20 WAYS TO MAKE NUTRITIONAL PROGRESS AGAINST DIABETES by Andrew W. Saul

[Guest guest]

20 WAYS TO MAKE NUTRITIONAL PROGRESS AGAINST DIABETES by Andrew W. Saul

 

(Introduction by Abram Hoffer, M.D.: Reading this chapter will report

what can be done over and above the use of insulin and classical

dietetics. I am very familiar with Type I (insulin dependent diabetes or

juvenile diabetes), as two members of my family have it.

 

As this is not a medical text, the author does not describe the

symptomatology and treatment using insulin. (By the way, doctors who

treat diabetes are practicing orthomolecular medicine without knowing

it, for they are using a hormone that is naturally present in the body.)

 

 

Dr. Saul lists and describes both positive and negative factors in

dealing with this condition. Thus for Type I, we have on the positive

side the B complex vitamins, especially vitamin B-3, and vitamin C.

 

The negative factors are diets which are too rich in free sugars and not

rich enough in the complex carbohydrates. Negative factors also include

milk, fluoride, coffee and vaccinations.

 

When it is started at an early age, niacinamide will prevent diabetes

from developing in many children born to families prone to the disease.

I have also found niacin very helpful in preventing patients from

suffering the long term ravages of diabetes, which are not directly due

to high blood sugars, but to the side effects involving the vascular

system. Niacin lowers total cholesterol, elevates HDL, and prevents the

development of arteriosclerosis. Therefore these patients are less apt

to become blind and lose their legs. With medical supervision, it may be

used safely in dealing with diabetics, but you will need to find a

doctor who knows niacin.

 

Dr. Saul provides supporting references to the literature, which

physicians will benefit from seeing. I was especially pleased to see

that he cited my friend Dr. Emanuel Cheraskin's seven papers on the

subject.

 

Type II Non-insulin dependent Diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM) was formerly

known as hyperinsulinism or hypoglycemia. The term “hypoglycemia” turned

the establishment red with fury. But over time, many books and papers

have been published dealing with this very common condition.

 

Positive factors listed are magnesium, exercise, weight control,

chromium, fiber. vitamin E, vanadium, vitamin C, and complex

carbohydrates.

 

Negative factors are iatrogenic, such as drugs that may actually cause

this type of diabetes.

 

I have been using the positive factors for the past 40 years. When

patients followed such a program, the results are very good.

 

This webpage provides complementary physicians who are interested in

treating diabetes with information about nutrients that will make their

treatment even better.

 

I am convinced that if this information were to be used preventively, it

would protect many persons from developing this disease. - A. Hoffer)

 

One in every 16 people has diabetes. Nearly 3 million Americans are on

insulin. Much blindness, many amputations, and many deaths result from

the circulatory complications of diabetes. Even if a single natural

measure can prevent this disease only in part and in just some persons,

it is still well worth doing. How much better would be trying all these

techniques together?

 

Important note: Expect success. This means that if you are on diabetic

medication, you may need to have your drug or insulin dosage adjusted

DOWN. Is this bad? Is a tax cut BAD? See your doctor frequently, and

before you begin as well, to plan and monitor your progress.

 

Type I (Juvenile Onset, Insulin Dependent) Diabetes

 

B-Complex Vitamins

One of the first nutrition zingers I ever read was Dr Carlton Fredericks

comment (in Food Facts and Fallacies) to the effect that diabetics could

be weaned off of insulin with extremely high doses of B-complex

vitamins. I am a conservative person and I have my sincere doubts if a

Type I diabetic could ever be free of the need to take insulin. On the

other hand, I have personally seen diabetics require significantly less

insulin when they take a 100 mg balanced B-complex tablet every two to

three hours. The potential benefits are so great that I think diabetics

should demand a suitably cautious therapeutic trial of megavitamin

therapy with insulin dosage adjustment made and supervised by their

physician.

 

Niacin/Niacinamide, one of the B-complex vitamins

A daily dosage of 1,500 to 2,500 mg of niacin or niacinamide may improve

carbohydrate tolerance in diabetics. Niacin or niacinamide diminished

the requirements of insulin needed to keep the blood sugar of the

diabetics within normal limits. The dosage was of the order of 500 mg

three to five times daily to begin with, the dose being subsequently

reduced as the blood sugar came down. The Vitamins in Medicine, 3rd

edition, p 378, 1953, references cited in the text.)

 

Persons with vitamin B-3 (niacin) deficiency may show hypersensitivity

to insulin, becoming hypoglycemic more readily than normal subjects

after an injection of insulin. (p 342)

 

Dr. R., a chiropractor in Pennsylvania, writes:

" I recently had a pharmacist take one of my female diabetic patients off

niacin (after an extremely successful course of therapy with niacin that

eliminated years of insomnia) because he told her that it would mess up

her blood sugar. I had another female diabetic patient who got some

decent results with niacin for depression but was told by her pharmacist

not to use it with diabetes. Yet I cannot seem to find anything to

support NOT using niacin in diabetics. "

 

That is perhaps simply because niacin works, and in doing so, creates a

management issue. When megadosage of niacin/niacinamide lowers the need

for insulin, that is success, but an inconvenience (and perhaps an

embarrassment) for the pharmophilic (drug-loving) health professional.

