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Understanding diabetes: Escape from sugar land (Part Three)
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Increasing Incidence of Diabetes in USA
People think of diabetes as a disorder of sugar metabolism. It is that, but it is much more:
Diabetes is part of a complex metabolic derangement related to obesity (Metabolic Syndrome), a cluster of biochemical abnormalities predictably leading to the serious diseases spelled out in Parts One and Two. Obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, and high BP are tightly linked and are a highway without a speed limit to cardiovascular disease.
The good news, again, is that this process is…..for many years after onset…..reversible. Obviously lifestyle/diet changes must be made. Even at mid-stage or advanced, lifestyle/diet changes and medications can stabilize and improve matters.
Exercise improves insulin sensitivity. Exercise! Smoking causes inflammation [measured by C-RP] in the arteries, part of the trigger that starts up the cholesterol deposition process (atherosclerosis). Don’t smoke! Anti-oxidants found in brightly pigmented fruits and vegetables, and in some fish (tuna, salmon) interfere with bad (LDL) cholesterol, an active agent in arterial injury. Have some every day! All of this is best done in consultation with a doctor dedicated to prevention as well as treatment of disease. Sugars, fast carbs, bad fats and salt, as detailed In Parts One and Two: Limit!
Genetics may play a role in susceptibility to Type II Diabetes but it is life style that is the controlling factor.
Another benefit: many cancers occur more often in overweight than in thin people.
About insulin and oral meds: there are about ten or twelve different variants of insulin and as many types of oral agents having different mechanisms of action. Some agents have several brand names, plus generics. It’s not as confusing as it may sound. Most physicians get comfortable with a few short and long acting insulins, and three or four kinds of oral drugs, to model to your particular condition.
While diabetes Type II is, as noted, a disease in and of itself, and most often a result of diet and overweight/obesity, it is in turn a cause of the most disabling diseases of our time. With so many Americans overweight or obese, the lifestyle changes outlined could add many, many years to the healthy, enjoyable, and productive life span of almost every man, woman, and child today.
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