By: Cat Ebeling, RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

I’d like to call your attention to a miracle medicine that is probably sitting in the back of your medicine cabinet, long forgotten, gathering dust.

This safe and well-tested medication has been around for literally thousands of years. This simple medication can be considered as one of the greatest contributions to the health of mankind. I am talking about aspirin.

Aspirin, or acetylsalicylic acid, is still one of the most widely used drugs worldwide. Aspirin began as a derivative of willow bark, and was used as both a painkiller and fever reducer by the Egyptians, Sumerians, and other ancient civilizations.

Aspirin has since been used as an anti-inflammatory painkiller, headache reducer, and blood thinning medication. Aspirin also works well on muscle aches, arthritis, toothaches and menstrual cramps.

There is now growing evidence of aspirin’s wide-ranging benefits including fighting cancer, reversing dementia, improving mood, increasing blood flow, and improving metabolic health—to name just a few.

Aspirin is truly a lifesaving, proven, wonder drug with very few side effects.

Let’s dive into some of the amazing, but little-known benefits of this well-known medication.

Heart and Circulatory Support

Aspirin has a longstanding reputation for preventing heart disease. It does this by helping to prevent the blood platelets from clumping to form clots. Clots contribute to the incidence of heart attacks and strokes by blocking blood flow.

Aspirin can also stop a heart attack or stroke as it’s happening by helping to thin the blood and break up a blood clot.

Aspirin is also known as an anti-inflammatory, so its ability to lower inflammation can also be heart protective.

Brain and Nerves

Aspirin’s effects on the brain and nervous system are strikingly potent. Aspirin can be considered a powerful nootropic. Aspirin is especially effective at lowering inflammation in the brain. Inflammation in the brain can cause depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and other mental disorders.

Aspirin not only helps enhance moods and emotional stability, but it reduces stress, generates a feeling of calm, aids in better sleep, and banishes depression—while regulating serotonin and other vital brain chemicals.

And you may find this information truly amazing–Aspirin helps regrow neurons in the hippocampus. The hippocampus is the area of the brain responsible for mood, emotion, and judgement. This neurogenesis shows great promise at preventing and even reversing some forms of dementia, encouraging stroke recovery, and enhancing memory and cognition.

Neurogenesis is one of the key factors in longevity and slowing the aging process in the brain.

Aspirin stimulates the release of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, or BDNF. BDNF plays an important role in many physiological and pathological functions of the brain and nervous system. BDNF plays a crucial role in brain circuits and their ability to communicate. Proper functioning of the central nervous system depends on BDNF.

Aspirin’s anti-inflammatory actions also protect the brain, reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, MS, and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Because aspirin has the ability to break up blood clots, aspirin prevents further injury from strokes, aids in stroke recovery, and alleviates post-stroke depression.

Aspirin has long been known as a help for headaches, but it has also shown to be very effective especially in relieving migraines, especially in combination with caffeine. Aspirin can also help with nerve pain anywhere in the body, caused by simple aches and pains, diabetic neuropathy, chemotherapy or other health conditions.

Along with aspirin, these foods are shown to help heal the brain, and reduce the risk if mental diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, MS

Cancer Fighting

One of the more amazing unsung health benefits of aspirin is its ability to consistently reduce the incidence and mortality of various types of cancers. This is likely due in part to its gentle anti-inflammatory properties.

Long-term, low-dose aspirin has been linked to a reduced risk of colorectal cancer by inhibiting certain inflammatory compounds, according to the National Cancer Institute. Aspirin also reduces overall mortality of liver, pancreatic, prostate, lung, colorectal, breast, endometrial, and ovarian cancers, according to the Journal of Public Health.

Aspirin, when utilized as an adjuvant treatment, along with other more conventional treatments, reduces metastatic spread and increases survival rates of many cancer patients.

Paired with aspirin, these cancer fighting foods will detoxify your body, strengthen your immune system, repair cells DNA, and kill cancer cells to stop the spreading.

Immune Strengthening

Because aspirin has anti-inflammatory, and immune-balancing benefits, it strengthens immune function. This helps prevent overactive immune responses that cause chronic inflammation, and autoimmune diseases.

Inflammation is also a factor when the body is fighting off viruses, which is part of the immune response. However, an overly reactive immune system can cause more serious illness. Aspirin may help modulate the immune reaction so that it boosts its ability to fight viruses and other pathogens.

Studies suggest aspirin can affect the function of immune cells like macrophages, T cells, and dendritic cells, which are essential for recognizing and fighting infections.

Aspirin is also effective against the growth of some bacteria, like H.pylori which causes ulcers in the stomach, and candida albicans, which can infect the gut, causing a variety of symptoms.

Metabolic Health

Poor metabolic health has been discovered as one of the primary causes of inflammation, especially connected to chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer and dementia. Having healthy glucose regulation, along with insulin sensitivity is a goal for almost all people.

Aspirin helps to enhance the body’s ability to stabilize blood sugar by enhancing insulin sensitivity. One study with aspirin reported a 25% decrease in fasting glucose, along with a reduction in total cholesterol and C-reactive protein—all risk factors for heart disease, diabetes, and prediabetes.

This same study showed an amazing 50% reduction in triglyceride levels following a high-dose aspirin treatment. Triglyceride levels, a key indicator for heart disease, and other chronic diseases, are a reflection of blood glucose levels.

When too many carbohydrates and sugar are ingested, the body quickly turns that into glucose. The excess glucose is converted to triglycerides by the liver. Aspirin helps to slow that process, keeping blood sugar and triglycerides low.

Longevity

Aspirin should be everyone’s favorite anti-aging medication. As we age, our immune systems become dysregulated, which makes us more likely to have chronic inflammation. Decreasing hormone levels also contribute to increasing inflammation. This often helps to pave the way for diseases like Alzheimer’s, cancer, and heart disease.

Chronic low-grade inflammation or ‘inflammaging,’ is very common with older people. By lowering overall inflammation, the risk of all-cause mortality is significantly decreased. Studies show that anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin slow aging.

Aspirin is also responsible for inducing autophagy, the process that removes damaged cells and their components, improving cellular function and metabolic health. This cellular housecleaning helps stimulate energy production, while preventing structural and functional breakdown of mitochondria in the cells.

Everyone has a reason to live a long and healthy life. Making these small changes can help you not only live as long as possible, but living the longest, healthiest life possible—free of chronic diseases.

Reproductive Health

For women, low-dose aspirin is used to improve blood flow to the uterus which is helpful especially for women undergoing fertility treatments. Aspirin also shows promise in reducing the risk of preeclampsia and loss of pregnancy. And aspirin has been used for a long time to reduce the discomfort of PMS.

For men, aspirin is an aromatase inhibitor, which helps to lower estrogen levels by preventing the unwanted conversion of testosterone to estrogen. Because aspirin helps to thin the blood and encourage better circulation, it is also thought to improve blood flow to the penis to put an end to erectile dysfunction.

Other Health Benefits of Aspirin

• Aspirin helps to prevent oxidative damage and inflammation in blood vessels from polyunsaturated, vegetable seed oils.
• Aspirin helps reduce symptoms of psoriasis, and aids in healing skin wounds, and gum disease.
• Aspirin helps to manage asthma symptoms and prevent Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS).
• Aspirin can help prevent microvascular inflammation in the kidneys which protects the kidneys from damage in people with diabetes.
• Aspirin reduces the inflammation associated with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD).
• Aspirin can slow the progression of age-related macular degeneration by improving blood flow and reducing inflammation.

Aspirin is an amazing medication with widespread applications across most body systems. Aspirin may be one of the best longevity medications that reduces inflammation, prevents heart disease, lowers cancer risk, and protects the brain’s cognitive function.

Aspirin has few side effects, however, aspirin does pose a slight risk for bleeding in the gut, although some studies show only 8 out of 1000 had this reaction, while the placebo was 5 out of 1000.

Anyone interested in using aspirin long term should consult with their healthcare provider to determine if aspirin is right for them, based on their individual health.

Aspirin and healthy lifestyle changes can help reduce your chances of a heart attack, but If you want to avoid a devastating heart attack, also don’t miss this simple test…

Heart Attack Test: Touch Your Feet Like THIS (for 7 seconds)

Can you really predict a heart attack? 

According to America’s #1 heart nutrition expert, Dr. Sam Walters… this 7-second “feet test” can reveal if your heart is dying.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Just sit on a chair.

2. Touch your right foot.

If THIS happens… then your heart is desperately starving for oxygen (but most people only realize when it’s too late).

References

https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/13/5/789
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30391545/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10376986/
https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/research/aspirin-cancer-risk?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4838306/
http://content-assets.jci.org/manuscripts/14000/14955/JCI0214955.pdf
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10341252/
https://synapse.patsnap.com/article/the-benefits-of-pure-aspirin-powder?
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41392-022-01251-0#:~:text=Furthermore%2C%20thorough%20research%20on%20the%20pathogenesis%20of,in%20turn%20promote%20healthy%20aging%20and%20longevity
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4116353/
https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/14/11/e084105
https://www.mdpi.com/2673-9879/3/1/11
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3751197/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1043661824002676
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7327519/

The post Aspirin – The Forgotten Miracle Longevity Medicine appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling, RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

So, you just returned from your check-up with your doctor, where you’ve been told, “You’ve got diabetes”, or “You are pre-diabetic”.

Now what? So many diets out there, so much advice. Where do you turn? When you ask your doctor what to eat and not eat, he just shrugs and says, “Eat less sugar.”

It’s confusing, befuddling and a little scary. You want to get your health on track. What do you eat? What do you NOT eat?

Let me help you.

For starters, Type 2 diabetes is one of the world’s most preventable diseases. And what’s more, studies show Type 2 diabetes can be more easily reversed than originally thought—and many people are really doing it—and you can too.

According to this study done in Scotland in 2019 and published in the PLOS journal, approximately 5% or more of people with Type 2 diabetes in Scotland were in remission at the time of the study.

Most newly diagnosed diabetics and pre-diabetics find themselves in a hopeless and confusing situation, at the mercy of their doctors and conventional health care. This can become a downward spiral of helplessness, health issues and pharmaceutical intervention. Worst of all is the feeling of being clueless at how to maintain good health—that the condition can be reversible.