But the main point must not be missed: A reduction in insulin

requirement is good news for the patient. I would like to receive

studies showing a evidence of any problems with niacin/niacinamide

administration in diabetics. Please email articles or references to

drs- .

 

It is not difficult to monitor your glucose at home. How to simply and

safely self-test your blood sugar is nicely described on p 154-155 of

Balch, J. F and Balch, P.A. (1990) Prescription for Nutritional Healing

(Avery Publishing).

 

For more information about vitamin B-3:

Hoffer A. (1990) Vitamin B-3 (Niacin) Update. New Roles For a Key

Nutrient in Diabetes, Cancer, Heart Disease and Other Major Health

Problems. Keats Pubs., Inc., New Canaan, CT.

 

Vitamin C

Professor of Oral Medicine Emanuel Cheraksin, M.D., D.M.D., in his

recent book Vitamin C: Who Needs It? says (on page 9:

 

" So, what do the experts tell us about a vitamin C connection in the

control of sugar metabolism? We turned to five of the leading textbooks

dealing with diabetes mellitus published during the last five years.

Would you believe? There was not one word indicating any connection or a

lack of correlation between ascorbic acid and carbohydrate metabolism!

 

" This is even more incomprehensible when one realizes that reviews of

the literature as far back as 1940 showed that blood sugar can be

predictably reduced with intravenous ascorbate. "

 

One case study suggests that for each gram of vitamin C taken by mouth,

the amount of insulin required could be reduced by two units. (Dice, J.

F. and Daniel, C. W. (1973) The hypoglycemic effect of ascorbic acid in

a juvenile-onset diabetic. International Research Communications System,

1:41.

 

Vitamin C has been shown to reduce levels of complication-causing

sorbitol in diabetics. In a 58 day study carried out in 1994,

researchers investigated the effect of two different, and rather low,

doses of vitamin C supplements (100 or 600 mg) on young adults with Type

I diabetes. Vitamin C supplementation at either dose normalized sorbitol

levels in 30 days.

 

(Cunningham JJ; Mearkle PL; Brown RG Vitamin C: an aldose reductase

inhibitor that normalizes erythrocyte sorbitol in insulin-dependent

diabetes mellitus. J Am Coll Nutr, 1994 Aug, 13:4, 344-5)

 

Vitamin C may also help to keep tiny blood vessels (capillaries) from

bursting, a major cause of diabetic complications. Vitamin C supplements

increase the elasticity of these smallest of blood vessels.

 

(Timimi FK; Ting HH; Haley EA; Roddy MA; Ganz P; Creager MA Vitamin C

improves endothelium-dependent vasodilation in patients with

insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. J Am Coll Cardiol, 1998 Mar, 31:3,

552-7)

 

Also of interest::

 

Pfleger R, Scholl F. (1937, note the date) Diabetes und vitamin C.

Wiener Archiv für Innere Medizin 31: 219-230.

 

Setyaadmadja, A.T.S.H., Cheraskin, E. and Ringsdorf, W.M., Jr.

Ascorbic acid and carbohydrate metabolism: II. Effect of supervised

sucrose drinks upon two-hour postprandial blood glucose in terms of

vitamin C state. Lancet 87: #1, 18-21, January 1967.

 

Som S, Basu S, Mukherjee D, Deb S, Choudhury PR, Mukherjee S, Chatterjee

SN, Chatterjee IB. (1981) Ascorbic acid metabolism in diabetes mellitus.

Metabolism 30: 572-577.

 

If there are Musts to Avoid for a diabetic, they may well include the

following:

 

ONE: Eliminate Sugar

No one would tell a child with a broken leg to jump off the garage roof.

But perhaps we should not even let children without broken legs jump off

the garage roofs. Dieticians would never recommend that diabetics

regularly eat lots of sweets. Yet the vast majority of us overconsume

sugar to the Nth degree. Can this not only aggravate diabetes, but

actually CAUSE it? In the case of Type II, it is almost certainly so.

And with Type I, the risk is there. There is no downside to avoiding

sugar except, perhaps, for putting your local dentist on unemployment.

 

Medical Evidence that Sugar Causes Diabetes, among other things

Cleave, T. L. The Saccharine Disease (Keats, 1975)

 

To begin with, this book has nothing to do with the artificial sweetener

known as saccharin. The Saccharine Disease refers to excess sugar

consumption as a key cause of chronic disease in our time. Dr. Cleave,

formerly a Surgeon-Captain of the British Royal Navy, wishes us to

pronounce it " saccar-RHINE, " like the German river. That we can do. What

we will have a harder time doing is admitting that he is correct in

ascribing colitis, peptic ulcer, varicose veins, coronary heart disease,

and diabetes to excess intake of simple carbohydrates. A theory like

that one needs a book to explain it and a lifetime of experience as a

doctor behind it. Here are both.

