

http://www.nbc30.com/nbc30/3251398/detail.html

Note...they don't tell you what else they were eating with that high protein diet or what constitutes "high" for that matter. Was it also high in processed foods and sugars? How about transfats and vegetable oils?
To single out protein as the causative factor in this case without also considering the rest of the women's diets is irresponsible IMO.
Come to think of it, if a high protein and fat diet causes high rates of non-hodgkins lymphoma, I wonder why the Inuits didn't suffer widely from it?

I am eating so much more veggies now. My fiber intake is wonderful. I feel great. If balance is the key, I have found it ;)

all I have to say is :bash:

give me a break! what next! The fear mongers unite! Low Carb causes blindness, infertility (oh they did that one already), deafness, lock jaw, arthritis.... oh let me get out my medical dictionary.

You forgot impotence :)

Right...guess that's why I've had ONE cold (and no other illnesses) in the past 3 years I've been low carbing. Come to think of it, this has been the healthiest year my 2 girls have ever had; I haven't had to pick them up from school because they got sick yet this year.
Guess that's also why my incision after my last surgery healed twice as fast as my doctor expected it to (and I'm a diabetic so that's really saying something). Yup...all that lack of sugar is really disturbing my immune system! :rolleyes:

http://jncicancerspectrum.oupjourna...jnci;91/20/1751

Is the text of the study. What I basically culled from it was, these were not people on a low carb diet, just people eating a normal diet with greater amounts of fat and protein. In other words, high carb and high fat/protein. I don't know anybody that thinkgs that is a good thing, and renders this study as useless information for LC dieters. Well, IMHO anyway :)

I just want to say that I have been an atkins believer for 2 years now. Because it has worked for me. But recently im heading towards the south beach diet more. Since ive done more nutrition classes to recieve my degree, im starting to understand why high fat is really not the way to go. And how more fiber is required. But again I know the atkins program does work, all im saying is stay on atkins for a couple of months to burn most of the fat off. Then lean towards a better diet with more fiber. It will work.
Chefmorais

This is rediculous!!! What did people eat to keep from getting cancer before the creation of Oreo cookies and Wonder Bread. How the hell did mankind survive before it was able to manufacture pasta? I am sorry, but if you fully appreciate the way the body works then you should appreciate the importance of fats.

I know this is off the subject, but how much fiber do you get in your diet on a daily basis eating Atkins-style? My low days are 30 grams, and that's with between 30-45 net carbs a day. I'll stick with the higher fat for now (am trying to lower it a bit and see how I do) because frankly, my body is and always has required fat. I low-fatted off and on for years and it never did me one bit of good. I think people are different, though, based on genetics and such. I believe some people are gentically disposed to requiring more fats than others. My body loves higher fat and lower carb.

Absolutely right. They tagged the 'high-protein' label on this just for scare appeal. The rest of the stuff is pure wishful speculation. Journalism at work.



Sounds sensible and logical, right? Except "Balanced diet" is a meaningless term. Does it suggest that you evenly balance all macronutrients? 33.3% Fat, 33.3% Protein, 33.3% Carbs? Or, maybe you should balance the food groups: 25% Fruits and Vegetables, 25% Meat, 25% Dairy, 25% Grains. Or maybe you should balance the colors of your food? Or maybe 50% food that tastes like crap, and 50% that tastes good? A useless term.

Its all about bias. How is a high-glucose diet 'balanced", while a high-protein diet is not? Why is a high-starch diet 'balanced' while a high-fat diet is not? Why is a low-fat diet 'balanced' while a low-carb diet is not?

This 'Balance' thing is pure bias. The food pyramid

LOL...for some people, "balanced" means a Twinkie in each hand! ;)

Lila...you make a good point. Even at induction levels, it's possible to get quite a bit of fiber. Let's also consider what many of these studies that demonize fat are based on; high carb AND high fat. They blame the fat because of scientific bias (it couldn't possibly be the carbs, right?) and ignore the possibility that it may be the high carb content of the diets of the subjects studied that caused the negative effects OR the combination of high carb and high fat or even the types of fats they were consuming (ie high in hydrogenated or processed vegetable oils). Something else that a lot of these article writers seem to ignore is that you are not intended to stay at induction levels of carb forever or even for the duration of your weight loss journey. Moving through all the phases gradually increases your levels of carbs and decreases your level of fats.
Same thing goes for the studies that claim fiber is absolutely necessary for good health. Is it the fiber or the vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and antioxidants that high fiber (ie vegetables) foods contain? How do you isolate the effects of one from the other?

