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ADULT ONSET DIABETES

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Causes

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 works like this:

The Wrong Diet

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 icecream 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. Visit our Health and Fitness Bookshop for the books containing more detailed information about diet and diabetes.

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.
	■		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 high fat, starch and sugar diet, and if you're more than 10Kg over your ideal weight the diabetic amber light is flashing even though blood glucose levels appear normal! The situation is redeemable, providing you get 1000 Herbs 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 (1000 Herbs 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 (1000 Herbs 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.