	December 7th, 2005 \| Issue 42
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The Optimal Diet for Diabetics

The optimal diet for type 2 diabetics has long been a subject of controversy. A few scientists have espoused high-monounsaturated fat diets because, they argue, low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets may have negative consequences like higher triglycerides.

DID YOU KNOW

Did You Know?

Pritikin Cappuccino

Pritikin Cappuccinos are a favorite at the resort. Is it easy to make at home? Yes, as easy as can be!

To make two cups, just prepare 1 cup of hot Cafix® “coffee,” add 1 cup of warm nonfat milk, and whip with a whisk till frothy.

Many guests also enjoy the soymilk variety of cappuccino. Simply replace the nonfat milk with low-fat soymilk like Silk®.

Did you know that now you can also get chocolate-flavored soymilk? “Yes, you can now come to the Pritikin Longevity Center and have a steaming mug of hot chocolate.”

But long-term research and an important new study have found just the opposite. The new study concluded that a low-fat, high-fiber diet led to significant weight loss in diabetics; a high-monounsaturated fat diet did not. Moreover, the low-fat, high-carb diet did not cause any unfavorable blood lipid reactions, such as higher triglycerides or worsening of glycemic control.(1)

Dr. William E. Connor and colleagues from Oregon Health & Sciences University in Portland, Oregon, randomly assigned 11 patients with type 2 diabetes to receive an ad libitum (eat-as-much-as-you-want) low-fat, high-fiber, high-complex carbohydrate diet or an ad libitum high-monounsaturated fat diet, each for 6 weeks.

The low-fat diet provided 20% calories from fat and was largely made up of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, skim milk, and lean meat. The dieters used condiments like fat-free Italian dressing and fat-free sour cream. The high-fat dieters (40% calories from fat) consumed full-fat foods like olive oil and safflower oil and ate fewer fiber-rich carbohydrates (30 grams of fiber daily vs 46 on the low-fat, high-fiber diet).

“The most striking finding in this study was that the ad libitum low-fat, high-fiber diet induced a significant weight loss, whereas the high-mono fat diet did not,” writes Dr. Connor and co-authors. Why? Patients assigned to the low-fat diet ate 212 fewer calories than did those assigned to the high-monounsaturated fat diet.

For diabetics, getting and staying lean is critical. “Losing excess body fat remains the most effective way to prevent and treat type 2 diabetes,” notes Dr. James Kenney, Nutrition Research Specialist at the Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa.

In the new study from Oregon, the low-fat, high-fiber diet did not raise...

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Pritikin Perspective - Healthy Living Made Easier
Pritikin Perspective is a publication for Alumni of the Pritikin Longevity Center. It is dedicated to helping people make healthy changes in their lives. The articles in this publication should not be considered specific medical advice, as each individual circumstance is different. You are strongly encouraged to seek medical advice before beginning a program of diet and exercise.
Editor/Writer: Eugenia Killoran.

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