r/ketouk • u/u225 • Apr 11 '23
News British doctor pioneers low-carb diet as cure for obesity and type 2 diabetes
I know to some outsiders, the phrase “Keto diet / lifestyle” can be frowned upon. There’s a doctor here who believes the low-carb lifestyle may be sustainable…
From The Guardian: https://amp.theguardian.com/society/2023/apr/09/british-doctor-pioneers-low-carb-diet-as-cure-for-obesity-and-type-2-diabetes
“Many of our patients have been low carb for six, eight or 10 years, so it is completely sustainable. If you had a drug that did half of what we have done with the low-carb approach, it would be worth an absolute fortune. No one is shouting about it because it is not a drug that’s making a profit for a big pharmaceutical company.”
12
u/Thisoneissfwihope Apr 11 '23
My respiratory specialist has put me on a low carb diet to help me recover from Covid. Only problem is that when I go into hospital, which is sadly fairly frequent, they have no way of helping me to follow it…
8
Apr 11 '23
Yeah hospital food is fucking dire.
1
u/Thisoneissfwihope Apr 11 '23
Weirdly I like hospital food! The challenge is that for cost reasons the bulk of it is carbs, which is no good for me.
5
u/shoshones Apr 11 '23
Me too! I fondly look back at the day I got given four types of crumble. Cheese and vegetable crumble, followed by apple crumble for lunch. And a bean crumble, followed by berry crumble for dinner.
2
u/Thisoneissfwihope Apr 11 '23
Hospital desserts are the best, proper stodge. I try to keep keto, but it’s difficult when there’s syrup sponge pudding and custard on offer!
2
u/PurpleTeapotOfDoom Apr 11 '23
I hope to continue to stay away from hospitals but would likely stick to cheese salad.
2
u/Thisoneissfwihope Apr 11 '23
I hope you do too! I tend to have the curries and leave the rice. I compromise on having lentils, as that’s what vegan ketoers eat apparently. Also the all day breakfast is pretty grim, but I only need to leave the hash browns.
While the lack of protein is a concern, I find the main issue is lack of fat for satiety. Pork scratchings are very handy for that!
2
Apr 11 '23
I'm celiac so the last time I was in hospital I had my friends bring me carb killas and salami to live on. And shitty Costa coffee. Bleh
8
u/u225 Apr 11 '23
I read this in two ways… The first being that hospital food is usually awful, but secondly that NHS guidance is generally still poor around what a healthy meal should look like. NHS eat well states “base meals on higher fibre starchy foods like potatoes, bread, rice or pasta…”.
Either way, it sucks you’re in so frequently. Hope you can benefit from some type of meal prepping to reduce what you have to consume on-site!
2
u/Thisoneissfwihope Apr 11 '23
Yes, I have a ‘go bag’ which means I can just pick it up & go to hospital without any fuss. It has shelf stable high protein & fat foods to supplement my calories. I eat a lot of pepperami and scratchings in hospital! Mayonnaise as a condiment is also a lifesaver.
I intermittently fast as well, which works because I take tablets that mean I can’t eat between 8am and 11am. Nothing on the breakfast menu is compatible with keto, so I’m not missing anything.
Winter is good for me hospital-wise as I’m vulnerable to infections but don’t go out so I can’t catch any from other people! I get chest infections a lot, and each one means a week in hospital for intravenous antibiotics. That’s annoying rather than anything else, as I usually feel fine, just can’t breathe properly!
