Large Breakfast High in Protein and Fat Wins Versus Small Breakfast Approach in Type 2 Diabetes

Posted on October 25, 2013 | Comments Off on Large Breakfast High in Protein and Fat Wins Versus Small Breakfast Approach in Type 2 Diabetes

…according to research reported at MedPageToday.  This was a relatively small study with about 30 participants in each treatment arm. A snippet:

Patients in the big-breakfast group were instructed to consume 33% of their daily calories in their morning meal — that included up to 30% protein, up to 37% fat, and the rest in carbohydrates. Patients in the small-breakfast group were instructed to consume 12.5% of their daily calories at breakfast — with up to 70% in the form of carbohydrates.

Average fasting glucose decreased 14.51 mg/dL in the big breakfast group and decreased 4.91 mg/dL in the small breakfast group (P=0.011), she said at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes.

The big breakfast group also saw a significant drop in systolic blood pressure (almost 10 mmHg), although probably not to the point it created a problem. That fall could help you reduce or avoid high blood pressure drugs.

Read the whole enchilada.

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John Hawks’ Perspective on the New Dmanisi Skull

Posted on October 20, 2013 | Comments Off on John Hawks’ Perspective on the New Dmanisi Skull

…at his blog. A snippet:

What population structure characterized the African ancestors of the Dmanisi hominins? If we look to the MSA African model, the structure would be one of multiple populations, strongly differentiated, that had existed for hundreds of thousands of years. They may have had adaptations to local ecological conditions, but they were not isolated — they shared genes and one might occasionally replace another, only to re-differentiate as climate fluctuated. The African populations that existed at 1.8 million years ago were probably a modified subset of those that existed 2 million or 2.2 million years ago. Some of these populations would have been morphologically distinctive enough that paleontologists might call them different species. Some of the remixture between them would have been slight, on the scale of Neandertal mixture into today’s human populations. But those cases were at one end of a continuum that included larger amounts of genetic exchange and more rapid turnover. It was a braided stream, in which some of the rivulets were long, but others were short.

Read the rest and you’ll find a brief review of early human evolution.

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Book Review: Sean Preuss’ “The Heart Healthy Lifestyle – The Prevention and Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes”

Posted on October 19, 2013 | Comments Off on Book Review: Sean Preuss’ “The Heart Healthy Lifestyle – The Prevention and Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes”

I just finished an ebook, The Heart Healthy Lifestyle: The Prevention and Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes by Sean Preuss, published in 2013. Per Amazon.com’s rating system, I give it five stars (I love it).

♦   ♦   ♦

This is an invaluable resource for 1) anyone recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes, 2) those who aren’t responding well to their current therapeutic regimen, and 3) type 2 diabetics who want to reduce their drug use.

Strength Training Helps Get Excess Blood Sugar Out of Circulation

Strength Training Helps Get Excess Blood Sugar Out of Circulation

Mr. Preuss is a fitness trainer in my neck of the woods who has worked with many type 2 diabetics. He demonstrates great familiarity with the issues diabetics face daily. His science-based recommendations are familiar to mine since I reviewed many of his references at on of my other blogs (Diabetic Mediterranean Diet).

Like me, Mr. Preuss recognizes the primacy of lifestyle modification over drug therapy for type 2 diabetes, as long as drugs can safely be avoided or postponed. The main lifestyle factors are diet and exercise. Too many physicians don’t spend enough time on these, preferring instead to whip out the prescription pad and say, “Here ya go. I’ll see you in three months.”

I have gradually come to realize that most of my sedentary type 2 diabetes patients need to start a work-out program in a gym where they can get some personal attention. That’s Mr. Preuss’s opinion, too. The clearly explained strength training program he recommends utilizes machines most commonly found in a commercial gym, although some home gyms will have them also. His regimen is easily done in 15–20 minute sessions two or three times a week.

He also recommends aerobic activity, such as walking at least several days a week. He recommends a minimum of 113 minutes a week of low intensity aerobic work, citing evidence that it’s more effective than higher intensity effort for improving insulin sensitivity.

