We have know for years that many people with diabetes have too little magnesium in their bodies. So why don’t all of us take supplements of this magical mineral?Everyone seem to recommend magnesium, mostly to reduce the insulin resistance and hence help counteract diabetes. But how much magnesium we have in our bodies is almost impossible to test, because most of it resides in our bones and very little in our blood, according to Dr.... … [Read more...]

The smallest blood glucose meter can make the biggest splash. That was part of the strategy that the French multinational pharmaceutical company followed when it jumped into the U.S. meter market. Sanofi’s headquarters are in Paris, and it is the third largest pharma company in the world. Its Lantus is the world’s number one selling insulin. But it hadn’t made blood glucose meters before. The U.S. Food and Drug... … [Read more...]

One type of soluble fiber has so many benefits for people with diabetes that I have been recommending it for years. But only now do we have a good-tasting and low-calorie product that can help us lose weight.The fiber is glucomannan, which some people call konjac fiber because it is the main component of the root of the konjac plant (Amorphophallus konjac) that grows in China and Japan. They call it a yam, but it’s totally different from... … [Read more...]

Metformin controls the insulin resistance of people who have type 2 diabetes so well that, if possible, all of us should be taking it. That's what Roderic Crist, M.D., told me at the annual convention of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians in Denver this weekend. Dr. Crist specializes in family medicine in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. “Not everybody can take every drug,” he added, when I followed up our conversation by calling... … [Read more...]

When we think about managing our diabetes, we are almost always considering what we eat. Many of us rely on diabetes medications to stay in control. Some of us keep our blood glucose levels low with exercise.But we rarely consider how our minds and bodies interact. We seldom think about how stress in our minds can make our bodies feel bad. When we feel bad, we sometimes overeat, don’t take our medication, or fail to get the exercise we... … [Read more...]

We have laws that help protect us from medical misinformation given out by people who aren’t licensed to practice medicine and who don’t actually examine us. When we rely on friends, relatives, or anyone who voices an opinion on the Internet, we risk our health and even our lives.But no laws can protect us from medical misinformation that our doctors, nurses, and nutritionists can sometimes give us. We have to remember that medicine... … [Read more...]

Nobody questions our need for blood glucose meters to be accurate. Yet only a few of the meter manufacturers seem to be doing anything about it. People with diabetes rely on our meters to see what the food we eat, the exercise we get, and the medication we take does to our blood glucose levels. Only when we know that our levels are too high or too low we can we take corrective action. But anyone who has compared two readings on the same meter... … [Read more...]

“Which starch would you like with your dinner?” the waiter asked.He wanted to know if I prefered a baked potato, rice, or corn on the cob with my fish and steamed veggies. Or maybe a side order of pancakes. His question surprised me, and I could have shot back a question of my own: “What makes you think that I like to eat any starch?” But I remained civil and simply declined his offer. While starches and sugars are... … [Read more...]

“Is taking whey protein powder good or bad for people with type 2 diabetes?”This was a correspondent’s recent question. I told him that this is such a good question that I would answer him here.Many people supplement their protein intake with a daily scoop or two of protein powder. Years ago I did that myself.We have a wide variety of types and brands of protein powder to chose from. Besides whey protein, we can get casein,... … [Read more...]

One type of saturated fat is especially valuable for those of us who have diabetes. Oils like coconut and MCT are the easiest for us to use, as I have written in my last four posts here, including “The Best Saturated Fats.”But too many people avoid these great fats because they believe myths about them. When I interviewed Ron Rosedale, M.D., recently, he addressed these concerns.Dr. Rosedale is one of my most trusted experts on what... … [Read more...]