Get Tough with Type 2 Diabetes is a cutting-edge yet practical guide for newly-diagnosed and established type 2 diabetes patients and their families, by one of the UK’s leading diabetes physicians. It discusses ideas that have emerged over the past 20 years about the fundamental problems that cause Type 2, many of which may be unfamiliar to non-specialist healthcare professionals as well as patients: The primary problem is not blood glucose but fat in the wrong organs (liver and pancreas) from starchy carb consumption; High blood glucose levels occur late in the course of Type 2 — the metabolic syndrome, with hypertension and abnormal cholesterol levels, often exists years before Type 2 diagnosis; The Newcastle-type ultra-low-calorie diet can re-set the metabolism and even reverse Type 2; The Mediterranean approach to diet can significantly reduce cardiovascular risk; Managing cholesterol and blood pressure problems is at least as important as blood glucose levels; Minimising medication while overcoming complications is desirable and possible; Diabetes is closely related to depression, and other psychological issues including ‘diabetic distress’ and ‘diabetic burnout’. Armed with this new information and the results of important clinical trials, it is more possible than ever before to Get Tough with Type 2 without the need for progressively more and more blood glucose-lowering medication.
