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Read Dr. Elena Krasnov's Weekly Column in the Health & Fitness section of the 24 Hours Magazine. Look for new articles every week!

Monday, May 11, 2009

Diet and Exercise for Type 2 Diabetes

Q: Dear Elena, I am very overweight 50 year old woman and have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I don't know how to help myself.

A: Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. In type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin. Either way cells may be starving for energy as a result of a lack of sugar inside the cell. Excess sugar starts to build up in your blood stream leading to side effects such as long term kidney, eye and nervous system damage.

You cannot treat this on your own. Some form of supervision is required. It is not enough to simply take your blood sugar levels at home. What do you do if it stays high?

To start with your need to be fully assessed and put on a prescribed program. I often start patients with a diet restricted in simple carbohydrates, and rich in complex carbohydrates, protein, fresh vegetables and high fiber. When eating fruits you must be certain to include only those with low glycemic index (blueberries are an excellent example of what to eat daily). You must keep you calories in check so as to maintain a healthy weight. More muscle mass always leads to an increase in metabolism and a healthy weight loss, leading to a more optimal control of diabetes. Daily exercise of a minimum 30 minutes is also very helpful (try and keep your work-out vigorous, slow walking is not good enough). Anything that will help you loose weight will also improve glucose tolerance and lead to a more normal blood sugar levels.

The more fat you accumulate around your waist the harder it is to keep your blood glucose in control. Exercise portion control and don’t ever go for seconds. Keeping your diet to 20% protein and 10% or less fat will be very effective in helping you loose pounds and improve diabetes.

Naturopathic treatments for diabetes always include a vitamin supplement in my practice. I often use such minerals as Zinc and Chromium along with herbs such as Bitter Melon and Gymnema Sylvestre, as well as onion, garlic and fenugreek. Diabetic patients are also often deficient in Vitamin E, so taking a Vitamin E supplement along with some fish oil is very beneficial. One other thing that I commonly use with my diabetic patients is homeopathic extracts that help support pancreas function. These are manufactured by different homeopathic companies but all do more or less the same – support pancreatic cells in their insulin production.

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Dr. Elena Krasnov is a registered Naturopathic Doctor and Clinic Director of the Toronto Naturopathic Clinic. Submit your questions online at 24hrs.ca

Co-written by Miranda Tallon-Malisani Holistic Nutritionist