Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes (Random House Large Print) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Neal Barnard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 9, 2007 | ISBN-10: 0739326708 | ISBN-13: 978-0739326701

Until now, most health professionals have considered diabetes a one-way street. Once you developed it, you were stuck with it--and you could anticipate one complication after another, from worsening eyesight and nerve symptoms to heart and kidney problems.

Enter Dr. Neal Barnard, who through a series of groundbreaking studies, the latest funded by the National Institute for Health, has shown it doesn't have to be that way. By following the diet outlined in this book, readers can control blood sugar three times more effectively than with the American Diabetes Association's diet and beyond that improve their bodies' ability to respond to insulin--in effect reversing the defining symptom of the disease. And there's more. Study participants lost weight, were able to cut back on and sometimes even discontinue medications, and left behind tedious exchange plans for delicious foods in generous portions.

It's a new way to treat diabetes.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Neal Barnard, M.D., is a physician, clinical researcher, and adjunct associate professor of medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine. His books include Breaking the Food Seduction, Turn Off the Fat Genes, and Foods That Fight Pain.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 496 pages
• Publisher: Random House Large Print (January 9, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0739326708
• ISBN-13: 978-0739326701
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 1.3 x 9.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (125 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #880,957 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #85 in Books > Large Print > Health, Mind & Body

More About the Author

Neal Barnard, M.D., is the president and founder of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. His research has been published in Scientific American, the American Journal of Cardiology and other major journals. Dr. Barnard is the author of six previous books, including Foods that Fight Pain and Food for Life. A frequent lecturer appearing across the country and an adjunct professor of medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine, he lives in Washington, D.C.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

134 of 141 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TRUTH, March 8, 2010

By 

E. W. South - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes: The Scientifically Proven System for Reversing Diabetes without Drugs (Paperback)

Almost a year ago I was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 64. I thought that I would escape its impact through a relatively reasonable lifestyle even though my father died of it at age 68 after having it for 25 years. The diagnosis hit me like a brick...there was no way I was going to suffer its possible diverse ramifications or food exchanges like my father endured.
A trip to the bookstore somehow allowed me to find this fantastic information. My A1C was 7.3 and glucose was at 183 when tested and after a week of reading the book carefully and spending a few weeks coming up to speed at the grocery store both my wife and I became vegan.
The results have been nothing short of astounding. Even the family doctor who was prepared to start me on a drug regimen is totally amazed as I progressively lost weight, lowered LDL and triglicerides and raised HDL. I have lost 25#, the A1C is now at 5.9 and feel better than I have since college age. I found everything he predicted to be the truth (which as we all know in todays' world is in short supply. We will continue to develop our cooking skills and look forward to even more success.

MAKE THIS LIFE ALL IT CAN BE FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY...THERE IS A SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM AND IT IS SO SIMPLE.

184 of 197 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes, May 12, 2007

By 

Jennifer J. Scott - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes (Random House Large Print) (Hardcover)

Great Program with scientific evidence that will help most all diabetics. Have been on this program for 5 weeks. Within the first week my blood glucose levels dropped 15-20 points. In the last four weeks I have maintained within 80-110 on my morning checks. Have used many of the recipes and amazingly am not hungry at all. I have eliminated the nightly dosage of Metformin. My goal is to eliminate all medications. The American Diabetes Association should rethink their diet plans.

165 of 177 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good program for diabetics, although very strict, May 10, 2010

By 

G Gibson (Maryland USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes: The Scientifically Proven System for Reversing Diabetes without Drugs (Kindle Edition)

Dr. Barnard's program for reversing diabetes is based on Dr. David Jenkins portfolio diet, which is a high-fiber vegan diet. It's a completely vegan diet with no meat, eggs, or dairy products, although in Dr. Jenkins original study they allowed a small amount of butter. The result of the one-month study showed the portfolio diet to be as effective as low dose statin drugs for lowering LDL cholesterol.
This diet is fine for a diabetic who's life depends on it, but for the average reader who is just trying to lose weight or control his or her cholesterol it may be too strict to follow for a long period of time. Not mentioned in the book, but in a survey only 40% of the portfolio diet participants found the diet acceptable. Dr. Barnard does not even allow low-fat fish in his program to keep protein intake low. A low protein diet may not be beneficial for children or athletes who have higher protein requirements. The book gives a lot of good advice, but is lacking in detail. For example, he recommends the addition of a multivitamin with B-12 since this is not found in a vegan diet, but he does not mention the best form of B-12 (methylcobalamin). He recommends fruit and vegetables with a low glycemic index, but does not take into consideration glycemic load. He recommends cinnamon for lowering blood sugar, but does not tell you it works by slowing digestion and so it's most effective taken shortly before or with a meal. After reading that the diet did not allow fish, I thought for sure that somewhere in the book he would recommend fish oil as a source of omega-3s. To my surprise he recommends not taking fish oil. While flax seed is a great source of ALA, it does not contain EPA or DHA like the omega-3s in fish oil. Our body can convert ALA to EPA if an enzyme called delta-6-desaturase is present, but this enzyme is inhibited in diabetes. There is not much information on antioxidants and no mention of natural treatments for lowering cholesterol, such as niacin or red yeast rice extract.