FDA Investigates If Cancer-Causing Chemical Is in Diabetes Drug Metformin

Cancer-Causing Chemical Is in Diabetes Drug Metformin

This has some pretty far reaching ramifications. But here we go again… another common drug such as Metformin this time, that has some cancer-causing implications.

Metformin is a prescription drug that helps control high blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. At this time, there are no other alternatives that work in exactly the same way, according to the FDA’s statement, so health officials recommend sticking with metformin until more information is available.

But there is a way to avoid having to take metformin, and it worked for me when I was diagnosed as a pre-diabetic. I removed sugar and refined carbs from my diet, and then I really went after vegetables oils (Yikes! It’s in virtually EVERYTHING!). But, in the end, eliminating this combination of ‘foods’ in my diet did the trick, and it showed itself in later in my blood panels, reversing my pre-diabetic condition. Later, I came across Dr. Cate Shanahan’s book, “Deep Nutrition.” If that book doesn’t clear a truck load of the problematic nature of vegetable oils, nothing will!

If you take metformin, now might be a good time to seriously consider learning how to avoid vegetable oils, and cutting refined carbs, as avoiding these two food groups can help reverse T2D. Keto helps too, if you avoid vegetable oils. #vegoilsucks - Dr. Cate

Now this is a viable way to help reverse Type 2 diabetes!

Virta Health Raises $93 Million to Combat the $400B Type 2 Diabetes Epidemic and Expand Diabetes Reversal to Millions

SAN FRANCISCO, California: Virta Health, the first company with a treatment to sustainably reverse type 2 diabetes (T2D) without medications or surgery, today announced that it has raised $93 million in Series C funding to combat the growing prevalence of T2D, bringing the total equity funding to $166 million. Funding will enable investing in growth to meet the demand for T2D reversal from employers, health plans and government, as existing approaches to treating the illness over the past decade have not improved population-level treatment outcomes.

“This latest funding is validation for the consistency and durability of our health and economic outcomes in both clinical trial and commercial patients,” said Sami Inkinen, Virta Health’s co-founder and CEO. “We can now invest more into growth to help millions of people living with type 2 diabetes, while also investing in product and research to address other diseases.”

Woohoo! Now that’s an intervention!

Low Carb Denver 2020

Low Carb Denver is the largest conference of its kind, and it will be right here in “River City” (Denver, Colorado:-) Thursday, March 12 - Sunday, March 15, 2020. I attended this conference last year and it totally blew me away! Take a look and consider attending - you’ll be glad you did!

Low Carb Denver 2020 is the largest conference of its kind, providing a unique educational opportunity addressing the latest science and nutritional approaches including Low Carb, Keto, Carnivore, Intermittent Fasting and Low Carb Vegetarian. There is also a focus on diabetes, heart disease, obesity, chronic disease and the role of nutrition as it relates to management, treatment and prevention. This year a host of the world’s low carb leaders including doctors, researchers, and scientists will be speaking.

The conference is open to all including the general public, healthcare and non-healthcare professionals, researchers, scientists, citizen scientists, policy makers and health and fitness enthusiasts. Our content continues to address the latest nutrition science, research, evidence, clinical and practical approaches. Another great opportunity for a diverse group to learn, meet distinguished guests, network, socialize and participate, all under one roof.

I’m really looking forward to seeing many of the same speakers and am especially excited to hear from the newer speakers as well;-)

By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea...

Blue spaces: why time spent near water is the secret of happiness

In recent years, stressed-out urbanites have been seeking refuge in green spaces, for which the proven positive impacts on physical and mental health are often cited in arguments for more inner-city parks and accessible woodlands. The benefits of “blue space”– the sea and coastline, but also rivers, lakes, canals, waterfalls, even fountains – are less well publicized, yet the science has been consistent for at least a decade: being by water is good for body and mind.

Awesome! When do we leave?

~ Most Popular article of 2019 ~

~ From my friend Dr. Kevin Stock:

This was an incredibly close race between Carbohydrates and the Carnivore Diet and Health Dangers of Oxalates. Each were shared over 1,500 times on facebook alone. 

The carb article blew up right out of the gate, surpassing 100,000 readers in just the 1st two months (published mid-October). I was truly amazed and thankful for the number of people who dedicated the time to read, comment, and share the very long article on carbs. In the short attention, quick hit, culture we live in, it's a testament to the amazing community around health, carnivore, and the readers of this newsletter.

Let's Chew the Fat!

While most of these studies are quite technical, for quicker reading, the results noted within the abstract and conclusions are illuminating and can be understood by most, allowing for a quick overview.

Also, most of these studies are double-blind or randomized controls trials, which are the gold standard for evidence-based outcomes showing causation rather than the weaker correlation studies.

Enjoy!

