Plus, the powerful ways it improves gut health and wards off diabetes
I’ve warned you before about doctors who recommend cutting fruit out of your diet to help you manage your blood sugar and lower your risk of Type II diabetes.
These ill-informed mainstreamers think fruit is bad for you because it contains “sugar.” It’s obvious they aren’t familiar with all the research showing that the natural sugar in fruit doesn’t pose a problem for your metabolism, risk of chronic inflammation, blood sugar balance, nor any of the other factors associated with diabetes.
In fact, a recent seven-year Chinese study, including nearly 500,000 people, found that those who regularly ate fresh fruit had a lower incidence of diabetes than the people who rarely or never ate fruit.1
Because that was an observational study, it didn’t show how fruit actually accomplishes this feat. But a new study reveals that fruit works in the body through supporting “good” probiotic bacteria in the GI microbiome—which is similar to the way we’ve found the best diabetes treatments to work.
The researchers found that a healthy microbiome not only influences blood sugar levels, but also the chronic inflammation that can lead to diabetes and many other diseases. (And one fruit is particularly good for your gut, which I’ll discuss a little later.)
Fruit’s double whammy against diabetes
This new 12-week study observed the effects of two types of diets in people with Type II diabetes. One group ate a low-carb, low-fat diet, while a second group ate a high-fiber diet with fruits, nuts, seeds, vegetables, and whole grains.2
Researchers found that a whopping 89 percent of people on the diet with more fruits and fiber had better regulation of blood sugar, compared to only 50 percent in the low-carb, low-fat group. The fruit diet group also lost more weight and had better blood lipid levels (including cholesterol and triglycerides).
There are a couple reasons why the fruit diet was so successful.
First of all, the researchers found that the fiber in fruit (along with vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains) helps prevent and treat diabetes.
And that’s because fiber helps your body slow the absorption of sugar—including the sugar that naturally occurs in fruit. And, of course, this helps regulate your blood sugar levels.
The researchers also found that people in the fruit group produced more than 15 strains of probiotic bacteria that boost the production of insulin and decrease blood sugar levels.
They concluded that fruit is beneficial for your GI microbiome. And as we’re continuing to learn, that’s beneficial for virtually every aspect of your health—including the prevention of chronic diseases like diabetes.
The tiny but mighty fruit that improves insulin response
Both of the aforementioned studies found that any type of fruit can help improve your gut health and lower your risk of diabetes. But a new animal study shows that a particular type of fruit may be your best bet.
I’m talking about the small, but miraculous, blueberry.
Researchers at the University of Georgia fed rats either a low-fat diet, a high-fat diet, or a high-fat diet supplemented with dried blueberry powder. After eight weeks, the rats in the blueberry group had significantly positive changes in their GI microbiome and reduced “leakage” of endotoxins from the GI tract into the blood.3
This not only boosted the rats’ gastrointestinal health, but also reduced chronic inflammation and improved insulin response in their livers.
This finding is important because, as I’ve explained before, the answer to insulin-resistant (Type II) diabetes is not to keep pumping more insulin or “insulin-like” drugs into the body. Instead, the solution is to improve insulin response—especially when it can be done naturally with blueberry powder.
So during this harvest season, don’t skimp on the blueberries… or the apples, pears, persimmons, and other autumn fruits. You can always pick a large amount and freeze them for later use. They can liven up a smoothie, add a little zing to a glass of water, or dress up your yogurt or oatmeal.
And, even better, these naturally sweet treats will boost your gut health, fight chronic inflammation, and protect against diabetes and many other diseases.
You can find blueberry powder online, in your local health supplement shop, or at most major retailers or pharmacies. You can also find it together with other potent health powders, like baobab, rooibos and rose hips. To read more about these beneficial ingredients, visit my website, www.DrMicozzi.com.
My all-natural way to lower your risk of diabetes
Eating fruit is just one way to manage blood sugar and lower chronic inflammation. I also recommend a daily supplement regimen that includes the following:
Chromium: 200 mcg
Curcumin: 1,000 mg daily
Ginger: 120 mg
Piperine: 10 mg
Vanadium: 5 mg
Note: You should always consult with your primary care physician before starting or modifying your supplement routine.
To learn more about natural solutions for preventing and reversing Type II diabetes, I encourage you to check out my Integrative Protocol for Defeating Diabetes—an easy-to-follow learning tool. For more information, or to enroll today, simply click here or call 1-866-747-9421 and mention the order code EOV3UA00.
Additionally, I’m in the midst of authoring an extensive protocol on inflammation and ways to support gut health.
Of course, my readers will be the first to know when this will be available. Be sure to stay tuned to my Daily Dispatch e-letter or Facebook page for the most current updates.
Sources:
1“Fresh fruit consumption in relation to incident diabetes and diabetic vascular complications: A 7-y prospective study of 0.5 million Chinese adults.” PLOS Medicine, 2017; 14 (4).
2“Gut bacteria selectively promoted by dietary fibers alleviate type 2 diabetes.” Science 09 Mar 2018: Vol. 359, Issue 6380, pp. 1151-1156.
3“Blueberry Supplementation Influences the Gut Microbiota, Inflammation, and Insulin Resistance in High-Fat-Diet–Fed Rats,” The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 148, Issue 2, 1 February 2018, Pages 209–219.