Consuming Too Much Red Meat
Although red meat is typically associated with heart disease risk, theres evidence that eating it even in small amounts can increase the risk of diabetes. One meta-analysis from the Harvard School of Public Health found that a daily serving of red meat was associated with a 19% increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
Although researchers arent certain how red meat causes an increased risk, its high iron content could play a role by damaging insulin-producing cells. Swapping a daily serving of red meat for a healthier source of protein, like nuts, low-fat dairy, or whole grains was associated with up to a 35% lower risk of type 2 diabetes in the meta-analysis.
Lack Of Insulin Production
This is primarily the cause of type 1 diabetes. It occurs when insulin-producing cells are damaged or destroyed and stop producing insulin. Insulin is needed to move blood sugar into cells throughout the body. The resulting insulin deficiency leaves too much sugar in the blood and not enough in the cells for energy.
Diet And Persistence Can Reverse Diabetes
This means we can now see type 2 diabetes as a simple condition where the individual has accumulated more fat than they can cope with, continues the author, stressing the hopeful implications of this finding.
Importantly, this means that through diet and persistence, patients are able to lose the fat and potentially reverse their diabetes. The sooner this is done after diagnosis, the more likely it is that remission can be achieved.
For the first time, conclude Prof. Taylor and team in their paper, we are able to report the underlying physiologic changes during a full cycle of disease reversal and re-emergence.
In the U.K., the National Health Service will roll out a program that will test the weight loss therapy in thousands of people living with type 2 diabetes.
Also Check: How Much Glipizide Can You Take Daily
Spiritual Cause Behind Type 1 Diabetes
This kind of diabetes is mainly the result of spiritual and mental issues. To be more specific, reasons like not loving yourself, hating yourself, self-revenge, self-sabotage, guilt, self-harm basically when you fail to love yourself, end up hating yourself and resort to harming yourself. In this situation the body decides to destroy itself by creating an auto-immune disease.
The only medicine for Type 1 diabetes is loving yourself. You need to invest more time and effort into taking care of yourself, physically and emotionally. Its important to be very confident, brave and love yourself truly.
You should accept yourself the way you are and be proud of it. Respect yourself and let no one demean you or lower your worth. Its beneficial to practice meditation, yoga and spiritual healing techniques to truly understand the inner you.
What Does It Really Mean To Have Type 2 Diabetes
If youve been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, it simply means that too much sugar is floating around in your bloodstream, to the point of being dangerous to your health. Under normal circumstances, your body automatically removes excess sugar from your bloodstream every time you eat.
You see, the food you eat always undergoes a routine process: Once ingested, its broken down into sugar molecules in the bloodstream. As soon as your body senses that sugar has entered the bloodstream, it sends the hormone insulin to pull sugar molecules out of the bloodstream and into your cells to be used or stored as energy. This is a natural digestive process, intended to provide fuel for the body.
However, type 2 diabetes is the result of this natural process being disrupted.
When you have type 2 diabetes, it means your body has temporarily lost its ability to pull the sugar out of your bloodstream and into your cells, leaving you with elevated levels of sugar lingering in your blood.
But why does this happen?
The answer is simple. With an excessive amount of refined sugar in your diet, your body becomes resistant to dealing with it. Its this exact mechanism that leads to insulin resistance, or type 2 diabetes.
Don’t Miss: What Color Is The Diabetes Awareness Ribbon
Improve Insulin Sensitivity To Reduce Insulin Secretion
This is done primarily through exercise:
The more you exercise and more muscle you have, the more your body can burn and utilize the sugar. The end result is better insulin sensitivity.
Type 1 Vs Type 2 Diabetes: Whats The Difference
Type 2 diabetes is not the same as Type 1 diabetes. In Type 1 diabetes, your pancreas doesnt make any insulin. In Type 2, your pancreas doesnt make enough insulin, and the insulin it is making doesnt always work as it should. Both types are forms of diabetes mellitus, meaning they lead to hyperglycemia .
