The
principal cause of adult onset diabetes is insulin resistance in the muscles.
What this means is that the glucose in your blood stream is delivered
to muscles, ready for action and the action doesn't happen. The pancreas
has to do all the work of removing the excess glucose from the blood and
arranging to have it stored elsewhere on the body. It does this by producing
insulin.
IN SIMPLE TERMS IT LOOKS LIKE THIS
The
wrong type of food at the wrong time.
Because
of the refined, high density carbohydrate diet that we have been conditioned
to eat at just about every meal (and in between) continually floods the
blood with glucose, the pancreas has to work too hard, too often. Eventually,
(and this is over many years) it becomes worn out and, unable to produce
enough insulin to moderate blood glucose levels. As a result blood glucose
levels escalate.
The high density carbohydrate are the sugars and starches. The starches
are polysaccharides. That is they are made up of combinations of glucose
molecules. Therefore in a short time after eating a starch meal, blood
sugar becomes elevated.
If
you look at the typical Western diet it looks like this.
Breakfast
Cereal
and toast.
Lunch
Bread,
with salad or meat.
Dinner
Pasta
(with meat), followed by ice cream or cake — more sugar and more
starch.
The
body is being continually flooded with sugar-type foods, the net effect
of which is to bring about a rapid elevation of blood sugar which requires
a response from the pancreas to pump out sufficient insulin to bring the
level back to normal. Without exercise, the increase in insulin production
may cause an over-correction, leading to low blood sugar. When your blood
sugar is low you can feel tired, depressed and hungry.
At
this point most people reach for a snack, chocolate or biscuits which
introduces sugar and starch into the system starting the pre-diabetic
food cycle all over again.
The
wrong amount of food If
you eat too much, particularly the high fat, sugar and starch diet you
get fat. Obesity is associated with increased insulin resistance in muscles.
It reduces the effective function of the mechanism designed to move glucose
into muscles.
Lack
of essential vitamins and minerals Adult
onset diabetes has been linked with a long line of vitamin and mineral
deficiency. The effect of chromium dxefici9ency is well known.
It's a complicated web of interactions which make it all that
much harder for the blood glucose system to work properly.
Lack
of Physical Activity
Due
to lack of physical activity the excess blood sugar has 'nowhere to go'.
As the pancreas becomes more and more stressed, its ability to maintain
the blood glucose balance becomes reduced. Eventually it becomes dysfunctional.
It 'gives up.'
You
end up with persistent high blood glucose levels. As you become fatter
it becomes more and more difficult to support the mechanism which regulates
the absorption of glucose from the blood and its utilization in muscles.
On
the other hand, if you exercise with vigor on a regular and systematic
basis the mechanism for getting glucose out of the blood and into the
muscles is maintained in a healthy state, and you'll maintain an ideal
body weight.
PATHWAY TO ADULT ONSET DIABETES
LACK
OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Adult
onset diabetes starts off with lack of regular, vigorous physical
activity. The muscles are the main site for burning off excess blood
glucose. If the glucose doesn't get burned off it has to be stored
- as fat. Insulin resistance starts to build up in the muscles.
HIGH
STARCH AND SUGAR DIET
A
persistent high starch, high sugar diet places stress on the pancreas
to keep blood sugar at an optimal level.
OBESITY
A
high fat diet, (usually coupled with a high starch and sugar intake)
increases obesity, fueling insulin resistance in the muscles, the
main site for burning off excess blood glucose.
NUTRITIONAL
INSUFFICIENCY
Diabetes
may be fueled by a vitamin or mineral deficiency, particularly chromium,
magnesium, manganese, potassium, zinc, and vitamins C, B3, B6, biotin,
B12, E.
AMBER
LIGHT FLASHING
If
you're a couch potato on a garbohydrate (high fat, starch and sugar diet, and
if you're more than 20Kg over your ideal weight the diabetic amber
light is flashing even though blood glucose levels appear
normal!
The
situation is redeemable, providing you get 800 Aerabytes per
week and eat from the top of the Hourglass.
