Plaque is the stuff of coronary heart disease. It is CONTROLLABLE, it is STOPPABLE, it is REVERSIBLE.
But you must be equipped with the right information on diet, nutritional supplements, and hopefully the avoidance of medication.
This is the blog that accompanies the 
Take any of the following foods:
One chicken breast
Quarter-pound ground beef
6 oz salmon steak
½ cup raw almonds
3 eggs scrambled in olive oil
How much is blood sugar increased by any item in the above list?
If you said virtually zero, you’re correct. Eat any of these foods, regardless of portion size, and blood sugar won’t change substantially. If you started with a blood sugar of, say, 90 mg/dl, 1-2 hours later it would be 90 mg/dl. It might go up or even down a few milligrams, but for all practical purposes it remains substantially unchanged.
How much is blood sugar increased by the foods in this list:
2 slices multigrain bread
1 whole wheat bagel
4 oz high-fiber breakfast cereal
2 whole grain pancakes, 2 oz maple syrup
The foods in this list are a different story from the first. Depending on your body weight, exercise habits, and other factors, a typical blood sugar response in an otherwise healthy non-diabetic person would be 120 mg/dl to 160 mg/dl. In someone with diabetes, it could easily exceed 200 mg/dl.
That isn’t good. Large blood sugar excursions to 140 mg/dl have been clearly associated with greater risk for heart attack, progression to diabetes, inflammatory responses, and other adverse health effects. In fact, blood sugars as low as 100 mg/dl after eating have been associated with increased cardiovascular risk.
Then why are the USDA, American Heart Association, the American Dietetic Association, and the American Diabetes Association telling us to eat more of the foods that shoot blood sugar up to such high levels? “Eat more healthy whole grains”?
To see how much the issue of exaggerated blood sugars after eating applies to you, a simple blood sugar check 1-2 hours after eating can show you. Either your doctor can have the test drawn or you can purchase your own inexpensive glucose meter (e.g., Walmart, Wagreens).
My prediction: You will be very surprised at blood sugar responses after common foods, including “healthy whole grains.” And, by the way, keeping blood sugar excursions to a minimum will facilitate weight loss.
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I think you should clarify things a bit. Protein certainly does get converted to glucose via gluconegenesis, and the incretin process will give you a bit of a sugar rush as well per Dr, Bernstein. Us type 1's attempting low carb lifestyles know very well that BGs most definately are affected by all consumed foods.
John
I am really confused here now. Dr. Davis' post says that eating beef won't raise blood sugar. But Drs. Oz & Roizen, the authors of the "You" series, and who strike me as learned and straightforward fellows, not captured by any particular industry, say that *saturated fat* — whether from animals or coconuts or palm trees — causes insulin resistance. If that's right, then eating beef and other saturated fats will reek havoc on blood sugar — if not now, then later.
So what gives? Who is right? Is the science just hopelessly confused at this point?
For T1 and T2 diabetics:
See Dr. Richard Bernstein's book "Diabetes Solution" for the ultimate low carb eating plan. He advocates 30 grams of carbs per DAY – sounds extreme but he's been living with T1 diabetes (juvenile, insulin dependent) for 64 YEARS!
Good luck
Ed
@ Vladimir *saturated fat* — whether from animals or coconuts or palm trees — causes insulin resistance
Metabolism Society Dietary fat research Read both the Krauss Meta-analysis and Dietary Fat and Coronary Heart Disease you may see the link between saturated fat and heart disease is questionable.
MCT oil (coconut oil good source of mct) can be incorporated into a weight loss program without fear of adversely affecting metabolic risk factors.
Dr Eades has an interesting blog on the Saturated Fat topic
In the comments of this recent Dr Davis blog I link to research showing when omega 3's are present effects of saturated fats are modified and the type of saturated fat consumed affects insulin response.
im consfused too… so if saturated fat causes insulin resistance(which precedes or follow leptin resistance), and protein will spike blood sugar…
makes meat sound like the WORST of both world… im so confused
A clarification: Protein and fats, including saturated fats, DO increase blood sugar. However, the magnitude of effect is much smaller than that of carbohydrates.
Now I'm starting to understand why you're against grazing, Dr. Davis! It seems like not eating for several hours — i.e., sticking to meals — would be quite helpful in keeping blood glucose down.
Dr. Davis,
I've heard and read that sprouting grains (and beans) changes their starch content into a vegetable sugar making them much safer. Some examples are 100 percent sprouted breads like Ezekiel Bread.
Any truth to this that you know of???
Steve
Dr Davis,
Another article on the dangers of a "low-fat" diet:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1247216/The-Big-Fat-Lies-Britains-obesity-epidemic.html
"While we've all been brainwashed into thinking that fat is the killer we must avoid and food manufacturers bring out more and more profitable 'low-fat' versions of foods, starch – in the shape of pasta, bread, cereals, potatoes and rice – has been quietly adding on the pounds, while we are being told that it's good for us."
