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Journey 2 Remission/Reversal II (Don't call it a comeback).


I’m not sure you should wait that long @beating_my_betes

This page from an NHS hospital (Guys & St Thomas’s in London) describes your situation as serious, and advised you to attend A&E if you have any of the symptoms listed.

Stage 3 or severe hypertension

Stage 3, severe hypertension or hypertensive crisis, is defined as a systolic blood pressure of 180 mmHg or higher or diastolic blood pressure of 120 mmHg or above.
This stage of hypertension needs urgent medical attention. Contact your doctor if you record your blood pressure at over 180/120 mmHg. If you have no symptoms or signs of organ damage, they will check your blood pressure, perform a range of blood tests and arrange a review in seven days.
Call 999 or attend your nearest Accident and Emergency department, if you have stage 3 hypertension and symptoms such as:
  • chest pain
  • breathlessness
  • back pain
  • numbness or weakness
  • confusion
  • visual changes
  • difficulty speaking
 
It's not normally this high. I'm on two different meds, which do seem to help when I do what I'm supposed to.

I've not had a review for a while, but I need to make an apointment for something unrelated, so should be seen next month.
You should keep an eye on your blood pressure for the next few days and if it is still as high then you need a more urgent appointment.
I went to my GP about something and my blood pressure was high but not nearly as high as yours and he was going to call an ambulance but he allowed me to wait 20 mins and he checked again and it had come down a bit and he requested readings at home twice a day for 2 weeks.
 
My BP is currently my highest priority!
 
When my husband had BP close to those figures the doctor called an ambulance and he went straight to A&E.
Please do not leave this until your next doctors appointment. You could be at serious risk of a stroke or heart damage.
 
I bought a copy of William Davis Wheat Belly (2011) in a charity shop on Saturday. He's a cardiologist who has watched thousands of his patients, including T2Ds, restore their health by simple changes to their diet. I suggest you get a copy (e.g. from Amazon and Abe Books). Don't be put off by the title.
 
I bought a copy of William Davis Wheat Belly (2011) in a charity shop on Saturday. He's a cardiologist who has watched thousands of his patients, including T2Ds, restore their health by simple changes to their diet. I suggest you get a copy (e.g. from Amazon and Abe Books). Don't be put off by the title.
Read that book years ago. From what i remember it was similar to what we find in many dieting and nutrition spheres these days. Essentially, the author finds a specific ingredient, macro etc. to demonise and blame for diabesity, then suggests a plan that essentially induces an energy deficit, but the success is claimed as a result of the omission of ingrefient X. It used to be fat that was demonised (Still is by the misinformed). Then it became carbs...and when new gurus needed an income, it became all about seed oils.

Remember, any changes in diet that lead to some amount of energy deficit, consistently, will likely end up with restored health:

 
p.s @JITR I do appreciate the suggestion, though.
 
Read that book years ago. From what i remember it was similar to what we find in many dieting and nutrition spheres these days. Essentially, the author finds a specific ingredient, macro etc. to demonise and blame for diabesity, then suggests a plan that essentially induces an energy deficit, but the success is claimed as a result of the omission of ingrefient X. It used to be fat that was demonised (Still is by the misinformed). Then it became carbs...and when new gurus needed an income, it became all about seed oils.

Remember, any changes in diet that lead to some amount of energy deficit, consistently, will likely end up with restored health:


Actually none of that was behind my suggestion. The main reason was Chapter 10 about carbohydrates, small LDL and Arteriosclerosis / heart disease.
 
Actually none of that was behind my suggestion. The main reason was Chapter 10 about carbohydrates, small LDL and Arteriosclerosis / heart disease.
As far as I'm aware, grain consumption is linked to reduced risk of disease, including heart-disease. Could you perhaps share some citations he uses to make this case?
 
Actually none of that was behind my suggestion. The main reason was Chapter 10 about carbohydrates, small LDL and Arteriosclerosis / heart disease.
On these matters, William Davis is a "contrarian" bravely going up against the consensus view of the experts in the field & all of the evidence behind the consensus, with the only reward for his courage being money.
 
On these matters, William Davis is a "contrarian" bravely going up against the consensus view of the experts in the field & all of the evidence behind the consensus, with the only reward for his courage being money.

