Hi folks, I have sent my email to the BBC using the email address you supplied, Bill. This is what I sent, not as eloquent as yours Bill and Lynne
In January this year I came across the book by Dr Michael Mosley ‘The 8 week blood sugar diet’ and the associated website thebloodsugardiet.com. At the time I was piling on weight while on a ‘healthy’ diet. I have Hashimoto’s Hypothyroidism, a condition which makes it difficult to lose weight. It is a metabolic disease and as such is often linked to diabetes. I used the NHS self test for diabetes and discovered that if I didn’t already have diabetes I was very likely to develop it.
I didn’t want to wait for an appointment to have the recommended tests done, I just began the diet thinking this has got to work for me.
Well it has!!! In 10 weeks 2 stones and 9 lbs of fat has just melted away, I have tried other well known slimming diets to no effect. This diet has made me feel energetic and healthy again, as if ten years has been knocked of my age. After the first 4 or 5 days there were no hunger pangs. The diet involves cutting out starchy carbohydrates and for the initial weeks restricting your calories to 800. As you are encouraged to eat full fat on this diet you feel full, you also eat fish, meat, vegetables, nuts, seeds beans, pulses and some fruits.
In my opinion all diabetics and pre diabetics should be encouraged to follow the low carb/low calorie diet. professor Taylor of Newcastle University has done years of clinical trials which demonstrate that this diet works.
The NHS is about to spend £7 million rolling out a program of 13 sessions of advice to 100,000 pre diabetics. Why? Will they still be told to eat carbs which clearly do not help diabetics? Surely it is better for the government to advise patients to follow this diet. Not only will it be infinitely cheaper it will also save millions from taking increasing numbers of drugs in order to ‘control’ their diabetes yet still end up facing the prospect of amputations and blindness.
As a side issue this diet could be used to tackle obesity, once the first few days are over it is extremely easy to follow.
I think an unexpected bonus of this diet, based on my personal experience and posts on the bloodsugardiet.com forums is that the diet is beneficial to hypothyroid patients with weight problems.
On a personal note my FBS test result came back on 4.4.16 with a reading of 3.8. I am currently reducing my inhaled steroids (under medical supervision) as my asthma seems much better on this diet.
I, with the support of several members of the forums (names can be supplied) began a petition asking for the NHS to encourage diabetics to follow this low carb, low calorie diet.
The Petition :
Petition NHS to encourage the treatment of type 2 diabetes with a low carbohydrate diet.
Professor Taylor has shown that Type 2 diabetes can be reversed using a low carbohydrate, low calorie diet. The NHS has announced it is rolling out a programme to give pre-diabetics lifestyle help. There is no mention of the blood sugar diet which pre-diabetics and diabetics should be following.
▼More details
The programme will cost £7 million pounds to run. The dietary advice will be the same as that currently being followed. We have a diabetes epidemic so the old advice is not working.
Dr Maureen Baker, of the Royal College of GPs, welcomed the scheme but she warned “The long-term behaviour changes we need to see is hard to inspire”. However, there are forums for the Blood Sugar Diet which offer the support and inspiration needed which will also ease the burden on GP surgeries.
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/125704