According to the CDC, type 2 diabetes, characterized by poorly controlled blood sugar or dysglycemia, is the sixth leading chronic disease based cause of death following cancer, heart disease, respiratory illness, stroke and Alzheimer’s dementia. However, when you consider it is linked to those five, it might be said that diabetes is actually the number one cause of an early demise. It’s also the leading cause of blindness, amputation and, in fact, pretty much all long-term illnesses have some element of dysglycemia at their core.
The hallmark sign of type 2 diabetes is insulin resistance, a condition where cells lose their sensitivity to the hormone. Under ordinary healthy conditions insulin is secreted in response to rising blood glucose, causing cells to become permeable allowing the glucose to enter, thereby reducing its concentration in the blood. If however, blood glucose is chronically elevated, which is what happens to folks who subsist on the standard American diet that’s loaded with carbohydrates, cells begin to lose their sensitivity to insulin. The end result are blood sugar levels that remain high, leading to damaged organs, tissues, blood vessels and ultimately disease and death.
In addition to blood sugar, elevated blood fats can also cause cells to become less responsive to insulin. Once again, the high carb standard American diet is to blame. The best way to improve cell sensitivity to insulin is to reduce calories, especially those that are coming in from refined flour and sugar. Fiber rich veggies can be helpful, likewise supplements including, among others, niacin, chromium, magnesium, selenium and alpha-lipoic acid.
