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Friday 31 August 2012

diabetes.co.uk nailed by Jopar !


Jopar reminds me of the US blogger Carbsane, both knowledgeable and both write interesting posts, but both have too many loose bats in the belfry to be taken seriously. Occasionally Jopar gets something right, today was one of those rare occasions. She nailed the forum to the deck. It’s all about profit she stated, and she was spot on. I have no problem with profit, and the forum has helped a great deal of people including our team, but where do you draw the line ? When does earning an honest profit become covert exploitation ?

The forum diabetes.co.uk is linked to a site that provides information to diabetics. It also sells a large range of products aimed at diabetics. The forum provides a mail shot list to market products to diabetics. Some of these products are useful and reasonable value, but others are junk, of no use, and very over priced. Four years ago I wrote to the administrator outlining my concerns. Products such as diabetic hampers, useless diet plates and cookery books more suited to sugar lovers than a diabetic. He informed me he would look into the matter, four years on, the products are still being sold. So, on this occasion I will not disagree with Jopar, profit is the main motive. If a product can turn a profit, it stays on the main site. You may be thinking, hang on, no one has to buy these products, that is indeed true, but let us not forget, many joining the site are confused, worried, and understandably in a confused state of mind.

The main site is owned by Sitefinders who state “Our sites hosting forms have unique visitor to lead conversion rates of over 30%. Our front end team are world experts in maximising lead generation conversion” and  “A number of Sitefinders' sites (such as Diabetes.co.uk) have grown into online communities. Our 75,000+ community members are extremely receptive to carefully structured emails and client interaction such as surveys, polls and questionaires. The CTR response from community members exceeds 45% for tailored mails” 

What use this targeted marketing strategy is can only be imagined. As Jopar also stated correctly, a vast percentage of the forum members have never posted, they disappeared years ago, are banned members, are trolls and sock puppets. Of the 40,000+ members only a tiny amount ever make any meaningful contribution and actually post. As an aside, even the banned members receive the “carefully structured emails” including all the team on this blog. All banned at least once, and all back on the forum under new names. Targeted marketing is not all it’s cracked up to be, trust me, I’m an ex marketing man.

A comment came into our blog today asking “Why don’t the admin just edit the troublesome posts or give certain members time-out instead of locking the threads? That would stop certain repeat offenders using thread locking as a weapon to stop effective debate” That’s one hell of a question. My take is the administration want the trouble, they want the thread locking, they want the banning and the disputes. You have to ask yourself the question, Why have they allowed half a dozen lowcarb anti’s to cause the bulk of the trouble and thread locking over the last four years ?  Could it be they know, like all good newspaper editors know, nothing sells as well as bad news and controversy, and there is very little profit for anyone, promoting a lowcarb, nil/minimal medication lifestyle. 

Eddie

Quote of the month !

xyzzy wrote:
"I must say Sid I think you're just trying to pick an argument with me for the sake of it. I think I'll just go back ignoring your posts again rather than trying to have an adult conversation with you"
Stand by for the Front Page thread at diabetes.co.uk to be locked. 
If getting threads locked ever becomes an Olympic sport they will have to issue a platinum medal for Sid, gold just won't do the man justice. Bonkers by name and Bonkers by nature, he has turned stupidity into an art form. As a comedian he is in a class of his own. I will miss him when he's gone.
Eddie

Statins fear is 'putting patients health at risk', researchers say.


Everyone over 50 should consider taking statins to reduce the risk of a heart attack because the possible side effects have been exaggerated, a leading expert has said.


Sir Rory Collins, of Oxford University, said taking cholesterol-lowering statins before warning signs start to appear could provide much more protection from heart attacks or stroke.
He accused medical regulators of overstating the possible sideeffects of statins, the majority of which have not been borne out in clinical trials, because it could encourage them to stop taking the medication and put their health at risk.
He disputed claims that statins can cause sleep disturbances, memory loss, sexual dysfunction, depression, lung disease, cataracts, diabetes, memory loss and confusion.
The only sideeffect proven by experiments is a very low risk of myopathy - a condition which causes muscles to weaken - which is easily outweiged by the benefit to the heart of taking the drugs, Sir Rory said.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9504753/Statins-fear-is-putting-patients-health-at-risk-researchers-say.html
From Dr. Malcolm (Butt Kicker) Kendrick commenting on his blog.
Dear Dr Kendrick – If you can, I’d appreciate your view of this and the research that informs it.
Kendrick replies.
This research comes from the Clinical Trials Service Unit at Oxford who run the Cholesterol Triallists Collaboration, and who run clinical studies – mainly funded by the likes of Merck and Schering Plough. This unit is exceedingly pro-statin and do post-hoc analysis of all the cholesterol trials again, and again. They point blank refuse to release the data they have on adverse effects of statins, claiming it is commercially sensitive. Not perhaps as sensitive as the muscles of those who take these damned things. He states that only one in ten thousand people suffer serious side-effects. This must make me a most amazing doctor as I have seen two cases of rhabdomyelosis, three severe liver failures and umpteen problems with mood swings, depression, impotence, cognitive problems and one case of possible motor neurone disease. These drugs create a vast range of side-effects, some very serious. Yet, still, there is no evidence of any significant effect on overall mortality.
Hi Dr Kendrick,
Me again, sorry! What about Prof. Sir Rory Collins latest? How can taking toxic poison be good for anyone and everyone over the age of 50 regardless? I would love to see your response to his statement, will you be publishing one?
Best wishes
David 
David, Hi.
My opinion on Professor Sir Statin cannot be published, or else I would be instantly sued for libel. You may be interested in my latest propaganda http://www.statinnation.net/

Eddie

Obesity in Wales 'just behind USA', Dr Nadim Haboubi warns !


