Diabetes disaster

Figures released today show that the number of people in the world with diabetes has risen from an estimated 30 million in 1985 to 285 million. Yet this disease is both preventable and reversible. Why are experts ignoring the evidence?

With a tenfold increase in the last 25 years and a prediction that closer to half a billion people, more than the entire population of America, will be diabetic by 2030, according to the international Diabetes Federation, it is insane that we aren’t doing more to prevent and reverse this lifestyle disease. The vast majority of diabetes (type 2 diabetes) can be brought completely under control with the right diet, supplements and exercise. Even those injecting insulin can achieve stable blood sugar without recourse to drugs. We have recorded many cases of complete reversals of diabetes. Adrian is a case in point. His doctor put him on my low GL diet to control his diabetes and lose weight. He lost 12kg (1st. 8lb) in the first four weeks – and completely normalised his blood sugar. Six months on he’d lost 38kg (6st.), an average of 1.5kg (3.2lb) a week – and 25cm (10in) off his belly. Adrian told me:‘ I am a totally changed person. I feel incredible. Before, I didn’t have acut-off switch. I could just eat and eat and would still be hungry throughout the day. After two months on your diet I now feel full and can leave food on the plate because I’m full… It’s amazing. It’s totally changed my life.’ Adrian is no exception

In 2008 I challenged GMTV to give me a diabetic and six weeks. Kyra, the volunteer, went from needing medication to needing none and having stable blood sugar, in six weeks with the strategy explained in my Low Gl Diet Bible. The book also contains many testimonials of former diabetics and precise instructions as to how to control blood sugar. This involves a very precise diet that stabilises blood sugar that is easy to do. This is not the same as a GI diet or a Mediterranean diet and is the most effective way at stabilising blood sugar, as well as burning fat. I also gave her chromium, 600mcg a day, together with cinnamon.

Flat-earthers deny the benefit of chromium yet it is has been demonstrated in numerous placebo controlled trials. The leading diabetes journal Diabetes Care, published a review in 2007 concluding that “Among participants with type 2 diabetes, chromium supplementation improved glycosylated hemoglobin levels and fasting glucose… Chromium supplementation significantly improved glycemia among patients with diabetes.” Even this review underestimates the effects of chromium taken in the right dose because those studies using 600mcg or more are substantially more effective than those using 200mcg, which is the usual amount found in a chromium supplement. Also, the results using either chromium polynicotinate or picolinate are better than those using chromium chloride.

What’s more the benefit of chromium is somewhat masked by the fact that most people in trials are on metformin. Both the drug metformin and the essential mineral chromium reduce ‘insulin resistance’. Chromium is an essential co-factor that makes the insulin receptor work, thus increasing insulin sensitivity. It has no toxicity below 10,000mcg. Metformin, on the other hand, raises homocysteine levels, a marker for increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, Alzheimer’s disease and osteoporosis. it also knocks out B12 so you’d be wise to supplement extra. There’s plenty of published cases of this in the medical journals but few doctors are aware of it.

It’s extraordinary that even if you go to the website of Diabetes UK the largest diabetes charity, and enter chromium in the search engine nothing comes up despite 20 years of published research. I remember on the GMTV interview a doctor, Sarah Jarvis, declaring ‘there’s absolutely no evidence. All the studies are flawed.” After the programme I gave her a copy of the review and asked her to educate me about the flaws, or email me. She would not even take the paper! To date she has not done so. It is this kind of closed mindedness that is keeping so many people away from helping themselves to better health, and keeping so many stuck on potentially harmful medication.

The single best indicator of improved blood sugar control is your blood level of ‘glycosylated haemoglobin’ (HbA1c). The more often your blood sugar goes high the more ‘sugar-coated’ and damaged red blood cells (haemoglobin) becomes. A level above 7 indicates an immensely high risk of diabetes. A level below 5.5 indicates no risk. Kyra, our GMTV volunteer, went from 7.8, to 6.2 six weeks later and off medication, to 5.2 one year on. If you have any concerns about your risk get your glycosylated haemoglobin checked. Your doctor can do this or you can do this yourself with a home-test kit.

Then you can try it for yourself. Test your glycosolyated haemoglobin. Go on my low GL diet, following the instructions for diabetes. Take a chromium supplement, ideally with cinnamon. Also eat cinnamon. A teaspoon a day is ideal – or less if you are supplementing a concentrated extract. Take the equivalent of 600mcg a day 2 x 200mcg with breakfast and 200mcg with lunch. I recommend everyone take a good high-strength multivitamin, extra vitamin c and zinc. In Kyra’s case she took my Optimum Nutrition Pack. Do some exercise every day. In Kyra’s case she walked for half an hour or more. Then re-test yourself six weeks later.

Alternatively, you can get a more personalised diet and supplement programme by completed the on-line 100% Health questionnaire which then calculates your dieal diet and supplement programme.

One word of caution: if you are on diabetes medication your need is likely to become less as your blood sugar level stabilises. If you start having too low blood sugar go to your doctor who will, or should, recommend you lower or stop your medication.

Let me know what happens.

Wisdom about new ideas: “First they say it’s not true. Then they say it’s true, but not important. Then they say it’s true, it’s important, but not new”