Eating Alkaline Proven to Reduce Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

Alkaline Diet Diabetes Study

Over 24 million Americans have Type 2 Diabetes (6 million don’t know) and over 86 million have pre-diabetes.

And a Harvard report states that 9 cases out of 10 can be prevented by lifestyle choices.

And this study in the The British Medical Journal has proven that eating alkaline foods, especially dark green leafy foods has been proven to significantly reduce the risk of Type 2 Diabetes.

The research, which is a meta-analysis, showed that

“Increasing daily intake of green leafy vegetables could significantly reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes…

Increasing the amount of green leafy vegetables in an individual’s diet could help to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. An increase of 1.15 servings a day was associated with a 14% decrease in incidence.”

This is so important – just small changes can get things moving quickly in the right direction!

You don’t have to do it all at once, you just have to get started.

This is where most people get unstuck. They built it up too much in their head that they have to do it all at once or it’s not worth doing…and then get paralyzed by this expectation and do nothing!

In the UK studies show that 86% of all men and women consume less than the recommended 5-a-day, with 62% consuming less than THREE-a-day…and this includes FRUIT!

And this study has estimated that not eating enough vegetables could have accounted for over 2.6 million deaths worldwide in 2002.It was estimated that inadequate consumption of fruit and vegetables could have accounted for 2.6 million deaths worldwide in the year 2000.

Studies Showing the Alkaline Diet Preventing & Reversing Type 2 Diabetes / Inuslin Resistance

Research Paper Title: Dietary acid load and risk of type 2 diabetes: the E3N-EPIC cohort study.

Researchers followed a total of 66,485 women from the E3N-EPIC cohort for incident diabetes over 14 years and found 1,372 cases of validated type 2 diabetes.  An acidic diet was associated with a significant increase in type 2 diabetes risk. 

Key Takeaway: “We have demonstrated for the first time in a large prospective study that dietary acid load was positively associated with type 2 diabetes risk, independently of other known risk factors for diabetes”

Published in: Journal of Diabetologia. 2014 Feb;57(2):313-20.

Researcher: Fagherazzi G, Vilier A, Bonnet F, Lajous M, Balkau B, Boutron-Rualt MC, Clavel-Chapelon F.


Research Paper Title: Diet-dependent acid load and type 2 diabetes: pooled results from three prospective cohort studies.

In this meta-analysis of three studies, totaling over 186,000 individuals, the researchers found that higher dietary acid-load leads to a significant increase in type 2 diabetes risk.

Key Takeaway: “This study suggests that higher diet-dependent acid load is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes”

Published in: Diabetologia. 2017 Feb;60(2):270-279. doi: 10.1007/s00125-016-4153-7. Epub 2016 Nov 17.

Authors: Kiefte-de Jong JC, Li Y, Chen M, Curhan G, Mattei J, Malik VS, Forman JP, Franco OH, Hu FB.


Research Paper Title: High Dietary Acid Load Score Is Associated with Increased Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Japanese Men: The Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study.

This study included  27,809 men and 36,851 women, aged 45-75 whose dietary intake was studied using a validated 147-item food-frequency questionnaire. Potential renal acid load (PRAL) and net endogenous acid production (NEAP) scores were used to assess the alkalinity and acidity of the diet.  A positive correlation was found between dietary acid load and type 2 diabetes.

Key Takeaway: “A high dietary acid load score is associated with an increased risk of T2D”

Published In: Journal of Nutrition 2016 May;146(5):1076-83

Authors: Akter S, et al.


Research Paper Title: Plasma bicarbonate and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus

In this prospective study, using the data from the Nurses Study found 630 women who at the time of the study did not have Type 2 Diabetes, but did develop it over a 10 year follow up.  The more alkaline the person’s body, the lower the odds of developing diabetes. 

Key Takeaway: “Our study showed an association between higher plasma bicarbonate levels and reduced risk of incident type 2 diabetes mellitus among women”

Published in: Canadian Medical Association Journal;  2012 Sep 18; 184(13): E719–E725;

Authors: Mandel EI, Curhan GC, Hu FB, Taylor EN;


Research Title: Acid–base balance may influence risk for insulin resistance syndrome by modulating cortisol output

Widely recognized in the literature is the mechanism between dietary acid load and cortisol increase.  When the diet is acidic, the adrenals pump out more cortisol than is safe.  This study in the journal Medical Hypothesis shows that one of the common outcomes of chronically elevated cortisol is the increased risk of insulin resistance.  When the diet becomes more alkaline-forming, the risk goes down.

