More Proof Of Low-Carb Diabetes Benefits (Episode 28)
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Greetings, low-carbers! Welcome to another great episode of “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show With Jimmy Moore” — our 28th one, in fact. Yeah!!!
Speaking of facts, this second-to-last installment in our “Fact-Filled February” continues what Jimmy started in Episode 27 about the positive impact of livin’ la vida low-carb on treating diabetes with THREE MORE recent published studies.
Today he continues to look at all the neglected but very telling research proving the efficacy of the low-carb diet as it relates to diabetes management and– dare we say it–its role as a potential cure! Can it REALLY be?
But don’t take our word for it–the FACTS speak for themselves! Check it out!
LINKS MENTIONED IN EPISODE 28:
- Diabetes study by Dr. Jørgen Vesti Nielsen in June 2006 issue of Nutrition & Metabolism
- Diabetes study by Dr. Mary C. Gannon and Dr. Frank Q. Nuttall in March 2006 issue of Nutrition & Metabolism
- 2006 ADA Scientific Sessions where Dr. Eric Westman presented his diabetes research results
- Adam Campbell’s feature on Dr. Mary C. Vernon in the December 2006 issue of Men’s Health magazine
- Jimmy Moore’s interview with Dr. Mary C. Vernon
- Jimmy Moore’s interview with Dr. Eric Westman
- Take our podcast poll
Did you miss anything Jimmy said? For a full transcript of this episode, please click the following link:
Transcript of Episode 28:
This is Episode 28 of “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore” and I’m ready to pick up where I left off in Episode 27 sharing with you more research about how low-carb diets are being used to help diabetics manage their disease naturally and effectively without the use of any drugs or insulin. If you missed the previous podcast, then go to TheLivinLowCarbShow.com so you can hear about the first two studies I mentioned on Monday. Today, I want to highlight three more remarkable studies that were conducted on diabetics who were placed on a low-carb diet to treat their illness. Each of these studies only further solidify the efficacy of low-carb as the best option to tackle diabetes.
You’ve heard the old saying, “when it rains, it pours,” right? Well, when it comes to the precipitation coming down in the form of solid research in favor of the low-carb lifestyle, I’d say we have a 100% chance of a gulley washer on our hands people! Continuing on with my “Fact-Filled February” series today, we again turn to the scientists who are working deep in the trenches doing all the massive research on low-carb diets and their impact on diabetes. The first study I want to share with you is from Swedish researcher Dr. Jorgen Vesti Nielsen who released the details of his nearly 2-year observation of diabetes patients who were put on a low-carb diet in the scientific journal Nutrition & Metabolism in June 2006. What he found was improvements in the study participant’s blood sugar levels and a reduction in the amount of diabetes drugs needed to control their condition. Dr. Nielsen put 16 obese diabetics on a diet consisting of 20/30/50 ratio of carbohydrates/protein/fat and he reported all of those patients saw great improvements in their hemoglobin A1C after 22 months on that diet. Interestingly seven of the patients who had been on a low-fat diet prior to the study and were immediately put on the 20/30/50 diet also saw improvements, including a reduction in their body weight, improved glycemic control, and a reversal of a six-year long decline of renal function for one of the patients (attributed to the improved glycemic control and weight loss that came from being on a low-carb diet). This is the longest such study of its kind and is proof that low-carb can be used to revolutionize the treatment of diabetes.
The second study I want to share with you today came out in March 2006 and was also published in Nutrition & Metabolism from Drs. Mary C. Gannon and Frank Q. Nuttall, both from the Center For Diabetes Research at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. They wanted to test the theory that you can bring about improvements in patients with Type 2 diabetes that do not require any weight loss or insulin injections to control blood glucose concentrations. What they wanted to know was if it was possible to do this by changing the KIND of foods eaten rather than the AMOUNT of food consumed. For their study, they looked at the protein:carbohydrate:fat ratios of three groups of patients with untreated Type 2 diabetes over a 5-week period. One group had a 15:55:30 ratio (commonly known as the low-fat diet), another group had a 30:40:30 ratio (which closely resembles The Zone diet), and the final group had a 30:20:50 ratio (which you may recognize as a form of livin’ la vida low-carb).