Yes, on his own admission, 'I recognize that declaring wheat a malicious food is like declaring that Ronald Raegan was a communist.... But I will make the case that the world's most popular grain is also the world's most destructive dietary ingredient.'

One of his main arguments is by far the most active ingredients in LDL are the small dense particles:

'Small LDL particle longevity, oxidation, glycation ... it all adds up to heightened potential to trigger the formation and growth of atherosclerotic plaque in arteries. Who's ... the master at creating VLDL, small LDL, and glycation? Wheat, of course.

'There's a silver lining to this dark wheat cloud ... Dramatic reductions in small LDL particles can be accomplished by eliminating wheat products, provided your diet is otherwise healthy and you don't replace lost wheat calories with other foods that contain sugar or readily convert to sugar on consumption.

'Think of it this way: anything that provokes an increase in blood sugar will also provoke small LDL particles. Anything that keeps blood sugar from increasing, such as proteins, fats, and reduction in carbohydrates such as wheat, reduces small LDL particles....

'The popular fiction of calculated LDL cholesterol has perptuated another fiction, that of the health benefits of reducing reducing fat and increasing consumption of "healthy whole grains".'

Davis wrote this c2010.

Recent papers such as Small Dense LDL: Scientific Background, Clinical Relevance, and Recent Evidence Still a Risk Even with ‘Normal’ LDL-C Levels (2022) tend to support his point of view:

2. Clinical Relevance of LDL Heterogeneity
Cardiovascular disease risk is associated with elevations in LDL-C. However, many myocardial infarction patients have a LDL-C that would be considered normal in a primary prevention population. According to the American Heart Association’s “Get With The” program, approximately 75% of patients admitted to hospital with a coronary heart disease (CHD) event exhibited a relatively normal LDL-C less than 130 mg/dL (3.36 mmol/L) and 23% had a LDL-C less than 70 mg/dL (1.61 mmol/L) [4]. Thus, many patients remain at risk for a CHD event even when LDL-C is in an acceptable range and a new strategy to prevent myocardial infarctions is required [1].

8. Conclusions
Atherosclerosis is enhanced by many factors, one of which is an overabundance of small, dense LDL particles. The presence of these small, dense LDL particles is not apparent from standard LDL cholesterol laboratory methods. In the primary prevention population, an abundance of small LDL increases CHD risk 2–3-fold. An abundance of small, dense LDL is found in 30–40% of the CHD patient population. Elevation of sdLDL-C in stable CHD patients identifies a group at increased risk of a future CHD event. 50+ years of research has consistently revealed that this is a major risk factor for CHD events, and is often independent of traditional CHD risk factors. Expression of small LDL has a strong environmental component, and treatment is often the least expensive and includes reduction of excess body fat, avoidance of simple carbohydrates in the diet, exercise, niacin, fibric acid derivatives and omega-3 fish oil. Specific patient subgroups may benefit from sdLDL-C analysis. Studies have indicated that in patients with existing CHD, an abundance of small, dense LDL predicts disease progression, and reduced levels of small LDL portend a better cardiovascular outcome.
 
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As far as I'm aware, grain consumption is linked to reduced risk of disease, including heart-disease. Could you perhaps share some citations he uses to make this case?

Rather than share the citations in his book, I think it's better to look at recent research. Please see my previous post above which doubles as an answer to your question.
 
Yes, on his own admission, 'I recognize that declaring wheat a malicious food is like declaring that Ronald Raegan was a communist.... But I will make the case that the world's most popular grain is also the world's most destructive dietary ingredient.'

One of his main arguments is that the active ingredients in LDL are the small dense particles:

'Small LDL particle longevity, oxidation, glycation ... it all adds up to heightened potential to trigger the formation and growth of atherosclerotic plaque in arteries. Who's ... the master at creating VLDL, small LDL, and glycation? Wheat, of course.

'There's a silver lining to this dark wheat cloud ... Dramatic reductions in small LDL particles can be accomplished by eliminating wheat products, provided your diet is otherwise healthy and you don't replace lost wheat calories with other foods that contain sugar or readily convert to sugar on consumption.

'Think of it this way: anything that provokes an increase in blood sugar will also provoke small LDL particles. Anything that keeps blood sugar from increasing, such as proteins, fats, and reduction in carbohydrates such as wheat, reduces small LDL particles....

