What’s a “skinny” type 2 diabetic to do?

Carrying too much weight increases risk of…

By now, just about everyone of a certain age probably knows how that sentence ends: “type 2 diabetes.”

But what about those with type 2 and no weight issues?

An HSI member named Harold writes: “I am a skinny type 2 diabetic. Everything I read about diabetes is geared to overweight people.

Do you have any suggestions for people like me?”

I checked with Dr. Spreen, and he has three suggestions for diabetics without weight problems.

First, he recommends these supplements: chromium, vanadium, and Gymnema sylvestre.

From there, it’s all about digestion.

Dr. Spreen: “I recommend the Atkins diet. It’s high protein, high calorie without simple carbs, and will lower serum glucose levels by itself (so diabetics should be monitored while on meds to have them reduced when necessary to avoid low blood sugar crises).

“Then include some digestive enzymes and betaine HCl. Often times diabetics are low in both.

“Oddly enough, when you improve digestion, overweight people lose weight while underweight people gain (on the same diet).”