WASHINGTON—Anyone taking Avandia, the diabetes drug now suspected to increase cardiac risk, is eligible for a free copy of a new book outlining a unique dietary approach to the disease, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine announced today.

The offer was posted this morning at www.pcrm.org/diabetes, a Web site featuring numerous free diabetes resources for the public, all based on research by Neal Barnard, M.D., a nutrition researcher and PCRM president. The book is titled Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes. It outlines a low-fat, low-glycemic index vegan diet that allows many people to minimize their need for medication and in some cases, even eliminate drugs.

“We do not recommend that people stop taking Avandia or any other diabetes drug without consulting their healthcare provider,” says PCRM director of Diabetes Education and Care Caroline Trapp, M.S.N., A.P.R.N., B.C.-ADM, C.D.E. “But what we do recommend is that anyone with diabetes who wants more control over his or her disease read this book and consider the possibilities. Our dietary approach allows many people to reduce their use of medications. In some cases, patients are able to actually ‘reverse’ their diabetes and get off all medications.”

Dr. Barnard’s book is based on a study he recently published in the journal Diabetes Care that showed a low-fat vegan diet can lower high blood sugar levels three times more effectively than oral medications. Dr. Barnard’s research was sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and has been presented at American Diabetes Association conferences.

The study also showed that research participants had an easier time sticking with the vegan diet than the American Diabetes Association diet because they were not asked to count carbohydrates, limit portion sizes, or reduce calories.

A national survey conducted earlier this spring and commissioned by PCRM found that 69 percent of all Americans would prefer a dietary approach over the use of medication to treat diabetes.