I’d like you to know that Type 2 diabetes is totally preventable, and can be reversible—by making a few simple dietary and lifestyle changes, and by gaining a better awareness of the foods and drinks that contribute to this condition.

The fact that Type 2 diabetes is trending upwards in the United States and the rest of the world, is proof that our current dietary guidelines, conventional medical and pharmacological treatments, and the commercial food industry are completely misleading the public with diabetes diet and treatment recommendations.

If this system worked, the numbers would be decreasing–not increasing. It’s pretty clear that we heading in the wrong direction!

In 1991, it was projected that around 11.6 million Americans would have diabetes by 2030—however those numbers were based on an old definition of diabetes, with a higher blood sugar level than what use now to diagnose diabetes. The number of Americans with diabetes is now double that number! And worldwide, the numbers are similarly increasing.

Diabetes has become a relatively common disease and the seriousness of the health ramifications are easily overlooked. Diabetes is directly tied to a high risk for heart disease, strokes, neuropathy, serious infections, kidney, and eye disease. And the presence of diabetes or obesity means contagious viruses like Covid can become life-threatening.

Health complications frequently associated with Type 2 diabetes include:

• Obesity
• Heart disease and stroke
• High blood pressure
• Blindness
• Kidney disease
• Nervous system disease
• Wounds, infections, and amputations
• Dental disease
• Pregnancy complications and birth defects
• Poor immune function and ability to fight off viruses and other pathogens
• Alzheimer’s or dementia
• Depression, anxiety, and other mood problems

The official medical definition of pre-diabetes is a fasting blood sugar of over 100 mg/dL, and the diagnosis for full-blown diabetes is 126 mg/dL. However, these numbers are rather arbitrary.

These cutoff numbers do not reflect the whole spectrum of risk that includes heart disease, cancer, dementia, strokes, kidney, and nerve damage—which start at much lower glucose numbers—numbers that conventional medical professionals often classify as ‘normal’. Diabetes exists on a spectrum.

The DECODE study of 22,000 people in 2003 from the European Diabetes Epidemiology Group measured blood sugar after participants ingested a standardized sugary drink, found that even starting at blood sugar levels that were seemingly ‘normal’ (95 mg/dL), there was a significant and consistent increased risk of heart disease and other diabetic complications.

However, Type 2 diabetes, or pre-diabetes, can be preventable and even reversible. And when you make the necessary changes to your diet, it has far-reaching effects for overall health and wellbeing!

A study from Newcastle University in the UK, found that losing body fat decreases fat in the pancreas. It is theorized that accumulated fat in the pancreas contributes to the onset of Type 2 diabetes. When that fat in the pancreas is reduced, the pancreas begins to work more efficiently.

According to Dr. Taylor of Newcastle University, losing just 1 gram of fat out of the pancreas will help the pancreas return to normal function. When the pancreas is functioning properly, it releases insulin which controls glucose in the blood.

According to this UK study, losing only 13% of your body weight will reduce fat in the pancreas to improve or reverse diabetes symptoms.

Yet, you probably won’t get this type of information from a conventional healthcare professional–because treating diabetics is very profitable. The whole healthcare industry, including doctors, dietitians, pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, weight loss centers, bariatric surgeries, kidney treatments, and nerve treatment clinics exist all because of complications of diabetes.

And here is a sad but true fact: There is more money in treating diabetics with insulin and pharmaceutical medications, than there is in curing diabetes with diet and lifestyle changes. A diabetes patient is looked at by medical professionals as a long-term patient who will bring in money to increase their profits. And, unfortunately, our healthcare system is a for-profit system—and a huge business at that!

Conventional Treatment Can Make Health Worse

The conventional treatment for Type 2 diabetes focuses on controlling blood sugar levels by raising insulin levels, although this method of treatment can worsen the underlying issue of metabolic miscommunication of hormones that govern blood sugar, appetite, insulin, and fat storage.

A scientific study of 33,000 people showed intensive drug treatment of Type 2 diabetes, is only effective in 15-17% of cases. Glucose-lowering drugs have been shown to increase the risk of death—and they don’t even prevent the dangerous complications of diabetes. Diabetics often get lulled into a false sense of security, thinking that their blood sugar and carbohydrate intake doesn’t really matter if they have medication to control their blood sugar.

Even if you closely monitor and maintain glucose control, diabetes can age you prematurely and shorten your life. The chance of diabetes worsening over time under conventional medical care is almost a certainty, since the medications that are used to control blood sugar also cause weight gain.

Conventional medical treatment starts a downward spiral: As a person gains weight and diabetes worsens, more medications are prescribed, and the doses keep going up and up.

The only way to break out of this vicious cycle is to make serious changes in diet and lifestyle and stick to them.

Diabetes is not caused by just having elevated blood sugar—it is caused by insulin resistance and poor hormonal signaling, which can be improved solely by changes in diet and activity levels.

Even the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine states that most cases of Type 2 diabetes can be, “…prevented by the adoption of a healthier diet and lifestyle”.

Diet is the single most important factor that leads to high blood glucose levels, insulin stability issues, metabolic dysfunction, high triglyceride levels and LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol).

And–diet can reverse these conditions as well.

The results of a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine show that making key lifestyle changes, including diet and exercise, will create positive change in body weight, blood pressure, and HbA1C blood glucose readings. Heart health can also improve, LDL cholesterol goes down and the healthy HDL cholesterol levels can increase.

Diabetics need to follow a natural whole-foods diet that excludes sugar in all forms, processed carbohydrates, grains, and omega 6 vegetable seed oils.

Diabetics should be eating grass-fed meat, wild caught fish, free range chicken, and oodles of fresh, raw vegetables and fruits. This is the best and healthiest way to regain your body’s natural balance. In turn, you can prevent diabetes complications and regain your health.

The fact is–our bodies are designed to be healthy—if we give them the appropriate materials. Give your body the right environment for healing and it will become a miraculous self-healing machine.

Risk Factors and Symptoms

Diabetes doesn’t develop overnight. It is usually from years of a poor diet lacking in nutrients, high in sugars and refined carbohydrates. Even something as minor as drinking just one soda or fruit juice a day can increase the odds of developing diabetes up to 80%.

Other factors that increase the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes include:

• Being overweight—even as little as 5-7% over suggested body weight
• Being over the age of 45
• Having a family member with diabetes
• Ethnic background of African American, Native American, Asian, Hispanic or Pacific Islander
• Previous incidence of gestational diabetes
• Blood pressure over 140/90
• HDL cholesterol less than 35, LDL cholesterol over 150, and triglycerides over 150

Diabetes can be sneaky and not have noticeable symptoms. Symptoms can vary widely from person to person. You may or may not experience some of these symptoms–but if you do, you need to make a visit to your physician or health practitioner to have your blood glucose and insulin levels checked:

• Frequent urination
• Excessive thirst—not related to anything else (i.e., exercise, heat, altitude, etc.)
• Increased fatigue
• Unusual or unexplained weight loss or gain
• Irritability
• Blurry vision
• Frequent infections of skin, urinary tract, or vagina
• Poor or slow wound healing
• Tingling or numbness in hands or feet
• Depression and anxiety
• Metabolic Syndrome

The Diabetes Spectrum

One of the primary things to understand about diabetes and high blood sugar is that there is no line that you cross over and then you have health issues. Type 2 diabetes and elevated blood sugar exist on a spectrum.

Optimal blood sugar levels should be consistently in the 80’s, and HbA1C levels should ideally be below 5%. Once those levels begin to rise you’ve entered the diabetes risk spectrum which starts with metabolic syndrome, moves to pre-diabetes, and then on to full-blown diabetes.

Pre-diabetes is not benign. Once you are in the ‘pre-diabetic’ range, damage is already occurring to your heart, blood vessels and organs. In fact, research shows that roughly two-thirds of patients admitted to an ER for heart attacks already had ‘pre-diabetes’.

Your risk of a heart attack increases with any rise in blood sugar beyond optimal levels. The fact is pre-diabetes can kill you before you ever get to diabetes from heart attacks, strokes, and cancer.

The point is this—Don’t wait until you have been officially diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes to change your diet and lifestyle.

How Does Diabetes Develop?

Most of the energy in our bodies comes from glucose, which is the sugar the body uses for fuel from foods we eat. Glucose comes primarily from carbohydrates in our diet, which we eat in the form of fruits, vegetables, grains, and other foods.

Glucose can also be broken down and metabolized from protein and fats as well, but carbohydrates and simple sugars are the most readily available for the body to use. So when you eat, food is converted to glucose and the blood carries the glucose to all the cells in our body. We also store some glucose in the form of glycogen, in the liver and the muscles.

As the glucose levels begin to rise, cells in the pancreas secrete insulin. The insulin lowers the glucose in the bloodstream and sends the glucose off to the cells where can be used or stored.

Insulin is the key to unlock your body’s cell receptor sites to allow glucose into the cell to provide energy for growth, repair, and energy production. When there is not enough insulin in the bloodstream to open receptor sites on our cells, or when the body no longer responds appropriately to the insulin that is released, glucose stays in the bloodstream, beginning its destruction.

High glucose in the bloodstream is extremely damaging. Think of it this way: if you put sand in your car’s gas tank, the damaging, the abrasive effects of the sand in the engine would destroy most of its sensitive components. Glucose in our bodies is similarly damaging, and it has very destructive effects if it rises out of control.

High levels of glucose irritate, inflame, and damage the lining of blood vessels, from the primary arteries to the smallest of capillaries.

Our heart and circulatory system, the brain, the kidneys and the tiny vessels in the eyes, our sexual organs, and the nervous system are most vulnerable to the damaging effects of glucose.

Massive quantities of free radicals begin to circulate from the excessive inflammation, which then attack your cells and their DNA. When DNA in cells is damaged, cells cannot reproduce properly. This is where cancer can become a likely possibility. And yes, glucose is the preferred food for cancer cells.

Weight and Type 2 Diabetes

Way before diabetes is diagnosed, the more weight someone carries on his or her body, the more insulin is necessary to lower blood glucose. So being overweight predisposes a person to diabetes.

The more overweight a person is, the more insulin is released each time they eat. Then, the more weight that is gained, the easier it is to store fat, and it becomes harder and harder to lose it. It’s a vicious cycle. Insulin also has a huge effect on hunger and appetite and makes it harder to stop eating.