The article title is:
The Big Fat Lies about Britain's obesity epidemic
"While it showed some benefits from cholesterol-lowering drugs, the assumption made by the researchers was that if you eat a diet low in cholesterol, that would have the same effect as taking cholesterol-lowering drugs.
This conclusion prompted various agencies in the U.S. to start a campaign to lower the amount of saturated fats in our diet.
At no time did this study look at the effect of saturated fats on heart attacks or heart disease.
So, on the basis of a study looking at drugs lowering cholesterol, we ended up with a message to eat less saturated fat.
This plea for sanity over the advice on fats is not a lone cry.
Several very influential experts such as Dr Laura Corr, consultant cardiologist at Guys and St Thomas' Hospital in London, and Dr Michael Oliver, from the National Heart and Lung Institute, have asked those in power to stop propagating an unproven message.
Where does the FSA find such certainty among the pile of published science which is not conclusive in its findings?
In fact, there are some statistics showing quite the contrary, especially when mixed with a low- starch and low-sugar diet.
One report looked at 27 individual studies into the link between fats and heart disease and no link could be found."
The following are my cholesterol and Triglyceride numbers from 1-13-10 and 1-30-10 (dates are when the reports were issued.
I am a male 54 year of age and considered myself in fair shape at 5’8” and 184lbs. My starting total cholesterol was 295, LDL was 200, HDL was 46 and my VLDL was 49. Triglycerides were 242. Two weeks later my total cholesterol is 156, LDL is 102, HDL is 32, and VLDL is 22. My Triglycerides are 109.
My doctor is a huge fan of Dr. Davis. Dr. Brock outlined a program for me that includes 10,000IU of Vitamin D (my values 2 weeks ago were 28.6, was not taken this time), one tablespoon of Carlson’s Fish Oil, K and K2 complex and magnesium. There are several other nutrients such as mixed Vitamin E included
On top of that I have modified my diet to a more plant based, lower saturated fat plan.
This is where is may become a little controversial. From what I understand, none of the above could account for a Drop from 295 t o156.
Though my Doctor, like Dr. Davis feels the jury is still out, I decided to take 1400mg of disodium EDTA every morning and have those 2 weeks. My goal in taking the EDTA was not to clean out calcium. I understand that it doesn’t do that as far as anyone knows. I had read multiple times that it lowers cholesterol and normalizes blood platelet aggregation.
Since there appeared to be little or no risk it seemed worth a try. I can’t say that EDTA was the reason for such good numbers now but I also can’t find any other reason for them. The only cholesterol test I had done before those 2 was 7 years ago and my total was 270. 295 two weeks ago and 156 today.
I’m not posting this to drive the EDTA controversy. I believe the second chance I have been given is a combination of Dr. Davis and Dr. Brocks research for which I am hugely grateful. If EDTA had anything to do with the numbers so far, I also have Dr. Garry Gordon to thank for his research.
A year from now I plan to have a second CT scan. As you might guess my CT score was not go. I was in the top 10 percent for my age. Scary given that my grandfather died in 1932 of “acute indigestion” (wink) and my father died in 1989 of a heart attack.
Thank you Dr. Davis. By the way, Dr. Brock would not let me leave is office without a copy of “Track Your Plaque”.
Steve
I bought the onetouch mini today and Im gonna do some pre-post eating tests next week.
One thing I noticed is the manual says that after a meal the samples taken from a finger can be as much as 70 mg/dl higher than samples taken in a lab. Adding this to the 20% accuracy means that getting a 150 mg/dl after a meal with this device could be 50 mg/dl if tested in a lab
Protein raises bg. I use insulin and have to use half as much for protein as for carbs; i.e. 1 unit Novolog covers 5g carb or 10g protein.
Both protein and fat can be converted to glucose via gluceoneogenesis.
However, in practical experience, fat has no effect except to slow the raise caused by carb and protein (the "peak" bg after a fatty meal occurring later than for a lower-fat meal).
Whoa! Not only does protein raise BG (via gluconeogenesis), but for someone on a low-carb diet, their average BG (and A1C) will be dominated by the glucose produced by protein. In fact, this is why advanced diabetics cannot ultimately control their condition by low-carb diets alone – the protein they need to survive is enough to raise their BGs to unacceptable levels.
Stress is always a very big factor in stimulating all diseases as they arise from the mind.salt and sodium in excess also leads to many diseases of the body.
That isn’t good. Large blood sugar excursions to 140 mg/dl have been clearly associated with greater risk for heart attack, progression to diabetes, inflammatory responses, and other adverse health effects. In fact, blood sugars as low as 100 mg/dl after eating have been associated with increased cardiovascular risk.