Diet can significantly affect insulin sensitivity and the risk of type 2 diabetes and CHD.44, 45 A high intake of rapidly absorbed carbohydrates can induce rapid postprandial glucose and insulin responses, leading to features of the metabolic syndrome or syndrome X—insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, and a characteristic dyslipidemia featuring high triglycerides …

The increased prevalence of diabetes has paralleled a rise in consumption of n-6 (relative to n-3) fatty acids and trans fatty acids found in partially hydrogenated oil. 66-68 Both can change cellular membrane phospholipid composition and decrease fluidity—a state associated with altered insulin receptors, decreased insulin sensitivity, and subsequent insulin …

In 1986 the ADA released nutrition guidelines advocating a low-fat diet rich in carbohydrates (up to sixty percent of total energy). In dyslipidemic patients with type 2 diabetes the higher increase in dietary carbohydrates and restriction of fats was advised 55 . Soon after, The National Institutes of Health Consensus …

The endothelium’s functioning is not yet routinely tested. Most of the practical techniques for directly measuring this activity use ultrasound to measure movement of blood in an artery after the flow has been altered either by injecting drugs that would normally dilate it, or by blocking the flow with a …

Insulin itself may contribute to obesity. A high first-phase insulin response to intravenous glucose has been shown to be a risk factor for long-term weight gain, and this effect is particularly manifested in insulin-sensitive individuals. 76 Also, compared to normal children, Pima Indian children with elevated fasting insulin gain more …

Each hour, 178 people die from complications set off by diabetes. For 80 percent of these patients the killer is atherosclerosis involving the large blood vessels supplying heart and brain. Patients with diabetes are four times as likely as nondiabetic individuals to die of an MI. With endothelial dysfunction a …

Nitric oxide (NO) A diabetic environment high in free radicals and low in antioxidants may disrupt endothelial function. A highly active regulatory organ, the endothelium senses and assesses signals to which it is constantly exposed by the blood, and responds by secreting factors that affect blood vessels’ tone and structure. …

Lifestyle factors have now been established as the key in developing 1 as well as preventing and reversing type 2 diabetes 2, 3 and heart disease.4 Hu and his colleagues at Harvard School of Public Health followed more than 42,000 male health professionals for 12 years and found that those …

From much of the media, public-service broadcasts, and, dare I say, most of the medical profession, we hear that controlling blood sugar (glucose) better will prolong life and improve its quality for most patients who have type-1 or type-2 diabetes. Contrary to popular belief, though, we have little evidence suggesting …

A woman offered to help a man who, on his hands and knees under a street lamp, was frantically searching for his lost key. Frustrated after several unsuccessful minutes crawling under the bright light, the woman asked, “Where were you when you lost your key?” Pointing to a dark alley, …