Lisa, I think you're right. Dieticians glorify fiber in the diet, but IMHO, it's merely a marker for eating natural, whole foods as they were grown. Which is never a bad thing. Personally, I don't see how pushing indigestible wood fibers through your intestines can help with heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and everything else they say fiber helps.

Incidentally, I recall one study -- concerning colon cancer -- that tried adding fiber alone (in the form of psyllium supplements, I believe) to see if it helped prevent pre-cancerous polyps from turning to cancerous. Turns out that people who took the fiber supplements developed MORE cancerous growths.

My take? Eat food, not sawdust.

This reminds me of the medicine warnings on almost all medicines. ie: this could cause constipation, diarheah, insomnia, drowsiness, dry mouth, excess salivation...........on and on.

I think you are absolutely right. The modern tendency is to focus on one thing and attribute it with all sort of benefits and ignore everything else. They done that with the infamous "french paradox". They speculated wine was the protective element in the French's diet. They have done it with some vitamins, determined it was protective and then administered mega doses only to find out it worsened things. They have done this over and over. I guess the conclusion is it's impossible to isolate one particular element from a lifestyle and give it all the credit. It's always a combinaison of factors that add up to a LIFESTYLE. Not just what you eat, but when you eat, how much you eat, how active you are, your level of stress, the pollutants in your environment, your family support system, and on and on. You can't just say, oh these people get a lot of vitamin E so that must be the secret of their health.

I guess the tendency towards over-simplification is that it makes for a single message, easy to promote in our sound-bite society. Whatever substance-du-jour that is considered protective can be packaged and sold to the consumer. It's easy to sell a substance, impossible to sell a complete lifestyle

I read an article about the myth of fiber a few months back that seems relevant here:

Myth No. 3 - Fiber is Healthy and Required in the Diet.

The myth that fiber is required in the diet is so widespread and universally accepted that even many low-carbohydrate proponents believe the lie without hesitation. The fiber theory was generated by the low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet supporters to combat the symptoms of constipation and diarrhea caused by eating carbohydrates. They recommend a high-fiber diet as the solution for both constipation and diarrhea, but these symptoms are the result of an excessive amount of carbohydrate in the diet. They claim fiber increases mobility of the material in the intestines as a positive; however, much of the bulk in the stool is live and dead bacteria which are produced in mass by the carbohydrate and fiber. The high-carbohydrate diet promotes the overgrowth of bacteria and yeasts which becomes a serious problem as mobility slows. Many of these are unhealthy pathogenic bacteria. The pathogenic bacteria cause irritation of the gut and eventually leads to "leaky gut syndrome," bowel diseases and other autoimmune diseases. Fiber is a cellulose that cannot be digested as a human food because we lack the cellulace enzyme; however, bacteria feast on fiber, especially in the colon where they reek havoc.

Fiber is not required in a low-carbohydrate diet because gut bacteria are restricted by the lack of a food source - carbohydrates. High-fiber foods like grains, seeds and fruit are also very high in carbohydrates. Grains are the product most used as the raw material for the manufacture of high-carbohydrate foods. The grain lobby is very powerful in promoting their products and their resources to do so are almost limitless. They claim fiber reduces diabetes, cancer, heart disease and intestinal diseases, but it is a well-proven fact that high-carbohydrate diets cause these diseases as explained in the book,
Syndrome X.
Leaky Gut Syndrome.

A study of ancient societies who lived on a high-fiber, high-carbohydrate diet easily proves the unhealthy effects. Ancient Egyptians are a perfect example. Their diet was based on a high percentage of whole grains, fruit and vegetables. The fiber content was very high. The diet was low-fat. They did not eat refined sugars. These Egyptians of the times of the Pharaohs ate a highly vegetarian diet. The results were disastrous. Their writings and the study of mummies shows they had a high incidence of diabetes, heart disease, intestinal diseases, arthritis, osteoporosis and poor dental health. Their high-fiber diet which had no refined carbohydrates did not produce the good health as promised by all of our modern dietary references and professional medical and nutritional associations. The tens of thousands of well-preserved Egyptian mummies give us the absolutely solid scientific proof the high-fiber, high-carbohydrate diet is very unhealthy.

The common advice that one should have several bowel movements each day is a myth. The low-fat, low-protein, high-carbohydrate diet usually produces several bowel movements per day but also causes diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Chronic constipation and chronic diarrhea are common body reactions to the constant bombardment to the digestive system with fiber and carbohydrates. Sufferers attempt to correct the condition by added fiber supplements as recommended by their doctor only to discover it is not effective. The low-carbohydrate, low-fiber diet will produce normal stools with bowel movements that sometimes skip two days and frequently skip one day. The intestinal tract becomes calm and bowel movements are natural. One should not expect several bowel movements each day which is typical of the disease causing high-fiber, high-carbohydrate diet.
Bowel Diseases and Candida - News You Can Use.

