Diet can help control diabetesby

Diet can help control diabetes

sulin and can lower blood sugar levels over time. The normal recommended dose is 200-300mcg, two or three times a day.

In addition to chromium, another important nutrient for blood-sugar control is vitamin B3. This (in the form of niacin) combines witOur alternative health specialist Dr John Briffa looks at how diabetes can be controlled with diet.

Earlier this year, the British Medical Journal highlighted a report predicting that the number of diabetics in the UK is set to double by 2010.

The condition, characterised by abnormally high levels of sugar in the bloodstream, already affects one in 30 of the UK population and is the third leading cause of death after cardiovascular disease and cancer.

These facts become even more alarming when you consider that diabetic services in the UK have been found to be under severe pressure, with some patients simply not getting access to the medical

care they need.

So there has never been a more important time to understand what we can do for ourselves to treat this devastating disease.

I believe diabetes can respond to a nutritional approach. However, I also find that the conventional dietary advice is often woe-fully lacking.

Research has revealed that many of the foods traditionally thought to be safe for diabetics can disrupt blood-sugar levels, worsening any existing diabetes.

So, what does constitute a healthy diet for diabetics, and which natural agents may help control and even reverse this condition?

Ninety per cent of diabetics suffer from what is known as Type II diabetes (also known as mature onset or non-insulin dependent diabetes). This condition usually develops in middle or old age and sufferers are usually overweight.

In the long term, diabetes can lead to a variety of health problems including eye disease and blindness, kidney disease, heart disease, leg ulcers, gangrene and impotence.

In Type II diabetes the body has usually become resistant to insulin: the hormone responsible for keeping blood-sugar levels from rising too high. Sufferers of Type II may be able to control their diabetes through dietary change, though if this fails, oral medication may be prescribed.

A minority of Type II diabetics may need insulin injections to control their condition. Type I diabetics produce no or little insulin and can have this problem from birth.

Diabetics are normally advised to limit their consumption of sweet, sugary foods, and to keep to a diet based around starchy carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes, rice and pasta.

This advice is based on the theory that unlike sugar, starches need to be digested before they can be absorbed, ensuring that they give a slow, sustained release of sugar into the bloodstream.

However, in contrast to conventional wisdom, it has now been demonstrated that many starchy foods actually release sugar into the bloodstream very quickly, upsetting blood-sugar control.

Foods which fall into this category include diabetic staples such as potatoes, white bread, white rice and pasta.

I have lost count of the number of diabetic patients who complain of having problems regulating their blood-sugar level despite eating the 'right' diet.

Usually, these individuals are consuming, in accordance with instructions, a diet based on starchy foods likely to worsen any diabetes in the long term because of the quick sugar release.

Logic and experience dictate that the best diet to treat diabetes is one based on foods which really do release sugar into the bloodstream slowly.

Starchy foods which give sustained releases of blood sugar include 100pc wholemeal bread, brown rice and wholewheat pasta. Most fruits (other than bananas and grapes) and vegetables (other than potatoes and cooked carrots) are also slow-releasing, as are beans and pulses.

There is emerging evidence that adequate amounts of protein can help to balance blood sugar, along with regular meals and healthy snacks such as fresh fruit and raw nuts.

Diabetics may also benefit from natural substances such as chromium. This trace mineral seems to facilitate the effects of inh chromium to make a nutrient complex called glucose tolerance factor (GTF). GTF is also thought to enhance the effect of insulin in the body.

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