Type 2 diabetes usually affects older adults, though its becoming more common in children. Type 1 diabetes usually develops in children or young adults, but people of any age can get it.
Read Also: Greek Yogurt For Diabetes
Will I Need Medication Or Insulin For Type 2 Diabetes
Some people take medication to manage diabetes, along with diet and exercise. Your healthcare provider may recommend oral diabetes medications. These are pills or liquids that you take by mouth. For example, a medicine called metformin helps control the amount of glucose your liver produces.
You can also take insulin to help your body use sugar more efficiently. Insulin comes in the following forms:
- Injectable insulin is a shot you give yourself. Most people inject insulin into a fleshy part of their body such as their belly. Injectable insulin is available in a vial or an insulin pen.
- Inhaled insulin is inhaled through your mouth. It is only available in a rapid-acting form.
- Insulin pumps deliver insulin continuously, similar to how a healthy pancreas would. Pumps release insulin into your body through a tiny cannula . Pumps connect to a computerized device that lets you control the dose and frequency of insulin.
How Is Type 2 Diabetes Managed
Theres no cure for Type 2 diabetes. But you can manage the condition by maintaining a healthy lifestyle and taking medication if needed. Work with your healthcare provider to manage your:
- Blood sugar: A blood glucose meter or continuous glucose monitoring can help you meet your blood sugar target. Your healthcare provider may also recommend regular A1c tests, oral medications , insulin therapy or injectable non-insulin diabetes medications.
- Blood pressure: Lower your blood pressure by not smoking, exercising regularly and eating a healthy diet. Your healthcare provider may recommend blood pressure medication such as beta blockers or ACE inhibitors.
- Cholesterol: Follow a meal plan low in saturated fats, trans fat, salt and sugar. Your healthcare provider may recommend statins, which are a type of drug to lower cholesterol.
Don’t Miss: Metformin Blurred Vision
What Is The #1 Cause Of Diabetes
There are many risk factors for type 2 diabetes, but chief among them is a poor diet high in processed foods and added sugar. When the body is swamped with sugar , it can become resistant to insulin.
“Diabetes is when your body cannot provide enough insulin to allow glucose into the hungry cells of your body,” says Thomas Horowitz, DO, a family medicine specialist at CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles. “The best way to avoid it is to be on a diet that does not task your insulin supply.” He recommends choosing foods that break down slowly or have limited sugarfor example, protein, whole grains and vegetables instead of refined grains or sweets.
Eating Only Starchy Vegetables
Its great that you fit vegetables into your dietthey provide a healthy blend of nutrients, and a new study found that antioxidants found in produce could help reduce type 2 diabetes risk.
However, its best not to pair starchy vegetables with other carbohydrate-rich foods. . While too much starch doesnt directly raise your risk of diabetes, it can contribute to weight gain and blood sugar spikes, both of which could up your risk. As with any food, moderation is key.
MORE: 7 Sneaky Signs You May Develop DiabetesAnd How To Stay Healthy
Many people dont consider vegetables like sweet potatoes, corn, and peas to be sources of starch, says Jenifer Bowman, RD, a dietitian at UCHealth in Fort Collins, Colorado. But if youre trying to regulate your blood sugar, you need to be aware of overall carbohydrate content.
To make sure every meal is a balanced one, fill half your plate with non-starchy produce like leafy greens, then fill the rest with equal parts protein and grains or starchy vegetables.
You May Like: Glucophage Side Effects
How Do I Know I Have It
Symptoms vary from person to person, and also by how much your blood sugar is elevated. According to the NIH, type 1 diabetes symptoms can start quickly, sometimes over just a few weeks. With type 2 diabetes, symptoms often develop more slowly, over several years, and for some may be so mild that they’re not noticeable. In fact, many people with type 2 diabetes actually have no symptoms, and only find out they have the disease when they develop diabetes-related health problems like increased thirst and urination or heart trouble.
It’s key to pay attention to what’s happening in your bodyif something feels off, don’t ignore it: go see your doctor and get checked out.