 

It is party line medicine (and dietetics) that sugar consumption is

pretty much connected only with tooth decay and obesity. Since the

1950's, Dr. Cleave has been a voice in the wilderness, informing doctors

of what they do not want to believe and patients of what they do not

want to do. Only the sturdiest readers want to tangle with a book that

relentlessly takes them to task one sweet tooth at a time. References

are provided with each chapter, and suggestions for improved diet are

compactly set forth in an Appendix. The Saccharine Disease is somewhat

dry reading, although this is compensated for by its overwhelming

scientific importance. If there is indeed a root cause of illness, and

that cause is our everyday use of sugar, it will take plenty of straight

science to convince us to change our ways. Even then, really innovative

science has a way of being kept from the public, not by being disproved,

but by being ignored. If Dr. Cleave has been largely unsuccessful in

influencing health policy so far, perhaps you will want to take up the

banner after reading this book.

 

There was a time when the director of the FDA (known then as the Bureau

of Chemistry) was willing to state that sugar consumption could indeed

cause diabetes. (Wiley, H. A History of a Crime Against the Food Law,

1929).

 

TWO: Avoid Milk

It has been shown that milk consumption in childhood contributes to the

development of Type-I diabetes. Certain proteins in milk resemble

molecules on the beta cells of the pancreas that secrete insulin. In

some cases, the immune system makes antibodies to the milk protein that

mistakenly attack and destroy the beta cells Even so august an authority

on children as the late Dr. Benjamin Spock changed his recommendations

in his later years and discouraged giving children milk. (Dr. Julian

Whitaker's Health & Healing Newsletter, October 1998, Vol. 8, No. 10.)

 

THREE: Avoid Fluoride

(Citations that follow are courtesy of Darlene Sherrell

http://www.rvi.net/~fluoride/index.htm )

 

(T)he concentration of fluoride recommended for fluoridation programs

(the sacrosanct " 1.0 part-per-million " ) is deemed to be entirely safe.

An examination of the scientific literature reveals that this is not the

case. Dr M A Roshal, in a 1965 issue of the journal issued by the

Leningrad Medical Institute, reported that intake of fluoride - even at

the apparently " safe " concentration of 1.0 part per million - caused

derangements in blood sugar balance. The Question of Fluoridation, by J.

R. Marier, Ottawa, Canada.

 

Inorganic fluoride is a persistent bioaccumulator, and the

ever-increasing use (and release) of fluoride compounds in the

environment should be of long-term concern in population sub-groups who

are most susceptible, and therefore, most at risk. One of these

sub-groups consists of people with impaired kidney function, including

subjects with nephorphatic diabetes. The diabetes factor is of

particular relevance, not only because the incidence of diabetes has

increased by 6%/yr during the period 1965-1975, but also because

subjects with nephropathic diabetes can exhibit a polydipsia-polyurea

syndrome that results in increased intake of fluoride, along with

greater-than-normal retention of a given fluoride dosage. People with

inadequate dietary intakes (particularly of Ca and/or Vitamin C) are

also likely to be more at risk as a consequence of low-dose long-term

fluoride ingestion. Evidence is presented, showing that there has been

an escalation in daily fluoride intake via the total human

food-and-beverage chain, with the likelihood that this escalation will

continue in the future. Recent observations, relating to an increasing

incidence of chronic fluoride intoxication among humans, is also

emphasized.

 

Dental Fluorosis Associated With Hereditary Diabetes Insipidus. Oral

Surgery 40(6):736 & shy;741, (1975)

 

Existing data (1993) indicate that subsets of the population may be

unusually susceptible to the toxic effects of fluoride and its

compounds. These populations include the elderly, people with

deficiencies of calcium, magnesium, and/or vitamin C, and people with

cardiovascular and kidney problems. ... Because fluoride is excreted

through the kidney, people with renal insufficiency would have impaired

renal clearance of fluoride ... Impaired renal clearance of fluoride has

also been found in people with diabetes mellitus. (Emphasis added)

Toxicological Profile for Fluorides, Hydrogen Fluoride, and Fluorine

(F), (April 1993), U.S. Dept. Health and Human Services, Agency for

Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, p.112

 

(from Darlene Sherrell and Andreas Schuld, Vancouver, B.C. Canada)

 

Fluoride is an acute toxin with a rating slightly higher than that of

lead. According to " Clinical Toxicology of Commercial products, " 5th

Edition, 1984, lead is given a toxicity rating of 3 to 4, and Fluoride

is rated at 4 (3 = moderately toxic, 4 = very toxic). On December 7,

1992, the new EPA Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for lead was set at

0.015 ppm, with a goal of 0.0ppm. The MCL for fluoride is currently set

for 4.0ppm - that's over 250 times the permissible level of lead.

