Cure and prevent diabetes mellitus with diet, not drugs

Introduction

There are many conditions in Western industrialised societies today that were unheard of, or at least very rare, just a century ago. The same conditions are still unheard of in primitive peoples who do not have the 'benefits' of our knowledge. There is a very good reason for this: They eat what Nature intended; we don't. The diseases caused by our incorrect and unnatural diets are those featured on these pages.

and

both say:

People with diabetes have a greater risk of developing heart disease and/or hardening of the arteries.Try and cut down on the fat you eat, particularly saturated (animal) fats. . .Use less butter, margarine, cheese and fatty meats. Choose low fat dairy foods like skimmed milk and low fat yogurt. Grill, steam or oven bake instead of frying or cooking with oil or other fats.

Choose a diet with plenty of grain products, vegetables, and fruits. These foods should provide the mainstay of what you eat. Eat regular meals based on starchy foods such as bread, pasta, chapatis, potatoes, rice and cereals. Whenever possible, choose high fibre varieties of these foods, like wholemeal bread and wholemeal cereals.

In other words, they say that diabetics should eat a carbohydrate-based, low-fat diet.

BUT THE EVIDENCE ACTUALLY SAYS:

Coulston AM, et al. American Journal of Medicine 1987; 82: 213-220.	'it seems prudent to avoid the use of low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets containing moderate amounts of sucrose in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.'
Garg A, et. al. New England Journal of Medicine 1988; 319: 829-34.	'As compared with the high-carbohydrate diet, the high-monounsaturated-fat diet resulted in lower mean plasma glucose levels and reduced insulin requirements, lower levels of plasma triglycerides and very low-density lipoprotein [LDL - the 'bad'] cholesterol , and higher levels of high-density lipoprotein [HDL - the 'good'] cholesterol. Levels of total cholesterol did not differ significantly in patients on the two diets.'
Hays J.Paper presented to the 81st Annual Meeting of the Endocrine Society, 15June1999.	"A very high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet has been shown to have astounding effects in helping type 2 diabetics lose weight and improve their blood lipid profiles."

Dr. James Hays, an endocrinologist and director of the Limestone Medical Center in Wilmington, DE, presented the results of three studies of men and women with type 2 diabetes involving very high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society. His study showed an impressive benefit in body mass index (BMI), triglycerides, HDL, LDL and HbA1c.
Patients were able to eat all the meat and cheese they wanted, but as for carbohydrates, they are restricted to eating unprocessed foods, mainly fresh fruit and vegetables. Whereas in a normal diet 60 percent of calories would come from carbohydrates and 30 percent from fat, patients in this diet were encouraged to get 50 percent of their caloric intake from fat, and just 20 percent from carbohydrates.
A whopping 90 percent of the fat content in their diets was saturated animal fat, compared with just 10 percent that was monounsaturated oil.
Dr Hays told his audience that:

Over the course of one year, the subjects achieved

a mean decline in total cholesterol from 231 to 190 mg/dl
LDL (the 'bad' cholesterol) fell from 133 to 105 mg/dl,
HDL (the 'good' cholesterol) increased from 44 to 47 mg/dl.
Triglycerides declined from 229 to 182 mg/dl.
HbA1c, which at the start of the study averaged 3.34 percent above normal, declined to just 0.96 percent above normal
Average weight loss was in the order of 40 pounds.

By the end of the one-year study 90 percent of the patients had achieved ADA (American Diabetes Association) targets for HbA1c, HDL, LDL and triglycerides.
As for the response from cardiologists who see a high-fat diet as anathema to what they have been instructing their patients for years now, Dr. Hays said he has three cardiology patients who are now on the diet. And concluded:

"If you have a diet that results in weight loss, lower cholesterol, and a better lipid profile, eventually, everybody will be eating that way."

Above you have seen some of the evidence that suggests that DiabetesUK and the American Diabetes Association have got it completely wrong. This is also my finding from over twenty years of research. In these pages you will find why the conventional treatment of Diabetes, is resulting in increased morbidity, the evidence that DiabetesUK and the ADA have got it completely wrong, and the evidence to support the introduction of a radical departure: a high-fat, low-carb diet to control both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Proof that it works!

I was in New Zealand in 1999, two months before my book, Eat Fat, Get Thin! was published. While there I visited a friend's cousin. NL was seventy-five years old, overweight, with high blood pressure and diabetic. During the conversation, my book was mentioned and I said I would send her a copy although, she told me, as it advocated a high-fat diet, she thought her diabetes would prevent her from using it. Here is an extract from a letter I received five months after I sent the book:

'When your book arrived I read it immediately and gave myself permission to think it might, just might, work for me, despite the diabetes factor which I had said to you could possibly complicate blood sugar results. You assured me that it was more possible that these would improve.

'I changed my diet in February and in that and the following month my weight dropped by eight pounds. It was such a luxury to be eating all the hitherto "naughty" things that had been such a "no-no" and being rewarded for my sins. I felt better in all ways and my blood sugars became far more stable, and lower than they had been for years.