I don’t recall specific mention of High Intensity Interval Training. HIIT holds great promise for delivering the benefits of aerobic exercise in only a quarter of the time devoted to lower intensity aerobics.

I was glad to see all of Mr. Preuss’s scientific references involved humans, particularly those with type 2 diabetes. No mouse studies here!

Another strength of the book is that Sean tells you how to use legitimate psychological tricks to make the necessary lifestyle changes.

The author notes that vinegar can help control blood sugars. He suggests, if you can tolerate it, drinking straight (undiluted) red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar – 2 tbsp at bedtime or before carbohydrate consumption. I’ve heard rumors that this could be harmful to teeth, so I’d do some research or ask my dentist before drinking straight vinegar regularly. For all I know, it could be perfectly harmless. If you have a definitive answer, please share in the comments section below.

I read a pertinent vinegar study out of the University of Arizona from 2010 and reviewed it at one of my blogs. The most effective dose of vinegar was 10 g (about two teaspoons or 10 ml) of 5% acetic acid vinegar (either Heinz apple cider vinegar or Star Fine Foods raspberry vinegar).  This equates to two tablespoons of vinaigrette dressing (two parts oil/1 part vinegar) as might be used on a salad.  The study authors also say that “…two teaspoons of vinegar could be consumed palatably in hot tea with lemon at mealtime.”

The diet advice herein focuses on replacement of a portion of carbohydrates with proteins, healthy oils, and vegetables.

I highly recommend this book. And sign up for Mr. Preuss’s related tweets at @HeartHealthyTw.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Disclosure: Mr. Preuss gave me a free copy of the book, otherwise I have received no monetary compensation for this review.

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Get Your Kids Out in the Sunlight To Avoid Myopia

Posted on October 17, 2013 | Comments Off on Get Your Kids Out in the Sunlight To Avoid Myopia

…according to an article at Slate. BTW, myopia is nearsightedness.

Steve Parker MD, paleobetic diet,

Should have spent more time outdoors

I thought spending time outdoors helped prevent myopia by using your distant vision more instead of texting to your buds on your smartphone all day long. Research suggests instead that the preventative aspect of being outdoors is related to bright light. Some quotes:

In the 1930s scientists observed that myopia was very rare in hunter-gatherer societies, and a 1960s study of native people in Alaska showed that older generations, who had not attended school, were much less likely to have myopia than younger generations, who had. Singaporean studies 20 years ago likewise linked educational attainment to myopia. If the problem is just a matter of light intensity, however, you could send your child outside to read, or purchase high-intensity light sources that mimic outdoor exposure.

According to a 2004 study from the University of Michigan, the average child in 2002 spent exactly half as much time participating in outdoor activities as did children in 1981. While myopia hasn’t yet reached the levels seen in much of Asian, prevalence in the United States is rising quickly. A 2009 study showed that the prevalence of myopia among Americans between the ages of 12 and 54 surged from 25 percent in the early 1970s to 42 percent around the turn of the millennium.

Read the whole enchilada.

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Life Expectancy for Type 1 Diabetics Much Improved

Posted on October 13, 2013 | Comments Off on Life Expectancy for Type 1 Diabetics Much Improved

…but we’ve got a long way to go.

When I started my medical career three decades ago, it was rare to see a type 1 diabetic exceed 60 years of age. Thank God that has been changing for the better! A recent Scottish study found life expectancy in type 1 diabetics, compared to the general population, was 11 years shorter for men and 14 years shorter for women. In 1975, the gap was 27 years. One of the investigators was quoted by the article at MedPageToday:

“There is absolutely no doubt that glucose control is important for long-term outcomes in people with type 1 diabetes.”

From the Framingham Heart Study: Compared to those without diabetes, women and men with diabetes at age 50 died 7 or 8 years earlier, on average. This study population was a mix of type 2 and type 2 diabetes, with type 2 predominating, I’m sure.

Steve Parker, M.D.

