Oral Diabetes Drugs Increase Risk of Heart Disease

[Guest guest]

Hi Health Activists,

Dr.Julian Whitaker,MD _www.drwhitaker.com_ (http://www.drwhitaker.com)

wrote a powerful article in his newsletter Health & Healing isuue of May 2008

underlining the harmful effects of Oral medications for Type 2 Diabetes, which

is highly susceptible to treatment with diet and exercise. But unfortunately

the dominant treatment is prescription drugs.

In February, 2007 a major study called the Action to Control Cardiovascular

Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) reported ahead of schedule when the results forced

researchers to stop part of the study.. One arm of the study tested the

current treatment to aggressively lower the blood sugar level in Type 2

Diabetes

and its effect on heart disease.

The Results surprised the researchers producing a HIGHER rate of

cardiovascular death. " intensive blood sugar lowering treatment " proved so bad

the

researchers halted this arm of the study 18 months early to prevent even more

deaths.

See the Questions and Answers to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes

(ACCORD) Trial. 2008 Feb .6

_www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/prof/heart/other/accord/q_a.htm#drugs_

(http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/prof/heart/other/accord/q_a.htm#drugs)

study appears at the website of the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute

 

These results sadly are NOT a surprise to anyone who has read the old

literature going back to at least 1969-39 years ago.

The results of a similar study called the University Group Diabetes Program,

that study measuring two oral diabetes drugs ability to lower the rate of

heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems, That study had to be stopped 2

years early because participants had a 250- 300% higher death rate that the

placebo! One of these drugs DBI (phenformin) was shown to be so deadly it was

taken off the market, yet it's close chemical relative , metformin

(Glucophage) which works similarly is the most popular diabetes medication in

the

current trial. The other drug in the 1969 trial Orinase, was given a " black box

warning " stating it increases the worst complication of diabetes, death from

heart disease. Orinase belongs to the sulfonylureas, which includes dozens of

popular medications such as gliclazide, glimepiride, glipizide and

glyburide.The same black box warning has appeared on all these sulfonylureas

since

1984.

Another class of drug and second most widely used in the ACCORD study was

thiaziolidinediones, the most notorious of which is Avandia that increased

heart attack and death. The real surprise is why these drugs were still widely

used.

 

In 1978, nine years after the University Group Diabetes Program study and 30

years before the ACCORD study, Ralph Nader's Public Citizen published a book

" Off Diabetes Pills; A Diabetic's Guide to a Longer Life " .

They wrote " Warning: Antidiabetic Pills are Dangerous to your Health. Are

you taking( oral diabetic drugs)? These pills could cost you your life... You

must do these things: Stop taking antidiabetic pills as soon as you can; go

on a diet and lose weight; stop seeing your present doctor unless he or she

genuinely tries to help you lose weight and agrees to switch you to insulin if

you still have diabetic symptoms at or below your ideal body weight. These

steps could mean the difference between life and death. "

Dr.Whitaker goes on to state that if type 2 diabetes patients who are

overweight take insulin, it is a recipe for further weight gain and does more

harm

than good.

Numerous scientific studies have supported the efficacy of the natural diet

and exercise approach, but the vast majority of physicians continue to

prescribe them. Lifestyle changes take hard work and the pharmaceutical

industry

controls much of the research, education and " guidelines " that physicians

rely on.

Natural Methods:

The most therapeutic diet for diabetes is a low-glycemic, Mediterranean

Diet with lots of vegetables, and lean protein such as fish and chicken.

Healthy

fats like Extra virgin olive oil.

Dietary changes to lose weight should emphasize eating High fiber foods-such

as beans

 

The importance of Exercise cannot be underestimated. Start with walking for

at least 10 minutes after meals longer if you can find the time. Lifting light

weights can be important in building muscle tone-especially beneficial for

the elderly. Most sporting good stores have light weights of 1 or 2 pounds.

Nutritional supplements

Daily take

Vanadyl Sulfate 100 mg

alpha lipoic acid 200 mg,

chromium 500- 1,000 mg

Gymnema Sylvestre 400 mg

A good Multi-Vitamin with B Complex vitamins B-50 formulas are good.

 

arnie

 

 

 

 

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