264: Dr. Richard Bernstein On The Low-Carb Diabetes Solution

Written on June 22, 2009

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Hello and welcome back to The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore!

Today, Jimmy is proud to share his long-awaited interview with world-renowned diabetes specialist, Dr. Richard Bernstein, author of The Diabetes Solution: The Complete Guide to Achieving Normal Blood Sugars.

In this amazing hour-long interview, Dr. Bernstein discusses the struggles he’s gone through to overcome inertia and avarice on the part of the American Diabetes Association, drug manufacturers and many others who maintain that diabetics should not even attempt to regulate their blood sugar through diet, and merely rely on drug therapy. Some of what you will hear will be shocking to say the least, but Dr. Bernstein remains cautiously optimistic about the future prospects of low-carb diabetes care.

This is a very special, once-in-a-year kind of interview and it is not to be missed! Special thanks to Dr. Richard Bernstein for being so gracious with his time to share with us today.

LINKS MENTIONED IN EPISODE 264
- The Quintessential Diabetes Links Resource
- Dr. Richard Bernstein bio
- The Diabetes Solution: The Complete Guide to Achieving Normal Blood Sugars
- Jimmy Moore’s review of The Diabetes Solution
- Official web site for Dr. Richard Bernstein
- RELATED BLOG POST: “Bernstein: No Other Diet Works To Control Blood Sugars In Diabetics As Well As Low-Carb”

Diabetes, Disease, Health Care Providers, Low-Carb Lifestyle, Physiology, Research

21 Comments - Leave a comment!

Ted Hutchinson

Dr. Bernstein debate on dLife
Here is the edited version of Dr Bernstein’s D’life interview as discussed in this blog.
People who were interested in the section on Dr Bernstein’s assessment and treatment protocol may also like to watch this video where he goes into it in a bit more detail.

Glimpses Into Dr. Bernstein’s World

I thought it sad that Dr Bernstein gave the impression that his life’s work had been a failure because his way of dealing with Diabetes wasn’t generally accepted worldwide. Just think what the situation would have been like if he hadn’t persisted in the way he did. He really is a remarkable man who must have improved the health of thousands of people diabetics and non-diabetics alike.
http://www.livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog Jimmy Moore

Ted, you gotta understand that to Dr. Bernstein, this is the ONLY way of eating for a diabetic to effectively control his/her disease. I tee-totally agree he has done much to help so many people and his legacy will be validated when one of these days in the very near future even the ADA will admit his way of eating was right all along. Bucking the trend earns you a lot of arrows and Dr. Bernstein has seen his fair share over the years. He is worthy of the praise we give him and I was honored to spend an hour of time interviewing him for my podcast.
Jim Sutton

Jimmy, thanks for the work you’re doing to help make inroads into the health crisis caused by terrible nutrition information and policy. I listened to the interviews with Drs Kendrick, Carlson and Bernstein today. Wow. I’m sending the Bernstein link to my type II brother and to a friend who has a type I daughter. Hope they’ll listen, and hope it helps. Actually, my brother is already understands and agrees with low carb lifestyle, but I’m not sure how closely he adheres to it.
http://www.livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog Jimmy Moore

THANKS Jim! Dr. Bernstein is the best at what he does and I hope my interview with him encourages your brother to KEEP AT IT for the sake of his health.
Bill Berggren

If you have type II diabetes. Rather than rely on your doctor to advise low carb. Since he is worried of liability. You could do the diet for a month and then show your doctor the results. That way he can make the recommendations based on no liability.

My dad had type II and that with kidney failure dialysis took him down at 78.

Bill
http://www.livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog Jimmy Moore

Bill, even doing it on your own and showing the results may not convince your doctor. But finding a professional who IS willing to let you work the low-carb plan that controls your diabetes is a MUST. That’s why I started my “List of Low-Carb Doctors” blog to identify those medical professionals who can help.
Sue

We love you Dr Bernstein.

It is definitely shameful how diabetics are being treated. Thank you to Dr Bernstein for showing us how its done. Hopefully one day the ADA will see sense.
Sue

Dr Bernstein, have you written anything on vietta?
http://www.livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog Jimmy Moore

THANKS Sue! Don’t count on Dr. B. to answer your questions here. What is vietta? Is this Byetta you’re referring to that he talked about in the podcast?
Marjorie Adams

Jimmy;
Great interview. I just finished listening and send the link to my diabetic friend. She is having so much trouble controlling her blood sugar. Hopefully, she will listen to the interview and start to take control of her life.
I was especially interested in the comments about Byetta because my doctor at one time prescribed it for me as a weight loss answer. I was told it was all I needed, no need to count calories or change eating habits, just take the medicine. Obviously did not work!

