October 29, 2020 general

On the show last week, we discussed diabetes and what is an early, pre-diabetes. Also, Dr. Pescatore went over fats but had to do that in a hurry, so I said I’d put the topic in the newsletter. Hopefully, this brief review below will help. We also did not get to supplements and I asked him off air about that.

HEALTHY FATS:

Omega-3 fats. Most people have heard (maybe even from their doctors!) that omega 3 fats are beneficial. That is in part because they are anti-inflammatory. This linked website lists 17 Science-Based Benefits of Omega-3 Fatty Acids. Benefits include help with: depression and anxiety, eye health, fetal and baby brain health, ADHD symptoms, metabolic syndrome, autoimmune diseases, mental disorders, age-related mental decline and Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, asthma in kids, fatty liver, bone/joint health, menstrual pain, sleep, and skin health. Sources of omega-3 include fish and fish oil supplements as well as walnuts and flax oil. (Note: flax oil or nuts and most plants do not contain the active properties EPA and DHA that fish does.) If you are a vegetarian or vegan, know that Dr. Ohhira’s Essential Living Oils are a vegan alternative to fish oil capsules a product with a balanced of oils.

Omega-9 fats. This type of fat is one of the reasons we are told to use olive oil. The 9’s seem to improve blood sugar management and reduce inflammation. Another reason to love olive oil is that it contains plant antioxidants. Dr. Pescatore reminded us to look for extra virgin olive oil. There is a lot of fraud in the Italian olive oil market (more so than California), so use a brand that has a dark color oil and comes in an opaque bottle. It is not stable at high temperatures and so it should be used for adding to dishes after they are cooked and for salad dressings—NOT for frying or otherwise heating above 375^○. Macadamia nut oil (from Australia or South Africa not Hawaii) is good for the same reasons that olive oil is, however, it has a high smoke point which means that you can cook with it.

USE SPARINGLY:

Coconut oil. This is a high temperature oil and has some benefits because of its Medium Chain Triglycerides. However, it doesn’t contain the essential omega-3 factors.

Omega-6 fats. The most commonly used sources of these fats are pro-inflammatory. These are also refined oils that have other problems from processing—corn oil, soy oil, sunflower oil and safflower oil. Canola oil may be low in omega-6 but there are a number of other reasons I don’t use it. (A topic for another day.) The standard American diet (S.A.D.) is imbalanced—heavy on inflammatory omega-6 overpowering anti-inflammatory omega-3. Exceptions to the caution about omega-6 are evening primrose oil and GLA supplements that are a different type and they have health benefits.

AVOID:

Trans fats. These fats are processed to make them more stable. (In short, they just went ahead and ruined them so they wouldn’t get worse…?) The FDA finally caught on to their cardio harm and banned them. However, the agency left a loophole. Processed foods can claim to have “NO trans fats” if they contain less than 0.5 milligram. Don’t be fooled. There is no safe dose of trans fats and if a person eats lots of processed foods, fried foods, baked goods and non-dairy coffee creamers, they add up!

SUPPLEMENTS FOR BLOOD SUGAR:

• Dr. Pescatore recommends glucynergy which is a combination of 1,000 mg of Glucevia® Ash tree extract, 200 mg of Mulberry leaf extract, 150mg of Benfotiamine [that is a B vitamin that Bill Sardi has recommended also for the brain].
• Many have heard of the mineral chromium for blood sugar, but honestly, most of the nutrients that we discuss on the show play a role in diabetes prevention or reversal. Vitamin D is one example and magnesium is another.
• This large study and analysis discusses the benefit to diabetics from resveratrol.

OTHER FACTORS:

Exercise, body weight, hydration, stress, detoxification, low alcohol, not smoking, etc. are all important. Being generally healthy is the prescription for preventing most diseases. Sorry, no shortcuts. Link HERE to Library page on diabetes prevention and low glycemic foods.