Wales' obesity "epidemic" is so bad that it lags just behind world leader the USA and it is getting worse, a prominent obesity doctor has warned.
Dr Nadim Haboubi said a lack of NHS resources in Wales meant thousands of people were missing out on essential surgery and community help.
He added that the NHS in England intervened earlier to prevent related health issues such as diabetes.
The Welsh government said health boards were deciding where to focus resources.
Dr Haboubi, who is also chair of the National Obesity Forum for Wales and runs the country's only NHS-funded obesity clinic, said the problem was "huge, massive, worse than England, worse than anywhere in the UK and among the worst in the western world, I would argue".
"The worst is probably the USA but we're certainly not far behind," he said.

Thursday 30 August 2012

GPs warned over muscle risk with simvastatin-amlodipine combination


By Gemma Collins | 30 Aug 2012
GPs should switch all patients taking simvastatin 40mg and amlodipine to a lower dose of statin, or another statin altogether, because of the risk of muscle damage, recommends the medicines regulator.
The warning from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency - issued in its August drug safety update - changes the dosage recommendations for simvastatin, with those patients taking the cholesterol-lowering drug in conjunction with diltiazem or amlodipine to only be given the maximum dose of 20mg a day.
The latest update from the agency also warns that simvastin is now also contraindicated with ciclosporin, danazol and gemfibrozil.
The dosage change and additional contraindications are due to recent analysis of clinical trial data which found that‘theseinteractions may increase plasma concentrations of simvastatin which is associated with an increased risk of myopathy and/or rhabdomyolysis', according to the MHRA.
The changes come after the MHRA issued a warning in May 2010 about the increased risk of myopathy which was associated with the use of high-dose simvastatin of 80mg a day.
The dosage change is expected to have a big impact on GPs and their prescribing, with NICE currently recommending generic simvastatin 40 mg daily as the first-choice drug for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease.
Dr John Allingham, a GP in Dover and medical secretary at Kent LMC,said that 40mg was the ‘standard dose' for primary prevention and the move would affect many of his patients being treated for hypertension.
‘Practices will have to identify their patients, write to them and then change them over,' he said.  ‘I think most GPs will change them over to atorvastatin instead.'
Dr Terry McCormack, a GP in Whitby, North Yorkshire, said: 'They are a dangerous combination and should be used with caution. I would hope that GPs are very cautious with amlodipine in general and patients should be monitored when prescribed the combination.'


Graham

Wednesday 29 August 2012

Steve Cooksey an update.


Some time ago we reported on a guy called Steve Cooksey. Steve is a guy that believes a lowcarb diet and a good exercise regime is better than taking drugs. Clearly the mans methods are un-sound. What sort of head case thinks a good diet and exercise is better than big pharma drugs ? OK I jest. The dietitions in the US were trying to close Steve down, well, he is still standing, and his site is still in place.

Forgive me if I am wrong, but freedom of speech is a fundamental right in the US, as it is here, last time I checked. Long may free speech be allowed. When it is not, we are no better than Hitler’s Germany and Stalin’s USSR.

Eddie

Check out Steve’s blog.

http://www.diabetes-warrior.net/



A Masterpiece From Bonkers Who would have thought it !

"Yesterday I was at my local Sainsbury's store buying a large bag of Winalot dog food for my loyal pet and was in the checkout queue when a woman behind me asked if I had a dog.

What did she think I had an elephant? So, since I'm retired and have little to do, on impulse I told her that no, I didn't have a dog, I was starting the Winalot Diet again. I added that I probably shouldn’t, because I ended up in hospital last time, but I'd lost 2 stone before I woke up in intensive care with tubes coming out of most of my orifices and IVs in both arms.

I told her that it was essentially a perfect diet and that the way that it works is to load your pockets with Winalot nuggets and simply eat one or two every time you feel hungry. The food is nutritionally complete so it works well and I was going to try it again. (I have to mention here that practically everyone in queue was now enthralled with my story.)

Horrified, she asked me if I ended up in intensive care because the dog food poisoned me I told her no, I stepped off the kerb to sniff an Irish Setter's ass and a car hit me.

I thought the guy behind her was going to have a heart attack he was 
laughing so hard. I'm now banned from Sainsbury's."



Nutter Watch Magazine Coming Soon !





Due to overwhelming requests, we are re-launching our award winning Magazine ‘Nutter Watch’. All your favourite characters will be appearing. The artist formally known as the ‘slippery one’ Phoenix the Bat, the Cherub, and the Bonkers Brothers. Nobhead will be writing a regular column called ‘I’m all right Jack FU’ featuring a robust defence of the truly lamentable treatment offered to far too many diabetics in the UK.

Bonkers will be running his ever popular ‘Look at the size of my portion’ column and his highly acclaimed recipe section. I can tell you now, his 5lb Celebration chocolates and choccie digestive cake is an absolute stunner. Sid will be giving a full nutritional break down for all his nosh, complete with a list of meds required to keep BG just south of highly dangerous. A sure fire hit for all Carboholics.

