At the Whitaker Wellness Institute, we routinely prescribe high doses of water- and fat-soluble vitamins and minerals to virtually all of our patients. However, for our
patients living with diabetes, we bump up those amounts by at least 50 percent. The diabetic condition causes increased urination and essentially acts as a diuretic, washing away magnesium, zinc, folic acid, and other vital nutrients from the body. Supplementing with high levels of these vitamins and minerals helps compensate for nutritional deficiencies and protect against diabetic complications.
Take Roxann, a type 2 diabetic who had been on insulin for 16 years. She had retinopathy, angina, high blood pressure, a history of two heart attacks, and an open ulcer on her foot that refused to heal. But the most debilitating of her problems was neuropathy. Nerve damage left her with virtually no sensation in her feet, and she could barely get around on her own.
After hitting rock bottom, Roxann came to my clinic and started on a comprehensive nutritional regimen that included high doses of antioxidants, B-complex vitamins, zinc, magnesium, and targeted nutrients and herbs known to help control blood sugar. Given the severity of Roxann’s condition, she also underwent a course of enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) and hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT).
Within three days, the feeling began to return to Roxann’s feet. She had more energy, less pain, and a renewed sense of hope. By the end of her second week at the clinic, she was walking normally. In fact, she and her daughter did something that would have been unthinkable just three weeks before: They spent the next couple of days strolling around and sightseeing in southern California.
If you’re living with diabetes and are seeing a conventional doctor, ask this question: “Doctor, I understand that diabetes causes losses of many micronutrients in the urine. Would it be wise for me to be on a nutrient supplement regimen to counteract those losses?”
If your doctor says it’s not needed or gives you some garbage about lack of science or some other nonsense, run—don’t walk—to a physician with a different attitude toward nutritional supplementation and other natural diabetes treatments. You just might save yourself a whole lot of suffering.
For more information on treating diabetes or key supplements for diabetes, visit
www.drwhitaker.com.
Type 2 diabetes information and research can be found all over the place, but much less is written about type 1. That’s likely because the vast majority of people living with diabetes have type 2. Nevertheless, type 1 diabetes warrants discussion.
Type 1 diabetes, sometimes referred to as juvenile diabetes because it usually appears before the age of 20 (though it can crop up at any age), results from the inability of the pancreas to produce adequate insulin. Insulin is the nutritional storage hormone. Produced in specialized beta cells located in areas of the pancreas called the Islets of Langerhans, insulin is the key that opens up cells to glucose and other nutrients. If there is not enough insulin in the bloodstream to “unlock” these cells so that nutrients can get in, cells literally starve to death.
Not surprisingly, classic symptoms of type 1 diabetes include extreme hunger as the body tries to compensate for this inability to feed its cells, and rapid weight loss as the cells are unable to utilize food, regardless of how much is eaten. In addition, untreated individuals with type 1 diabetes are extremely thirsty, drink copious amounts of fluids, and urinate excessively. This is because the kidneys, in an attempt to keep things in balance, excrete as much excess glucose via the urine as they possibly can.
People with type 1 diabetes are often diagnosed in the emergency room—dehydrated, wasting away, and sometimes in a life-threatening diabetic coma. Their blood glucose is sky high, usually between 350 and 750 milligrams per deciliter of blood (mg/dL; normal is 80 to 110 mg/dL).
This type of diabetes is defined as an autoimmune attack on the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Researchers aren’t sure exactly what causes the immune system to attack, but viral infections are one possible cause.
But to reiterate, only 10 percent of all people
dealing with diabetes have this form of the disease. For the other 90 percent, lifestyle factors—the foods you choose to eat, the supplements you take, your activity level, and your weight—determine whether or not you will develop diabetes and what course it will take if you already have it.
For more information on treating diabetes, diabetes risk factors, or diabetes success stories, visit
www.drwhitaker.com.
What you eat has a profound effect on your blood glucose levels and your risk of developing insulin resistance and
type 2 diabetes. So if you or a loved one are at risk for or already dealing with diabetes, read the following information carefully.
Refined carbohydrates and sugars are rapidly broken down into glucose, driving up blood sugar levels and placing an increased burden on normal metabolic processes. Please avoid them whenever possible.
On the other hand, vegetables, legumes, and most fruits, cause a slow, sustained release of glucose into the bloodstream. Couple these slow burners with moderate amounts of lean protein and healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, and you’ll find it easier to control blood sugar.
