I've read Dr Fung's books on obesity and diabetes - if you're serious about controlling your health, without recourse to expensive and potentially dangerous drugs - I would not hesitate in recommending them. Although, the books go into considerable detail, they are easy to read and full of excellent information. I would also recommend the excellent books by our very own Zoe Harcombe, particularly 'The Obesity Epidemic'. Okay, it is not specifically about diabetes, but does go to the route cause - insulin resistance - with an excellent chapter on exogenous causes of weight gain, a particular concern for diabetics, as it is all part of the 'progressive and incurable' paradigm. She cites a several studies of the obesogenic properties of many prescription drugs, including the birth pill and many drugs regularly prescribed to diabetics. The worst offender: insulin.
For decades, the 'medication' profession has been expounding this 'progressive and incurable' theory and even claiming that we are not really sure what causes diabetes. Really? Well, that would explain even recent health professional posts recommending the following 'healthy' breakfast for a type 2 diabetic:
-slice of wholemeal toast with marmalade
-bowl of cereal with skimmed milk
-glass of orange juice
-apple or banana
I don't know about everyone else, but I'd be stuck to the ceiling after that sugarfest! Of course, this is all based on the 'and then pump yourself full of exogenous insulin', which doesn't get a mention, but is just taken for granted, assuming the doctors are following (not so) NICE guidelines.
We are all bombarded with 'received facts' that only an idiot would refute because 'everybody knows that!' Again, very little research reveals that many of these, accepted as Gospel, facts are nothing more than clever advertising campaigns, sponsored by food companies. Repeat them often enough, and they become hard facts. The truth is that many are on the same scientific footing as recent recommendations to take bleach suppositories, drink Dettol or take anti-malaria drugs to ward off Covid 19.
Perhaps, as a diabetic, the worst offender has to be the 5 a day nonsense. According to Zoe Harcombe's research, this was cooked up by a group of executives from an American fruit and vegetable consortium in conjunction with the American Cancer Association. Apparently, the idea was to demonstrate that a higher consumption of fruit and vegetables would reduce the risk of cancers. This, incidentally, BEFORE any research was conducted. Just the brilliant idea of some advertising executives. When a study was conducted, it transpired that increased fruit and vegetable intake had no statistically significant impact on cancer either way.
With the fullness of time, it has come to be accepted as fact. And it does sound wonderfully simple. Eat 5 or more pieces of fruit or vegetables - eat the rainbow - and all will be well. Of course, eating fruit and vegetables - real food - has to be a better option than crisps and doughnuts. Alas, so many of us think that 5 bananas and a litre of orange juice will help us live forever. Clearly, even if you were not already diabetic and/or obese, that advice is not going to lead to a long and healthy life. Particularly, if, as many assume, this should be eaten as an extra to your dietary requirements, So, we are simply to wash down the crisps and doughnuts with the 'healthy' orange juice.
The answer to the beta cells of the pancreas being able to recover, has already been answered, again here in the UK by our very own Prof Taylor of Newcastle University. And, of course, by the many obese diabetics who have undergone bariatric surgery, discovering within weeks that their blood sugars return to normal - even before they lose any significant weight.
Of course, surgery or Prof Taylor's 800 calorie diet are not solutions to be undertaken lightly. There is, however, another way. If you have been doing your homework, you will often read N=1 referring to the anecdotal reports of diabetics living healthy, happy lives WITHOUT drugs. I am fortunate to be one of what has slowly become n=many.
I was lucky with my initial diabetic nurse. I was given a blood glucose monitor, advised to purchase some form of fitness monitor and given the option to try diet and lifestyle changes before hitting the hard stuff. That was in 2017. I'm still here, without medication of any sort.
Surely, there can be no doubt that diabetes - type 2 - is the result of an eating disorder or, if you prefer, intolerance specifically to sugar and starch. So, the prevailing advice to eat lots of 'complex' carbohydrates and moderate the consumption of treats, absolutely must be replaced with recommendations that have some scientific merit other than food frequency questionnaires along the lines of what you had for breakfast in 2004.