 

At the level of 0.4 ppm renal (kidney) impairment has been shown.

(Junco, L.I. et al, " Renal Failure and Fluorosis " , Fluorine & Dental

Health, JAMA 222:783 - 785, 1972)

 

Professor William R. Stine of Wilkes College, Wilkes Barre, PA, in

chapter 19 of Applied Chemistry (second edition, p 413 and 416) states

that world scientific opinion on this (fluoridation) issue is far from

unanimous. He then quotes Dr. Albert W. Burgstahler, Professor of

Chemistry at the University of Kansas, who says:

 

Children with nephrogenic diabetes insipidus or untreated pituitary

diabetes have been found to develop severe dental fluorosis from

drinking water containing only 1 or even 0.5 ppm fluoride Persons in

poor health and those who have allergy, asthma, kidney disease,

diabetes, gastric ulcer, low thyroid function, and deficient nutrition

are especially susceptible to the toxic effects of fluoride in drinking

water. In addition, fluoride in beverages (especially tea), food, air,

drugs, tobacco, toothpaste, and mouth rinses can also precipitate or

contribute to such intoxication.

 

Add em up: do you know your total daily fluoride consumption ?

 

FOUR: Avoid Caffeine

Caffeine is a drug, and can interfere with normal blood sugar levels.

 

Cheraskin, E., Ringsdorf, W.M., Jr., Setyaadmadji, A.T.S.H. and Barrett,

R.A. Effect of caffeine versus placebo supplementation on blood glucose

concentration. Lancet 1: 7503, 1299-1300, 17 June 1967.

 

Cheraskin, E. and Ringsdorf, W.M., Jr. Blood glucose levels after

caffeine. Lancet 2: 7569, 689, 21 September 1968.

 

FIVE: Question Immunization

Be very cautious of vaccination. Harris Coulter, PhD in Vaccination and

Violent Crime, writes: The number of cases of diabetes has risen from

600,000 in the mid-1940s to 13 million today; since the population of

the country has about doubled, the (true) increase in diabetes is about

10 times. In Vaccination and Social Violence, Dr. Coulter mentions that

" The pertussis vaccine, in particular, has an impact on the

insulin-producing centers in the pancreas (the Islets of Langerhans).

Over-stimulation of these islets, with their subsequent exhaustion, can

lead to diabetes or its opposite -- hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). "

 

The risk of Type I diabetes may be increased if the Hepatitis B vaccine

is given to babies at about the age six weeks from birth. USA TODAYs

Anita Manning (Aug 3, 1999) discussed a possible connection between

diabetes and the Hib vaccine. More on this subject will be found in

Childhood immunization and diabetes mellitus, New Zealand Medical

Journal, May 1996

 

Type II, or Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM)

Magnesium (as well as calcium) is unusually important to the diabetic.

Taking a supplement providing at LEAST the US RDA of magnesium (about

350 mg) is vital. Thanks to Paul Mason, editor of the very large number

of scientific papers posted at the Magnesium Site http://www.mgwater.com

for providing so many magnesium references.

 

Corica, F., A. Allegra, A. Di Benedetto, et al. 1994. Effects of oral

magnesium supplementation on plasma lipid concentrations in patients

with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Magnes. Res. 7:43-46.

 

Mather HM et al. (1979) Hypomagnesemia in diabetes. Clinical and

Chemical Acta 95: 235-242.

 

McNair P et al. (1978) Hypomagnesemia, a risk factor in diabetic

retinopathy. Diabetes 27: 1075-1077.

 

Snowdon, D.A., and R.L. Phillips. 1985. Does a vegetarian diet reduce

the occurrence of diabetes? Am. J. Public Health 75:507-512.

 

Exercise

Just do it! It helps tremendously. Suggestions on how are posted at this

website, and a search for " exercise " from the search box at the top of

the main page will get them all for you.

 

Barnard, R.J., L. Lattimore, R.G. Holly, S. Cherny, and N. Pritikin.

1982. Response of non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients to an

intensive programof diet and exercise. Diabetes Care 5:370-374.

 

Weight Control

Type II Diabetes is clearly associated with overweight persons. Many

weight loss ideas will be found at http://doctoryourself.com ..

 

Bennett, P.H., W.C. Knowles, N.B. Rushforth, R.F. Hammon, and P.J.

Savage. 1979. The role of obesity in the development of diabetes of the

Pima Indians. In J. Vague and P.H. Vague, eds. Diabetes and Obesity.

Excerpta Medica, Amsterdam.

 

Williams, S. R. Nutrition and Diet Therapy, 6th ed., Ch 19. St. Louis:

Mosby

 

Stress Reduction/Meditation

Kirtane, L. Transcendental Meditation: A multipurpose tool in clinical

practice. General medical practice, Poona, Maharashtra, India, 1980.