The High Priestess of carb pushing, the Bat, will be running a special section on high carb walking and camping. She will show readers how to pack a massive amount of high carb food into an average size rucksack, and still leave room for maps, compass and industrial quantities of insulin. The bat will be serialising her memoir, ‘The Loneliness of the long distance pumper’ published by Bonehead and Wingnut price £24.99 (hardback) First chapter entitled ‘Why I still dream about Hope Warshaw’ 

The Cherub will be teaching non lowcarbers, how to hold non diabetic HbA1c numbers permanently ! on nil diabetes meds and a low GI diet. Even Richard Bernstein is looking forward to that article. Unfortunately the ex resident dietition, on the diabetes.co.uk forum, refuses to have anything to do with our magazine. A press statement from an unofficial source quoted the dietition, who allegedly said “Haven’t that lot croaked from scurvy yet?” 

So folks, get down to your news agents and reserve your copy now to avoid disappointment.



Monday 27 August 2012

'Hit squads' to take over seven NHS trusts !


Senior government lawyers and auditors are to be sent into seven NHS hospital trusts on the brink of bankruptcy which have been saddled with “absolutely disgraceful” private finance initiative contracts.


Simon Burns, the health minister, said that he will be sending in “hit squads” to make savings at hospitals where the contracts have gone “horribly wrong”.
He says that the deals show a “cavalier disregard” for taxpayers’ money and points out that hospitals are being forced to pay £242 for a padlock to be changed and £466 for a new light fitting.
Throughout the NHS, hospitals have signed PFI deals worth more than £79 billion, of which only eight per cent had been repaid by 2010. The deals involved private firms building and maintaining hospitals, with the money repaid over decades.
Mr Burns, who is the minister responsible for the day-to-day running of the NHS, said officials have identified £1.5 billion of savings which can be made.
Asked if the schemes were a mistake, he said: “In the form that they were agreed, with what, to my mind is a cavalier disregard for cost efficiency and value for taxpayers’ money, yes.”
The hospital trusts which need rescuing care for more than two million people. They are: Barking, Havering and Redbridge; Dartford and Gravesham; Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells; North Cumbria; Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals; and St Helens and Knowsley NHS Trust. Experts will also be sent into South London Healthcare which has already been taken over by a specialist management team. Between them, the seven trusts are responsible for 12 hospitals and several specialist centres. “There are these seven which are at the top of the scale, which are having a significant drag on their day-today running because of the PFI costs,” said Mr Burns.
“We have announced that we will help those seven trusts with financial assistance. Seven hospitals got it horribly wrong. It is an absolute disgrace.”


Eddie

Junk food companies paid by taxpayer to develop healthier products



Some of the world's biggest junk food companies are being paid millions of pounds of taxpayers' money to develop healthier products. 


Firms which produce some of the biggest brands are receiving grants that will help them meet pledges to cut salt and fat in their food, from the department of Vince Cable, the Business Secretary.

Companies that have accepted the money include the makers of Walkers' Crisps, Wrigley's chewing gum, Walls ice cream, Pot Noodle and Mr Kipling's cakes.

The money is being spent on research projects with university academics to create new technologies and ingredients for the companies.

Critics have now questioned whether public funds should be used to help these companies improve the nutritional value of their food.

The firms, many of which have turnovers of billions of pounds, already benefit from the substantial tax relief available to manufacturers carrying out research and development.

There is also concern that Mr Cable's department is attempting to "pick winners" by choosing how to invest in the food industry.

At least £2.9 million of public money from government research councils has been used to fund projects led by manufacturers of snacks and convenience foods to carry out research on healthier products.

These are being conducted alongside academic researchers at universities, but each project is led by the manufacturer and is intended to produce products or techniques they can exploit for a "commercial return".

In some cases the companies have deemed the work so commercially important that they have refused to release further details despite receiving taxpayers money to carry out the research.

The projects include:

* A project code-named "Oliver" by PepsiCo, who produce Walkers Crisps, to "unlock new technologies" to develop healthier snacks that received £246,669 of public money;

* PepsiCo also received funding to develop salt reduction technologies drawing on research from Birmingham University and to develop a new "starch conversion processes" to create baked snacks;

* American chewing gum manufacturer Wm Wrigley Jr is leading a project with £198,500 of public funding aimed changing the bacteria in the mouth to improve dental health;

* Premier Foods was awarded £185,000 to develop foams and emulsions to replace fat in foods;

* A £256,240 research grant was awarded to Unilever, who own brands including Walls, Magnum, Pot Noodle and Ben & Jerries, to create new "functional foods" containing phytonutrients – compounds from plants thought to promote human health.;

* Unilever also received funding to look at the effect of compounds from plants on blood vessels and the ageing process;

* GlaxoSmithKline, which owns Lucozade and Ribena, was given £189,340 for research on the health benefits of polyphenols from fruit;

* Macphie of Glenbervie a baking firm based in Scotland, was given £244,021 to help develop a new process to bake healthier foods using ultrasound;

* Bernard Matthews, the turkey farming giant criticised by chef Jamie Oliver over its processed meat products including Turkey Twizzlers, also received £223,060 for a project to develop new tests on farms for food poisoning bacteria.

All of the companies put in their own funding into the projects, but the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills helped support the research through its research funding councils and the Technology Strategy Board.

