My mom was diagnosed with Barrett’s esophagus a couple of weeks ago. She’s not that internet savvy so I decided to do some research on it. Of course, I found the standard advice. Cut the coffee, tomatoes, citrus, and fat. *sigh* Then, I decided to google “Barrett’s low carb” and yours was one of the first posts that popped up. Sure enough you wrote a post on it back in 2005. I’m not sure why I didn’t think to look on your blog earlier.

I printed off your entry for her. She’s pretty scared of getting esophageal cancer, having had many cancers younger in life. She’s been on a low carb diet all of one week now and her indigestion is pretty much gone. She has tortilla chips the other night and sure enough, they caused indigestion. I have recommended she avoid carbs and those nasty inflammatory vegetable oils.

To be honest, I’m really glad she came down with this. Her and my dad’s diet has been terrible all their life. Tons of boxed and canned junk. Now I think she’ll really make the effort to change… finally. She’s been a constant thorn in my side with regard to my grandfather, too, who is a Type II diabetic (always feeding him sugar, telling us we are spoilsports for trying to deny him, etc.) He, too, is doing tons better. He is now down 30 lbs. in just a few months, insulin usage down 60% since I sent him Dr. Bernstein’s Diabetes Solution.

A big thanks to you! Your blog had made, and continues to make, a huge difference in my and my family’s health.

Glad you’re getting value from the blog. There are no studies to prove it, but I would bet that your mother’s Barrett’s will improve them finally resolve on a good low-carb diet. Once the acid quits damaging the esophageal mucosa it should begin to return to normal.

For the first time in 20 years, I recently presented myself to Kaiser Permanente for an ordinary check-up. After several months of eating eggs, cheese and cream with abandon, my blood tests produced the following: Total Cholesterol 544; HDL 123; LDL 409; triglycerides 59.

My doctor ordered an immediate EKG and advised moving directly to medication to reduce LDL. On the basis of your work and others, I declined this advice based on the usual factors: my lipid ratios were ok; probably larger LDL particles; tenuous connection of Cholesterol to heart disease, and most importantly, the fact that I apparently have no risk factors whatsoever (familial or otherwise) for this type of disease.

Still, I have to admit, in my reading I rarely see TC and LDL numbers this high. Any thoughts? If I should be concerned, could you briefly indicate why?

For reference, I’m female, 53 years old, 5’4″ 125 lbs, blood pressure 107/68, no medical conditions with the exception of some menopausal symptioms.

Thanks so much!!!

You, of course, must consult your own physician on this. However, if you were my patient, which you aren’t, I would send you for an EBT (electron beam tomography) scan of your heart. If your calcium score were normal, I wouldn’t worry about it. I would sent my patients to get EBT scans as screening procedures instead of the other scans out there that most cardiologists recommend because these other scanning machines inflict way more radiation than I think people need simply for a screening scan. I have my patients seek out an EBT scanning center because for screening procedures these machines are as accurate as the others, but with significantly (and I do mean significantly) less radiation. Good luck.

Lovely photo of Tahoe. It would be very inspiring to wake up to that.

Stay safe. Jim

BTW have you seen this study? I am sure we would all love your take on it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/12/health/research/12exer.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss&pagewanted=print

If you exercise to improve your metabolism and prevent diabetes, you may want to avoid antioxidants like vitamins C and E.

“If you exercise to promote health, you shouldn’t take large amounts of antioxidants,” Dr. Ristow said. A second message of the study, he said, “is that antioxidants in general cause certain effects that inhibit otherwise positive effects of exercise, dieting and other interventions.” The findings appear in this week’s issue of The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Full study here: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2009/05/11/0903485106.full.pdf+html?sid=9833dbe1-4afb-4a8b-946b-cc8789ac77cd

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1892841,00.html?imw=Y

Thanks.

John W.

Sure. Glucose is much better than fructose. Most of the problems laid at the doorstep of sugar are because of the half of it that is fructose. Glucose does raise insulin levels, however, so pure glucose isn’t a panacea. But, despite the fact that it doesn’t raise insulin levels, fructose is much worse in many other ways.

What do you think of this? Just when I felt I could cut out oral vitamin D because I’m out gardening every day!

I’m skeptical of this claim. As I understand it – and, admittedly, I’m not the world’s expert on vitamin D – the reaction synthesizing vitamin D is between the UVB light and cholesterol within the skin, not on it. I don’t really believe that it can be washed away. I willing to be proven wrong, however.

Slightly off topic. My old neighbor in Virginia (who was also my anesthesiologist when my first daughter was born) has written a book.

http://www.vapainclinic.com/

Wow! I thought I’d give the book a shameless plug through you if you don’t mind. He’s a great guy.

Here you go. One shameless plug. Hope he gets some sales.

TN

On an unrelated note, I just came across a short article discussing a study that I have questions about. Briefly it concerns the effects of taking anti-inflammatories (Vit C & E here) on insulin sensitivity etc. in people on an exercise regimen. I realize it is just one study covering only two supplements, but as a consumer of alpha-lipoic acid, CoQ10, Vit D, MG, and a multivitamin I want to make sure I am doing no harm. Any thoughts???

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/12/health/research/12exer.html?em

I’m glad you enjoyed it. It is a grand view.