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Dr. Mercola
May 01 2008
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Diabetics Can Reverse Their Atherosclerosis

exerciseAggressive measures to lower cholesterol and blood pressure levels below current targets can help to prevent -- and potentially even reverse -- hardening of the arteries in adults with type 2 diabetes. Hardening of the arteries, also known as atherosclerosis, is the number one cause of heart disease.

A three-year study of nearly 500 participants was the first to compare two treatment targets for LDL ("bad") cholesterol and systolic blood pressure levels in people with diabetes.

To assess the impact of treatments on the participants‘ cardiovascular health, researchers used ultrasound to measure the thickness of their carotid (neck) arteries. Ultrasound was also used to measure the size and function of the left ventricle, which is the heart‘s main pumping chamber. Among participants who were given aggressive treatment, carotid artery thickness measurements were significantly lower.

Aggressive treatment measures included Food and Drug Administration-approved blood pressure and cholesterol medications. Participants were also encouraged to follow lifestyle approaches -- such as following a heart-healthy eating plan, being physically active, maintaining a healthy weight, and not smoking -- to lower their blood pressure and cholesterol.

Dr. Mercola Dr. Mercola's Comments:
Don’t you just love their definition of aggressive treatment measures? How about just spelling out exactly what this really means: more drugs and at higher doses.

These guys are so amazingly clueless about implementing aggressive NATURAL therapies that will actually treat the cause of the problem and permanently eliminate it.

Yes, what the researchers found was that in order to lower your cholesterol and blood pressure levels down to extremely low targets (that have likely not been proven to be beneficial anyway), you need to take drugs, and lots of them.

This is the perfect conclusion for a study whose treatment methods included medications donated by three pharmaceutical companies: First Horizon Pharmacy, Merck, and Pfizer.

What’s Wrong With This Picture?

This study represents a perfect example of what is wrong with conventional medicine on so many levels. It reminds me of the classic analogy of cutting off your nose to spite your face, because when you take dangerous medications to “control” diseases that are largely lifestyle based, believe me you are not doing yourself any favors.

What’s wrong with these medications? Enough to fill a book, so I’ll just highlight some of the major things you should know.
  • High Blood Pressure Drugs: Over 100 anti-hypertensive drugs have been approved, yet high blood pressure continues to plague an unsettling number of people. Meanwhile, a study published in the British Medical Journal found that 97 percent of patients taking antihypertensive medications had suffered from significant side effects!
So not only are they not that effective at controlling blood pressure, they’re fraught with side effects.
  • Cholesterol Drugs: Statin cholesterol-lowering drugs have been shown to cause nerve damage and to greatly impair memory. One reason that statin drugs have these various serious side effects is that they work by inhibiting a vital enzyme that manufactures cholesterol in your liver. However, the same enzyme is used to manufacture coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10).
Almost all people taking statins become depleted in CoQ10 eventually -- those patients who start with relatively low CoQ10 levels (the elderly and patients with heart failure) begin to manifest signs and symptoms of CoQ10 deficiency relatively rapidly. What are the symptoms? Fatigue, muscle weakness, soreness, and … heart failure. Enough said.

How Low Should Your Blood Pressure and Cholesterol Go?

Less is not always more, and the next flawed premise of this study -- that it’s a good thing to lower both your blood pressure and cholesterol below current target levels -- bears this out perfectly. I would argue that current targets may already be too low, and going even further lower could be disastrous.

And let’s face it. The “target” levels have already been lowered. It used to be, for instance, that a normal adult blood pressure was 120/80. Then in 2003, after a change by federal officials, 120/80 suddenly meant you had “prehypertension” and were at risk of heart attack and stroke.

Well the same thing happened with cholesterol. Before 2004, a 130-milligram LDL (bad) cholesterol level was considered healthy. The updated guidelines, however, recommended levels of less than 100, or even less than 70 for patients at very high risk.

There was no evidence to speak of to support such low target levels … but what there was suddenly plenty of, were people who needed to lower their cholesterol (read: take more statin drugs) and their blood pressure (more antihypertensive drugs).

What you may not know, and what even many doctors still don’t know, is that it’s not always ideal to have lower blood pressure or cholesterol.

For instance, older individuals with arteriosclerotic vessels actually need a higher blood pressure to maintain adequate blood flow to their kidneys and other vital organs. Many senior citizens will actually complain of weakness and dizziness if their blood pressures are lower than 120/80. (Of course, you don’t want your blood pressure to go too high, as if your systolic blood pressure is over 160-180, then there IS a danger that you could have a stroke. This is why if you are currently taking high blood pressure medications, you shouldn’t stop them suddenly without having your levels monitored.)

