MCVitamins News

Your Nutritional Education Site

1. High Triglycerides & Cholesterol - How to Lower them Naturally.
2.
A Simple Yet Effective Way To Lower Blood Sugar & Insulin Spikes After Eating a High Carbohydrate Meal

High Triglycerides & Cholesterol - How To Lower Them Naturally!

This is the third in a series of articles that is discussing in more detail each of the symptoms resulting from insulin resistance. Each article is designed to give you a better understanding of what is causing these symptoms to occur and how to effectively reverse them.

High levels of triglycerides [fat particles in the blood stream] and cholesterol often accompany the diabetic condition. In truth, the high blood sugar levels, high triglycerides and high cholesterol levels are in fact three of the many symptoms caused by insulin resistance. The use of medical drugs and a low fat diet are not the answer to bringing down cholesterol or triglyceride levels. Even the theory behind the cause of high levels of triglycerides and cholesterol were incorrect to begin with as you can see from the following excerpt:

“Ever since the daily intake of dietary cholesterol was considered a major causative factor in coronary heart disease, the theory behind this type of thinking has had serious inconsistencies. First of all, one of the inconsistencies is the fact that 80 percent of those who suffer heart attacks have normal cholesterol in their blood. Secondly, most of the cholesterol that exists in the body comes not from the dietary intake of fatty foods, but rather is produced by the body, and in particular by the liver. Blood levels of cholesterol do not correspond, therefore, to dietary levels of the substance in everyday situations.”

“Moreover, physicians at the Mayo Clinic have shown that the severity of arteriosclerosis [disorders of arteries] is not always related to the levels of serum [liquid part of blood] cholesterol, much less dietary cholesterol. They discovered, for example, that people with low serum cholesterol could have just as severe arteriosclerosis as those with high serum cholesterol.”

excerpted from Victory Over Diabetes
by William H. Philpott, M.D. & Dwight K. Kalita, Ph.D.

In other words, what these physicians found was that you could have high cholesterol levels in the blood stream and have no plaque buildup on the insides of your arteries, or you could have low levels of cholesterol in the blood stream and have serious plaque buildups in your arteries.

The understanding of the causes of high triglycerides and cholesterol levels is now very slowly spreading through the medical community. Yet, newspapers, magazines, radio and television continue to lead the public in the wrong direction:

“Hundreds of scientists are now reporting that an excess of insulin has been linked to high blood pressure, undesirable blood-fat levels and atherosclerosis [the build-up of plaque in the arteries], heart disease, stroke, adult-onset diabetes, and more.”

“Investigation into the relationship of diet to blood sugar, blood fat, and insulin, all overwhelmingly point to the key roll that carbohydrate-rich diets and high insulin levels can play in raising your blood-fat levels. And, although major studies report that low-fat diets are failing to help most of us reduce our blood-fat levels, the media continues to act as if low fat is the answer.”

“Certainly, big business appears to play a major role in the low-fat cure-all push. Food manufacturers have found big sales in ‘healthy foods’ that are full of artificial, and often cheaper, ingredients.”

excerpted from The Carbohydrate Addict’s LifeSpan Program
by Richard Heller M.S., Ph.D. & Rachael Heller M.A., M.Ph., Ph.D.

Most medical schools in the Unites States offer little or no training in diet and nutrition, or the use of vitamins and minerals to reverse health challenges. As a result doctors most often direct their patients to the use of drugs, medications or operations to handle health problems, problems that could very often be handled with correct nutrition and proper supplements:

“According to the American Heart Association, substituting carbohydrates for fats may raise triglyceride levels and may decrease HDL (‘good’) cholesterol in some people. Yet most doctors persist in telling patients who gain weight easily to cut down on fat and meat. For some, this advice is a recipe for disaster. Why?”

“Decreasing fat and protein in the diet inevitably means increasing carbohydrates. This shifts the metabolism toward fat storage – and higher triglycerides. Not only that, it also leaves the person feeling hungry all the time and subject to blood sugar swings.”

“When the situation is reversed, however – when carbs are cut and replaced with dietary fat and protein – the opposite happens. Blood sugar metabolism normalizes, triglycerides go down, HDL cholesterol goes up, and body fat is lost.”

“All of these benefits occur without hunger and irritability that are trademarks of low-fat, reduced-calorie diet plans.”

“Many of you with evidence of insulin/blood sugar problems already have suffered years of nutritional deficits [shortages].”

“Although it might be possible to overcome this accumulated deficit with diet alone, to regain your health as rapidly as possible means supplements are needed.”

“A vitamin is an organic substance that your body needs but can’t manufacture. [With few exceptions the body cannot manufacture or synthesize vitamins.] Minerals are inorganic substances such as calcium and magnesium. Some minerals are essential, meaning that you must have them, even if only in very small amounts.”

“Vitamins and minerals are crucial for the smooth operation of the thousands of chemical processes that are constantly taking place in your body. You need a constant and adequate supply of them.”*

excerpted from Atkins Diabetes Solution
by Mary C. Vernon, M.D., C.M.D. & Jacqueline A. Eberstein, R.N.

To further illustrate the point of the difference between an incorrect approach and the right way to handle high triglyceride and cholesterol levels, here is an excerpt regarding a patient named “Jayne” who was apparently healthy but on a routine physical examination was found to have triglycerides of 3,000 (normal is usually 100-250)and cholesterol levels of 750 (considered normal if 200 or less). Her doctor put her on a high carbohydrate – low protein diet, and two potent cholesterol-lowering medications:

“Jayne faithfully followed her doctor’s orders for six months, although not without difficulty. The medications nauseated her, and the diet kept her constantly hungry.”