It comes after many of the firms signed a Department of Health-led deal to reduce the calories and levels of salt in their products.

Ministers have faced criticism from health campaigners for ruling out regulations on junk food, and were accused of giving into lobbying from food companies by allowing them to voluntarily sign up to pledges on healthy food.

Stephen Dorrell, chairman of the all-party Commons Health Committee and a former Conservative health secretary, said: "Multinational companies who sell products that are involved the issue of obesity have to take responsibility for that.

"Part of that means they have to look at how the nutritional values and health implications of those products can be addressed. The point is that they must do that work and should not be bribed by the taxpayer.

"In the present public expenditure environment, the burden of proof has to be on anyone who wants to make the case for companies like Unilever [owner of Walls and Pot Noodle] to have public money to do research on how to make its own products more nutritious.

"This is at the core of what they do and they should be working this out for themselves."

A spokesman for the Technology Strategy Board said funding large companies to conduct research and development could help to encourage other firms to follow their example and benefit the UK economy.

She added: "Large companies sometimes find it challenging to engage with innovative R&D which can be higher risk and more expensive than routine product development programmes they are more comfortable with.

"It is part of our role to share this risk and enable innovation to happen."

Defra has also in the past helped to fund projects involving sweet manufacturers Mars, Nestle and Cadbury.

Unilever, Mars, PepsiCo, Nestle and Kraft, which owns Cadbury, all have large multi-million pound research and development facilities where they develop products and they receive tax relief for any money they spend on research and development.

These firms are among 170 organisations from the food and drink industry who signed the Department of Health's Public Health Responsibility Deal to reduce obesity by meeting a series of voluntary pledges including cutting salt and calories in products.

The research funding was agreed separately to the Responsibility Deal and will also help fund research at British universities, but anti-junk food campaigners insisted multinational food companies should be willing to pay for such work themselves if they benefit.

Malcolm Clark, coordinator for the Children's Food Campaign, said: "These companies are among the worst offenders for producing unhealthy food, but they have the budgets and resources to do this work themselves.

"The government and the industry has been promoting the Responsibility Deal as a voluntary initiative that puts industry in a good light.

"I think it places an unfair spin if in fact government funds are being used to help these companies carry out the research and development they need to do to make their products healthier."

A spokesman for Premier Foods insisted the results of their research would be made available to all UK food companies and insisted there was no link between the research and the commitments the company made under the Responsibilty Deal.

He said: "The research is 'pre-competitive' and as such the results will be available to all UK food companies. The company's responsibility deal commitments will be met independently of the outcome of this research."

A spokesman for PepsiCo said the funding represented a fraction of their £40 million annual spend on research and development. She added: "Many of the world's most-talented scientists are based in the UK and schemes like this help to keep the UK at the forefront of global research."

A spokesman for Unilever added: "We have a proud heritage of working with others to tackle the highest priority social and environmental challenges, including those in the public health arena.

"Through the Technology Strategy Board, we are working as part of a scientific consortium comprising business, academia and Government, to research projects exploring challenging areas of public health such as reducing obesity and diabetes.

"By working in partnership in this way and co-funding important research, we can have a wide-reaching, positive impact on the health of the nation."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9498868/Junk-food-companies-paid-by-taxpayer-to-develop-healthier-products.html

Graham

Sunday 26 August 2012

Low HDL Cholesterol Ups Risk of Diabetic Nephropathy

In type 2 diabetes, HDL-C independent risk factor for diabetic nephropathy but not retinopathy....  


High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) is an independent risk factor for the development of diabetic nephropathy, but not retinopathy, in patients with type 2 diabetes, according to new research.
Jamie Morton, M.B.B.S., of The Heart Research Institute in Sydney, and colleagues followed 11,140 patients in the Action in Diabetes and Vascular Disease: preterAx and diamicroN-MR Controlled Evaluation (ADVANCE) study, the participants of which had type 2 diabetes and at least one additional vascular risk factor. The ADVANCE study was designed to evaluate the association between HDL-C and microvascular disease (composite of renal and retinal events).
Over a median follow-up of five years, the researchers found that 28 percent of patients experienced a renal event and 6 percent experienced a retinal event. Compared with those in the highest third, patients in the lowest third of HDL-C levels had a 19 percent higher risk of renal events (17 percent higher risk of combined renal and retinal microvascular events). There was no association between HDL-C and retinal events (P = 0.9).
"In conclusion, in a large population of patients with type 2 diabetes and after adjustment for a wide variety of confounders, low HDL-C level was shown to be an independent risk factor for the development and progression of diabetic nephropathy," the authors write. "Measurement of this lipid fraction may be useful in tailoring screening and therapeutic strategies."

The Skinny on Fats.


