A high-fat diet that lowers diabetes risk!

New research: Finally a safe, drug-free way to beat diabetes

Yesterday I told you about the shiny new diabetes drug the FDA just OK’d that ups your risk for breast and bladder cancers. One that offers little to no benefit for folks with type 2 who have less-than-perfect kidneys.

But at the same time Big Pharma was scrambling to figure out how to downplay the dangers and get the FDA to rubberstamp its latest potential money-maker, other researchers were busy looking at what might actually prevent the disease.

What they found is not a drug.

It has no side effects.

And best of all, you can start it right away–without a single doctor visit.

Higher fat, lower risk

For years they’ve been attacking us with the low-fat myth.

You know, how it’s good for you to drink low-fat milk, use fake butter, and eat tofu instead of steak.

Well, this new study proves that fat is not only okay to eat, it can actually keep you even healthier than we thought.

Here’s what the researchers found:

Even without losing any weight, those on a Mediterranean-style diet had a 40 percent better chance of NOT getting type 2 diabetes than those on a restricted, cardboard-swallowing, low-fat one.

But here’s the kicker.

On top of the traditional Mediterranean fare — you know, lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, fish and small amounts of meat and milk (and not too many sweets) — they added more fat!

Those in the study were told to eat a quarter cup of almonds, walnuts or hazelnuts each day, or have at least 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil a day. Wine was also allowed…one glass with dinner.

Not only did this group actually enjoy what they were eating, but unlike the low-fat group, they actually stuck to the plan.

So is this diet a godsend just for those who want to do everything they can to steer clear of diabetes?

No…it even helped those who already had the disease(!)

A bigger study was already in the works, this one with over 7,000 people — and nearly half of those already had diabetes.

So did eating this way help them too?

It sure did.

They were 30 percent less likely to have a heart attack, stroke or die from heart disease! And we’re not talking about healthy athletes here. Half of these people already had diabetes.

Not ready to give up on its “low fat is best mantra,” one M.D., David Heber, with the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition, was quick to downplay the new research, already published in two prestigious medical journals.

According to Heber, “saying that it’s beneficial to consume olive oil, which has over 100 calories per tablespoon, without weight loss,” will lead to “magical thinking about diabetes.”

Is that less “magical” Dr. Heber, than a new diabetes pharmaceutical that has a “modest” to “absent” effect on patients — and puts their kidneys at risk?

I think I’d take that “magic” over the drug any day.

Sources:

“Mediterranean diet linked to lower risk of Type 2 diabetes” Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times, 1/6/2014, latimes.com