Discussion Board

On the cover of the current issue is the provocative title "The Cure for Diabetes." It's about Mary Vernon and her low carb approach. It's the opposite of McD. In fact, both doctors actuallly cite the early 20th century physcian Dr. Joslin as a source to buttress their position. Very confusing.

I'd guess the primary way to "cure" type 2 diabetes is to achieve a healthy weight. Low carb diets do work to help people lose weight (usually only temporarily), but are otherwise quite harmful. The McDougall approach helps people lose weight and be healthy, so it seems like the obvious choice. But I suppose a low-carb diet could help diabetes, as long as one was willing to risk increased risks of heart disease, cancer, kidney stones, osteoporosis, etc.
If you want a true, documented, peer-reviewed scientific study on curing diabetes, check out Dr. Neal Barnard's low-fat vegan diet study:

http://www.pcrm.org/magazine/gm06autumn/diabetes.html

http://www.vegsource.com/articles2/Diab ... DF2006.pdf

Specifically, what is confusing you?

The following is confusing to me: 1. McD types and Atkins types quote the same sources to prove their position. 2. There has to be one best answer to the question of how to control diabetes yet both camps make compelling arguments. Personally, I'm with McD. I've been a vegetarian for 25 years and I'm not going to start eating animal products.

Perhaps the answer, just like "The Purloined Letter", lies right before us. Eat a lot vegetables, a little fruit, some carbs, and keep it very very low fat. Would this work?

What is an example of Dr. McDougall and Dr. Atkins quoting the same source to prove their radically different solutions to the problem of diabetes?

They both quote Dr. E.P. Joslin, founder of the famous Joslin Diabetic Center in Boston. McD attributes this quote to Joselin, "I believe the chief cause of premature atherosclerosis in diabetes, is an excess of fat, an excess of fat in the body, an excess of fat in the diet, and an excess of fat in the blood. . ." McD also stated that Joslin suspected that a high fat, high cholesterol diet might favor the development of diabetes.

In the Men'sHealth article about Mary Vernon, Atkins protege and author of an Atkins book, the author says this among other things, " Elliot Proctor Joslin, M.D. ... carefully documented patient logs he kept from 1893 to 1916, successfully treating dozens of diabetic patients -- including his own mother -- using a diet made up of 70 percent fat and just 10 percent carbohydrates."

Of course, Joslin was an early 20th century physcian, so how relevant is he today? I don't know, but he's often mentioned when the subject of diabetes comes up?

The real issue regarding these two contradictory quotes is intellectual honesty. One of the doctors is probably twisting the facts. I suspect it would be Vernon.

this is pure speculation, but maybe Joslin did "successfully treat" diabetes with the high-fat, low carb diet. and the results of this "treatment" led him to conclude that "the chief cause of premature atherosclerosis in diabetes, is an excess of fat".

that is, the high-fat treatment helped the diabetes, but caused or exacerbated premature atherosclerosis.

just a guess. if i had more time i'd try to track down some unbiased info on Joslin's work.