Younkuk Choi (2019) says: “Diabetes is not a disease and is certainly not an irreversible disease that requires management by taking drugs for the rest of your life. Do not believe that you are suffering a serious disease. There is absolutely no reason for you to despair or shed a tear. Diabetes is simply a symptom of overeating foods with fast rate of conversion to glucose. This is especially true for type 2 diabetes and its subtypes [such as gestational diabetes]. Type 1 diabetes is a different world, though.”
Let’s repeat that: “Diabetes is not a disease and is certainly not an irreversible disease that requires management by taking drugs for the rest of your life. […] Diabetes is simply a symptom of overeating foods with fast rate of conversion to glucose.”
He tells his N=1 story: “I would like to talk about my own past. I used to hastily eat three meals a day because I was pressed for time as I handled nearly 100 patients a day. I would often mix a small bowl of white rice with water or soup and gulp it down. The meal would take less than a minute. In midst of repetitive daily routines, my body had ballooned over several years. After gaining 30 kg, I found myself running out of breath and being uncomfortable whenever I had to walk uphill to return home after work. It was an emergency. My blood test results showed fatty liver and cholesterol, triglyceride, and glycated hemoglobin levels exceeding the cutoff values.”
Here’s my N=2 story: My husband was diagnosed with T2D about 15 years ago. I accompanied him to the nutrition counseling where he was told he got diabetes from his mother (also diagnosed) and was advised, “Eat the Canada Food Guide.” Cereal and milk for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, and pasta, rice or potatoes at supper were/are all fine with the Canada Food Guide. Does the Canada Food Guide think were are all carb-loading for a marathon? I gained 30 pounds and was diagnosed with T2D about 7 years ago (I was actually pre-diabetic, but whatev). I was prescribed a handful of pills to take – I was confused, because I was only expecting Metformin, for high blood sugar. The pharmacist gave me a pamphlet on Metabolic Syndrome and said, “Take a walk after supper.”
Long story short, I stumbled upon the “Wheat Belly” book, cut out all grains, then found Low Carb High Fat (Keto, Paleo) and was losing 7 – 12 pounds a month. Hubby looks at me and asks, “Whatcha doin’ over there?” and joined me. We are both symptom-free and off all meds. I stabilized after losing those 30 pounds and he got down to his high school weight, slim and trim.
Back to Choi’s Escape from Diabetes: “Why do people get diabetes? The simplest and most accurate answer to this question is eating too much.” Eating too much of what? “Why is diabetes comorbid with symptoms of metabolic syndrome such as fatty liver, hypertriglyceridemia, hypercholesterolemia, obesity, and hypertension? Excessive glucose introduced into the body from overeating is primarily stored on the liver surface as fat by the actions of insulin. However, continued excessive glucose intake causes fat accumulated on the liver surface to exceed the normal range.” There’s more, but is basically a cascading effect starting with continuous excessive glucose intake.
“Grains have the fastest rate of conversion to glucose inside the body. […] Compared to the past, modern humans use their brains more than their muscles. Recommended dietary intakes with grains accounting for half or more of daily consumption remain suitable for farming and hunting situations, as well as physical laborers, athletes, and highly active children with high muscle use and high activity levels. However, this recommended intake is not suitable for the daily activities of modern humans. Grain intake exceeding one – quarter of a single meal indicates excessive glucose consumption; in modern humans who only move their fingers in front of a computer as their daily activity, this represents overeating.”
And, “In nature, only humans eat food for fun and not just for fuel. Humans are almost the only organisms to die from diseases, except for livestock fed and raised by humans. In nature, wild animals mostly starve to death, freeze to death, or get eaten by another animal but do not die from diseases as humans do. A quantitative surplus goes beyond obesity and becomes a direct cause of diabetes and metabolic disorders. Likewise, it is the same for a qualitative surplus of mostly carbohydrates. Like feeding meat to an herbivore like a cow, serious diseases such as chronic inflammation, hormone disruption, and autoimmune disease could be the long – term outcomes of eating foods not suitable for one’s self.”
I think my escape from diabetes would have started earlier if the doctor, nutrition counselor or pharmacist had said these three words: “Cut your carbs.”
References
Choi, Y. (2019) Escape from Diabetes by Precision Low-carb Diet & Periodic Fasting, An Evidence-Based Guide for Precision Diabetes Care.
Davis, W. (2012) Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back To Health.
Edit: It has been pointed out to me that “Like feeding meat to an herbivore like a cow” is not completely correct, by someone who is an expert on ruminant digestion.
Char Can Cook Keto 