Weight loss effects vs LC effects on metabolic health

wabmester

In the Virta thread, I lamented the lack of studies that let us separate the benefits of weight loss vs benefits of a specific diet.

Somebody heard me.

News blurb:
How a carb-restricted diet battles fatty liver disease

These guys tried to get the patients to GAIN weight. 3115 kcal/day. Less than 30g/d carb.

Subjects still LOST a little weight. Damn ketones! But they found:

In contrast to the small reduction in weight loss, we observed dramatic reductions in liver fat, as measured by magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), in all the individuals over the 14-day study period (mean reduction 43.8%; Figure 1E). Of note, the reduction was significant just 1 day after the start of the diet intervention (p = 0.027) and was paralleled by a significant decrease in total liver volume (Figure S1).

Very cool results. Instant fatty liver remission.

But wait, there's more! They followed the subjects for another couple months to see what happened after they returned to their normal diet.

We observed that their liver fat content returned to a level similar to that measured before the diet intervention (11.3% ± 1.6% at follow-up versus 13.8% ± 2.5% at baseline, p = 0.08).

So, there you have it. LC quickly improves your health, and you quickly lose those benefits if you go back to your old diet. We all suspected that, but now we know.

2t9nty

For 20 years I had high liver enzymes. I don't drink or use iv drugs, and they were still high. My doctor told me I had NAFLD, and there was nothing to be done about it. After 9 months or so of keto to control glucose levels and lose weight, I had a full blood panel done by the doctor. Liver enzymes were at the low end of the normal range. Boom - just like that. Granted, I had lost weight and so some of that may be due to the weight loss. I used the keto to lose the weight so either way I credit the keto.

I don't have a full blood panel done again until probably July, but I am claiming they will have stayed low. I am a small sample (smaller now than I was - ha!), but my experience would seem to support the study saying that LC is good for fatty liver.

nvmomketo

I saw this study earlier today. Pretty cool.
http://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(18)30054-8

I missed that they were trying to cause weight gain with it. LOL Ah, the "magic" of low carb.

Thanks for posting it.

bametels

Thanks for sharing. Great to see what a low carb diet can accomplish in such a short period of time. Distressing to see the authors of the first article state:

"A carbohydrate-restricted dietary intervention such as the one we used can be an efficient treatment strategy for a severe health problem, as medical science continues the development of new drugs," Mardinoglu says. Emphasis added.

Really? The pharma industry and others in their pocket continue to suppress the long-known dangers of a high carb diet and the effectiveness of preventing and treating it with a low carb diet. This is unconscionable!

Rant over. I'm going to make my bacon, eggs, and cheese breakfast, as I do most days, as a means to avoid the diabetes that is rampant in my family. I wish I could get my diabetic mom and others to understand this but with doctors still promoting the deathly ADA diet...so frustrating.

ladipoet

Thanks for sharing the link @wabmester. I forwarded it on to a couple of friends of mine who have NAFLD so whenever I come across info like this I pass it on to them!