Other great dietary tips to help you manage diabetes include:
- Eat moderate amounts of lean protein with every meal. Good sources are fish, poultry, tofu, egg whites, and legumes.
- Avoid saturated fats and trans fatty acids, found in margarine and other processed fats, and eat only healthy fats, such as those found in raw nuts and seeds, olive oil, and flaxseed.
- Make unprocessed carbohydrates the mainstay of your meals. Concentrate on fruits, vegetables, and legumes.
- Whenever possible stay away from starchy carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes, and refined grains.
For more information on diabetes, diabetic complications, and reversing diabetes, visit
www.drwhitaker.com. While there,
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One of the primary reasons we’re seeing a worldwide glut of insulin-resistant diabetes is because more and more emerging nations are adopting the Western diet that we’ve “enjoyed” for years. Indigenous diets of fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes, and whole grains are being replaced with processed, refined foods that have been stripped of their natural fiber and nutrients. Meat has become more prominent in the daily diet. And fast-food restaurants are springing up all over the globe. This is horrible news for anyone trying to
manage diabetes.
In the US, we’ve been eating a schizophrenic diet for years. In a futile effort to lose weight, we fill up on fat-free cookies and ice cream, which are nothing more than unhealthy refined carbohydrates. We’ve also become sugar junkies. According to US Department of Agriculture statistics, Americans consume an average of 149 pounds of sweeteners a year—not counting the artificial sweeteners that we consume in more than 7,000 products.
Excess fat is also a culprit, particularly saturated fats from meat and altered trans fatty acids in processed foods. As early as the 1920s, it was demonstrated that a high-saturated-fat diet contributes to type 2 diabetes, as it not only causes weight gain—one of several diabetes risk factors in itself—but also decreases insulin sensitivity and makes it difficult to control blood sugar.
Beating diabetes has a lot more to do with lifestyle choices than with which pill to take next. Stay tuned to this blog for additional diet recommendations and other natural remedies for diabetes.
For more information on diabetes, diabetic complications, and reversing diabetes, visit
www.drwhitaker.com. While there,
sign up for FREE e-letters, or subscribe to
Dr. Whitaker’s monthly newsletter, Health & Healing.
Chromium is a trace mineral that is a boon for people living with diabetes. Its therapeutic value was first discovered in the 1950s, when researchers isolated a previously unknown substance from pork kidney. When they gave this substance to laboratory rats with glucose intolerance (a pre-diabetes form of insulin resistance), it caused such significant improvements that they named it glucose tolerance factor (GTF).
This unique compound was found to improve the activity of insulin and facilitate the uptake of glucose into the cells. Research intensified and, in 1959, the active ingredient in GTF was identified: chromium.
Chromium doesn’t cause the body to make more insulin—it just helps insulin work better, and this is critical for people who are trying to manage diabetes.
At least 15 well-controlled clinical trials examining the effects of supplemental chromium on people living with diabetes, insulin resistance, and other blood sugar abnormalities have shown that this mineral improves glucose metabolism.
In one study conducted by the US Department of Agriculture’s Human Nutrition Research Center and Beijing Medical University, 180 people with type 2 diabetes were divided into
three groups and given supplements containing 100 mcg chromium, 500 mcg chromium, or a placebo, twice a day. No other changes were made in their medications, diets, or activity levels. When their blood glucose levels were tested after four months, the patients taking chromium had reductions in blood sugar, insulin, cholesterol, and glycated hemoglobin (also called hemoglobin A1C, a longer-term measure of blood sugar control).
Chromium has also been demonstrated to facilitate weight loss, and if you’re aware of the close connection between diabetes and weight, you’ll understand how important this is.
Aim for 200 mcg of chromium daily.
Vitamins D and E are great natural diabetes remedies.
Vitamin D deficiencies are linked with the development of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, as well as impaired insulin secretion. This vitamin also turns on genes that boost production of antimicrobial peptides called cathelicidins, which destroy viruses, bacteria, and other germs. Since people managing diabetes are more prone to infections due to diabetic ulcers and periodontal disease, optimal levels of this fat-soluble vitamin is important. Have your vitamin D blood level tested, and take enough vitamin D3 to bring it into the 40–60 ng/mL range. I’m reluctant to give an exact dose, but my average patient requires 5,000 IU of supplemental vitamin D daily.
Vitamin E, the body’s premier fat-soluble antioxidant, improves glucose control and protects blood vessels and nerves from free-radical damage, which is accelerated by the diabetic condition.
