Diabetes is an epidemic; an epidemic that can be prevented by taking action in the early stages of diabetes. Learn how insulin resistance and diabetes can be prevented.
Copyright (c) 2014 LifeWorks Integrative health
Chances are you have been told at one point of another that diabetes is not reversible. You may have even consulted multiple physicians only to find out that the only thing you can do about your diabetes is control your blood sugar levels with medications or insulin. Chances are your doctor has told you that drugs and insulin are what will protect you from organ damage and ultimately a premature death. However, medications and insulin can actually increase your risk of a heart attack as well as increase your risk of a premature death.
The epidemic of diabetes has been accelerated by the obesity epidemic. However, what you are not being told is how you can treat it without the need for medications and insulin. There is another way to help reverse this epidemic. Type 2 diabetes, formerly known as adult onset diabetes, is a huge concern. With over 100 million people in the world and over 20 million Americans suffering from diabetes, the end of the diabetes epidemic appears to be nowhere in site. What is even more alarming is the increase of type 2 diabetes in children. Previously, type 2 diabetes was never considered a childhood illness. One in three children born today will face diabetes during their lifetime.
The scary thing is that diabetes is an entirely preventable lifestyle disease. A report in The New England Journal of Medicine, demonstrates that 91 percent of all type 2 diabetes cases can be prevented through improvements in lifestyle and diet.
The Makings of a Diabetic Starts Early
For most people, diabetes is often undiagnosed until its later stages. Insulin resistance, which occurs when the body becomes resistant to the effects of insulin, is the primary reason many individuals will develop diabetes.
If your diet is full of empty calories, an abundance of quickly absorbed sugars and carbohydrates (such as bread, rice and pasta), the body will slowly become more and more resistant to the effects of insulin. As a result, your body will need more and more to do the same job of maintaining your blood sugar levels. If you are experiencing high insulin levels, this is the first sign that you may be heading down the road to diabetes. High insulin leads to an increased appetite. This will lead to an increase in weight gain in the abdominal region. High insulin levels serve as a warning sign, they precede type 2 diabetes by decades.
Insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome associated with insulin resistance are often accompanied by an increase in abdominal fat, fatigue after eating, sugar cravings, high blood pressure, low HDL, high triglycerides, problems with blood clotting as well as increased inflammation throughout the body.
These are clues and symptoms that are often picked up decades before an individual is actually diagnosed with diabetes. In fact, picking up on these clues may help you to prevent diabetes entirely.
If you have a family history of diabetes, obesity, heart disease and even dementia, you are much more likely to experience problems with insulin resistance.
Early Diagnosis is Key in Leading a Life Without Diabetes
Pre-diabetes as well as diabetes ARE reversible. Science shows that reversal of diabetes is very possible through an aggressive approach. This aggressive approach includes changes in diet, nutritional support and occasionally medications.
It is important to diagnose type 2 diabetes as early as possible. However, the reality of type 2 diabetes, is that it is often diagnosed very late. In fact, all doctors should aggressively diagnose pre-diabetes decades before a patient actually becomes a diabetic. By doing so, damage to the body can be prevented. Damage begins with even the smallest changes in insulin and blood sugar levels.
It is unfortunate that there is a continuum of risk from slightly abnormal insulin and blood sugar levels to being diagnosed an actual diabetic. This needs to be addressed as early as possible in order to prevent an individual from becoming a full blown diabetic.
One study found that anyone with a fasting blood sugar level of 87 is at increased risk of diabetes. The lowest risk group is any individual with a fasting blood sugar level of less than 81. However, most doctors are not concerned with blood sugar until it is over 110. Keep in mind that over 126 is concerned diabetic.
As a result, early testing is a must! Early testing is especially important for anyone with a family history of type 2 diabetes, central abdominal weight gain or abnormal cholesterol levels.
Do not wait until your sugar level is high; it will be too late!
Get Tested Before It's Too Late
Below is a list of tests recommended for insulin resistance as well as diabetes. These are tests that any doctor can perform and are most often covered by insurance.
Insulin Glucose Challenge Test
Hemoglobin A1C Test
Lipids Profile
NMR Lipid Profile
High Sensitivity
C-Reactive Protein Test
Homocysteine Test
Fibrinogen Test
Ferritin Levels
Uric Acid Test
Liver Function Tests
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