Here Are The Top Contributing Factorsbroken Out By Diabetes Type:
Type 1 diabetes can occur at any age, in people of all races, shapes, and sizesand accounts for 10% of all cases of diabetes according to the NIH. It occurs most frequently in people of European descent. This type of diabetes occurs when your immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas. Researchers do not know exactly what causes type 1 diabetesbut believe that a combination of genetic and environmental factors, like certain common childhood viruses, may trigger the disease.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, affecting between 90 to 95% of people with the condition according to the CDC. It is often preceded by a period of prediabetes, when there is a greater opportunity to halt the progression of the disease. Both lifestyle factors and genes play into the development of type 2. Family history of the condition? You are more likely to develop diabetes as well. Physically inactive overweight or obese? These are also major risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes.
Gestational diabetes is a form of the disease that develops during pregnancy and is brought on by hormonal changes, as well as genetic and lifestyle factors. Hormones made by the placenta contribute to insulin resistance in the later trimestersthis happens to all women, but some can’t produce enough extra insulin to compensate and develop gestational diabetes. Being overweight or obese raises the risk of this condition.
You May Like: What’s The Lowest Dose Of Metformin
Checking Your Blood Sugar Levels
Checking your blood sugar levels is an important part of managing your diabetes, so well take you through how to check them and what your readings mean.
And weve also got more information about what happens your blood sugar levels get too low, called a hypo, or too high, called a hyper, so that youre aware of the signs and symptoms to look out for.
Can Type 2 Diabetes Be Reversed
Type 2 diabetes can be a life-long, chronic disease in which the body either does not produce enough insulin or the cells in out body doesnt respond to insulin correctly. Because of these two problems, there isnt enough insulin to move the glucose from the blood into the cells. When glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells, the bodys cells cant function properly.
Type 2 diabetes is more likely to occur in people who are over the age of 40, overweight, or have a family history in diabetes. Certain ethnic and racial groups also have higher risk for type 2 diabetes, including black, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian, Asian American and Pacific Islander. However, over the past decade the incidence of type2 diabetes has been increasing in adolescents and the young adult population.
According to recent research, type 2 diabetes cannot be cured, but individuals can have glucose levels that return to non-diabetes range, or pre-diabetes glucose level The primary means by which people with type 2 diabetes achieve remission is by losing significant amounts of weight.
We talk of remission and not a cure because it isnt permanent. The beta cells have been damaged and the underlying genetic factors contributing to the persons susceptibility to diabetes remain intact. Over time the disease process reasserts itself and continued destruction of the beta cells ensues. An environmental insult such as weight gain can bring back the symptomatic glucose intolerance.
Don’t Miss: Metformin Should Be Used With Caution For Patients Who Have
Its Not About Sugar Its About Insulin Resistance
While consuming too many foods containing sugar can certainly increase your risk of being diagnosed with diabetes, most cases of diabetes are caused by insulin resistancea condition resulting from eating too much FAT, refined carbohydrates, and a lack of body movement.
Insulin resistance is at the core of all forms of diabetes. Insulin resistance occurs when organ tissues, like your liver and muscles, are clogged with FAT. These organs are not designed to store excessive amounts of FAT for a prolonged period. The clogged FAT keeps glucose from entering your organ tissue cells.
In essence, when you eat food , your pancreas is told to release insulin. Insulins job is to escort the glucose or energy you receive from food into your bloodstream and organ tissue cells. However, fat-clogged cells resist or reject the insulin and the glucose it is attempting to guide into them.
The rejected insulin and glucose/energy stays in your bloodstream in excessive amounts, and your pancreas continues to produce more insulin to force the glucose into your cells. The excessive amount of glucose/energy in your bloodstream is symptomatic of diabetes. In other words, your high glucose level is characteristic of insulin resistancethe TRUE cause of the disease. The natural remedy for diabetes is to change your diet to reduce your FAT intake to the point where your organ tissue cells are sensitive once again to the insulin attempting to escort glucose/energy into your cells.