ALARM
BELLS RING
Resting
blood glucose levels start to rise, approaching 6, 7, or 8 mmol/l.
Insulin resistance in muscles is definitely on the increase.
The
situation is redeemable, providing you exercise with vigor (800
Aerabytes a week) and eat from the top of the Hourglass.) Insulin
resistance in muscles increasing.
RED
LIGHT IS FLASHING
Insulin
resistance has built up to the point where the pancreas cannot keep
up with the demands for insulin. Insulin resistance has increased.
Glucose levels in the blood go sky high, reaching 20 - 30 mmol/l.
The
situation is less likely to be redeemable. Your pancreas may be
permanently stuffed. You're on the tablet for life! You're at risk
of all the complications that go with adult onset diabetes.
However,
the best thing you can do is to take some of the load off your pancreas
by exercising with vigor (800 Aerabytes per week) and eating from the
top of the hourglass. With some time, effort and thought you may
well be able to minimize your dysfunction and moderate blood sugar
levels.
Keeping
Track of Blood Glucose Levels
A
normal level of blood glucose is between 4 and 7 mmol/litre. It doesn't
much matter whether this is fasting or non-fasting. For some people fasting
levels appear quite normal, whilst after a meal they may increase dramatically
and show up a dysfunction.
Once
it gets to 7 the amber light starts flashing. By the time it's got to
10 the red light is flashing.
You will probable be experiencing periods when you are thirstier than
normal and frequent urination. You can be certain that the pancreas is
struggling and on the verge of giving up. Once that happens the blood
glucose level can shoot up to 20 or more with dire consequences for health.
You can end up going blind, having circulation problems where you end
up having your legs amputated.
When
it's all boiled down, blood sugar level going too high is really a case
of bad self management.
For
starters you need to know what your resting and post prandial blood sugar
levels are before they get out of hand. Either measure them yourself,
(and this is easy if you have a blood glucose measuring kit) or have them
measured at your pathologists on a regular basis. If you're in the at
risk group, (over 40, unfit and overweight) having your own kit to measure
your blood glucose level is not a bad idea.
On
top of that you need to keep yourself in good physical shape. It's easy
to do, doesn't cost much, require expensive medical intervention or depend
on rocket science.
HERE'S WHAT YOU CAN DO
FOR YOURSELF
1.
Develop
a high density exercise routine.
Exercise
with vigor, continuously for 40 minutes each day. Start shuffling,
(jogging or running,) or swimming, get on the stepper or climber,
the exercise bike or the rower. Get a good sweat up. Go to Aerobic
Fitness (coming soon) to find out what you need to do to exercise
with vigor and record what you do.
Your pulse rate should be over
130 for most of the time you are exercising.
Ambling around the
block, or walking around your office for ten minutes three times
a day won't have much effect.
If
you can build up to 800
Aerabytes a week, you'll be well on the way to
improving your aerobic fitness, restoring function to key body systems
and losing fat.
The
vigorous physical activity will burn off the chemicals that over-stimulate
the sympathetic nervous system. This will cause muscles to relax
and blood vessels to dilate.
Use
Aerabytes as a way of measuring the time and intensity of your aerobic
workouts. You'll need a copy of our Aerobic Activity Diary to know
what we're talking about. You'll need 800 or more Aerabytes a week
to keep yourself in good shape.
2.
Meditate
on a daily basis to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system.
When
you do this muscles relax and blood vessels dilate to the very core
of your body. Blood pressure comes down.
3.
The
Hourglass Eating Program. Develop a low density eating routine. Go to
Hourglass Diet eating program and find out how to eat in a way that
supports good health and ideal weight. Keep focused on the foods
at the top of the hourglass. If you eat from the top of the hourglass
you'll become thinner.
4.
Eat
the right food at the right time.
Jean Niedech, the founder of Weight Watchers said, 'Most people
who are overweight don't eat enough; of the right food at the right
time.'
Eat
a decent diet comprised of low density carbohydrates, ie vegetables
and fruit, (particularly those you don't have to cook to eat) and
lean protein, especially fish. If you eat this way the fat will
look after itself. You'll probably need to have a high fibre supplement
to keep things moving on the inside.