What were the results? The 30:40:30 ratio Zone-like diet saw a moderate but significant decrease in 24-hour integrated blood glucose area and the percentage of total glycohemoglobi). But, even more exciting, was the 30:20:50 ratio diet group (which was lower in carbs) saw an amazing 38 percent drop in the 24-hour glucose area, which was a reduction in fasting glucose that resembled close to “normal” readings and the percentage of total glycohemoglobin fell more than two percentage points from 9.8% to 7.6%. Even a 30:30:40 ratio diet saw similar results. Based on these findings, Dr. Gannon and Dr. Nuttall concluded that changes in diet alone could indeed help control diabetes without the need for weight loss or medication. This is truly unbelievable research that should be front-page news around the world today. But have you heard about it anywhere else? How about a blurb on the national news? CBS? NBC? ABC? Anyone?! Not likely! And what about the American Diabetes Association, hmmm? Does this not constitute breaking news that diabetics should be made aware of? Sure it is, but nary a word from them either. It’s funny how the media and all these so-called health “experts” will fall all over themselves when a suspicious-looking new “study” comes out making the low-carb nutritional approach look bad, but then they will conveniently play dumb when positive studies like the one are released. Their hypocritical double-standard has never been more exposed than it is right now!
I had the privilege of first hearing about this study at the Nutritional & Metabolic Aspects of Carbohydrate Restriction conference in Brooklyn, New York in January 2006 which I attended with my wife Christine. In my notes from the conference, I wrote down some of the key thoughts from their presentation of their research. It turns out that it is the protein in the low-carb diets that aided the production of insulin in the study participants because protein actually stimulates the production of insulin in addition to providing satiety as we discussed in Episode 25 and 26. Dr. Gannon added that fats, which I did a podcast about in Episode 24, can delay the digestion of carbohydrates which is why consuming dietary fat is so important as part of a healthy eating plan, especially for diabetics who want to control their blood glucose levels without the use of any medication. Dr. Gannon also said that since starchy, carb-loaded foods are 100% glucose, they are directly responsible for raising blood glucose levels to dangerously high levels in Type 2 diabetics. Now that right there is reason enough to start livin’ la vida low-carb, wouldn’t you say?! By the way, that 30:20:50 diet is commonly known as the “Low Biologically Glucose Diet,” or LoBAG for short. The fat composition is 50%, with just 11 percent of that being saturated fat. This was found to be the very best change in diet to bring about improvements in the symptoms of Type 2 diabetes while keeping the weight stablized, the researchers found. If you are a diabetic, then talk with your doctor about the LoBAG approach to treating your condition. Don’t accept the notion that you have to rely on self-injected insulin the rest of your life. There are better treatment options available and it’s time to give patients a real choice about how to deal with their diabetes.
Finally, and I’ve saved the best for last, I have some research to share with you that was presented at the Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association in June 2006 by Dr. Mary C. Vernon, President of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians and co-author of “Atkins Diabetes Revolution,” and Dr. Eric Westman from the Durham, NC-based Duke University Medical Center. You may recognize Dr. Vernon’s name because she was featured nationally in an article late last year in Men’s Health magazine by Adam Campbell about her work with diabetic patients. I will include a link to that column in the show notes section at TheLivinLowCarbShow.com.
Dr. Westman wanted to compare two low-carb diet approaches in overweight and obese Type 2 diabetics: a low-calorie, low-glycemic index diet and a low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet. He recruited volunteers from the community to participate in this outpatient, randomized, clinical trial. In order to be considered for the trial, the potential study participants had to have a glycated hemoglobin (known as HgbA1c) of greater than 6.0, a body mass index (BMI) from 27-50, between the ages of 18 to 65, diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes for a minimum of one year, saw the onset of diabetes after the age of 15, have no history of diabetic ketoacidosis, and have the desire and determination to lose weight for the duration of the six-month study. Any patient with serious or unstable medical conditions, such as liver or kidney disease, were not included in this study. The average age of the study participants was 52 years old, 80 percent of them were female, and just over half were Caucasian.
