Chapter One

The Diabetes Crossroads

It's a frustrating fact of life: We don't have much say over whether we fall victim to life-threatening diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer's, or, to a large extent, some types of heart disease. However, there is one, all-too-common killer disease over which we have a great deal of say. Most people do have a choice when it comes to Type 2 diabetes. Astonishing as it sounds, this epidemic disease is almost entirely preventable. Of course, no one consciously chooses to get diabetes. Various factors-some in our control and some not-combine to create the unfortunate scenario. But if we all took proper care of our bodies and kept vigilant rein on the factors that are within our control, there would be no diabetes epidemic. Do you think we're overstating things? No way. In fact, what we hope we have created with this book is a realistic and practical guide to wiping out Type 2 diabetes, one individual atatime.

According to the National Institutes of Health, in 2002, a record number of Americans -- 18.2 million, or 6.3 percent of the population -- were thought to have diabetes. Of these, 13 million were already diagnosed, while 5.2 million probably have diabetes but haven't been diagnosed yet. That means many millions of Americans are blindly chugging down this dangerous road. Sadly, in our experience, many well-meaning health care professionals give their patients the standard information, some of which perpetuates the very disease it's supposed to cure or prevent. That's why Dr. Atkins felt it was crucial to write this book.

In 2002 and 2003, the American Diabetes Association redefined and standardized the criteria for blood sugar abnormalities. Unfortunately, none of these changes were implemented in order to find patients earlier in the process. Our interest is in identifying patients with these metabolic problems long before they advance to the "official" blood sugar level defined as diabetes.

If you know what to look for, you can identify the metabolic signposts that signal trouble even earlier in the process -- and intervene immediately. If you are reading this book, you are clearly concerned about your health or perhaps it's someone you love about whom you're concerned. Either way, congratulations to you for picking up this book. Let's not waste another minute.

We will show you how to make relatively simple lifestyle changes that can significantly reduce your risk of ever getting diabetes, even if you already have some of the preliminary symptoms. And if you have already been diagnosed with diabetes, this book can help you mitigate its effects or maybe even stop further progression.

We can be your guides on the road to better health, but it is you who must take control of your destiny by making and implementing the right choices. Imagine that you are standing at a crossroads in the map of your life. Ahead of you lie two paths. One almost inevitably leads to diabetes and its accompanying health problems; the other leads to optimal health. Which will you choose?

THE RIGHT ROAD

Let us tell you about the path that Dr. Atkins recommended to his patients for decades. It differs dramatically from the treatment with drugs most health care practitioners have been taught. Instead, his path identifies risks for diabetes as early as possible, focuses on prevention, and involves permanent lifestyle changes to address the underlying metabolic problems that lead to diabetes. These lifestyle changes can be as simple as changing what you put on your plate -- a better option, we think you'll agree, than swallowing an array of expensive and potentially dangerous drugs.

Author: Robert C. Atkins
Bio:  

Robert C. Atkins, M.D., was the founder and Executive Medical Director of The Atkins Center for Complementary Medicine in New York City. His groundbreaking weight loss book, Diet Revolution, was the first major work to prescribe a low-carbohydrate diet. The revised and updated Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution spent more than six years on the New York Times bestseller list.

"[I]ncludes valuable nutritional information and sounds a needed alarm about the diabetes edidemic." - Publishers Weekly

"[A] major new weapon in the battle to prevent and control Type 2 diabetes." - Health Insurance Law Weekly