The Vicious Cycle

When you eat sugary, starchy foods like cookies, pasta, bread, potatoes, etc., blood sugar spikes, then there is a rush of insulin to lower blood sugar. In a couple of hours, you will be hungrier than before. This sets people up for weight gain, obesity, and diabetes. For diabetics, this situation is even worse, as medication in the form of insulin not only works to lower blood sugar, but it increases fat storing.

Conventional medicine’s answer to treating diabetes is prescribe and administer insulin–which as a side effect—can cause weight gain and appetite increase. This treatment can create a vicious circle of weight gain, worsening diabetes, high blood pressure, and elevated triglycerides and cholesterol.

Then comes the blood pressure medication, statins for lowering cholesterol, and more pharmaceuticals—along with more complications. Many of these have weight gain and exercise intolerance as side effects.

Relying on lowering blood sugar with medication or insulin will not improve one’s health, nor will it counteract the effects of diabetes. In fact, relying on medications to lower blood sugar does NOT reduce the risk of death from any of the related health complications of diabetes of stroke, heart attacks, infections, and kidney disease. Only diet and lifestyle changes will.

What’s Wrong with Our Diet?

In the last few thousand years, our food system makes all kinds of food too easy to obtain—in fact, it’s hard to escape! Modern people don’t have to spend days burning up thousands of calories hunting or growing their own food.

The problem is that most food that is readily available is something that our bodies do not even recognize. Until a few thousand years ago, humans rarely even ate grains that were refined. And now, grains and soy make up about 75%-80% of most people’s diets.

Food made from processed grains, starches or sugars is very quickly converted into glucose in the body.

Sneaky Sugar

100 years or so ago, an average American consumed about 4 pounds or less of sugar a year. Today, the average American consumes between 150 and 200 pounds of sugar a year! Is it really any wonder why obesity and diabetes have skyrocketed?

Refined sugars are in most all processed foods, soft drinks, and even juices. Some of the less-than-obvious foods that contain high levels of sugar include:

• ‘Healthy’ whole grain cereals
• Barbecue sauce
• Ketchup
• Bread
• Crackers
• Frozen ‘diet’ dinners
• Hot dogs and other processed meats
• Marinades
• Spaghetti sauce
• Peanut and other nut butters
• Salad dressing
• Smoothies, juices, and other ‘natural’ drinks
• Energy drinks, energy bars

You can walk down virtually any inner aisle in a grocery store, pick up a can, bottle or box and find some form of sugar in the ingredients.

Modern man has never really evolved to eat a diet high in starches or sugars. It is contrary to our physiology.

Let’s take a moment to review Physiology 101. Our bodies have two primary sources of energy supply:

1. Fat—which we burn when insulin and blood sugar levels are low. Your body will access, break down, and burn your own fat for energy.
2. Glucose—which comes from the starches and sugars we eat. High glycemic foods are quickly turned into glucose in the body. In turn glucose levels go up and insulin is released to lower glucose. Insulin lowers blood sugar. The blood sugar is converted to fat and is stored. This also stops you from burning your own fat for energy.

Grain and Blood Sugar

Wheat and corn are two of the most used food ingredients in processed foods. They also can have some of the worst effects on your blood sugar.

Wheat gluten can be related to a whole range of inflammatory diseases, and even for those who are seemingly not gluten-sensitive, it causes low-level, long-term inflammation. Wheat also contains a substance called Amylopectin-A, which has been found in some tests to spike your blood sugar higher than even pure table sugar. In fact, amylopectin-A can raise your blood sugar more than almost any other carbohydrate source, based on blood sugar response testing that’s documented in studies.

Corn also has a very high sugar content and is a definite contributor to diabetes and obesity. Corn also contains substances that block nutrients from being utilized in the body. It can cause a variety of health issues, such as dermatitis, diarrhea, irritability, ADD and depression.

Eating a more primal style diet with low carbohydrates and free of grains and sugar is the healthier way to control blood sugar, appetite, and weight. This type of diet emphasizes eating real foods, such as fresh organic vegetables, and naturally raised meat and fish, along with ample amounts of healthy fats–while avoiding grains, omega 6 vegetable seed oils, processed foods, and sugars.

The Diabetes Weight Loss Diet

1. Eliminate all processed and packaged foods. A good rule of thumb is to look at the list of ingredients. If it has more than 3 ingredients, avoid it—especially if it contains ingredients that you don’t recognize or cannot pronounce. Keep on hand food that contains 1 ingredient or doesn’t even have a label. Most all food that has a label contains sugar and refined carbohydrates.
2. Eliminate sugar in all forms. This includes: sucrose, glucose, cane sugar, brown sugar, honey, molasses, fruit juice, juice concentrate, maltose, fructose, maple syrup, corn sweetener, natural sweeteners, beet sugar, organic cane juice, brown rice syrup, agave, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, xylitol, mannitol, and sorbitol.
3. Get rid of all artificial sweeteners. This includes Splenda (sucralose), Nutrasweet, (aspartame), Sweet n’ Low (saccharin), and anything containing sugar alcohols such as xylitol, sorbitol, malitol, and erythritol, or anything ending with “-ol”. These sweeteners can promote weight gain.
4. Beware of Stevia. Although Stevia is marketed as an all-natural safe sweetener that doesn’t affect blood sugar or insulin levels, beware of the commercially prepared stevia. Commercial stevia often has added sugars like dextrose (a sweetener made from corn), or erythritol (a highly processed sweetener).
5. Eliminate all grain products. Eliminate corn, wheat, rice, oats, and all “gluten free” products—most of these are highly processed starches that will raise your blood sugar quickly. Beware of “grain-free” products or gluten-free products, they often contain cassava or tapioca starch, another highly processed form of starch.
6. Eliminate all omega 6 vegetable seed oils such as: corn oil, soybean oil, peanut oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil and any oil that says “hydrogenated”. Also, check labels to be sure foods do not contain these inflammatory oils. Vegetable oils have been shown to cause weight gain and massive inflammation.
7. Avoid all soft drinks, diet drinks, energy/sports drinks, fruit juices, and sweetened teas-whether “diet” or sweetened with sugar, fruit juice, or high fructose corn syrup.
8. Remove conventional dairy products such as flavored yogurts or kefirs, and drinks—these contain high amounts of sugar. Also avoid drinking skim milk, as skim milk is quite high in lactose (a sugar), and the absence of milk fat makes it easily absorbable and can increase blood sugar. Dairy products increase inflammation as well.
9. Avoid commercially processed meats including cold cuts, sausages, bacon and jerky with added sugars and preservatives.
10. Avoid condiments including ketchup, mayonnaise, relishes, jams, jellies, salad dressings, and pre-packaged sauces like spaghetti sauce—as these often have a lot of added sugar.
11. Avoid frozen prepared dinners—especially ‘weight loss’ meals. These are full of preservatives, starches, sugar, and other chemicals that increase inflammation and addict the consumer.
12. Avoid soups in cans or boxes. These often have a lot of additives, sodium, sugars, and starches.
13. Eliminate non-dairy milks with added sugar or other sweeteners. Especially avoid soy milk, rice milk and oat milk—these are high sugar products. If you like non-dairy milk, use a nut-based one without added sugar.
14. Avoid starchy, high glycemic vegetables: beets, peas, white potatoes, carrots, and corn.
15. Avoid alcohol—especially beer and mixed drinks. If you feel you would like to drink alcohol, you can enjoy one glass of wine a day. Dry red wine has the least amount of sugar. Alcohol turns to sugar in our bodies and impairs our ability to avoid sugary, starchy foods.
16. Be aware that many medications contain either corn syrup or artificial sweeteners—especially over-the-counter cough syrups and antihistamines.

Diabetes-Fighting Superfoods

The best diabetes-fighting superfoods are low glycemic, have few carbohydrates, and have high concentrations of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals (healing plant chemicals), and fiber.

Not only will you find eating nutrient-dense foods satisfying and delicious, but because these foods are low glycemic and high in nutrition, you will feel satisfied and feel your cravings for junk food start to recede. Our bodies are smart–when you feed your body the nutrition it needs, it stops craving more food.

Low glycemic (low sugar) foods not only keep your blood sugar stable and low—where it should be, but because they do not stimulate an insulin release, they do not stimulate your appetite. Result: you feel satisfied and full longer.

Being in a state of ‘un-health’ with diabetes or pre-diabetes—or even being overweight—means you are most likely missing out on valuable nutrients in your diet. Besides stabilizing your blood sugar, eating super foods will restore valuable nutrients to your body. By doing this, you will help reverse your diabetes and in the process, you may prevent or get rid of other health issues as well.

You will want to follow these principles to maximize the nutrient value of your food and maximize your health:

1. Whenever possible, eat REAL food that has only ONE ingredient.
2. Eat organic as much as possible. For a list of the foods you should eat organic and foods ok to eat conventionally-raised see the “Dirty Dozen and Clean 15” and www.ewg.org. This list is updated annually.
3. Eat high quality protein: grass-fed meat, pasture-raised/organic poultry, wild-caught fish, and pastured eggs.
4. Buy local, if you can. Include vegetables, meat and dairy products that are raised nearby. Smaller, local farms have more naturally raised options, and less shipping time means more nutrition in the food. Most local food is raised with fewer pesticides, herbicides, etc. And you will KNOW where it came from.

Keep in mind, major changes to your diet may mean you have to adjust your taste buds. Your body may be used to super-sweet, processed foods with added chemicals, artificial flavorings and sweeteners that enhance the flavor.

Real food may taste different, but you may find that real food tastes far better than any processed junk. Your cravings for sweets subside as you nourish your body with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants—everything it is craving. As you eliminate sugar from your diet you will find that you do not need added sugars.

Diabetes-Fighting Veggies

Vegetables should be the cornerstone of your diet and the primary food group you are eating. Vegetables are concentrated sources of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, and diabetes-fighting phytochemicals. Organic veggies not only help to reverse diabetes, but they also help you lose weight, speed up your metabolism, optimize your health and are good for the planet as well!

Vegetables are high in vitamins, mineral and fiber. They fill you up, while being very low in calories, so you become healthier and lose weight when you eat a diet heavy in vegetables.