Each of study participants were randomly placed in one of two groups: a low-glycemic, calorie restricted diet group or a carbohydrate intake of less than 20g daily group. Both of these groups were placed on a multivitamin as well as a vanadyl sulfate/chromium supplement to be taken daily over the course of the study. They returned to the outpatient research clinic weekly for the first three months and then every other week thereafter. At the end of the first three months of the study, the average HgbA1c for the low-carb group dropped from 8.7% to 7.1% while the low-glycemic group only fell from 8.0% to 7.5%. Additionally, weight loss in the low-carb group was over 18 pounds in the first three months while the low-glycemic group lost about 12 pounds. Regarding diabetic medication usage rates at the conclusion of the study, Dr. Westman found that 79 percent of the low-carb group had either greatly reduced or even eliminated their need for drugs to manage their diabetes compared with just 66 percent of the low-glycemic group. An algorithm was used to adjust the medication reduction while striving for euglycemia. The study conclusion was that both of these low-carbohydrate lifestyle interventions led to a reduction in the need for diabetic medicine and improvements in blood sugar control. However, Dr. Westman found that the larger reduction in the HgbA1c levels after three months made this version of low-carb, which diet closely matched the Induction phase of the Atkins diet, the better treatment option for diabetics according to the study.
Since medication reduction is required to avoid hypoglycemia, glucose self-monitoring and medical supervision are recommended if these approaches are used to treat diabetes, Dr. Westman explained. Additionally, Dr. Vernon said these findings from the Duke study concluded that the Atkins diet is likely the “best solution” to manage Type 2 diabetes while its participants were surprisingly still maintaining compliance after six months because cholesterol levels stabilized, triglyceride levels were greatly reduced, and HDL cholesterol went up in the study participants using this approach. Despite this positive response to the Atkins approach to treating diabetes, there’s still a huge stigma with the Atkins diet, something Dr. Vernon discussed at the time. Here’s what she said: “Sadly, confusion generated in the media over the past couple of years by competing business interests has misled Americans and caregivers. As a result many have turned away from what is likely the most effective means to not only control diabetes with fewer medical interventions and reduced medications, but actually reverse the course of the epidemic: it’s The Atkins Diet.” I had the privilege of interviewing both Dr. Vernon and Dr. Westman at my “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb” blog last year, so I will provide a link to those compelling interviews in the show notes section at TheLivinLowCarbShow.com.
Perhaps putting the final nail in the coffin of the Atkins diet by the media and their so-called health “expert” buddies was just a wee bit premature, especially as it relates to the health and well-being of diabetics. And the amazing thing is there’s even more good news to come out of the research community in the coming months and years. I can’t wait to share it all with you when it happens!
That’s it for Episode 28 of “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore.” Be sure to visit TheLivinLowCarbShow.com and take our podcast poll to guide the future direction of this Internet-based health show. You can also provide us with your feedback about the show and listen to past episodes while you are there. Thanks for listening today and come back next Monday as we wrap up our “Fact-Filled February” series with one final study to share proving low-carb living is a safe, effective, and nutritionally sound dietary approach for losing weight and getting healthy. So, until next time, keep on livin’ la vida low-carb!
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From over 400 pounds to 230, Jimmy Moore is 
Another great show!!! Now there is a more long-term study showing the benefits of low carb to diabetics, contraray to the claims of some nay-sayers. The media made a big deal about a study claiming that a vegan diet benefitted diabetics, but nothing about this one. Incidently, Regina Wilshire pointed out that it was all hype. The vegan diet did better than the ADA diet, but neither one acheived the ADA’s recommended level of glucose control. Do they have the guts to put a vegan diet agains low carb?
I think you know the answer to that one, Dan! But wouldn’t it be GREAT?! THANKS for listening!
Great show Beast! Write book number 2 already-get this info about the wonders of low carbing out to the world. Spread the word Jimmy!!!
We’re working on it, Linda!
As you say, “You’re the BEAST!” LOL!