Studies have shown that high doses of supplemental vitamin E may even reverse damage to nerves caused by diabetes and protect against diabetic cataracts and atherosclerosis.
Additionally, research suggests that approximately 40 percent of people living with diabetes have a gene variation (haptoglobin (Hp) 2-2 gene) that increases oxidative stress and doubles or triples their risk of cardiovascular disease. Israeli researchers found that when these people took
400 IU of vitamin E daily, their risk of cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attack, and death fell by 50 percent! Vitamin E’s benefits were so profound the study was terminated early so all study participants could benefit.
Oxidative stress also contributes to liver damage that, if untreated, can lead to diabetes complications such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The best-studied antioxidant for NAFLD also happens to be vitamin E, with doses averaging 800 IU per day. Everyone, regardless of health status, should take 400 IU of vitamin E every day.
Note: Take only natural vitamin E. You can tell it’s natural if it’s listed as d-alpha-tocopherol or d-alpha-tocopheryl. Synthetic vitamin E is listed as dl-alphatocopherol or dl-alpha tocopheryl (note the “l”).
As you may know, type 2 diabetes is caused by insulin resistance.
For people living with diabetes, the beta cells in the pancreas make plenty of insulin—the hormone that moves glucose from the blood into the cells—but the cells are unresponsive to insulin’s actions. This leads to a rise in blood sugar. The pancreas responds by churning out more insulin, and the net result is elevated levels of both glucose and insulin.
Obesity throws fuel on the fire. Adipose tissue (fat), especially in the abdominal area, releases fatty acids that impair beta-cell function and insulin sensitivity. It also produces immune cells that lead to chronic, low-grade inflammation. Inflammation, in turn, increases insulin resistance and risk of diabetes.
Fat cells also secrete hormones—so many, in fact, that some experts actually refer to adipose tissue as an endocrine organ. One of these hormones is leptin.
Although leptin is best known for its governing effects on appetite and energy metabolism, researchers from Boston’s Joslin Diabetes Center have discovered that it also has direct effects on insulin secretion and beta-cell growth.
At the same time, the high levels of insulin (a common characteristic of type 2 diabetes) promote weight gain. That’s because insulin is the body’s primary fat-storage hormone—it ushers fat as well as glucose into the cells. So the higher your insulin level, the greater your potential to gain weight.
In short, preventing—and reversing—type 2 diabetes for many is as easy as achieving or maintaining your ideal weight.
In a future post, I’ll introduce you to my favorite supplements for diabetes that you can use to help keep this condition under control.
Contrary to popular belief, the leading liver problem in the United States is not alcoholic cirrhosis or hepatitis, but nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
Afflicting roughly one in four Americans, it is not caused by alcohol or a virus but by obesity and insulin resistance. Hence, many people living with diabetes are affected by it.
In fact, at least half of all people with type 2 diabetes have it, as do up to three-quarters of obese people and 90 percent of the morbidly obese. Although nonalcoholic fatty liver disease usually develops in people over age 50, it is becoming increasingly common in children as obesity rates skyrocket in our younger age groups.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is a progressive disease with three distinct stages. Simple fatty liver, or steatosis, is characterized by elevations in liver enzymes and fatty deposits in the liver (at least 10 percent of the liver cells are replaced by fat). If the disease is arrested in this stage, it remains relatively benign. Unfortunately, for one in five patients, it progresses to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, involving inflammation of the liver. From there, half develop cirrhosis, marked by advanced and irreversible scarring, fibrosis, and loss of liver function.
The most significant risk factors for progression include type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome (formerly called syndrome X). The unifying link in both of these disorders is insulin resistance.
When the cells resist insulin’s signals to let glucose in, the pancreas secretes higher and higher levels of insulin to get the job done. Elevated concentrations of insulin in the blood create metabolic imbalances that drive up blood levels of free fatty acids. This influx of fatty acids overwhelms the liver’s ability to handle them, and they are converted into triglycerides and stored in the organ, setting up a vicious cycle of lipid peroxidation (free-radical damage), inflammation, and liver cell injury.
But don’t despair! This blog includes many natural diabetes treatments that can help you avoid this, as well as other diabetes complications.
In my earlier post, I explained that supplemental insulin can cause people who are trying to manage diabetes to gain weight. Sadly enough, weight gain isn’t the only downside of insulin use.
Another strike against insulin is its tendency to increase your risk of hypertension.
