>From:    Todd Moody <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: Another take on Naturally Lowering Blood Sugar

>I got this friend to try a lowcarb diet, with mainly paleo foods
>(plus a bit of cheese here and there, but not much), but she
>simply couldn't deal with it. ... her weight began to creep up,
> ...  She had gained four pounds and felt simply terrible.
>She has recently added some carbs back into her diet and
>feels much better.  Her BG went up, of course, but she has
>started metformin and with luck they should begin to go down.

Todd, how do you measure BG (=blood glucose)?

>Since I classify myself as prediabetic, the vinegar seems worth
>a try.  I've also started green tea extract, which is reputed both
> to inhibit carbohydrate absorption and to increase insulin
>sensitivity--among other things. ...As I've stated on here before,
>even when I eat nothing but meat and fat, my fasting BG tends
>to remain in the low 90s.  This isn't terrible but, in my view,
>it is dead-on proof of significant insulin resistance. In theory,
>BG shouldn't be elevated in this situation.  .... my goal is to
>get fasting BG below 85.  It's clear to me that paleo or plain lowcarb
>diet will not get me there, so I'm looking at other ways.

I don't know the level or the types of physical activity you presently engage in, Todd, but it may be
that a significant switch to daily Paleo activity might do the trick.

Rob Faigin says that protein generates an insulin response: "The insulin response to protein is
influenced by three factors.  One of these is the amino acid profile of the protein.  For instance,
protein like beef, which contains a high concentration of the amino acid lysine, tend to be more
insulinogenic than other protein sources. The second factor ...concerns the fat content ... The
third factor is the extent to which a food has been processed [in a way that makes it more
assimilable]."

Rob's book is about insulin and other hormones.  He refers to insulin as a "double-edged sword"
because it has a good - essential - property (it's anabolic) and a bad one (it's lipogenic) and so
needs to be optimized, rather than minimized or maximized.

Keith