Jimmy, I haven’t commented up to now… I started listening to your podcast mid January (I started Atkins on Jan. 15th) and caught myself up on previous ones on Itunes. I REALLY enjoy them, and love all the info. On my own I am taking the challenge of losing 30 in 30 and am already down 10. This past episode focused on all the good things that happen when you low carb… but I think you are preaching to the choir. I’m already sold on low-carb but I’d love more practical advice and tips. While the studies are interesting, they don’t help me as much on a day to day basis. Is there a forum out there in cyberspace that addresses product reviews? Have you discussed the Instone Puddings for example? I just found those and REALLY think they are great (my favorite is banana flavored on top of a handful of berries with a sprinkle of unsweetened organic coconut shreds and 1 square of a crushed Chocoperfection Bar). I love those chocolate bars because of you!
Anyway, just wanted to let you kow that you have already made a difference in my life, and I really appreciate the work that you do. I’ve just ordered your book from Amazon and look forward to reading it. Thanks!
-Andi
Hey Andi,
THANK YOU so much for sharing! I am always thrilled to learn about people who are new to the low-carb lifestyle and it is my heartfelt desire to help people like you discover all the wonderful aspects of this amazing way of eating.
Regarding your comments, keep in mind that throughout the month of February I have been focusing on “just the facts” to show people the evidence that low-carb is what we believe it is–a nutritious and delicious way to lose weight and get healthy for good!
While you are already convinced of this yourself, there are MANY more who are still skeptical. That’s why I’ll never stop discussing WHY livin’ la vida low-carb works by pointing to the studies and research that comes out about it. We NEED that to be trumpeted, too.
But if you like practicality, that’s what I’m all about and have been at my LivinLaVidaLowCarb.com blog for nearly two years. If you go there, then you can access over 1600 articles I have written with reviews of products (including ChocoPerfection and Stallone puddings), book reviews, news and info about low-carb, and MORE!
I haven’t put a lot of emphasis on that in my podcast show yet, but I’m certainly willing to if enough people ask me to. Rest assured it will continue to happen at my blog, so be sure to check it out. I update it quite often and I think you’ll like what you see.
Best wishes to you as you make livin’ la vida low-carb your permanent lifestyle change. KEEP IT UP, Andi! Let me know what you think about my book when you are done reading it!
Jimmy -
Congratulations and thank you for being the beacon for low carb living in general and Type II Diabetes in particular.
I coach obese and Type II Diabetics. I can’t tell you how excited I have been and continue to be when I bring them the message of how a controled carbohydrate lifestyle and exercise can change their lives in a way they never dreamed possible! We work hand in hand with their doctor to help them lower their medications and improve their health.
My husband is a recovering Type II Diabetic. He has had diabetes for over 25 years. About 7 years ago, I stumbled upon Dr. Richard Bernsteins book, “Diabetes Solutions Revised and Updated” as I read that book I realized that he was talking about my husband!! I told my husband that I knew what to do to help him and that he could in effect cure himself of the diabetes. He didn’t want to hear any of it. He said that he was going to the doctor and doing what he had to do. He didn’t want to take responsibility for the disease. He just wanted to take his pills and be cured.
My husband and I have been married for 46 years. In the beginning years of our marriage, he was always loving, caring and full of energy.
When the diabetes took hold of him his energy levels steadily declined. He saw his doctor faithfully every 3 to 6 months. He took his medications religiously. He tried to lose weight but to no avail. Exercise? His only exercise was his thumb on the remote control for the TV.
His Hemoglobin A1c (HA1c) was 11 (doctor wants it to be 7 or lower). His blood sugars were fluctuating between 150, 250 and 350. He became angry and irritable, he could not walk more than 50 feet at a time because of the neuropathy in both of his feet, his weight ballooned to 275 pounds, he was put on insulin and had to steadily increase his dosage. He was up to 43 units of insulin a night. The diabetes makes your energy levels so low that you fall asleep at the drop of a hat. My husband even fell asleep once at the wheel of the car on the freeway-hitting the medium strip woke him. He used to whistle a lot and was good at it. He told me that he lost the ability to whistle! He watched TV constantly — he and I had a strained relationship to say the least.
