Dear Dr. Mirkin:
Should people who do not have diabetes restrict foods that cause a high rise in blood sugar levels?
Answer: Yes! There is a significant increase in heart attacks in non-diabetic Caucasians and African Americans who ingest foods that cause a high rise in blood sugar (Annals of Epidemiology, July 7, 2010). Furthermore, one in three North Americans become diabetic, regardless of their country of origin. That means that you do not need to be diagnosed as diabetic to have high rises in blood sugar after eating refined carbohydrates.
When blood sugar levels rise too high, sugar sticks to the outer membranes of cells. Once there, sugar cannot get off and is eventually converted to sorbitol that destroys the cell to cause all the know side effects of diabetes: heart attacks, strokes, blindness, deafness and so forth. Many experts feel that more than 70 percent of North Americans weigh more than they should because they eat or drink too much refined carbohydrates: sugar water (sugared soft drinks, fruit juices, any liquid sugar) and foods made from flour (bakery products and pastas).
A practicing physician for more than 40 years and a radio talk show host for 25, Dr. Mirkin is a graduate of Harvard University and Baylor University College of Medicine. He is one of a very few doctors board-certified in four specialties: Sports Medicine, Allergy and Immunology, Pediatrics and Pediatric Immunology.
Dr. Mirkin's latest book is The Healthy Heart Miracle, published by HarperCollins. His daily short features on fitness have been heard on CBS Radio News stations since the 1970's.
He has written 16 books including The Sportsmedicine Book, the best-selling book on the subject that has been translated into many languages. Dr. Mirkin did his residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital and over the years he has served as a Teaching Fellow at Johns Hopkins Medical School, Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland, and Associate Clinical Professor in Pediatrics at the Georgetown University School of Medicine.
Read more at www.drmirkin.com.
Latest posts by Dr. Gabe Mirkin (see all)
- Making a Move to Avoid Diabetes and Heart Attacks - September 5, 2011
- Diet Don’ts and Diverticulitis? - August 10, 2011
- The Cooking Method that Could Lead to Cancer and Heart Disease - August 3, 2011