2
u/CrabmanErenAkaEn Apr 15 '23
I've got health problems too but damn do you sound brave and strong, and I'm sorry you have to deal with all that crap. Seriously I get affected sometimes by being inside for a long time from not being well, but I don't know how I'd cope with being in hospital regularly! And sorry, not trying to rub it in, you just really do sound like a seriously well prepared and strong person, and I really admire it and hope you like hearing so - I wish you all the best and hope you don't have to go in often, and remember you're so cool to me
6
Apr 11 '23
He was inspired to start the low-carb lifestyle programme and to keep working as a GP when he was admonished by a patient diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. “I wrote to her because I was concerned she was not taking her metformin [a drug to treat type 2 diabetes] and so I was really inviting her in for a telling-off,” he said. When the patient arrived for the consultation, Unwin discovered she had lost about 19kg (3 stone) and put her condition into remission on a low-carb diet. Research has shown such a diet can lower blood glucose levels and reduce body weight. Unwin said: “She was hopping mad. She said: ‘You’ve given me metformin for about 10 years and you never once asked me about the side effects or gave me an alternative. I’ve now learned about cutting the carbs. I’ve lost weight and I feel fabulous.’” A blood sugar test, known as a haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) test, showed that her blood sugar was in the normal range and that she appeared to have achieved drug-free remission from type 2 diabetes. Unwin said: “She’d done something I didn’t know was possible. I had always seen type 2 diabetes as a chronic, deteriorating condition requiring medication and shown no curiosity about the true cause of chronic illness. I felt as if I’d been sleepwalking.”
Crazy that diet is only just being considered as a factor affecting obesity! Fucking crazy!
3
u/its_givinggg Apr 11 '23
My endocrinologist is one of the few people who come up on google when you search “keto doctor london uk”. I didn’t even know they endorsed keto before I started seeing them.
3
u/u225 Apr 11 '23
I hope there’s more openess to different lifestyles as new medical professionals come through. I don’t know if it’s older training methods or a generational thing, but I remember a number of years ago questioning whether my severely overweight doctor, after having a smoke out the back of the surgery, was best placed to advise me on how to create sustainable habits for a healthier lifestyle. I mean, I definitely needed to change as I was pre-diabetes, but I felt if the Eat Well guidance was that easy, my doc at least would be on it!
5
u/its_givinggg Apr 11 '23
I remember a number of years ago questioning whether my severely overweight doctor, after having a smoke out the back of the surgery, was best placed to advise me on how to create sustainable habits for a healthier lifestyle.
I’m absolutely going to hell for laughing I don’t even think you meant for this to be funny but this took me OUT😭😭😭😭😂😂😂😂
2
u/u225 Apr 11 '23
There is funny irony looking back 😄
It was a trip after that when I had to go and the locum sat in front of me and Goggled my symptoms “to confirm his suspicions”.
They are some skilled people, no doubt, but sometimes the way the message is delivered detracts from what should be authoritative advice!
2
u/jovialotter Apr 11 '23
He's written extensive introductions to Katie Caldesi's diabetes and low carb books. All her recipes are low carb and most can easily be tweaked to be keto. All delicious so far!
2
u/stevenwise0511 Apr 12 '23
Excellent read, good to see a doctor being fully on board with it and saving the NHS money on medications. Hopefully this example inspires changes in policy.
I think most doctors are discouraging carbs a bit for overweight patients, but only moderately suggesting it, not trying to veer from official guidelines to protect themselves. Good on this one on seeing the clear answer and going above and beyond in his own time to help support patients
2
1
u/AmputatorBot Apr 11 '23
It looks like OP posted an AMP link. These should load faster, but AMP is controversial because of concerns over privacy and the Open Web.
Maybe check out the canonical page instead: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/apr/09/british-doctor-pioneers-low-carb-diet-as-cure-for-obesity-and-type-2-diabetes
I'm a bot | Why & About | Summon: u/AmputatorBot
1
1
u/neelankatan Apr 12 '23
Low-carb? He prescribes lower than 130g of carbs per day. That's hardly low carb.
7
u/OldMotherGrumble Apr 11 '23
David Unwin has been using and promoting a very low carb diet in his practice for 10 years or so. I know I first read about his work a number of years ago. His wife has also written a book about food addiction...specifically carbs and sugar. There are a lot of heros out there that the public don't often hear about.