Encyclopedia of Diets - A Guide to Health and Nutrition

sniff the aroma of fresh bread, but I am also grateful
simply to be alive and sniffing.’’

Function

The main function of the Bernstein diet is to help
people with diabetes to maintain constant, normal
blood sugar levels throughout the day. Maintaining
control of their blood sugar levels can help diabetics
avoid long-term complications of the disease, includ-
ing neuropathy of the feet, amputation, cataracts and
blindness, heart disease, erectile dysfunction, glau-
coma,ulcersof the feet, high blood pressure, and
high cholesterol. Since the diet is similar to the Atkins
diet in that it emphasizes low-carbohydrate foods,
people who are overweight or obese can lose weight
on the Bernstein diet.

Benefits

The primary benefits of the Bernstein diet come
from diabetics being able to maintain constant, normal
blood sugar levels. Doing this over the long-term can
help reduce the number of diabetics who develop com-
plications from the disease. These complications
include heart disease, high blood pressure, eye prob-
lems, serious conditions affecting the feet that some-
times lead to amputation, gastroparesis (a condition in
which the stomach requires significantly longer than its
normal time to empty), kidney disease, and fatigue.
The importance of maintaining constant, normal
blood sugar levels (by checking the levels at least five
to eight times a day with home glucose monitors and
then adjusting insulin levels accordingly) was proven
by the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial, a
study of diabetics from 1983–1993, the most compre-
hensive large-scale diabetes study ever conducted. The
study found that in diabetics who intensely controlled
their blood sugar levels, the risk for eye disease was
reduced by 76 percent, nerve disease by 60 percent, and
kidney disease by 50 percent. The diet can also help
diabetics who are overweight or obese to lose weight.

Precautions

There are no major precautions associated with
the diet, although it is not recommended for diabetics
by major medical organizations including the Ameri-
can Medical Association, American Dietary Associa-
tion, and American Diabetes Association. Diabetics
should discuss the diet with their doctor or a specialist
in diabetes called an endocrinologist, who may refer
the person to a diabetic dietician or nutritionist. The
diet is high in fat so people on it should use fats from

monounsaturated and polyunsaturated sources such

as olive and canola oils.

Risks

There are no general health risks associated with

the Bernstein diet. Critics of the diet say it contains too

much fat, is not nutritionally balanced, and is not a

long-term solution for losing weight and keeping it off.

They also say it is difficult for many people to maintain

alow-carb dietover the long-term. Also, people with

type 1 diabetes who take insulin are at a high risk of

hypoglycemia (abnormally low blood sugar levels) and

ketoacidosis (dangerously high blood sugar levels) if

they remove too much carbohydrate from their meals.

Research and general acceptance

Critics of the Bernstein diet for diabetics are quick

to point out that there are no major long-term scientific

studies on the effectiveness of the low-carbohydrate,

high-fat diet. However, the same can be said for the

traditional low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet that has

been the standard diabetic diet for more than 50

years. In one review of Bernstein’s 1997 book,Dr.

Bernstein’s Diabetes Solution: A Complete Guide to

Achieving Normal Blood Sugars, the diet was criticized

because it required diabetics to be meticulous in self-

managing the disease. But there are major long-term

scientific studies that show that there is significant ben-

efit in such meticulous self-management, including the

landmark Diabetes Control and Complications Trial

and the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study.

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR

DOCTOR

 Will I need any dietary supplements if I adopt the

Bernstein diet?

 Do you see any health risks for me in the diet?

 Are there any other diets you would recommend

that would help me accomplish my weight loss

goals?

 Have you treated other patients who are on a

low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet? If so, what has

their response to the diet been?

 How will the Bernstein diet affect my diabetes or

insulin resistance syndrome?

 How important is it for me to maintain constant

normal blood sugar levels throughout the day?

Bernstein diet