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Choose Your Fats: Diabetes & Weight Gain

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Choose Your Fats: Diabetes & Weight Gain

Apr 04, 2003 11:21 PST

Diabetes

 

In this discussion, diabetes refers

to diabetes mellitus. Other forms of diabetes (such as diabetes

insipidus)are not included.

 

People with diabetes cannot properly process glucose, a sugar the

body uses for energy. As a result, glucose stays in the blood,

causing blood glucose to rise.

 

At the same time, however, the cells of the body can be starved for

glucose. Diabetes can lead to poor wound healing, higher risk of

infections, and many other problems involving the eyes, kidneys,

nerves,

and heart.

 

There are two types of diabetes mellitus. Childhood-onset diabetes

is also called type 1, or insulin-dependent, diabetes.

 

In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas cannot make the insulin needed to

process glucose.

Adult-onset diabetes is also called type 2, or non-insulin-

dependent, diabetes. With type 2 diabetes, the pancreas often makes

enough insulin, but the body has trouble using the insulin.

 

Type 2 diabetes responds well to natural therapies.

 

People with diabetes have a high risk for heart disease and

atherosclerosis.

 

In addition, those with diabetes have a higher

mortality rate if they have high homocysteine levels as well.

 

Checklist for Diabetes

 

Rating Nutritional Supplements Herbs

Alpha lipoic acid

Brewer's yeast (providing approximately 60 mcg of chromium per

tablespoon)

Chromium

Evening primrose oil

Fiber

Magnesium

Cayenne (topical for neuropathy)

Fenugreek (seeds)

Psyllium

Biotin

Coenzyme Q10

L-carnitine

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)

Vitamin B6 (gestational diabetes only)

Vitamin E (for prevention of retrolental fibroplasia in premature

infants, and for prevention of diabetic retinopathy)

Zinc (preferably for those with a documented deficiency)

Aloe vera

Bilberry

Bitter melon

Gymnema Sylvestre

Hairy Basil (seed)

Holy Basil (leaf)

Onion

Fish oil (EPA/ DHA)

 

Following are associated with diabetic retinopathy:

Selenium,

vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin E (combined)

Fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS)

Inositol

Manganese

Medium chain triglycerides

Quercetin

Taurine

Vanadium (for type 2 diabetes)

Vitamin B12

Vitamin D

Vitamin E (associated with abetalipoproteinemia) Eleuthero

Ginkgo biloba

Olive leaf

Reishi

 

Dietary changes that may be helpful:

 

The relationship between eating

carbohydrates and type 2 diabetes is a complex issue. While eating

carbohydrates increases the need for insulin to keep blood sugar

normal, diets high in total complex carbohydrates do not necessarily

increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.

 

 

Years ago, one researcher reported an increase in diabetes among

Yemenite Jews who had migrated from a region where no sugar was

eaten to one in which they ate a diet including sugar.

 

However, other factors, such as " weight gain " , may explain the

increased

risk of diabetes that occurred in this group.

 

Eating carbohydrate-containing foods, whether high in sugar or high

in starch (such as breads with hydrogenated fats, processed

breakfast

cereals), temporarily raises blood sugar and insulin levels.

 

The blood sugar-raising effect of a food, called its " glycemic

index, "

depends on how rapidly its carbohydrate is absorbed.

 

Many starchy foods have

a glycemic index similar to sucrose (table sugar).

 

People eating large amounts of foods with high glycemic indices

(such

as those mentioned above), have been reported to be at increased

risk of

type 2 diabetes.

 

On the other hand, eating a diet high in

carbohydrate-rich foods with low glycemic indices is associated with

a low risk of type 2 diabetes.

 

Beans, peas, fruit, and oats, have low glycemic indices, despite

their

high carbohydrate content,

due mostly to the health-promoting effects of " soluble " fiber.

 

Diabetes disrupts the mechanisms by which the body controls blood

sugar.

 

 

Most doctors recommend that people with diabetes cut intake of sugar

from snacks and processed foods, and replace these foods with high-

fiber, whole foods.

 

This tends to lower the glycemic index of the overall diet and has

the

additional benefit of increasing vitamin,

mineral, and fiber intake.

 

A high-fiber diet has been shown to work better in controlling

diabetes than the diet recommended by the ADA, and may control blood

sugar levels as well as oral diabetes drugs.

 

In this study, the increase in dietary fiber was accomplished

exclusively through the consumption of foods naturally high in

fiber—such as leafy green vegetables, organic granola, and fruit—to

a

level beyond that recommended by the ADA.

 

No fiber supplements were given. All participants received

both the ADA diet (providing 24 grams of fiber per day) and the high-

fiber diet (providing 50 grams of fiber per day), for a period of

six weeks.

After six weeks of following each diet, tests were

performed to determine blood glucose, insulin, cholesterol,

triglyceride, and other values. When glucose levels were monitored

over a 24-hour period, participants eating the high-fiber diet had

an average glucose level that was 10% lower than participants eating

the ADA diet.