When you ingest the fiber from vegetables and protein, before eating carbohydrates, blood sugar remains 30% lower. And, the fiber in vegetables keeps you regular, and cleans out toxins, cholesterol, and waste products, and helps to prevent a majority of diseases.

Here are 9 ways to increase vegetables in your diet:

1. Buy local whenever possible. Buying local ensures you fresh picked, seasonal vegetables, with the highest concentration of nutrients. They taste much better too.
2. Try different kinds of vegetables chopped up in salads. Enjoy salads with a variety of greens, carrots, cucumber, radishes, sweet red pepper, tomatoes, walnuts or almonds, and a hard-boiled egg, tuna, or meat. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar and some herbs, (keep these ingredients on hand, and you never have to eat unhealthy bottled salad dressing again), and viola! A delicious low glycemic meal.
3. Sauté or lightly steam vegetables till tender crisp, not mushy. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime, grass-fed butter, sea salt and pepper.
4. Keep raw veggies cut up in the fridge and you always have a handy low calorie, high nutrient, high fiber snack on hand.
5. Use sliced cucumber, zucchini, celery, and other veggies to dip into hummus, bean dip, guacamole, or salsa instead of chips or crackers.
6. Mash up cauliflower instead of high glycemic mashed potatoes. Chop cauliflower into small pieces and steam until tender. Add garlic browned in butter, sea salt and pepper, and mash with a fork or potato masher.
7. Make sandwiches and tacos out of lettuce leaves. Use butter lettuce, Bibb, or Boston lettuce and wrap any combo of meat, fish, and veggies in lettuce. Try tuna salad this way! Many restaurants are beginning to offer this on the menu. You can also try making sandwich rolls from seaweed sheets.
8. Add a variety of greens to your smoothies. Use kale, spinach, Swiss chard, mache, parsley, or any other power greens in your smoothies. You can also add celery, zucchini, cucumber, and other vegetables to smoothies as well. You generally can’t taste them, and blending them up with your smoothies makes them ‘pre-digested’ so your body easily absorbs the nutrients.
9. Try grilling vegetables. Nothing tastes better than grilled asparagus, grilled zucchini or summer squash, or grilled sweet red peppers or sliced onions. One of my favorite ways to eat vegetables in the summertime is when they are garden fresh!

Other Top Superfoods for Diabetes

• Avocados – The healthy fats and other nutrition you get from avocados help stabilize blood sugar and insulin. This fruit is super high in healthy monounsaturated fat, and full of vitamins, minerals, micronutrients, and antioxidants. It fights cancer, obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. And because avo’s are high in fat, they are filling and satisfying.
• Beans and Legumes – Black, white, navy, lima, pinto, garbanzo, soy, and kidney beans are a terrific combination of slow-burning carbohydrates, satisfying protein, and soluble fiber that helps stabilize blood-sugar levels, and keeps hunger in check. Beans are also inexpensive and versatile.
• Coffee – You may be happy to hear that drinking coffee can decrease the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by more than half, according to a new study from University of California, Los Angeles. And, a 2011 study in the Journal of Molecular Nutrition and Food Research revealed that coffee consumption helped to prevent or delay degenerative diseases connected with free radicals.
• Wild Caught Fish, Grass-Fed Meat and Free-Range Poultry, Eggs and Raw, Unpasteurized Cheese – Naturally raised, antibiotic and hormone free cattle, poultry and fish contain the highest amounts of nutrients possible, because these animals are eating their natural diet. Their fat contains more anti-inflammatory omega 3 fats and other essential fatty acids as well.
• Apple Cider Vinegar – Vinegar has been shown to lower post-meal glucose by 34%, according to an Arizona State University study. Vinegar slows the absorption of carbohydrates in the blood and slow the breakdown of starches eaten into sugars. The study also shows that vinegar increases insulin sensitivity.
• Nuts and Seeds – Almonds, cashews, and walnuts sit at the top of the list for nutrition, but many other varieties of nuts and seeds are healthy, too, including pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, pistachios, pecans, cashews, macadamias, and Brazil nuts. Nuts are chock-full of minerals, including copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, zinc, and selenium. Selenium is a potent cancer-fighting mineral, and aids the thyroid gland, which regulates metabolism, and fat burning in the body. Beware of overdoing a good thing—nuts a significant amount of inflammatory omega 6 fats. AVOID any nuts roasted in vegetable oils!

• Olive Oil – We now know that monounsaturated fats like olive oil, coconut oil, and nuts is beneficial to our overall health. Olive oil varieties are a bit like wine, where different growing conditions, soil and weather dictate the taste, color and levels of polyphenols and antioxidants in the oil. People who use olive oil regularly have lower rates of heart disease, atherosclerosis, diabetes, colon cancer, and asthma. A Spanish study published in the Diabetes Care, showed a Mediterranean style diet rich in olive oil reduces the risk of Type 2 diabetes by almost 50 percent compared to a low fat diet. Diets using ample amounts of olive oil improved adiponectin levels, thus reducing inflammation and heart attack risks.

• Grass-fed Butter and Ghee– Healthy fats are key to good health. They supply your body with essential fatty acids for blood sugar stabilization, longevity, hormone balance, heart health, sharp vision, glowing, moist skin and energy. The best source of healthy butter is from organic, grass-fed cows. Natural fats are the most beneficial to the body. Fat is converted to the most efficient type of fuel for the body. Fat helps our bodies absorb nutrients–particularly calcium and fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K.

• Coconut Oil – Coconut oil is one of the healthiest oils, helping to lower LDL cholesterol, and raise HDL cholesterol—preventing heart disease. This recent study showed that mice fed coconut oil better insulin sensitivity and less body fat than mice fed lard. This study helps how medium chain ‘fatty acids’ found in coconut oil can help burn body fat. Pure coconut oil (make sure it is not hydrogenated) is one of the best options for cooking oil, due to its highly stable nature under heat. This article below describes more details about cooking oils and which are healthy vs. unhealthy: 

• Dark Green Leafy Vegetables – Including chard, spinach, baby greens, romaine, kale, arugula, and collard greens. Leafy greens deliver massive health benefits and big nutrition in the form of vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, and phytonutrients. Leafy greens are high in magnesium which helps to stabilize blood sugar. In addition to its blood sugar-controlling abilities, it also assists in metabolism of carbohydrates and reduces cravings for sugar. Leafy vegetables are also rich in folate, vitamins K, C, E, and many of the B vitamins, iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium, and contain beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which protects cells’ DNA. Carotenoids, which are the antioxidants in orange, red, yellow, and green vegetables have been shown to reduce the risk of diabetes Type 2 by 20% or so.

• Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Kale and Other Cruciferous Veggies – Eating foods rich in vitamin C helps to lower inflammation and keep it in check, thereby lowering the risk of diabetes.
  Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables are also rich in potassium, which helps to regulate glucose metabolism. Potassium is necessary for the beta cells in the pancreas to ‘sense’ elevated blood sugar levels, and respond by secreting insulin. Cruciferous vegetables helping the body eliminate xenoestrogens. Xenoestrogens are artificial estrogens from toxic chemicals in our environment, plastics, cosmetics, and food additives.

• Garlic and Onions –Both of these pungent herbs contain an ingredient, allicin, known for antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and antioxidant properties. Garlic and onions help to increase insulin sensitivity and stabilize blood sugar, as shown by a study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food. Garlic is known to prevent heart disease and strokes, and onions contain a hefty amount of quercetin (especially red or purple onions), which helps to reduce inflammation, help allergies, and fight heart disease and cancer.

• Berries and Cherries – when you crave something sweet, berries like raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and cherries fit the bill. Berries and cherries are diabetes superfoods because they are packed with powerful antioxidants, vitamins, fiber, and little natural sugar. Berries’ deep red, blue or purple color comes from a compound called anthocyanin, which is a flavonoid antioxidant that has been shown to reduce insulin resistance and help control blood sugar.

• Dark Chocolate – When you feel you need a satisfying treat and crave chocolate, reach for an antioxidant-filled piece of dark chocolate. Chocolate is made from the beans of the cacao tree, theobroma cacao. Cocoa contains several antioxidants which are effective in preventing weight gain and Type 2 diabetes by curbing the appetite and improving glucose tolerance. The flavonoids in dark chocolate have powerful antioxidant properties, which means they reduce inflammation, promote healthy arteries, and help fight aging by preventing–and repairing–cellular damage. A small bar of dark chocolate can contain the same amount of antioxidants as six apples, four and a half cups of tea, or two glasses of red wine.

• Seaweed – New studies report certain seaweeds slow down processing of carbohydrates, which keeps blood sugar from spiking. Brown seaweed extracts appear to the ability to interfere with the release of simple sugars as well, which reduces post-meal blood sugar spikes. Other research on seaweed shows seaweed lowers blood pressure and reduces heart attack risk.
• Green Tea – Green tea helps to sensitize insulin cells so they are better able to metabolize sugar. A Japanese study published in the Diabetes and Metabolism Journal found that people who drank 6 cups of tea a day were 33% less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes. It does this by slowing the action of the digestive enzyme, amylase. This enzyme is pivotal in the breakdown of starches (carbs), that can cause blood sugar levels to soar following a meal. This is exciting stuff — green tea might be a missing link in proper glucose management. Tea also contains polyphenols which reduce oxidative stress, and cause vasodilation which expands and relaxes blood
  vessels, reducing blood pressure, and lessening the chances for heart attacks and strokes. Green tea is also a fat burning food. Green tea increases metabolic rate, which burns more calories, according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

• Red Wine – Red wine can be healthy for diabetics! A small glass of red wine a day can help keep diabetes under control. The polyphenols found in red grape skins help regulate glucose levels. Some antioxidants interact with human cells involved with fat cells, energy storage and blood sugar regulation. These antioxidants have a similar action as the diabetes drug Avandia.

Keto Diet and Diabetes

While conventional diet and medical practice focus on carbohydrates, as in the Standard American Diet, a better option is reduced carb Paleo or keto. Low carb Paleo and Ketogenic diets can reprogram our bodies to fat burning machines. These kinds of diets are very effective in lowering the amount of glucose circulating in the body and bringing back insulin sensitivity once again.

What is the difference between a Paleo diet and a Keto diet?

