The Only
Way
To Prevent Or
Reverse
Type II
Diabetes

By Dr Joseph Mercola
It has taken decades, but
medical professionals are finally starting to give diet and exercise for the prevention and reversal of type 2
diabetes some well-deserved attention.
"... the new study can give people with the disease hope that
through lifestyle changes, they could end up getting off medication and likely lowering their risk of
diabetes-related complications," Reuters Health reports. The research,
also featured by MedPage Today, demonstrates that diet and physical activity are the answer diabetics have been
searching for.
It's worth noting that I do not at all agree with some of the dietary recommendations
given to the participants in this study. For example, I believe including healthy saturated fats and avoiding
processed liquid meal replacements would be a wise move.
The
Study

The researchers randomly assigned diabetic participants, who were also
overweight or obese, to an intensive program of diet and exercise, in which they were urged to cut calories down to
1,200-1,800 calories per day and engage in nearly three hours of physical exercise per week.
After one year, 11.5 percent of the program participants no longer needed medication to keep their blood sugar
levels below the diabetes threshold. Only two percent of the non-intervention group experienced any significant
improvement in their condition.
Those who'd had been diagnosed with diabetes more recently saw greater blood sugar improvements on the program.
Ditto for those who lost the most amount of weight and/or made the greatest progress in raising their fitness
level. The lifestyle intervention group also managed to sustain their remission better over the following 3
years.
The Only Way to Avoid And/Or
Reverse Type 2 Diabetes
Amazingly, one in four Americans has some form of diabetes or pre-diabetes. If this is not a clear sign
that conventional health recommendations are flawed, I don't know what is. I too have personal experience with this
disease. I developed it myself for a short while, when I tried to implement an Eat Right for Your Type program in
the late 90s.
Additionally, most of my paternal relatives (my dad included), have, or have died from, diabetes. My personal
experience with diabetes and subsequent review of the literature made it very clear to me that virtually every case
of type 2 diabetes is reversible.
And the cure for type 2 diabetes has nothing to do with giving insulin or taking
drugs to control your blood sugar. In fact, giving insulin to someone with type 2 diabetes is one of the worst
things that can be done.
The truth of the matter is that type 2 diabetes is a fully preventable
condition that arises from faulty leptin signaling and insulin resistance, both of which are directly diet and
exercise related. It is NOT a disease of blood sugar.
Recovering Insulin and Leptin
Sensitivities

Once you
understand that, the remedy becomes clear: To reverse the disease, you need to recover your body's insulin
and leptin sensitivities. The ONLY way to accomplish this is through proper diet and exercise. Bariatric
surgery, which is being increasingly recommended as a diabetes treatment, will NOT do the trick, and there is NO
drug that can correct leptin signaling and insulin resistance..
Adhering to the following guidelines can help you do at least three things
that are essential for successfully treating diabetes: recover your insulin/leptin sensitivity; normalize your
weight; and normalize your blood pressure.
- Severely LIMIT or ELIMINATE SUGAR
and GRAINS in your diet, especially fructose which is far more detrimental than any other type
of sugar.
- EXERCISE REGULARLY. Exercise is an
absolutely essential factor, and without it, you're unlikely to get this devastating disease under
control. This is one of the fastest and most powerful ways to lower your insulin and leptin resistance. If
you're unsure of how to get started, review the Peak Fitness program tips and guidelines listed
below.
- Avoid trans fats.
- Get plenty of omega-3 fats from a high quality, animal-based source, such
as krill oil.
- Optimize your vitamin D levels. Recent studies have revealed that getting
enough vitamin D can have a powerful effect on normalizing your blood pressure and that low vitamin D levels
may increase your risk of heart disease.
- Optimize your gut flora. Your gut is a living ecosystem, full of both
good bacteria and bad. Multiple studies have shown that obese people have different intestinal bacteria than
lean people. The more good bacteria you have, the stronger your immune system will be and the better your body
will function overall. Fortunately, optimizing your gut flora is relatively easy. You can reseed your body with
good bacteria by eating fermented foods (such as fermented vegetables, natto, raw organic cheese, or raw milk
kefir) or by taking a high-quality probiotic supplement.
- Address any underlying emotional issues and/or stress. Non-invasive tools
like the Emotional Freedom Technique can be helpful and effective.
- Get enough high-quality sleep every night.
- Monitor your fasting insulin level. This is every bit as important as
your fasting blood sugar. You'll want your fasting insulin level to be between 2 and 4. The higher your level,
the worse your insulin sensitivity is.
PEAK FITNESS PROGRAM TIPS
-
1. Warm up for 2 to 3 minutes.
-
2. Exercise as hard and fast as you can for 30 seconds. Use low resistance and high
repetitions (running, exercise bike, cycling, push-ups, squats, etc.) to increase your heart
rate. Don't hold back, commit to go all out, so that you finish gasping for breath, and feel like
you couldn't go another second.
-
3. Recover for 90 seconds, but still keep moving at a slower pace (walking, marching, etc.).
-
4. Over several routeins, gradually work up to a point where you can repeat number 2 followed
by 3, seven more times, (8 in all - for a total of about 16 minutes).
-
5. Cool down by halving your activity for about 1-2 minutes to complete the routein.
-
6. Look to do this 20 minute program at least 2 times or, preferably, 3 times each week.
YVONNE
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