Category Archives: Shameless Self-Promotion

Major Diabetes Complications on the Run

Posted on January 26, 2013 | Comments Off on Major Diabetes Complications on the Run

Here’s a quote from a recent Diabetes Care:

Improved therapeutics and health care delivery have brought remarkable declines in the incidence of … complications, with a 50% reduction in amputations from their peak in 1997 and ∼35% reduction in the incidence of end-stage renal disease. Similarly, 10-year coronary heart disease risk dropped from 21% in 2000 to 16% in 2008.

Exercise helps prevent and control diabetes

Exercise helps prevent and control diabetes

Nevertheless, diabetes remains the leading cause of blindness, renal failure, nontraumatic lower-limb amputation, in adults 18 to 65 years of age.  We gotta stay after it!

In addition to lower rates of major diabetes complications, we now have 11 classes of drugs for treating diabetes, compared with just three or four a generation ago.

The essay by Dr. Robert Ratner also notes 79 million Americans with prediabetes.  They need my Conquer Diabetes and Prediabetes book.  It’s only $9.99 (USD), a drop in the ocean compared to the $174 billion spent on diabetes in 2007 in the U.S.

—Steve

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Posted in Diabetes, Shameless Self-Promotion, Uncategorized

Study Finds Low-Carb Diet Reduces Heart Disease Risk Factors

Posted on December 8, 2012 | Comments Off on Study Finds Low-Carb Diet Reduces Heart Disease Risk Factors

Obesity Reviews just published details of a recent meta-analyis of low-carbohydrate diet effects on cardiovascular risk factors.

A systematic review and meta-analysis were carried out to study the effects of low-carbohydrate diet (LCD) on weight loss and cardiovascular risk factors (search performed on PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Scopus databases). A total of 23 reports, corresponding to 17 clinical investigations, were identified as meeting the pre-specified criteria.

Over a thousand obese patients were involved.  By eating low-carb, blood pressure dropped by 3–4 mmHg, average body weight decreased by 7 kg (15 lb), body mass index dropped by 2, triglycerides decreased by 30 mg/dl, hemoglobin A1c dropped by 0.21% (absolute decrease), insulin levels fell by 2.23 micro IU/ml, while HDL cholesterol rose by 1.73 mg/dl.  LDL cholesterol didn’t change.

The authors conclusion:

Low-carboydrate diet was shown to have favourable effects on body weight and major cardiovascular risk factors; however the effects on long-term health are unknown.

I haven’t see the full text of the article yet, so I don’t know the carbohydrate level under review.  I bet it’s under 50 g of digestible carb daily.  My Low-Carb Mediterranean Diet starts at 20-30 grams a day.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Reference:  Santos, F.L., et al. Systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials of the effects of low carbohydrate diets on cardiovascular risk factors. Obesity Reviews. Article first published online: 20 AUG 2012. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-789X.2012.01021.x

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Posted in Heart Disease, Low-Carb Mediterranean Diet, Shameless Self-Promotion, Uncategorized

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KMD Now Available in Book Form

Posted on March 9, 2012 | Comments Off on KMD Now Available in Book Form

A number of my patients and blog readers have asked for a more comprehensive presentation of the Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet, a free abbreviated version of which is at my Diabetic Mediterranean Diet blog. The KMD, as you may be aware, is the cornerstone of the Low-Carb Mediterranean Diet. Both of them are in The Advanced Mediterranean Diet (2nd Edition) and Conquer Diabetes and Prediabetes: The Low-Carb Mediterranean Diet.

Odd cover, huh?

The new book is geared for folks who don’t have diabetes, but want to lose weight with a very-low-carb diet. It’s called KMD: Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet. Readers of Conquer Diabetes and Prediabetes  and Advanced Mediterranean Diet (2nd Edition) will get nothing out of the new book: they’ve seen it all before. Here’s the book description from Amazon.com:

Dr. Steve Parker presents the world’s first low-carbohydrate Mediterraneandiet.  Nutrition experts for years have recommended the healthy Mediterranean diet.  It’s linked to longer life span and reduced rates of heart attack, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and dementia.  Dr. Parker (M.D.) has modified the Mediterranean diet to help you lose excess weight while retaining most of the healthy foods in the traditional Mediterranean diet.  What’s the secret?  Cut back on the fattening carbohydrates such as concentrated sugars and refined starches.

You’ll discover how to manage your weight without exercise, without hunger, without restricting calories, while eating fish, meat, chicken, vegetables, fruits, wine, olive oil, nuts, and cheese.

The book includes advice on how to avoid weight regain, instruction on exercise, a week of meal plans, special recipes, a general index, a recipe index, and scientific references.  All measurements are given in both U.S. customary and metric units.  Are you finally ready to lose weight while eating abundantly and without counting calories?

♦ ♦ ♦

KMD: Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet is available for purchase at Amazon.com (Kindle edition here, also) or Barnes and Noble (Nook version here). The ebook version is available in multiple formats at Smashwords.

Steve Parker, M.D.

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Posted in Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet, Low-Carb Mediterranean Diet, Shameless Self-Promotion

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