WASHINGTON — Have diabetes and a good Internet connection? A popular new cyber-support program offered by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) may be all you need to reverse your disease. Each Thursday at 4 p.m., EDT, hundreds of Americans are tuning in to a free video lecture and cooking demonstration presented by a team of PCRM nutrition experts at http://pcrm.org/diabetes. The focus is on how the right dietary approach can help people manage, and in many cases actually reverse, type 2 diabetes.

Each live class features a lecture on a different topic by nationally recognized nutrition researcher and PCRM president Neal Barnard, M.D., and a cooking demonstration by Dulcie Ward, R.D., one of PCRM’s nutritionists. Recent programs have focused on weight control, healthy eating during work, travel, and holidays, and new leads on the cause of type 2 diabetes. The cooking demonstrations feature a diverse range of dishes from Black-Eyed Pea and Sweet Potato Soup to Pasta Primavera. And the weekly event is interactive. Participants can send questions to the PCRM team for a quick response and everyone is encouraged to share their progress. Tech support is also available.

The cyber-support program has grown enormously in popularity since it launched in late 2006. Previous lectures and cooking demonstrations are archived on PCRM’s Web site along with a wide array of other resources, including recipes and fact sheets (also available in Spanish). The site also includes a link to the Nutrition Discussion Group where members can exchange information about diabetes. The message board is moderated by PCRM diabetes educator Caroline Trapp, MSN, APRN, BC-ADM, CDE, and dietitians Ward and Susan Levin, M.S., R.D.

PCRM’s diabetes program is based on a major clinical study conducted by Dr. Barnard, in conjunction with the University of Toronto and George Washington University, that proved a low-fat vegan diet is more effective at lowering high blood sugar than the standard diabetes diet or oral medications usually recommended. The diet is also effective at lowering high blood pressure and cholesterol and reducing weight.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and published in Diabetes Care, a journal of the American Diabetes Association.

For an interview with a nutrition professional from PCRM’s diabetes team, please contact Ms. Simon Chaitowitz at 202-686-2210, ext. 309 or simonc@pcrm.org.

Founded in 1985, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is a nonprofit health organization that promotes preventive medicine, especially good nutrition. PCRM also conducts clinical research studies, opposes unethical human experimentation, and promotes alternatives to animal research.