# Dr Mark Porter: The diet that’s almost as good as statins — and I’m proof that it works



## AndBreathe (Feb 17, 2016)

@Northerner - I mentioned this article in another thread, and when I came to post it couldn't decide in which sub-forum it would sit most comfortably.  If you feel there is a better place, please feel free to move it.


*"Dr Mark Porter: The diet that’s almost as good as statins — and I’m proof that it works*

Dr Mark Porter

Published at 12:01AM, February 16 2016


Older folk can expect a longer retirement, according to a new report from Public Health England, which shows that over-65s can look forward to another 20 years on average. Yet to enjoy those extra decades you will need an adequate pension and good health. I can’t help with the former but I do have a useful tip to maintain the latter.

At the beginning of the year I embarked on a six-week trial to see whether cutting back on carbohydrates could improve my poor cholesterol profile. The results are in and I am bowled over. The finer details are in the box below, but these are the headline results: I shed half a stone in weight, my cholesterol level dropped by 20 per cent, my triglyceride level by 30 per cent and, according to the risk calculator favoured by the NHS, my odds of succumbing to an early heart attack or stroke have dropped by nearly 15 per cent. Not quite the benefit you might expect from taking a statin, but as near as dammit.

Now I am well aware that one swallow doesn’t make a summer, and just because cutting back on carbs has had such a significant effect on my blood chemistry, it doesn’t mean it will work as well for you. Yet if you are one of the five million or so middle-aged people like me who, thanks to a combination of poor family history and high cholesterol levels, are eligible for statins, I would urge you to take a close look at your diet first. So what changes did I make, and where have the benefits come from?

First some context. At 6ft 2in and 14 stone, I wasn’t particularly overweight but I had a touch of middle-age spread with a BMI of 26 (25 is the upper limit of healthy). My cholesterol was raised (anywhere between 7.3 and 8 over recent years) and, although I ate a healthy diet, I have a sweet tooth and consumed far too much bread.

The plan was simple. I cut out all fruit juices, bread, cakes, biscuits and confectionery. And I restricted other starchy foods such as rice, pasta and potatoes. I carried on taking one sugar in my coffee and I had a free day on Sundays which, on at least one occasion, included sticky toffee pudding at my local pub. I made no other changes to my diet or lifestyle and the result would qualify at the upper end of what most people would regard as a low-carb diet, but it represented a significant reduction for me.

The resulting improvement in my blood profile could have come about in a number of ways. First, the weight loss will have helped. The drop in triglycerides (high levels of which are a risk factor for heart disease) is a direct result of fewer carbs, but a big reduction in fats may also have helped; I have eaten hardly any butter in the past six weeks. Not only is butter a keen component of my favoured sandwiches and rolls, it also features in many carb-rich foods such as cakes and other treats.

One other unintentional change was that I ended up eating more meat, eggs and cheese. Yet, while you would have expected this to have raised my cholesterol level, the opposite happened. And the latest research reflects this — while eating butter is bad for your cholesterol profile, eggs, cheese and lean meats don’t seem to have much impact.

Until I started this trial I was considering statins — which I have tried in the past — but my cardiovascular risk (qrisk.org) has dropped below the new 10 per cent threshold, so I am not going to worry for now.

My only regret is that I wish I had tried this in my twenties. I have never subscribed to the view that sugar is public enemy no 1 — there is so much more to disease than obesity and one nutrient — but I am a convert to the view that too much sugar and other carbs (which the body converts to sugar) are not good for us. My local bakery and my favoured sandwich shop may regret my decision but it is low carbs for me from now on.

The results at a glance

After six weeks cutting back on carbs my weight fell from 14st to 13st 7lb

My fasting cholesterol level fell from 7.3 to 5.9 and my triglycerides from 2.5 to 1.5

My “good” cholesterol (HDL) fell slightly from 1.3 to 1.2

I did not monitor my blood sugar levels because these have always been well into the healthy range, but those at risk of diabetes should expect a significant drop here too."

Personally, I am disappointed he suggests butter is a poor choice, whilst saying he's been eating cheese, but one step at a time.  At least he is agreeing that carbs are potentially harmful to healthy lipid levels rather than a direct and sole relationship with fats.


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## Lynn Davies (Feb 17, 2016)

So Dr Mark Porter gets a pat on the back and poor, departed Dr Atkins still get berated for saying just the same


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## Annette (Feb 17, 2016)

Lynn Davies said:


> So Dr Mark Porter gets a pat on the back and poor, departed Dr Atkins still get berated for saying just the same


But didn't Atkins say not to eat vegetables? That was always the big problem that I could see.


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## Lynn Davies (Feb 17, 2016)

No he didn't - it was the press that said that - you had to eat green leafy veggies and cauliflower during the first 2 weeks only and then you added in other veggies.

That is the misconception that most people have about his 'eating plan'.  Many type 2's who followed his plan found themselves off all medication with the best blood results they had ever had.


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## Copepod (Feb 17, 2016)

Could you add details of where this was published? Also which Dr Mark Porter? BMA Chair or BBC presenter?


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## AndBreathe (Feb 17, 2016)

Copepod said:


> Could you add details of where this was published? Also which Dr Mark Porter? BMA Chair or BBC presenter?



The article was in The Times, yesterday.  I subscribe online.  The Dr Mark Porter, for simplicity, is this one:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Porter_(doctor)  If you are interested, his Twitter handle is @drmarkporter .  As you might expect he tweeted leading up to the publication.


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## Copepod (Feb 17, 2016)

Thanks for explaining AndBreathe.


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## Northerner (Feb 17, 2016)

I wonder how long this information, which I have heard anecdotally from many past members for several years, will take to trickle through to the mainstream? It certainly won't take hold whilst all the emphasis is almost exclusively on sugar, and not carbs generally


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## AndBreathe (Feb 17, 2016)

Northerner said:


> I wonder how long this information, which I have heard anecdotally from many past members for several years, will take to trickle through to the mainstream? It certainly won't take hold whilst all the emphasis is almost exclusively on sugar, and not carbs generally


On other sites, and the likes of Twitter, there are more and more medics catching on.  It really depends if they share their knowledge with their patients, or have a "do as I say policy" in order to reflect with the NICE guidelines.

I see this morning that David Unwin's practise, in Southport are up for further BMJ awards this year. He really gets the low carb aspect but is still accumulating information to support recommending increased fat consumption, as far as I understand.  In my view, there comes a point when many diabetics will not be able to maintain their achievements without addressing the calorific deficits carb reduction alone introduces, and weight reaches its desired level, without eating more fat, because reintroducing carbs, of any colour, GI or description doesn't work for everyone.

That's certainly not demonising medication or increasing it, some, indeed many would rather not, if possible.


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## pat.y (Feb 17, 2016)

The only thing I can say to support this is that since I went very low carb a month ago I've lost 10lbs and I wasn't overweight to start with. Needing to buy size 10 jeans methinks.


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## AndBreathe (Feb 17, 2016)

pat.y said:


> The only thing I can say to support this is that since I went very low carb a month ago I've lost 10lbs and I wasn't overweight to start with. Needing to buy size 10 jeans methinks.


Wait until you're in a size 6 jeans (8 tops usually), then you learn not many shops do size 6 for grown ups.  I tend not to count New Look and Topshop in that statement.


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## pat.y (Feb 17, 2016)

THat's about my daughters size and that's after having  3 kids.


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## AndBreathe (Feb 17, 2016)

pat.y said:


> THat's about my daughters size and that's after having  3 kids.


I never got mature enough for kids......


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## trophywench (Feb 17, 2016)

Nor me And Breathe - still haven't decided what I want to do when I leave school !


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