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Coconut
Oil and Diabetes
Indeed Virgin Coconut Oil has a substantial effect on blood
sugar levels. My wife and daughter (both have type 2 diabetes)
measure their blood sugar levels at least three times a day.
When they eat the wrong foods and their blood sugar levels get
to 80-100 points above normal, they don't take extra medication,
they take 2-3 tablespoons of the coconut oil directly from the
bottle. Within a half hour their blood sugar levels will come
back to normal. Ed,
Coconut Diet
Forums
25.8 million children and adults in the United States, 8.3% of
the population, have diabetes.1 The current rate of
people becoming diabetic in the United states is doubling every
10 years. This has resulted in a windfall for pharmaceutical
companies capitalizing on this “disease” with drugs designed to
treat type 2 diabetes, but not deal with the underlying cause.
These drugs have serious side effects.
One of the most popular diabetes drugs, Avandia, was pulled off
the market in 2011
after a number of studies showed that the drug increased the
risk of heart attacks among type 2 diabetes patients. The
manufacturer of the drug reached a $3 billion settlement in
December 2011 over its fraudulent marketing of the drug, the
largest federal criminal drug-company settlement to date.
Information that is finally making its way into the mainstream
media is that type 2 diabetes is a lifestyle and diet issue that
can be reversed without drugs. This information has been known
for years, however, among those in the alternative health crowd.
Consider these testimonials (some over 10 years ago) from
individuals who did not follow typical doctor’s advice:
I also wanted to pass along a bit of my experience in regard to
diabetes. I have been taking Coconut Oil (CO) since about the
end of February of this year. I first started cooking with it
and replacing the vegetable oils in my home. Then I started
taking it by the spoon as well, about 2 tablespoons daily around
the first of March.
I was diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic in July of 2001 and
immediately put on the Amaryl RX (1 in am and 1/2 in the pm.) I
have been looking for a way to reverse this condition since
diagnosed. I have found a world of info out there on various
supplements and diet, BUT not from my doctor who just said
"welcome to the club" and told me to take my meds. (I was crying
and he seemed happy!)
He also sent me to a nutritionist to take diabetic classes.
Fortunately, I had already learned enough on my own to know that
A LOT of what they are teaching is NOT correct and their
recommendations are NOT what you want to do UNLESS you want to
further the condition, NOT improve or reverse it.
Bottom line is this. I have been able to slowly remove myself
from the RX and now control my blood sugar by diet, supplements
and with CO! Cool, huh? I do still check my blood sugar levels
once or twice daily... and they are as good and usually BETTER
than when I was on the Amaryl RX! And I have been off the RX
since the end of March of 2003. I was taking several supplements
for a year or so before CO but still had to take the RX. It
wasn't until I removed most of the vegetable oils (all of them
at home and careful when out to eat) and added the CO that I
noticed I was beginning to crash while on the RX at different
times during the day... so I would cut down on the RX and still
maintain good blood sugar levels. Gradually I was NOT taking the
RX anymore!!! Hope this may help someone and God Bless all... Sharon,
Coconut Diet
Forums
I've been diagnosed as Type II Diabetes and have been struggling
with a wildly fluctuating blood sugar level for two years. I've
used diet, exercise, herbs and vitamins in my attempts to
stabilize my levels, with limited success. My MD wanted to put
me on prescription meds, but I resisted based on reports I'd
read about the long-term side effects of those drugs.
One day reading a newsletter, I ran across an article mentioning
that Coconut Oil was used to regulate blood sugar levels. So on
November 7, 2003, I ordered 2 quarts of the Virgin Coconut Oil.
I began taking one tablespoon a day at dinner. My yearly blood
test was done on January 2, 2004. When I saw my MD on January
13, 2004, he was pleased to see that my blood sugar levels were
now in the normal range, and told me that they'd been that way
for a few months. I was ecstatic! I've been using Tropical
Traditions Coconut oil since, and my blood sugars have stayed in
the normal range ever since. Thank you so much for making such a
wonderful, healthy food source available to us! Beth,
Coconut Diet
Forums
Restricting refined sugar, refined carbohydrates, and
alcohol from one's diet, while increasing healthy saturated
fats and protein, can reverse type 2 diabetes. Even the
mainstream media is starting to report that type 2 diabetes
is reversible through diet.2
Replacing
longer chain polyunsaturated fats, such as corn and soybean oil,
with the saturated fat of coconut oil, can reduce cravings for
refined carbohydrates that contribute to insulin resistance.