All you need to know about fats by Mary G. Enig, PhD and Sally Fallon

"Fats from animal and vegetable sources provide a concentrated source of energy in the diet; they also provide the building blocks for cell membranes and a variety of hormones and hormone like substances. Fats as part of a meal slow down absorption so that we can go longer without feeling hungry. In addition, they act as carriers for important fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Dietary fats are needed for the conversion of carotene to vitamin A, for mineral absorption and for a host of other processes.
Politically Correct Nutrition is based on the assumption that we should reduce our intake of fats, particularly saturated fats from animal sources. Fats from animal sources also contain cholesterol, presented as the twin villain of the civilized diet"

This is a must read item for anyone interested in a healthy diet.
Eddie



Saturday 25 August 2012

Low sodium versus normal sodium diets in systolic heart failure: systematic review and meta-analysis


Abstract

Context A low sodium diet has been proposed to reduce the risk of heart failure (HF) hospitalisations and is currently advocated in consensus guidelines, yet some evidence suggests adverse neurohumoral activation for sodium restriction in the HF setting.
Objectives To evaluate the effects of a restricted sodium diet in patients with systolic HF.
Data sources A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised trials OVID MEDLINE, PubMed, Excerpta Medica (Embase), the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar were searched up to April 2012.
Study selection Two independent reviewers selected studies for inclusion on the basis of a randomised controlled trial design that included adults with systolic HF receiving a restricted salt diet or control diet and reporting mortality (all-cause, sudden death or HF-related) and HF-related hospitalisations.
Data extraction and analysis Descriptive and quantitative information was extracted from included studies. A random-effects model was used to compute pooled risk ratios (RR) for mortality and morbidity outcomes.
Results Six randomised trials comparing low sodium diets (1.8 g/day) with normal sodium diets (2.8 g/d) in 2747 patients with systolic HF were identified. Compared with a normal sodium diet, a low sodium diet significantly increased all cause mortality (RR 1.95, 95% CI 1.66 to 2.29), sudden death (RR 1.72, 95% CI 1.21 to 2.44), death due to HF (RR 2.23, 95% CI 1.77 to 2.81) and HF readmissions (RR 2.10, 95% CI 1.67 to 2.64).
Conclusion Compared with a normal sodium diet, a low sodium diet significantly increases morbidity and mortality in systolic HF.
Graham

The Diet Doctor

Check out this great site for lowcarb information.

http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf#tips

Friday 24 August 2012

Is there a cholesterol cover-up?


We all know the mantra: high cholesterol causes heart attacks, so foods high in saturated fats which raise cholesterol should be avoided. We also know that by the age of 40, as many as one in three of us will be taking cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins, to reduce our risk of coronary heart disease.
Now a controversial new documentary is questioning this received wisdom. It asks whether the link between saturated fat (found in foods like butter and cream), high cholesterol and coronary heart disease is as straightforward as believed – and warns that we mess with cholesterol levels at our peril. Statin Nation: the Great Cholesterol Cover-Up, made by Justin Smith, a former personal trainer at the BBC turned film director, includes interviews with cardiologists and other specialists, yet it has been widely attacked by others in the medical establishment as “simplistic” and a “travesty”.
Smith’s film will be released as video on demand next month and was “crowd funded” – made with money he raised from the general public. In it, he asks why it is that, if high cholesterol causes heart disease, cholesterol levels for men in Britain are the 15th lowest among 45 countries in Europe – yet Britain still has one of the highest levels of heart attacks. He also queries why both men and women in the lowest social economic group die of heart disease at far higher rates than their richer peers, yet do not have higher cholesterol levels.
The film also claims a US study from 2009 showed that patients with heart disease had lower levels of LDL cholesterol than the general population, as did studies in Hawaii and Austria. Yet, with statins pushed as the answer, the cholesterol-lowering industry” is worth billions – the statin Lipitor made $13 billion for Pfizer in 2010.


Thursday 23 August 2012

A Survey of the FDA's AERS Database Regarding Muscle and Tendon Adverse Events Linked to the Statin Drug Class


Abstract


Background

Cholesterol management drugs known as statins are widely used and often well tolerated; however, a variety of muscle-related side effects can arise. These adverse events (AEs) can have serious impact, and form a significant barrier to therapy adherence. Surveillance of post-marketing AEs is of vital importance to understand real-world AEs and reporting differences between individual statin drugs. We conducted a review of post-approval muscle and tendon AE reports in association with statin use, to assess differences within the drug class.

Methods

We analyzed all case reports from the FDA AE Reporting System (AERS) database linking muscle-related AEs to statin use (07/01/2005–03/31/2011). Drugs examined were: atorvastatin, simvastatin, lovastatin, pravastatin, rosuvastatin, and fluvastatin.

Results

Relative risk rates for rosuvastatin were consistently higher than other statins. Atorvastatin and simvastatin showed intermediate risks, while pravastatin and lovastatin appeared to have the lowest risk rates. Relative risk of muscle-related AEs, therefore, approximately tracked with per milligram LDL-lowering potency, with fluvastatin an apparent exception. Incorporating all muscle categories, rates for atorvastatin, simvastatin, pravastatin, and lovastatin were, respectively, 55%, 26%, 17%, and 7.5% as high, as rosuvastatin, approximately tracking per milligram potency (Rosuvastatin>Atorvastatin>Simvastatin>P​ravastatin≈Lovastatin)and comporting with findings of other studies. Relative potency, therefore, appears to be a fundamental predictor of muscle-related AE risk, with fluvastatin, the least potent statin, an apparent exception (risk 74% vs rosuvastatin).

Interpretation

AE reporting rates differed strikingly for drugs within the statin class, with relative reporting aligning substantially with potency. The data presented in this report offer important reference points for the selection of statins for cholesterol management in general and, especially, for the rechallenge of patients who have experienced muscle-related AEs (for whom agents of lower expected potency should be preferred).

Full Article

Graham

Wednesday 22 August 2012

NHS Scotland Diet Of Slow Death A Carboholic’s Wet dream !


