Ketogenic diets in obese diabetic patients

[Guest guest]

Sorry if this offends vegetarians. You can get protein

from other sources than meat. Kel

 

 

Thu, 16 Jun 2005 10:13:32 -0700

Naomi Giuliano <n.giuliano

The Omnivore.com June 16, 2005 newsletter

 

If you have difficulty reading this e-mail, please

visit:

http://www.theomnivore.com/June_16_2005_Newsletter.html

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NEW STUDY: BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF KETOGENIC DIET IN

OBESE DIABETIC

SUBJECTS

 

At the 87th Annual Meeting of the Endocrine Society,

in San Diego,

June 4-7, Professor Hussein M Dashti and his

colleagues from Kuwait

University presented the results of their latest

ketogenic diet study.

 

In this latest study, the effect of a ketogenic diet

in obese subjects

with high blood glucose level was compared with that

in subjects with

normal blood glucose levels for a period of 56 weeks.

 

Sixty-four otherwise healthy obese subjects with body

mass index

greater than 30, having high blood glucose level

(Group I) and those

subjects with normal blood glucose level (Group II)

were selected.

 

All 64 subjects were instructed to follow a ketogenic

diet consisting

of less than 20g of carbohydrates and 80 to 100 g of

proteins.

Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats (5

tablespoons olive oil)

were included in the diet. Twelve weeks later an

additional 20 g of

carbohydrates was given. Micronutrients (vitamins and

minerals) in the

form of 1 capsule/day were given to each subject.

 

The body weight, body mass index, the level of blood

glucose, total

cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, tryglyceides and urea

all showed a

significant decrease from week 1 to week 56 whereas

the level of HDL

cholesterol increased significantly. Interestingly

these changes were

more significant in Group II subjects as compared to

Group I. Changes

in the level of creatinine were not statistically

significant.

 

The researchers concluded: " This study shows the

beneficial effects of

ketogenic diet in obese diabetic subjects following

its long term

administration. Furthermore, it demonstrates that in

addition to its

therapeutic value, low carbohydrate diet is safe to

use for a longer

period of time in obese diabetic subjects. "

 

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EARLY AND INTENSIVE BLOOD GLUCOSE CONTROL

SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCES THE

RISK OF FUTURE CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS!

 

Intensive glucose control aimed at achieving

near-normal glucose

levels in diabetics not only reduces microvascular

disease but also

decreases cardiovascular events, including nonfatal

MI, stroke, and

cardiovascular mortality, according to the results of

a recent study.

The beneficial effect of intensive therapy appears to

be mediated by

changes in glycemia and cannot be explained entirely

by the reduction

in kidney disease or other cardiovascular-disease risk

factors, report

investigators.

 

The data, from the Epidemiology of Diabetes

Interventions and

Complications (EDIC) study group, an extension study

of the landmark

Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT), were

presented this

week at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 2005

annual meeting.

 

The DCCT was a National Institutes of Health study

comparing a

strategy of intensive management of blood glucose,

with glucose

monitoring several times per day and requiring

patients to keep their

HbA1c levels as close to 6% as possible, with a

conventional control

strategy. More than 1400 patients with type 1

diabetes, aged 13 to 39

years, were enrolled in the study between 1983 and

1989.

 

After 10 years, researchers reported that the

complications of type 1

diabetes nephropathy, retinopathy, and neuropathywere

reduced by 50%

to 75% in the group assigned to the more intensive

strategy. Based on

those results, the day-to-day management of diabetes

has changed

dramatically.

 

More recent data, presented at the ADA meeting, found

that the

incidence of overall CVD among those maintaining tight

glycemic

control was reduced by 42%-, while the incidence of

nonfatal MI,

stroke, and cardiovascular death was cut by 57%.

 

Both the ADA and the study's authors acknowledged that

the observed

CVD reductions were significantly greater than those

observed with

aggressive use of cholesterol-lowering and

anti-hypertensive drugs.

 

Source: O'Riordan M. Early and intensive glucose

control significantly

reduces the risk of future cardiovascular events.

TheHeart.org

HeartWire, Jun 14, 2005.

 

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PRESTIGIOUS DIABETES CENTER ANNOUNCES LOWER

CARBOHYDRATE

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR DIABETICS

 

In what is hopefully the beginning of a positive

trend, the

Harvard-affiliated Joslin Diabetes Center has crafted

new nutrition

guidelines for overweight and obese individuals with

type 2 diabetes

and those at risk for developing diabetes.

 

The new guidelines recommend approximately 40 percent

of a

person's

daily calories come from carbohydrates; 20 to 30

percent from protein

(unless the person has kidney disease); 30-35 percent

come from fat

(mostly mono- and polyunsaturated fats); and at least

20-35 grams of

fiber. To initiate and continue weight reduction, a

modest goal of one

pound every one to two weeks is advised by reducing

daily caloric

intake by 250 to 500 calories. Total daily calories

should not be less

than 1,000 to 1,200 for women and 1,200 to 1,600 for

men. A target of

60 to 90 minutes of modest intensity physical activity

most days of

the week with a minimum of 150-175 minutes/week is

encouraged and

should include cardiovascular, stretching and

resistance activities to

maintain or increase lean body mass.