1. Very-low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet v. low-fat diet for long-term weight loss: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

2. The National Cholesterol Education Program Diet vs a Diet Lower in Carbohydrates and Higher in Protein and Monounsaturated Fat - A Randomized Trial

3. Very-low-calorie ketogenic diet with amino acid supplement versus very low restricted-calorie diet for preserving muscle mass during weight loss: a pilot double-blind study

4. Adherence to low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets in relation to weight loss and cardiovascular risk factors

5. Very-low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet v. low-fat diet for long-term weight loss: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

6. Low-Carbohydrate Diets Promote a More Favorable Body Composition Than Low-Fat Diets

The Nutrition Coalition Update | December 28, 2019

Key studies and updates include:

• USDA Joins Food Industry Behemoths in New Group Focusing on Portion Control

• Obesity will affect Nearly Half of All Americans by 2030, says study

• New Group Aims to Ensure Low-Carb Diet is in 2020 Dietary Guidelines

• New “Sunshine” Database on Nutrition Scientists Includes Members of the Dietary Guidelines Committee

• Please Give to the Nutrition Coalition! Our End-of-Year Fundraising Appeal

Doctors know what works - and it isn't the guidelines!

Summary from Dr. Bret Scher, MD

A new study published in Obesity Medicine shows that “physician heal thyself” may mean ignoring common guidelines. The investigators performed an online survey of female physicians inquiring what weight loss strategies they use for themselves and what they recommend to their patients.

Did they stick to the low-fat, reduce calories, and eat multiple small meals throughout the day advice?

Not even close.

72% of the subjects listed intermittent fasting (between 14-24 hours) as their weight loss strategy of choice, 46% listed a ketogenic diet, and 26% a calorie-restricted low-carbohydrate diet. No other strategy reached a 15% response rate.

Interestingly, the recommendations they made to their patients differed from their own choices. Although they still recommended intermittent fasting, ketogenic diets and low-calorie carb restriction, the percentages fell to approximately 30%, 35% and 40%. They recommended the Mediterranean diet, commercial weight loss programs, DASH diet and Diabetes Prevention program much more often than they used these methods themselves. This could be due to the difference in the baseline health of their patients — for instance, if more of them had diabetes or hypertension — or it could be due to a reluctance to suggest interventions to their patients that could be considered “fringe” or going against the guidelines.

… carbohydrate restriction is not fringe and does not contradict recommendations of major medical societies. The American Diabetes Association acknowledges that carbohydrate restriction is the most effective dietary intervention to control blood sugar, and the Obesity Medicine Society includes carb restriction as part of their extensive treatment algorithm.

However, other guidelines still promote the “eat less, move more, low-fat” approach. Based on this survey of female physicians, it seems the writing is on the wall. These strategies don’t work. Instead, it is time to institute the “new” (they are not new, but perhaps newly popular in medicine) strategies of intermittent fasting and carbohydrate restriction as first-line therapy for weight loss in most patients.

Guess which diet leads to better insulin action and smaller fat cells?

That’s right: A very low-carbohydrate diet.

A new randomized control study of overweight individuals has found that, compared to a low-fat diet of the same number of calories, the low-carb diet is more effective at reducing fat-cell size and improving insulin resistance, even if the weight loss is exactly the same.

That’s what Dr. Tracey McLaughlin, of the Stanford Diabetes Research Center, told more than 500 participants at a recent World Congress on Insulin Resistance, Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease held Dec 4-7, 2019 in Los Angeles.

“Fat-cell size appears to be an even stronger predictor of insulin resistance than obesity. [In the study] the more weight you lost, the more insulin action improved, but the more your fat-cell size shrank, the more your insulin action improved…. [in other words] You can lose weight, but if you’re having a lot of carbs and your insulin is sky high, maybe your fat cells aren’t shrinking as much,” said Dr. McLaughlin, a professor of medicine, endocrinology, gerontology and metabolism at Stanford University.

Conclusions from the (PURE) Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology study

With the Food Pyramid defunct as of 2015 (currently replaced with “My Plate” with no hard science to back it up - other than the motivation of special interest groups and their global influence over our dietary guidelines), along with the results of the (PURE) Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology study in 2017 (among many other cardiovascular & low carb/high fat studies for example), arriving at the opposite conclusions that Ancel Keys’ Seven Countries Study postulated (which lead to our current dietary guidelines), our medical communities are just now beginning to consider reconsidering the fallacies of Keys’ heart-lipid hypothesis that saturated fat was bad for us.

Of note, the central conclusions from the PURE study revealed (emphasis mine):

1.     Higher carbohydrate intake was associated with an increased risk of total mortality but not with the risk of cardiovascular disease or cardiovascular disease mortality.

2.     Intake of total fat and each type of fat was associated with lower risk of total mortality.

3.     Higher saturated fat intake was associated with lower risk of stroke.

4.     Total fat and saturated and unsaturated fats were not significantly associated with risk of myocardial infarction or cardiovascular disease mortality.

For the complete study see:

Associations of fats and carbohydrate intake with cardiovascular disease and mortality in 18 countries from five continents (PURE): a prospective cohort study