Atkins Diabetes Revolution (19 page)

People with abdominal obesity, impaired glucose tolerance, and Type 2 diabetes generally have elevated CRP levels.
42
Other factors, such as an acute illness or the use of some hormones, can also elevate CRP.) But again, there’s reason to be optimistic. A recent study of overweight women with high levels of inflammation (according to blood markers such as CRP) showed that when they lost just 10 percent of their body weight through a diet and exercise program, the markers fell back to much healthier levels. In fact, their levels were very close to those of normal-weight women.
43
And despite some claims to the contrary, following a low-carbohydrate approach does not raise CRP levels.
44

Fibrinogen

This is a protein in your blood that plays a crucial role in the complex process of blood clotting. When your fibrinogen levels are high, your blood may clot too easily—and a clot that blocks an artery can cause a heart attack or stroke. People with the metabolic syndrome, prediabetes, or diabetes can all have elevated fibrinogen levels, as well as an increase in other chemicals that increase blood clotting.
45
This tendency to clot may be related to the inflammatory process that is part of the metabolic syndrome. (As with CRP, other factors, such as the use of certain birth-control medications and hormone imbalances, can increase fibrinogen levels.) This is one of the reasons many doctors recommend low-dose aspirin as a way to lower your risk of heart disease. Dr. Atkins found that aspirin, with its risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, wasn’t necessary for most of his patients. Instead, he prescribed fatty acid supplements to decrease platelet stickiness and for their anti-inflammatory effects.

TAKE HEART!

As this chapter makes clear, first, if you have the metabolic syndrome, prediabetes, or diabetes, you have an increased risk of heart disease. Second, and most important, no matter where you are on the diabetes continuum, heart disease is not inevitable. By following the ABSCP you’ll begin to correct the underlying metabolic problems that threaten your heart health.And once you start controlling your carbohydrate intake and normalizing your metabolism, the risk to your heart drops—safely, naturally, and without the use of drugs.

WHAT’S YOUR HEART RISK?

Use the self-quiz below to assess your risk of cardiovascular disease.

1. I am:

1. male [1]
   
2. female [0]
   

2. My age is:

1. under 40 [0]
   
2. 41 to 44 [0]
   
3. 45 to 49 [1]
   
4. 50 to 54 [2]
   
5. 55 to 60 [3]
   
6. 61 or older [4]
   

3. I smoke or use other forms of tobacco:

1. yes [2]
   
2. no [0]
   

4. I have prediabetes or diabetes:

1. yes [4]
   
2. no [0]
   

5. My blood pressure is:

1. normal (less than 120/80) [0]
   
2. prehypertensive (130/90) [1]
   
3. hypertensive (140/90 or higher) [3]
   

6. My triglycerides are:

1. desirable (150 mg/dL or less) [0]
   
2. high (151 mg/dL or more) [1]
   

7. My HDL cholesterol is (according to ATP III guidelines):

1. low (40 mg/dL or less) [2]
   
2. borderline low (50 mg/dL or less) [1]
   
3. high (60 mg/dL or more) [0]
   

To determine your risk of developing heart disease, add up the numbers in square brackets for each of your answers.

Scoring

0 to 6: lowest risk

7 to 10: moderate risk

11 and above: high risk

A NEW LEASE ON LIFE

Joe McCoy had a heart attack at age 44. While he was on a prescribed low-fat diet, his blood sugar and blood pressure careened out of control. Today, thanks to Atkins, it’s on a smooth ride.

My father was a doctor and, I realize now, he was ahead of his time when it came to diet and nutrition. My brother, sisters, and I were raised on a diet of protein and vegetables. I never ate bread or dessert at home, except for the occasional birthday cake, until I was out on my own. In high school, I also played lots of sports, including football, and being overweight was never an issue.

I started to gain weight after I got married, mostly due to my wife Karen’s home cooking and unbelievably delicious challah bread. It took about 15 years, though, before I reached the point where I really needed to lose weight. In 1995, I had a heart attack and my doctor put me on a lowfat diet. I had been hypoglycemic prior to this time and I believe this lowfat regimen plunged me into full-blown Type 2 diabetes by 1999. My glycated hemoglobin (A1C) was an abysmal 13. My blood sugar numbers ranged between a scary 500 and 600. I also developed a case of peripheral neuropathy, a common side effect of diabetes that causes numbness and soreness in the feet and hands. I was in so much pain, you wouldn’t wish it on your worst enemy. One of my friends suggested I see Dr. Mary Vernon, who practices in Lawrence, Kansas, where I live. I didn’t know then that she used the Atkins Nutritional Approach.

