Follow-up to 5 Strategies for Successfully Managing Diabetes...

Back in January I wrote a post detailing 5 strategies I've used to reduce not just my fasting and A1C blood sugar readings, but also my dependency on various medications by at least 50%.

New research published May 17 by Cell Metabolism seems to put yet another nail in the coffin for small frequent meals and bolsters tip #4 from my post. You'll also see research from 2008 and 2009 bolstering tip #2 - Sit Less/Move More. Credit due to Dr. Mirkin for forwarding this info my way. Bolded parts are my emphasis.


Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health e-Zine
May 27, 2012

Eat Only When You Are Active

More than a third of all North Americans are obese and
will die prematurely because of their excess fat. WHEN you eat
may be even more important than HOW MUCH you eat. Never eat and
go to bed. The safest time to eat is just before and after you
exercise. Resting after you eat is an invitation for higher blood
sugar and insulin levels, more weight gain, and increased risk
for diabetes and heart attacks. The current obesity epidemic may
well be caused by staying up later at night to snack and watch
television.
MICE ALLOWED TO EAT ALL DAY LONG ARE FATTER. Mice that
are placed on a high-fat diet gain far more weight when they are
supplied with food 24 hours a day than when they can eat only for
8 hours a day, even though they eat the same number of calories
per day (Cell Metabolism, published online May 17, 2012).
Besides weighing more, the mice that could eat all day long had
higher blood sugar and insulin levels, more liver damage, and
higher blood levels of CRP, the blood test that measures
inflammation.
MICE FED ONLY DURING SLEEPING HOURS ARE FATTER THAN THOSE
FED DURING WAKING HOURS. Mice that were allowed to eat only
during the 12 hours that they normally sleep gained significantly
more weight (48 percent weight increase) than mice eating the
same type and amount of food during the 12 hours they are
normally awake (20 percent weight increase). Both groups ate the
same total amount and type of food and were equally active
(Obesity, published online Sept. 3, 2009).
HUMANS WHO SNACK SUFFER MORE DIABETES AND PREMATURE DEATH.
Scientists at Karolinska Institutet surveyed 4,000 60-year-old,
men and women. Compared to those who ate only breakfast, lunch
and dinner, those who snacked between meals had larger waist
circumferences and higher blood sugar, insulin, triglyceride and
cholesterol levels than people who ate regular meals with less
snacking (Obesity, 2008;16 (6):1302). These are all signs
associated with metabolic syndrome, diabetes, heart attacks, and
premature death.
STAY ACTIVE AFTER YOU EAT. Resting muscles are inactive
and draw no sugar from your bloodstream. On the other hand,
contracting muscles pull sugar from the bloodstream. They do
not even require insulin to do this. If you eat and stand or
walk, the contracting muscles can pull sugar from your
bloodstream. However, when you eat and sit or lie down, your
muscles draw no sugar from your bloodstream and blood sugar
levels rise higher to increase risk for cell damage.* HIGH INSULIN LEVELS: Your pancreas tries to lower the high
blood sugar level, so it puts out ever increasing amounts of
insulin.
* INCREASED RISK FOR HEART ATTACKS: Insulin constricts the
arteries leading to your heart, to increase risk for a heart
attack.
* HIGH TRIGLYCERIDES: When muscles are inactive, blood sugar
levels rise. The extra sugar goes to your liver and other cells.
Once your liver fills up with its own stored sugar called
glycogen, it cannot store any more sugar. so all extra sugar is
converted to a type of fat called triglycerides.
* LOW GOOD HDL CHOLESTEROL: High triglycerides increase risk for
clotting, so your good HDL cholesterol works to save you by
carrying triglycerides from your bloodstream to your liver. You
use up your good HDL and blood levels of HDL drop.
* FATTY LIVER: The triglycerides accumulate in your liver to
cause a fatty liver. A fatty liver cannot clear sugar from your
bloodstream.
* DIABETES: Since the liver cannot clear sugar from your
bloodstream, you develop even higher blood sugar levels and are
now diabetic.
* HEART ATTACKS AND PREMATURE DEATH. Diabetes markedly increases
risk for heart attacks, strokes, many cancers, and premature
death.