{"id":5639,"date":"2014-05-02T16:57:22","date_gmt":"2014-05-02T21:57:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/realfoodhouston.com\/?p=5639"},"modified":"2016-04-26T20:53:14","modified_gmt":"2016-04-27T01:53:14","slug":"studies-show-that-diabetes-can-be-prevented-and-even-reversed-naturally","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.realfoodhouston.com\/wp-files\/2014\/05\/02\/studies-show-that-diabetes-can-be-prevented-and-even-reversed-naturally\/","title":{"rendered":"Studies show that diabetes can be prevented and even reversed naturally"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Patient<\/a>Several years ago when I began my journey to better health through an improved diet, I frequently had the jitters after eating, especially after breakfast.\u00a0 At the time, I thought it was probably due to too much caffeine.\u00a0 I had already stopped drinking regular coffee due to the caffeine, but I was still drinking tea every morning.\u00a0 However, when I cut out the caffeine, I still had the occasional jittery feeling.<\/p>\n

Eventually I realized that it wasn’t just the caffeine, although I am still very sensitive to it.\u00a0 My jittery feelings were caused by a diet too high in sugar and other carbohydrates.\u00a0 Especially my breakfasts were high carb, usually sweetened cereal (although whole grain) and sweetened tea.\u00a0 There was very little fat and only a small amount of protein.\u00a0 Read more\u00a0here<\/a> about how I learned what the problem was and how I changed my diet.<\/p>\n

The jitters I had after my high carbohydrate breakfasts were were a symptom of poor sugar handling.\u00a0 Similar diets are causing huge increases in the incidence of diabetes here in the U.S. and in other countries as they adopt our diet.<\/p>\n

We need to find effective, natural ways to treat and possibly reverse diabetes.\u00a0 One in three children born today are likely to develop the disease and over 100 million adults are already suffering from diabetes, insulin resistance, or metabolic syndrome. 1<\/a> <\/sup> There are many studies that indicate diet is an important factor in the development of diabetes.\u00a0 Although most of this research applies primarily to type 2 diabetes, an improved diet can also benefit those with type 1 diabetes.<\/p>\n

One recent study<\/a> found that the risk of developing type 2 diabetes can be reduced by eating full fat dairy products, including milk, yogurt, butter, and cheese. The factor responsible for the reduction seems to be palmitoleic acid, or trans-palmitoleate, which “is found almost exclusively in naturally-occurring dairy and meat trans fats. . . palmitoleic acid is heart healthy. It also has anti-microbial properties and is a key compound in cell communication.” Participants in the study “with those with the highest levels [of trans-palmitoleate] had half the risk of developing diabetes<\/strong><\/em>” compared to those with the lowest levels. 2 <\/a><\/sup>\u00a0 People have been told to avoid full fat dairy for decades due to the war on fat, and maybe the lack of trans-palmitoleate in the diet has helped increase the incidence of diabetes.\u00a0 The healthy natural trans fat in milk products is\u00a0beneficial; however, the artificial trans fats formed in the process of hydrogenation of oils are not healthy and should be avoided. 2<\/a> <\/sup><\/p>\n

Additional studies have indicated that Type 2 diabetes can be prevented, treated, and even possibly reversed by changes in diet.\u00a0 Specifically, carbohydrate intake should be reduced significantly.\u00a0 The recommended limit may vary, but most recommend under 100 grams per day and those should be spread evenly throughout the day not eaten all at once, to avoid sugar spikes.<\/p>\n

Dr. Antti Heikkil\u00e4 recommends a limit of 60 grams of carbohydrates per day.\u00a0 Dr. Heikkil\u00e4 has treated thousands of patients with diabetes, “each of whom has reduced their sugar and starch intake and been able to stop taking all of their medications.” Dr. Heikkil\u00e4 says “Reducing the amount of carbohydrates is the first step. We do not know why reducing the amount of carbohydrates changes the overall metabolism. After a certain limit, there is a dramatic change. In my experience the border is 60 grams of carbohydrates, and in some cases it is a bit less.”\u00a0 I totally agree with Dr. Heikkil\u00e4’s second step: the food we eat should be nutrient-dense and of high quality. Many of the nutrients in our food can “protect the body from the harmful effects of sugar.” 4<\/a> <\/sup><\/p>\n