'The popular fiction of calculated LDL cholesterol has perptuated another fiction, that of the health benefits of reducing reducing fat and increasing consumption of "healthy whole grains".'

Davis wrote this c2010.

Recent papers such as Small Dense LDL: Scientific Background, Clinical Relevance, and Recent Evidence Still a Risk Even with ‘Normal’ LDL-C Levels (2022) tend to support his point of view:

2. Clinical Relevance of LDL Heterogeneity
Cardiovascular disease risk is associated with elevations in LDL-C. However, many myocardial infarction patients have a LDL-C that would be considered normal in a primary prevention population. According to the American Heart Association’s “Get With The” program, approximately 75% of patients admitted to hospital with a coronary heart disease (CHD) event exhibited a relatively normal LDL-C less than 130 mg/dL (3.36 mmol/L) and 23% had a LDL-C less than 70 mg/dL (1.61 mmol/L) [4]. Thus, many patients remain at risk for a CHD event even when LDL-C is in an acceptable range and a new strategy to prevent myocardial infarctions is required [1].

8. Conclusions
Atherosclerosis is enhanced by many factors, one of which is an overabundance of small, dense LDL particles. The presence of these small, dense LDL particles is not apparent from standard LDL cholesterol laboratory methods. In the primary prevention population, an abundance of small LDL increases CHD risk 2–3-fold. An abundance of small, dense LDL is found in 30–40% of the CHD patient population. Elevation of sdLDL-C in stable CHD patients identifies a group at increased risk of a future CHD event. 50+ years of research has consistently revealed that this is a major risk factor for CHD events, and is often independent of traditional CHD risk factors. Expression of small LDL has a strong environmental component, and treatment is often the least expensive and includes reduction of excess body fat, avoidance of simple carbohydrates in the diet, exercise, niacin, fibric acid derivatives and omega-3 fish oil. Specific patient subgroups may benefit from sdLDL-C analysis. Studies have indicated that in patients with existing CHD, an abundance of small, dense LDL predicts disease progression, and reduced levels of small LDL portend a better cardiovascular outcome.
Thanks!

Im not arguing that small LDL may be a part of the issue, but without knowing the number it is worthless. That's why i want to know which studies David is using to assert that wheat is such a problem. Unfortunately, any search of his ideas makes the same associations regarding insulin, blood-sugar and other general low-carb dogma missteps.

Even if wheat were uniquely problematic, that wouldn't necessitate a low-carb diet - one could just cut out wheat. But because the foundation of his case rests on such a diet, replete with all the false rhetoric about insulin, carbs etc. that's the only supposed solution offered.

Anyway, I would appreciate links to the studies he's using to make such a definitive claim.

Also, here's a good primer about considerations when it comes to ldl particle size:

 
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Thanks!

Im not arguing that small LDL may be a part of the issue, but without knowing the number it is worthless. That's why i want to know which studies David is using to assert that wheat is such a problem. Unfortunately, any search of his ideas makes the same associations regarding insulin, blood-sugar and other general low-carb dogma missteps.

Even if wheat were uniquely problematic, that wouldn't necessitate a low-carb diet - one could just cut out wheat. But because the foundation of his case rests on such a diet, replete with all the false rhetoric about insulin, carbs etc. that's the only supposed solution offered. He seems to be using the same low-carb hammer; he's just found a new nail.

Anyway, I would appreciate links to the studies he's using to make such a definitive claim.

Also, here's a good primer about considerations when it comes to ldl particle size:

20250413_132804_rotated.jpg
 
Thanks! But zooming makes this all very blurry. Please just link me to whichever of these specifically deals with a causal link between wheat and heart disease, or wheat uniquely causing the previously discussed small particles.
 
I will provide you with a link to the image so you check which ones have the information you are looking for. Please wait awhile.
 
I will provide you with a link to the image so you check which ones have the information you are looking for. Please wait awhile.
Perhaps you could just link me to the links that convinced you of his case?
 
Your conversation about 'links to the link' reminds me of the Marx Brothers' "Party of the first part" scene :rofl:.

View attachment 34888
I've tried looking for the studies myself, but SEO being what it is, all roads seem to lead back to Davis.
 
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