My aunt has a weight problem for about two decades or more. She currently weighs 224 pounds and her height is 5'4". Her age is 56 years. Her cholesterol is 200 (border line, I think) but her main problem is having an enlarged heart due to many years of continuous high blood pressure, I mean.. real high blood pressure.

She is on medication of course -- but the medicines only keep her blood pressure down to the higher end of the normal range (130-90). She has been on a very restricted low-fat diet for several years. She cannot walk across the room, cannot stand on her feet for more than 5 minutes -- she is now virtually ready for a wheel-chair existence. And she was so active before!!

After seeing me successfully reduce my weight (I still have a long way to go) on Atkin's diet and after hearing that my blood pressure has improved so much (it was 150-110 without medication, which came down to 130-90 in 2 months) she became extremely interested in this. So I asked her to continue having her medicines AND do the diet. She is on her 6th day of induction, during which she lost 5 pounds and her blood pressure came to 120-80 from 130-90 (all with medication).

I have read these forums and DANDR and found lots of information on cholesterol levels -- rise or fall; but I can't find any information on heart enlargement. My concern is, will this condition deteriorate with this diet? I am so afraid because her heart condition is not good at all. I know, I should go and consult with her doctor, but where we live, I can find no doctor, cardiologist or any other, WHO IS FAMILIAR WITH ATKINS. There is a huge number of very qualified cardiologists here, but most of them unanimously condemn Atkins, the others who don't, do not know about the diet at all. So no help to be got here.

Any help from your side? Any doctor amongst you who also knows about Atkins? I am feeling very shaky and nervous about this as I am not a medical person and I have introduced her to this way of life -- and it is so heart-breaking to watch her enthusiasm. It seems she has finally seen a glimmer of hope.

I have an enlarged heart too, cardiomyopathy with congestive heart failure. My ejection fraction is now at 30%, used to be at 20% and they sent me to see about a heart transplant a few years back. I will eventually need one but for now they are trying to get all they can out of my own heart. My arteries are clear and my heart failure was caused by a virus attacking my heart. Not typical heart disease at all. My blood pressure is actually on the low side, always was and I was diagnosed at age 30, I am 34 now.
Whew, I was worried this diet would be bad for my heart too. I weighed the risks against the fact that at my current weight I would not be eligible for a transplant. I need to get down to 180 to be considered or else they will pass me up.
I have been searching for info on heart failure and atkins lately and I haven't found a lot of info but I suggest you check out this site:

www.jonsplace.org

I am still researching the effects of this diet on heart failure and I will post here if I find more info because this is really important to me too.

I can tell you that my cardiologist has told me that getting the weight off is the single most important thing I can do to get my heart back to normal size and functioning.
Some variations I have to make to atkins (low carb) dieting to fit my health condition:
Restrict fluids because of the risk of pulmunary edema.
Keep the sodium level very low.
No exercise as I am not allowed to strain my heart.

Now, with these adjustments I know I am going to lose weight slower than someone without my disease plus I am on a lot of meds which are probably slowing me down as well. I have to accept my weight loss will be slower but that's ok. I don't want to end up on machines and the doc tells my family I am too fat for a transplant. Simply put...he said there are not a lot of hearts to go around and they can't waste one on someone who is overweight.

Please let me know how your aunt is doing and in the meantime I will be searching for some info.
Take care.
~Cindy

Thanks for the input. I am very sorry that you too are in this. I sincerely hope that everything goes well for you.

I was thinking about my aunt after finishing my previous post and suddenly remembered that Dr Atkins too had cardiomyopathy (though I do not know whether it was enlarged heart or not) and this diet did not help him in that. I mean, he had a heart failure, right? (But luckily it was not fatal.) So should my aunt do this diet? What do you think?

I went to the site you mentioned. Still looking it over. But I get the feeling that it is more about heart failure than ATKINS DIET+HEART ENLARGEMENT! I am not sure though....

And are you sure that water intake must be limited? I have asked her to have more than 8 glasses of water per day, just as I am having myself! I must warn her of that immediately. She is having some diuretics to induce water loss, and I thought Atkins diet will itself take care of that -- because of its inherent diuretics effect -- so nothing to worry about in that angle! Aaaah!

I am so scared to go through this alone with no doctor here to guide me! You know, one can experiment with ones own body with no fear at all but with others, one gets absolutely terrified!

Cindy, I am very sorry. That site has Atkins information. In fact it was built by an Atkins follower with heart failure. Please keep me posted if you get more such information. Thank you!

I have been doing Atkin's now for a month and a half. I'm 47 and was diagnosed with conjestive heart failure ten years ago. I have been fortunate with my response to the drugs because my heart is almost a normal size again (in spite of my weight). My father died from CHF when he was 52 and his grandfather when he was 49. All of us were infected with a virus that attacked the heart muscle. I'm doing everything I can to keep from following them.
I can tell you from my experience that low fat diets do not work. They did not help me loose weight and encouraged the water retention that is so distructive for those of us with this health problem.
I have never had a problem with drinking water while taking my diuretics. I have been drinking at least two quarts of water a day for years now. I would say that your aunt really needs to monitor her weight closely and report to her doctor if she sees a weight gain of 3 lbs or more. That could be water retention. She should also have her kidney function checked to make sure that it's in good working order. Prolonged use of diuretics can cause the kidneys alot of stress and it is "possible" for this WOE to add to the problem. I put "possible" in quotes because it is an issue that doctors often bring up in refference to the Atkins WOE. I do not belive that it is a problem for a healthy individual. Another concern is that the additional water will wash more pottasium and magnisium from her system. This will mean a possible need for adjustment in her supplements. Pottasium and Magnisium are washed away by the diuretics and so patients are given these minerals to replace that which they loose. Have her get a blood test to check her levels and then repeat in a month to see where she's at.
I know that for me Atkins has been a good change and it is my intention to eat this way for the rest of my life. I cannot see going back to the "carb fest". I am loosing weight and I feel so much better. I have more energy. I bought a reclining stationary bike and I now ride it a half hour everyday. I feel as if I am finally getting a handle on my health and am so greatful for it.
I think that it is imortant that your Aunt's doctor knows that she is on this plan so that he can monitor her levels.
But I also feel that the most important person in this decision is your Aunt. She is the most qualified to say if this is a healthy choice for her. How does she feel? Does she have more energy? Is she retaining water? If she is the type of person who listens to what her body is telling her she will know if Atkins is the right choice.
I wish her could luck and a long healthy life.
Signey