Dr. Wolfgang Lutz also recommends limited carbohydrates.\u00a0 He says “The bad news is that diabetes is clearly a disease of poor sugar metabolism, and sugar (i.e., carbohydrates) is the dietary source of this imbalance.\u00a0 The good news is that diabetes can be reversed by the reduction of carbohydrates in the diet<\/strong><\/em>.”\u00a0 [emphasis added]\u00a0 Dr. Lutz recommends limiting carbohydrate intake to 72 grams per day or less.\u00a0 He points out that today’s diets can be as much as 90% carbohydrates.\u00a0 He gives these examples: breakfast might be sweetened cereal or toast and jelly with a big glass of fruit juice or coffee with lots of sugar; lunch is a sandwich with a thin slice of lean meat plus chips and dessert; dinner could be a fast food bun-heavy sandwich with lots of french fries, or a thick-crust pizza washed down with lots of soda.\u00a0 Although he doesn’t mention snacks, people frequently eat chips, candy, sodas and other high-carb foods between meals, all of which add to the carbohydrate load.\u00a0 Does this sound familiar?\u00a0 Many people eat like this most, if not all, of the time. 7<\/a> <\/sup><\/p>\n

I can’t write about this subject without mentioning that gut health is key to the absorption of nutrients.\u00a0 Even if you are eating nutrient-dense high quality foods, you will not be healthy if your body can’t process the nutrients and make them available to your cells.\u00a0 One method that has shown great benefit in healing the gut and restoring health is Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride’s Gut and Psychology Syndrome<\/em>, popularly known as the GAPS diet<\/a>.\u00a0 Find Houston-area certified GAPS consultants here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Also, many people have reversed health problems, including diabetes, by following a nutrient-dense diet as recommended by the Weston A. Price Foundation<\/a>.\u00a0 Read here<\/a> about how to get started on a traditional, real food diet.<\/p>\n

I know I haven’t covered everything there is to know about the subject of diet and its impact on diabetes, but I hope I have encouraged you to do some research to find out if any of these changes could help you.<\/p>\n

Sources<\/em><\/p>\n

1 <\/sup> An MD’s Perspective On How To Avoid, Treat And Reverse Diabetes<\/a> by Russell M. Jaffe, MD, PhD
\n2 <\/sup> Healthy Trans Fats Slash Diabetes Risk<\/a> by Margie King
\n3 <\/sup> trans-Palmitoleic acid, other dairy fat biomarkers, and incident diabetes: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)<\/a>
\n4 <\/sup> How To Treat Diabetes Naturally – An MD’s Perspective<\/a> by Antti Heikkil\u00e4, MD
\n5 <\/sup> Dietary Modification: Low Carbohydrate\/Ketogenic<\/a> [link to a list of studies showing the benefits of a low carbohydrate diet]
\n6 <\/sup> Peter Attia: What if we’re wrong about diabetes?<\/a> (video about Dr. Attia’s perspective on diabetes and what causes it)
\n7 <\/sup> Life Without Bread<\/a> by Christian B. Allan PhD and Wolfgang Lutz MD<\/p>\n

You might also want to read<\/em><\/p>\n

Sugar Brain Fog<\/a>
\nCould You Give Up Sugar?<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Several years ago when I began my journey to better health through an improved diet, I frequently had the jitters after eating, especially after breakfast.\u00a0 At the time, I thought it was probably due to too much caffeine.\u00a0 I had …<\/span> Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5646,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[268,171,8,288,80,13,75,172,19,347,348],"tags":[102,35,61,174,127,45],"class_list":["post-5639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dairy","category-diabetes-2","category-diet","category-fats","category-health","category-healthy-fats","category-low-carbohydrate","category-nutrition","category-real-food","category-research","category-science","tag-diabetes","tag-healthy-fats-2","tag-healthy-foods","tag-nutrition-2","tag-real-food-2","tag-traditional-food-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/www.realfoodhouston.com\/wp-files\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Patient-files.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p70SEj-1sX","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.realfoodhouston.com\/wp-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5639","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.realfoodhouston.com\/wp-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.realfoodhouston.com\/wp-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.realfoodhouston.com\/wp-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.realfoodhouston.com\/wp-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5639"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"http:\/\/www.realfoodhouston.com\/wp-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5639\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5650,"href":"http:\/\/www.realfoodhouston.com\/wp-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5639\/revisions\/5650"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.realfoodhouston.com\/wp-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5646"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.realfoodhouston.com\/wp-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.realfoodhouston.com\/wp-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.realfoodhouston.com\/wp-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}