What Is Type 1 Diabetes
In autoimmune diseases, such as type 1 diabetes, the immune system mistakenly manufactures antibodies and inflammatory cells that are directed against and cause damage to patients’ own body tissues. In persons with type 1 diabetes, the beta cells of the pancreas, which are responsible for insulin production, are attacked by the misdirected immune system. It is believed that the tendency to develop abnormal antibodies in type 1 diabetes is, in part, genetically inherited, though the details are not fully understood.
Exposure to certain viral infections or other environmental toxins may serve to trigger abnormal antibody responses that cause damage to the pancreas cells where insulin is made. Some of the antibodies seen in type 1 diabetes include anti-islet cell antibodies, anti-insulin antibodies and anti-glutamic decarboxylase antibodies. These antibodies can be detected in the majority of patients, and may help determine which individuals are at risk for developing type 1 diabetes.
You May Like: Metformin Dosage Forms
Symptoms Of Insulin Resistance
Most people dont realize they have insulin resistance until they have a blood test. Everyone has high blood sugar levels from time to time. However, when your bodys sugar level is consistently high, you may notice you are thirstier than usual, urinate more, are more tired, have blurred vision, and have some tingling on the bottom of your feet.
Why Is Diabetes Increasing
All types of diabetes are increasing in prevalence:
- Type 1 diabetes accounts for 10% of all diabetes and is increasing
- Type 2 diabetes accounts for 85% of all diabetes and is increasing
- Gestational diabetes in pregnancy is increasing
Type 2 diabetes is increasing at the fastest rate. There are large numbers of people with silent, undiagnosed type 2 diabetes which may be damaging their bodies. An estimated 2 million Australians are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes and are already showing early signs of the condition.
Type 2 diabetes is one of the major consequences of the obesity epidemic. The combination of massive changes to diet and the food supply, combined with massive changes to physical activity with more sedentary work and less activity, means most populations are seeing more type 2 diabetes.
Genes also play a part with higher risk of type 2 diabetes in Chinese, South Asian, Indian, Pacific Islander and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations.
Recommended Reading: Negative Side Effects Of Metformin
Not Eating Enough Nuts
The healthy polyunsaturated fats found in nuts and seeds have been found to help prevent type 2 diabetes by improving insulin sensitivity, according to a Swedish study. Whats more, walnuts, in particular, may activate a part of the brain thats involved in appetite control. Snack on them in the afternoon to help you resist sugary snacks or drinks that contribute to diabetes risk.
Try this trail mix for a tasty afternoon snack:
Exercise And Insulin Resistance
Can you exercise your way out of this problem? Sometimes you can however, the key is exercising properly. For younger patients, it is best to exercise briefly and intensely. Within the first 20 minutes of intense exercise, your body burns its sugar stores, which are hanging out in liver and muscle again. After that, you start burning fat. Although this sounds good and to some extent it is, if you spend hours running or exercising excessively, you train your body to burn fat efficiently, which subsequently leads to also training your body to store fat efficiently.
Alternatively, if you hit it really hard for 20 minutes or so, you may never enter the fat-burning phase of exercise. Consequently, your body becomes more efficient at storing sugar in your liver and muscles, where it is needed, as glycogen is the muscles primary fuel source. If your body is efficient at storing and using glycogen, it means that it is not storing fat.
However, it is not recommended that you exercise intensely, consider walking or using the elliptical machine. When developing an exercise plan always factor in your limitations and safety.
The take-home message is that exercise lowers insulin levels, which is why IT LEADS TO WEIGHT LOSS. Youre not sweating off the fat. In fact, the intense exercise can have a residual fat-burning effect that can last up to TWO DAYS!
So, how do I control my carbs? Between 90 and 95 percent of the time, I eat a Paleo diet. Learn more by reading my Paleo diet blog.
Recommended Reading: Can Metformin Cause Low Blood Sugar