Meanwhile, low cholesterol levels have been shown to worsen patients with congestive heart failure, and cause aggressive behavior, suicidal thoughts and depression.

If You Have Diabetes, Here’s What You Should Know

Many people are unaware that insulin, the hormone secreted by your pancreas to normalize your blood sugar levels after you eat a sugary snack, plays a large role in high blood pressure. Raised insulin levels cause blood pressure to rise, so if you eat sugars and processed grains that break down into sugar, such as bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, beans, cookies, cakes, cereals, oatmeal, toast and rice, your body will be releasing insulin to balance out your blood sugar and blood pressure will therefore increase.

This is one of the major reasons why people suffer complications from high blood pressure and diabetes. And, of the nearly 284,000 people who die from diabetes each year, 65 percent of them are related to cardiovascular causes, so it is important to address this issue.

So what can you do to “aggressively treat” these two conditions?
  • Adjust your diet so that you are eating healthy fats, fresh vegetables and meats, ideally according to your nutritional type
  • Make sure you are NOT eating sugar and refined, processed carbs
  • Get regular exercise -- a must for both diabetes and high blood pressure
  • Make sure you have a tool to relieve stress
  • If you are having problems following this dietary advice, try the hypnosis program I recommend to reduce sugar cravings, crave unprocessed foods, and motivate you to exercise.

If you do the four things above, you will be well on your way to a healthier life.

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Community Comments ( 20 )
 		Comment on this Article
  
  
seg
 [ Joined on 11/06 ] [ Posted on April 14, 2008 ]
13 Points        
   
 
Savvy User
"Medications used in this study were donated by First Horizon Pharmacy, Merck and Co., and Pfizer, Inc."

There are many,many,many NATURAL ways to prevent, treat and reverse diabetes and heart disease.....Just a qucik glance at the above tells me all i need to know about this study!!!!
 [ Reply ]
  
  
HealthCoachSandraG
 [ Joined on 03/08 ] [ Posted on April 14, 2008 ]
12 Points        
   
 
Apprentice User
A ridiculous study since we've known for years that it's the western processed foods diet that is causing such and extremely high rates of heart disease and diabetes.  AND it's the studies/observations with American indians that have proven this. 

The Pima indians in New Mexico have extremely high rates of diabetes where as their ancestors just over the boarder in Mexico do not.  What's the difference.  The Mexican Pima's are still eating their traditional diet!!

 [ Reply ]
Mercola
  
Aaltrude
 [ Joined on 04/07 ]  [ Posted on April 14, 2008]
4 Points        
   
Moderator User
  Mercola
Its not only the western diet but also western pollution of the atmosphere and lack of exercise that is contributing to the high rate of heart disease.
Mercola
  
terryd1960
 [ Joined on 04/07 ]  [ Posted on May 1, 2008]
       
   
Novice User
  Mercola

This is true, but it is also true that the Mexican Pima population eats a diet based on, and extremely high in, corn - in direct opposition to Dr.Mercola's advice. The biggest difference is lifestyle - the American Pima are grossly sedentary and consequently, obese, virtually 100% of them. Diet is obviously not the only culprit, it's also the American way of life.  

Mercola
  
Merrlyn
 [ Joined on 12/07 ]  [ Posted on July 25, 2008]
       
   
Novice User
  Mercola

The same is true for us Hispanics. Our traditional diet consisted mainly of plantains, yams, rice, beans, a variety of vegetables, fish and some meat. Because of the switch to processed products (lard instead of fresh pork fat for frying or flavoring, for example), many of us now have diabetes, heart disease, cancer and are obese. The American diet, I believe, is the cause of most our problems no matter what our family origin. Over-processed foods, leached of their nutrients and loaded with chemical replacements, are a big factor in our country's health decline.
  
  
weaver_3
 [ Joined on 04/08 ] [ Posted on April 17, 2008 ]
8 Points        
   
 
Novice User
I learned from reading the absract to the JAMA article that is behind this blog that (1) the clinical cardiovascular events did not differ significantly between groups, and (2) the rates of serious adverse events related to cholesterol and blood pressure lowering medications were significantly higher in the aggressively treated group.
 
I believe this means that aggressive treatment to lower HDL cholesterol and blood pressure using pharmaceuticals decreases ones well-being without decreasing the chance of having a heart attack. A losing proposition in my book.

Maybe the title to this blog article should have been "Aggresive Drug Treatment for Lowering HDL-C Leads to Serious Side Effects Without Reducing CVD Events". This title would be more in line with Dr. Mercola's teaching about the good and bad cholesterol myth. 