When I reminded him that his doctor said that if he lost weight and exercised, he might lose the diabetes, he would glare at me and angrily tell me, ” I am trying to lose weight and I can’t even walk 50 feet and you want me to EXERCISE! When are you going to understand that I can’t exercise!”
Five years ago, I told my childrden that in 6 months I will be pushing Dad around in a wheelchair and I meant every word of it.
The picture that I paint is true and then some! I had lost him as a husband and as my best friend.
After retiring, he continued his TV watching but I made sure that he watched Dr. Phil and Oprah. He finally got the message from Dr. Phil that he was in charge of what was happening to his body and that it was up to him to take control.
I immediately went to work - we cleaned up our environment by throwing out all of the junk food, etc. I have always taken pride in being a great cook - Polish ethnic foods. I now planned our meals around controlled carbohydrates.
Within 2 weeks of eating a controlled carbohydrate diet, I saw my husband’s warm and loving personality returning!!!! I was stunned! I never thought this would or could happen. He started feeling better, and he started losing weight! His attitude changed 180 degrees. His energy levels went through the roof! The neuropathy in his feet has decreased dramtically. He started whistling again! He decided to take up a the saxophone! He is now in a band!
Within a few weeks, we joined the local recreation center. When he walked the track for the first time, I thought I would break down and cry I was so happy! Now it is exciting to see him actually running the track.
In the first 9 months on our program, he lost 75 pounds. and has kept it off going on 4 years now! He has now been off of insulin completely for over 3 years and his doctor wants to lower his other medications as well. He has walked in 2 - 5K races, he walks 2 miles at the gym 4 times a week and uses the Nautilus equipment.
Oh, and his Ha1c is 6.6. His doctor is amazed - I am thrilled - I have my wonderful, fun loving husband back!!!
We have 11 grandchildren. My children tell me that the last 3 grandchildren know a different grandfather than the first 8 did! WOW! They are so right!
Sometimes I feel like I am either living in a dream or seeing a miracle happening in my own home. But it’s not a dream and it’s not really a miracle. It’s controlling carbohydrates and exercise. It’s taking charge of your life.
Our program works. I have coached many people all with the same results. Their doctors want to refer their patients to me as well.
Our program is not a diet, it’s not a new medication. It’s a change of lifestyle. It’s taking responsibility for this dreaded and awful disease - taking control instead of allowing the diabetes to be in control. It’s all about learning how carbohydrates and exercise affect your body!
I talked to a woman from the American Diabetes Association. She is a diabetes educator and a nutritionist. She disputes the low carb diet because she says that it can cause kidney problems/failure. Hello? What in the world does she think Type II Diabetes causes?
I love low carb living! Please keep your message coming. I will send my clients to your web site to help motivate and re-enforce my message to them.
There is a cure for Type II Diabetes. It requires that the person acknowledge that they are in charge of their bodies/not the diabetes. It requires a change of lifestyle - a change that will give them incredible energy and they will, indeed, live a better life!
I ‘ve ordered your book from Amazon.com and I am looking forward to reading it. You do a GREAT job. Please keep it up!
P.S. Our web site is still under construction but if you go there, you will see a photo of my husband and me that was taken recently. BTW I lost 40 pounds and have kept it off for over 4 years as well.
I work with Dr. Richard K. Bernstein author of the Best selling book on diabetes and lowcarb diets. We help to inform people of his philosophy of using low carbs to control diabetes. His new book Diabetes Solution 2007 will be coming out this week.
We will also be having a Free live teleconference call with Dr. Bernstein this Thursday at 7PM CST. More info at www.diabetes911.net
Please contact me if you would like to have a diabetes specialist on your show that promotes Low Carb Diets to control diabetes.
Steve Freed, R.Ph., CDE,
Publisher
Secrets to Normal Blood Sugars - 6 hours of diabetes education on CD.
I am looking forward to Dr. Bernsteins teleconfernece on Tuesday. I have been fortunate to be in on his last 2 teleconference calls and found each of them to be one of the most informative hours I’ve ever spent.
If you have Type II Diabetes or know someone who does, please do yourself a favor and sign up for this teleconference. When his new book comes out, rush out to buy that as well.
