A doctor in Kansas is taking a not-so-radical approach to diabetes. Most physicians abandoned the idea of a carbohydrate-free diet for diabetic patients back in the 1930s. Now Doctor Mary Vernon and other doctors are prescribing a carb-free diet and seeing their patients go through amazing changes. Vernon says that removing carbohydrates from a diabetic person’s diet can reverse symptoms and free them from a life of injections and medications.
Since 1980, diabetes has increased in the United States by 47 percent. Diabetes is a leading cause of heart disease and comes with other possible complications like vision problems, nerve damage in the extremities, and kidney failure. Heart disease is the number one cause of death for people with diabetes.
Vernon’s strategy is a simple one. Fats, protein, and fiber have little to no impact on blood sugar levels. Carbohydrates (like starches and sugars) are quickly broken down and absorbed into the blood stream, causing dramatic changes in blood sugar levels. It almost makes sense that limiting (or eliminating) carbohydrates can help control blood sugar. You do need a certain amount of carbs in your diet to provide fiber, vitamins, and minerals. But they don’t need to be the main focus of your diet.
As an added benefit, cutting out the carbs often means eating fewer calories in general — which can help a person lose weight. Dropping extra pounds means you are taking strain off your heart and reducing your body’s resistance to insulin.
Some doctors are criticizing the American Diabetes Association’s long-time recommendation of a diet focused on grains and carbs. Look at the food pyramid: the majority of a person’s diet should come from grains.
History may be on the side of the carbohydrate-free diet. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Elliott Proctor Joslin, MD treated dozens of diabetic patients with a diet that was only ten percent carbohydrates. However, once insulin was put into regular use as a treatment for diabetes, the diet change fell to the wayside. A Duke University study from 2003 backs up Doctor Vernon and the other doctors who encourage a carb-free diet. Over sixteen weeks of study, 17 out of 21 participants were able to reduce or discontinue their diabetes medication after switching to a carb-free diet.
But wouldn’t a low-carb diet end up being worse for you, because it’s high in fat? Not necessarily. Studies show that the diet change can work very well for diabetics in the short term. And look at Eskimos in Greenland for an example — their diet is mainly protein and fat with very little carbohydrates, and only one person in 1800 suffers from diabetes.