Key Takeaway: “Frank metabolic acidosis is known to promote renal excretion of hydrogen ion by induction of glutaminase and other enzymes…this reflects an increase in pituitary output of ACTH and a consequent increased production of cortisol and aldosterone; Since cortisol promotes development of visceral obesity, and has a direct negative impact on insulin function throughout the body, even a modest sustained up-regulation of cortisol production may have the potential to increase risk for insulin resistance syndrome and type 2 diabetes. This thesis appears to be consistent with previous epidemiological reports correlating high potassium consumption, or a high intake of fruits and vegetables, with reduced risk for diabetes and coronary disease.”

Published in: Medical Hypotheses; Volume 64, Issue 2, 2005, Pages 380-384

Authors: McCarty MF


This is just a small snapshot of the research too.  Honorable mentions go to:

High dietary acid load is associated with insulin resistance: The Furukawa Nutrition and Health Study.
The role of dietary acid load and mild metabolic acidosis in insulin resistance in humans 
Dietary acid load, metabolic acidosis and insulin resistance – Lessons from cross-sectional and overfeeding studies in humans 
Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes by Dietary Patterns: A Systematic Review of Prospective Studies and Meta-Analysis


How to Get Those Extra Serves of Leafy Greens

The study summarises with:

“The potential for tailored advice on increasing intake of green leafy vegetables to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes should be investigated further”

And this is where I come in!

I recommend that the ideal is seven serves of greens daily for incredible, wonderful health and energy…but this article today is all about just getting started.

Seven Ways to Get That Extra 1.15 Serves of Greens Per Day

  1. Have a Side Salad with Dinner or Lunch: we’re just talking a handful of spinach, dressed with lemon and olive oil and a little S&P. As simple as that – and this would actually be more like 2 serves!
  2. Shave a Head of Broccoli into Dinner: this hides the greens in your food, without you noticing or tasting it. I know it’s not leafy, but it’s a powerhouse food!
  3. Wilt Spinach into Sauces: if you’re making a pasta sauce or a curry sauce, you can wilt a serve per person into it, again, without anyone really noticing! It’s a great way to sneak it in…
  4. Lettuce Instead of Wraps: this is a super-winner because it can replace a gluten-containing ingredient too – simply replace your wrap with a big lettuce leaf and wrap up your salad wrap in lettuce!
  5. Cook into Pasta: if you’re making a pasta dish (gluten-free of course) simply throw in a serve of chopped greens such as spinach, kale or beet greens into the boiling water a minute before it’s finished. You wont even notice it’s there when you eat it!
  6. Juices & Smoothies: of course. Adding a green juice or smoothie to your daily diet can instantly increase your greens intake by up to as much as 6 or 7 serves in one single hit!
  7. Breakfast Scrambles: if you’re making a scramble for breakfast (I like to use tofu – I don’t eat a lot of soy but have it here and there) then scrambling spinach and kale into your scramble is a great way to get greens at breakfast

Here are a few recipes to get you started, but you will find so many more in my Alkaline Diet Recipe System.

If you order at the moment you get both books for the price of one too.

Side Salad (Delicious): Alkaline Rocket & Watercress Salad

Side Salad Dressing:Coriander & Mint Dressing

Sauce with Spinach/Greens: Alkaline Green Goddess Sauce

Lettuce Wraps: Alkaline Wrapless Wraps

Green Juice: Big Bad Green Drink (the greenest drink you’ll ever see)

Green Smoothie: Antioxidant Green Smoothie

Breakfast Scramble: Brekkie Tofu & Spinach Scramble

Remember – baby steps, one day at a time…you don’t have to be perfect from day one, but if you did one of each of these seven ideas per day, you’d be getting extra greens every day of the week!

Ross

See also: The Beginner’s Guide to the Alkaline Diet


order the alkaline life

Ask Me a Question or Leave a Comment Here - I'd Love to Hear from You

*

  1. Louisa Reply

    My husband is diabetes type 2 & I have ms; my question is what recipes or where can I search for it; sorry but I can’t afford buying booklet or e-book to help ourself, nor I’m able to move (ms)well, hubby just had an accident (collapse) becuz of his sugar.

«