The Paleo diet has been popular over the past decade. Paleo emphasizes eating a diet close to what our primal ancestors ate: no grains, no dairy, no legumes, no processed foods, and no refined sugar. Paleo eaters do eat some sweet potatoes, fruits, starchy vegetables, allow natural sweeteners like honey, maple syrup and dates. Paleo diets also include grass-fed pastured meats, poultry, eggs, wild caught fish, game, and healthy saturated fats.

Is a Paleo diet effective for type 2 diabetes? The Paleo diet can contain variable amounts of carbohydrates and natural sugars, depending on the types of paleo foods you choose to eat. Many versions of Paleo diets include sweet potatoes, or desserts sweetened with dates, honey, molasses, or maple syrup.

The ketogenic diet is not a new dietary fad–it has existed since the 1950’s as a treatment for epilepsy and other health issues. It recently gained popularity to fight chronic disease, increase physical stamina, fuel the brain, and reduce body fat.

The ketogenic diet takes Paleo a step further by restricting carbohydrates to a much larger degree. A keto diet restricts most carbohydrates and sugar, keeping blood sugar low. This forces the body to burn fats for energy. Keto diets are even more restrictive than Paleo diets as far as carbs go. A keto diet is the perfect diet for a diabetic. A keto diet allows 20-50 grams of carbohydrates per day.

How a ketogenic diet works for type 2 diabetic

The best and healthiest method to lower blood sugar for a Type 2 diabetic is by severely restricting carbohydrates and sugars, in addition to increasing antioxidants and other nutrient-dense foods.

The keto diet is very low carb, and low sugar, so blood sugar stays low. Most people on the keto diet can easily lose weight, and the body becomes much more sensitive to insulin. utilize for energy. The keto diet contains these macro nutrients:

• 60-75% calories from healthy fats
• 15-30% calories from protein
• 5-10% calories from carbohydrates

Keto Diet Research

A study was done at Duke University on 28 overweight participants with type 2 diabetes. After only 16 weeks, participants had these results:

• 16% decrease in HbA1c
• 20lb weight loss, average
• 42% decrease in triglyceride levels
• 10 patients reduced or stopped medication

This study by Stephen Phinney and Jeff Volek, shows convincing evidence that cutting carb intake to 30g a day, improved blood sugar levels and helped weight loss in adults with type 2 diabetes. In almost 60% of participants, diabetes medication was decreased or stopped altogether. After 10 weeks on the keto diet:

• HbA1c had a 6.5% decrease
• BMI decreased by 7%
• 112 reduced diabetes medications, 21 totally eliminated diabetes medications

Another study of 84 people, found 24 weeks, diabetes markers of fasting blood glucose, body mass index (BMI), weight, and Hb A1C dropped drastically. This study looked at 2 groups—low calorie vs low carb/high fat.

Low-calorie group

• Fasting glucose decreased 16%
• BMI decreased 3, 15lb weight loss, average
• 5 reduction in HbA1c

Keto group

• Fasting glucose decreasesd 20%
• BMI decreased 4, 24.5lb weight loss, average
• 5 reduction in HbA1c

Another study of 363 overweight and obese participants looked the ketogenic diet on weight loss and diabetes. 102 of the subjects had type 2 diabetes. One group consumed a low-calorie diet and the other group consumed a keto diet. Subjects were measured on these parameters:

• Body weight
• BMI
• Waist circumference
• Blood glucose
• HbA1c
• Cholesterol, LDL, HDL, triglycerides
• Uric acid, urea, creatinine

After 24 weeks, both groups had improved in all metrics but the keto group had more significant results. Diabetic medications were decreased to half and some were discontinued for those on the ketogenic diet.

Conventional Diabetic Diets vs. Ketogenic Diets

Despite all the positive research on ketogenic diets for diabetes, most doctors and dietitians still recommend terrible high carb diets to manage diabetes. A typical medically supervised diet recommended for a type 2 diabetic would include 45-60g carbohydrates at every meal, plus 15-30g of carbs for snacks.

Keto diets are a crucial key to healthy management of type 2 diabetes. Dietary carbohydrate restriction has the greatest effect on decreasing glucose levels. Type 2 diabetics can adhere to a ketogenic diet at least as easily as they can most other diets, and often better.

Dietary carbohydrate restriction is the most effective way to reduce serum triglycerides, LDL cholesterol and increasing healthy HDL cholesterol.

The available evidence suggests a keto diet is a safe and effective way to control or reverse type 2 diabetes and lose weight in the process. Many people on keto-style diets report increased overall health, reduction of chronic disease symptoms, and elimination of ahes, pains and mental issues. The result is a healthy body, better blood sugar control, weight loss and a clear head.

Important Note:

Your physician is your partner in this diabetes plan, so be sure to share with him all the details of your new diet and lifestyle, so that he can modify your medications and monitor your health as needed. It is highly likely that if you follow this plan, you will need to reduce or even stop your medications, as this plan will have significant effects on your blood sugar levels.

However, DO NOT attempt to change your medication dosages without consulting your physician first.

References
https://www.perfectketo.com/keto-diet-vs-paleo-diet-ketosis-better-paleo/
https://www.marksdailyapple.com/keto-and-type-2-diabetes/

Geary, M., Ebeling, C., The Diabetes Fix, Nutrition Watchdog, 2016.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Diabetes Statistics Report: Estimates of Diabetes and Its Burden in the United States, 2014. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services; 2014.

American Diabetes Association. “Nutrition Recommendations and Interventions for Diabetes–2006 A position statement of the American Diabetes Association.”Diabetes care 29.9 (2006): 2140-2157.

Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration. “Diabetes mellitus, fasting blood glucose concentration, and risk of vascular disease: a collaborative meta-analysis of 102 prospective studies.” The Lancet 375.9733 (2010): 2215-2222.

O’Gara, Patrick T., et al. “2013 ACCF/AHA guideline for the management of ST-elevation myocardial infarction: a report of the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines.” Journal of the American College of Cardiology 61.4 (2013): e78-e140.

Aguiree, Florencia, et al. “IDF diabetes atlas.” (2013)

“Update 2014”. IDF. International Diabetes Federation. Retrieved 29 November 2014.

Geiss LS, Wang J, Cheng YJ. Thompson TJ, Barker L; Li Y, Albright AL, Gregg EW.
Prevalence and incidence trends for diagnosed diabetes among adults aged 20 to 79 years, United States, 1980-2012. JAMA 2014; 312:1218-1226.

Yancy Jr, William S., et al. “A low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet to treat type 2 diabetes.” Nutr Metab (Lond) 2 (2005): 34. Westman, Eric C., et al. “The effect of a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet versus a low-glycemic index diet on glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus.” Nutr Metab (Lond) 5 (2008): 36.

Hussain, Talib A., et al. “Effect of low-calorie versus low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet in type 2 diabetes.” Nutrition 28.10 (2012): 1016-1021.
Noakes, Manny, et al. “Comparison of isocaloric very low carbohydrate/high saturated fat and high carbohydrate/low ‘saturated fat diets on body composition and cardiovascular risk.” Nutrition & metabolism 3.1 (2006): 7

The post Why You Are Doomed to be Overweight and Unhealthy with Conventional Diabetes Treatment — Unless you do THIS appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling, RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

You may have seen an interesting new ingredient on your healthy food products lately and have been wondering exactly what it is. Monk fruit, or lo han guo, is a small green melon from China with a very sweet taste—but zero calories as a sweetener and zero carbs. It also does not raise blood sugar levels. This sweet little secret has been around for decades, but is just now making its way into mainstream foods as a healthy, zero calorie, natural alternative sweetener.

We’ve had a variety of choices for low calorie sweeteners over the years. However, most of them have previously met with negative reviews due to potentially serious health issues.

Consider for example, these low-calorie artificial sweeteners that have been on the market (all approved by the FDA):

• saccharin/SweetN’Low
• aspartame/NutraSweet
• sucralose/Splenda
• neotame/Newtame
• acesulfame potassium/Ace-K, Sunett, Sweet One

All of these have been found to have adverse health effects, negatively affect the gut microbiome, have links to some types of cancers, increase appetite and actually cause weight gain.

Saccharin or benzoic sulfinide, was discovered by a scientist studying coal tar derivatives. This coal tar derivative was considered a cancer risk and has been a controversial sweetener ever since.

Aspartame, or NutraSweet as it is called, has been found to be neurotoxic and the excitatory amino acids in it can cause long term damage to the brain neurons. One of aspartame’s primary ingredients, phenylalanine, blocks the production of serotonin in our gut, which not only negatively affects moods, causing anxiety and depression, but low serotonin also brings on food cravings—especially for sweet, starchy foods. Result is often weight gain.

While sucralose was marketed as a safer artificial sweetener called Splenda, it is a chemically created compound modified by adding chlorine atoms to sugar. This is like ingesting small amounts of chlorinated pesticides. Oh, and by the way, sucralose was discovered in the 1970’s by scientists who were working on creating a new pesticide.

Many people are actually allergic or sensitive to artificial sweeteners and can have reactions ranging from an itching, oozing rash, hives, eczema to nausea, diarrhea, and wheezing.

Artificial sweeteners have been found to disrupt our microbiome in our gut as well, causing a big drop in serotonin production. This can lead to a variety of digestive problems, brain dysfunction and mood disorders including:

• Seizures
• Migraines/headaches
• Gut dysbiosis
• Diarrhea
• Asthma
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Stroke, dementia, Alzheimer’s
• Brain tumors
• Sperm damage
• ADHD
• Cancer
• Kidney dysfunction

Artificial sweeteners also trigger insulin release and increase appetite, defeating the purpose for which they are used in the first place—causing cravings, excessive eating and weight gain.

Stevia, a natural sweetener derived from the stevia plant, has been used for years as a safe and natural alternative to artificial sweeteners. Stevia, however, when used in its more natural form, can have an unpleasant aftertaste that is bitter or metallic tasting. And, some people actually have allergic reactions to stevia. Many of the commercially marketed stevia products are mixed with dextrose, erythritol, and lactose, making them nutritionally much different and iffy as far as being a healthy sweetener.

Enter monk fruit. Monk fruit has traditionally been used in herbal medicine and has a naturally sweet taste. Monk fruit contains something called mogrosides, which are intensely sweet.