Consider Dr. Mark's testimony:
As a physician of many diabetics, I am constantly telling them
how to eat more healthily but was unable to follow my own
advice. I knew WHAT to do, but feeling like I had the
wherewithal to practice what I preached was a different matter!
I knew my patients didn't take my advice seriously enough, since
I wasn't treating my own body right and was clinically "morbidly
obese". My hunger and cravings have been my downfall for years
leading me to donuts, cookies and other unhealthy foods I knew
to stay away from. I was constantly hungry. When I heard that
adding [healthy] oils like Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut
Oil could help satisfy my run-away hunger and cravings, I was
skeptical. I knew if it could help even ME, then there would be
something to the claims! No one was more surprised than me when
I felt satisfied for hours after spreading some on my morning
toast, or enjoying a tablespoon in my oatmeal. My wife loves to
make our family sugar free chocolate balls using this wonderful
oil, and I am still amazed that something so delicious is
actually good for me! I have more energy, been able to exercise
for longer periods of time, and have now lost 36 pounds!
Mark -an M.D. in New Mexico
Coconut oil's ability to control hunger and cravings is well
documented. Coconut oil's medium chain fatty acids promote
thermogenesis and lead to increased metabolic rates. For more
info, see this article on weight
loss.
Population studies of societies that consume much of their
calories from the saturated fats of coconut oil show that
diabetes is very rare. A study done in India in 1998 showed that
when Indians abandoned traditional fats like ghee and coconut
oil, and started using polyunsaturated fats like sunflower or
safflower oils, that the rates of diabetes became alarmingly
high.3 Studies carried out in many South Pacific
Island countries have revealed the same thing: when the
traditional diet high in coconut oil is abandoned in favor of
more modern foods that are highly processed, including
polyunsaturated vegetable oils, there is a direct increase in
the rate of diabetes and other western diseases.
A study was conducted in 2010 "to study the effect of saturated
fatty acid (SFA)-rich dietary vegetable oils on the lipid
profile, endogenous antioxidant enzymes and glucose tolerance in
type 2 diabetic rats." The study concluded: "The type of fatty
acid in the dietary oil determines its deleterious or beneficial
effects. Lauric acid present in coconut oil may protect against
diabetes-induced dyslipidemia."4
My husband is
type 2 diabetic and we believe the use coconut oil has greatly
helped in his control of blood glucose. With a very low
carbohydrate diet, and cooking only with coconut oil he has been
able to reduce his prescription drugs to the very lowest amount.
Hopefully he will be able to eliminate them all together and
control his diabetes with just diet.
Suzan,
Coconut Diet
Forums
Coconut Oil and Type 1 Diabetes
While type 2
diabetes is related to diet and lifestyle, type 1 diabetes is an
autoimmune disease that shuts down your body’s insulin
production. But we are seeing good testimonies in coconut oil's
ability to control type 1 diabetes as well:
The Virgin
Coconut Oil (VCO) also is helping with my diabetes. I have type
1 juvenile diabetes and take insulin. I've had ups and downs
with my control through the years and I've ALWAYS struggled with
cravings for sweets and carbohydrates. The VCO has helped with
my control (I've noticed more stability) and it has alleviated
some cravings. It has not completely alleviated cravings, but
I've have noticed a decrease. People with diabetes often crave
high-glycemic foods (that we should stay away from!) due to
cravings caused by blood sugar swings. The VCO has helped a lot
in this area! I'd recommend it to anyone with diabetes. Diabetes
can cause low moods & low energy levels, and I've noticed a
positive increase/lift in both. Megan,
Coconut Diet
Forums
A study done in May 2009 suggests that the medium chain fatty
acids found in coconut oil can improve brain function in type 1
diabetes. The study concluded: "Medium-chain triglycerides
offer the therapeutic advantage of preserving brain function
under hypoglycemic conditions without causing deleterious
hyperglycemia."5
Other recent research is showing that neurological disorders
such as Alzheimer's should be classified as "type 3" diabetes.6
Coconut oil works well with type 3 diabetes as well. See our
article on Alzheimer's here.
