Ever since the ACCORD trial, the quiet undertones in diabetic treatment have suggested that maybe aggressive lowering of blood sugar and HbA1c levels with insulin may not really be too good of an idea. Given that, in the ACCORD trial, those who tried to aggressively lower their HbA1c levels with diabetic drugs DIED at a 22% higher rate, I’d suggest that “not too good of an idea” is a little weak.
In reading the interpretation of the findings of the researchers, they are unaware how this happened. They have looked at medications. At hypoglycemia. At cause of death (all causes were increased, although cardiac deaths had the greatest risk). Nothing seemed to be a factor.
Wow. We just really, really, really don’t get it. The conclusion from this article’s authors is that less aggressive control of blood glucose may be the more appropriate way to manage a diabetic, and that “as low as possible” is not defensible. Sounds like this correlates with the research, but they left out the massive pink elephant in the room.
Lowering HbA1c “as low as possible” WITH DRUGS is not defensible. That little prepositional phrase can mean the difference between life and death for a diabetic patient. When will be begin to understand that blood sugar is not the problem, but rather the symptoms of a poor relationship between the action of insulin and the cells of our bodies?
Lowering HbA1c “as low as possible” using the tools of exercise, stress management, environmental detox and a low calorie, high phytonutrient diet will produce wonderful outcomes. Despite looking closely at the medical literature as it relates to diabetes, I have yet to come across any study that finds that eating more brussel sprouts and broccoli increased the risk of death. And personally, within my small sampling of patients, I have yet to experience the death of a patient from conscientiously cutting back on calories.
So, when the researchers of ACCORD scratch their heads and the medical community can’t figure out what to do, except use less drugs, remember that diabetes is a CHOICE. (Need to clarify Type 2 here, lest the Type 1 diabetics rise up and throttle me) We choose to eat diabetes causing foods. We choose to live a sedentary lifestyle. We choose to stress out and let it impact our health. We choose to consume the Venti size at Starbucks and take in too many calories overall.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002914911010071