Voice of the Diabetic

Voice of the Diabetic

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THE RIGHT INFORMATION

by Peter J. Nebergall, PhD

Photo: portrait. Caption:

Peter J. Nebergall, PhD

There are a lot of "experts"

out there, talking about your diet. They have an almost inexhaustible set of

"facts," "figures," and "theories" to cite -- and the end result is confusion.

These folks don't even agree! Who should you listen to? Which "facts" are appropriate,

if you have diabetes?

Listen to the call-in radio

"health" shows, and the problem becomes more apparent. There is a serious shortage

of basic food knowledge. I heard one "expert," apparently using the words "value"

and "quality" as equivalents (they're not), tell a caller: "Beer has no nutritional

value."

Not so. Beer is carbohydrate.

It is not "free food." Whether you are carb-counting, or using the Exchange

List, that glass of beer must be counted. It may not have nutritional quality,

in that it's hardly a "balanced diet," but it has measurable value, in that

it contains carbohydrates, which will affect your blood sugar levels.

I heard one caller ask

if there were "an antidote for the lethargy her family feels after a big meal?"

I think we're familiar with that lethargy? The commentator did speak of carbohydrates,

but I didn't hear him ask the caller: "How much does your family eat?"

Some things have no "antidote."

Some problems are best treated by prevention. The lethargy that follows overeating

is best avoided by not overeating. If you have diabetes, that means sticking

with your meal plan. Uncertain about a "diabetic diet?" Many diabetes educators

are also "RDs," Registered Dietitians, and the American Association of Diabetes

Educators would be happy to help you find one. Telephone them at: 1-800-832-6874.

Then there is the word

"theory." Considerable literary license is taken with that word! It is often

used incorrectly, especially in matters of diet and diabetes. A hypothesis is

a testable statement of belief about the facts -- this researcher believes that

this substance will have this effect. Anyone can hypothesize -- it's free speech.

A theory is different.

Properly, a theory is a hypothesis that has been tested, and found to best fit

the currently available scientific evidence. To speak of an "untested theory"

is incorrect. "Benefits" one may gain from consuming a "dietary supplement"

labelled: "Not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease" are not proven

-- they are hypothetical -- and testimonials from believers are not scientific

proof of efficacy.

The U.S. Food and Drug

Administration (FDA) evaluates all claims of medical efficacy, for device or

medication. Items its expert committees find unsafe, unreliable, ineffective,

or false and misleading, will not be "approved." Some "alternatives" will pass

the tests, and will be approved for use as medications. Others will fail the

tests. Many will never see, have never seen, the inside of a modern test laboratory.

"Approved by the FDA" has value. It means real experts, folks not on a company's

own payroll, agree the item works. That approval is the best "guarantee" we

have.

We all want a cure, preferably

a quick, painless and inexpensive one. We want to live our lives free from the

constraints of diet, schedule, and medications, and sometimes we listen to the

wrong people. When someone says: "MY pill will cure what MY theory says causes

your diabetes, and all YOU have to do is buy it," be careful. Listen to the

right experts -- not the salesmen. Learn the right information, yourself. Don't

be a passive consumer -- you are the most important member of your health care

team -- ask their help. I suggest you become the ultimate expert on YOU.

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