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Saturday, 21 May 2016

NICE, BDA and DUK playing pass the parcel with diabetics lives.

"Insanity, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results" Albert Einstein

For decades the British Dietetic Association has promoted the same dietary recommendations to diabetics. Base your meals on starchy carbohydrates (sugar) and cut down on saturated fats, fats ate by man since the beginning of the human race. This diet fails the majority of diabetics, as evidenced by the NHS audits published every year as posted here. The keystone of good diabetes control is the maintenance of safe blood glucose levels. Most diabetics never get close to a safe HbA1c, a test which confirms the average blood glucose levels over the previous three month period.

The NICE guidelines for HbA1c are posted here. "NICE’s national guidelines on type 1 type 2 diabetes in children and young people recommend that children and young people should aim for a HbA1c target near normal range (normal is 4.5 to 5.5) and nearly normal daily blood glucose readings" The NHS audits only give data on the number of diabetics who achieve <58 that's approximately 7.5 on a standard UK blood glucose meter, and only 29.9% type 1 and 66.1% type two diabetics better 7.5. 7.5 is above the level organ damage occurs. NICE used to recommend HbA1c 6.5, but so many diabetics never got close, they upped the target to 7.5, and still the majority of diabetics never get close. How long before 8.5 is the recommended blood glucose target? Yes, I know NICE contradict themselves with HbA1c recommendations. 

Diabetes UK also promotes a diet that guarantees higher blood glucose numbers for diabetics, thereby requiring higher quantities of medication, which keeps their big pharma paymasters profits safe. The vicious circle never ends. 

Pass the parcel, the kids game, when the music stops one of the kids in the circle removes a layer of wrapping paper, the kid who unwraps the last layer wins the prize and it's end game. Very much like NICE, DUK and the BDA. They pass the parcel of responsibility, when the music stops, and it's end game for the diabetic, none of them lose, the diabetic always loses. And it's back to the "Insanity, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results" 

Eddie

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

We are now forced to take responsibility for our own health, and research through the evidence-based research that exists. Having (unknowingly) taught many many patients to base their meals on starchy foods, to use margarine instead of butter, many of us have been forced to admit that we really knew nothing and have unfortunately ill-advised others on their intake. Many are now re-learning and questioning all they had learn't. I also take the Guidelines with a pinch of salt now, not taking it for granted that any guidance is up to date or accurate.