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Another Dentist Blames Neolithic Diet For Cavities

Posted on October 11, 2013 | 2 comments

I found another dentist who believes cavities (dental caries) are a neolithic disease caused by a mismatch between the standard Western diet and human evolutionary biology. Meet Dr. Mark Burhenne:

It is generally well accepted that tooth decay, in the modern sense, is a relatively new phenomena. Until the rise of agriculture roughly 10,000 years ago, there was nearly no tooth decay in the human race. Cavities became endemic in the 17th century but became an epidemic in the middle of the 20th century (1950).

If we understand that tooth decay started when people started farming, rather than hunting and gathering, it’s clear that tooth decay is the result of a mismatch between what we’re eating and what our bodies are expecting us to eat based on how they evolved.

***

The recent changes in our lifestyle create a “mismatch” for the mouth, which evolved under vastly different environments than what our mouths are exposed to these days. Our mouths evolved to be chewing tough meats and fibrous vegetables. Sugar laden fruit was a rare and special treat for our paleolithic ancestors. Now, our diets are filled with heavily processed foods that take hardly any energy to chew — smoothies, coffees, and sodas high in sugar, white bread, and crackers to name just a few.

Read the whole thing.

It’s disconcerting that Dr. Burhenne says Streptococcus mutans (a germ linked to cavities) is the same germ that causes strep throat. That’s not right. Strep throat is usually caused by Streptococcus pyogenes, aka Group A Strep.

Steve Parker, M.D.

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Scarlett Johansson Switches From Paleo to Raw Vegan Diet

Posted on October 8, 2013 | 4 comments

Click for details. Unfortunately, there aren’t many pictures. A snippet:

“Right before we started [‘The Avengers’] I was lifting all these weights and eating raw vegan,” said Scarlett. “But the only reason I was doing that was to fix my previous diet because that was a Paleo diet, so I’ve had the extreme of everything. After lots of training and raw vegan food you can fit into a catsuit.”

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What’s Gestational Diabetes?

Posted on October 7, 2013 | 2 comments
You can't tell if she has it just by looking

You can’t tell if she has GD just by looking

In a recent article Amy Campbell over at Diabetes Self-Management defines gestational diabetes and goes over risk factors, diagnosis, and why it’s important. Subsequent posts cover management principles.

Here’s my review from 2010.

In terms of the best diet, a recent study found no significant outcome differences on a 40% carb diet compared to a standard 55% carb diet. I would have guessed the lower-carb diet would be better.

To my knowledge, the paleo diet has never been studied systematically as an approach to gestational diabetes.

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European Guidelines Reject Very Low Carbohydrate Diets for Diabetes

Posted on October 3, 2013 | Comments Off on European Guidelines Reject Very Low Carbohydrate Diets for Diabetes
Conquer Diabetes and Prediabetes

“Really?”

A recent diabetes treatment guide from European doctors states “there is no justification for the recommendation of very low carbohydrate diets in diabetes mellitus.”

I disagree.

The 2013 guidelines are from the European Society of Cardiology and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes. I compiled the following articles in favor of carbohydrate restriction a couple years ago. You won’t find anything newer listed. Admittedly, all or nearly all of the patients involved had type 2 diabetes, not type 1. We do have a handful involving type 1s.

Enjoy!

♦  ♦  ♦

Accurso, A., et al. Dietary carbohydrate restriction in type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome: time for a critical appraisal. Nutrition & Metabolism, 9 (2008). PMID: 18397522. One of the watershed reports that summarize the major features and benefits, based on 68 scientific references.

Boden, G., et al. Effect of a low-carbohydrate diet on appetite, blood glucose levels, and insulin resistance in obese patients with type 2 diabetes. Annals of Internal Medicine, 142 (2005): 403-411. In these 10 obese diabetics, a low-carb diet spontaneously reduced calorie consumption from 3100 daily to 2200, accounting for the weight loss—1.65 kg (3.63 pounds) in 14 days. Blood sugar levels improved dramatically and insulin sensitivity improved by 75%.