A friend sent us an email today with a link to the NHS Scotland diabetes information and inter-active web site, it’s logo My Diabetes My way. Unsurprisingly, they are pushing the usual diet of death. Call me an old conspiracy theorist, but it looks very close to my old mate Sid’s nose bag to me. Is Bonkers working for the NHS, we need to be told. Maybe they should change the logo to Sid's Diet His Way 

Part of their dietary recommendations.

Eat starchy foods at each meal !
Include plenty of starchy foods e.g. bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, breakfast cereals etc. Try to choose those that are higher in fibre, if possible. Some fibre rich foods can slow down the rise in blood sugar, which could improve your diabetic control.
Eat regular amounts of starchy foods at breakfast, lunch, tea and supper. They help to fill you up and should form the main part of all your meals. These foods include -

Cereals e.g. Porridge, Weetabix, Shredded Wheat, All Bran, Muesli, Oat-based Cereals, Cornflakes and Rice Krispies
Bread and rolls - preferably whole grain
Potatoes - boiled or baked rather than roast or chips
Pasta, rice, noodles and yam
Chappati/naan bread

If anyone believes, this is suitable food for a type two non insulin using diabetic, they have zero understanding of  the effect of high carb food on BG numbers. This dietary information can only lead to increased medication for almost all. Medication that has been proved to kill and maim countless times. Many Doctors believe type two diabetes is always progressive, they know this, because they go out of their way to ensure the prophesy is self fulfilling.

Eddie

http://www.mydiabetesmyway.scot.nhs.uk/resources/leaflets/diet.asp?ID=135&thesection=healthyeating&thetitle=Diet&thetype=leaflet

Usain Bolt a slouch compared to Sid Bonkers !


Usain Bolt is the worlds fastest runner, but old Sid is up to speed when it comes to getting threads locked. Over at our favourite forum diabetes.co.uk. A thread called ‘1 week into low carb diet’ was going along well, until Sid aka the pharmacist stuck his oar in. Surprise, surprise, the thread was locked and all the posts shown below were deleted. I see Sid is pushing his portion control nonsense again on the thread ‘Typical NHS food plate’ stand by for more thread locking and deletion.

1 week into low carb diet
by GazerG » Yesterday, 12:03 pm
It's called a "false hypo", it's because you're brain isn't used to operating with nearly normal BG levels. It's a sign that you're doing well!

Well done!

Am just into my second week, and was having similar symptoms. I too was a bit confused, as after testing I was around 8, so didn't think I was in Hypo range. Glad to know am heading the right way. Got my dieticians appointment tomorrow, so am sure there will be a few disagreements to my 100 carb diet.GazerG Posts: 4Joined: August 14th, 2012, 10:46 pmTop

flyerphil » Today, 11:49 am
Yes its because you have given up your addiction - you are experiencing a sort of 'cold turkey'  

You see type 2 diabetes is a form of addiction - you are a carboholic - and like an alcoholic that has to give up alcohol, you have to give up carbohydrates, for the rest of your life, to become normal again. 

Don't worry, you will soon loose weight and your hbA1C will come down to normal levels, and you will become healthy and slim again. But if someone gives you a peice of raisin toast dripping with butter - you will be off again and have a relapse. Just like an alcoholic that's given a glass of wine, they cant stop, and are back to square one.  

Now when anybody asks, I don't say I am a diabetic, I say I'm a recovering carboholic and if anyone offers me a chocolate biscuit, I say "Get thee behind me Satan"  

Welcome to the Carboholic club. Oh and most GP's are useless and know nothing.flyerphil Posts: 9Joined: May 1st, 2012, 1:49 pmTop

Re: 1 week into low carb diet
by borofergie » Today, 12:18 pm
flyerphil wrote:You see type 2 diabetes is a form of addiction - you are a carboholic - and like an alcoholic that has to give up alcohol, you have to give up carbohydrates, for the rest of your life, to become normal again. 


OMG he used the "c" word.

Grabbing myself some Paleo-low-carb popcorn, and sitting back to enjoy the show.

Seconds out! Round 1! Ding-ding.

Sid Bonkers » Today, 12:34 pm
"flyerphil wrote:Yes its because you have given up your addiction - you are experiencing a sort of 'cold turkey' 

You see type 2 diabetes is a form of addiction - you are a carboholic - and like an alcoholic that has to give up alcohol, you have to give up carbohydrates, for the rest of your life, to become normal again." 

Thankfully I dont see diabetes in this way at all  

I am diabetic I am not an addict, I am very well controlled at present and I eat carbs every day with almost every meal, and I am not in any way shape or form unusual. 

I am not a carboholic in fact that is just a made up word generally used by those who vlc to describe those who choose a less drastic means of diabetic control. You can choose whatever way you want to control your diabetes flyerphil but please dont tell people they "have to give up carbohydrates, for the rest of your life, to become normal again" that is just nonsense. I assure you I am quite normal thank you very much  

Some people choose to go very low carb but most do not. They simply cut back on carbohydrates to a level that their meters say is OK.

Alcoholism is a serious condition that has both physical and mental symptoms please dont trivialise it by comparing it to low carbing.

flyerphil » Today, 5:46 pm
Sid Bonkers wrote:
"flyerphil wrote:Yes its because you have given up your addiction - you are experiencing a sort of 'cold turkey'  You see type 2 diabetes is a form of addiction - you are a carboholic - and like an alcoholic that has to give up alcohol, you have to give up carbohydrates, for the rest of your life, to become normal again." 