Monk fruit sweetener has several health benefits as a natural sweetener. It has zero calories, zero carbohydrates and no harmful side effects–like the FDA-approved artificial sweeteners listed above.

Monk fruit also contains antioxidants and does not raise blood sugar, making it safe for diabetics or weight loss. According to this 2011 study, monk fruit has been safely used in traditional Chinese medicine for many, many years. One of its uses is to relieve sore throats and minimize phlegm in colds and flu.

And since monk fruit has been used for centuries, it is a safe and healthful sweetener. The Food and Drug Administration has determined that monk fruit is “generally recognized as safe (GRAS)” for everyone, including pregnant women and children.

However, outside of traditional Chinese medicine, monk fruit mass is just now beginning to be mass marketed, so more scientific studies will have to be done to determine its overall effects.

The downside of monk fruit includes the fact that monk fruit is difficult to grow and harvest–and it spoils easily–so it is still a fairly expensive product. While it is gaining in popularity, it is still tricky to find monk fruit sweetener at your local grocery or health food store.

Monk fruit does have a little bit of a bitter or strange aftertaste, depending on the food or drink it is included in. Monk fruit sweeteners can be used in coffee, tea, salad dressings, sauces, baked goods, and even as a sweetener in collagen and protein powders.

While monk fruit has zero calories and carbohydrates, be careful because most baked goods, smoothies and other drinks still have plenty of calories on their own, and can fool you into thinking you are not eating any calories.

Monk fruit is a member of the Curcurbitaceae family, which includes pumpkin, cucumbers, squash, and melons. If you are allergic to any of these foods, you may be allergic to monk fruit.

While monk fruit may need further research to study all of its health impacts, it seems to be a great, natural alternative to other artificial sweeteners—and great for anyone who wants to limit sugar in their diet. Especially those with diabetes or following a weight loss diet. While there are a few claims about monk fruit’s ability to prevent cancer or other health problems, more research is needed.

Try this luscious, healthy, frosted monk fruit brownie recipe from our friends at Healthline and thesmartcookieblog.com. You are sure to enjoy every bite!

Speaking of diabetes…If you think that Type 2 Diabetes is irreversible like many misinformed doctors will tell you, then you need to read some of the proof below on how to naturally reverse Type 2 Diabetes…

Although eating “paleo” or even low-carb is a good first step, you’ll also see below other techniques on just how simple it can be to “fix” your diabetes, control your blood sugars, and lose all of that excess fat sitting on your stomach.

> 1 Simple trick to REVERSE your Diabetes, naturally (while getting off drugs ASAP)

References
https://www.truthinadvertising.org/extra-ingredients-natural-stevia-product/
https://chriskresser.com/how-artificial-sweeteners-wreak-havoc-on-your-gut/
https://usrtk.org/sweeteners/aspartame_health_risks/
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322769#stevia

The post Monkfruit–The Curiously Sweet, Low Calorie Natural Sweetener appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling, RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

Most people would be surprised to hear that oral health is very closely tied to overall health. But it’s absolutely true. Research shows that oral health has a far greater impact on many serious health conditions than you may realize. Making sure your teeth and gums are healthy will actually go a long ways towards helping you prevent diseases like heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and dementia. If you neglect your mouth, you can be setting yourself up for major health issues that can actually shorten your life.

The Mouth Has its Own Microbiome

Much has been said about the digestive system’s microbiome. But guess what? The digestive system begins in our mouths. And our mouths also contain hundreds—if not thousands—of microorganisms including bacteria, fungi, and other small critters. While the health of your gut flora has been proven to play a very important role in your health, it has become increasingly apparent the health of your mouth flora is also vital to your health.

In people with a healthy oral cavity, the tiny bacteria and other micro-organisms in the mouth actually play a role in the digestion of food. These little micro-organisms also play a role in the immune function, warding off dangerous pathogens that could invade your body. The oral microbiome also helps to protect the teeth from those invaders that can cause cavities and gum disease.

When oral care is lacking, and diet is off, the bad bacteria in the mouth can quickly multiply to combine with any sugars or starches and attack the teeth. This can result in cavities, gum disease, tooth decay, periodontitis and other infections. These infections can easily spread to other parts of the body.

While Americans seem to prize big, white, dazzling smiles, our actual dental health is pretty bad. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that 91% of adults had cavities. Almost a third of all adult Americans have some type of tooth or gum issue going untreated. A whopping 64.7 million American adults have periodontal disease, an inflammatory bacterial disease of the gums, and for Americans who are 65+ years old, the number of them who have tooth and gum issues is 65%.

Why is our oral health so bad? It’s actually pretty simple—it’s diet. Diets high in sugar, processed grains and carbohydrates, combined with acidic, sugary drinks just eat away at our teeth and ruin our oral health. Even vegan diets high in carbs, fruit and grains can cause serious oral health issues.

Certain inflammatory digestive problems like gluten intolerance has been shown to cause serious damage to the teeth and gums as well. One study on this shows a direct correlation between celiac disease in children and enamel degradation, along with increased incidence of cavities. It’s hard to say whether this is due to the problems with malabsorption of minerals, or the increased inflammation that goes with gluten intolerance. My guess is that it is probably both. Likewise, a similar effect can be expected for those suffering from other inflammatory gut diseases and disorders, including IBS, Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis.

So, it’s not only WHAT we put in our mouths that comes into contact with our teeth, but the food and nutrients that we put into our bodies that also affects the health of our teeth, gums and oral cavity.

Let’s take a look at some of the more common and serious health problems caused by bad oral health:

Heart Disease and Strokes

Most people would never make the connection, but poor oral health increases the risk for heart disease and strokes. Bacteria that causes gum disease can get into the bloodstream, along with plaque from the teeth and cause inflammation, blood clots and narrowed blood vessels. The damaging effect on the blood vessels can also lead to hypertension and strokes. In addition, colonies of bacteria can attack and infect the inner lining of the heart causing a serious condition called “endocarditis”.

Diabetes

Diabetics generally have a much higher risk of developing sores and infections. This includes the gums and teeth. With the addition of gum disease, symptoms of diabetes can worsen and it can become increasingly difficult to manage blood sugar levels. It becomes especially important for diabetics to take exceptionally good care of their teeth and gum. In addition, because gum disease leads to higher than normal blood sugar levels, a person with poor oral health is at an increased risk of developing diabetes.

Erectile Dysfunction

Yes, really! Poor oral hygiene, gum disease and cavities all put men at increased risk for ED. Chronic gum disease is actually known to have a direct tie to problems with ED. When bacteria from diseased gums get into the bloodstream it inflames blood vessels. When inflammation is present it can block blood flow to essential areas, including the genitals, making erections difficult or impossible.

Cancer

Tooth and gum disease increase the risk of a variety of cancers including, kidney cancer, pancreatic cancer, and cancers of the blood. Evidence shows chronic infection and inflammation are associated with increased risk of cancer development. There is also a strong connection between bacterial and viral infections and cancer cell growth.

Obviously, poor oral health practices such as smoking or using tobacco products can lead to oral and throat cancers, but other types of cancer have also been linked to gum disease as well.

Respiratory Infections and Lowered Immune Function

When bacteria and harmful pathogens residing in the mouth are inhaled into the lungs, or travel there through the bloodstream, there is definite elevated risk of respiratory infections, including severe Covid-19, pneumonia, acute bronchitis, and even COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). What’s more, infection and inflammation in the mouth lowers immune function even more, making it even harder to fight off these serious respiratory infections, making them potentially deadly.

Dementia

Poor oral health can have very negative effects on the brain. Substances released from inflamed gums can actually kill brain cells and lead to memory loss. Dementia and possibly even Alzheimer’s disease can result from the inflammation and infection from gum disease, when bacteria in the mouth is absorbed into the bloodstream.

In addition to the above serious health issues and diseases, poor oral health can also lead to:

• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Infertility
• Pregnancy problems
• Kidney disease
• Fibromyalgia
• Asthma
• Autoimmune disease

How to Protect Your Oral Health

First off, be sure to visit a dentist a minimum of once a year for a regular checkup and cleaning. They can inspect your gums and slow down any potential for gum disease or tooth decay. Be sure to brush often and floss daily.

Change your diet. Studies have shown a definite connection between a highly processed, high sugar diet and oral disease. Sugar and starches stick to the teeth and raise the acidity in the mouth, creating a perfect place for bad bacteria to multiply and do their damage.

A low carb, Paleo or ketogenic diet helps to lower carbs, reduce any sugars in the mouth, and protect the gums and teeth from infection. In addition, a healthy, balanced diet full of antioxidant rich vegetables, naturally raised meats and absent of starchy grains and sugar, is healthy for the whole body.

Protecting your oral health is exactly the same as looking after your overall health and wellbeing.
Eat well, get plenty of sleep, get outside and get lots of sunshine and vitamin D, exercise, and reduce stress.

Did you know that this…

60-Sec bedtime ritual rebuilds your teeth and gums overnight (Users say it’s better than implants)

Doctors still can’t believe their eyes…

Every person who did this 60-second trick before going to bed, experienced a dramatic rejuvenation of their gums, rebuilt their teeth…

And even got rid of bad breath and ugly spots…

No matter how advanced their tooth decay was…

And all they had to do is mix 2 dirt-cheap ingredients.

Some of them even claim they’ll never have to go to the dentist again after this…

See here the breakthrough method that’s making dental implants absolutely useless.

References:
https://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-your-oral-biome-influences-your-overall-health/
https://www.marksdailyapple.com/oral-health-what-you-eat-and-dont-eat-counts/
https://www.123dentist.com/how-your-oral-health-can-impact-your-overall-health/
https://www.absolutedental.com/blog/10-health-issues-caused-by-bad-oral-health/

The post Oral Health Linked to Heart Attacks, Strokes, Dementia and Cancer appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling, RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

Ten Deadly Things That Can Happen When You Don’t Get Enough Sleep

Sleep is one of the most important things you can do to take care of your health. I actually rank sleep up there with eating organic healthy food and getting regular exercise. It is my top three priorities and I am a shameless guardian of my sleep. It is just THAT important.

But—hormone changes, stress, lack of exercise and other lifestyle factors can totally interfere with sleep. Most of the industrialized world is sleep deprived to some extent.