Taiwanese researchers looked at more than 87,000 patients with type 2 diabetes who were treated with either oral drugs or insulin. They found that patients managing diabetes using insulin had a higher prevalence of hypertension (61.3 versus 53.9 percent), and the longer they used it, the greater their risk.
This is not surprising when you consider insulin’s activities beyond nutrient storage.
Injected insulin increases sodium retention and stimulates the sympathetic nervous system. It induces oxidative stress, leading to free-radical damage that impairs the function of the endothelial cells lining the arteries. It also has growth factor–like activity that thickens blood vessels and increases risk of atherosclerosis, which also adversely affects blood pressure health.
Since people living with diabetes are already at dramatically increased risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease, the last thing they need is a treatment that amplifies this risk.
I opt for more natural remedies for diabetes, many of which I’ll be discussing here in my blog. Please stay tuned.
Much of the research on the relationship between diabetes and heart disease has come from the Framingham Heart Study.
Started in the early 1950s, this study, which has followed the medical history of thousands of residents of Framingham, Massachusetts, has provided a gold mine of data showing how people living with diabetes are at dramatically increased risk of heart disease and related health concerns.
Other studies have demonstrated that even in the absence of other heart disease risk factors, such as high blood pressure, smoking, high cholesterol, or a family history of heart disease, people living with diabetes are still at a much higher risk of heart attack, stroke, and death from cardiovascular disease. They’re also more likely to be concerned about their blood pressure health. Why is this?
The most common type of heart disease, coronary artery disease, is primarily a disease of the blood vessels, or coronary arteries, that supply the heart muscle with vital oxygen and nutrients. In a process known as atherosclerosis, the artery walls become narrowed and hardened with buildups of cholesterol and cellular debris, which can restrict blood flow and impair circulation. If the blood flow through these arteries is severely restricted, angina (chest pain caused by insufficient oxygen to the heart muscle) may result. And if a blood clot lodges in a narrowed artery, a heart attack or stroke may occur.
When you throw elevated blood sugar into the mix, the situation only gets worse. Excess blood sugar makes the blood less viscous, causing impaired circulation. And high levels of insulin, also characteristic of type 2 diabetes, damage the arteries and contribute to atherosclerosis. So it makes sense that people living with diabetes are also at increased risk of developing heart disease. Fortunately, taking steps to manage blood sugar levels can help to reduce this risk.
Type 1 diabetes, sometimes referred to as insulin-dependent diabetes or juvenile
diabetes (because it usually appears before the age of 20, but it can present at any
age), is caused by an autoimmune attack on the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Researchers aren’t sure exactly what causes the immune system to go awry, but
viral infection, vitamin D deficiency, and genetic predisposition are possible causes. Whatever the reason, the damaged pancreas is unable to produce adequate insulin, resulting in the inability of glucose and other nutrients to enter the cells.
Type 1 Diabetes Signs and Symptoms
The classic presentation in type 1 diabetes is extreme hunger as the body tries to compensate for this inability to feed its cells—and rapid weight loss as the cells are unable to utilize food, regardless of how much is eaten. In addition, untreated individuals with type 1 diabetes are extremely thirsty, drink copious amounts of fluids, and urinate excessively as the body attempts to dilute and get rid of extremely high levels of glucose in the blood.
Type 1 diabetes is not as common as you may think—only between five and 10 percent of all people with diabetes have this form of the disease. Most diabetics have type 2.
Type 2 Diabetes Causes
Type 2 diabetes is also marked by elevated blood glucose levels but for different reasons. Initially, people with type 2 diabetes make plenty of insulin. In fact, they often produce much more insulin than healthy individuals. But as the disease progresses the beta cells become exhausted and insulin production slows gradually and, although rare, may cease altogether.
The problem in this form of the disease involves the insulin receptor sites on the cells’ surfaces—they simply don’t respond to signals to open up to let in glucose and other nutrients, regardless of how much insulin is knocking at the door. This is a condition known as insulin resistance or insulin insensitivity, and it is at the root of 90 percent of all diagnoses of diabetes.
Type 2 Diabetes Symptoms
People with the type 2 form don’t experience the same diabetes signs and symptoms as those with Type 1. In fact, many of them have no symptoms at all. The disease is often discovered only during a routine blood test when a high fasting blood glucose reading, usually in the 150 to 300 mg/dL range, is noted.
The good news is that because the body only becomes “insensitive” or “resistant” to insulin, versus destroying insulin-producing cells , there are many type 2 diabetes treatments available. We’ll be addressing them in future blog postings.