I am not a carboholic in fact that is just a made up word generally used by those who vlc to describe those who choose a less drastic means of diabetic control. You can choose whatever way you want to control your diabetes flyerphil but please dont tell people they "have to give up carbohydrates, for the rest of your life, to become normal again" that is just nonsense. I assure you I am quite normal thank you very much  

Some people choose to go very low carb but most do not. They simply cut back on carbohydrates to a level that their meters say is OK.

Yes I know its a shock when you find out Sid and your are try to reject your addiction - psychologists call it being in denial - this is indicative of your deep addiction. I know I was an addict, OHhhhh those choccy buiscuits and hagan daz ice cream, aarhh.

Now accept it and give it up. You are a carby. Throw your meter in the bin, and give it up !

 Sid Bonkers » Today, 6:00 pm
Are you for real?

Goodbye

 swimmer2 » Today, 6:27 pm
Oohh this is good.. pass the peanuts Boro..Just keep swimming, keep swimming

Etty » 1 minute ago
Don't worry about Sid, Flyer, he is actually low carbing but doesn't like to say so. He calls it "Portion Control". A sad case. 

Sid  'a sad case' indeed !

Eddie



Tuesday 21 August 2012

Jimmy Moore and why I trust and admire him and detest Evelyn aka Carbsane !




First I have to hold my hand up, and say Jimmy once helped me, so I am biased. Loyalty is the most important human quality I know. Through my friends on this blog, and Dr. Jay Wortman, the Canadian Doctor, type two diabetic, and lowcarb expert who put me touch with Jimmy, we saw off the infamous diabetes.co.uk forum Stalinist mod Ken, aka Cugila. Jimmy is not perfect, and nor is any other human being on this planet, but he is painfully honest, and I trust him.

Jimmy has made no secret of his fight against personal obesity. Who could have read his posts regarding the fight to have a child with his adoring wife and not be moved. He is clearly besotted with his Wife. That for me is what life is all about. Without love, loyalty and trust, life is a charade of bull shit. Without these wondrous gifts, would life be worth living ? The love of family, friends and sometimes, people we will never meet, it all makes us what we are.

For me Jimmy is an educator, he makes me think ! Evelyn aka Carbsane, whose motto is ‘Welcome all seeking refuge from low carb insanity!’ also makes me think. But I don’t see any love, loyalty or much honesty, from this bloated  blogger. She ridicules Jimmy, but has removed the photographs of herself, which clearly illustrated she was very much obese, and very much a weight loss in progress. Her button marked contribute financially here, no longer works. Who in there right mind other than Carbo, and Phoenix, admirers of Evelyn, would pay to read her long winded dross, and bilge ?

Watch this space, for more on Evelyn aka Carbsane.


Honest I am slim Evelyn 


Eddie



Monday 20 August 2012

Diabetes rate in Scotland continues to increase


Almost a quarter of a million people in Scotland now have diabetes, according to the latest figures.
New statistics in the annual Scottish Diabetes Survey show the number of people with the condition has continued to increase by about 10,000 a year.
A total of 247,278 people now have diabetes, almost 5% of the population.
The majority of these people, about 217,500, have type 2 diabetes, a form of the disease which can be caused by an unhealthy lifestyle.
Type 2 is also more common among older people.
Chief Medical Officer Sir Harry Burns, Scotland's top doctor, said: "This survey highlights the increasing number of people with diabetes that is directly related to the ageing of the population and unhealthy lifestyle factors such as obesity.
"Stopping smoking, eating better and taking regular exercise is something we can all do to make sure we are as healthy as possible."
'Relentless' rise
Diabetes is a long-term health condition where the amount of glucose in the blood is too high.
If left untreated it can cause many different health problems, as large amounts of glucose can damage blood vessels, nerves and organs.
Jane-Claire Judson, the director of Diabetes UK, said the "relentless rise" in the number of people with the disease showed that "diabetes deserves immediate attention as a major public health concern".
She said: "Meeting the challenge of diabetes requires the NHS, government and society overall to take action to improve our nation's health, and together we need to ensure that those already diagnosed have the best support and care available."
A new online resource, MyDiabetesMyWay has been developed to help diabetics manage their condition more effectively.
In what is said to be a world first, the interactive website will allow them to view their latest clinic results online, along with treatment advice.
Public Health Minister Michael Matheson said: "Now everyone living with diabetes in Scotland has the opportunity to view their own clinical diabetes data online.
"I would strongly encourage people living with diabetes to sign up and see for themselves how this valuable resource can support them to self-manage their condition."

