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My letter to DUK in response to complaints on this forum abo

H

hanadr

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Please write to DUK

please, those of you who control their carbs[in whatever way] to control their T2 and who have excellent hbA1cs. Write to DUK and tell them. They don't know just how many people are being success ful with this approach.They do know it works for sojme people.
a while ago, Iwas told that "it's being looked into".
I am a member and Service user rep. I tell the officials about this regularly
Hana
 
I am a member of DUK and have sent them the following
Hana
forgive typos, I've sprained my wrist chopping cabbage for coleslaw. :lol:

Yet again I'm fielding complaints from disgruntled diabetics about your dietary advice.[eat a significant part of your diet in carbs!!!] Do you know that the majority of well controlled diabetics HbA1c below 6% restrict their carbohydrate intake? I was given to understand that you were looking at this advice again. Remember a non-diabetic HbA1c is around 4.5%
Since,in my PCT at least, more than 50% of diabetics can't hit 7.5%, Why cannot DUK support the successful ones who have found the way that actually WORKS?. Gradually increasing medication types and doses obviously DOESN'T and leads to side effects and weight gain.
I know you really truly believe that carbs are essential, but no-one has ever been able to show me any scientific study which supports this view, so why do you still believe it?. It's in fact just as much an urban myth as the poodle in the microwave. Ask the FSA where theyfind the support for the "unHealthy Eating Plate. They won't have anything other than Guesswork There are MANY studies which show that reducing carbs is beneficial in diabetes treatment and also improves lipid profile. I recently had another Service user rep curtsey to me because of my HbA1c of 5.3%. At DUK offices no less.
Please look at the evidence which is out there [ I can point you to it if necessary] and examine what actually happens in the body if carbs are consumed. Look at the work of doctors Such as Richard Bernstein and Robert Lustig and the writing of the late John Yudkin and SUPPORT diabetics.
Your dietary advice is rubbish and you shouldn't be surprised that members are leaving.
I prefer to try to improve things from within.
Hana Rous
 
Nice one Hana. I am helping set up a diabetes support group in the Bristol area, and rapidly discovering that DUK are a real pain in the gluteus maximus to deal with...

hanadr said:
It's in fact just as much an urban myth as the poodle in the microwave.
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Sounds rather alarming, never heard of this one?!?!
 
That's the one where the idiot woman shampoos her poodle and puts it into the microwave to dry it off and cooks it. I've come across it several times, but there's no evidence anyone was ever so stupid
Hana
 
hanadr said:
...........I prefer to try to improve things from within..........
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Me too Hana - I've just agreed to take over leadership of our local Diabetes UK Support Group. However, I've decided to stop sending money into the system because I'm far from certain that it is being well spent.

John
 
Wally, your money pays my fare to London every couple of months. I couldn't go if I had to find it all myself, even though it's £20 a trip[and back]
The meetings are quitte useful. They now know I don't eat much carb and that I have the best HbA1c they've come across.
Hana
 
hanadr said:
Wally, your money pays my fare to London every couple of months. I couldn't go if I had to find it all myself, even though it's £20 a trip[and back]
The meetings are quitte useful. They now know I don't eat much carb and that I have the best HbA1c they've come across.
Hana
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It won't be my money paying your fare now. Sorry about that!

We all ought to get together as one group and turn up at the same time with out HbA1c reading hung around our necks! :lol:

John
 
Here is a reply I received 3 months ago.



We are sorry to hear that you don’t agree with our dietary advice, but I would like to reassure you that our advice is based on current research and is also in line with recommendations given by the Food Standards Agency. Diabetes UK have commissioned research into the effects of low carbohydrate diets for people with diabetes; as yet, we are unable to recommend this diet as there are no conclusive results on how low carbohydrate diets may affect people on a long-term basis.



The diet recommended for people with diabetes is not a special diet but the same healthy balanced diet recommended to everyone. Carbohydrate comes from many different kinds of food and drink, including starchy foods such as bread, potatoes and chapattis; fruit; some dairy products; sugar and other sweet foods. The actual amount of carbohydrate that your body needs varies depending on your age, weight and activity levels, but it should make up half of what you eat and drink. For good health most of this should be from starchy carbohydrate, fruits and some dairy foods, with no more than one fifth of your total carbohydrate to come from added or table sugar.



We do advise that meals should include some starchy carbohydrate foods i.e. bread, pasta, chapattis, potatoes, yam, noodles, rice and cereals advocating the amount of carbohydrate that you eat is important to control your blood glucose. In some of our booklets recommended daily portion sizes are provided, though of course we do stipulate everyone’s nutritional needs are different and you may need more or less portions than those suggested.