Fiber absorbs vitamins and minerals and discharges them from the body. Fiber leaches calcium from the digestive tract and discharges it in the stool when it is desperately needed to prevent osteoporosis, bone loss, hip fractures and degenerative disk disease.
Comparison of the influence of dietary fibre sources with different proportions of soluble and insoluble fibre on Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn and Cu apparent absorption in rats.
Mineral contents of brans passed through the human GI tract.
Preventing Osteoporosis, Bone Loss, Hip Fractures and Degenerative Disk Disease.
Low-Fat, High-Fiber Diet May Lower Calcium Absorption.

Do not take fiber supplements. Do not take psyllium seed husks which are very abrasive to the digestive system. Do not eat wheat bran or rice bran. Fiber is a bad dude. Dietary fiber may not be digestible by the healthy individual, but it certainly is digestible by pathogenic gut bacteria and yeasts. Fiber is the perfect time-release food for bad gut bugs and one of the worst thing a person can eat for good health. These bacteria and yeasts ferment the fiber to produce alcohol, acetaldehyde, lactic acid, acetic acid and a host of other toxic chemicals when they break down the fiber. Intestinal gas is a sure sign fiber and/or sugars are being fermented. The vegetarian concept of turning the gut into a fermentation tube is ridiculous. Avoid all whole grains, brown rice, fruit and dried beans as they are high in both fiber and complex carbohydrates, a double blow to the digestive system. The reason many gastroenterologists recommend a high fiber diet is based on the faulty logic of Dr. Dennis Burkitt, a British surgeon working in Africa more than half a century ago. Dr. Burkitt's theory that barley bread prevented irritable bowel disorders was seriously flawed. The Africans were simply showing the benefits of not eating fruit and refined carbohydrates like sugar and flour. Their barley grain was probably not ground very well and thus the fiber was difficult for the gut bacteria to attack, saving them from the health hazards of eating fiber. Our finely ground grains of today do not produce the same result. Fiber not only does not prevent or cure irritable bowel diseases but actually makes them worse. Studies of many other primitive or remote societies have proven a very low-fiber diet prevents intestinal diseases and cancer as proven by Weston A. Price, DDS in his book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration and arctic explorers Vilhjalmur Stefansson and Karsten Anderson during many years of living with the Eskimos. Most current doctors and nutritionists simply ignore their more extensive studies proving a zero-fiber diet produces excellent health and prevents colon cancer. New scientific studies are also ignored that prove fiber may raise the risk of colon cancer, not prevent cancer as erroneous claimed by most current-day professionals.
Fiber May Raise Colon Cancer Risk.
Eskimos Prove An All Meat Diet Provides Excellent Health.

Do not fall for the "colon cleanse and detoxification" scam. The colon does not contain a lining of putrid material that looks like "chunks of debris that resembled cooked liver, long black twisted rope-like pieces." A colon cleanse and/or a detox program of harsh herbs and fiber products only serves to create more problems that may lead to leaky gut syndrome.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has established a Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of 25 grams of fiber per day. Yet, there is no scientific basis for this value and research studies on fiber are scant. No studies support the requirement for fiber but many expose health hazards associated to fiber. The low-carbohydrate diet contains about three grams of fiber from non starchy vegetables.

The Eskimos observed by Arctic explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson clearly proved that eating a diet totally devoid of fiber is perfectly healthy. In fact, it is more healthy than eating a diet with fiber.
Stefansson 1 - Eskimos Prove An All Meat Diet Provides Excellent Health.

Fiber is strongly advocated by vegetarians because of its high content in grains, legumes and fruits and its low content in meat. The Bran Wagon article by Barry Groves, PhD, exposes many of the common myths about high-fiber foods. Dietary fiber actually causes or increases the severity of many diseases.

http://www.biblelife.org/myths.htm

Well, I eat about 40 grams of carbs a day and only about 10-12 of them are fibre -- all from vegetable and fruit (berry) sources. So I guess I'm not getting enough fibre. ;) Great article, nobimbo. Getting enough fibre has never been a concern of mine. I'm more concerned about getting the vitamins and anti-oxidants from the veges and berries I eat.

Man, I don't know as I believe that about fiber. I do know if I don't get enough of it I just don't go to the bathroom and when I do, it's not an enjoyable process at all.

Eskimos actually do get fiber by eating the tough indigestible bits of the animal. At least, that's what I read.

