DIABETES

DIABETES IS A DISEASE in which the body cannot properly convert food into energy, either because it does not produce enough insulin, or because the cells become insulin-resistant or incapable of absorbing it. ‘ Insulin, which is a hormone produced by the pancreas, regulates the level of glucose, or blood sugar, in the bloodstream. After a meal, carbohydrates pass through the liver, which stores part of them for later use, and releases the other part into the bloodstream as glucose for immediate use by the body organs, muscles, and red blood cells. When the blood glucose rises, the pancreas releases insulin, which promotes the absorption of glucose by the body’s tissues.

In diabetes, this process breaks down, and glucose, instead of being absorbed as a nutrient, accumulates in the bloodstream. Where the normal range of glucose is 65 to 115 mg. per 100 dl. of blood, a diabetic’s blood glucose can be three times as high. This triggers a harmful chain of events. The excessive glucose injures the delicate filtering mechanisms of the kidneys, causing increased urination. In the process, the body loses a lot of water, which is why two common symptoms of diabetes are frequent urination and excessive thirst. High blood glucose, as well as unused insulin, also affect several blood components, causing serious cardiovascular complications. People with diabetes have a much higher rate of heart attacks, strokes, and high blood pressure and cataracts than the general population. Because of poor circulation to the lower limbs, diabetics also experience various leg and foot problems. The nervous system may also be affected, with loss of sensation, burning, pain, sexual impotence, and feelings of weakness as a result. Another complication of diabetes that can lead to a medical emergency is ketoacidosis, which is a toxic accumulation of acidic by-products released into the bloodstream when the body, unable to utilize its glucose, starts burning its own fat and muscle for fuel.

There are two types of diabetes. Type 1, known as juvenile or insulin dependent diabetes, usually starts in childhood or adolescence when the pancreas fails to produce insulin. Type I diabetics require regular insulin injections. Less than 15 percent of all diabetics have this form of the disease. Far more common is Type 2, adult-onset diabetes, which occurs most frequently in middle age or during pregnancy. Type 2 diabetics produce insulin, but are unable to utilize it properly, because their cells may lack an adequate number of “insulin receptors,” or because of other unknown causes.

Diabetes appears to run in families. People who are overweight or sedentary are also prone to diabetes, and the likelihood of developing the disease increases with age. In the United States ten million people have diabetes, and it is estimated that an additional ten million have it without knowing it. Three hundred thousand people die from diabetes and its complications each year, making it the third leading cause of death in this country.

If you have juvenile or Type 1 diabetes, you will be taking injections of insulin under the supervision of your doctor.

Fortunately, most adult-onset, Type 2 diabetics can control the disease through a combination of weight loss, a diet high in fiber and complex carbohydrates, nutritional supplements, and adequate exercise. People who are at risk of diabetes because of family history or borderline elevated blood sugar can reduce the risk of getting the disease by following the same regimen.

If you have adult-onset or Type 2 diabetes, or suspect that you do, you have to recognize that it is both good and bad news. The bad news about adult-onset diabetes is that it makes you more vulnerable to a host of ailments. The good news is that this type of diabetes can be controlled with diet and lifestyle changes. Ironically, I have seen many patients who credit the development of diabetes as the single most important factor in improving their overall health: When they made the changes they needed to live successfully with diabetes, they felt better than they had in years.

Most of my patients with adult-onset diabetes were overweight when they first came to see me. I immediately placed them on a weight reducing diet, which appears to increase the sensitivity of insulin receptors and thus lowers the blood sugar. Since proper nutrition is essential, I steer my patients away from crash diets and toward a diet they can follow over the long term. This should be a diet that is 60 percent fiber and complex carbohydrates, which will reduce the need for insulin and lower the fat levels of the blood. Whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and legumes are all appropriate complex carbohydrates. Avoid processed sugars, including those in cookies, candies, cakes, ice cream, sodas, diet sodas, honey, dried fruit, chocolate, and desserts. Keep fats down to 20 percent of your total calorie intake, and avoid high-fat foods such as butter, red meats, and other foods high in cholesterol. Monounsaturated vegetable fats, which include olive oil, are the best for diabetics, since they promote a healthy circulatory system. The remaining 20 percent of your diet should consist of protein such as fish or poultry.

I tell my patients to take their time over their meals. Don’t gulp down your food, and eat three meals a day rather than one large one, to avoid a sudden surge of blood sugar. A snack of an apple or other fruit in midmorning or afternoon can also help to keep blood sugar stable. Apples and many other fresh fruits are also high in pectin fiber, which reduces blood sugar in diabetics. The more fresh salads you eat, the better, because these raw foods reduce sugar levels, perhaps because they take longer to digest.

In addition to eating a diet high in fiber, you can take fiber supplements, which have been shown to reduce blood sugar elevations and insulin requirements (fiber supplements should be taken before meals), The first one is guar, which comes in powder form. It’s very important that you take guar with a large glass of water, so that you swallow it completely before it thickens. The second fiber is psyllium, which is available in the form of sugar-free Metamucil available at all health food stores. Don’t take both guar and psyllium fiber at the same time-take one or the other, whichever is easier for you to get.

