Introduction to
Diabetes, Prediabetes,
Metabolic Syndrome
& Metabolic Repair
A supplement to
Dr. Pescatore’s Metabolic Repair Protocol:
A drug-free plan for preventing and reversing type-II
diabetes, prediabetes, and metabolic syndrome.
Introduction to Diabetes, Prediabetes, Metabolic Syndrome & Metabolic Repair
Prediabetes and diabetes have become national
epidemics. According to the latest count, 29.1
million Americans have diabetes—that’s nearly
10% of the population. That number makes
diabetes the 7th leading cause of death in this
country, either directly or as a major contributing
factor.1
These harrowing statistics are reason for alarm,
but not for panic. Recent studies show that prediabetes can be reversed before the emersion of
type 2 diabetes with the help of significant health
and lifestyle changes. Those changes will all be
recommended and explained my Metabolic
Repair Plan.
And that trend shows no sign of slowing. A 2014
report shows that the number of adults over 20
with prediabetes has jumped from 79 to 86 million between 2010 and 2012.2 If they don’t do
anything to change their diet and exercise habits,
up to a third of them will develop full-blown
diabetes within the next 2 years.3
But first...
What IS metabolic repair?
In short, metabolic repair and, ultimately, metabolic balance, is when your body gets exactly
enough nutrition to use it effectively and efficiently while functioning optimally. Unfortunately, far too many of us are in a state of metabolic
imbalance, especially when it comes to sugar.
What’s even scarier is that millions of Americans
live with the disease and don’t even know it. That
makes them 50% more likely to die than folks
without diabetes.4
You’ve probably heard the terms metabolic syndrome and prediabetes. These relatively new terms
are used to identify people who are in a state of
metabolic imbalance. If left unchecked, either
one of these conditions can lead to obesity and,
eventually, type 2 diabetes.
But diabetes will wreak havoc on a patient’s body
and quality of life long before he or she succumbs to the disease.
Recent statistics show that the vast majority of
adults over 20 with diagnosed diabetes are far
more likely to:
According to the National Institutes of Health,
metabolic syndrome is a combination of diabetes risk factors that includes: high BP, elevated
triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, a large waist
or excessive abdominal fat, and increased insulin
resistance.
• Have dangerously high blood pressure of
140/90 or higher.
• Suffer a stroke.
• Die of cardiovascular disease.
Insulin’s primary function is the removal of sugar
from your blood so it can either be used for
energy or stored. Insulin resistance is when your
body starts requiring more and more insulin to
achieve the same results. Whereas prediabetes occurs when you have mildly elevated blood sugar.
• Be hospitalized for a heart attack.5
• Be diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy
(damage to the blood vessels in the retina
leading to vision problems/blindness).6
• Suffer from diabetes-related kidney failure.
(There are about 230,000 adults on dialysis or
in need of a transplant.)7
People with metabolic syndrome have a high risk
of developing prediabetes and diabetes. But you
can be insulin resistant without having elevated
blood sugar.10
• Require a lower-limb amputation as a direct
result of diabetic complications (affects about
73,000 diabetics a year).8
Finally, type 2 diabetes occurs when your sugar
intake and the resultant insulin spikes wear down
the pancreas’ ability to keep up, so that blood
sugar levels become dangerously high. In other
All told, diabetes costs the United States
about $245 billion dollars in direct medical
costs9 per year.
2
Introduction to Diabetes, Prediabetes, Metabolic Syndrome & Metabolic Repair
Still, some of the first warning signs are just
observational, like increased thirst and more
frequent urination, especially at night. Unusual
fatigue, consistent carb cravings, and blurred vision are also telltale signs. A measurable indicator
of insulin resistance is elevated blood pressure –
which often has no tangible symptoms at all. But
dull headaches, dizziness, and nosebleeds could
point to high BP.
words, the body is no longer able to produce
enough insulin to metabolize sugar properly.
In some cases, the body stops producing insulin altogether. Sugar levels spike into dangerous
levels, which puts you at risk for serious health
complications.
What should you be on the lookout for?
