diabetes.co.uk An open letter to forum owner Mr. Arjun Panesar

Dear Mr. Panesar

I have some views to express and comments to make regarding your forum.

Almost from the very start of the forum and with only a couple of thousand members, the stand out news was the low carb diet. A day never went by without members reporting outstanding success in the control of their diabetes. Within days of trying the low carb diet, members were seeing non diabetic blood glucose numbers on their BG meters for the first time. The much needed weight loss for some members was almost effortless and lipid panels improved dramatically. Very often this amazing turnaround was achieved with nil or reduced medication. The simplistic beauty of this highly successful diet, is all the diabetic has to do, is eat whole fresh foods and drop the highly processed refined carbs and sugar. No need for starvation diets, no need for medication in many cases, and no downside whatsoever. What could possibly go wrong?

Unfortunately the forum soon degenerated into a war zone at times. A small group of anti low carbers, who preferred to follow the dietary guidelines of the National Health Service, The British Dietetic Association and the largest UK diabetes charity Diabetes UK, caused arguments and spread misinformation at every opportunity. The aforementioned nationwide organisations basically state, a diabetic can follow the same diet as any non diabetic and use medication to bring blood glucose levels down to a safe level. Unfortunately this does not work for the majority of diabetics. This fact is confirmed by the annually published NHS diabetes survey audited statistics. The total number of confirmed diabetics increases every year and no improvements in the all important blood glucose numbers, confirmed by HbA1c tests, are being made whatsoever.

To sum up, a newly diagnosed type two diabetic, approximately 90% of all diabetics are type two, has choices to make. Does he change his diet and stop eating many of the nutrient lite and very often factory made highly processed foods, which are doing him no favours at all, or does he continue to eat the foods that played a major contribution to becoming a diabetic, and cover the highly elevated and dangerous blood glucose numbers with medication. As stated earlier the NHS stats prove the latter does not work for the majority of diabetics, one must also realise most type two diabetes drugs are expensive, ineffective and carry side effects, some serious enough to have been banned in recent times. Clearly for the straight and logical thinker, the only safe way to go is dietary changes and the nil or minimal medication route. There are no known negative side effects in consuming whole fresh foods, none whatsoever.

Back to the forum. With so much success reported by countless diabetics type two and one, from the start of the forum, to the present day, via a low carb diet, why have hundreds of low carbers been banned? From well meaning and knowledgeable laymen and women to highly respected low carb experts such as Dr. Jay Wortman a low carbing type two diabetic. Why have countless thousands of low carbers posts been deleted over the years (well over two thousand of mine alone). Why has banning, thread locking, deleting and or editing of members posts been allowed to go on. The situation borders on the unbelievable, when you consider this massive wanton destruction and vandalism has been conducted by around a dozen individuals, mostly past and present forum moderators.

Why have honest, even-handed and highly knowledgeable mods resigned using this sort of language “A forum whose administration team have consistently shown poor management, questionable moral judgement” and “A moderation approach that stifles meaningful discussion” and “Members banned who have actively supported said community over the past six months... the sort of members that DCUK should be protecting and nurturing in order to ensure a strong community going forward”. The obvious question must be, has this happened because of a very small group of dishonest, underhand and totally biased mods, or does the problem go deeper? Could commercial reasons and considerations have a part to play in the years of dishonesty and the often appalling treatment of the rank and file members. Members who dared to ask a straight question, members who dared to constructively criticize, members who fell foul, of extremely unfair interpretations of the forum rules and clear abuses of moderator power.

Well, it must be taken into consideration diabetes.co.uk is a business as you Mr. Panesar recently stated in the on line 'Start Ups' website "We’re aiming to become the world’s largest diabetes community within the next 18 months, not just Europe’s. Financially, we’re aiming at turning over £8m a year" and in the Coventry Telegraph "One of the ways the website makes money is by charging to put organisations such as pharmaceutical companies doing medical trials in touch with forum members who have diabetes". Your Sales Director Barry Summers not so long ago stated publicly "We are interested to hear from investors, M&A groups, strategic partners, health insurance or pharmaceutical companies who have an interest in improving outcomes in the management and control of diabetes throughout the world. An ideal turn key beyond the pill distribution channel"

Astute observers have said, if a large proportion of diabetics went low carb, at least two major pharmaceutical companies would go out of business. That is purely conjecture, but without doubt there is very little money to be made in promoting a low carb diet. A forum that seeks to be the largest in the world and turnover £millions per year would also lose out financially in my opinion, especially if the low carb diet became the mainstay of safe and reliable diabetes control. The financial ramifications are clear and obvious, when the public statements from the forum owners have have made it abundantly clear and without equivocation, partnerships with big pharma feature highly in their plans.

I look forward to hearing from you in due course, receiving any comments and to answering any queries or questions you may have.

Your sincerely

Eddie Mitchell