Pretty scary numbers:
LA Times: Diabetes nation? Half of Americans have diabetes or pre-diabetesThis is based on a new scientific article in JAMA - Prevalence of and Trends in Diabetes Among Adults in the United States, 1988-2012 - looking at available statistics up to 2012. It's amazing that three years old data is still considered newsworthy in this field. But that's nothing considering how archaic the dietary recommendations in diabetes still are (eat mostly blood-sugar raising carbs).
In recent years the focus of dietary attention in the US media has slowly started to move from innocent fat to very-guilty sugar. And actually the number of people with diabetes in the US is not increasing as quickly anymore (in China and India it's exploding though).
Of course this diabetes epidemic can be turned around. In theory it's even easy. Eat less carbs, especially less sugar and processed carbs - and feel free to eat more fat instead. As a bonus eat fewer meals and snacks per day. That's it. Exercise is a just minor factor - you can't outrun a bad diet.
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Unfortunately most type 2 diabetes researchers and doctors still don't get this. Instead they are focused on drugs, genes and other high-tech ways to treat a dietary disease. Case in point? Check out the program for next week's gigantic EASD diabetes conference in Stockholm, Sweden. Try to find a single session on effective lifestyle treatment - it's not easy. Though it's not impossible, like last year in Vienna.
I'll be in Stockholm next week, reporting from the conference. Let's see if the lunch is as bad as the disgrace in Vienna.