“By the time Jayne returned for her recheck, she was desperate for improvement. And she had improved some, but not nearly enough. Her cholesterol had dropped to 475 and her triglycerides to 2,000 – an improvement for sure, but still cause for great concern to both Jayne and her physician. They discussed her treatment options. Her doctor suggested either increasing the dosage of her cholesterol lowering medications or adding yet another medicine to her regimen.”

“Jayne wanted to think about it before she decided which option to take. She decided to do neither until she got a second opinion from another physician, so she came to our clinic.”

“We instructed Jayne to stop taking both of her cholesterol-lowering medications and to change her diet drastically. Her new nutritional regimen allowed meat (even red meat), eggs, cheese, and many other foods that most people view as causing cholesterol problems, not solving them. We told her to call in three weeks to check in and to come back to have her blood checked in six weeks.”

“She called at her appointed time and reported that she ‘felt grand’ and that her nausea and hunger had vanished. The results of her blood work astounded her. Jayne’s cholesterol level had fallen to 186 and her triglycerides to 86. Her blood sugar had dropped to 90, everything was back in normal range. As you might imagine, she was ecstatic.”

“How could this happen? How can a diet virtually everyone believes should raise cholesterol actually lower it – and in a person who doesn’t have just a slight cholesterol elevation but a major one?”

“We know Jayne’s case is not a freak happenstance or an aberration because we’ve tried variations of the same regimen on countless other patients – all with the same results.”

“The results make perfect sense, because Jayne’s problem, her illness, is not the elevated cholesterol level – that’s merely a sign of the underlying problem. Her problem is ‘hyperinsulinemia’, a chronic elevation of serum insulin.”

“After six weeks on a diet designed to lower her insulin level, Jayne’s lab work showed that she had dropped hers to almost normal. By treating her real problem – excess insulin – we were able to solve her secondary problems of elevated cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood sugar.”

“Standard medical therapies treat the symptoms of excess insulin – elevated cholesterol, triglycerides, blood sugar, blood pressure, and obesity – instead of treating the excess insulin itself. Unfortunately, the standard treatment of the symptoms may even raise the insulin levels and worsen the underlying problem.”

“For your body to function optimally, your diet must include sufficient amounts of micronutrients [a substance required for normal growth and development but only in very small quantities] – vitamins and minerals. We ask that you ensure the micronutrient adequacy of your diet by supplementing it.”

excerpted from Protein Power
by Michael R. Eades, M.D. & Mary Dan Eades, M.D.

A Simple Yet Effective Way To Lower Blood Sugar & Insulin Spikes After Eating a High Carbohydrate Meal!

This information is offered as a solution for those times when a diabetic, because of social reasons, a party, or special occasion, will be eating more carbohydrates than would normally be eaten.

A study done in Sweden in 2001 showed that blood sugar spikes were held in check when pickles preserved in vinegar were consumed immediately after a high-carbohydrate breakfast. Earlier Swedish research indicated that vinegar might help control blood sugar spikes.

In his book The Diabetes Improvement Program, Patrick Quillin, Ph.D., states the following:

“Real vinegar has not been filtered or pasteurized, and is rich in organic acids, pectin (soluble fiber), and acetic acid, all of which help to slow down the emptying of the stomach. This simple ‘detour’ for the digestion of food creates a slowdown in dumping glucose into the bloodstream. A meal with 2 tablespoons of vinegar can slow gastric emptying rate by 30% and drop blood glucose peaks by 30%.”

“Recipes for salad dressing with flax oil and vinegar not only taste great but can dramatically improve overall health by lowering rises in blood glucose. Red wine vinegar works best at this.”

As a result of the earlier research, Carol S. Johnston, Ph.D., from the Department of Nutrition at Arizona State University, created a study to put vinegar to the test on three groups of subjects: ten type 2 diabetics, 11 subjects who showed symptoms of pre-diabetic insulin resistance, and eight subjects with normal insulin sensitivity. None of the subjects were taking any diabetes medications.

Subjects were randomly assigned to consume the apple cider vinegar or a placebo drink. Two minutes later, each subject ate a meal consisting of a white bagel with butter and a glass of orange juice, containing approximately 90 grams of total carbohydrates. Blood samples were collected before the meal, and 30 minutes and 60 minutes after the meal.

Dr. Johnston and her team reported several significant results:

  • Each of the three groups had improved glucose and insulin profiles following meals that started with the vinegar drink
  • In subjects with type 2 diabetes who drank vinegar, blood glucose levels were cut by about 25 percent compared to diabetics who drank placebo
  • In subjects with pre-diabetic conditions (insulin resistant) who drank vinegar, blood glucose levels were cut by nearly HALF compared to pre-diabetics who drank placebo

And here's the most surprising result: Pre-diabetic subjects (insulin resistant) who drank vinegar actually had lower blood glucose levels than subjects with normal insulin sensitivity who also drank vinegar.

Dr. Johnston notes that vinegar dietary supplements may not be useful for managing glucose and insulin spikes associated with meals as they don't contain acetic acid [ acetic acid: a colorless acid with a pungent odor that is the main component of vinegar ] — the key ingredient she feels is responsible for vinegar's effectiveness.

Apple cider vinegar is another vinegar that works well. It is recommended that the typical apple cider vinegar product carried by large grocery chains carry be avoided. Instead, look for raw, unfiltered, unpasteurized apple cider vinegar, usually available at many health food stores.

To make a quantity of your own salad dressing just mix one part oil (or water) to two parts vinegar. Condiments such as garlic and/or onion powder, salt and pepper, should be added to taste.

Three tablespoons of this type of salad dressing will supply you with the two tablespoons of vinegar needed for the above results.

 

 

To your Health

McVitamins
www.mcvitamins.com