In her office, Dr. Vernon took one look at me and said, “You certainly have the body type that will benefit from carbohydrate restriction.” As she wrote my menu she told me to stop taking Glucovance. I wasn’t surprised that she said I needed to lose weight, but I couldn’t believe my ears when she told me to stop taking my diabetes medication. I was feeling so lousy, though, I just jumped right in and did what I was told. It took a month for
me to lose ten pounds. Within three months my blood sugar, cholesterol, and triglycerides all improved. As did my kidney function. Five months later, I contracted pneumonia in both lungs and spent three weeks in the hospital. I know that I probably would have died if I had not made such a remarkable improvement in my health from doing Atkins. I resumed the program after I recovered and after six more months, I was down to 220 pounds. By then I needed a whole new wardrobe. I probably should have invested in a pair of suspenders because I was having trouble keeping my pants up!

I have been hovering around 200 pounds since February 2003, and I still keep my grams of Net Carbs at around 20 per day. Still, I’d like to lose another 15 pounds. I continue to test my blood sugar every day and take a very small amount, about one-quarter to a half tablet, of Glucovance, which keeps my blood sugar around 110. My A1C reading is 5.3, which is quite good. My triglycerides are still a little high and I’d like to improve that number, too. I’m told my heart is also in excellent shape. The pain from the neuropathy is not nearly as bad as it once was and one of the nerves has regenerated in my right hand—I’m hoping that more of them will do the same. I can’t really exercise or return to work as an auto mechanic because of this problem, but I’m telling you, I have an energy that wasn’t there before going on the program.

BEFORE AFTER

N
AME
:Joe McCoy

A
GE
:53

H
EIGHT
: 5 feet 10 inches

W
EIGHT
B
EFORE
: 278 pounds

W
EIGHT
N
OW
: 196 pounds

T
OTAL
C
HOLESTEROL
B
EFORE
: 880

T
OTAL
C
HOLESTEROL
A
FTER
: 168

B
LOOD
P
RESSURE
B
EFORE
: 200/130

B
LOOD
P
RESSURE
A
FTER
: 145/78

T
RIGLYCERIDES
B
EFORE
: 6,600

T
RIGLYCERIDES
A
FTER
: 273

When I was fat and sick with diabetes, I prayed and prayed that I would live to see the birth of my grandchildren. Now, our only son and his wife are due to have their first baby soon, right around our 25th anniversary. It’s easy to understand why my wife and I recommend Atkins every chance we get.

Note: Your individual results may vary from those reported here.

Part Two

Taking Charge of Your Health

Chapter 10

THE ATKINS BLOOD SUGAR CONTROL PROGRAM

Now that you have a better understanding of the progression of this epidemic disease and all the health risks associated with it, you are probably more than ready to get started on your new path. We couldn’t be happier about that.The sooner you start dealing with your metabolic imbalance, the better.

Before telling you about the right way to eat for your condition, let us briefly introduce you to the wrong way to eat if you have insulin- blood sugar abnormalities. If you have seen your physician and have received a diagnosis of either the metabolic syndrome, prediabetes, or diabetes,he or she has likely prescribed a diet endorsed by groups such as the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the American Heart Association (AHA). By now you won’t be surprised when we tell you that Dr. Atkins would recommend another approach.

His 40 years of experience treating patients with the metabolic syndrome, prediabetes, and Type 2 diabetes made it clear to him that these low-fat, high-carb diets are likely to make you feel worse—and your blood sugar, blood pressure, and blood lipid measurements will probably get worse, too. You may have discovered this for yourself. Perhaps you have followed your doctor’s advice, only to find that you actually gained weight—meaning fat—and your blood sugar, blood lipids, and blood pressure numbers worsened instead of improving. Sometimes, the lack of improvement in your blood tests might lead your dietary counselor to believe that you didn’t follow his or her recommendations, even though you did. Your doctor may tell you that you have no choice but to resort to medications.

Health care practitioners who really understand carbohydrate metabolism know that this sequence of events—from diagnosis to dietary changes that don’t work to medication—is about as predictable as the sun rising each morning. Indeed, recent research is now confirming Dr.Atkins’years of clinical experience. (See Scientific Studies That Validate the Atkins Nutritional Approach, page 448, for a comprehensive list of recent work in this area.) What
is
a surprise is that much of the medical establishment persists in this outdated thinking when rapidly accumulating evidence points to the fact that these programs don’t work for the vast majority of people.

Whether you have the metabolic syndrome, prediabetes, or diabetes,if you want to do all you can to prevent your condition from getting worse (and who in their right mind wouldn’t?), these dietary recommendations could hinder you. They are simply too high in carbohydrates for many people.You have learned in the first few chapters of this book about what eating excessive carbs do to your body. Let’s take another look, step-by-step:

1. Eating a carb-heavy diet causes a rapid rise in blood sugar. To control this elevation, the body produces insulin to transport the blood sugar to the cells.
   
2. As the cells become more and more resistant to the insulin, the pancreas increases its output of insulin.
   
3. As the effect of the excessive insulin kicks in, blood sugar drops too fast and too low, making you feel irritable, jittery, and hungry.
   
4. When blood sugar takes a dramatic dive, your body releases stress hormones such as epinephrine and cortisol.
   
5. The side effects of this response can cause a variety of unpleasant yet common symptoms: mood and energy swings, palpitations, food cravings, difficulty concentrating, irritability, headaches, and even high blood pressure.