Jonalee Ayres talks about the improvements in her labs after completing the Ekahi Dr. Ornish’s Program for Reversing Heart Disease™, the only scientifically proven program to stop the progression and even reverse the effects of heart disease, at 500 Ala Moana Boulevard in Honolulu, Hawaii. Jonna had amazing results in the 9 weeks of the program. Her Hemoglobin A1c, a measure of how well a patient’s diabetes is controlled dropped 3 whole points in the program. Her cholesterol also became normal and her liver function tests normalized.
This episode is about reversing diabetes. There have been several studies that have shown improvement of diabetes with vegetarian/vegan diets, coupled with exercise. Barnard et al did a study of 652 diabetic patients on a very low fat (10%) vegan diet. More than 1/3 of patients treated with insulin were able to stop their insulin and over 2/3 of patients on an oral hypoglycemic agent were able to discontinue their medication. In addition, fasting blood glucose, serum triglycerides and serum cholesterol all improved.(1) Crane et al placed patients on a vegan diet and exercise plan, which showed similar positive outcomes, plus relief of diabetic neuropathy.(2)
Some of you are probably wondering what a “fatty liver ” is or may have been told by your doctor that you have a fatty liver. Usually this means that your liver enzymes are higher than normal on a blood test, though this does not confirm the diagnosis. The fat on your liver will show up as a white area on the ultrasound image. The only way to know for certain that you have fatty liver is with a liver biopsy, where a needle is inserted to remove a piece of tissue for examination.(3)
Fatty liver typically has no associated symptoms. You may feel tired or have abdominal discomfort. Your liver may be enlarged. The most common cause of fatty liver is heavy drinking. Other causes include obesity, hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol), diabetes, genetics, rapid weight loss, or medication side effects. Fatty liver happens when the body creates too much fat or cannot metabolize fat fast enough. The excess fat is stored in liver cells. This is more likely to develop if you’re overweight. Fat accumulation in the liver has been linked to insulin resistance and Type 2 Diabetes.(3)
You can improve fatty liver disease by avoiding alcoholic beverages, improving your cholesterol, losing weight, and controlling your blood sugar. Jona did all four of these things in the program, and that is why her labs improved! Fortunately, many cases of fatty liver don’t develop into liver disease. The liver can repair itself, so take the necessary steps to treat your high cholesterol, diabetes, or obesity, and reverse your fatty liver!(3)
References:
(1) Barnard RJ, Jung T, Inkeles SB. Diet and exercise in the treatment of NIDDM: the need for early emphasis. Diabetes Care 1994;17:1469–72.
(2) Crane MG, Sample C. Regression of diabetic neuropathy with total vegetarian (vegan) diet. J Nutr Med 1994;4:431–9.
(3) “Fatty Liver” Healthline. 2 October 2015. Healthline Media. Web. Accessed 22 February 2016. <http://www.healthline.com/health/fatty-liver#ReadThisNext0>.