In January 2011 Rogier Donker wrote about his experience with
type 1 diabetes, his dependency on the drug Humalog, and how
Virgin Coconut Oil helped reduce his dependency on this drug:
Of Virgin Coconut Oil. From a skeptic’s point of view!
I first learned about virgin coconut oil when I was reading a
book about giving massages. The author recommended VCO as a very
good massage oil, so I went out and purchased some.
A search on the Internet brought up all kinds of (other)
information and I got myself a general education about VCO. Good
for a multitude of things that might ail a person, I was
intrigued to the point of wanting to learn more…
I read about how VCO could reduce one’s belly fat, could change
the dependency on insulin for diabetics and a host of other
things. Being a type1 diabetic due to an injured pancreas I have
to take 34 units of Humalog (an insulin mix) twice daily. When I
read that VCO could restore some of the pancreas’ insulin
production capabilities, I decided to run an experiment. I have
nothing to lose and everything to gain.
I started ingesting VCO by the teaspoon on January 1st 2011. As
the first week of the New Year progressed I started eating VCO
on toast, in my cereal and by the spoon full. All week my
glucose levels seemed to be getting lower than what I was used
to, but I kept shooting myself with the prescribed 34 units of
Humalog morning and evening.
On Friday January 7th my morning glucose was 104. I had my usual
breakfast: 1 boiled egg and two slices of raisin bread toast
with VCO spread and my shot of Humalog. Ellen had noticed that
my energy level was higher than normal all week and that I
seemed to have lost some weight as my pants “were falling down”.
We had a normal lunch on that Friday: grilled cheese sandwich,
mine made with coconut oil. Dinner was also normal: baked pork
chops, fried (in olive oil) potatoes and apple sauce, glass of
milk. Just before dinner I checked my GL and it was 142, so I
shot myself, as per usual, with 34 units of Humalog as I was
about to eat dinner and ingest food…
An hour after dinner I got the shakes, started sweating like a
dog and experienced the unmistakable signs of “crashing”. Ellen
rushed to the kitchen got some OJ and my testing kit. My GL was
55! Say what? Impossible! It took a couple of glucose tablets,
orange juice and some chocolate and after a half hour the
“crash” signs diminished and I was back to normal. It was a
rather scary experience as I’ve only crashed a few times in the
last five years and never as violent as this last time. We went
to bed at eleven that night and just before bedtime my GL was
113. Sleep tight!
Saturday morning January 8th I woke up with a GL of 102. Decided
NOT to inject any Humalog, had my breakfast and went on with the
day. The bathroom scale revealed that I had indeed lost a couple
of pounds. Saturday evening, just
before dinner my glucose level was 141. Remembering what
happened the night before, I made the decision (with Ellen’s
blessing) to shoot myself up with only 10 units of Humalog.
Dinner was served. Later that evening Ellen and I shared an
apple and just before we went to bed my glucose level was 117.
All along I am ingesting VCO, by now about a tablespoon a day.
Sunday morning the GL was 110 and I decided again to NOT shoot
up.
Sunday night the GL was 138, again I did not partake of any
Humalog. It is now January 15th and I have not taken ANY Humalog
for six days, glucose levels appear to be below 130 and I feel
TERRIFIC! The bathroom scale indicated this morning that I lost
another pound and that weight loss is now visible in the belly
region. Blink the Humalog, bring on the VCO! Through a mix-up at
the Diabetes Care Club I ran out of test strips (to test my GL)
on Monday the 10th. The last time I was able to check my GL it
was 127 and I felt terrific.