We're all knee deep in New Year's resolutions...if we haven't abandoned them already.
For those of you who smoke, hopefully you've chosen 2010 as the year to quit.
But a study just published in the Annals of Internal Medicine just might have you scratching your head, at least at first glance.
According to researchers, a review of 10,000 smokers found that the risk of type 2 diabetes actually went up when people quit smoking, most dramatically in the first three years after quitting.
During those first three years, the risk of developing type 2 diabetes was about 70 percent higher than those who had never smoked. If you kept on smoking, however, your increased risk of diabetes was just (just?) 30 percent higher than lifelong non-smokers.
The good news of course is that if you've never smoked, your risk of developing diabetes is significanly lower than if you have. But quitting smoking as a cause of type 2 diabetes...how can this be?
After all, we know that quitting smoking reduces your risk of nearly every serious disease, including heart disease and an assortment of lung ailments and cancers. But the connection between smoking and diabetes is clear if you've ever known someone who quit or you've tried it yourself -- it's the link between type 2 diabetes and weight.
Sadly, people tend to put on weight when they quit smoking, reaching for a snack when the urge for a cigarette hits. When researchers took into account weight gain after quitting, the increased risk of diabetes from quitting smoking was negligible.
So if you smoke, you need to quit, and you need to control your weight after quitting, to avoid facing increased diabetes risk.
To make it easier to quit and reduce cravings, Dr. Whitaker recommends the following plan:
Before your start date, get two bottles each of Sulfonil and buffered vitamin C. Sulfonil is a sulfur-based compound that actually binds to the same receptor sites in the brain as nicotine. These receptors become habituated to nicotine, and once you quit smoking they cry out for more. Dr. Whitaker prefers Sulfonil to niotine gums, patches, etc. because it satisfies the cravings without providing the very thing you’re trying to escape.
Starting on your quit day, take two Sulfonil capsules when you wake up, then one every four to six hours during the day, and two more at bedtime. Drink copious amount of water to flush your system. The biochemical addiction to nicotine will dissipate in two to three weeks, so you likely won’t need Sulfonil for longer than that.
But you'll still need to break the habit of smoking, and not replace it with a habit for snacking, to prevent added weight and diabetes risk. When the desire for a cigarette strikes, Dr. Whitaker recommends 500 - 1,000 mg of buffered vitamin C, which can take the edge off intense cravings.
Then...do something, don't eat something. Take a walk, do household chores or paperwork, anything to keep your hands and mind busy.
If you're anxious or edgy (which is highly likely), you should consider supplementing with GABA or l-theanine, two nutrients well known for taking the edge off any stressful situation.
Seems you might get more than you bargained for with your $5 foot-long.
According to a study of heavy meat eaters published in the journal Diabetologia, a diet high in processed meats -- think bologna, salami, hot dogs and the like -- could increase your risk of type 2 diabetes by as much as 40 percent.
The incidence of diabetes with a high meat diet rose 17 percent overall, but with red meat, the increase lept to over 20 percent. Processed meats drove diabetes risk even higher still.
But why, exactly? What is it about an Italian hoagie that could specifically cause type 2 diabetes?
The researchers involved speculate that the culprit could be nitrates.
"Nitrosamines can be formed by the interaction of amino compounds with nitrates present either in the stomach or within the food product,” they said. “[Nitrosamines] have been linked to beta cell toxicity. In addition, low doses of the nitrosamine streptozotocin were found to induce type 2 diabetes in animal models.”
Because beta cells produce and regulate the release of insulin, a diet heavy in anything that targets and kills them off is a recipe for a diabetes disaster. Healthy beta cells equal healthy glucose levels in the blood. Without them, glucose levels can spike unabated, insulin sensitivity plummets, and maintaining healthy blood sugar becomes a weighty challenge.
Clearly, maintaining a healthy diet is paramount to beating diabetes, or preventing diabetes and nearly any other serious health condition in the first place.
And no one would argue, save the commissioner of Major League Baseball, that hot dogs are a good choice, no matter what your health concerns are.
Contrary to popular belief, the leading liver problem in the United States is not alcoholic cirrhosis or hepatitis, but nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Afflicting roughly one in four Americans, it is not caused by alcohol or a virus, but by obesity and insulin resistance—and at least half of all people with type 2 diabetes are affected.
