By David Blyweiss, M.D., Advanced Natural Wellness

November 5, 2018

D.J. was in a tizzy when she came into my office. She’s a seasonal resident (snow bird) who just arrived in South Florida for the winter. And only a couple weeks ago she was diagnosed as pre-diabetic by her physician up in Wisconsin.

After talking with her, he wrote out a prescription for Metformin. (That’s the only medication recommended by the American Diabetes Association to delay the onset of diabetes.)

He also explained that if she progressed to type 2 diabetes she would be at greater risk of a cardiovascular event. So he wanted her to start taking a low-dose statin, too.

At the time she thought it all sounded extremely reasonable.

But the drugs are making her dizzy and giving her diarrhea. They also make her “feel funny” – but not in a good way.

“Could you give me something else?” she asked.

That was the wrong question.

Diabetes is Preventable – and Reversible – without Drugs!

Mainstream medicine has a blind spot when it comes to treating chronic diseases like diabetes. In so many cases, their first line of defense is to pull out the prescription pad. This prescriptionist attitude is what brings patients streaming into my clinic.

Drugs do not prevent diabetes. They do not cure it. All they do is help you maintain an unhealthy lifestyle longer while ongoing damage to your body continues. Drug controlled blood sugar doesn’t decrease your chances of future morbidity.

And they could end up making you sicker than you were to start with.

But believe me. Diabetes is entirely preventable – and reversible – without drugs.

Higher body weight, greater hip to waist ratio and exposure to statins all tend to speed up the progression of diabetes. (D.J. is chubby around the middle… and you noticed that her Wisconsin doctor recommended statin treatment, right?)

So the greatest plan of action in preventing or reversing diabetes is to address these concerns. No drugs necessary.

You see, when you gain weight your pancreas gains weight, too. This is where beta cells are found. These are the cells responsible for storing and releasing insulin so sugar can get into your cells.

When your pancreas is smothered in fat, beta cells can’t pump out enough insulin. This, in turn, leads to impaired glucose metabolism and diabetes.

All it takes is the loss of about one gram of fat in the pancreas to return insulin function to normal. But how do you lose fat in the pancreas? The same way you lose fat on the rest of your body. In particular, the foods you eat are your first line of defense.

Here’s the Eating Plan I Gave D.J.

Diabetes is a terrible disease. It’s the number one cause of kidney failure, lower-limb amputations and adult-onset blindness. To prevent these horrible outcomes, you MUST stop diabetes before it starts – or regain full control if you’ve already been diagnosed.

Your best bet when it comes to preventing and reversing diabetes is to adopt a healthy eating style. I personally recommend the Mediterranean way of eating. It’s loaded with fresh, antioxidant-rich produce, nuts, olive oil and fish – but low in dairy products and meat.

At the same time, it’s important to keep the following tips at the forefront of your mind:

Lower your glycemic load. High glycemic foods like sweeteners, breads, cereals and white potatoes add to the development of belly fat. The more of them you eat, the bigger your fat cells get.

So skip these foods altogether. Instead opt for fresh organic fruits, vegetables and beans. These carbohydrate foods are full of fiber that helps them absorb slowly into your system. This helps prevent the buildup of deadly abdominal fat.

Choose clean meats. Commercially raised meat, fish and poultry are pumped full of antibiotics and fed pesticide laden feed. This makes the farm animals grow fat more quickly. But when you eat it, it fattens you up, too. Go for grass-fed meats, pasture-raised poultry and wild-caught fish.

Pack in the protein. Protein is not only good for you; it makes you feel full and helps prevent dips and rises in blood sugar. But keep in mind that there’s more to the protein category than just meat. You can get plenty of it from beans, nuts, seeds, coconut milk, kefir and plain organic Greek yogurt.

Ditch the artificial sweeteners and foods that contain them. Artificial sweeteners DO NOT help you lose weight. Instead, they’re actually associated with an expanding waistline and a higher risk of weight gain and obesity. To make matters worse, these sweeteners are also associated with the development of diabetes.

If you feel the need for extra sweetness, stevia is your best choice. Unlike artificial no calorie sweeteners, stevia is a safe and natural sweetener that reduces after-meal glucose and insulin response – meaning it has a positive effect on your metabolism.

Supplement with green coffee extract. It contains something called chlorogenic acid. You’ll find this compound in coffee, too. But you’ll get about 270% higher concentrations from the green coffee extract than you would from regular coffee.

It works to block sugar absorption in your intestines and helps reduce the production of glucose after meals. Better yet, in just 60 days people who consume chlorogenic acid can lose almost twice as much weight as people who drink regular coffee.

And don’t forget to boost your physical activity. Head outdoors regularly for a walk, bike ride or swim. Every five minutes or so throw in a burst of intensity to help tone your muscles and burn extra calories.

SOURCES:

New research shows the multiple factors which determine how quickly diabetes progresses. Press Release. Diabetologia via EurekAlert. Oct 2018.

Taylor R, et al. Remission of Human Type 2 Diabetes Requires Decrease in Liver and Pancreas Fat Content but Is Dependent upon Capacity for β Cell Recovery. Cell Metab. 2018 Oct 2;28(4):547-556.e3.

Chen L, et al. Mechanisms Linking Inflammation to Insulin Resistance. Int J Endocrinol. 2015;2015:508409.

Pereira EV, et al. Effect of glycemic index on obesity control. Arch Endocrinol Metab. 2015 Jun;59(3):245-51.

Azad MB, et al. Nonnutritive sweeteners and cardiometabolic health: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and prospective cohort studies. CMAJ. 2017 Jul 17;189(28):E929-E939.

Thom, E. The Effect of Chlorogenic Acid Enriched Coffee on Glucose Absorption in Healthy Volunteers and Its Effect on Body Mass. J Int Med Res. 2007 Nov-Dec;35(6):900-8.