A new paper looking at diet in the treatment of diabetes and the metabolic syndrome points out that there is a better way to treat both conditions than the 'healthy' carbohydrate-based, low-fat diet currently recommended. It reverses current guidelines as it recommends reducing carbs and increasing fats, particularly animal fats.
The authors say:
"Dietary carbohydrate restriction in the treatment of diabetes and metabolic syndrome is based on an underlying principle of control of insulin secretion and the theory that insulin resistance is a response to chronic hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia. As such, the theory is intuitive and has substantial experimental support.The paper then summarises the available evidence and shows that, in fact, substituting fat for carbohydrate actually improves cardiovascular risk factors.
"It has generally been opposed by health agencies because of concern that carbohydrate will be replaced by fat, particularly saturated fat, thereby increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease as dictated by the so-called diet-heart hypothesis."
This means that there should be no concern about dietary fat, and that carbohydrate restriction the preferred method for treating type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
The authors: "emphasize the ability of low carbohydrate diets to improve glycemic control, hemoglobin A1C and to reduce medication."
Which, of course, is what diabetics want. No doubt it will be strongly opposed by the diabetes and drugs industries.
Feinman RD, Volek JS. Carbohydrate restriction as the default treatment for type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Scandinavian Cardiovascular Journal 2008; 42: 256 - 263.
DOI: 10.1080/14017430802014838
2 comments:
Fats differ from oils, and a high ratio of fat to oil causes insulin resistance and oxidative stress, leading to diabetes, vascular disease, cancer, arthritis, faster ageing and Parkinson's disease. Diabetics, already known to eat too much fat (Himsworth, 1936!) need to severely limit saturated fat, increase olive oil, fish oil, nuts etc., and in addition should eat lots of grains and legumes, the Inositol in which is directly anti-diabetic, and also anti-ageing.
That 'fats and oils in diabetes' message may be the Politically Correct one, but hopelessly wrong in real life and scientifically.
It seems this error has occurred because the trans fats from partially hydrogenated vegetable oils and natural saturated fats are counted together. But while trans fats are harmful, saturated fats are not.
There is no evidence that eating animal fats or tropical oils leads to diabetes.
See Trick and Treat, page 106
Barry
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