Signey, thank you so much for the post, gives me hope that I can live longer than expected with heart failure. Looking forward to seeing how you are doing and nice to see someone on the board who understands.

FL, Thank you hon for your kind words and send my best to your aunt. Re: And are you sure that water intake must be limited?
Ok, when I went to visit the heart transplant doc he told me to restrict fluids and it does help me to breathe easier. 64 ozs in total for the day, including any soups, coffee, etc. Now, I have not been restricting fluids lately only because I seem to be very thirsty on low carb so I have been going way over 64 ozs a day. Please have your aunt check with a doctor on this issue and any other issue as each person's heart failure seems to be different.

Still looking for info and I will post here, been really busy this past few days so haven't had a chance to research.

~Cindy

Ok, I found an interesting article:


Low-Carb Diets Decrease Weight without Increasing Cardiovascular Risks in Women-New Study Shows Short Term Cardiovascular Safety Of Low-Carb Diets, but Authors Urge Caution


http://www.healthy.net/asp/templates/news.asp?Id=6864


"Traditional healthy eating standards recommend fat intake of less than 30 percent to lower cholesterol and prevent obesity. Women in our study on the very low carbohydrate diet consumed more than 50 percent of their calories from fat. In the short term, this diet did not show a negative impact on the women's cardiovascular health and caused weight loss. We were surprised by the unexpected results of our research," said lead researcher Bonnie Brehm, PhD, RD, Assistant Professor in the College of Nursing at the University of Cincinnati. "

That was a reassuring article. Thanks.

My aunt has lost around 9 pounds in 9 days of induction. She says she is feeling much better. Before she couldn't negotiate even the two steps down to the living room, but now she can!! But she is still anxious about the high intake of fat in her diet. I guess, years of drumming into her ears that it is unhealthy to eat fat is taking its toll.

Her son, a practising cardiologist in Chicago, has come to know of her new diet. He is maintaining a disapproving silence. I hope so much nothing goes wrong. I quake in my shoes just imagining the extent of tongue lashing I will get from this cousin of mine if something does go wrong! And you guessed right, HE is her doctor. Phew!!

Best regards,

Hey, the moderators have changed my screen name. I am no more a "fatlady"!

Munia, I like that name much better!

I spoke with a woman who has the same heart disease as me and she has lost 70 lbs on atkins and her EF has gone up!!! From 12 to 35!!!! Her doc has decreased meds and she feels so much better! I know this low carbing will work to beat my heart disease!

Cindy, thank you for letting me know about the lady who had the same condition as my aunt's. I will pass on this piece of good news to her.

As to my aunt's progress, well... she is doing so-so. She has stopped losing weight for the time being, and she is getting very impatient! Besides, suddenly she seems to be retaining quite a lot of water in her body which is making her bloated and for this she is getting very discouraged. It gets very difficult for her to move because of all the aches and pains she has due to this water retention. -- But she is still following the diet, so that's something.

I am praying for her. She is such a dear aunt of mine!

Munia,
I am so sorry to hear that your Aunt is having problems with water retention. Is it possible that she has introduced new foods into her diet that have a higher salt content? I know that when I started eating low carb that I had to be very careful. I found that there is a natural inclination for me to add more salt to protein and that many spice mixtures and low carb products have a high sodium content. Pork rinds have 250 mg. for one oz. A steak seasoning that I used unknowingly on a roast made it inedible because it had 240 mgs. per ¼ teaspoon. Dry soup mixes that are routinely added to meatloaf and dips are sodium death bombs. There’s a real need on this WOE to try new ways of cooking meats to keep our taste buds interested. For most of us it’s not a problem because not many of us retain water on this plan. For those of us with CHF it’s a whole different ball game and we need to be aware of the sodium content of the foods we’re eating. Packaged meats and deli meats are high. They’re shot up with sodium enriched broths to make them heavier, more money per pound. Pre cooked chickens from the deli counter can have seasoning’s that make them too high for our consumption. Does your Aunt live alone? If so she might be resorting to some of these convenience foods instead of cooking it herself. It’s easier to buy small amounts, pre cooked, than to cook a whole roast, but we pay for this convenience in more than just the monetary cost.

I had problems when I went into ketosis. I found that if I stayed at 20 grms of carb a day that I had heart palpitations and what felt like adrenal surges. They would keep me up at night and I would startle easily. I also found that I retained more water during this period. I think that it was because my heart was working a little harder because of the ketosis. I decided that I would experiment and gradually raise my carb level 5 grms at a time and see if there was an improvement. I now find that if I stay between 25 and 30 grms a day that all of side effects were eliminated. Just ketosis induced insomnia ( a common side effect for many on the WOE) can keep the heart from resting sufficiently to recover from the days exertions.

Did you suggest that she get a blood work-up so that she has a baseline to work from? I just had mine done yesterday and found that my potassium was somewhat low. My doctor suggested that I raise my dosage. It might explain why I’ve felt a little tired lately.
Good Luck!
Signey