Bob Harper's Heart Attack

(cheryl) #1

Hi Guys,

I LOVE keto WOL!!! And am 100% on board.

Saw this article about Bob Harper reflecting on his diet (low carb / Keto ) and seems to make a correlation that it caused his heart attack. What are your thoughts?

Thanks in adavnce!

(Banting & Yudkin & Atkins & Eadeses & Cordain & Taubes & Volek & Naiman & Bikman ) #2

It is unknowable from that article what Mr. Harper was actually doing before and itā€™s unclear on what heā€™s doing now. So, I do not think speculation about why he had a heart attack is proper. We donā€™t have the science, and I donā€™t know what his N=1 science experiment was like.

One has to wonder and one wonders at his conversion. A heart attack will have that effect, I suppose, but thereā€™s not much science to link high fat with heart disease, so much as wishful thinking and bad data.

(Vladaar Malane) #3

You know that is odd that he claims he was low carb keto, when on the show they meaning Bob and Co-trainers forced contestants to do the low-fat low calorie crap. Why would he do something for himself and coach others to do different? Not sure I buy he was doing Keto.

(Ethan) #4

Where does he even say what the adverse effects were?

(Vladaar Malane) #5

Yah I mean right from the website, their diet plan is the crap that makes you gain weight.

So when and why did Harper go to Paleo, when the diet plans they sell and put contestants on isnā€™t that? I would guess Paleo/low carb had nothing to do with his heart attack, but all the crap he ate years ago before that.

Additionally Jillian Michaels says he has a family history of it.

Well canā€™t seem to find exactly when Bob claimed he went Paleo, but apparently he was in 2015. He says he was vegan before that.
https://www.inquisitr.com/1751369/biggest-loser-star-bob-harper-shares-paleo-style-low-carb-weight-loss-diet-video/

His heart attack was Feb. 12, 2017, so that is roughly 2 years that he was doing Paleo, vs. decades of vegan or whatever else he was eating. More likely the culprit is as Jillian suggested though his family medical history with heart problems.

(Donna ) #6

What a poorly done article.

I do have a concern/frustration with people who continually pollute their Keto diet by cheating almost constantly. Some people, who apparently have a poor understanding of what happens when you eat high fat in the presence of sugar/starch, attempt their Keto by eating high fat, but ALSO eating sugar and carbage almost daily. (Then, ā€˜Whoopsie, I canā€™t eat clean permanently! The thought of that is depressing! I need my cake and weekly cheat day!ā€™ Or, ā€˜I was good all day, except for in the evening when I ate some donuts.ā€™ almost. every. day. Or: ā€˜I donā€™t do sugar substitutes, so I use raw honey in my Keto diet.ā€™) Eating high fat AND high carb is very unhealthy and for a person like that, maybe low fat and high carb might be better for them in the long run.

There are definitely people out there doing their Keto diet like that, and it will have adverse results and make Keto look at fault.

(Banting & Yudkin & Atkins & Eadeses & Cordain & Taubes & Volek & Naiman & Bikman ) #7

Like maybe just doing the program as written for a period of time might be a good way to evaluate whether it works.

(Consensus is Politics) #8

One of th problems that stands out to me (because of how I was introduced to Keto) is making Keto Synonymous with Paleo and Adkins. I see this in the article, because thatā€™s where I was a few years ago when I first did Keto, and I called it paleo. I didnā€™t know the difference. And quite honestly, had someone back then told me they were all the same thing, I wouldnā€™t have argued it. And at the same time, if you said fat caused heart disease, I would have said, ā€œyep, thatā€™s what doctors have been saying, eat low fatā€.

Now a few years later, present day, I have actually paid attention to the subject. The Dx of Type 2 Diabetes was the catalyst for that. So I pay close attention. The wife is constantly on me for ā€œreading that diet stuff againā€ as Iā€™m on this forum a lot.:cowboy_hat_face:

To me, the article looks like a click bait sham science job created to only muddy the water. People will read it, pass it along, without questioning anything in it. As far as Iā€™m concerned itā€™s a blank page. The only thing on it that might be verifiable is if/when the guy had a heart attack in the first place.