Daly, M.E., et al. Short-term effects of severe dietary carbohydrate-restriction advice in Type 2 diabetes—a randomized controlled trial. Diabetes Medicine, 23 (2006): 15-20. Compared with a low-fat/reduced-calorie diet, weight loss was much better in the low-carb group over three months, and HDL ratio improved.

Davis, Nichola, et al. Comparative study of the effects of a 1-year dietary intervention of a low-carbohydrate diet versus a low-fat diet on weight and glycemic control in type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care, 32 (2009): 1,147-1,152. The Atkins diet was superior—for weight loss and glycemic control—when measured at three months, when compliance by both groups was still probably fairly good. After one year, the only major difference they found was lower HDL cholesterol in the low-carb eaters. 

Elhayany, A., et al. A low carbohydrate Mediterranean diet improves cardiovascular risk factors and diabetes control among overweight patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a 1-year prospective randomized intervention study. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, 12 (2010): 204-209. In overweight type 2 diabetics, a low-carbohydrate Mediterranean diet improved HDL cholesterol levels and glucose control better than either the standard Mediterranean diet or American Diabetes Association diet, according to Israeli researchers.

Haimoto, Hajime, et al. Effects of a low-carbohydrate diet on glycemic control in outpatients with severe type 2 diabetes. Nutrition & Metabolism, 6:21 (2009). DOI: 10.1186/1743-7075-6-21. A low-carbohydrate diet is just as effective as insulin shots for people with severe type 2 diabetes, according to Japanese investigators. Five of the seven patients on sulfonylurea were able to stop the drug. 

Nielsen, Jörgen and Joensson, Eva.  Low-carbohydrate diet in type 2 diabetes: stable improvement of body weight and glycemic control during 44 months follow-up. Nutrition & Metabolism, 5 (2008). DOI: 10.1186/1743-7075-5-14. Obese people with type 2 diabetes following a 20% carbohydrate diet demonstrated sustained improvement in weight and blood glucose control, according to Swedish physicians. Proportions of carbohydrates, fat, and protein were 20%, 50%, and 30% respectively. Total daily carbs were 80-90 g. Hemoglobin A1c, a measure of diabetes control, fell from 8% to 6.8%. These doctors had previously demonstrated that a 20% carbohydrate diet was superior to a low-fat/55-60% carb diet in obese diabetes patients over six months.

Vernon, M., et al. Clinical experience of a carbohydrate-restricted diet: Effect on diabetes mellitus. Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders, 1 (2003): 233-238. This groundbreaking study demonstrated that diabetics could use an Atkins-style diet safely and effectively in a primary care setting.

Westman, Eric, et al. The effect of a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet versus a low-glycemic index diet on glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Nutrition & Metabolism, 5 (2008). DOI: 10.1186/1743-7075-5-36. Duke University (U.S.) researchers demonstrated better improvement and reversal of type 2 diabetes with an Atkins-style diet, compared to a low-glycemic index reduced-calorie diet.

Yancy, William, et al. A low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet to treat type 2 diabetes [in men]. Nutrition & Metabolism, 2:34 (2005). DOI: 10.1186/1743-7075-2-34. A low-carb ketogenic diet in patients with type 2 diabetes was so effective that diabetes medications were reduced or discontinued in most patients. The authors recommend that similar dieters be under close medical supervision or capable of adjusting their own medication, because the diet lowers blood sugar  dramatically.

Yancy, W., et al. A pilot trial of a low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet in patients with type 2 diabetes.  Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders, 1 (2003): 239-244. This pioneering study used an Atkins Induction-style diet with less than 20 grams of carbohydrate daily.

So there!

Steve Parker, M.D.

h/t to Reijo Laatikainen for tweeting the European article.

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Physician With Type 1 Diabetes Thriving on Low-Carb Paleo-Style Diet

Posted on October 1, 2013 | 2 comments
"Put down the bread and no one will get hurt!"

Could you give up bread for life?

