That’s what the medical establishment is scandalously recommending. There are billions of dollars to be made, even if the drugs are harmful even for actual diabetics.
“Prediabetes” refers to a condition of abnormal but not pathological blood sugar levels. People with “prediabetes” are considered to be at risk to develop type 2 diabetes. One in three Americans are said to be prediabetic. That is a lot of people, and it has Big Pharma salivating: $322 billion is already spent annually caring for people with diabetes and prediabetes.
The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) has obliged by recommending diabetes drugs for “prediabetes.” It should come as no surprise that the list of the AACE’s corporate sponsors includes the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world: Novo Nordisk, Merck, Sanofi, AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, and many others.
Some of the worst diabetes drugs have by now been taken off the market. But current diabetes drugs are still both ineffective and involve enormous risks, especially for the heart.
The government-funded Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of diabetes drugs in reducing heart attacks, strokes, and other negative outcomes. Part of the study tested whether aggressively lowering blood sugar through these drugs would provide greater protection against heart disease.
This part of the study was shut down when it was found that the opposite was true—patients on a regimen aimed at aggressively lowering blood sugar with these drugs had a much higher cardiovascular death rate. If the study had looked at natural ways to reduce blood sugar, the opposite might have been found.
The evidence suggests that drugs are not needed to reverse diabetes or prediabetes. Dr. Mercola writes extensively about the potential for diet and exercise to prevent and reverse type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes often arises from faulty leptin signaling and insulin resistance, which can be overcome by recovering the body’s insulin and leptin sensitivities. Some actions you can take to accomplish this are:
- eliminating sugar and grains from the diet
- exercising regularly
- optimizing vitamin D
- avoiding trans fats
- optimizing gut flora
- eating at the right time of day (hint: the closer to bedtime you eat, the higher your blood sugar may be the next morning.)
Of course, it is essential to consult with an integrative doctor to develop the best course of treatment.
Other articles in this week’s Pulse of Natural Health:
Legal Drugs: Time to “Just Say No”
Pink Drill Bits “For the Cure”?
I know of woman who is not diabetic or prediabetic that takes diabetic pills so she can reduce her weight.
Metformin has significant anti-ageing and anti-cancer effect and LEF recommends it for almost everyone. It is somewhat effective for T2 diabetes and is the first drug to be prescribed. It is also safe enough to prescribe for marginal cases that might be considered pre-diabetes.
There is no individual drug to prevent progress to T2 diabetes. One corrects possible causative conditions such as hypothyroid and low T and then pursues life-style changes. Until those take hold, ANYTHING that reduces blood glucose including insulin is justified and failure to offer some drug might be considered malpractice. Some older drugs have not been shown to reduce risk or extend life even though they reduce blood glucose. Those are already falling out of favor.
Even pre-diabetes raises risk and shortens life when combined with elevated blood pressure and cholesterol. If either is elevated, the standard of care requires at least offering a thiazide and a statin respectively.
Those are low-risk and inexpensive and can be dropped AFTER life-style changes with no risk of rebound. It is easy to become self-righteous about lifestyle. One cannot abandon a patient as non-compliant when even heroic efforts can be insufficient for some.
This is one place where I disagree with LEF. I have subscribed to their magazine for years but I will find natural methods of prevention and treatment. Maybe Dr William Faloon needs to find some drugs he can recommend to help stay somewhat out of hot water with the Feds.