The best way to know if you’re insulin resistant
and/or have elevated blood sugar is to work with
your doctor and ask him to run a blood test.
There are two tests/numbers that can remove the
guesswork from your prediabetes diagnosis:
Other quantifiable symptoms include elevated
triglycerides, decreased HDL cholesterol, and excess abdominal weight. Again, your doctor is best
equipped to test for these levels and let you know
if you’re at risk.
• The first is your HbA1C. This test tells you how
well-controlled your blood sugar has been
for the past six weeks. An HbA1C under 5 is
optimal. Between 5 and 5.6 is good. A result
between 5.7 and 6.3 indicates prediabetes.
And you officially become diabetic when this
number goes above 6.3. In the prediabetes
stages, you want to work towards getting your
HbA1C back to the healthy range, below 5. But
if you already have diabetes, trying to force the
number down could be dangerous. A recent
study showed that diabetics with HbA1C
levels under 7 had the highest death risk.11 So
diabetics should aim to keep theirs’ as close to
7 as possible.
If you’re concerned, and have tried some online
research, then I’m sure you’ve come across the
“Diabetes Risk Test” on the American Diabetes Association’s website. It uses your age, weight, family
history, ethnicity, height, blood pressure, and level
of physical activity to determine how “at risk” you
are for developing diabetes.
The test is ineffective for many reasons, but the
most critical is that it asks nothing about sugar
consumption or any other symptoms, which are
far more important than your age, or even your
weight. So if you’re worried you may be at risk for
diabetes, or that you’re already prediabetic, there’s
a better list (see page 4) of questions you can use
to self-evaluate.
• The second number you need to know is your
fasting blood glucose level, which measures the
amount of sugar in your blood after at least 12
hours of fasting. A healthy fasting blood sugar
level is between 70 and 80. If your number is
80-95, consider it a “yellow light”—you need
to start taking precautions. If it’s between 95
and 110, you’re prediabetic. And anything over
110 is an indicator of diabetes until proven
otherwise.
If you answer yes to any of these questions, even
if you’re not overweight, it’s likely you’re a candidate for prediabetes. Unfortunately, more than
half the country would fail this test, but I’m here
to help.
Dangers and side effects of prescription diabetes
drugs & outdated dietary advice
To truly know where you stand on the path to
diabetes, you need to know and understand these
two numbers. Residents of most states can also
order lab tests directly through a company called
DirectLabs.® For more information go to
www.directlabs.com/ovh1.
Nowadays, when your doctor says you have “prediabetes,” he immediately puts you on a drug to
try and prevent the full-blown disease. And the
American Diabetes Association recently put out
some “new-and-improved” guidelines for diabetes diagnosis that only lower the bar for healthy
3
Introduction to Diabetes, Prediabetes, Metabolic Syndrome & Metabolic Repair
Let’s say you’re diagnosed with diabetes
(or prediabetes), and your doctor prescribes a
common medication called Actos. A 2011 study—
conveniently sponsored by the drug’s manufacturer—wanted to see if Actos could prevent
men and women with prediabetes from actually
developing diabetes.12
What is your risk of diabetes?
1. Do you eat sugar?
2. Do you eat processed foods?
3. Do you eat white flour?
4. Do you drink beer or wine?
And it was a success. Actos reduced their risk of
developing the full-blown disease by a whopping
71 percent. All the major media outlets ran stories about the study—singing the praises of this
“wonder” drug.
5. Do you sometimes feel “cravings” for sweets or
salty foods?
6. Do you sometimes skip your exercise routine?
7. Do feel light-headed or sleepy in the afternoon?
What they failed to mention is that Actos may increase your risk of bladder cancer, and the longer
you take it, the higher your risk. The FDA is looking at the link between Actos and bladder cancer
as we speak.13
8. Do you ever feel depressed?
9. Do you weigh at least 10 pounds more than you
did in college?
10. Do drink diet soda?
If that’s not enough of a condemnation, perhaps
you recall Actos’ ugly twin brother, Avandia.
