Blood Pressure & Other Conditions Affected by Diet

High Blood Pressure: It is taken as a matter of fact that blood pressure rises as aging occurs.  But, there are populations of people whose blood pressures' do not rise as they age. They are hunter/gatherers. People who live without grain and refined sugar. They grow old without needing any blood pressure pills and without the risk of heart attacks. I was taught in medical school that excessive salt in our modern processed diet was the cause of high blood pressure. I used to caution people to reduce salt but I do not any longer.  It turns out that reducing salt intake causes a very small decline in blood pressure. Then, how does one lower blood pressure without resorting to medications?
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I must say, it is to cut sugar intake. In regard to blood pressure, we've been focusing on the wrong white crystals for years. Insulin, it so happens strongly influences the kidneys to hold on to salt and water. People who start on Atkins diet typically experience large blood pressure drops within the first few days.

Cancer:  For years, missionary and colonial doctors who treated hunter gatherers and Inuit have reported that they rarely get cancer.  When those people became "civilized", cancer began to occur as well. There is a reason to believe that concentrated carbohydrates such as sugar and white flour is the cause. Almost all cancers use glucose as their primary energy source and can not use fatty acids or ketones as normal cells do.  Additionally cancers use glucose very inefficiently. so they need enormous amounts of it to sustain rapid growth.  Insulin receptors densely cover cancer cells thus allowing them to consume huge amounts of glucose. This property is well known. In fact PET scanners which are used to diagnose and detect cancer operate by sensing tissues that rapidly consume glucose.  Since the ketogenic diet reduces both the glucose and insulin that support cancer cells it appears to be reasonable to consider using it as an adjuvant to traditional cancers therapies. 

Type 2 Diabetes: Click here to go to the Diabetes page

Gout: Gout is a condition in which certain joints become inflamed and very painful intermittently. It occurs when crystals of a waste product of sugar metabolism called uric acid accumulates in the joints. When too much sugar is consumed, it gets turned into fat for storage and uric acid is produced as a byproduct. There are medicines to lower uric acid but lowering sugar consumption is a much more logical solution. Read more about diet influences of gout here!

Fatty Liver Disease:  Only the liver can metabolize fructose. It can cope with less than nine teaspoons a day. If more than that is consumed, the liver stores it as fat within the liver itself.  A more severe type fatty liver disease is called NASH, a hepatitis.  Chemicals from the damaged liver is detectable in the blood. If damage goes on for years or decades, cirrhosis occurs;  just like in chronic alcoholism. There is good news: All you need to do in order to reverse fatty liver is cut way back on sugar. 

Osteoarthritis: Sick fat produces a lot of disease causing hormones.  Increased circulating inflammation promoting hormones slowly damage joints. 

Sleep apnea: Excess fatty tissues around the neck causes repeated bouts of suffocation.  
Risk factors is a neck size of >16 inches in women and >17 inches in men.

Seizures: It seems that the brain operates more smoothly on ketones. Before there was medicines for seizures some doctors prescribed very low starch diets. Ketogenic diet has been used to treat epilepsy for about a hundred years.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome & Infertility:
Menstrual irregularities like irregular, skipped or heavy periods.
Inability to get pregnant.
Acne Excess facial and body hair, showing up in a male pattern (including the upper lip, chin and chest).
Obesity

​PCOS is extremely responsive to low carb.

Alzheimer's- Now frequently termed type 3 diabetes. 

Skin Tags around the neck. 

Reflux: I can attest to this. My constant heartburn is much better since going low carb.

Migraines: I can attest to this one. My headaches vanished since starting a ketogenic diet.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Cancer- The idea that low carb/ketogenic diet in conjunction with intermittent fasting and other modalities to prevent and treat cancer is not so far fetched. Most cancer types use glucose to fuel their hyper-growth so feeding yourself glucose feeds the cancer. Many cancer cells covered with insulin receptors to pack glucose in. Guess what type of fuel cancer cells Can't use? You guessed it, ketones. Ketogenic diets reduce insulin exposure and that helps keep cancer's favorite fuel outside of cancer cells. Cancer can also use a amino acid named glycine as fuel. A receptor call m-TOR which stimulates cancer growth is down regulated when fasting for a couple days.  Obviously, treating cancer with diet alone is not recommended but it's worth considering in addition to conventional treatment modalities. It's also much cheaper than chemo.
Book Suggestion: Keto for Cancer by Miriam Kalamian


 

Pregnancy-Excellent nutrition is essential before & during pregnancy. It's also super important for breast feeding mothers. A lot of people think, Hey, I'm eating for two, I can't eat all I want...whatever I want. um...no. It's super important to make sure you eat real food so the baby gets a good start and you don't gain excessive weight and get gestational diabetes. Here's your book for that. ​

Psychiatric disorders: the link between food and mental stability is under explored
There are case reports and anecdotes that suggest that Paleo, Keto and carnivore diets could be superior to orthodox eating approaches. Click here to learn more: Six Reasons to Go Paleo for Mental Health