'I had meant to write before . . . but as it was getting close to my annual full diabetic general check-up, I thought I might have medical evidence to confirm my feelings of improved well-being. Prior to my G.P.'s appointment I had been for a variety of blood tests and also an ophthalmologist's examination - retinal photography and pressure measurements.

'First major surprise - the pressure behind my eyes which had for many years been border-line glaucoma, had reduced - "excellent" result. Cholesterol (total), HDLcholesterol and triglycerides had all improved, my glycosated haemoglobin was down by 1.5 and blood pressure was down from 160/90 in June last year to 130/74 - the lowest I can ever remember having. Naturally my G.P. was very confused by my "second coming" and her tut-tutting lacked conviction when I told her of meeting you, receiving your book and becoming a convert to and practitioner of what you advocate. So count me as one of your most loyal disciples.'

And from a health professional in the private medical sector

I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in October 2000, at the age of 37. At this time, my weight was registering an all-time high of 14 stone, BP was 142/92, with an HbA1c of 8%+.

I was issued with the standard low-fat high carbohydrate diet sheet and duly went home and followed the dietary advice to the letter. I also bought a blood glucose meter and was astonished to find that my blood sugar registered 13+ after each and every so-called "healthy" meal. I felt tired and extremely unwell, and so, to cut a long story short, I decided to do some of my own research. Literally 2 days later, I had discovered the low carb approach. . . . I put this regime into practice, kept a food diary and carried out 5 blood tests a day for 6 months.

At the end of the 6 months, I returned to my local Diabetic Clinic at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for my checkup. Tests revealed that my BP had dropped to 123/74, my HbA1c was 5.5 and I had lost 2 stone. More importantly, I felt fantastic, had loads of energy, and had lost count of the number of people who commented on how well I looked. My consultant was amazed, but not particularly interested in my methods. I was astonished that he didn't want to know more ? so that he could pass on the information to others. (Naive of me, I know!) Instead he informed me that Diabetes is a progressive disease, and that I'd need to start a drugs regime within the next couple of years, perhaps even insulin. It is my intention to prove him wrong. My next HbA1c, 6 months later, was under 6, with BP and cholesterol well within normal limits. At this point, my consultant announced that I would only be required to attend the Clinic on a yearly basis.

So, in summary, I am very happy with my results, and with the way I feel physically. Incidentally, my father was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes 6 months ago, and he has followed my advice as opposed to his doctor's, which is unlike him. His HbA1c has also reduced from over 8% to 5.7 in the space of 6 months. His doctors are astonished, as at diagnosis, a random blood sugar test revealed a reading of 24.

However, the fact that both my father and myself are in the best of health is not enough for me. The "I'm all-right Jack" scenario is not acceptable to me, and my dream is to see ALL diabetics given the correct advice at diagnosis ? it would then be up to the individual as to whether to comply or not. At present, unless they are blessed with decent research skills, diabetics will continue to suffer poor health and are destined for a premature death.

During the past 18 months, I have tried, in my own way, to get the message out.

Recently, I attended a large conference on diabetic care in Edinburgh, and somehow found the courage to stand up in front of hundreds of so-called Diabetes experts ? consultants, dieticians, and Practice nurses, and briefly told my story. I was publically lambasted by an indignant dietician who stood up and declared loudly that "everyone knows the treatment for Type 2 Diabetes is a high carbohydrate diet".

A couple of weeks ago, in response to a report in a national newspaper on the subject of obesity, and the rising tide of Type 2 diabetes, I wrote to the 3 quoted "experts", to comment on their continual obsession with the evils of fat as opposed to sugar. So far I have received no response!

I am the Training Manager for a large nursing agency based in Edinburgh, and as such am responsible for buying places on appropriate courses for our nurses. I have recently made the decision not to send any more of our staff on Diabetes updates run by Lothian Primary Healthcare Trust, after I obtained a copy of their training syllabus, which revealed a less than enlightened approach to diet. I am therefore currently putting together a training pack on diabetes for one of our nurses to deliver informally within her own hospital. It goes without saying that I will have no hesitation in including information on the low-carb approach, together with appropriate references for staff to be able to do their own research.

F N, 9 June 2002

These letters are typical of my experience with overweight diabetics. So we need to ask: Why does DiabetesUK still insist on low-fat, carbohydrate diets for diabetics?

Conclusion

We may be approaching the end of the disastrous practice of advocating low-fat, carbohydrate-based diets for weight loss in diabetics.

Go to Part 1: The scale of the problem

Introduction
Part 1: The scale of the problem
Part 2: What is diabetes -- Are you at risk?
Part 3: Conventional treatment for Type-2 diabetes - and why it fails
Part 4: Why carbs are the wrong foods for diabetics

"One must attend in medical practice not primarily to plausible theories but to experience combined with reason." Hippocrates

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