That’s what the medical establishment is scandalously recommending. As of 2012, 86 million Americans age 20 and older had prediabetes, according to the CDC. This is an increase of about 7 million people since 2010. With stats like these (and one can only imagine the current figures), there are billions of dollars to be made, even if the drugs are harmful for actual diabetics.
That’s A LOT of people. It has Big Pharma salivating: $322 billion is already spent annually caring for people with diabetes and prediabetes.
What Is Prediabetes?
“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. Coincidentally, prediabetics are at a higher risk of cancer, particularly of the liver, stomach, breast, pancreas and endometrium as well as heart disease.
Insulin, a hormone produced by your pancreas, is necessary to help sugar enter your cells (and get out of your bloodstream), but if you have higher than normal blood sugar levels, it means your pancreas isn’t making enough insulin or your cells are becoming resistant to it. (Often prediabetes is also referred to as being insulin resistant.)
Keep in mind that this diagnosis is in no way set in stone. If one takes the initiative to change both their lifestyle and diet choices, the outcome can include weight loss, energy, and vitality. People are having great success with low carb, high fat diets (LCHF), low glycemic diets, as well as Paleo-style diets in reversing prediabetes as well as type 2 diabetes. (Not just “managing” it, but actually reversing it.)
What’s Being Recommended For Prediabetics?
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’s always a good idea to consult with a Naturopathic or Integrative Doctor to develop the best course of action. You have the power to change your health for the better, no drugs needed. It just takes deciding, and then action.
Source: Alliance for Natural Health