(Cites improvements in a wide variety of physical and mental disorders

including diabetes mellitus.)

 

Chromium

The trace mineral chromium is found in skin, fat, muscle, brain and

adrenal glands. There is only about 6 mg in you, but is it ever

important! Absorption by way of your intestine is poor; it is excreted

in urine. Chromium is an essential component of Glucose Tolerance Factor

(GTF). GTF helps insulin to work better by " bridging " it to cell

membranes.

 

Chromium as GTF improves glucose tolerance in diabetics whether they are

children, adults or elderly (Williams, S. R. Nutrition and Diet Therapy,

Ch. 9, p. 301) " Deficiency signs include resistance to insulin AND OTHER

SIGNS OF DIABETES. " (p 313, emphasis added)

 

Food Sources of Chromium

By far and away the best food source of chromium is BREWER'S YEAST. You

can also use " Nutritional Yeast, " which is nutritionally similar and

better tasting. Brewer's yeast is a by-product of beer-making and tends

to be a bit bitter. Nutritional yeast is primarily grown to be a food.

Try nutritional yeast flakes on popcorn. It tastes so much like " cheese

corn " that you may well like it. Even some really finicky friends of

mine happily munched popcorn genorously laced with nutritional yeast

while they trounced me at euchre.

 

Aside from teaching them when to lead the left bower, one of the best

things you can do is give your family a teaspoon or two of this stuff

every day. It is a good source of B-12 and other B-vitamins, as well as

protein. Way too much, by the way, may cause temporary and harmless skin

irritation in some especially sensitive people. If you start low and

increase slow, this will probably not occur.

 

Other food sources of chromium include nuts, prunes, mushrooms, most

whole grains and many fermented foods including beer and wine. (Now

those last two are certainly popular supplements!) Please remember the

negative social, and negative nutritional, aspects of alcohol, and

instead go for the yeast. Or if you simply must tip a few, at least try

to select additive-free, organically grown beverages and use them in

moderation.

 

If you are a teetotaler, and if your interest in yeast is rapidly

waning, the best supplements usually complex Cr with niacin, which seems

to greatly enhance uptake. An example is chromium polynicotinate, which

has been demonstrated to be especially well absorbed and retained.

Chromium picolinate is a good second choice.

 

I would ALWAYS supplement with 200 to 400 micrograms (mcg) Cr daily if

there is any breath of a hint of hypoglycemia (thats most of us). In

fact, I take (and recommend) that much every day for those in good

health. The US RDA is between 50 and 200 mcg of Cr daily. Even

traditional dieticians textbooks admit that the conventional US diet

does not reliably supply even this amount. For the diabetic, chromium

supplementation is essential... unless you are a big fan of yeast.

 

Fiber

There is a well-established reduction of hyperglycemia with consumption

of extra dietary fiber. This means a probable decrease in insulin

requirement for Type I diabetics, and even better news for Type IIs.

Generally, the more fiber eaten, the less medication needed. Try it and

see how much better you feel.

 

Want to know more about fiber? At the end of this article is a listing

of publications by Dr. Anderson, an excellent researcher, whose work is

also well-written and easy to understand. Many of his papers are

reviews, which neatly summarize this large topic, and are especially

helpful reading.

 

In The Cancer Chronicles (No 30, Dec, 1995), Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D.

mentioned that soluble fiber, such as pectin (a thickener used to make

jelly) may help diabetics. It appears that even the delightful

over-the-counter Kaopectate has been used medically in the treatment of

diabetes. Fibers like pectin are found in the cell walls of all fruits

and vegetables. Diabetics can and should certainly eat a lot more

vegetables, along with the beneficial extra fiber they provide.

 

Vitamin E

" Thus, vitamin E may potentially provide additional risk reduction for

the development of retinopathy or nephropathy in addition to those

achievable through intensive insulin therapy alone. Vitamin E is a

low-cost, readily available compound associated with few known side

effects; thus, its use could have a DRAMATIC socioeconomic impact if

found to be efficacious in delaying the onset of diabetic retinopathy

and/or nephropathy. " (emphasis added) From Diabetes Care 22:1245-1251

1999

 

This was a crossover study on 36 patients who have Type I diabetes for

less than 10 years. The dose evaluated was 1800 I.U. per day. Before

taking vitamin E, retinal blood flows in these subjects was

significantly lower than in the non-diabetic population. Both retinal

blood flow and creatinine clearance were significantly normalized when

subjects received vitamin E. The patients with the worst reading

improved the most. The vitamin had no effect on blood glucose levels,

and therefore would not interfere with insulin therapy.