I agree!
I'm very suspicious of the ‘eat lots of fibre’ message. In my pre LC days when I had IBS eating more fibre always made me worse….not better. It just doesn’t make sense to me anymore that eating lots of food that is just going to be expelled as a waste product is a good thing. It’s like not giving the human body any credit for knowing what it’s doing. And surely all that gas that comes with a high carb/fibre diet is the body’s way of sounding an alarm that it doesn’t like what’s going on down there.

I find I do have an emotional dependency on eating fibre though which I’m trying to get past. The need to ‘go’ every day is more important for my mental well being more than my physical well being.

I'm sorry, but I just couldn't let this go.

(A) There is no reason for any reduced carb diet, whether its Atkins or not, to be low on fibre. Most people will find that with all the low carb vegetables and fruit they eat, they actually increase the amount of fibre in their diet compared to their previous WOL, and certainly compared to the average fibre intake of the wider community.

(B) You say you have been on Atkins for 2 years (presumably with all the extra energy and health benfits that this WOL brings). But now you want to start listening to conventional "expert" nutrition academics who will no doubt tell you Atkins is dangerous because of the long discredited theory that a high saturated fat diet gives you (presumably) CHD and cancer?? I don't mean to be unkind (quite the opposite), but you might want to check out a few of the more enlightened views on this subject before you revert back to accepting the establishment and industry line on this which has caused so much damage to public health in both our countries.

http://www.westonaprice.org/know_your_fats/oiling.html

http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/cvd_index.html

http://www.theomnivore.com/commonmy...wcarbdiets.html

http://www.ravnskov.nu/cholesterol.htm

Cheers,

Malcolm

To Malcolm. What I meant was alot of people that I know who do atkins are doing it wrong. What I see happing is that people are staying below 20 carbs a day because they are losing weight faster. ANd I was the same way. I still do atkins, but also south beach. I think the combination is more effective, for your health. ANd the funny thing is after much fighting with my instructers in culinary school about the proper nutrion, I got them to admitt that they were also or are still on the atkins diet, including my nutrition instructer.

My grandma had it right...
 

Everything in moderation. Including fiber :rolleyes: .

I found on this diet that I have not needed any fiber for laxative purposes except perhaps at the very start when things switched over.

Although I don't follow any sort of a bm pattern, everything is quite comfortable in that region.

I think that a balance of good high fiber foods, and good low fiber foods works for me. I love flaxmeal. Flaxseed is very high in fiber low in carbs and also high in a multitude of nutrients that my particular body likes.

A good diet is one with a good variety of different types of natural foods. I love all sorts of meats, veggies, fruits, and nuts and they have done me right so far, fiber, fat, protein, and carbs notwithstanding.

If you feel good, your body is telling you that you are doing things right. Listen to it.

Yep, I have no problem with raising you intake of healthy carbs if you continue to lose weight or are approaching maintenace. If this slows your weight loss a little, who cares?

What I do take issue with is Agatston's anti saturated fat message (although I believe he has toned this down somewhat recently.) It always appeared that his adoption of this more politically correct message was solely driven by his desire to attract people who couldn't face a higher fat diet because they were still indoctrinated by all the crazy low fat "expert" opinion that has dominated the last 25 years. If he had any convincing scientific basis for his position I guess I would have more respect, but as I say it appears to be just a marketing exercise.

Cheers,

Malcolm

In the South Beach book I read Dr. Agatston stated that he no longer thought saturated fat was nearly as bad as previously stated. He emphasized it should be balanced with other kinds of fats. I do feel his stance on saturated fat reflects his long training as a cardiologist, and that him bending that much is rather open minded.

When people fuss about the kinds of fats, I just think of someone running around the tundra...a grub here, a plant there, and a big feast of antelope. I don't think they worried about food combining, balanced meals, and proper ratios. I know we don't grow and make our food the way we used to. But pre-agriculture, people seemed to be healthier. That reassures me about my "unbalanced" ratios, which are still high fat, adequate protein, and low carbs, even now as a maintainer.

I try lowering the fat and upping the carbs and I get hungry and tired.

Personally, I feel Dr. Atkins had people adjust the ratios so they could add in more stuff that isn't necessarily needed. I eat my favorite fruits...berries and melons and sweet peppers and cukes. Hardly any grains (unless the distilled kind.) And no sugar, just some splenda things like ice cream now and then.

My nutrition profile is the best it's ever been. Without climbing the carb ladder. Look it up. Red meat has more B vitamins than whole grain bread. Broccolli and peppers are just as good a source of Vitamin C as oranges are.

When I changed my way of eating, it was with a completely open mind. And I'm astonished at how much of what I've been told is just flat wrong.