How not to die from diabetes!: The folllowing... - Healthy Eating

Healthy Eating

60,817 members8,167 posts

How not to die from diabetes!

andyswarbs profile image
17 Replies

The folllowing article nutritionfacts.org/2019/10/... has just been published on nutritonfacts.org

How Not to Die from Diabetes

Written By Michael Greger M.D. FACLM on October 8th, 2019

We’ve known since the 1930s that type 2 diabetes can be prevented, arrested, and even reversed with a plant-based diet. Within five years of following the diet, about a quarter of the diabetic patients in that early study were able to get off insulin altogether.

Plant-based diets are relatively low in calories, though. Is it possible their diabetes just got better because they lost so much weight? To tease that out, we need a study where people are switched to a healthy diet but forced to eat so much food they don’t lose any weight. Then we could see if plant-based diets have specific benefits beyond all the easy weight loss. We had to wait 44 years for such a study, which I then discuss it in my video How Not to Die from Diabetes.

Subjects were weighed every day. If they started losing weight, they were made to eat more food—so much more food in fact that some of the participants had problems eating it all. They eventually adapted, though, so there was no significant weight change despite restricting meat, eggs, dairy, and junk.

Without any weight loss, did a plant-based diet still help? Overall insulin requirements were cut about 60 percent, and half the diabetics were able to get off their insulin altogether. How many years did that take? Not years. An average of 16 days. Only 16 days.

Let’s be clear: We’re talking about diabetics who had had diabetes as long as 20 years and injected 20 units of insulin a day. Then, as few as 13 days later, they were off their insulin altogether, thanks to less than two weeks on a plant-based diet—even with zero weight loss. It’s astonishing. Twenty years with diabetes, and then off all insulin in less than two weeks. Twenty years with diabetes because no one had told them about a plant-based diet. For decades they were just 13 days away at any time from being free.

In my video, I show data from patient #15: 32 units of insulin while on the control diet and then, 18 days later, after switching to the plant-based diet, on no insulin at all. None. Lower blood sugars on 32 units less insulin. That’s the power of plants. And that was without any weight loss. His body just started working that much better once it was provided with the right fuel.

As a bonus, their cholesterol dropped like a rock to under 150. Just as “moderate changes in diet usually result in only moderate reductions in LDL cholesterol levels,” how moderate do you want your diabetes?

“Everything in moderation” may be a truer statement than some people realize. Moderate changes in diet can leave diabetics with moderate blindness, moderate kidney failure, moderate amputations—maybe just a few toes or something. Moderation in all things is not necessarily a good thing.

Remember the study that purported to show that diets high in meat, eggs, and dairy could be as harmful to health as smoking, suggesting that people who eat lots of animal protein are four times as likely to die from cancer or diabetes? If you look at the actual study, you’ll see that’s simply not true. Those eating a lot of animal protein didn’t have just 4 times the risk of dying from diabetes, they had 73 times the risk of dying from diabetes! A 73-fold increase in risk. And those who chose moderation, only eating a “moderate” amount of animal protein, had 23 times the risk of death from diabetes.

Written by
andyswarbs profile image
andyswarbs
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Read more about...
17 Replies
WebMistress profile image
WebMistressIF Star

Meat causes diabetes?

andyswarbs profile image
andyswarbs in reply to WebMistress

Cause is a strong word that I don't think dr greger would want to to use without extreme care. In nutrition research cause is extremely hard to pin down. Strong association, and very strong association may be sensible terms.

Take my own RA. I think my dairy intake was a big contribution to its onset. But also in the mix are genetics, yellow jaundice and who knows what else. I feel clear enough to say that had I never eaten dairy or eggs then I don't think I would ever have developed arthritis. But that's not the same as saying dairy and eggs definitely caused my RA.

To determine cause you need a dearth of random control trials. But doing these on humans can be very challenging, including locking them up and force feeding them for years. Yes you can do very short term RCTs, but these are often meaningless because in nutrition in the short term you can prove black is white.

WebMistress profile image
WebMistressIF Star in reply to andyswarbs

I had the strangest dream about eating raw food last night. I posted about it this morning, I'm going to be eating raw only for the next two weeks.

S11m profile image
S11m in reply to WebMistress

Hi andyswarbs and WebMistress .

Carbohydrate "causes" diabetes, and most non-communicable diseases.

It can be prevented or cured with a Low-Carbohydrate, High-Fat (LCHF) diet and (Intermittent) Fasting (IF), See:

healthunlocked.com/fasting-...

andyswarbs profile image
andyswarbs in reply to S11m

I love a touch of humour. If what you said wad even partly true then every vegan would be getting diabetes overnight. Whereas rather the opposite is true.

S11m profile image
S11m in reply to andyswarbs

It usually takes decades for excessive refined carbohydrate to raise blood glucose (in spite of increased levels of insulin) to cause diabetes, and some people can get away with eating the Standard American Diet (SAD) for life without getting diabetes or other non-communicable diseases.

The tobacco industry spent millions trying to convince us that tobacco was not harmful, and Big Ag and the anti-meat lobby are still trying to protect the junk-food industry - so, I am sure there are many biased "research" studies you could quote to support your arguments.

