Weight Loss and Diabetes
Diabetes is among the most common diseases in the United States and continues to cause debilitating problems for those who are suffering with the condition. Diabetes also continues to be one of the most preventable diseases in the western world. Unfortunately, many of the nutritional protocols that are commonly encouraged along with exercise routines often fail to deliver positive outcomes or are difficult for people to maintain over time.
While lifestyle and diet are of paramount importance in any physician’s treatment plan, losing weight is also of key importance in minimizing the negative effects of diabetes on the body. So what can be done to minimize the effects of diabetes on the body, when diet and exercise are not enough?
Often times, when lifestyle and dietary approaches are not working, conventional treatments are aimed at pharmaceutical interventions with drugs or surgical interventions with surgeries such as gastric bypass or gastric banding if a patient is obese. While gastric banding can have less of an effect on the secretion of gastric hormones because it maintains the intestinal tract, it remains an invasive approach, often with side effects and the possibility of complications.
So then what are the options for weight loss, when it is necessary, and the individual does not want to rely on invasive procedures or drugs?
Natural weight loss can include the following:
- Natural hormone balancing
- Advanced alternative therapies
- HCG weight loss and the HCG Diet (bioidentical hormone)
- Biotherapeutic drainage
- Holistic health approaches to blood sugar regulation
- Insulin resistance treatment
- Detoxification
- Anti-inflammatory treatments
Increased fat levels release a number of hormones and other factors that can contribute to insulin resistance and inflammation including:
- Leptin
- Adiponetin
- Interleukin-6
- TNF-alpha
In addition to elevated free fatty acids (FFAs), the above hormones and factors contribute to insulin resistance, hypertension, dislipidemia, atherosclerosis and a pro-inflammatory environment that makes diabetes much worse. The need for natural and effective weight loss in diabetic patients is clear.
One meta-analysis (1) looked at the short-term benefits of a VLCD (very low calorie diet) in obese patients with type 2 diabetes. Nine separate scientific studies were identified which had a total of 192 participants that were all treated with VLCDs over a 6 week period of time. What did the studies find? The results included the following:
- Over the 6 weeks, the participants lost 9.6% of their initial body weight
- Their free plasma Glucose levels dropped by nearly 50% after only 2 weeks of treatment
- Their Glucose levels remained at less than half of their initial levels for the entire 6 weeks of treatment
(1) Anderson JW, Kendall CW, Jenkins DJ. Importance of weight management in type 2 diabetes: review with meta-analysis of clinical studies. J Am Coll Nutr 2003; 22: 331–339.
If you are interested in learning more about Dr. Hoffman’s natural approaches to weight loss and helping patients manage diabetes naturally, call 707-292-8882
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