Type 2 diabetes is developed over a long period of time and typically it goes through a phase called prediabetes for several years. The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and American Diabetes Association (ADA) introduced this relatively new term “prediabetes” in 2002 to increase awareness among physicians and the general population. One of the reasons for renaming prediabetes from its former clinical name of impaired glucose tolerance was to highlight the seriousness of the condition and to motivate people to get appropriate treatment. As the name suggests, prediabetes is defined as a condition that precedes type 2 diabetes. It’s also called impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or impaired fasting glucose (IFG), depending on the test used to diagnose it with. People with prediabetes have higher than normal blood glucose levels, but they aren’t elevated enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. A fasting plasma glucose value between 100 to 125 mg/dl or more indicates impaired fasting glucose (IFG). In an oral glucose tolerance test, plasma glucose values between 140 to 199 mg/dl at 2 hours post-glucose load indicates impaired glucose tolerance (IGT).

According to the recently released National Diabetes Fact Sheet by the CDC 21 and 54 million Americans suffer from diabetes and pre-diabetes respectively. The estimated total cost of diabetes in 2002 is 132 billion dollars for a total of 18.2 million diabetics. From 2002 the prevalence rates of diabetes has increased by 12.5%, suggesting an increasing trend. From the CDC Diabetes Fact Sheet and the literature it is evident that damage to the body already starts to take place during the pre-diabetes stage. In other words as the insulin resistance is gradually developing the blood sugar levels rise, which in turn results in a gamut of health problems like high blood pressure, increased risk of heart attacks, neuropathy, nephropathy, blindness, etc. Ultimately, prediabetes not only affects quality of life but also has a significant impact on personal and Government finances. Visit the CDC link on prediabetes: http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/faq/prediabetes.htm

An important outcome of the landmark studies of the Diabetes Prevention Program is that diabetes can be prevented by intensive lifestyle modification (healthy diet and exercise) amongst high-risk adults. Just by changing lifestyle alone a 58% success rate of prevention was achieved and by taking medication with Metformin the success rate was a moderate 31% over three years. However, to general population it is not enough to say eat healthy diet and exercise daily. In order to achieve higher degree of success they need to be educated, motivated, empowered to make knowledgeable decisions on taking medicines and/or supplements to complement with lifestyle changes.

At present no FDA approved drugs are available in the market specifically for PREVENTION of insulin resistance or prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.

Prediabetes and type 2 diabetes can be slowed, stopped, and even reversed with early intervention, lifestyle adjustments (eating healthy foods, regular exercise) and nutraceutical supplements. SAI Nutraceuticals has done extensive research in this area and worked with the experts to understand the mechanism of several nutraceuticals in prevention and/or managing prediabetes.

Dr. Pasupuleti began experimenting with natural products in summer 2002.

Dr. Pasupuleti totally stopped taking glucophage and cholesterol lowering medicines in late 2002 and began using natural products. In the last seven years Dr. Pasupuleti’s HbA1c ranged from 5.8 to 6.8 as opposed to 14.6, cholesterol levels were 129 as opposed to 218, triglycerides level was 69 compared to 113, and his weight was 168 pounds compared to 192 pounds. In summer 2004 Dr. Pasupuleti was enrolled to participate in a clinical study for type 2 diabetic patients for the drug Actos looking for cardiovascualr indications by Takeda Pharmaceuticals.

After a brief clinic visit, Dr. Pasupuleti was rejected for the clinical studies as his HbA1c levels are normal.

Dr. Pasupuleti gave this formulation to his family members, relatives and friends and they got similar results. Then Dr. Pasupuleti conducted two clinical studies and the results are outstanding.

After exhaustive screening of nutraceutical ingredients SAI Prediabetes and SAI Diabetes were scientifically formulated by Dr.Pasupuleti using the bioactive peptide from soy and whey that were specifically developed by him to lower HbA1c levels and fortified them with select multifunctional nutraceutical ingredients based on their scientific and clinical evidence.

SAI Prediabetes and SAI Diabetes were developed out of frustration for Dr. Pasupuleti’s own use to avoid medicines that gave him serious side reactions. For more than two years Dr. Pasupuleti took the supplement and never thought of commercializing. Dr. Pasupuleti decided to commerialize the formulation only after Takeda Pharmaceuticals rejected him for a cinical trial of Actos looking for other indications besides lowering blood glucose.

It took more than two years to perfect the formulation with great taste.

I want to stop (manage) diabetes because I can.

If I can, anyone with diabetes can.

How?

If you understand diabetes it is easy to manage, just like how millions of people are managing with eye sight by wearing contact lenses or glasses.

First ask a question, do you want to live with more pills and insulin shots (as diabetes is progressively degenerative meaning if not controlled properly it will only get worst and the dose of pills and/or insulin shots has to be increased which may lead to side effects). If diabetes is not controlled properly with medication the chances are that you continue to live or die with several complications such as leg amputations, blindness, strokes, heart attacks.

Now ask yourself do you want live with a poor quality of life or you want to take control of yourself. Just don’t take my word, look around and talk to people with diabetes and doctors as how diabetes gets worst and how you have to depend on pills and shots and still continue to lead a poor quality of life. This is what exactly I did and fortunately with my research background I was able to do much more that is learned how drugs work and their side effects and formulated my own nutritional drink based on scientific and clinical evidence. The most fascinating thing is that there is so much of research especially government funded research as how lifestyle changes does miracles and this research is proven not just in US but all over the world. It is unfortunate that this splendid research is still in research publications but not successfully translated into clinical practice.

