Reversing diabetes

If you have diabetes, your blood glucose (sugar level) is too high (hyperglycemia). It’s too high because your body’s cells have become resistant to insulin, the hormone produced by the pancreas that enables the cells to take up and use glucose for energy. Hyperglycemia can damage the vessels that supply blood to vital organs and can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke, kidney disease, vision problems, and nerve problems. The standard treatment for diabetes is medications.

The incidence of diabetes in the U.S. has risen dramatically since 1958. In 2015, 23.4 million people had diabetes, compared to only 1.6 million in 1958. My own opinion as to the cause of this rise is the misguided advice by the government and others that the bulk of our diets should consist of carbohydrates (bread, pasta, rice, and so forth). Carbohydrates readily convert to glucose.

A new year-long study, conducted at the University of Indiana, treated 262 people who have type 2 diabetes. The “treatment” consisted of low-carb diets along with continual care that consisted of monitoring the test subjects’ biomarkers, such as blood sugar, and around-the-clock consultation and supervision. After one year, here’s what happened to the test subjects:  

• 60% reversed their diabetes, meaning their average blood sugar dropped so low that they no longer could be diagnosed as diabetic
• 94% reduced or entirely eliminated reliance on insulin.
• On average, the group reduced their body weight by 12%

Meanwhile, a control group that followed the American Diabetes Association’s standard (high-carbohydrate) diet saw no improvement in health. (At breakfast with a diabetic friend, I was surprised that she had coffee cake and granola for breakfast.)

Admittedly, a San Francisco company called Virta  funded the study. For a fee, the company provides you with the resources to accomplish such results. For sure, a low carbohydrate diet would be involved. You'd be burning fat instead of glucose for energy. If I had type 2 diabetes, I’d go for it.

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