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Sunday 10 July 2011

Protein and high cholesterol on Dukan.

Julie at 50 Lbs Less is worried about her cholesterol levels resulting from consuming mainly protein on Dukan. As I am having problems posting on her blog (an intermittently recurring problem), I will post my thoughts here:
From my experience, your cholesterol goes down on Dukan as long as you eat your oatbran and do not cheat with carbs and remember to go 'low fat' (otherwise you may be doing Atkins rather than Dukan)...and drink 1.5 to 2 litres of water.
When on any diet, it is medically recommended that you are monitored intermittently by your doctor...I think once a month or once in every stone (14 lbs or 6.4 kg) is good. I monitor my blood pressure and when I see my doctor, I sometimes have blood work done (anaemia and cholesterol).
Do you know that you are allowed 100g of rhubarb daily i.e. PP or PV and that you are allowed unlimited rhubarb on PV days? That is additional fibre and it a vegetable with 'fruit like' vitamins and minerals. I had high cholesterol before this diet and my doctor was worried. Every time since that I have gone to check, the levels have been dropping. Others who have found this include Marshall Brain on http://blogs.howstuffworks.com/2010/07/13/dukan-diet-5/ who wrote:
"- BP this morning is 112/78. In the comments Brian had suggested that low-salt+exercise is the key to low BP, and this would seem to bear that out. I got exercise yesterday and I was low-salt yesterday.
- I had to go to a new doctor this week, and he ordered a complete blood panel. The results came in, and they answer two important questions about the Dukan diet. First, is the Dukan diet’s high-protein, low-carb approach causing my kidneys to fail? No. These blood tests indicate that my kidneys (and liver) are in excellent shape. Second, what is the high-protein, low-carb approach doing to my cholesterol? My total cholesterol is 165, which is good (less than 200 is considered good). Triglycerides are at 49, which is good (less than 150 is considered good). HDL is 44, which is low (greater than 60 is the goal). LDL is 111, which is a little high (less than 100 is the goal). But the HDL/LDL ratio at 0.39 is OK. (See this page and this page for recommended levels.) So “all that protein” in the Dukan diet is not causing my cholesterol to blow up. These cholesterol numbers are actually slightly better than last time blood work was done. No, I am not taking any statins to skew the results. At least in my case, the Dukan diet appears to be having no measurable negative effects on things that can be tested in my blood. My cholesterol and my kidneys are fine."

If one is worried, it is possible to get protein from fish/ sea food sources.
The oatbran is NOT OPTIONAL on this diet...it is compulsory. At the Dukan shop (see http://www.mydukandietshop.co.uk/oat-wheat/72-dukan-diet-oat-bran.html)  they write about the cholesterol reducing property of oatbran.
"100% organic, Dukan Diet oat bran® reduces sugar and cholesterol assimilation and calories consumed.
The only food with a real slimming effect!
Its beneficial effects are manifold. Oat bran effectively improves heart health, lowers cholesterol levels, prevents diabetes, and facilitates intestinal transit. "

When I get headaches it is because I keep slipping in and out of 'dukan diet mode.'
Here's to me being consistent!
Wish me luck!!!

3 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for this great post -- very reassuring.

    I'm loving the oat bran, so it's nice that it has such great health benefits... :)

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  2. Have a good Dukan week ahead, Vicki...and I hope you have baked or prepared Dukan treats, if you are that way inclined! ( See http://mydukandiet.com/recipes )

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  3. Well said. I know im only headachey if i come out of ketosis and then go back in. It does leave you feeling really grotty but the easy answer to this is - DONT CHEAT! I know this and yet my weekend was one long cheatfest. I am enitrely prepared for feeling the carb-flu on Wednesday as I switch back over.

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