Kerry D Friesen, M.D.

New Study: Lifestyle And The Mediterranean Diet Better Than Drug Therapy For Diabetes

Posted on 03. Nov, 2009 by Kerry D Friesen, M.D. in Brain Health, Men's Health, Women's Health

Olive Oil. Not just Popeye's girl friend anymore!

Diabetes: A Modern Day Plague Of Biblical Proportions

Twenty-four million people in America have diabetes.  That’s a staggering 8 percent of the population.

Men and women in the 60 and over age group have the highest incidence with an equally incomprehensible 23 percent  currently diagnosed with diabetes!

This modern day metabolic plague will continue to spread as increasingly younger  populations combined with a rapidly aging population in turn develop diabetes.

It’s Complicated

According to the National Institutes Of Health:

• Heart disease and stroke are 4 times higher in adults with diabetes.

• In 2004, heart disease was noted on 68 percent of diabetes-related death certificates among people ages 65 years or older.

• Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, accounting for 44 percent of new cases in 2005.

• Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults ages 20 to 74 years.

• In 2004, about 71,000 nontraumatic lower-limb amputations were performed in people with diabetes.

• Periodontal, or gum, disease is more common in people with diabetes. Among young adults, those with diabetes have about twice the risk of those without diabetes.

• Poorly controlled diabetes during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy can result in excessively large babies, posing a risk to both mother and child.

• About 60 to 70 percent of people with diabetes have mild to severe forms of nervous system damage. The results of such damage include impaired sensation or pain in the feet or hands, slowed digestion of food in the stomach, carpal tunnel syndrome, erectile dysfunction, or other nerve problems.

Now For The Good News!

In a recent study reported in the Annals Of Internal Medicine,  215 overweight people with newly diagnosed type-2 diabetes were randomly assigned to a Mediterranean diet, (with less than 50 percent of all daily calories from carbohydrates),  or a low-fat diet (with less than 30 per cent of all daily calories coming from fat).

Conclusion

Consuming a Mediterranean-style diet, rich in vegetables, fruits and nuts, olive oil, and legumes, is more effective for diabetes control than a low-fat diet!

In fact, the Mediterranean diet was so effective that the need for drug therapy in this overweight diabetic population at risk for heart disease was delayed in 44 percent of the study participants.   More than 70 percent of those in the placebo group required prescription drug therapy to normalize blood sugar and HbA1c levels.

According to the research scientists:

“the findings reinforce the message that benefits of lifestyle interventions should not be overlooked despite the drug-intensive style of medicine fueled by the current medical literature”

Honorable Mention:

“Participants assigned to the Mediterranean-style diet lost more weight and experienced greater improvements in some glycemic control and coronary risk measures than did those assigned to the low-fat diet.”

Summary

Only the Mediteranean diet, rich in cereals, wine, fruits, nuts, legumes and whole grains, fish and olive oil, and low in dairy, meat, junk food and fat , has been linked to longer life, less heart disease, and protection against cancer.

It should come as no surprise that the Mediterranean diet is rich in carotenoids, polyphenols, antioxidants and monounsaturated fats.

Monounsaturated fatty acids are especially important in Type 2 diabetes where insulin resistance is thought to be the underlying metabolic disturbance.  Monounsaturated fats such as olive oil are effective at reducing insulin resistance and improving glucose function, therefore decreasing the need for drug therapy.

Why not start today and introduce the essential components of the Mediterranean diet into your daily routine?

Olive oil is the best source of monounsaturated fat, colorful foods are rich in polyphenols, carotenoids and antioxidants.  Don’t forget fish, red wine (resveratrol) and whole grains.

I’ll see you in the produce section of your local grocery store!

Source: Annals of Internal Medicine
Volume 151, Pages 306-314
“Effects of a Mediterranean-Style Diet on the Need for Antihyperglycemic Drug Therapy in Patients With Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes – A Randomized Trial”
Authors: K. Esposito, M.I. Maiorino, M. Ciotola, C. Di Palo, P. Scognamiglio, M. Gicchino, M. Petrizzo, F. Saccomanno, F. Beneduce, A. Ceriello, D. Giugliano

Tags: Antioxidants, beta-carotene, diabetes, low-fat diet, Mediterranean diet, polyphenols, tochopherols, vitamin C