Diabetes and Fatty Acids

The degenerative disease epidemic that presently wracks the nation came coincidentally with the introduction of transfats and other engineered oils and fats, and the widespread consumption of polyunsaturated vegetable oil. Because there is such a close correlation between these developments and the rise of degenerative diseases including diabetes, a direct causal link is almost certain: the type of fats and oils that we consume is directly correlated to the rise of epidemic degenerative disease.

We are constantly told to ‘eat less fat’, but it is NOT the amount of fats and oils that we eat that causes problems. By chronically consuming fats and oils for which we are not adapted, we can and do impair our ability to absorb and metabolise healthy fats and oils. At the same time we also impair our ability to metabolise carbohydrates - the primary cause of obesity and diabetes.

Diabetics have been found to commonly have faulty fatty acid metabolism which may contribute to the cardiovascular complications associated with the disease. Scientific research has established that the reduction of harmful fats combined with with the addition of beneficial fatty acids may offer a significant breakthrough in combating diabetic cardiovascular complications.

Between 60% and 70%of diabetics have some form of neuropathy - nerve damage caused by a prolonged imbalance in blood glucose levels. Conventional medicine offers no satisfactory treatment for diabetic neuropathy. However, in the last 20 years, clinical research has demonstrated that supplementation with GLA is an important factor contributing to prevention and improvement of neuropathy. Between 1993 and 1997 two multicenter trials, involving more than 400 patients in all, measured the effects of GLA supplementation in neuropathy. The researchers measured 16 parameters of neurological function including nerve conduction strength and speed, hot and cold thresholds, sensation, reflexes, and muscle strength. After a full year of treatment, patients receiving GLA had experienced significant improvements while the placebo group had continued to deteriorate.All diabetics should therefore consider supplementing with GLA, most easily obtained from Borage Oil.

An item reported in the British Journal of Nutrition during a four-week study indicated that Flax Oil was beneficial in helping to regulate blood glucose levels in diabetics. Because most Americans consume highly processed refined oils, many are deficient in Omega-3 fatty acids that may provide numerous health benefits to people with high cholesterol, heart disease, stroke, angina, high blood pressure, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis and eczema, and cancer. Flaxseeds, an unrefined food, provide the richest source of Omega-3 fatty a