 

The new guidelines are a significant change from

Joslin's previous

recommendations that promoted a higher carbohydrate

intake. According

to a recent Joslin press release: " Scientific data

show that reducing

one's carbohydrate intake while simultaneously

increasing

healthier

protein and fat choices may be a better approach to

weight control. "

 

" Since obesity doesn't seem to be slowing down and the

complications

of diabetes are so serious, we were especially alarmed

about the

health of the American public. We felt the best way to

impact the

largest number of people was to strengthen our

nutrition

guidelines, "

said James L. Rosenzweig, M.D, Director of Joslin's

Disease

Management

Program and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard

Medical School.

The team of physicians, dietitians, exercise

physiologists and

educators spent months reviewing the scientific

literature to draw up

new guidelines. " The search was on for guidelines that

would

improve

insulin sensitivity, cardiovascular health and reduce

body fat. And

most importantly, we wanted to deliver a plan that

makes clear what

people need to do to achieve their goals, " said Dr.

Rosenzweig.

 

Source:

 

http://joslin.org/news/nutritionarticle.shtml

 

A PDF of Joslin's new nutrition guidelines can be

found at:

https://diabetesmanagement.joslin.org/Guidelines/N

utrition_ClinGuide.pdf

 

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ALMONDS PACK POTENT ANTIOXIDANT PUNCH

 

Don't blanche your almonds! In a new study published

in this month's

Journal of Nutrition, USDA researchers have shown that

the

antioxidants in almond skins and the vitamin E inside

almonds work

together as a free radical-busting team.

 

Almond skins are known to contain antioxidants called

flavonoids,

which are a large group of plant nutrients found in

wine, tea, fruits

and vegetables. Flavonoids can act as antioxidants,

protecting our

cells from oxidative damage. They also can protect

LDL, the " bad "

cholesterol, from being attacked by oxygen or oxidized

(see my recent

article on LDL cholesterol to find out more about the

importance of

oxidized LDL cholesterol:

http://www.theomnivore.com/LDL_May_2005.html).

Additionally, these

plant nutrients are thought to protect the body from

the effects of

aging.

 

" We have identified a unique combination of flavonoids

in almonds, "

said Jeffrey Blumberg, Ph.D., senior scientist and

director of the

Antioxidants Research Laboratory at Tufts University.

" Further blood

tests demonstrated that eating almonds with their

skins significantly

increases both flavonoids and vitamin E in the body.

This could have

significant health implications, especially as people

age. "

 

The team at Tufts was able to test the effect of

flavonoids alone and

then in combination with vitamin E. The results

suggest that vitamin E

and the flavonoids in almond skins work

synergistically to prevent LDL

cholesterol from being oxidized. In fact, together

vitamin E and

almond flavonoids were more than twice as effective as

when they were

administered separately.

 

" Given that almonds are among the richest sources of

vitamin E in the

diet and also provide an array of flavonoids, more

research should be

done to understand the healthful interaction of these

plant nutrients

in the human body and the role of almonds in aging " ,

says Dr.

Blumberg.

 

The USDA researchers are hardly the first to show that

nutrients work

most effectively when consumed along with other

synergistic nutrients.

Their findings emphasize the importance of eating a

variety of fresh,

natural foods and taking a full spectrum of nutrients

when

supplementing. They also provide further insight as to

why fruit and

vegetable-enhanced diets have produced clinically

demonstrated

reductions in cardiac and overall mortality, while

many attempts using

supplementation with isolated nutrients like vitamin

E, vitamin C, and

beta-carotene has so far failed to do so.

 

Source: Journal of Nutrition, June 1, 2005

 

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ONE IN THREE SCIENTISTS CONFESSES TO HAVING SINNED

 

In a survey completed by thousands of US scientists,

more than a third

admitted to misbehaving in the past three years.

 

Brian Martinson of the HealthPartners Research

Foundation in

Minneapolis, Minnesota, and his colleagues mailed an

anonymous survey

to 7,760 scientists funded by the National Institutes

of Health. They

asked the scientists whether they were guilty of

misbehaviors ranging

from falsifying data to inadequate record keeping.

 

Of 3,247 early- and mid-career researchers who

responded, less than

1.5% admitted to falsification or plagiarism, the most

serious types

of misconduct listed. But 15.5% said they had changed

the design,

methodology or results of a study in response to

pressure from a

funding source; 12.5% admitted overlooking others' use

of flawed data;

and 7.6% said they had circumvented minor aspects of

requirements

regarding the use of human subjects .

 

Overall, about a third admitted to at least one of the

ten most

serious offences on the list--a range of misbehaviors

described by the

authors as " striking in its breadth and prevalence " .

 

The full text of the study can be found at:

 

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v435/n7043/pdf/435737a.pdf

 

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