I have absolutely no affliation with Dr. Bernstein other than I credit him with saving my husband’s life!
Jimmy, I hope you will consider taking up Steve’s offer and have one of their diabetes specialist on your show.
Hey Mary,
THANKS for sharing your story and encouragement with me. I will keep sharing the truth about low-carb living.
Dr. Freed,
THANK YOU for informing me about the teleconference with Dr. Bernstein and I have been trying to set up an e-mail interview with him on my blog for over a year. Please e-mail me at livinlowcarbman@charter.net so we can get that done.
I’m not set up to do interviews on the podcast show yet, but I will certainly want Dr. Bernstein on as soon as I do. THANKS again!
I have been on a low carb diet for the past 5 years due to a problem with diabetes and polycystic ovarian syndrom. I was unable to take most of the medications for diabetes because I was trying to get pregnant. My doctor gave me a choice between a low carb diet and insulin shots, of course, I took the diet. I lost about 100 pounds, took my sugar down to normal levels, and took my blood pressure down to a level where I am coming off of blood pressure medicine as well. I got my father in law to try the diet and his sugar went down to almost normal levels, and his had been running around 200 to 250 with medication. When my mother was diagnosed with diabetes, she went straight to the diet, and does not have to take medication. I have started an ezine that helps people who are willing to try to maintain their diabetes. The web page that gives a sample recipe and ordering instructions is at http://strightco.tripod.com/ooakdollmaking/id20.html
THANKS for sharing, Sue! I will try to remember to add your site to my diabetes links blog at http://diabeteslinks.blogspot.com as soon as possible. Take care and THANK YOU again for commenting!
Low-Carbs for people with diabetes is a great start, but it is not the magic pill.
When it comes to diabetes it is about knowledge and becoming educated about your disease.
Diabetes is a progressive disease, it will always get worse over time because our bodies slow down as we age. For some people, they will still need to continue medications, even though they loose wt.
Without the education, people are doomed for failure. 99% of the care of the person with diabetes must come from the patient and the only way to do that is with education on diabetes. In my practice I see patients with A1c’s in the 14% range and they do everything their doctor tells them to do.
But once the patient is educated they begin to make the right decisions like reading food labels, counting carbs, increasing their physical activity. The secret to controlling your diabetes is through education. The Problem is that most of the information out there is WRONG! The ADA says you should have an A1c of below 7%, but if you really understand diabetes it needs to be below 5% to reduce your risk factors to zero.
The only doctor that truly understands diabetes is Dr. Richard K. Bernstein, who is the father of blood glucose monitoring and TIGHT-Control.
Because of him, millions of lifes have been saved.
If you truly want to control your diabetes you have to read his books 3-10 times and you will begin to understand that unless you control your diabetes, your quality of life will suffer.
Dr. B’s new book comes out this week, the Diabetes Solution 2007. If your truly want to understand diabetes and all of its problems and how to control it, get his book!
We will be having a special campaign to help get the word out. Just go to www.diabetes911.net on Feb 28th to find out more.
Steve Freed, R.Ph., CDE, CPT
Publicist and Friend to Dr. B.
email: publisher@diabetesincontrol.com
THANKS again for sharing, Steve! I encourage all of my listeners to check this out…especially if you or someone you love is concerned about diabetes.
Thanks for this Jimmy. As you know I recently launched a website dedicated to providing low carb resources for diabetes management at http://www.dsolve.com . Included is a free 300 page set of recipes as well as links to many other valuable resources. I am a type 1 of 28 years who has been following Dr. Bernstein for 1.5 years. Within 3 months my A1C went from 8.0 to 5.0. I think the only way to avoid complications is to have a normal blood sugar and personally, having tried to do that with the ADA high carb diet I feel that is impossible unless you use low carb with exercise. I highly recommend Dr. B for anyone that wants normal or even close to normal blood sugars. Did I mention my insulin went down 75% (which is important as it is pretty hard on the body).
THANKS for sharing, Ryan! You are doing AWESOME work and Dr. Bernstein is I’m sure so proud of you. KEEP IT UP!!!
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