Dr Neville Wellington – LCHF Diabetes Expert

Dr Neville Wellington – LCHF Diabetes Expert

Taking advantage of the fact that this week we recognized World Diabetes Day, we would like to give some more information about one of the speakers who will be talking at the launch of the Nutrition Network, Dr Neville Wellington. The Nutrition Network event will focus on the “Perspectives on the role of dietary management of chronic disease” and will feature Prof Noakes and Dr Hassina Kajee alongside Dr Wellington. The event will take place on the 7th of December at the Sports and Science Institute of South Africa in Newlands at 18.30 for 19.00h. Tickets are available at www.thenoakesfoundation.org or on Quicket: http://qkt.io/5UImjt

Dr Wellington is a South African GP and managing practitioner at Kenilworth Medicross. He has been working in medicine for over 21 years, with paediatrics and diabetes among his main passions. After treating patients with diabetes for many years, he decided to improve his knowledge in the field by studying further. He completed a two-year Postgraduate Diploma in Diabetes in 2012 from the University of Cardiff and now runs a Centre for Diabetes and Endocrinology (CDE) using a team approach, overseeing thirteen doctors, a diabetes educator and a dietician.

In 2014, he had the honour of delivering the ‘Ascending Star’ lecture entitled “Glucose, Oxidative Stress and Low Carbohydrate Lifestyles” in the 16th Annual CDE Postgraduate Forum. This annual lecture opportunity, paired with a Novo Nordisk Travel Award, recognises the doctor or educator who achieved the top marks in either the Cardiff University or University of South Wales Postgraduate Diploma in Diabetes in the previous year. Neville began by pointing out how both carbohydrates and insulin have the potential to make us fat and how obesity is a response to dietary stimulus. He showed how excess dietary carbohydrate and resultant hyperglycaemia caused damage to the endothelial cells via inflammation and the buildup of plaque in the arteries. Even transient hyperglycaemia increases the inflammation of aortic endothelial cells for up to 6 days after blood glucose normalises. He discussed how a low carbohydrate diet improved all aspects of ‘metabolic syndrome’ effectively and how those with an intake of 50 g of carbohydrate per day improved dramatically. He felt that anyone with diabetes should follow low carbohydrate high fat meal plans and include proteins, greens, avocados and olive oil in their daily menu.

He published an article in the South African Journal of Diabetes titled “Carbohydrates, oxidative stress and low carbohydrate living” in 2014, summarizing the effects of carbohydrates in the body, providing information on how to manage metabolic diseases through lifestyle changes.

His interests have shifted to treating diabetes with low carbohydrate diets with careful monitoring of glucose levels. He is part of The Noakes Foundation and was inspired by Prof Tim Noakes to look into the LCHF lifestyle for patients. Many of his patients have benefitted, and it is now a standard recommendation in his practice. With his experience treating diabetic patients he has seen that there are reductions in weight, triglycerides, an increase in HDL-cholesterol, a fall in blood pressure (and reduction in medication), and improvements in glucose control (with a reduction in medication use) when lifestyle changes are made.

Don’t forget to book your tickets to our end of year event to hear Dr Wellington talk about the dietary management of diabetes. Book tickets here.

In this audio, Dr Wellington shares a success story from his diabetes practice:

https://ccfm.org.za/2016/09/26/diabetes-success-story/