Research showed that prediabetics who took
Avandia also cut their risk of developing type 2
diabetes. But Avandia raises your risk of a heart
attack.14 In fact, it’s considered so dangerous that
use of the drug is strictly limited, and Europe has
already banned Avandia altogether.
11. Do you drink regular soda?
12. Do you cook with Canola oil?
13. Do you eat margarine?
14. Do you find it hard to lose weight, even when you
exercise?
15. Do you have less energy than you did in your 20s?
Then there’s metformin, perhaps the most widely-recognized diabetes drug. It hit the market in
1977 and appears to be safer than Actos or Avandia. Studies show that it can reduce the progression to full-scale type 2 diabetes by 30 percent.15
In the rare instances when my Metabolic Repair
Plan just isn’t enough, it’s one of the only drugs
I’ll consider.
A “yes” to any of the above puts you at risk!
blood sugar even further. This opened the door
for millions of previously “healthy” people to
start taking long-term, heavy-duty drugs.
But a 2002 study, published in the New England
Journal of Medicine and sponsored by NIH and
the American Diabetes association, compared
the benefits of lifestyle changes to the efficacy of
metformin for preventing type 2 diabetes.16 After
three years, the lifestyle group was almost twice
as likely to avoid type 2 diabetes.
You may be asking yourself: “So why not just take
the drugs and do what I want?” After all, drugs
are universally perceived as the quick and easy fix.
But just because there IS a drug, doesn’t mean it
is good for you—or that it works. According to a
recent study, the use of prescription drugs to keep
an overly-tight rein on blood sugar causes serious
health problems, with little-to-no benefits.
If that’s not a rock-solid case for skipping the
drugs whenever possible, consider a 2015 study
4
Introduction to Diabetes, Prediabetes, Metabolic Syndrome & Metabolic Repair
published in the Journal of American Medical Association. Researchers at Yale found that, over a 10year period, using medications to tighten blood
sugar control did not make diabetes patients any
healthier.17 In fact, they experienced more low
blood-sugar attacks, or hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia can lead to abnormal heart rhythms, dizziness, and even loss of consciousness.
• Lower C-reactive protein
• Lower triglycerides
These kinds of findings toss conventional wisdom right out the window.
Cutting sugar is the key, not totally depriving
yourself of fat or calories. Even certain carbs have
their place on your dinner plate.
The good news is, you can avoid these pitfalls altogether by giving your body the support it needs
from the outset—without drugs. My Metabolic
Repair Plan will show you how.
There will be more specifics in the Metabolic
Repair Plan itself; for now, just know that those
low-fat, low-carb, low-calorie products are getting
it wrong. At the end of the day, changing your diet
and exercise habits is all it takes for successful
metabolic repair, prediabetes reversal, and
diabetes prevention.
But even a drug-free approach to diabetes prevention has its challenges, particularly when it comes
to making the right dietary changes. “Fat-free,”
“low-calorie,” “artificially-sweetened”—these are
all terms you’ll see on the foods that are supposed to slim your waistline and keep both obesity and diabetes at bay.
Resources
1. http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/statistics/?loc=
db-slabnav
In reality, these conventional, mainstream protocols are not only doing more harm than good—
they’re setting you up to fail. When food manufacturers take out fat, they add sugar and other
unhealthy ingredients. In addition, low-fat diets
can cause sharp drops in your good HDL cholesterol and dangerous spikes in your triglycerides.
2.Ibid
3.http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/statistics/cdcinfographic.html
4.http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/statistics/cdcinfographic.html
5.http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/statistics/?loc=
db-slabnav
Perhaps worst of all, they don’t contain enough
good fat. Fat is extremely important to your
body. It actually helps regulate your blood sugar,
because fat takes longer for your body to digest.
This prevents the all-too-familiar “sugar rush”
by allowing the sugar to slowly drip into your
bloodstream. Overall, fat helps your metabolism
operate much more efficiently, which is what
metabolic balance is all about.
6.Ibid
7.Ibid
8.Ibid
9.Ibid
10.http://www.pre-diabetes.com/prediabetes/is-prediabetesmetabolic-syndrome-x.html
11.http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.
pone.0068008
In a brand-new study published in the Annals of
Internal Medicine, researchers found that low-fat
diets may actually increase your risk of diabetes.
