Protect your heart safely and naturally.

A new Senate report, released by Max Baucus (D-Montana) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), blasts the popular diabetes drug Avandia. Between 1999 and 2007, this drug “caused approximately 83,000 excess heart attacks,” they say.

Criticizing the FDA review process, Senator Grassley writes: “It doesn’t make any sense to have the experts, who study drugs after they have been on the market for several years, under the thumb of the officials who approved the drug in the first place and [who] have a natural interest in defending that decision.”

“The Avandia case may be the most alarming example of the problems with this set-up,” he adds. ” Americans have a right to know there are serious health risks associated with Avandia, and GlaxoSmithKline had a responsibility to tell them,” says Senator Baucus, who promises to work closely with the FDA to make sure both doctors and their patients understand the risks.

Dr. Ann Louise’s Take:

Two years ago when these cardiac risks were first reported, I recommended alternatives to Avandia for my father who has a family history of diabetes. Why has it taken the FDA and Congress so long to act?

Avandia’s not the only risky diabetes medicine. The New England Journal of Medicine recently linked liraglutide, a drug diabetics take to achieve glycemic balance, with thyroid tumors in animals. Even the FDA has reported numerous adverse effects with insulin pumps.

Type 2 diabetes affects about 24 million Americans today. And Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, associate professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, links our national diabetes epidemic to increased soft drink consumption.

These nutrient-empty drinks contributed to 130,000 new cases of diabetes, 14,000 heart disease diagnoses, and 50,000 more life-years burdened with heart disease in the last decade. Anyone with diabetes or prediabetes (metabolic syndrome) needs to have their C-reactive protein checked regularly (with a simple blood test), since both conditions are linked to heart disease.

Safe Solutions
Research finds that antioxidants not only help prevent Type 2 diabetes in the first place but also lower glycemic indices in prediabetes and full-blown diabetes. Scientists at the University of Athens say that a diet rich in antioxidant fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of diabetes by 13%.

A new study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition finds that increasing your consumption of antioxidant-rich berries also significantly enhances liver function—even in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease commonly linked to insulin resistance, Type 2 diabetes, and obesity. Check out the delicious berry Smoothie Shakedown recipe— the perfect antioxidant-packed treat.

Smoothie Shakedown
The focus group that “test drove” the Smoothie Shakedown last summer included one woman with Type 2 diabetes who was able to reduce her meds—with her physician’s blessing. Like the rest of the Shakedown group, she had two healthy smoothies, along with one balanced meal, a day.

This newest Fat Flush protocol is easy, inexpensive, and safe! Best of all, our entire test group lost between 5 and 20 pounds in just 2 weeks! Check out other success stories at smoothieshakedown.com.

If you need to shed more pounds, take Weight Loss Formula for added support. This stimulant-free supplement contains 400 mg chromium, a mineral that helps balance blood sugar and curb cravings, and 500 mg acetyl-L-carnitine to enhance the conversion of fat to energy.

Sources:
Fat Flush for Life
Smoothie Shakedown
www.anh-usa.org/new_site/?p=2463
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20164475
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20197789
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20197633
www.nutraingredients.com/Product-Categories/Antioxidants-carotenoids/Antioxidants-may-help-lower-diabetes-rates-study
www.rxlist.com/avandia-drug.htm