1. Disasters

Sleep is so important though, that the lack of it can have devastating and dire consequences. In fact, sleep deprivation has been a factor in some of the biggest disasters in recent history: the 1979 nuclear accident at Three Mile Island, the massive Exxon Valdez oil spill, the 1986 nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl, the space shuttle Challenger explosion, Air France flight 447 (killing all aboard), the Great Heck rail crash in UK, and many, many more.

2. Automobile accidents

Lack of sleep is also a huge public safety hazard every day on the road. Drowsiness can slow reaction time as much as driving drunk. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that sleepiness is related to over 100,000 auto crashes and 1,550 sleep-related deaths a year in the United States alone.

3. Work Accidents

Studies show that sleep loss and poor-quality sleep also lead to accidents and injuries on the job. In one study, workers who complained about excessive daytime sleepiness had significantly more work accidents, particularly repeated work accidents. Sleepy workers are 70 percent more likely to be involved in accidents and workers with chronic insomnia are far more likely to report industrial accidents or injuries.

People with excessive sleepiness who also snore (a potential sign of sleep apnea) are twice as likely to be involved in workplace accidents. And tragically, a Swedish study of nearly 50,000 people found that those with sleep problems were nearly twice as likely to die in a work-related accident. Sleep deprived people also had more sick days per accident.

4. Deadly Medical Errors

The Institute of Medicine’s report estimates that as many as 98,000 deaths occur per year in the United States’ hospitals–due to medical errors. Long work hours and patient overload among hospital workers contributes to this serious problem.

5. Mental Dysfunction

But that’s not all. Sleep loss actually affects your thought processes, making you more forgetful, clouding your judgement, and making it harder to comprehend information. Sleep deprivation also causes irritability, moodiness, depression and excess anxiety.

Studies show people who are sleep deprived report increases in negative moods (anger, frustration, irritability, sadness) and decreases in positive moods. And if you go long enough without sleep, you will actually start to hallucinate. A lack of sleep can also trigger manic episodes in those with bipolar disorder. Other psychological risks include:

• Increase in impulsive or criminal behavior (lack of judgement)
• Increase in anxiety and depression
• Paranoia
• Suicidal thoughts

Sleep deprived people can also experience something called “micro-sleep” where you fall asleep for a few seconds without realizing it. This can be incredibly dangerous depending on the situation.

6. Chronic Disease

Lack of sleep actually makes you more at risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, kidney disease and obesity. And this recent European Heart Journal study showed that those people getting less than 7-8 hours of sleep a night had a 35 percent higher of cardiovascular disease and strokes.

7. Hormone Production

Hormone production is super dependent on your sleep. Sleep is vital for growth hormone production. Growth hormone is necessary for building muscle, repairing cells and rebuilding tissue and collagen production.

For testosterone production, you need at least three hours of uninterrupted sleep, which is about the time of your first REM episode. Not sleeping enough depletes hormone production.

8. Poor Immune Function

During sleep, the immune system releases a type of protective protein called cytokines–some of these actually help promote sleep. Cytokines are a line of defense that is needed to fight off infection or inflammation, or during times of stress. Sleep deprivation decreases these protective cytokines, along with infection-fighting antibodies and cells, making it difficult for the body to fight off any infectious illnesses.

9. Out of Control Appetite

Hormones that make you feel hungry like ghrelin or full, like leptin get out of control. Leptin goes down while ghrelin goes up, making you crave the munchies. In addition sleep deficiency actually creates a higher than normal blood sugar level, causing more insulin to be released. When insulin is released, appetite goes up. All of this means sleep deprivation will most likely cause hunger and weight gain.

10. Accelerates Aging

Sleep deprivation can cause your skin to age faster, according to a new study. In a clinical trial by skin care specialists, it was found that poor sleepers showed definite signs of aging skin. Sleep deprived women showed signs of premature skin aging, and a decrease in their skin’s ability to recover from sun exposure.

Researchers found that those who didn’t sleep well exhibited more signs of skin aging including fine lines, uneven pigmentation, poor color, and reduced skin elasticity. The researchers also found that those who enjoyed quality sleep were more quick to recover from stressors to the skin such as sun and environmental toxins.

Considering the importance of sleep, how do you safeguard those 7-8 hours every night? Well, of course, try to get to bed at about the same time every night. This gets your body into a habit of sleeping/waking that is vital to good sleep.

Be sure to get some vigorous activity in every day—especially outside during daylight hours if possible. If you can just get outside for a brisk walk at lunchtime, it can help a lot! Lifting weights or any other type of strenuous exercise will help even more—as long as you don’t do it within 2 hours of bedtime.

WATCH the Caffeine in your drinks, food or medications. Caffeine has a half-life of 6 hours. So think of this—ONE cup of coffee contains about 100 mg of caffeine. With a half-life of 6 hours, that means that six hour later, you still have 50 mg in your system and another 6 hours later, you have 25mg in your system. Obviously if you drink coffee at lunch time, you will still have caffeine in your system at bedtime. And some people are genetically inclined to be even slower metabolizers of caffeine.

Don’t get dehydrated. Drink plenty of water, because dehydration can actually make heart pound harder as it works to get that slightly thicker blood around the body.

Too much alcohol will definitely mess up your sleep—even more than a couple of drinks will disrupt sleep and REM cycles, often causing you to wake up in the night. Too much alcohol can also cause more night sweats and hot flashes—especially for women.

Stress. We all have it. If you can, try to find relaxing ways to end your day, like meditating, stretching, yoga, or a hot Epsom salts bath. Even a hot shower works well–as your body cools off, it actually helps you feel sleepier.

We know prescription sleeping pills are certainly not the best solution for sleep, but many of us turn to these as a last resort—or our Doctors are pushing them on us, so we take them.

The thing is, sleeping pills can cause a lot of unpleasant side effects from headaches and sleep hangovers to nausea, irritability, and dizziness.

They can also cause you to do crazy things like raid the fridge at night in a sleepy stupor, drive your car in your sleep, sleep walk, grind your teeth, snore, or have sleep apnea, and more.

Here are a few natural ways to promote a sound and restful sleep—with beneficial side effects!

Magnesium

Magnesium helps your muscles relax and it helps you feel more calm. Magnesium also helps with deep sleep phases. And its super important for overall health as well, as it contributes to about 300 other necessary functions in the body, including heart health. Epsom salts contain magnesium so a Epsom salt hot bath is awesome way to relax and get to sleep.

Theanine

L-theanine is a natural chemical that helps calm down the activity in the brain. And it does help with sleep and to help you feel calm and rested. But be aware that theanine or L-theanine can have a bounce back reaction, and it cause anxiety when it wears off.

Melatonin

Melatonin is a natural brain chemical that helps with sleep. The biggest problem with melatonin is that it can cause you to wake up when it wears off in the middle of the night.

To solve this, you can take melatonin in a time release form.

It is better if you only take it once in a while like when you are changing time zones, drink too much or stare at your computer too late at night.

Collagen

You’ve probably never heard of this one, but Collagen is excellent for sleep—and it’s great for your hair, skin and nails as well. Try a nice steaming mug of collagen/bone broth before bed. The primary amino acid in bone broth or collagen is glycine, which is very effective for inducing sleep. Glycine also helps lower your body temperature, which induces sleep, and it restores your natural REM pattern to your sleep as well.

CBD Oil

If you don’t already know, CBD is the non-psychoactive ingredient in hemp or marijuana. In other words, CBD does not get you ‘high’ and is legal. CBD is also an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-nausea, and calming pain killer, that helps stimulate melatonin production as well. If you do decide to try out CBD oil, please check out this link from our friends from Healthy Living Nutritional.

For Women–Progesterone

Progesterone starts do decrease around ten years before menopause ever starts. Progesterone is a relaxing, “feel good” hormone for women. It really helps to promote a sense of calm– getting rid of anxiety and irritability.

So even if you are in your 40s and having trouble sleeping at night, you may need progesterone. Progesterone is relatively safe and easy to use. You can purchase it in an over-the-counter natural cream and apply it right before bed, using as much or as little as you need.

Sex

Sex helps stimulate endorphins, oxytocin and vasopressin—all hormones which help create calming feelings of attachment, security, and relaxation. So perhaps you can nudge your partner to see if they are interested in helping you get a good night’s sleep.

And finally, If none of these things help, it may be worth a visit to the doctor to have blood work done to check hormone, nutrient and thyroid levels, and to rule out other health conditions.

Good night. Sleep well.

Natural Alternative to Help You Sleep Fast

Looking for a natural way to fall asleep and keep asleep, this remedy has been around since the 1600’s, and is still used today as a form of natural anesthesia for surgery!

This natural ingredient in this knock-out tea works as good as ambien WITHOUT the side effects.

>> knock-out tea (will knock you out in 20 minutes)

References
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/sleep-deprivation-accidents-disasters_n_4380349
https://www.optisom.com/en/learn-about-sleep/sleeps-impact-on-workplace-and-employee-safety
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK19958/
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130723155002.htm
https://www.healthline.com/health/sleep-deprivation/effects-on-body#6
https://chriskresser.com/the-diet-heart-myth-how-to-prevent-and-reverse-heart-disease-naturally/

The post Why Not Enough Sleep Can Actually Kill You appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling, co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

Type 2 diabetes is fast becoming a real epidemic in civilized countries. The statistics show an ever-increasing trend of obesity, diabetes and its related complications like heart disease, kidney disease and peripheral neuropathy. Many experts are convinced that this fast-growing tidal wave of diabetes is the result of the global expansion of sugar, sugary soft drinks and major food corporations getting people addicted to terrible processed foods that are cheaper than most healthy foods and are heavily advertised to the masses.

However, type 2 diabetes has the potential to be completely reversed following dietary and lifestyle changes that dramatically reduce or eliminate sugar and starches.

Relying on lowering blood sugar with medication or insulin will not improve one’s health, nor will it counteract the effects of diabetes. In fact, relying on medications to lower blood sugar actually does NOT reduce the risk of death from any of the related health complications of diabetes of stroke, heart attacks, infections, and kidney disease. Aside from the fact that diabetes drugs do not actually do anything positive for a diabetic’s health, there are many negative side effects, many of which can be downright deadly.