 

(The following is from Stichting Orthomoleculaire Educatie

(Orthomolecular Education Foundation) Antwerpsestraat 1a, 2587 AE Den

Haag, The Netherlands. Their excellent English language website is

http://www.soe.nl/home.htm )

 

A poor vitamin-E status (lipid standardized plasma-vitamin E below the

median) was associated with an almost quadruple risk of NIDDM (relative

risk 3.9). The strong protective influence of vitamin E, as shown in

these findings, supports the hypothesis that free-radical damage is a

causal factor in the development of NIDDM.

 

(Increased risk of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus at low plasma

vitamin E concentrations: a four year follow up study in men. (Salonen

JT et al (1995); BMJ, 311:1124-1127, Oct. 2

 

Further references to vitamin E and diabetes will be found in the books

of Drs. Evan and Wilfrid Shute (listed at

http://doctoryourself.com/bibliography.html ), especially Shute, Wilfrid

E. Vitamin E for Ailing and Healthy Hearts (1969) New York: Pyramid

Books.

 

Vanadium

In 1993 and 1994, I had the pleasure of coteaching clinical nutrition

with Cornell University researcher Wes Canfield, M.D. Trace minerals are

Dr Canfields special interest, and he believes that vanadate is very

important in the prevention and treatment of diabetes. A (free) Medline

search at the National Library of Medicine website

( http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed ) using the keywords vanadium +

diabetes will bring up over 160 papers on the subject. Vanadate +

diabetes will get you nearly 200.

 

Eat Complex Carbohydrates, not Sugary or Fatty Junk Food

Common sense advice, to be sure. Frequent, smaller, calcium-rich

high-fiber meals can really help decrease the incidence of diabetic

symptoms. There is good dietetic advice to be found in

 

Hoffer, A. and Walker, M. (1978) Orthomolecular Nutrition (New Canaan,

CT: Keats), p 14; p 21-26 and 100-101.

 

See also:

Garrison, Jr., R. H. and Somer, E. (1990)The Nutrition Desk Reference

(New Canaan, CT: Keats), p 216-222.

 

Vitamin C for Type II Diabetes

Physicians investigated the effect of 600 mg/day of magnesium and 2

grams/day of vitamin C on a group of 56 non-insulin-dependent diabetics.

The vitamin C improved control of blood sugar and fasting blood-sugar

levels. It also lowered cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and reduced

capillary fragility. The magnesium lowered blood pressure in the

subjects.

(Eriksson J and Kohvakka A, Magnesium and ascorbic acid supplementation

in diabetes mellitus. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism, July/Aug 1995;

39(4) 217-223.)

 

Also of interest:

Bruckert, E. et al., " Increased serum levels of Lipoprotein(a) in

diabetes mellitus and their reduction with glycemic control, " JAMA

263(1):35-36 (1990). (Note: Vitamin C controls Lp(a) synthesis.)

 

Kapeghian, J. C. et al., " The effects of glucose on ascorbic acid uptake

in heart, endothelial cells: Possible pathogenesis of diabetic

angiopathies, " Life Sci. 34:577 (1984).

 

Sinclair AJ; Taylor PB; Lunec J; Girling AJ; Barnett AH Low plasma

ascorbate levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus consuming

adequate dietary vitamin C. Diabet Med, 1994 Nov, 11:9, 893-8

 

Stone, Irwin The Healing Factor: Vitamin C Against Disease (1972) New

York: Grosset & Dunlap. p 146-151. Excellent review of vitamin C

megadoses for diabetics.

 

And if you want to go back in time a bit:

Vitamin C deficient guinea pigs show diminished glucose tolerance, low

liver glycogen, high blood sugar and a low insulin content of the

pancreas. A diabetic type of glucose tolerance curve has been described

in human subjects on low ascorbic acid (vitamin C) intakes; this curve

is said to return to normal on giving adequate ascorbic acid. (Bicknell

and Prescott, The Vitamins in Medicine, 3rd edition, p 433, 1953,

references cited in the text.)

 

Iatrogenic (Doctor-Caused) Diabetes

Most of today's pharmaceutical preparations, because of their harmful

effects, may be labeled poisonous, " says chemist Dr Lisa Landymore-Lim,

who has worked for the National Institute for Medical Research, London,

and the Dunn Nutrition Unit, Cambridge. Her 1994 book, Poisonous

Prescriptions, describes Landymore-Lim's investigations which have found

that diabetes may in fact be a major side effect of antibiotics and

other common pharmaceuticals. The book provides evidence from studies

and hospital records. Diabetes, usually thought to be largely a genetic

disorder, may actually have increased so much in the last 50 years

because of the proliferation in the use, and over-use, of medicines.

 

Remember that with DIABETES, SUPPLEMENTS REDUCE THE DANGER.

 

A Very Important Reference:

Werbach, Melvyn R. Nutritional Influences on Illness, Keats, 1988, p 166

182, contains a valuable review of research indicating the therapeutic

value of supplements, and their specific dosages, for diabetics. This is

a must-read.

