Richard K. Bernstein
American endocrinologist and author (1934–2025)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Richard K. Bernstein (June 17, 1934 – April 15, 2025) was an American physician and an advocate for a low-carbohydrate diet and self-testing of blood glucose to help achieve normal blood sugars for diabetics. Bernstein had type 1 diabetes. His private medical practice in Mamaroneck, New York was devoted solely to treating diabetes and prediabetes.
Albert Einstein College of Medicine (MD)
Richard K. Bernstein | |
|---|---|
Richard Bernstein, MD (age 84) | |
| Born | June 17, 1934 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | April 15, 2025 (aged 90) |
| Education | Columbia University (BA, BS) Albert Einstein College of Medicine (MD) |
| Alma mater | The Franklin School |
| Known for | Advocacy for a low-carbohydrate diet pioneering self-testing of blood sugar[1] |
| Medical career | |
| Profession | Family physician |
| Field | Diabetology |
Life and career
Bernstein attended The Franklin School, a college prep school on Upper West Side of Manhattan, graduating in 1950.[2] He then attended Columbia College, initially majoring in physics, then changing his major to mathematics.[3] He graduated with his B.A. in 1954; and then he received a B.S. in engineering in 1955.[2][3]
After graduating, Bernstein worked as an industrial-management engineer and director of research, development and marketing for Clay Adams, a manufacturer and supplier of medical laboratory equipment. He then became director of corporate planning at National Silver Industries, an importer and manufacturer of housewares.[4][5]
Bernstein was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 12 in 1946.[1] In 1969, he sought to acquire a blood glucose testing kit, which at the time were only sold to doctors. At the time, he was a systems engineer. He bought a blood glucose meter manufactured by Miles Laboratories.[3] Because he was not a doctor the meter was issued to his wife, who was a psychiatrist. He adapted the meter to make it portable.[5] He became the first diabetic patient to monitor his own blood sugar.[6][7]
Bernstein's efforts to publish articles on his experience in medical journals were rejected because he was not a doctor. He applied to and was accepted at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at age 45, becoming the oldest person to be accepted to the medical school.[5] During his first year in medical school, he wrote a book detailing his self-testing method, Diabetes: The Glucograph Method for Normalizing Blood Sugar..[5] He completed medical school in 1982, then completed his internal medicine internship through New York Medical College,[2] and specialized in endocrinology.[5][a]
After his internship, he established a private clinical practice in Mamaroneck, New York,[2] where he taught his patients the treatment methods for diabetes based on his own experience.[3] Bernstein died on April 15, 2025, at the age of 90.[9] He was preceded in death by his wife, Anne E. Bernstein, MD, in 2016.[10]
Bibliography
- Bernstein, Richard K. (November 1, 2011), Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution: The Complete Guide to Achieving Normal Blood Sugars (Hardcover 4th ed.), Little, Brown & Company, ISBN 978-0-316-18269-0
- Bernstein, Richard K. (January 3, 2005), The Diabetes Diet: Dr. Bernstein's Low-Carbohydrate Solution, Little, Brown & Company, ISBN 978-0-316-73784-5
- Bernstein, Richard K. (November 1990), Diabetes Type II: Living a Long, Healthy Life Through Blood Sugar Normalization (1st ed.), Prentice Hall Trade
- Bernstein, Richard K. (February 1, 1981), Diabetes: The GlucograF Method for Normalizing Blood Sugar, Crown