On Wed, 22 Dec 2004 09:02:49 -0500, Todd Moody <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >Paula H. wrote: > >>I ran across this interesting article on vinegar: >>http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20041218/food.asp >> >>Todd, have you continued with the cinnamon and glucose readings? >> >>Paula H. >> >> >I recently stopped, after noting no appreciable effect. A friend of >mine who is Type 2 diabetic tried the cinnamon and actually found her >fasting BG increased substantially. I've heard of others getting that >result too, for some reason. In fact, after she discontinued the >cinnamon, it took several weeks for her BG readings to go back to where >they were. Very discouraging. But this vinegar study is interesting, >and no doubt I'll give it a try. It wouldn't bother me to gulp down a >couple of tablespoons of wine vinegar with a glass of water. > >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. She needs to lose weight, but her weight began to creep >up, and she was constantly exhausted, had to take naps all the time. I >give her credit for staying on it a month, but by the end of that time, >although she saw some improvements in BG, she just couldn't go on. 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. > >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. But the most effective agent I've found for reducing fasting BG >is still alcohol. Although the metabolic pathways of vinegar and >alcohol are the same, I gather the mechanism of the effect on BG must be >different. Vinegar downregulates the starch-digesting enzymes. Alcohol >inhibits gluconeogenesis. 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. When eating zero carbs, the body gets >glucose from protein. In theory, BG shouldn't be elevated in this >situation. While BGs in the 90s aren't "elevated" in a clinical sense, >according to what I've read if BG is above about 84 the pancreas still >puts out insulin, indicating that the pancreas "thinks" BG should be >below 85 and continuously tries to get it there. I am bothered by the >idea of my pancreas trickling out insulin 24/7, so 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. > >Todd Moody >[log in to unmask]