I think most likely the guy was paid off (heart attack irrelevant) to denounce Keto, or low carb in general. There is a lot of money at stake for the carbohydrates consortiums (thatā€™s their term, Iā€™m not making that up, Google it!). There is a lot of money at stake for agriculture (wheat, corn, etc) oh, and Florida and California oranges. A short walk through the supermarket, looking at nutrition labels well soon tell the truth, agriculture has crept into things you wouldnā€™t expect. Even non food items like makeup usually contains wheat products, well, I should just say gluten, Iā€™m not sure if thatā€™s only wheat, but I suspect that it is.

(Consensus is Politics) #9

Even then it isnā€™t the fat thatā€™s the problem, itā€™s the insulin. The insulin as a result of the carbs. The fat is just an innocent bystander being blamed for being there.

But you are correct, that is a dangerous combination. High fat, and even ā€œnormalā€ amount of carbs will cause mass amounts of fat storage. Which isnā€™t in itself all that bad, that is, unless you canā€™t get through the door, or are confined to a scooter to go shopping.

Now before I get slammed for being insensitive for that last paragraph, Iā€™m definitely not making fun of anyone in any fashion. Iā€™m just stating the results of what I see everyday when I go shopping. Very large people, with shopping carts full of carbohydrates. Some of them, bless their hearts, trying to eat healthy based on what their Uncle Sam has told them to eat. Carts full of fruit and vegetables, low fat this and non fat that. A different cearal for every member of the family (I say this from experience, that is exactly an example of what my shopping used to look like, except, throw in a few bags of chips and a family size box of little Debbie cakes for me in the way Home.

If you are in that boat, if you are trying to lose weight, and it just doesnā€™t work. You feel starved and you are gainin weight. Do your homework. Look into Keto. There is nothing to buy. No guru to follow. No plan to say steps 1, 2, 3, etcā€¦ just replace your carbs with fat. Thatā€™s what I did in a nut shell. I lost 40 pounds in 14 days. Now, it took me a few months to work the kinks out. All of my artificial sweeteners contained maltodextrin, which is worse than plain old sugar. How was I to know? Itā€™s packages as ā€˜Good for people with diabetesā€™:roll_eyes: And since the revelation, Iā€™ve lost 10 more pounds. So in 5 months time Iā€™m down 50 pounds. Thatā€™s nothing to sneeze at! Not to mention all my blood work is dang near perfect. Ok, my LDLs were on the high side of normal. BUT NORMAL. Even normal the doctor wants me on statins. Iā€™ve refused them. The side effects do not make it worth it. Even if I had really high LDLs I would still refuse those meds. Theyā€™d have to perform a more detailed test to show me exactly what kind of LDLs I had. Iā€™ve heard of at least four kind, with various problems or beneficial effects. And if they canā€™t tell me why, then NO.

(cheryl) #10

I was wondering the same thing. Probably sponsorship/adertisers wouldnā€™t like it!

#11

Itā€™s also misleading. He says that his issue is Lipoprotein-A. A Lipoprotein is an amino acid, or a protein, that wraps around nutrients and carries nutrients through the body and connects to cells to give its nutrition payload to cells. While Lp(a) is still a lipoprotein like LDL, HDL, etc, Lp-a is a different molecule and about 20% of the population has a heretical increase of Lp(a). Lp(a) it is not included in most standard cholesterol or lipid panels. Unfortunately, not all insurance companies cover testing for Lp(a) so like CRP, you donā€™t know about it unless you are specifically tested. So to say that Keto made a hereditary disease come forth is misleading. Itā€™s not to say it is wrong, itā€™s just the articles on cholesterol never share all the facts.