Another important supplement is the mineral chromium, which helps the body to respond to insulin, and reduces blood sugar. Chromium has also been found to promote a healthy cardiovascular system, which is an important consideration for diabetics. Nine out of ten Americans are estimated to consume inadequate amounts of chromium; in diabetics, this problem is compounded by the increased urinary loss of chromium common to diabetics.

Magnesium appears to stimulate insulin activity. In several studies, however, diabetics were consistently found to have below normal magnesium levels.

Diabetics are not particularly prone to zinc deprivation, but zinc supplements help control blood sugar levels, and I recommend taking them.

Vitamin C has been found to improve glucose tolerance and the functions of the liver, while vitamin E reduces cellular damage and promotes healing of lesions caused by diabetes. If you are a Type 1 diabetic on insulin, you might want to check with your doctor about vitamin E supplements. Since vitamin E may reduce insulin requirements, however, patients on insulin should start with doses of 100 I.U. of vitamin E, and monitor their insulin dosage closely, lowering it as they gradually raise their dosage of vitamin E.

Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) is also helpful, particularly in reducing damage to the extremities caused by poor circulation, and in improving delivery of oxygen to the tissues. It also helps prevent atherosclerosis, which diabetics are prone to develop.

Vitamin B12 has also shown evidence of helping reduce the symptoms of diabetes.

Finally, it is important that you evaluate your entire lifestyle. If you smoke, you must give it up-not next month or next year, but immediately. Smoking, as you know, is dangerous for everyone, but particularly so for diabetics, whose circulatory systems are already at risk from the effects of high blood sugar and buildups of cholesterol. You should also give up caffeine, which impairs circulation and appears to accelerate the onset of diabetes.

Stress, if handled incorrectly, is also bad for you. We all have stress in our lives, and a certain amount of stress is inevitable and even useful. But try to avoid situations that escalate your level of ‘anxiety and send damaging hormones racing through your system-it’s not easy to do, but I have patients who have learned to control their emotional responses. (For more information on this see Stress Control, page 314.)

One of the best ways to control stress is exercise, which is also one of the most effective ways of preventing diabetes and controlling blood sugar levels. A study reported in the New England Journal of Medicine found that of the men in their study, those at highest risk of developing diabetes benefited the most from physical activity. Men who were very active, and burned 3,500 calories a week, cut their risk of disease by half. Other studies have found that both women and men benefit from exercise.

Exercise is also extremely helpful for those who already have diabetes, in that it decreases blood glucose while assisting the cells to absorb glucose in response to insulin. A word of caution: As with any new exercise regimen, get an “all clear” from your doctor, and gradually build up to a regular routine.

NATURAL TREATMENTS FOR DIABETES

• Avoid processed sugars, including those in cookies, candies, cakes, ice cream, sodas, honey, chocolate, and desserts. Avoid dried fruit.
• Adopt a high-fiber, high-complex carbohydrate diet with a distribution of calories as follows: carbohydrates 60 percent proteins 20 percent fats 20 percent
  Eat three meals a day at regular times.
• Avoid drinks with caffeine.
• Eat apples and other fruits high in pectin.
• Eat a midmorning and afternoon snack of fruit (like an apple) to keep blood sugar stable.
• Take either.’ Guar fiber, 2 teaspoons a day with a large glass of water, before meals; or psyllium fiber, (eg. 3.4 g. sugarless Metamucil,) twice a day in a glass of water, before meals.
• Adopt a regular exercise program.
• Make a serious effort to control stress.
• Avoid fatigue, emotional upsets, and use of tobacco.

IN ADDITION TO YOUR DAILY SUPPLEMENTS, TAKE:

• Chromium: 100 mcg. of trivalent chromium three times dilly,
• Magnesium: 400 mg, & day.
• Vitamin C: 500 mg. two times a day.
• Vitamin E: 4001.U. a day.
• Zinc 50 mg daily.
• B6 (pyrldoxine): 100 mg. daily.
• B12: 1,000 mcg. in tablet form dissolved under the tongue,

IN ADDITION: Vanadium is another natural element that has worked for many diabetic patients. It’s available in buffered form and it has insulin-like properties, increasing the uptake of glucose and protein by the muscles and liver. The recommended dosage is 2 mg. three times a day, to be taken with meals. Do not take more, as it can be toxic in large doses.

Some very recent research has suggested that cow’s milk can be a possible trigger, putting susceptible people at greater risk of diabetes. While this certainly isn’t a basis to eliminate cow’s milk from a diabetic’s diet, it is an argument not to use cow’s-milk products early in life, especially if there is a family history of diabetes.

Recent studies have shown evening primrose oil to be helpful for diabetics. While the dose of 12 capsules daily used in the studies may be too expensive for many patients, it is speculated that a reduction of animal fat in the diet may make a lower dose effective.