It is now Sunday, January 16th 2011. I have not taken any
Humalog or been able to test myself since Monday morning on
January 10th. I’m ingesting VCO at the rate of about a
tablespoon a day. I still FEEL terrific! My stamina has
improved, I have more energy and have lost 6 pounds! I cannot
wait to receive test strips from the Diabetes Care Club, my gut
says that I will be testing within normal limits…. Can’t wait to
PROVE it!
It’s Monday January 17th. I did my breakfast: two slices of
wheat walnut raisin bread, a boiled egg and just because it
NEEDED ? to be eaten, half a cinnamon roll. Washed it all down
with three cups of coffee, each cup with a half a teaspoon of
sugar and some half and half. Went to work- full of energy and
get-up and go. At eleven o’clock I thought: I’d better go to the
house for a mid-morning snack. UPS delivered the test strips
just as I was walking to the house. OK… here we go… testing one,
two, three and prick….beep-beep….drum roll: 113!! Talk about
feeling GOOD!!
Just for the heck of it I pushed the buttons on my tester and
found:
My seven day average was 113…
My fourteen day average was 128 (that’s two weeks on VCO, the
first week with 68 units of Humalog each day, the next week NO
Humalog…)
My thirty day average was 134….
Since I tested 113 I nibbled on a large dried fig that my friend
sent from Turkey. As soon as I ate that fig I tested myself
again: 133 …. Back to work! Ask me if I feel healthy! So far I
lost seven pounds and the last time I felt this energetic was
before the pancreatitis of nine years ago….
It is now Wednesday January 19th 2011
Yesterday Ellen and I went to Carmel to repair a kiln. Just
before lunch I started sweating a bit and felt a little “high”
and sure enough when I tested myself my GL was 210. Better take
a little bit of Humalog. 10 units. No problem at all! The
coconut oil, overall is making a huge difference. I test myself
three or four times a day and can tell when I’m low and when I’m
high. I take Humalog as needed but no where near the 68 units I
was taking before I started on the coconut oil! I still feel
terrific and it appears I am still losing weight.
Sunday January 23rd 2011
My system must have gotten used to the coconut oil and the much
smaller amounts of Humalog I am now taking. On average I ingest
a table spoon of VCO and 10 units of Humalog per day and STILL
feel terrific! As of today my seven day average was 146,
fourteen day average 145 and my thirty day average was 139…
FEELING GOOD!!
Rogier,
Coconut Diet
Forums
As the word about coconut oil’s effectiveness in combating
diabetes gets out, it is only natural that the drug companies
will try to mimic the effects and come up with new drugs, since
coconut oil cannot be patented, as it is a natural food. A study
done in 2011 on capric acid, one of the medium chain fatty acids
found in coconut oil, fond that this “natural fatty acid can
serve as a regulator of blood sugar levels, which may have
important applications in designing better and safer drugs for
diabetes treatment.”7
Given the pharmaceutical industry’s track record and criminal
convictions, however, it might be best to stick with pure Virgin
Coconut Oil.
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Virgin Coconut Oil
How it has changed people's lives, and how it can change yours!
References
1. American Diabetes Association,
http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/diabetes-statistics/
2. " Reversing
Diabetes is Possible,"
by Val Willingham, CNN - January 28, 2011
3. Sircar S, Kansra U. "Choice of cooking
oils--myths and realities." Journal Indian Medical Association.
1998 Oct;96(10):304-7.
4. Kochikuzhyil BM, Devi K, Fattepur SR.
"Effect of saturated fatty acid-rich dietary vegetable oils on
lipid profile, antioxidant enzymes and glucose tolerance in
diabetic rats." Indian J Pharmacol. 2010 Jun;42(3):142-5.
5. Page KA "Medium-chain fatty acids
improve cognitive function in intensively treated type 1
diabetic patients and support in vitro synaptic transmission
during acute hypoglycemia." Diabetes. 2009
May;58(5):1237-44.
6. " Insulin:
Predictor for Alzheimer's?,"
by Fernanda Barros, Ivanhoe Health Correspondent, April 13, 2011
7. “Van
Andel Institute study may lead to better, safer drug for
diabetes”
21-Nov-2011
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