Diabetes An Epidemic
A new government study shows that staggering 41 million people are pre-diabetic. This condition dramatically increases your chances of becoming diabetic. With diabetes occurring in individuals as young as mid teens these numbers are staggering. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said,”these latest numbers show how urgent the problem really is.”
The good news is that with dietary changes and proper exercise diabetes can not only be delayed, but in most cases avoided altogether. The problem is that many people who are either pre-diabetic or diabetic don’t know that either condition exist. Left untreated diabetes can lead to kidney failure, blindness, heart disease, and stroke. Diabetes claims the lives of over 180,000 people yearly.
While most doctors rely on fasting blood sugar levels to diagnose this disease that number can be misleading. The medical community once felt that fasting-blood sugars of below 110 milligrams were normal, but for years I have found that numbers below 100 milligrams were more revealing. I also recommend to my patients that they test glycosylated hemoglobin levels. This is a more accurate measurement of diabetes. It looks at blood sugar levels over a 120 day period instead of what could be last night’s dinner. By combining this test with blood triglycerides, which are actually excess blood sugar stored as fat, I can suggest the proper supplementation and dietary guidelines to lower the risk factor. This epidemic of diabetes points to the need for controlling carbohydrate intake. That does not mean total removal of carbohydrates, but rather eliminating the refined flours and sugar, fruit drinks like orange juice, and dried fruit.
Diets such as Atkins, South Beach, or Zones diets can be very helpful in controlling blood sugar levels. All of these diets should undertaken with the help of a professional who can monitor your progress and suggest changes in the diet when necessary. In addition to diet there are nutritional products that I have found very effective in regulating both blood sugar and insulin levels. They are Diabatone, Gluotone, EPA/DHA, Magnesium, and Adrenal Support Plus. These nutrients will help to lower blood sugar, control insulin, and balance carbohydrate metabolism.
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by Dr. Steven Felder
