Can Low Carbs Reverse Prior Damage Done to Our Bodies?

Here is another question from my website, and please keep them coming, I enjoy answering them. Just be patient with me because I do receive a bunch a day. Thanks!

The question;

I found you on Jimmy Moores site and you totally make sense! I have gone low carb and am reaping the benefits. Will this lifestyle reverse any previous damage of 30 years of poor nutrition? I was taking HB meds and I had my thyroid irradiated in the 80's and will take thyroid meds forever.

Thanks
60 years young.

My response,

Hi There!

I am so glad you have realized that eating low carbs, and more protein/fat/cholesterol is the correct way to eat. Not only does it make sense , it is the right way for humans, with rare exceptions, to be eating. As far as reversing any previous damage your body may have realized, it all depends upon what damage was done.

Looks like you're off your BP meds, excellent!

Lowering carb intake will have an independent effect on lowering BP, before any major weight loss is even seen. It will also raise your HDL, lower triglycerides, normalize blood sugar, stop any further plaque build-up on our arteries (most notably the coronary and carotids), eliminate heartburn (which will stop any further irritation via acid on the lower part of our esophagus's, within the stomach itself and upon the first part of the small intestine, known as the duodenum), helps to lessen the irritation of many different skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, any hyperpigmentation skin problems, will decrease the pain associated with colitis; will help someone with irritable bowel disease become more regular; helps diminish a good part of the inflammation seen with fibromyalgia; can help decrease intraocular pressure seen in glaucoma; will help a woman who experienced problems in a prior pregnancy such as pregnancy induced hypertension, gestational diabetes, preeclampsia to not have those problems in a future pregnancy. Has been shown in my practice to help with Multiple Sclerosis flare-ups and it has also helped my patients with severe asthma to become better controlled on less meds.

So I guess I am right back to my answer as above; it all depends upon what damage was done. Certainly, no further damage will occur once you begin a low carb eating lifestyle change and depending on the medical problems you had, reversal can occur. This is because you have stopped giving the body what was causing the problem in the first place, and are now giving the body what it needs to repair itself, that is, fat/cholesterol and protein.

A great example of reversal of damage is seen in my diabetic patients whose kidneys have been affected by the elevated blood sugar. This is referred to as diabetic nephropathy. In this condition the elevated blood sugar creates subcellular chages, altering the kidneys ability to function. One of the many functions of our kidneys is that of filtration. In diabetic nephropathy, this filtration mechanism is altered and large amount of protein will be seen in the urine. Normally, the urine does not contain large amounts of protein, but since the elevated blood sugars have altered the kidneys ability to filter properly, the protein winds up in the urine. It is also true that when the kidneys fail to filter protein appropriately, this is the first step towards kidney failure and the subsequent need for dialysis.

Now here is where the medical profession's ignorance in nutrition really worsens a diabetics condition. The 'powers to be' especially in this case the American Diabetes Association, your Endocrinologist, your Nephrologist, and anyone with formal training in medicine, thinks that the damge to the kidneys is from increased protein intake, not the sugar (carbs), and will incorrectly tell the diabetic patient to eat less protein not more; and to increase their sugar amount. This will cause more damage to the kidney, accelerate the failure, and congratulations, the diabetic will now require dialysis sooner than later.

In my practice, I have had people with large amounts of protein in their urine (over 1000 in some cases) have their kidney function go back to normal, by greatly lowering their sugar/carb amount and eating more of the very stuff they were told not to eat.

Another example of reversal of disease damage is steatosis of the liver. This is just a fancy way of saying fatty liver. Since the vast majority of medical professionals think a fatty liver is from eating too much fat, they tell their patients to eat less fat/cholesterol which makes this condition worse. Fact is, a fatty liver comes from the over consumption of carbs/sugar, not from eating too much fat. This condition is completely reversible by lowering one's carb intake and, again, eating more of the very things they tell you not to eat, that is,fat/cholesterol and protein. Unfortunately i have a patient right now whose fatty liver progressed to cirrhosis and now she needs a liver transplant to survive. She came to me too late and the very people who were trying to help her, sealed her fate. What's worse, she cant even sue for negligence (not that I promote law suits but this should be one, and yes, I do have a Law Degree), because everyone would agree that what she was told dietarily was correct, when in fact in this case it was wrong, dead wrong.

Hope this helps!

dr jim

PS Oh yeah, welcome to the club!

Enjoy and have a great weekend everyone!