ABC Radio provides the audio and transcript of an interview with Dr. Troy Stapleton, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 41. He lives in Queensland, Australia. At the time of his diagnosis, he says…

I was advised to eat seven serves of bread and cereals, two to three serves dairy, fruit, starchy vegetables, and to balance that intake with insulin. If you add up all those serves, they were recommending a diet of up to about 240 grams of carbohydrates a day, and to balance it with insulin. I was going to be the best patient, and there has been some important trials that show that if you do control your blood glucose well then you can reduce your incidence of the complications.

Dr. Stapleton believes we evolved on a very low carbohydrate diet; the Agricultural Revolution led to our current high carb consumption. He was concerned about the risk of hypoglycemia with standard diabetic diets.

There was a different approach where essentially you went on a very low carbohydrate diet, this made a little bit of sense to me. Why would I eat carbohydrates and then have to balance it with insulin?

Here’s what the diabetes educators told him:

What they say is you need to estimate the amount of carbohydrate you’re going to eat, and then you need to match that carbohydrate dose essentially with an insulin dose. So you sort of look at your food and you go, okay, I’m having 30 grams of carbohydrate and I need one unit of insulin per 15 grams of carbohydrate, so two units. It sounds really quite straightforward, except that it’s very, very difficult to estimate accurately the amount of carbohydrate you’re eating. The information on the packets can be out by 20%. Most people say that your error rate can be around 50%.

And then of course it changes with what you’ve eaten. So if you eat carbohydrates with fat and then you get delayed absorption, then that glucose load will come in, and then the type of carbohydrates will alter how quickly it comes in to your bloodstream. And then of course your insulin dose will vary, your absorption rate will vary by about 30%. Once you think through all the variables, it’s just not possible. You will be able to bring your blood glucose under control, but a lot of the time what happens is you get a spike in your glucose level immediately after a meal, and that does damage to the endothelium of your blood vessels…

Norman Swan: The lining.

Troy Stapleton: That’s correct, it causes an oxidative stress to your endothelium, and that is the damage that diabetes does, that’s why you get accelerated atherosclerosis.

Here’s what happened after he started eating very low carb:

It’s been amazing, it’s been the most remarkable turnaround for me and I just cut out carbohydrates essentially completely, although I do get some in green leafy vegetables and those sorts of things. My blood sugar average on the meter has gone from 8.4 [151 mg/dl] down to 5.3 [95 mg/dl]. My HbA1c is now 5.3, which is in the normal range. My blood pressure has always been good but it dropped down to 115 over 75. My triglycerides improved, my HDL improved, so my blood lipid profile improved. And I would now have a hypoglycaemic episode probably about once a month after exercise. [He was having hypoglycemia weekly on his prior high carb diet with carb counting insulin adjustments.]

He was able to reduce his insulin from about 27 units a day down to 6 units at night only (long-acting insulin)! He admits his low insulin dose may just reflect the “honeymoon period” some type 1s get early on after diagnosis.

Norman Swan: So when you talk to your diabetes educator now, what does he or she say?

Troy Stapleton: Look, they’re interested, but they’ll tell me things and I’ll say, well, that’s actually not true. I’m quite a difficult patient, Norman.

He says he’s eating an Atkins-style diet. Combining the transcript and his notes in the comments section:  1) he doesn’t eat potatoes or other starchy vegetables or bread, 2) he eats meat, eggs, lots of non-starchy vegetables, some berries and tree nuts, olives, and cheese, 3) an occasional wine or low-carb beer, 4) coffee, and 5) he eats under 50 g/day of carbohydrate, probably  under 30 g. This is a low-carb paleo diet except for the cheese, alcohol, and coffee.  Cheese, alcohol and coffee are (or can be) low-carb, but they’re not pure paleo.

He notes that…

There is an adaption period to a very low carbohydrate diet which takes 4–6 weeks (ketoadaption). During this time symptoms include mild headaches, lethargy, cramps, carb cravings and occasional light headedness. These symptoms all pass.

Read or listen to the whole thing. Don’t forget the comments section. All the blood sugars you see there are in mmol/l; convert them to mg/dl (American!) by multiplying by 18.

Steve Parker, M.D.

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