The first and foremost thing I did is to take control of my life by changing the lifestyle that is eating healthy diet and regular exercise. That does not mean I totally avoided burgers, pizzas, alcohol, sweets, etc., I do crave for these things and I eat in moderation and I am always conscious of what I am eating. Similarly exercise does not mean that I go to gym everyday and sweat for an hour or so. I try my best to go to gym and if I can’t go to gym I make sure that before I go to bed I get adequate exercise by taking steps instead of elevator, parking the car farthest, get up and walk during the TV commercials, simple things like this will add up to my physical activities. Some days I miss it and I am ok with it as I want to live and lead a normal life. Once you determine to change your lifestyle you can do it as there are several ways.

I am so happy that the nutritional drink I formulated works like a charm but again I insist people taking it should also change their lifestyle that is eating healthy diet and regular exercise. It seems to work well as it has scientific and clinical evidence for all the ingredients.

What are you doing to stop diabetes right now?

First I understood what diabetes is and what happens if it is not controlled. I decided firmly that I do not want to live with uncontrolled diabetes to avoid the pain for myself and the loved ones of its consequences. I am controlling my diabetes successfully for the last 7 years without taking any diabetic or cholesterol lowering medicines but with a lifestyle change coupled with the nutritional drink that I developed based on scientific and clinical evidence.

The best way I started to control is by accepting diabetes and start making changes in my life. First and foremost is by checking my fasting blood sugar every day; I have been doing this for the last 7 years. This gives me an understanding of what foods I should eat and what foods I should avoid. The more and more I understand my lifestyle with respect to diabetes it is lot more easier to adapt to a new lifestyle and also enjoy in doing so. For example, before diabetes I hated eating oatmeal but today I enjoy eating it because I make oatmeal the way I like to eat that is adding nuts (pecans, almonds, walnuts) and mix it with my nutritional drink powder. Similarly prior to diabetes I hated eating salads but today I enjoy eating it because I make it to my taste. Believe it or not I enjoy what I eat and never think of it as “Diabetic Diet” and I believe that is the key “make changes happen by adapting the change to your liking, be it diet or exercise or anything for that matter” for a happier life.

Notes to the editor: After I got hit with diabetes in September 2001 and the debilitating pain with cholesterol lowering medicines I decided to change my lifestyle and took control of my life. With my research background I was able to do research on type 2 diabetes and worked with an expert Dr. James W. Anderson, MD. We successfully organized a technical session on “Nutraceuticals, Glycemic health and type 2 diabetes” in Orlando at National meetings of Institute of Food Technologists. The symposium was so successful that I was invited by a leading publisher (Wiley-Blackwell and IFT Press) to edit a book on the same topic. Jim Anderson and I together compiled this great reference book by inviting Thirty-five well known scientists from nine countries to present the cutting edge research and their latest findings on the role of nutrition in diabetes.

This emerging evidence will allow health care providers to offer the latest in nutrition guidance to patients with diabetes. It will encourage producers of foods and supplements to make active ingredients more widely available to consumers, and will enable self-directed individuals to make intelligent choices about nutrition supplements to prevent diabetes. In the closing chapter the book provides practical guidelines based on clinical experience, research and the research presented in the book. The book also gives recommendations for specific amounts of minerals to slow progression of diabetes or reverse diabetes in its early stages.

Intervention of nutritional drink (SAI) in poorly controlled hyperglycemic patients with type 2 diabetes despite taking oral anti diabetic drugs treatment: Randomized controlled trial at 2nd World Congress on Diabetes and Metabolism, December 6 to 8, 2011, Philadelphia, PA.

- Dr.Pasupuleti, Food Technology February, 2007.

“The most important thing for diabetics is a lifestyle change: eating a healthy diet, regular exercise, and supplements to manage healthy blood glucose levels. The future of diabetic products is not touting one single magic ingredient but a combination of ingredients that act independently and/or synergistically to lower blood glucose levels, as well as alleviate diabetic related micro and macro vascular complications. The key to successful diabetic foods and beverages is reducing blood glucose levels by lowering glycemic index/load, inhibiting hepatic glucose output, increasing insulin sensitivity and production, slowing down the digestion of carbohydrates, and relieving the oxidative stress to alleviate diabetes-related complications. All of these actions can be successfully achieved with a combination of clinically proven food ingredients, and the challenge is to put them in a food and/or beverage with a great taste to appeal the consumers’ palate.” Says Vijai Pasupuleti, President, SAI International, Geneva, IL, USA. (Ph:630-845-8246). Dr. Pasupuleti has now developed such a product. Click on the link provided below to download the article ‘NUTRACEUTICALS’.

* Focused research in discovering bioavailable ingredients that act in synergy to prevent and manage diabetes.

* Conducting clinical studies to investigate the safety, tolerability and efficacy of such multi-functional ingredients.

* Sharing latest scientific information and clinical developments in diabetes research and evidence based nutritional products.

Lifestyle changes, combined with the science-based ingredients in SAI’s products empower prediabetic and diabetic individuals to take charge of their overall health and may assist in preventing, delaying, managing prediabetes, type 2 diabetes and complications.

We are pleased that our work is now reaching an even wider audience.

Share, Educate and Empower (SEE™) one at a time.

Stay tuned for Life Style Changes and SAI Supplement product information that helped Dr. Pasupuleti to manage his Type 2 Diabetes.