Answer from Kerstin Brismar

Written by Annika Dahlqvist on 14 December, 2009 at 22:42


On 06 December I wrote” The Establishment rattles with weapons”. Helena Hesselmark has now got an answer from Kerstin:
”Concerning LCHF, low carbohydrate – high fat diet.

I have been misquoted when I talked about a research project last Sunday. I have never claimed that low carbohydrate – high fat diet in the long run is dangerous for all Type-2 diabetics.


Last Sunday I told the invited members of Greater Stockholm’s Diabetes Association about a study where we examine how different meals affect sugar, insulin, blood lipids, inflammatory markers, formation of free radicals and appetite regulating hormones.


Patients with our without Type-1 and Type-2 diabetes eat 4 meals: 1) LCHF, low carbohydrate/ high fat, 2) low carbohydrate/high protein content, 3) according the National Food Administration’s recommended diet (SNPs) with high content of carbohydrates and relatively low in fat and proteins, and finally 4) a meal high in carbohydrates, plus plenty of fibres and low fat and proteins.


The purpose with this study is to find out which diet or which diets they should recommend. Today we don’t know what is best for the individual patient. We know that food which is high in calories increases the weight. We know that low content of carbohydrates reduces blood sugar, therefore, I recommend my patients to eat as few carbohydrates as possible. We also know that plenty of fibres may prevent diabetes in combination with exercise, as several studies have shown.


Other studies have shown that food which provides high concentrations of lipid acids in the blood (triglycerides) increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, which even can lead to cardiac death. Diet high on lipids increases the concentration of lipid acids (triglycerides) 10 – 20 times in some patients, which might be dangerous to them. However, hereditary factors are the reasons why certain people don’t tolerate high lipid diet while others tolerate it well. This compares to some patients have their blood sugar elevated by carbohydrates while others receive no sugar elevation at all.


In my presentation last Sunday I showed six different persons all responding differently to high carbohydrate/high lipid diet, therefore it varies widely. In the discussion after the lecture, I answered questions where the misunderstandings may have occurred that gave rise to discussions on LCHF blogs.


I said that people who eat meals which are high on lipids should find out if their blood lipids increase significantly in relation to the intake of lipids, for instance after the meal to be sure that it is not harmful to them. I am fully aware that many people feel much better by a low content of carbohydrates in their diet and I recommend it myself to my patients to achieve as beneficial blood sugar level as possible.


Jag är fullt medveten om att många människor mår mycket bättre av en låg halt av kolhydrater i kosten och jag rekommenderar det själv till mina patienter för att uppnå så bra blodsockernivå som möjligt.
Kerstin Brismar"


The interesting matter here is her information that persons who get high triglycerides in the blood after a high lipid meal would be at increased risk for heart disease.


- Is there anyone who has seen the research which has shown it?