The American Diabetes Association is trying to kill me.

Newsflash:  People with the inability to convert carbohydrates into energy (those with diabetes) have better blood sugar control if they don't eat so many of the damn things.

I know what you're thinking. That I have a remarkable command of the obvious.

Thanks to some recent research, mainstream medicine and nutrition professionals are finally (slooooowly) getting on the low carb for diabetes bandwagon, but not soon enough.  Hundreds of thousands of lives, limbs and kidneys could have been spared if only this was the advice given to newly diagnosed patients. Instead, we're advised to "eat whatever we want and cover it with insulin."  And in many cases patients are prescribes a large amoung of carbohydrate to go with that; commonly 60 grams of carbs per meal plus two 15g snacks per day.

Here's some really special advice from our friends at the American Diabetes Association, who we know have our best interests in mind (except that they get most of their funding from big pharma and food lobbies, so there's that. My rule is "always follow the money" when it comes to diciphering "research" and medical advice.

According to the ADA's website's fabulous advice for diabetics, the answer to "How many grams of carbohydrate are best for me?" is as follows:

 The recommended number of servings is based on your weight, activity level, diabetes medicines, and goals for your blood glucose levels. Your dietitian or diabetes educator, can work with you to make a personalized plan. A general guideline is to have 45-60 grams of carbohydrate at each meal  15-20 grams of carbohydrate servings at each snack.  And then use lots of lots of our sponsors' drugs to attempt in vain to achieve a non-diabetic A1C." Ok, so I made up that last part.

That's a total of as much as 210 grams of carbs PER DAY.  For someone whose body can't process carbs.  And if you're Type 2, you likely don't have insulin to cover those carbs so all you're doing is putting your body into a constant state of hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia.

Think about that the next time you're asked to donate to the organization that's supposed to be protecting our health.

Type 3 Diabetes, a.k.a. Alzheimers?

A high-carb diet, and the attendant high blood sugar, are associated with cognitive decline.

While this theory has been floated about in the medical community for a few years, this is the first in-depth analysis I've seen to corroborate the hypothesis that elevated blood sugars are related to dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

An article published in January inThe Atlantic sheds a bit more light.

In a 2012 study, [the researchers] broke nearly 1,000 people down into four groups based on how much of their diet came from carbohydrates. The group that ate the most carbs had an 80 percent higher chance of developing mild cognitive impairment—a pit stop on the way to dementia—than those who ate the smallest amount of carbs. People with mild cognitive impairment, or MCI, can dress and feed themselves, but they have trouble with more complex tasks. Intervening in MCI can help prevent dementia."

You can read about this in more detail here.

While it stands to reason that high levels of glucose in the blood will damage the blood vessels in the brain in the same way it causes damage to the vessels in the heart and the nerve pathways throughout the body, what's fascinating about this research is the connection to insulin. There's something called an insulin-degrading enzyme, a product of insulin that breaks down both insulin and amyloid proteins in the brain—the same proteins that clump up and lead to Alzheimer’s disease.

The article states, "People who don’t have enough insulin, like those whose bodies’ ability to produce insulin has been tapped out by diabetes, aren’t going to make enough of this enzyme to break up those brain clumps. Meanwhile, in people who use insulin to treat their diabetes and end up with a surplus of insulin, most of this enzyme gets used up breaking that insulin down, leaving not enough enzyme to address those amyloid brain clumps."

The common theme here is hyperinsulinemia, a state where there is too much insulin circulating in the body, essentially.  Type 2 diabetics who eat carbs are in a constant state of hyperinsulinemia, as they produce enough insulin but their bodies don't "use" it properly. This means that the more carbohydrate they eat, the more insulin the have in their bodies. We see from this research the risk of Alzheimers this creates.

In Type 1 diabetes, where the patient doesn't produce an adequate amount of insulin, the injected insulin in large quantities will create the same scenario, without enough of the enzyme needed to break up the amyloid brain clumbs.  How do you use less insulin?  Less carbohydrate.

Time and again research shows that low carb is a healthy option for people with diabetes, and yet diabetes educators, including a few high profile voices in the diabetes community, continue to attempt to discredit any research that shows that their "carb up and shoot up" advice is detrimental, dangerous and, dare I say, deadly.

In the News...Fish Oil Supplements Don't Prevent CVD (but they may prevent statins)

Disclaimer: I'm not a health professional and this is not medical advice. Merely an informed opinion based on my own experiences and research

Something Fishy Here

In a rather surprising twist, it was recently announced that "research" shows that supplementing Omega 3 fatty acids via fish oil doesn't prevent cardiovascular disease.  (Sobering news for those of us who have a 600 count jar of oil-filled, horse-size capsules eating up valuable cabinet space.)

There's a lot about this announcement that I find..fishy. 

Fish or Foe?

One of the take-aways from the research was that you're better off getting your Omega3 from actual fish. Given that much of the Omega3-rich fish we eat in this country are farm raised, I find that advice a bit paradoxical. After all, we know that toxins are stored in fish fat, and we know all about how bad farm-raised fish is in terms of its levels of toxins. So eat that fish at your own risk or take a certified Omega3 supplement? I say eat as much "clean" fish as you can...but keep taking that fish oil.

What, me skeptical?

Why am I so dubious about fish oil's alleged inefficacy? Well, if you've ever had surgery, you've probably been told to stop taking fish oil supplements (as well as ibuprophen or other NSAIDS) at least a week in advance of your procedure. Why? Because like Ibuprophen, it's a really effective blood thinner (it decreases platelet activity).  Think of it like taking low dose aspirin to prevent blood clots and further reduce cardiac risk. But thin blood isn't good in the OR

About That Lipid Profile

Fish oil has also been shown to raise HDL, an important part of a healthy lipid profile. Assuming you believe in the "lipid hypothesis" you know that your goal is supposed to be lower LDL (the "bad" stuff) and higher HDL (the "good" stuff) and nice, low triglycerides (the really bad stuff, in my opinion).  Your doc will look at these numbers, especially the first two, and decide if you "need" a statin. You probably don't, but that's not how that office visit is gonna go down, especially if you're diabetic. 

Fish oil also lowers triglycerides...which are really more dangerous than LDL, in my somewhat educated opinion.  https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/triglycerides/art-20048186

So even if that fish oil isn't going to save you from a horrible death by CVD, getting those lipid ratios into "optimal" range will probably help save you from satan...I mean, a statin. 

Note: Before agreeing to a statin, please ask your physician to run either the NMR or, preferably, the CardioIQ lipid test. Here's some info:  
https://www.questdiagnostics.com/home/physicians/testing-services/condition/cardiovascular/cardio-iq-report.html

Your Glowing Complexion

Omega3 fatty acids are also important for healthy skin. They are a powerful anti-inflammatory (like ibuprophen, right?) and also a crucial part of your skin’s lipid content which helps bolster its barrier function, which, when working properly, acts like a seal that keeps moisture in and irritants out. In fact, researchers discovered that women who consumed half a teaspoon of omega-3-rich flaxseed oil (another Omega 3 source) a day increased skin hydration by 39 percent after 12 weeks. So no scaly skin for you. (See what I did there?)

My Takeaway

In my opinion, this all adds up to anecdotal support for continuing to take that fish oil. And if you can't handle those enormous pills, there are several liquid forms on the market that you might find easier to take. Consider yourself schooled.  (Wait, did you just groan out loud??)