#12

Would you mind clarifying the negative impacts you refer to when combining sugar/starches and fat? This came up in another thread not long ago and I cited some information (including from Dr. Fung) that suggests that eating carbs with fat, fiber, or vinegar actually slows down the absorption of the carbs.

(Georgia) #13

The first season of The Biggest Loser had contestants on the South Beach Diet (although they didnā€™t say it was South Beach). I remember Bob saying he was vegan at that time.

I canā€™t help but think he mentioned low carb/Paleo since those were the lowest ranked diets in the U.S. News & World Report article and Bob has a book to sell.

I donā€™t consider Paleo to be low carb since you can eat fruit and starchy vegetables, but I can see where eating high fat (which Iā€™ve never seen discussed in paleo articles) with higher carbs could lead to increased body weight.

And if you are genetically predisposed to coronary disease, is there really a diet that could prevent you from having a coronary? I would think some of your triggers could be reduced, but I think you would still be at risk no matter what.

(KCKO, KCFO) #14

He has been a vegan since before the Biggest Loser started, he also has family history of heart attacks. He stresses out his body a lot, not surprised really that he did have one. Edited to add: He said he had a family history on Good Morning America interview after his release from the hospital. That is why I mentioned it here, not basing it on anyone elseā€™s comments, Bob said it himself on national TV.

Lots of vegans use all the veggie oils in an attempt to make their foods taste good, I doubt his diet was much different. You can do paleo as a vegetarian or vegan. Not easy but it can be done. I have a dear friend who is vegan and I am trying to educate her, but she still thinks soy oil and canola are good healthy choices, sheā€™ll come around though. She is a smart person and she trusts me as a source of educational materials.

(Karen) #15

Peeking out from under my rockā€¦who?

OK, I see some ignored non-traditional symptoms, stress, and family history. Mediterranean is a good choice and can be s!anted keto.

K

(annette) #16

Article seems intentionally misleadingā€¦
HE WAS DOING PALEO, but KETO IS EXTREME AND DANGEROUS.
Hello PopSugar, they are not the same thing.

Perhaps paleo IS dangerous because they combine ā€œhealthy fatsā€ with ā€œfruit and starchā€ right?
From where Iā€™m standing, the two donā€™t play well together, if you are prone to
insulin resistance issues(<ā€”almost everyone).

#17

Almost no one serious about paleo is combining a lot of carbs and fats b/c most folks know - and all the major voices in the paleo world tell them - that carbs are generally best kept low, with personal tolerance varying enormously based on activity level, gender, genetics, stage of life, etc.

But - yes, you have a point for people who think theyā€™re doing paleo but arenā€™t really paying attention :slight_smile:

(annette) #18

Excellent point, and one probably best remembered in the keto world too.
For me personally, this is my first keto journey that has not involved cheat days or cheat meals.
Iā€™ve attempted this WOE many times over the last 14 years and I can honestly say that when I did ā€˜cheatā€™ I never thought of it in terms of how it might affect my long-term health.
It was always how it would affect my weight loss.
I will absolutely look at it differently going forward.

(Tara) #19

I refuse to read any articles from Popsugar. Itā€™s always complete BS.
But it is sad news about Bobā€™s heart attack. Lots of people are quick to look for something or someone to blame when something bad happensā€¦ It sounds like Bob was just grasping at straws here. He has an image to keep up, right?
Regardless of any diet that youā€™re on, you still need to keep an eye on your health and make modifications as needed.

(Donna ) #20

I donā€™t quite understand what you are asking me to clarify?

Eating carbs stimulates insulin and shuts down fat burning and turns on fat storage.

In my post Iā€™m talking about people cheating with cake and donuts ā€“ not people clean eating under 20 carbs a day.

Eating cake but adding fat to it doesnā€™t make it Keto, doesnā€™t prevent your body from seeing the carbs and switching on insulin. Sorry, I donā€™t know what you want me to clarify.