NAFLD is a progressive disease with three distinct stages. Simple fatty liver, or steatosis, is characterized by elevations in liver enzymes and fatty deposits in the liver (at least 10 percent of the liver cells are replaced by fat). If the disease is arrested in this stage, it remains relatively benign. Unfortunately, for one in five patients, it progresses to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, involving inflammation of the liver. From there, half develop cirrhosis, marked by advanced and irreversible scarring, fibrosis, and loss of liver function.
Why am I telling you this? Because the most significant risk factors for progression include type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome (syndrome X).
To treat or protect against this condition, I recommend regular supplementation with nutrients that enhance liver function (particularly detoxification) in addition to supplements for diabetes. Look for the following products—as stand-alone products or in combination formulas—in your health food store: lipoic acid, 100 mg; silymarin, 420 mg; selenium, 70 mcg; calcium-D-glucarate, 200 mg; N-acetylcysteine, 600 mg; ellagic acid, 50 mg; and trimethylglycine, 300 mg.
Vanadyl sulfate is one of the supplements I recommend to help control blood sugar because it mimics the action of insulin and helps with glucose uptake in cells. But despite its amazing benefits, I find that questions about its safety periodically come up.
Take, for example, a note I received from a reader in Oklahoma City not too long ago. Although he was taking vanadyl sulfate to control blood sugar, he’d heard that it could also cause green tongue and other problems. I’m happy to answer this concern, because it pops up from time to time.
Vanadyl sulfate is a stable, inorganic form of vanadium, a metallic element used primarily as an additive in steel production. Acute exposure to the dust or fumes of vanadium or various vanadium compounds can certainly be toxic to the nervous and respiratory systems, liver, and other organs. And “green tongue” (as the name suggests, a greenish discoloration of the tongue) is indeed a classic symptom of toxicity in miners, industrial workers, or others exposed to high levels of vanadium.
But the accusation—often repeated on the Internet and elsewhere—that nutritional supplements containing minute amounts of vanadyl sulfate are toxic, is completely unfounded. On the contrary, studies demonstrate that vanadyl sulfate is safe when taken in doses of 75, 150, and even 300 mg per day for prolonged periods. Some study subjects taking the higher dosage reported gastrointestinal disturbances, but this resolved over the study course.
What these studies do show—and there are hundreds of them, some dating back more than 20 years—are profound benefits. In average doses of 100–150 mg, vanadyl sulfate increases insulin sensitivity and helps lower blood sugar and hemoglobin A1C—without danger of hypoglycemia. It has even been shown to reduce insulin requirements in individuals with type 1 diabetes. But what I find most remarkable is that benefits usually endured after the supplement was discontinued, suggesting that vanadyl sulfate has an ameliorating effect on the underlying diabetic condition.
So why do rumors of toxicity persist, despite the fact that vanadyl sulfate is, hands down, much safer than the scores of FDA-approved type 2 diabetes treatments? A cynic might say it’s because widespread use would cut into the enormous profits reaped by the pharmaceutical companies—not to mention that a number of vanadium compounds are in the pipeline. Whatever the reason, I stand by my recommendations for patients dealing with diabetes: 100–150 mg of vandyl sulfate daily along with other targeted nutrients, a low-glycemic diet, exercise after every meal, and weight loss. You can take it with confidence.
Should Whey Low sugar substitute be your new sugar? 
For years, I’ve recommended stevia and xylitol to my patients concerned about blood sugar. And though these sweeteners remain on the top of my list, I realize that they aren’t for everyone. Stevia’s aftertaste is a little strong for some, and xylitol, being a sugar alcohol, is tough for some people to digest.
That’s why I am happy to recommend another sweetener, called
Whey Low®, that tastes, looks, bakes, even feels exactly like common table sugar. But instead of causing a spike in your blood sugar, it reduces your body’s glucose response. In fact,
it’s 60-80% lower on the glycemic scale than regular table sugar. Plus,
it has 75% fewer calories! How is this possible? It has to do with the composition of Whey Low sugar substitute. Regular sugar is all sucrose, but Whey Low sugar substitute is a careful balance of three forms of sugar: fructose, lactose, and sucrose. The lactose interferes with the absorption of sucrose, instantly cutting calories and stopping sucrose’s entrance into your bloodstream where it would normally cause a blood sugar spike. Don’t let the word “lactose” worry you. The meager amount of milk sugar in this product will not interfere with your body’s ability to digest dairy products. In fact,
you won’t notice any difference between regular sugar and all-natural Whey Low at all—except for your lower blood sugar readings. Whey Low sugar substitute even fools professional chefs—possibly because it was developed for an avid baker who wouldn’t settle for anything but perfection. Whey Low sugar substitute was created by Dr. Lee Zehner after his wife was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. He set out to develop a natural sugar substitute she could use that would react the same way and taste the same as sugar in recipes.