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http://www.livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog Jimmy Moore

THANKS Marjorie!
Carl

Great interview, I’m a fan! I am a believer. It seems that the only place I can hear what I know to be the truth is on Jimmy Moore’s site.

I know that Dr Bernstein speaks the truth from my own personal diabetes experience. ADA is just nuts! They are dangerous. They are killing people! When I finally discovered that I had diabetes, I believe that I probably had it for ten years without knowing; my doctor never checked for diabetes, my wife went out and bought me an ADA Diabetes cookbook. On the cover was a picture of what they called a healthy carbohydrate meal! It showed exactly what a diabetic should not eat!

My treatment for my diabetes by my doctor was rapidly killing me. On the prescribed medications I was only getting sicker and sicker. I was suffering a lot of pain from neuropathy and my eye sight was going. One of the drugs that I was taking was Byetta, it initially worked for me but I rapidly became immune to it where it had no effect on my blood sugar. Byetta never affected my weight.

I finally stopped all prescribed medication and took control of my health with a low carb diet and exercise. Within six month my numbers were great. My doctor had nothing good to say about my great new found health. He was only mad because I stopped taking his prescribed drugs.
Sue

Yes, it was byetta. Thks.
pjnoir

Yes, doctors do seem to get angry when the numbers come down and the good ones improve WITHOUT the use of drugs. Even with the best blood lab results and a major lose in weight (weight GAIN from my old meds), my doctor still wanted to but me back on the same drugs. And she still, STILL insists I attend a ADA nutritional class. I swear I can’t stand it anymore. I’m seen as a threat.
Carl

David Mendosa, a writer on the web, has the absolutely best web site and source of information for diabetics! He has written hundreds of articles on diabetes, all available on his site.

Our paths are very much alike in treating our diabetes. Like myself he used to take Byetta, he doesn’t anymore. Like myself, he now takes no drugs! David has unbelievable excellent control of his diabetes with a low carb diet and exercise. Like Jimmy Moore, David Mendosa is doing a wonderful public service.

http://www.mendosa.com/
http://www.livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog Jimmy Moore

THANKS Carl! Here’s my August 2008 podcast interview with David Mendosa. He is an extraordinary man who has overcome his diabetes and weight issues the low-carb way. The BERNSTEIN way!

Isn’t it a shame that’s the case, pjnoir? You’d think they would want their patients better no matter HOW they do it. Even BETTER without drugs.

Sue, I haven’t seen anything in the public forum where Dr. B. has written about Byetta, but I believe it is in his newly updated book.
http://www.diet444.com Dr. Richard Bernstein On The Low-Carb Diabetes Solution (Episode 264)

It has been a royal pain to get my doctor to pay attention to anything that does not come from a pharmacuitical company
Lilly Winters

It is amazing how many people ignore the symptoms of diabetes and do not realize that without proper attention, the disease can affect their eyesight.
However, I also strongly feel that an individual can control their situation by doing their own research and taking responsibility for their health, and eating properly and doing the weight control thing, they can overcome the need for using drugs.
colin

My dad has type 2 diabetes. He manages diabetes through Diet and Exercise and alo by taking food supplements like Alpha Lipoic acid which helps in preventing nerve damage. He also takes Chromium which helps in the regulation of blood sugar.
donny

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/biotech/20060614-9999-1b14amylin.html

Just found this article about the company (Amylin) that puts out Byetta, and also the other drug Dr Bernstein mentioned helping to curb appetite (if I heard right. Was it Symlin?) , and curb carb cravings. I was doing a search for Byetta and Leptin, wanting to see if maybe Byetta lowered triglycerides or otherwise increased leptin sensitivity, since leptin has both the effect of lowering appetite and of lowering carb craving.
The article mentions Byetta increasing weightloss, but doesn’t directly link it to leptin, but goes on to mention that Amylin has bought the rights to leptin (or the rights to synthesize or isolate it or whatever it is they do. I think God still owns the rights to the original hormone.)

“Pre-clinical testing of Leptin, a compound it bought the rights to recently, given in combination with the company’s hormone symlin, showed a sustained weight loss and a reduction in food intake in obese rats.”

Popping around the net some more, it seems Byetta can increase triglycerides in some patients. Probably these patients weren’t on a low carb diet, though. A drug that increased the flow of free fatty acids, coupled with the ADA diet, lots of carbs, you could see how between the two you could end up with sky-high triglycerides.

http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00529204

That’s a trial they’re still recruiting for to see if Byetta is useful in reversing fatty liver disease. If the increase in triglycerides in some users came from the reversal of visceral fat and fatty liver, I think I could forgive the drug for a short-term increase in triglycerides.

I saw a study way back, can’t find it now, where the low carb dieters with the highest triglycerides actually lost the most weight. Maybe a similar idea?

I’ve blathered enough now. Thanks for another good interview.