Stop eating so much fat.
As likely as not you don't realize how much fat you're
eating because most of the fat we eat is in combination with
starch and sugar. It's not the bit you dribble into the
non-stick pan that is adding extra calories to your diet,
it's the pizza, biscuits and cake. Fat is the highest
density food we eat. It contains 9 calories per gram,
compared with carbohydrate and protein with only half the
number of calories.
Eating a high fat diet is a sure fire way to end up being
fat. And keep in mind that even though you may not each much
fat on its own, the amount of fat you eat in combination
with starch and sugar may be considerable.
Stop eating so much
starch. Every time you see the word 'cereal' read 'starch'.
Being a polysaccharide all it does is over stimulate insulin
production. For all intents and purposes starch is a series
of glucose molecules strung together, so that once they get
into your body stream they quickly act like raw sugar. Blood
glucose is elevated rapidly, stimulating the pancreas to
pump out insulin.
For sedentary people, all this leads to is a mad scramble by
the pancreas to inject insulin into your system in an effort
to get the blood glucose level down. Along the way, blood
glucose level drops too far and you become tired, depressed
and hungry. The adrenal glands then have to work over time
to get blood glucose levels back to normal. (An increase in
adrenaline over-stimulates your sympathetic nervous system
leading to a stress reaction.) And because of the sedentary
nature of most people's lives the glucose eventually gets
stored as fat. Far from doing you good, too much of the food
you've been told to eat more of is making you fatter.
You may have been told that eating lots of starch is good
because of the dietary fibre it contains. Don't bet on it.
Bread doesn't contain the huge amounts of fibre that we've
been led to believe. 3% or 6% dietary fibre is not high
fibre. Try 15% or more and you can start to call 'high
fibre' high fibre! The same goes for pasta and rice, both of
which contain only small amounts of fibre. (Read the
packet).
The great tragedy is that when you thought you were eating a
high fibre diet from grains and cereals, all you were eating
was refined white flour. Throughout recent history it, along
with refined sugar has been responsible for the demise of
the world's aboriginal populations. Now it's killing us.
On top of that half a dozen slices of bread each day can add
and extra 1000 or more calories to your food intake (and
that's before you start laying on the butter and jam). Your
fat guts may well be a starch guts.
Stop eating so much fat
and sugar — ice cream, chocolate, fudge
Stop eating so much sugar and starch — most of the popular
packaged breakfast cereals (which can contain over 40% raw
sugar)
Stop eating so much fat,
sugar and starch — biscuits, cake, pastries ...
6.
Eat
the right amount of food.
Portion
control is an important key to maintaining an ideal weight. For
instance half a dozen slices of bread each day can add and extra
1000 calories to your food intake.
7.
Take
dietary supplements. Particularly
chromium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, zinc, and vitamins C,
B3, B6, biotin, B12, E.
8.
Follow steps 1 - 6, you'll lose fat from your body If
you do what's outlined in items 1- 6 you'll lose weight. For every
kilogram you lose, you can expect your blood pressure to drop 1mm
Hg.
9.
Stop
drinking caffeine.
Caffeine
constricts blood vessels and may boost blood pressure between 10
and 20 points. Adult onset diabetes and high blood pressure go hand
in hand.
10.
Stop
smoking.
Smoking contracts blood vessels, causing blood pressure to go up.
11.
Eat
liver-friendly foods
Eat
foods which stimulate the liver back into normal function particularly
celery, carrot and parsley. Here is my recipe for the thick shake
from heaven
Add
some high fibre supplement (psyllium husk, raw oat bran,
lecithin and flaxseed) to get yourself moving quicker on the
inside and help lower your cholesterol level.
If
you use these as meals (and I can guarantee that each one is a decent
meal when you take into account the amount of fruit and vegetable),
you'll soon find yourself losing weight. Your cholesterol level
will decline.
12.
Focus
on your health
Undertake
a course of personal development and counseling to get your mind
back focused on your Self and your health.
Miller Health
7 Salvado Place, Stirling (Canberra) ACT
2611 Australia
