Type II diabetes is affected by diet more than any disease except atherosclerosis (heart disease) and hypertension (high blood pressure), according to "The Well Adult."
Diabetics have twice the risk of heart attacks and strokes than non-diabetics.
Eating a low-fat, high-fiber diet is the best treatment and prevention for Type II diabetes, reports "The Well Adult." Fortunately, there are a wide variety of foods that can help diabetics lose weight and control their
disease.
Millions affected
According to The Merck Manual of Medical Information, about 6 percent of Americans, or 18 million people, have diabetes. About 90 percent of diabetics have Type II diabetes, also known as Type II diabetes mellitus or non-insulin dependent diabetes.
The first symptoms of diabetes include abnormal thirst, blurred vision, drowsiness, nausea, and decreased endurance during exercise, reports The Merck Manual. Type I diabetics lose weight, but Type II diabetics
don't.
Features
Diet expert Robert Pritikin says that the best foods for diabetics have low-fat and high-fiber features. "The New Pritikin Program" puts these foods in four categories--grains, legumes, vegetables and fruits.
The book's list of recommended grains includes whole wheat, barley, oats, whole rye, brown rice, and whole-grain cornmeal. The legumes on Pritikin's list include garbanzos, red kidney beans, lima beans and pinto beans.
The recommended low-fat, high-fiber vegetables include broccoli, carrots, corn, eggplant, green peas, kale, peppers, potatoes, squash and spinach. The fruits include apples, citrus fruits, pears, raspberries and strawberries.
Soluble fiber
Low-fat, high-fiber foods are great for diabetics who want to lose weight, but some foods have an even better feature--a large amount of soluble fiber. Pritikin said soluble fibers help control diabetes because they "stabilize blood sugar levels and reduce the body's wide swings in insulin secretion."
The food in the grains category with the most amount of soluble fiber is dry oat bran, wrote Pritikin. The No. 1 legume on Pritikin's list is black-eyed peas. Brussels sprouts and cabbage are the vegetables with the most soluble fiber while dried figs top Pritikin's soluble fiber fruits list.
Significance
Low-calorie diets that include the above foods cause an increase in the amount of insulin receptors in cells and an increase in the ability to metabolize sugar. Diabetics who don't eat these foods are susceptible to having an abnormally high amount of glucose, a sugar, in their blood.
"Dietary control is the main treatment as well as the main prevention for Type II diabetes," according to "The Well Adult." Weight gain is a primary cause of Type II diabetes with "The Well Adult" and The Merck Manual reporting that between 80 to 90 percent of afflicted people are overweight.
History
Nations where people eat the kind of low-fat, high-fiber foods that are on the anti-diabetes lists of Pritikin and other experts have significantly low incidences of diabetes, according to "The New Pritikin Program." The book cited a 1975 study by Dr. Denis Burkitt and and Dr. Hugh Trowell, who documented their research in "Refined Carbohydrates and Disease: Some Implications of Dietary Fiber."
A warning
Although diabetics should usually eat low-fat, high-fiber foods, they sometimes have to do the opposite. The seeming contradiction is caused by insulin and oral drugs that can lower blood sugar levels too much and cause hypoglycemia, reports The Merck Manual.
The first symptoms of hypoglycemia are similar to those of an anxiety attack. Diabetics experiencing symptoms should eat sugar as soon as possible. Merck's recommends candy and lumps of sugar. The reference book also suggests sugar water, fruit juice, fruit, cake and milk.
References
- "The Well Adult," Dr. Mike Samuels and Nancy Samuels, 1988
- The Merck Manual of Medical Information, 1997
- "The New Pritikin Program," Robert Pritikin, 1990
