The “remarkable” power of diet and exercise

Would you like to hear about some “’Remarkable’ Findings From [the] Da Qing Diabetes Prevention Trial”? (Yes, that’s a real headline—and in a moment, you’ll see exactly why it made me chuckle.)

Obviously, that little teaser caught my attention. I work diligently with my patients to achieve proper glucose control as a matter of daily business. But as usual, this latest study’s findings are only “remarkable” to the uninitiated…

Ward off disease for years with simple lifestyle changes

Let’s skip right to the good part: According to a new study, middle-aged patients with impaired glucose tolerance can ward off full-blown diabetes by six years with the right lifestyle changes. While also sidestepping the life-threatening complications that would otherwise turn up by the time they hit their 70s.

Ultimately, patients who dodged a diabetes diagnosis in the six years following study enrollment were 30 percent less likely to wind up with heart disease (and suffer a stroke, heart attack, or heart failure) in the next 24 years. They were also nearly 60 percent less likely to face microvascular problems like neuropathy, nephropathy, and retinopathy.

Simple lifestyle interventions brought 32 percent of patients’ blood sugar levels back to normal by the end of the trial. And yet, here we sit, in a diabesity ravaged society that continues to ignore the damaging effect of sugar, and pays for studies that prove things we already know.

We’re talking about 30 years’ worth of research here, folks. Which means this study began around the same time that I started treating patients—using the exact “lifestyle changes” these researchers set out to prove valuable.

And I’ll let you guess who probably saved more lives over those three decades…

Sure, these results are great reinforcement for the work that my colleagues and I do. But are they really that “remarkable”? Especially since it’s not the first research to come to this conclusion.

Another recent study showed that lifestyle changes slash heart events by more than a quarter. And microvascular complications by more than a third.

Not to mention, the patients in that study lived an extra year and a half, and avoided the complications linked to diabetes for another five years. I don’t know about you, but I’ll take it!

Necessary changes for long-term health

These researchers recommend that doctors advise patients with poor glucose control to restrict sugar and alcohol, regardless of their weight. And to urge overweight or obese patients to lose weight. Both of which are very simple, effective suggestions.

But that brings me to the real problem here…

How many doctors really make a point of emphasizing weight loss? Or even bother to regularly assess blood sugar metabolism? Most will look at their patient’s fasting glucose and call it a day. Forget glucose tolerance, fasting insulin, or even HbA1c—all critical tests for a proper diabetes screen.

Meanwhile, you’ve got clowns over at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) wondering if these lifestyle changes are really behind the benefits—and if so, whether they’re sustainable. Honestly, does it even matter???

Encouraging patients to eat smart to dodge a diabetes diagnosis has a huge ripple effect on long-term health, and these buffoons are seriously asking if good nutrition is sustainable?

Here’s an idea: Make it sustainable! We could start by not allowing big corporations to hold the public’s health hostage and subsidize organic foods instead of cash crops. And then, maybe we could actually train doctors in nutrition so patients get some real guidance for a change.

We’ve been over ways to do this multiple times, and yet all our government can do is sit around and wring their hands. Call me crazy, but maybe if you gave people the chance to do better, they would.

The more time you can put between impaired glucose metabolism and full-blown diabetes, the better. And if you really play your cards right, you’ll be able to avoid that diagnosis—and many more—altogether.

Diet, exercise, and nutritional supplements will bring you directly to that goal. That’s not remarkable. It’s just a regular day at my office.

P.S. You can learn more about the natural approaches I use in my office for preventing and reversing Type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, and metabolic syndrome in my Metabolic Repair Protocol. This online learning tool gives you a step-by-step guide to “re-programming” your body to work the way it’s supposed to work—naturally and without dangerous drugs. To learn more, or to enroll today, simply click here!

Source:

‘Remarkable’ Findings From Da Qing Diabetes Prevention Trial.” Medscape Medical News, 06/10/2019. (medscape.com/viewarticle/914161)


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