The number of people with diabetes has doubled in one decade – and the situation is getting worse. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, by 2050, one out of every three Americans may have diabetes.
Dr. Michael Greger, M.D., a best-selling author and creator of NutritionFacts.org, says that approximately 1 in 3 Americans have prediabetes but only 1 in 10 knows it.
“The onset of Type 2 diabetes is gradual, with most individuals progressing through a state of prediabetes,” he explains. “Since current methods of treating diabetes remain inadequate, prevention is preferable.”
Greger points to a landmark study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in which thousands of study subjects were divided into three groups. One group had the placebo, the second was given the leading diabetes drug, metformin, and the third followed a regimen of diet and exercise.
The group who took metformin — a diabetes drug that often causes nausea, diarrhea, and even death — fared better than the placebo group. However, those who followed a healthy diet and exercise did even better. The lifestyle intervention participants had a whopping 58% reduced risk of developing diabetes compared to only 31% of those who took the drug.
“The lifestyle intervention was significantly more effective than the drug and had fewer side effects,” says Greger. “More than three-quarters of those on the drug reported gastrointestinal symptoms.”
Dr. Joel Fuhrman, the renowned author of “The End of Diabetes,” tells Newsmax that not only can we prevent prediabetes from morphing into Type 2 diabetes, Type 2 diabetes can be reverse by following a similar lifestyle intervention program.
“We can no longer take a passive approach and just try to control this disease with drugs,” he says. “That’s why I designed a program for anyone who wants to take aggressive action in their battle to prevent and reverse diabetes, lower their blood pressure, prevent heart disease and lose weight. You can make a complete recovery and take back control of tour health. It’s in your hands.”
Here are Fuhrman’s tips:
*Make lunch main meal of the day. Eat a large green salad with beans or chili on top. Make your own salad dressing using a good quality vinegar blended with nuts. Avoid using oil.
*Finish eating by 7 p.m. at the latest. Eat a large serving of steamed green veggies of your choice with mushrooms, garlic and onion for dinner. You can also use a wok, but do not use oil. The mushroom are important because they naturally reduce absorption of glucose from other foods.
*Avoid all processed foods and fats including white foods such as bread, rice, white potatoes and products made with flour.
Greger agrees.
“In one of the most famous diabetes prevention studies, people with prediabetes who actually and diligently followed a lifestyle intervention program that asked them to eat more fiber such as whole plant foods, cut down on saturated fat like that those found in dairy, desserts, chicken and pork had zero incidence of diabetes,” he said. “None of them progressed to diabetes. That’s a 100 percent drop in risk.
“Lifestyle interventions only work when we do them,” he says. “Kale is only healthy if it actually gets into your mouth. It’s not healthy sitting on the shelf.”
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