And Whey Low sugar substitute delivers. Not only does it have the same texture and flavor as regular sugar, it even measures exactly the same. One cup of Whey Low equals one cup of sugar. You don’t even have to think about it—anywhere you’d use sugar, you can substitute Whey Low. While cutting out sugar is always good, the
serious health benefits of Whey Low sugar substitute can’t be denied. If you struggle with blood sugar concerns, excess weight, or metabolic syndrome you’ll find that Whey Low gives you a whole new lease on life, or at least your diet!
Whey Low sugar substitute is made right here in the USA. Dr. Zehner runs a family-owned business in Maryland, where he develops natural products used largely by local restaurants and businesses.
Learn more about Whey Low sugar substitute.
You owe it to yourself, your family, and your waistline to give this sweetener a try.
For most people with type 2 diabetes, getting a handle on weight is all it takes for blood sugar to normalize, complications to fade away, and overall health to rebound. But shedding those extra pounds isn’t easy—especially when many of the conventional treatments used to control blood sugar actually promote weight gain.
One of the worst offenders is insulin. Although it’s generally associated with type 1 diabetes, insulin is used by more than one in four people as a type 2 diabetes treatment. And, in most of those cases, it only makes things worse.
A patient of mine—let’s call him Bill—had type 2 diabetes for 10 years prior to seeking treatment at the Whitaker Wellness Institute. At the time he was diagnosed, Bill’s physician started him on an oral drug that stimulates insulin production. It worked for a while, but his blood sugar—and his weight—slowly began to increase. His doctor responded by upping his dosage. Again, his levels improved for a time, but eventually both his blood sugar and his waistline inched up.
Eventually Bill was no longer able to control his blood sugar with oral drugs, so his doctor prescribed a low dose of insulin. Over the next few years, his insulin dose was periodically ratcheted upward to keep pace with his rising blood sugar levels, and with every increase, he gained more and more weight. When I first saw Bill, he was taking 100 units of insulin daily and had put on 100 pounds!
A Vicious Cycle
Let me explain why patients like Bill find themselves in this predicament. Type 2 diabetes is caused by insulin resistance. In people with this condition, the beta cells in the pancreas make plenty of insulin—the hormone that moves glucose from the blood into the cells—but the cells are unresponsive to insulin’s actions. This leads to a rise in blood sugar. The pancreas responds by churning out more insulin, and the net result is elevated levels of both glucose and insulin.
Excess weight makes the problem worse. Adipose tissue (fat)—especially in the abdominal area—releases fatty acids that impair beta cell function and insulin sensitivity. It also produces immune cells that lead to chronic, low-grade inflammation. Inflammation, in turn, increases insulin resistance.
Fat cells also secrete hormones, one of them being leptin. Although leptin is best known for its role in regulating appetite and energy metabolism, researchers have discovered that it also has direct effects on insulin secretion and beta cell growth.
As if that weren’t enough, high levels of insulin themselves promote weight gain. That’s because insulin is the body’s primary fat-storage hormone—it ushers fat into the cells as well as glucose. So the higher your insulin level, the greater your potential weight gain.
Lose Weight, Lose Diabetes
The best way to break this cycle is to shed excess weight. For best results, cut out starches, sugars, and other high-glycemic carbohydrates; eat plenty of lean protein, vegetables, and fiber; and take a brisk, 10- to 15-minute walk after every meal. Nutritional supplements that enhance weight loss, help lower blood sugar, and protect against diabetic complications—such as alpha lipoic acid, chromium, cinnamon, and Gymnema sylvestre, to name a few—are also important.
Bill had great success with this natural diabetes treatment. It took several years, but he lost those 100 extra pounds, and he was able to control his blood sugar without any medication at all.
Ok, it’s time to get our priorities straight, unless we’ve got a bigger shark problem than I thought.
A recent American Diabetes Association survey says that despite the devastating impact unchecked blood sugar and type 2 diabetes can have on your health, fewer Americans actually fear diabetes than plane crashes, snake bites, lightning strikes or shark attacks.
Even though shark attacks get the scary headlines, tens of thousands more lose limbs each year to diabetes than Great Whites, and the numbers diagnosed with diabetes – or on the verge of a pre-diabetes diagnosis due to elevated blood sugar, high triglycerides, increased weight or insulin resistance – are skyrocketing.
