All the explanations and recommendations are based on published research and clinical experiences. You can even click on the references and it will take you to the original abstracts.

If you don’t want to read the scientific explanations documenting why the recommendations are effective, click here on summary which lists an easy way to implement the information.

Insulin resistance, diabetes

Depending on lifestyle and dietary habits we may be getting more insulin resistant as we get older. This means that the insulin we produce when eating is unable to transfer the glucose from the blood into the cells as efficiently as it used to. The result can be elevated blood sugar and also elevated insulin levels as the body tries to compensate.

Insulin resistance is the stage before type 2 diabetes and may lead to type 2 diabetes, but even if it never turns into diabetes, it is undesirable and unhealthy.

Insulin resistance leads to increased systemic inflammation and increases the risk for a variety of chronic diseases, the following are some examples: Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, degenerative joint disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, polycystic ovary disease, macular degeneration and cataract.

There are several factors which can make us more susceptible to insulin resistance. These factors are genetic predisposition (if somebody in your family has diabetes), lack of physical activity, high glycemic index foods and high intake of the wrong type of fat. Stress has also been associated with insulin resistance (Pyykkonen AJ, et al. 2009).

An increase in abdominal fat, the fat we accumulate around the waist, is often present in insulin resistant individuals (Ryan AS. 2000). It is however possible to develop insulin resistance without being overweight.

 

Recommendations

Follow a low glycemic index diet, high in nutrients.

A lot of research has documented the benefits of following a Mediterranean-type diet high in vegetables, legumes, soups, fruits, fish and olive oils and low in red meat and animal fats. This way of eating has been associated with lower values of blood glucose, lipids (fat), CRP (an inflammatory marker), blood pressure and cardiovascular risk score (Centritto F, et al. 2009, Rumawas ME, et al. 2009).

In 497,308 individuals participating in a study, the Mediterranean dietary pattern was associated with lower abdominal fat, measuring the waist circumference (Romaguera D, et al. 2009).

This way of eating has even shown to lower blood glucose after eating and lower HbA(1c) in type 2 diabetes patients (Esposito K, et al. 2009). HbA(1c) is a marker of long term glucose control.

For easy implementation, you will find explanations and recommendations with references to research in the book “The Food Connection.” The book also includes a lot of easy to make recipes, click here.

Flax seeds have shown to both reduce fasting blood sugar and cholesterol, especially the LDL (the bad cholesterol) (Thakur G, et al. 2009). It is recommended to take 2 tablespoons of flax seeds and grind them up in a coffee grinder. You can mix them in a glass of water and drink it down before you eat breakfast and you can also do the same thing before dinner. You can also sprinkle the ground up seeds on food if you prefer. Start taking it once daily to be sure you don’t have an allergic reaction to it, and then increase it to twice daily.

It is also very important to be physically active. Both aerobic exercise and resistance training have shown to improve insulin sensitivity (Ryan AS. 2000).

Alpha Lipoic Acid is a potent anti-oxidant providing help in protecting against oxidative and inflammatory stresses in insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes (Poh Z, Goh KP. 2009). It also helps to increase glucose uptake and utilization. Lipoic acid has been documented to reduce symptoms of diabetic pathologies including cataract formation, vascular damage and polyneuropathy (Packer L, et al. 2001).

For easy implementation, click here.

A higher omega 3 to omega 6 fatty acid ratio may also be beneficial for the glucose metabolism (Sartorelli DS, et al. 2009).

For easy implementation, click here.

 

Summary

Insulin resistance, diabetes

Follow the dietary recommendations in the book “The Food Connection.”

Be strict for 4 weeks for best results.

Flax seeds – It is recommended to take 2 tablespoons of flax seeds and grind them up in a coffee grinder. You can mix them in a glass of water and drink it down before you eat breakfast and you can also do the same thing before dinner. You can also sprinkle the ground up seeds on food if you prefer. Start taking it once daily to be sure you don’t have an allergic reaction to it, and then increase it to twice daily.

Lipoic EF – For best results, take 2 tablets at one time in the morning.

Better Fish Oil – Take 1 capsule 3 times daily.

Take all supplements with food.

 

References:

Centritto F, Iacoviello L, di Giuseppe R, De Curtis A, Costanzo S, Zito F, Grioni S, Sieri S, Donati MB, de Gaetano G, Di Castelnuovo A; Moli-sani Investigators. Dietary patterns, cardiovascular risk factors and C-reactive protein in a healthy Italian population. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2009 Dec;19(10):697-706. Epub 2009 Mar 19.

Esposito K, Maiorino MI, Di Palo C, Giugliano D; Campanian Postprandial Hyperglycemia Study Group. Adherence to a Mediterranean diet and glycaemic control in Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Diabet Med. 2009 Sep;26(9):900-7.

Packer L, Kraemer K, Rimbach G. Molecular aspects of lipoic acid in the prevention of diabetes complications. Nutrition. 2001 Oct;17(10):888-95.

Poh Z, Goh KP. A current update on the use of alpha lipoic Acid in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Endocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets. 2009 Dec;9(4):392-8.

Pyykkönen AJ, Räikkönen K, Tuomi T, Eriksson JG, Groop L, Isomaa B. Stressful life events and the metabolic syndrome: The PPP-Botnia Study. Diabetes Care. 2009 Oct 30.

Romaguera D, Norat T, Mouw T, May AM, Bamia C, Slimani N, Travier N, Besson H, Luan J, Wareham N, Rinaldi S, Couto E, Clavel-Chapelon F, Boutron-Ruault MC, Cottet V, Palli D, Agnoli C, Panico S, Tumino R, Vineis P, Agudo A, Rodriguez L, Sanchez MJ, Amiano P, Barricarte A, Huerta JM, Key TJ, Spencer EA, Bueno-de-Mesquita HB, Büchner FL, Orfanos P, Naska A, Trichopoulou A, Rohrmann S, Kaaks R, Bergmann M, Boeing H, Johansson I, Hellstrom V, Manjer J, Wirfält E, Uhre Jacobsen M, Overvad K, Tjonneland A, Halkjaer J, Lund E, Braaten T, Engeset D, Odysseos A, Riboli E, Peeters PH. Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet Is Associated with Lower Abdominal Adiposity in European Men and Women. J Nutr. 2009 Sep;139(9):1728-37. Epub 2009 Jul 1. 2009 Jul 1.

Rumawas ME, Meigs JB, Dwyer JT, McKeown NM, Jacques PF. Mediterranean-style dietary pattern, reduced risk of metabolic syndrome traits, and incidence in the Framingham Offspring Cohort. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Dec;90(6):1608-14. Epub 2009 Oct 14.

Ryan AS. Insulin resistance with aging: effects of diet and exercise. Sports Med. 2000 Nov;30(5):327-46.

Sartorelli DS, Damião R, Chaim R, Hirai A, Gimeno SG, Ferreira SR; for the Japanese-Brazilian Diabetes Study Group. Dietary omega-3 fatty acid and omega-3: omega-6 fatty acid ratio predict improvement in glucose disturbances in Japanese Brazilians. Nutrition. 2009 Jul 30. [Epub ahead of print]

Thakur G, Mitra A, Pal K, Rousseau D. Effect of flaxseed gum on reduction of blood glucose and cholesterol in type 2 diabetic patients. Int J Food Sci Nutr . 2009 Jun 22:1-11.

 

 

 

 

 

The information on this website is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional. The information and products on this website are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.