 

Insulin levels were 12% lower in the group eating the

high-fiber diet compared to the group eating the ADA diet,

indicating a beneficial increase in the body's sensitivity to

insulin.

 

Moreover, people eating the high-fiber diet experienced

significant reductions in total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL

( " bad " ) cholesterol compared to those eating the ADA diet. They also

had slight decreases in glycosylated hemoglobin, a measure of

chronically high blood glucose levels.

 

High-fiber supplements, such as psyllium, guar gum (found in

beans),24 pectin (from fruit) oat bran, and psyllium

have improved glucose tolerance in some studies.

 

Positive results have also been reported with the consumption of 1–3

ounces of powdered fenugreek seeds per day.29 30 A review of the

research revealed that the extent to which moderate amounts of fiber

help people with diabetes in the long term is still unknown, and the

lack of many long-term studies has led some researchers to question

the

importance of fiber in improving diabetes.

 

Nonetheless, most doctors advise people with diabetes to eat a diet

high in fiber.

Focus should be placed on vegetables, seeds, oats, and whole-

grain products.

 

Eating fish also may afford some protection from diabetes.

Incorporating a fish meal into a weight-loss regimen was more

effective than either measure alone at improving glucose and insulin

metabolism and high cholesterol.

 

Vegetarians have been reported to have a low risk of type 2

diabetes.

When people with diabetic nerve damage switch to a vegan

diet (no meat, dairy, or eggs), improvements have been reported

after several days.

In one trial, pain completely disappeared in

17 of 21 people.

 

Fats from meat and dairy also contribute to abnormally high

triglyceride and homocysteine levels leading to heart disease, the

leading killer of people with diabetes.

 

Vegetarians also eat less protein than do meat eaters. The reduction

of protein intake has lowered kidney damage caused by diabetes

and may also improve glucose tolerance.

 

Diets high in fat, especially saturated fat, worsen glucose

tolerance and increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, an

effect that is simply the result of weight gain caused by eating

high-fat foods.

 

Saturated fat is found primarily in meat, dairy fat,

and the dark meat and skins of poultry. In contrast, glucose

intolerance has been improved by diets high in " monounsaturated "

oils,which may be good for people with diabetes.

 

 

There is often difficulty in changing the overall percentage of

calories from fat and carbohydrates in the diets of people with type

1

diabetes.

 

However, modifying the quality of the dietary fat is achievable. In

adolescents with type 1 diabetes, increasing " monounsaturated " fats

(fat

in almonds, extra-virgin olive oils and avocadoes) relative to other

fats in the diet is associated with better control

over blood sugar and cholesterol levels.

The easiest way to incorporate monounsaturates into the diet is to

use

extra-virgin olive oil.

 

Should children avoid milk to prevent type 1 diabetes? Worldwide,

children whose dietary energy comes primarily from dairy (or meat)

products have a significantly higher chance of developing type 1

diabetes than do children whose dietary energy comes primarily from

vegetable sources.

 

Countries with high milk consumption have a high risk of type 1

(insulin-dependent) diabetes.

Animal research also indicates that avoiding milk affords protection

from type 1 diabetes.

 

Milk contains a protein related to a protein in the

pancreas, the organ where insulin is made.

 

Some researchers believe that children who are allergic to milk may

develop antibodies that attack the pancreas, causing type 1

diabetes.

 

Several studies have linked cows' milk consumption to the occurrence

of

type 1 diabetes in children.

Some children who drink cows' milk produce antibodies to the milk,

and

it has been hypothesized that these antibodies can cross-react with

and

damage

the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas.

 

 

Preliminary

studies have found that early introduction of cows' milk formula

feeding increases the risk of developing type 1 diabetes.

This research supports abstaining from dairy products in infancy and

early childhood, particularly for children with a family history of

type

1 diabetes.

Recent research also suggests a possible link between milk

consumption in infancy and an increased risk of type 2 (non-insulin-

dependent) diabetes.

 

Lifestyle changes that may be helpful: Most people with type 2

diabetes are overweight.

 

Excess abdominal weight does not stop

insulin formation, but it does make the body less sensitive to

insulin.

Excess weight can even make healthy people pre-

diabetic. Weight loss reverses this problem. In most studies,

type 2 diabetes has improved with weight loss.

 

Increased weight gain in infancy has been associated with a one-and-

a half-fold increase in the risk of developing type 1 diabetes in

childhood.

 

Being overweight also increases the need for insulin.

Therefore, people with type 1 diabetes should achieve and maintain

appropriate body weight.

 

Exercise helps decrease body fat and improve insulin

sensitivity. People who exercise are less likely to develop type 2

diabetes than those who do not.

 

However, exercise can induce low blood sugar or even occasionally

increased blood sugar.

Moreover, a preliminary study has shown that long-term physical

activity was not associated with control of blood glucose in people

with

type 1 diabetes. Therefore, people with diabetes should never begin

an

intensive exercise program without consulting a healthcare

professional.

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