 

Some Type I AND Type II Recommendations

(from Scott Roberts http://heelspurs.com/cure.html )

 

In addition to the diet your doctor has recommended, spread the

following out over each day (in order of importance): 800 mcg chromium,

5,000 mg C, 1,600 IU E, 300 mg lipoic acid, 700 mg magnesium, and 1 tbsp

flaxseed oil (Barlean's brand only). For references on the 1st 3

supplements and diabetes see http://heelspurs.com/diabetes.html. Be

careful: your need for insulin and glucotrol pills will decrease

dramatically - be sure to monitor your blood sugar. Exercise.

 

Additional References:

(This may seem like overkill, but it is actually only a partial listing.

There is MUCH evidence that nutrition can make a real difference for the

diabetic.)

 

Papers by Dr. J. W. Anderson

(compiled from the National Library of Medicines MEDLINE)

 

Anderson JW, Allgood LD, Turner J, Oeltgen PR, Daggy BP. Effects of

psyllium on glucose and serum lipid responses in men with type 2

diabetes and hypercholesterolemia. Am J Clin Nutr. 1999

Oct;70(4):466-73.

 

Anderson JW, O'Neal DS, Riddell-Mason S, Floore TL, Dillon DW, Oeltgen

PR. Postprandial serum glucose, insulin, and lipoprotein responses to

high- and low-fiber diets. Metabolism. 1995 Jul;44(7):848-54.

 

Geil PB, Anderson JW. Nutrition and health implications of dry beans: a

review. J Am Coll Nutr. 1994 Dec;13(6):549-58. Review.

 

Anderson JW, Smith BM, Gustafson NJ. Health benefits and practical

aspects of high-fiber diets. Am J Clin Nutr. 1994 May;59(5

Suppl):1242S-1247S. Review.

 

Hamilton CC, Geil PB, Anderson JW. Management of obesity in diabetes

mellitus. Diabetes Educ. 1992 Sep-Oct;18(5):407-10.

 

Anderson JW. Dietary fiber and diabetes: what else do we need to know?

Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 1992 Aug;17(2):71-3.

 

Hamilton CC, Anderson JW. Fiber and weight management. J Fla Med Assoc.

1992 Jun;79(6):379-81. Review.

 

Anderson JW, Akanji AO. Dietary fiber--an overview. Diabetes Care. 1991

Dec;14(12):1126-31. Review.

 

Anderson JW, Zeigler JA, Deakins DA, Floore TL, Dillon DW, Wood CL,

Oeltgen

PR, Whitley RJ. Metabolic effects of high-carbohydrate, high-fiber diets

for insulin-dependent diabetic individuals. Am J Clin Nutr. 1991

Nov;54(5):936-43.

 

Fukagawa NK, Anderson JW, Hageman G, Young VR, Minaker KL.

High-carbohydrate, high-fiber diets increase peripheral insulin

sensitivity in healthy young and old adults. Am J Clin Nutr. 1990

Sep;52(3):524-8.

 

Anderson JW, Smith BM, Geil PB. High-fiber diet for diabetes. Safe and

effective treatment. Postgrad Med. 1990 Aug;88(2):157-61, 164, 167-8.

Review.

 

Anderson JW, Gustafson NJ. Adherence to high-carbohydrate, high-fiber

diets. Diabetes Educ. 1989 Sep-Oct;15(5):429-34.

 

Anderson JW, Bridges SR, Tietyen J, Gustafson NJ. Dietary fiber content

of a simulated American diet and selected research diets. Am J Clin

Nutr. 1989 Feb;49(2):352-7.

 

Anderson JW. Recent advances in carbohydrate nutrition and metabolism in

diabetes mellitus. J Am Coll Nutr. 1989;8 Suppl:61S-67S. Review.

 

Anderson JW, Geil PB. New perspectives in nutrition management of

diabetes mellitus. Am J Med. 1988 Nov 28;85(5A):159-65. Review.

 

Anderson JW, Bridges SR. Dietary fiber content of selected foods. Am J

Clin Nutr. 1988 Mar;47(3):440-7.

 

Anderson JW, Gustafson NJ, Bryant CA, Tietyen-Clark J. Dietary fiber and

diabetes: a comprehensive review and practical application. J Am Diet

Assoc. 1987 Sep;87(9):1189-97. Review.

 

Anderson JW, Gustafson NJ. Dietary fiber in disease prevention and

treatment. Compr Ther. 1987 Jan;13(1):43-53.

 

Anderson JW, Bryant CA. Dietary fiber: diabetes and obesity. Am J

Gastroenterol. 1986 Oct;81(10):898-906. Review.

 

Anderson JW. Fiber and health: an overview. Am J Gastroenterol. 1986

Oct;81(10):892-7.

 

Anderson JW, Gustafson NJ. Type II diabetes: current nutrition

management concepts. Geriatrics. 1986 Aug;41(:28-35.

 

Anderson JW. Physiological and metabolic effects of dietary fiber. Fed

Proc. 1985 Nov;44(14):2902-6. Review.

