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Type 2 Diabetes – The Silent Killer
By Dr. Lorraine Parker, DC, MS

 According to the Centers for Disease Control, Type 2 or Adult-onset Diabetes is now an epidemic – worldwide over 150 million people are affected. In the United States, about 16 million people have the disease and half of these people don’t know it. Approximately 798,000 new cases will be diagnosed each year. In fact, this disease is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. The cost for treatment and lost productivity places a substantial burden on our healthcare resources – about $98 billion annually.

In addition, Type 2 Diabetes (which accounts for about 95 percent of all cases) can shorten your life by five to ten years. Or worse, you could spend your later years blind, on a kidney dialysis machine, and with nerve damage resulting in lower-limb amputations. The good news is that at least 75 percent of the new cases can be prevented.

Under normal conditions, your body’s blood sugar (glucose) levels are stringently controlled. The hormone insulin, produced by the pancreas and released into the bloodstream, maintains control. After a meal, as glucose is produced and released into the bloodstream during digestion, insulin is essential. It normalizes blood sugar by binding to receptors on cells and facilitating the entrance of glucose into the cell. Once inside the cells, glucose is metabolized to produce energy. However, sometimes a person’s insulin loses its effectiveness and her cells are described as “insulin resistant.” When this occurs, the glucose remains in the blood – the cells become starved for energy – and the pancreas churns out more insulin attempting to normalize the blood sugar. Initially the pancreas is successful, and blood sugar levels drop.

However, there’s a price to pay because the excess insulin levels contribute to higher levels of LDL (low density lipoprotein) or “bad” cholesterol and higher levels of triglycerides as well as lower levels of HDL (high density lipoprotein) or “good” cholesterol and higher blood pressure. This cluster of abnormalities increases your risk of developing heart disease or having a stroke. Moreover, the overwhelmed pancreas eventually loses the battle, and your blood sugar swings out of control. Now you have Type 2 Diabetes. The normal fasting blood sugar level should be less than 100 mg/dL. Someone who is pre-diabetic will have a fasting blood sugar level between 100-125 mg/dL and someone with Type 2 Diabetes will have a fasting blood sugar level greater than 125 mg/dL.

The following symptoms for Type 2 Diabetes can also be due to other causes. However, if you’re experiencing any of them, see your physician immediately:

• Insatiable thirst
• Insatiable hunger
• Frequent urination
• Unexplained weight loss
• General fatigue
• Increased infections (skin, bladder, gums)
• Leg cramps
• Tingling or numbness in the hands or feet
• Impotence
• Wounds that heal slowly
• Blurred vision

The American Diabetes Association cautions that any of the following risk factors can increase your chance of developing diabetes:

• Over 45 years of age
• Family history of Diabetes
• Being overweight
• Sedentary lifestyle
• High triglycerides
• Low HDL cholesterol
• Women who had gestational Diabetes
• Some individuals  are also more susceptible, for instance – African Americans, Latinos, or Native Americans

Physicians and researchers worldwide agree that the two preventable risk factors contributing to the Diabetes epidemic are obesity and a sedentary lifestyle. Some researchers believe it is obesity that increases the cells’ resistance to insulin. In a dozen studies that followed tens of thousands of people for years, being overweight increased a person’s risk factor by more than tenfold.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that 21,000 male physicians and 87,000 female nurses who exercised at least once a week had a 30 to 40 percent lower risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes. And this was true even for people with a family history of Diabetes.

Studies indicate that including all of the following can definitely lower your risk or, if you’ve been diagnosed, control the disease:

• Lose weight
• Exercise regularly
• Eat more fiber-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains. These foods can lower blood sugar and also cholesterol. Studies conclude that people who consumed an average of just 3 servings (more servings are better) of high fiber foods a day had a 21 percent lower risk of developing Diabetes.
• Add the mineral chromium to your diet. This mineral (recommended dosage is 50-200 micrograms a day) interacts with insulin to enhance glucose transport into cells. The average adult intake of chromium is just 20-30 micrograms a day and this may contribute to an increased risk for developing Type 2 Diabetes. Some food sources of chromium include egg yolks, whole grains, meats, mushrooms, and nuts. However, chromium in food is closely tied to the soil content, so consider a multiple vitamin and mineral supplement that includes about 200 micrograms of chromium.
• Diabetics have increased levels of free radicals in their bodies according to a study from the Nutrition Department at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Therefore, including antioxidants – vitamin C found in fruits and vegetables and vitamin E found in whole grains, vegetable oils, and green leafy vegetables – in your diet can either lower your risk factor or control your symptoms.

For more information about Type 2 Diabetes, or to take the Diabetes Risk Test, check the website for the American Diabetes Association at diabetes.org.

 

OTHER ARTICLES BY
DR. LORRAINE PARKER, DC, MS

Nutrition and lifestyle tips to decrease your risk of developing Age-Related Macular Degeneration 

Type 2 Diabetes – The Silent Killer

Homocysteine – The New Cholesterol

Chronic inflammation increases your risk of developing heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Diabetes, cancer and other diseases. 

How you can save your aging brain. 

Olive oil, almonds, and tomatoes – three foods that provide “super” health benefits. 

Vitamin D:  Research shows it’s good for more than your bones.

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