Meanwhile, subjects who ate full-fat dairy products, like heavy cream and cheese, were actually
60 percent less likely to get diabetes.18
12.http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/
NEJMoa1010949?query=featured_home&&
13.http://www.bmj.com/content/344/bmj.e3645
14.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25166288
15.http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa012512
16.http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/
NEJMoa012512#t=article
Plus, they had:
17.http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=
2089233#ArticleInformation
• Less body fat
• Higher good HDL cholesterol
18.http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1900694
5
Introduction to Diabetes, Prediabetes, Metabolic Syndrome & Metabolic Repair
Fred Pescatore, MD, is one of the most sought-after natural
physicians in the country. He is the author of the New York Times
best-selling book, The Hamptons Diet and the No. 1 best-selling
children’s health book, Feed Your Kids Well, amongst others.
Dr. Pescatore’s other books include: Thin For Good, The Allergy
and Asthma Cure, The Hamptons Diet Cookbook and Boost Your
Health with Bacteria.
and surgery that come with countless side effects. And it’s not just
his patients that are reaping the benefits.
Dr. Pescatore features it all in one of the most exclusive health
newsletters available, Logical Health Alternatives. A direct pipeline
to one of the most respected minds in natural medicine, written by
Dr. Pescatore himself. These cutting-edge cures and simple healing miracles are also shared daily with his loyal readers in his free
e-letter Reality Health Check (Visit www.drpescatore.com).
Dr. Pescatore has his finger on the pulse of natural medicine’s
most cutting-edge cures. As a result, everyone from normal hardworking Americans to international royalty are traveling hundreds
(sometimes even thousands) of miles to visit at his renowned
clinic in New York City.
After graduating medical school at Columbia University, Dr. Pescatore studied in Southeast Asia, India, Japan, Africa, and Europe.
The techniques he gathered have become part of his broad
knowledge of healing.
He’s spent over 3 decades studying, researching and practicing
medicine around the world alongside some of today’s most well
respected physicians.
His passion for traveling and education has given Dr. Pescatore
vast opportunity to research and create some of the best nutritional supplements available today. Coming out with his own line
in 2012, NuLogic Nutritionals, Dr. Pescatore has had hands-on
experience formulating only the highest quality ingredients derived
from ideal climates around the world.
Through his non-stop research and unique medical connections
across the globe he hears about the most groundbreaking natural
discoveries and healing techniques as they happen…sometimes
decades before they trickle out to the mainstream.
Because of the respect Dr. Pescatore has earned in the nutritional
supplement industry, he is a consultant for many firms and has
been instrumental in developing and clinically testing many of the
leading nutritional products. He is the President of the International and American Associations of Clinical Nutritionists, a member
of the American College for the Advancement of Medicine, and
belongs to many other professional organizations.
With over 30 years of knowledge in his back pocket, Dr. Pescatore is putting the research, techniques, and in-depth healing
protocols right in your hands–and not in clunky medical textbook
fashion. Dr. Pescatore makes good health easy to understand and
attainable for any age, at any fitness level. His natural approach
to healing confronts the modern day cure-all obsession for drugs
For more about Dr. Fred Pescatore’s Metabolic Repair Protocol, visit:
www.ovhlearning.com also see: www.drpescatore.com
© Copyright 2015, OmniVista Health Learning, L.L.C. No part of this publication may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including recording, photocopying, or via
a computerized or electric storage or retrieval system without permission granted in writing from the publisher.
The information contained herein is obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but its accuracy cannot be
guaranteed.
All material in this publication is provided for information only and may not be construed as medical advice
or instruction. No action or inaction should be taken based solely on the contents of this publication; instead,
readers should consult appropriate health professionals on any matter relating to their health and well-being.
The information and opinions provided in this publication are believed to be accurate and sound, based on
the best judgment available to the authors, and readers who fail to consult with appropriate health authorities
assume the risk of any injuries. The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions.
6