 

Story L, Anderson JW, Chen WJ, Karounos D, Jefferson B. Adherence to

high-carbohydrate, high-fiber diets: long-term studies of non-obese

diabetic men. J Am Diet Assoc. 1985 Sep;85(9):1105-10.

 

Anderson JW. Health implications of wheat fiber. Am J Clin Nutr. 1985

May;41(5 Suppl):1103-12. Review.

 

Anderson JW, Story L, Sieling B, Chen WJ. Plant fiber content of

selected breakfast cereals. Diabetes Care. 1981 Jul-Aug;4(4):490-2.

 

Anderson JW, Sieling B. High-fiber diets for diabetics: unconventional

but effective. Geriatrics. 1981 May;36(5):64-72.

 

Anderson JW, Chandler C. High fiber diet benefits for diabetics.

Diabetes Educ. 1981 Summer;7(2):34-8.

 

Anderson JW. High-fibre diets for diabetic and hypertriglyceridemic

patients. Can Med Assoc J. 1980 Nov 22;123(10):975-9.

 

Anderson JW. Newer approaches to diabetes diets: high-fiber diet. Med

Times. 1980 May;108(5):41-4.

 

Anderson JW. The role of dietary carbohydrate and fiber in the control

of diabetes. Adv Intern Med. 1980;26:67-96. Review.

 

Anderson JW, Ferguson SK, Karounos D, O'Malley L, Sieling B, Chen WJ.

Mineral and vitamin status on high-fiber diets: long-term studies of

diabetic patients. Diabetes Care. 1980 Jan-Feb;3(1):38-40.

 

Anderson JW, Ward K. High-carbohydrate, high-fiber diets for

insulin-treated men with diabetes mellitus. Am J Clin Nutr. 1979

Nov;32(11):2312-21.

 

Anderson JW, Midgley WR, Wedman B. Fiber and diabetes. Diabetes Care.

1979 Jul-Aug;2(4):369-77.

 

Anderson JW. High carbohydrate, high fiber diets for patients with

diabetes. Adv Exp Med Biol. 1979;119:263-73.

 

Anderson JW, Lin WJ, Ward K. Composition of foods commonly used in diets

for persons with diabetes. Diabetes Care. 1978 Sep-Oct;1(5):293-302.

 

Anderson JW, Ward K. Long-term effects of high-carbohydrate, high-fiber

diets on glucose and lipid metabolism: a preliminary report on patients

with diabetes. Diabetes Care. 1978 Mar-Apr;1(2):77-82.

 

Lin WJ, Anderson JW. Effects of high sucrose or starch-bran diets on

glucose and lipid metabolism of normal and diabetic rats. J Nutr. 1977

Apr;107(4):584-95.

 

Kiehm TG, Anderson JW, Ward K. Beneficial effects of a high

carbohydrate, high fiber diet on hyperglycemic diabetic men. Am J Clin

Nutr. 1976 Aug;29(:895-9.

 

Papers by Dr. Emanuel Cheraskin

 

Cheraskin, E. et al The Birmingham, Alabama 1964 Diabetes Detection

Drive: Parts I-VII.

Alabama Journal of Medical Sciences, 1966-1969.

 

Cheraskin, E., Ringsdorf, W.M., Jr., Setyaadmadja, A.T.S.H., Barrett,

R.A., Sibley, G.T. and Reid, R.W. Environmental factors in blood glucose

regulation. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 16: #7, 823-825,

July 1968

 

Cheraskin, E. The role of diabetes mellitus in dental practice. Journal

of Dental Medicine 15: #2, 67-69, April 1960

 

Cheraskin, E., Ringsdorf, WY., Jr., Setyaadmadja, A.T.S.H. and Thielens,

K.B. The Birmingham, Alabama 1964 Diabetes Detection Drive: I. General

information. Alabama Journal of Medical Sciences 3: #1, 33-38, January

1966

 

Cheraskin, E. Vitamin C: Who needs it? 8. Diabetes and scurvy: Are they

cousins? Health and Nutrition Update 7: #4, 5-8, Winter 1992

 

Sheridan, R.C., Jr., Cheraskin, E., Flynn, F.H. and Hutto, A.C.

Epidemiology of diabetes mellitus: I. Review of the dental literature.

Journal of Periodontology 30: #3, 242-252, July 1959

 

Sheridan, R.C., Jr., Cheraskin, E., Flynn, F.H. and Hutto, A.C.

Epidemiology of diabetes mellitus: II. A study of 100 dental patients

Journal of Periodontology 30: #4, 298-323, October 1959

 

 

Copyright 2003 and prior years by Andrew W. Saul. From the book DOCTOR

YOURSELF, available from Andrew Saul, 23 Greenridge Crescent, Hamlin, NY

14464 USA. .

 

 

 

Andrew Saul, PhD

--

 

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