In line with evidence based research and national guidance we recommend that sugar and sugary food is limited though this does not mean you need to eat a sugar free diet. People with diabetes can often feel daunted at the thought food choices on special occasions - so we do try and make the point that celebrations, parties and special occasions are possible times to enjoy foods occasionally that may be higher in fat or sugar than your usual choices.




Thank you for your comments, it is always useful to get feedback, and these will be brought to our Balance editorial meeting. You may be interested to know that we are currently looking at ways in which we can clearly label our recipes in line with the Food Standards Agency traffic light labeling scheme.



We are sorry to hear that you wish to cancel your supporting membership subscription, if you still wish me to action your request I will ensure this is done.



Regards
 
Thanks Sue. This is what I wrote:

I am type 2. I just thought I'd let you know what has happened to me. In mid July, after my diagnosis, the diabetic nurse told me to go away and eat your healthy diet recommendations (which she agreed I was already doing) and that because I was not overweight by any degree, metformin "wouldn't work" and it would be sulphonylureas and then, pretty soon, insulin. I wasn't told when to come back, so was left in the lurch with my "problem". Thus I went to the internet and found what I suspected: if my body isn't dealing too well with carbs, then don't eat as many. This was the information I needed to turn my situation around.

From that initial hba1c of 8.2%, I spent three months on low intake of carbs and my recent result of 5.5% vindicates my action. My cholesterol is down, my HDL up, my LDL down and my triglycerides well down. There is not much point in you telling me that low-carbing hasn't been proved to be safe long term – by the time that is established I will have serious problems if I keep eating my usual high carb diet. In the meantime, keeping problems at bay with this regime makes perfect sense. There are lots of people who have been doing it much longer than me and keeping their glucose levels pretty normal, and have not yet found complications setting in.

I hope you will pass this information on to anyone who is collating the possible methods of lowering bg levels. You may not want to publish low-carbing as a way forward but my doctor is both astonished and pleased – most of their patients simply go out and eat "the same healthy diet recommended to all", with all that follows in terms of additional meds and later complications. You see, it's difficult to be motivated when the advice given clearly doesn't work. They must think: "Why bother? I can't beat this." I'm motivated because I see my method working.
 
They'd probably take more notice if I'd mentioned the ongoing unstoppable maddening health-threatening weight loss - but I "somehow" forgot to do so... which was cheating really. But we were only talking about bgs weren't we :wink:
Off to get a filling replaced now - doubtless ruined by the nut eating habit I've acquired. Not usually up at this time.
DG
 
hanadr said:
Your dietary advice is rubbish and you shouldn't be surprised that members are leaving.
I prefer to try to improve things from within.
Hana Rous
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You don't think that maybe they simply don't bother replying to people who cantankerously insult them? Your entire letter talks down to them, rather than showing them any respect. I'm sure they don't need little old you to 'point them in the right direction'. They are, after all, professionals, and (let's be frank here), likely know more about the entire subject than everyone on this forum combined.

Perhaps be a little more polite in future if you're looking for a swift response? It usually works a charm.
 
John

Have I understood you correctly - you are leading a DUK group but will not support DUK? Why not set up your own group?

Doug
 
Low carbohydrate diet compares more favorably, at least over the short term, to traditional low fat for improving glycemic control, insulin sensitivity and dyslipidemia of diabetes with reduction in triglycerides, increase in HDL cholesterol and modification of LDL to less atherogenic form. The need of the hour is to accept the benefits of carbohydrate restriction with reservation and to establish guidelines for its use, especially emphasizing use of mono and polyunsaturated fats as the way to achieve caloric balance since these have been inversely linked with CVD risk in various studies. In the mean time, clinical trials need to be conducted using graded levels of carbohydrate restriction and fat intake, with special emphasis on unsaturated fats, to examine their effects of on weight loss, glycemic control, insulin resistance and CVD risk. This is to resolve the present controversy about optimal dietary option for patients with diabetes.
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http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/2/1/16

send this to DUK
 
UPB
I don't think my letter is particularly rude and since It's about the 50th one I've sent them, I know all their standard responses. I am a member of DUK and the people I meet fairly often all know what I eat, because they provide me with lunch about once every 2 months or so and they know my HbA1c and they know what the maority of people get. I have to be firm with them to get any kind of response
Hana
 
hanadr said:
UPB
I don't think my letter is particularly rude and since It's about the 50th one I've sent them, I know all their standard responses. I am a member of DUK and the people I meet fairly often all know what I eat, because they provide me with lunch about once every 2 months or so and they know my HbA1c and they know what the majority of people get. I have to be firm with them to get any kind of response
Hana
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I only ever get one standard response :( .
If it works for you, do it. But we cannot recommend what you do to anyone else. We have to tell them to eat the starchy carb diet. Nor can we consider your individual experience as worthy of consideration. We have a vast body of research behind out advice.
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