Diabetes
There are two kinds of diabetes: type 1 and type 2.
Type 1 diabetes usually appears very early on in life and is related to the inability of the pancreas to make insulin. Type 1 diabetes is often called insulin-dependent diabetes because people with the condition have to take daily injections of insulin.
Type 2 diabetes usually develops in later life and is much more common than Type 1. Up to 90 percent of people with diagnosed diabetes have the type 2 variety. People with type 2 diabetes can be deficient in the amount of insulin that is produced by the pancreas, but they are not dependent on insulin injections.
Type 2 diabetes is reaching epidemic proportions and affects more than 170 million people worldwide. Global estimates predict that 300 million people will have type 2 diabetes by the year 2025.
Despite the fact that diabetes is rapidly increasing in many countries, there appears to be very little effort directed towards finding out what causes the disease. As with heart disease, most of the resources available for research into diabetes have been focussed on risk factors for the disease rather than the disease itself.
The information we are given about the actual cause of diabetes is vague and the dietary advice given to diabetics is full of contradictions.
Obesity is the number one risk factor for diabetes. Obesity and diabetes are so often seen together that some experts have coined the term “diabesity”. However it is worth mentioning that this is a mathematical link. Being overweight or obese may contribute to diabetes but it is not the main cause. As stated above, there is little attention given to trying to find the cause.
Current Dietary Advice Can Only Make Diabetes Worse!
Diabetes of all kinds is characterised by an inability to lower blood glucose levels after the consumption of carbohydrate. The primary goal in the management of diabetes is to gain control over the amount of glucose in the blood. It is absurd then, that most diabetics are told to eat a low-fat / high-carbohydrate diet –- the very diet that will increase blood glucose levels!
Diabetics may be told to avoid eating fat because of a fear that dietary fat will make them gain weight. However, this is a misconception and in fact, too much carbohydrate in the diet is more likely to result in gaining weight.
It is no surprise that most people who have diabetes are also overweight - those people who are susceptible to having high blood glucose levels while following a diet that is high in carbohydrate will be at risk for both gaining weight and developing diabetes.
When we continue to consume too much carbohydrate, the body has to keep making more insulin in an attempt to reduce blood glucose levels. This results in a high level of insulin in the blood stream. The cells of the body respond to this high level of insulin in the blood by decreasing the number of insulin receptors on their membranes.
Insulin receptors are like tiny docking devices or landing sites for insulin. They are positioned on the outer layer of cells. When insulin reaches a docking device (receptor) it triggers the sequence of biochemical processes that enable glucose to be used by the cell.
The reduction in the number of insulin receptors effectively means that the cells are resistant to insulin. This resistance occurs because insulin cannot act upon the cells without its receptors being available. Medically, this state is known as insulin resistance.
Insulin resistance prevents the lowering of blood glucose levels. But the blood glucose level may still be too high, so the pancreas has to release even more insulin into the blood stream. The cells will respond by becoming more insulin resistant and a vicious cycle of events develops. This cycle may continue for a number of days, weeks or even years.
In simple terms:
Too much carbohydrate = high blood glucose = high insulin levels = insulin resistance
Insulin resistance results in a loss of control over blood glucose --->which defines diabetes
Studies have shown that blood glucose can be managed by simple dietary changes and an appropriate exercise program.
Some people can tolerate more carbohydrate in their diet than others. Metabolic Typing® is an effective tool that can be used to workout an individual person's ideal amount of carbohydrate.