Carbohydrate and cocaine are not major health risks in their unrefined forms, and you could survive long-term on a vegan diet if you ensure that you eat enough of everything - for example limiting amino acids.

andyswarbs profile image
andyswarbs in reply to S11m

I am never ever heard anyone speak about limiting amino acids! Where of where did that come from?

I am no fan of refined carbs, but kempner's rice diet was full of refined carbs with white rice, orange juice and table sugar. This peer-reviewed research showed that these do NOT cause diabetes but in fact totally reveresed it in very bad cases. I suggest you take a look.

S11m profile image
S11m in reply to andyswarbs

This tends to be a problem for vegans, and it is why so many of them have to give up after a few years.

They taught me nutrition at agricultural college... you could Google "Lysine" (a limiting or essential amino acid).

andyswarbs profile image
andyswarbs in reply to S11m

Well done for getting some nutritional education! I fail to see any problem with lysine. A rounded vegan diet provides all the essential vegan amino acids. End of story. Of course there are unhealthy vegans, as indeed there are unhealthy omnivores.

There will be a lot of new "vegans" who give up. I can strongly argue they never were vegans, because to be vegan you are doing it for the animals, not for health. So either you get the total abuse of animals in the name of food, or you don't. A vegan gets it, and once you get it there is no turning back.

Many people adopt a plant based diet and call it vegan, when what they really are is flexitarians aspiring to a plant based diet. Almost of of these never were vegan in the first place, even if they call themselves vegan.

S11m profile image
S11m in reply to andyswarbs

I appreciate that some people are vegan because they are "doing it for the animals" and do necessarily claim that it is more healthy.

I also appreciate that it is possible to get all the nutrition you need from a vegan diet - if you know what you are doing.

nisha0103 profile image
nisha0103

See you can reduce your type2 diabetes risk by this diet plan,have a look on

healthykicks.in/diabetes-pr...

andyswarbs profile image
andyswarbs in reply to nisha0103

Any plan that includes good cardio exercise gets a thumbs up. So important. Very difficult for many with chronic illness to achieve, but if they can get there...

nisha0103 profile image
nisha0103 in reply to andyswarbs

Yes, A recent tabata exercise has gone limelighted, if you search 'hiiragi tabata workout' on Google, see a japanese man loose weight forjust only 4 minute exercise a day for 5 months.

Tts actually a Cardio exercise which strengthen your cardio.This study revealed that HIIT improved aerobic capacity* (cardiovascular) of the second group to a similar degree as moderate-intensity continuous training, but also resulted in a 28% increase in anaerobic capacity (muscle) than the first group.

As far as your cardio plan , see here the complete detailed cardio plan for You

healthykicks.in/30-minute-t...

Let me know the feedback once you read

HOBIEONE profile image
HOBIEONE

There is a BIG difference between T1 & T2 ? I know both types well. & I knew both types who are no longer with us. I was diagnosed when England WON the world cup T1 which is harder to control than T2 ? I never sit still & move about every day & actually hate sweets etc. If you put a plate of------ in front of me I would throw it so far ? Try it for 50 odd years ! Good luck to all if you are trying !

andyswarbs profile image
andyswarbs in reply to HOBIEONE

I think one of the mastering diabetes team has type1. Here is one case study from their work. masteringdiabetes.org/type-...

HOBIEONE profile image
HOBIEONE

Well well done did you say its a long time ago mr swarbs ! 4 injection a day since I was 3. See if you can take it I have never been unemployed in my life.

andyswarbs profile image
andyswarbs

On a simplistic level yes, limiting all carbs will affect insulin levels. However the detail that is seen by those following a whole food plant based approach and echoed by the Post that heads this thread, is that the trigger for poor insulin uptake is fats and oils. I'd like to add refined foods in general to that but not sure there is evidence aimed at that conclusion. Nevertheless refined foods, whether carbs, fats or sugars should be held for exceptional consumption, imo.

Once the fats and oils have caused the problem then carbs are an easy target. The fact is whole food carbs have the power to remove the insulin problems entirely. To be clear refined carbs would almost definitely make the problem worse.

An exception to this is Kempner's rice diet which is peer reviewed research showing a diet of white rice, refined sugar, fruits reversed critically bad cases of diabetes. I think what's going on here can be summed up in levels of adherence.

What I mean by that is in Kempner's research patients were almost force fed that diet. Sometimes people find improvements with small changes, but to really address underlying issues half baked solutions just don't cut the mustard, so to speak.

You may also like...

Shock diabetes figures in England and Wales amongst the young

Interestingly, type 2 Diabetes can be reversed with diet and a plant based diet is one way of...

Is a little good for you?

it is ONLY when you completely remove animal foods from your diet that your body becomes almost...

How can low carb be good for the planetary health?

scientists from 153 countries have signed a declaration of climate emergency, urging people to eat...

Eggs & diabetes

Clinical Nutrition studied the diets of men aged 42 to 60, and followed them for 20 years on...

Need advice on how to temporarily suspend healthy eating

Alternate days - eating junk every other day and healthy on the alternate days. 2. Eating some junk