Comparing a few stats shows our misplaced fears beautifully. Less than 500 deaths were attributed to commercial aviation accidents in 2007, while in 2005, diabetes contributed to almost 234,000 deaths.
No doubt about it, diabetes is scary. If you have diabetes, you’re at least twice as likely to die of heart disease or stroke, perhaps as much as four times as likely. Nearly half of new cases of kidney disease are caused by diabetes. At least 12,000 new cases of blindness occur annually, thanks to unchecked blood sugar and insulin resistance.
According to the
American Diabetes Association’s Ann Albright, “We can no longer sit back and politely tap people on the shoulder to get their attention. The future of our country – and the future of our children – is at stake.”
But why then are our fears so misplaced? I’d like to think that it’s because of the success Dr. Whitaker has had helping tens of thousands reverse diabetes and beat back blood sugar problems, going back decades.
If you know that blood sugar problems aren’t beyond your control, and your blood sugar can be managed naturally, easily, and permanently, it makes sense you’d fear something you can’t control, like being struck by lightning, I suppose.
“The good news is there are steps people with diabetes can take to manage their disease and prevent or delay these serious and deadly complications from developing,” says Albright, and I have to agree. Plus, many of the steps towards managing or reversing type 2 diabetes are natural, safe, and very effective.
Of course, you could argue that lifestyle changes make it easy to prevent shark attacks too. When you hear that “Jaws” theme music, get out of the water, pronto.
It's always nice when the mainsteam media wakes up to the realities of healthcare, particularly when it comes to the devastating damage of the rampant diabetes epidemic in the U.S. But an article in the July 12 USA Weekend underscores the importance of sticking with a doctor like Dr. Whitaker, someone who isn't afraid to come right out and state the brutally obvious.
On the one hand, Dr. Todd Mitchell's "HealthSmart" column does bring to light the scope of the diabetes problem, and the consquences of not bringing blood sugar under control. Without action, the more than 23 million Americans already diagnosed with diabetes -- not to mention those who have diabetes and don't know it, and the scores with Metabolic Syndrome or pre-diabetes -- are on a road to serious health problems, to say the least.
From comparatively minor skin and teeth concerns to truly frightening heart, eye, circulatory, and kidney diseases and increased risk for wounds and infections, Mitchell acknowledges that uncontrolled blood sugar is a recipe for disaster.
To his credit, Mitchell also points out that there are many effective ways to naturally lower blood sugar and keep Type 2 diabetes at bay, including following a diet low in high glycemic refined sugars, maintaining a healthy weight, getting adequate sleep, and maintaining an active lifestyle.
But that's as far as Mitchell is willing to go. Of course, it's not surprising that a diabetes article in USA Weekend fails to include a single mention of the many nutritional supplements that can not only lower blood sugar but directly impact the diabetes risk factors that lead to the complications he mentions. However, it's the waffle words about exercise and diabetes that truly surprised me.
In describing an "interesting" study of NFL players and blood sugar (not exactly your representative sample of the U.S. population) Mitchell points out that while the massive linemen and tackles weighed an average of 60 lbs. more than men in the control group, their fasting blood sugar was lower. Could exercise and rigorous physical activity have something to do with these blood sugar findings? Well, maybe, says Mitchell.
The kicker is the closer though. "More study is needed, but it does seem that, when it comes to diabetes, lifestyle habits matter."
Thanks for the newsflash, Dr. Mitchell.
There's no maybe about it. Exercise is one of the best, safest, most logical and truly natural ways to control blood sugar and prevent, manage, and even reverse diabetes. That's because exercise is one of the best ways to improve insulin resistance and make your cells more sensitive to insulin.
To get more exercise into your daily routine, the first thing you should try is taking a brisk 10-minute walk after meals whenever you can. Even mild aerobic exercise causes your muscles to soak up the glucose in your blood more quickly, keeping those post-meal blood sugar spikes to a minimum. Also, shoot for several sessions of resistance training (such as weightlifting) in your weekly routine to build muscle and improve your insulin sensitivity long-term.
At the Whitaker Wellness Institute, Dr. Whitaker has been helping thousands of patients over the years use diet, exercise and targeted nutritional supplements to beat back diabetes for good.
And as a 2001 NIH study showed, this type of natural program works better than the most prescribed diabetes drug, Glucophage. No maybe about that either, Dr. Mitchell.
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