Janet ' s numbers tell the whole story. Before doing Atkins, her blood pressure was a frightening 180 / 90. It now stands at 110 / 70. Her glucose level of 290 is now 114-well within the normal range. Her total cholesterol has gone down 30 points to 180. Her HDL( good cholesterol) is up 6 points. Her triglycerides are now normal. Her weight has fallen by 49 pounds. Janet has gone from being a diabetic woman who was probably entering the final decade of her life to being a fit and healthy woman who recently started her own wellness center to counsel peopleparticularly diabetics-about nutrition and its role in health. Many of her patients are sent to her by doctors who were as impressed by her experience as she was.
The Atkins Nutritional Approach is not only the most effective treatment for diabetes currently available in the United States, but it is also a certain way to put an end to the epidemic nature of the illness. Modesty may not be my strong suit, but I would be a traitor to mankind if I said anything else.
Nutrients for Correcting Imbalance
Doing Atkins is a crucial first step to dealing with glucose / insulin disorders, ranging from unstable blood sugar to full-blown diabetes. There are also many supplements that can assist. First and foremost is chromium, which is an essential part of the glucose-tolerance factor( GTF). This compound has such a profound effect on correcting sugar metabolism that I consider it essential for anyone who is overweight. Chromium( both chromium picolinate and chromium polynicotinate are effective forms for the assimiliation of this mineral) has an added benefit: It helps lower total cholesterol levels and raise HDL( good) cholesterol. The effective dose range of chromium is 200 to 1,000 mcg per day.
The second most important nutrient for individuals with blood-sugarfinsulin imbalances is vanadium. Most research, done with vanadyl sulfate, has shown benefits in combating both insulin resistance and lack of insulin. A typical dose range of vanadyl sulfate is 30 to 60 mg daily. Vanadyl is one of the very few nutrients that may place stress on the kidneys, so I always recommend that kidney function be monitored when using it.
The third most important mineral for blood-sugar disturbances is zinc. Other minerals probably advantageous for diabetics include magnesium, manganese and selenium.
Vitamins, especially vitamin C and the B complex group, are also important for diabetics and should be a liberal part of the nutritional supplement plan. Other promising nutrients are Coenzyme Q10, alpha lipoic acid and the essential fatty acids GLA and EPA( fish oil). To learn more about these and other diabetic control supplements, you may refer to Dr Atkins ' Vita- Nutrient Solution.
As for the pharmaceutical approach, I have long opposed the unrestricted use of drugs such as insulin and the insulin-mimicking sulfonylurea type of oral anti-diabetes medications. Since the majority of Type II diabetics produce too much insulin, those drugs simply make matters worse. It is necessary to gradually lower the insulin-like medication dosage beginning the day carbohydrate intake is lowered to prevent abnormally low blood sugar so as to avoid a possible overdosage of the drug.
One currently available drug, however, has special merit, for it works to overcome insulin resistance, and to the extent that it ' s successful, lowers both blood-sugar and insulin levels. This is metformin, a pharmaceutical that also has positive effects for weight loss and can improve blood-lipid levels. If you have diabetes, you may want your doctor to consider it.
204