Saturday 18 August 2012

FDA approves first generic Actos to treat type 2 diabetes


The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first generic version of Actos (pioglitazone hydrochloride) tablets. Along with diet and exercise, pioglitazone is used to improve blood glucose control in adults with type 2 diabetes.
Mylan Pharmaceuticals, based in Morgantown, W.Va., gained FDA approval for 15 milligram, 30 mg and 45 mg pioglitazone tablets.
“Controlling blood sugar levels is very important in preventing or reducing the long-term health complications of diabetes,” said Gregory P. Geba, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Office of Generic Drugs in FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Generic versions of this widely used product will offer affordable treatment options for patients who must manage this chronic and potentially serious condition.”
Diabetes is a disease in which blood glucose, or sugar, levels are too high. Glucose comes largely from the food we eat. Insulin is a hormone that helps move glucose into the body’s cells to help them produce energy. In people with type 2 diabetes the body does not make or use insulin well. Without enough insulin, glucose stays in the blood. Over time, too much glucose in the blood can cause serious health problems such as damage to eyes, kidneys, and nerves. Diabetes can also contribute to heart disease, and stroke.
Pioglitazone is dispensed with a patient Medication Guide that provides important instructions about its use and drug safety information. The drug has a Boxed Warning to emphasize that pioglitazone may cause or worsen heart failure, particularly in certain patient populations. Careful monitoring of patients when starting the drug or increasing the dose is recommended. The product label also notes that the use of pioglitazone for more than one year may be associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer.
The most common side effects reported by patients using pioglitazone include cold-like symptoms, headache, sinus infection, muscle pain, and sore throat. Information about the availability of generic pioglitazone can be obtained from the manufacturer.
Generic drugs approved by FDA are of the same high quality and strength as brand-name drugs. The generic manufacturing and packaging sites must pass the same quality standards as those for brand-name drugs.

Diabetes drugs up bladder cancer risk



Graham

Cereal bars: Healthy image a myth - Which?


The consumer group found all but one of the 30 bars it analysed were high in sugar, with more than half containing over 30% sugar.
One bar, Nutri-Grain Elevenses, contained nearly four teaspoons - more than in a small can of cola and 20% of the recommended daily allowance.
Which? is calling for manufacturers to reduce sugar and fat in food products marketed to children and for tighter controls over the way they are promoted.
Which? executive director Richard Lloyd said: "People often choose cereal bars in the belief they're healthier than chocolate or biscuits, but our research shows this can be a myth."


Tesco and Asda own brand bottled water 'comes from mains'


Own brand bottled still water, which is on sale for 17p for two litres, is being sold alongside global mineral water brands such as Evian and Perrier.
But Tesco's Everyday Value Still Water and Asda's Smartprice Still Water are filtered water from the mains supply, the supermarkets said last night.
The cost of tap water is just a third of a penny a litre, meaning the water is being sold at a massive profit.
The ploy is reminiscent of an episode of Only Fools and Horses in which the hapless Del Boy bottles tap water and sells it as "Peckham Spring".
The label on the bottles sold in Tesco does not explain to customers that the water is filtered mains, and reads: "Just water, nothing added."

Friday 17 August 2012

Cochrane review finds no proved benefit in drug treatment for patients with mild hypertension


Treating patients with stage 1 (mild) hypertension has no benefit, a Cochrane review of studies conducted in the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States has found.1
Data from four randomised controlled trials, involving 8912 patients with stage 1 hypertension (systolic blood pressure 140-159 mm Hg or diastolic 90-99 mm Hg, or both) and treated for four to five years, found that drug treatment did not reduce total mortality (risk ratio 0.85 (95% confidence interval 0.63 to 1.15)), coronary heart disease (1.12 (0.8 to 1.57), or stroke (0.51 (0.24 to 1.08)). Patients with pre-existing cardiovascular disease were excluded from the study.
David Cundiff, one of the reviewers, said that he believes that the analysis should lead to dramatic changes in the way doctors treat mild hypertension, allowing patients to throw away their blood pressure pills and focus instead on far more effective as well as evidence based approaches, such as exercising, smoking cessation, and eating a DASH (diet against systolic hypertension) or Mediterranean diet.

Thursday 16 August 2012

All the best Paul

"A few things have happened in the last few weeks which are life changing for me and my family,what's going to happen? Who knows but fate and 'The man upstairs' himself.

The upshot is I want to spend as much time with my family as I can and that means shutting down the Laptop as I'm spending too much time on it these days and I've decided to arrange for my account to be removed on here(5pm today according to Admin) as I know I'll just keep logging in otherwise rather than doing things with my family!"


This was posted yesterday at diabetes.co.uk.

All the very best Paul and we look forward to you kicking some butt soon. Thanks for your loyalty. Contact us via lowcarbdiabetic.co.uk if we can help.

Eddie

Julian Assange outed as Monty Beantipper


The UK establishment was in total uproar today, when Julian Assange was confirmed as the lowcarb cyber warrior, Monty Beantipper. Not for the first time, Beantipper has been the subject of sexual ensnarement. Few regulars will have forgotten, the case known as the ‘Trixy the pony stitch up’ Beantipper one of the Worlds foremost lowcarb activists, is no stranger to the high carb lowfat destruction of the human race. It was Beantipper, that first alerted mankind, about junk food and big pharmas evil master plan, to exterminate millions of honest and hard working people across the planet. Beantipper was immediately a marked man. The establishment, and main stream media, put in place a massive campaign to discredit him. Some believe he never existed, and was created to avert attention, from the true lowcarb hero, the infamous Fergus Craig.

Fergus Craig, believed to be an ancestor of the great warrior William Wallace, disappeared from the forum scene some years ago, but his memory and philosophy stays with us, to the present day. Fergus sowed the seeds, and thousands of diabetics harvested the great truth, carbs are not the way forward for a diabetic. Good quality fats, do not cause heart disease and stroke. Ferg was a marked man, and with a very good antennae for self preservation went very low profile, as fast as his very fit legs would carry him.

To be continued.


Eddie