- Messages
- 2,374
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
As a newly re-diagnosed type 2 diabetic, I've been on the LCHF diet for five months now with excellent results, and I take a number of nutritional supplements, though not iron (unless I get a lab result that my iron levels are low).
In my daily wanderings on the internet today, I came across an interesting article on iron written by nutritionist Jack Norris, RD. He states "High iron stores and higher intakes of heme iron are associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes". I wish I'd known that when I had a severe iron deficiency in 2011 and began blindly supplementing without rechecking my iron levels.
He goes on to write...
Type 2 Diabetes
There is evidence that the beta cells of the pancreas, which produce insulin, are particularly susceptible to oxidation from iron due to their weak antioxidant defense mechanisms. A 2012 meta-analysis of prospective studies found that higher iron stores (6 studies) and higher intakes of heme iron (5 studies) at baseline were strongly associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes (49). Higher intakes of non-heme iron were not associated.
A cross-sectional study from the USA found lower ferritin levels in lacto-ovo vegetarians (35 µg/l) than meat-eaters (72 µg/l). The vegetarians also had higher insulin sensitivity. Upon giving phlebotomies to 6 male meat-eaters to reduce their ferritin levels, their insulin sensitivity increased. The authors suggested that the lower ferritin levels could be a reason why vegetarians had greater insulin sensitivity (48).
It is possible that the lower risk of type 2 diabetes in vegetarians (see Type 2 Diabetes and the Vegan Diet), which has been shown to be independent of body mass index, could be partially explained by their lower iron stores.
Here's a link to the entire article... http://veganhealth.org/articles/iron#chr I found it by reading a post on his blog at http://jacknorrisrd.com/ It has a subject index in the right column.
In my daily wanderings on the internet today, I came across an interesting article on iron written by nutritionist Jack Norris, RD. He states "High iron stores and higher intakes of heme iron are associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes". I wish I'd known that when I had a severe iron deficiency in 2011 and began blindly supplementing without rechecking my iron levels.
He goes on to write...
Type 2 Diabetes
There is evidence that the beta cells of the pancreas, which produce insulin, are particularly susceptible to oxidation from iron due to their weak antioxidant defense mechanisms. A 2012 meta-analysis of prospective studies found that higher iron stores (6 studies) and higher intakes of heme iron (5 studies) at baseline were strongly associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes (49). Higher intakes of non-heme iron were not associated.
A cross-sectional study from the USA found lower ferritin levels in lacto-ovo vegetarians (35 µg/l) than meat-eaters (72 µg/l). The vegetarians also had higher insulin sensitivity. Upon giving phlebotomies to 6 male meat-eaters to reduce their ferritin levels, their insulin sensitivity increased. The authors suggested that the lower ferritin levels could be a reason why vegetarians had greater insulin sensitivity (48).
It is possible that the lower risk of type 2 diabetes in vegetarians (see Type 2 Diabetes and the Vegan Diet), which has been shown to be independent of body mass index, could be partially explained by their lower iron stores.
Here's a link to the entire article... http://veganhealth.org/articles/iron#chr I found it by reading a post on his blog at http://jacknorrisrd.com/ It has a subject index in the right column.