In one large study, called the ACCORD study, that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2008, the 10,000 patients who were being treated with insulin or blood sugar-lowering drugs were monitored and evaluated for their risk of heart attack, strokes and death. The National Institutes of Health ended the study early because the medical intervention was leading to MORE deaths, heart attacks, and strokes.

Many of the conventional medical methods for lowering blood sugar actually increase insulin levels, which in turn causes more harm overall. Avandia, one of the world’s best-selling diabetes drugs, has over 50,000 lawsuits filed in the United States alone, because the drug makers failed to inform patients about possible life-threatening side-effects that include stroke, heart failure, heart attack, bone fractures, vision loss and death.

While many of these drugs do lower blood glucose levels, there seems to be no real evidence that any of the diabetes drugs actually reduce the risk of the complications of diabetes.

Most diabetes medications aim to increase insulin in the body to counteract the ever-rising levels of glucose. One of the big issues with this conventional treatment is the negative side effects that actually seem to exacerbate the complications of diabetes. Below is a list of most used diabetes meds and their primary side effects:

• Metformin — Metformin increases insulin sensitivity. Metformin also lowers glucose production in the liver. Side effects include nausea and diarrhea, and weight gain. Another significant, documented side effect of Metformin is Vitamin B12 depletion, further increasing the chances of neuropathy.
• Sulfonylureas—This class of medications help your body secrete more insulin. Side effects include low blood sugar and weight gain.
• Meglitinides – These medications stimulate the pancreas to secrete more insulin. Side effects include low blood sugar and weight gain.
• Thiazolidinediones – Like metformin, these medications make the body’s tissues more sensitive to insulin. This class of medications has been linked to weight gain and increased risk of heart failure and fractures. Rosiglitazone (Avandia) and pioglitazone (Actos) are examples of thiazolidinediones.
• SGLT2 inhibitors. They prevent the kidneys from reabsorbing sugar into the blood. Instead, the sugar is excreted in the urine. Side effects may include yeast infections, urinary tract infections, increased urination and hypotension.
• Insulin therapy. Some people need insulin therapy as well. Insulin lowers blood glucose and is a fat storing hormone, so it causes weight gain. Insulin promotes inflammation in the body when used in excess, causes hormone imbalance and increases body fat storage.

Keep in mind, however, that while most of these diabetes medications may lower blood sugar levels, increase insulin, or make the body more sensitive to insulin, they still do not prevent the serious and life-threatening complications of diabetes: High blood pressure, high LDL cholesterol, high triglycerides, poor sex drive, infertility, blood clots, kidney failure, infections and amputations, cancer, depression, heart disease, strokes, and Alzheimer’s, and more.

Insulin treatment also creates a greater susceptibility to cancer. The connection between diabetes and cancer is fairly clear—in fact, several studies have shown up to a 30% great likelihood that diabetic patients on supplemental insulin can develop colon, breast or prostate cancers.

Berberine for Type 2 Diabetes Shown to be as Effective as Diabetes Medication

There are a few natural solutions to helping to treat type 2 diabetes, and berberine is one that has a strong background of being especially effective for type 2 diabetes.

Berberine is a powerful plant extract with several impressive health benefits. It can effectively lower blood sugar, help with weight loss and improve heart health—two things that most pharmaceutical diabetic medications cannot do. It is also anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial and is effective against diarrhea, intestinal parasites, Candida albicans, and possibly Methicillin-resistant staph aureus.

Berberine works to:

• Decrease insulin resistance, making the blood sugar lowering hormone insulin more effective.
• Increase glycolysis, the breakdown of glucose inside cells.
• Decrease glucose production in the liver.
• Slow the digestion of carbohydrates.
• Increase the number of beneficial bacteria in the gut.
  
  

Berberine is a bioactive plant extract that comes from several different types of plants, including goldthread, Oregon grape root, barberry, tree turmeric and goldenseal. It has been used in both Ayruvedic and Chinese medicine for more than 2500 years and is now being used and studied extensively in the modern world.

Several impressive studies show that berberine can lower blood glucose as effectively as the drug metformin, without the negative side effects. Two of the best-known peer-reviewed studies published in the journals Metabolism and the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology compared berberine in one group to metformin (Glucophage) in another group. The berberine group had very similar blood sugar-lowering effects as the metformin group. In addition, the berberine also effectively reduced the patients’ A1C, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, and blood pressure… Three things that metformin cannot do!

• Hemoglobin A1c decreased from 9.5% to 7.5% (about a 21% reduction)
• Fasting blood glucose (FBG) decreased from 190.8 to 124.2 mg/dl
• Postprandial blood glucose (PBG) decreased from 356.4 to 199.8 mg/dl
• Triglycerides from 100.5 to 79.2 mg/dl

Berberine works by stimulating uptake of glucose into the cells, improves insulin sensitivity, and reducing glucose production in the liver. This review published in the International Journal of Endocrinology further expanded on berberine’s role in treating type diabetes:

            “BBR [berberine] is used to treat diabetic nephropathy (DPN), diabetic neuropathy (DN), and diabetic cardiomyopathy due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.”

How does berberine work?

Berberine works by activating a metabolism-regulating enzyme within the body’s cells called AMPK (adenosine monophosphate activated protein kinase).  Yes, that’s a mouthful! AMPK regulates a variety of biological activities that normalize lipid, glucose, and energy imbalances. Think of AMPK as your metabolic master switch. Definitely something you want to keep switched to ‘ON’!

Metabolic syndrome, a precursor to diabetes, occurs when these AMPK pathways are switched off. This triggers high blood sugar, high cholesterol, high triglycerides and energy issues. AMPK shifts energy to cellular repair and maintenance. Activating AMPK produces similar benefits for diabetes and metabolic syndrome as exercise, dieting and weight loss.

Berberine and Weight Loss

When overweight adults took 500mg of berberine 3 times daily for 12 weeks, they easily lost an average of 5 pounds. The researchers note that, “…berberine has potential clinical application in reducing visceral fat and controlling obesity.”

Berberine has the ability to inhibit fat storage and also improves insulin function, leptin and adiponectin. Leptin is a very powerful hormone produced by fat cells. It tells your brain whether you should eat or not. Leptin is the way your fat cells speak to your brain. If Leptin signaling is working, when fat stores are full, they cause a surge in leptin which tells your brain to stop eating and storing fat. The problem is of course, when this signaling goes awry, it causes excessive eating and fat storage.

Adonipectin is a hormone secreted by fat cells that helps control glucose regulation and fatty acid oxidation. Obese people are often low in adonipectin, but berberine helps to increase adonipectin which helps to normalize metabolic function.

So, the bottom line here is that berberine could reduce the size of your fat cells and cut down on the number of them as well.

Berberine is also thought to enhance brown fat, which is a heat-generating special type of fat that burns energy instead of storing it. It is loaded with active mitochondria cells that convert this fat into energy which produces heat. This animal study shows how berberine increases energy expenditure, helps burn fat, improves cold tolerance and enhances active brown adipose tissue.

Berberine for Memory and Cognitive Function

Blood sugar levels, insulin sensitivity and diabetes go hand in hand with memory and cognitive dysfunction. In fact, it is now thought that high blood sugar and diabetes are connected to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Berberine has been found to enhance memory function in some animal studies, by preserving a brain chemical, acetylcholine, that is important for memory, focus and cognition. The result for berberine was improved learning and memory, along with lower oxidative stress.

How to take Berberine

According to Dr. Josh Axe, berberine should be taken two to three times a day. Generally, most studies have used safe dosages starting at 500 mg a dose. So, 500 mg two to three times a day is a good place to start. Take berberine with a meal or on a full stomach to avoid any stomach upset and to take advantage of the post meal glucose and lipid spike that often occurs. It is best to start with just one dose/day and increase slowly to ensure they can stay in control.

When you take berberine, please note that insulin may need to be cut back significantly, so monitor blood sugar frequently.  Many diabetics have been able to totally stop their other pharmaceutical diabetes medications, with the inclusion of berberine. Be sure to monitor blood sugar regularly and consult your physician. Look for a berberine product with a standardized berberine extract so that the dosages and strength are consistent.

Berberine Side Effects

If you have a medical condition or are on any medications, including antibiotics, then it is highly recommended that you speak to your doctor. This is especially important if you are currently taking blood sugar-lowering medications, so that your physician can monitor your blood sugar and current medication levels.

Diabetics who are using other medications must use caution when using this supplement to avoid dangerously low blood sugar levels. People with low blood pressure should also be careful when using it since it can naturally lower blood pressure. Pregnant and nursing women should not take berberine.

Overall, this natural compound has an outstanding safety profile. Primary side effects are minor, but could result in some cramping, diarrhea, flatulence, constipation or mild stomach pain. Stay with the smaller dosages — spread out through your day and after meals — to avoid most of these side effects.

In addition to its huge benefits for diabetes, berberine is helpful for other health issues as well including:

• Anti-aging
• Gastrointestinal infections
• Heart disease
• High cholesterol
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Immune challenges
• Joint problems
• Low bone density

Stay tuned for more info on berberine, as there are many ongoing studies on its effectiveness as a powerful natural health aid.

Along with berberine did you know that this food is the fastest way to lower A1C, and big pharma wants this taken down immediately…

According to the US National Library of Medicine, there’s one special food you should be eating daily.

Because for folks with blood sugar issues, it works just as well (or even better) than metformin.

No one wants to take meds like metformin for the rest of their lives. So if you’d like to dump yours in the trash, you should try this out.

Put all the horrible side effects of metformin behind you. No more diarrhea, stomach aches, feeling sick or losing your appetite.

Instead, you just enjoy this tasty food every day to lower your A1C and lose weight at the same time.

To get the full story and learn which special food to eat, watch the complimentary video here.

P.S. Big pharma wants this taken down, so be sure to watch now while you still can.

References
https://draxe.com/berberine/
https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms6493
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/06/22/berberine-benefits.aspx
http://www.life-enhancement.com/magazine/article/2439-berberine-is-superior-to-metformin
https://www.schoolafm.com/ws_clinical_know/blood-sugar-busting-berberine/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5839379/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2410097/
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03029390
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/type-2-diabetes/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20351199

The post Metformin vs Berberine for Diabetes (Plus this yellow herb lowers blood pressure, fights parasites, and more) appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.