Grandpa Weaver

Reference: http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/299/14/1678
 [ Reply ]
Mercola
  
Maurine1
 [ Joined on 11/06 ]  [ Posted on May 1, 2008]
       
   
Novice User
  Mercola

Wonderful post. I copied it to a WP file to save and also the JAMA abstract. I have fought my dr. of 21 years (diabetes for 22 years, still need minimal extra medicine) on the cholesterol thing, including info from Mary Enig. By cutting out Lipitor, vegetable oils, and hydrogenated fats (margarine, peanut butter except natural, etc.) I got my irregular heart beat to settle down. I see the dr. tomorrow and he will probably discuss elevated results on my lipid tests last month -- up from in Dec. when everything was good including triglycerides, without Lipitor. (HDL in 60's, went down to 42 with Lipitor.)
  
  
Aaltrude
 [ Joined on 04/07 ] [ Posted on April 12, 2008 ]
6 Points        
   
 
Moderator User
I am sure American Indians were healthier with a much lower and probably a zero incidence of type 2 diabetes before they were introduced to the western diet. Probably the best treatment for them would be to convince them to go back to their native diet.
 [ Reply ]
Mercola
  
seg
 [ Joined on 11/06 ]  [ Posted on April 14, 2008]
1 Points        
   
Savvy User
  Mercola
When you stray from your native diet you surely will pay the consequences...It has been hypothesized the inclusion of corn as one of their main staples and their "enslavement/loss of territory" has greatly contributed to their demise.....I believe the latter was the greater of the 2 evils......
Mercola
  
Sweet Moksha Bliss
 [ Joined on 03/08 ]  [ Posted on April 14, 2008]
6 Points        
   
Savvy User
  Mercola
I agree seg.  If I may make a comment on our West coast First nations people and the high incidence of diabetes, obesity, hypertension, hyperlipidemia.  A study out of U of British Columbia on the residents of Nuxalt Nation and diet found that when Ooligan grease ( the fat rendered from a small local fish ) was reintroduced into their diet, along with the original diet of the people,( berries, salmon, greens, roots, AND the exclusion of processed, white foods) the rates of diabetes showed marked decrease.

The grease is used in everything from soups, pottages, as a dip, baking, skin and wound healing, ....you name it.  Facinating stuff....
  
  
mmc88121
 [ Joined on 11/06 ] [ Posted on April 11, 2008 ]
4 Points        
   
 
Moderator User
Even though this is a specific population, American Indians, I think it shows more that more eduction and monitoring is needed, rather than more medications.  I also noticed even though they said there was a difference no where did they say it was statistically significant, and the study was funded by 2 Pharmaceutical companies and one pharmacy.

Mary
 [ Reply ]
  
  
hunter3738
 [ Joined on 01/08 ] [ Posted on May 1, 2008 ]
3 Points        
   
 
Novice User

Did they mention the death rates compared to a control group? I'm quite sure arteries will soften ... when they're decomposing!

 [ Reply ]
  
  
flbooks7
 [ Joined on 01/08 ] [ Posted on April 11, 2008 ]
2 Points        
   
 
Apprentice User
And... just what was that aggressive treatment?
 [ Reply ]
Mercola
  
"David"
 [ Joined on 08/06 ]  [ Posted on April 11, 2008]
2 Points        
   
Savvy User
  Mercola
...Apparently, its a secret then?
...Or perhaps it killed them?
Mercola
  
seg
 [ Joined on 11/06 ]  [ Posted on April 14, 2008]
2 Points        
   
Savvy User
  Mercola
A hefty dose of antihypertensives (beta blocker/calcium channel blocker/ace inhibitor etc) and statins everyday!!!!
  
  
fredh
 [ Joined on 06/07 ] [ Posted on May 1, 2008 ]
1 Points        
   
 
This user is BELOW novice level and all their comments need to be reviewed with great caution.

The American Pima idinans were over weight for one reason , government welfare process foods. Before they were put on a reservation, there diet was mostly natural foods from the desert. They ate a lot of fiber . Welfare is easy, no one must work. The same thing  is what happening to a American children, garage food, mothers do not cook any more, they rely on fast foods ,after work. The Catholic Nuns working with the Pima's indians told them to stop eating welfare food from the government, and go back to there native foods.

 [ Reply ]
  
  
deborah3
 [ Joined on 12/07 ] [ Posted on May 1, 2008 ]
1 Points        
   
 
This user is BELOW novice level and all their comments need to be reviewed with great caution.

Please clarify....type 1 and type 2 diabetes are very different diseases, yet they get clumped together doing sufferers of both diseases a great disservice.

 [ Reply ]
  
  
BJ203
 [ Joined on 04/08 ] [ Posted on May 1, 2008 ]