Clarity of Cause, Clear as Mud
With the rising number of people diagnosed with diabetes, one has to wonder, will I be next? According to the American Diabetes Association, 7% of the population is diabetic or in pre-diabetic stages. In just one year, 1.5 million people age 20 and older were diagnosed with the disease. Of the youth population, 1 in 6 overweight children are pre-diabetic. Unfortunately, the cause of diabetes and it’s pathology are not clearly understood. To make matters worse, our society has become soft and lazy. It’s no surprise that the obesity rate is increasing as quickly as diabetes.
The vagueness surrounding diabetes unfortunately does not aid in determining a concrete plan of prevention. Without fully understanding its cause, one cannot educate the public as to how to avoid developing diabetes. Unfortunately, even insulin’s role in diabetes and metabolic processes is not completely clear. It is known that poor nutrition, increased levels of stress and physical inactivity are environmental factors that can bring on diabetes, with or without genetic predisposition.
Diabetes refers to the disease in which the body does not use or produce insulin as it should. Insulin is a hormone used in the metabolic process to aid in converting sugar, starches and other foods into usable energy. According to the American Diabetes Association, 7% of the population is diabetic or in pre-diabetic stages. In just one year, 1.5 million people age 20 and older were diagnosed with the disease. The most common form of diabetes is the Type II, or insulin resistant disease. Of the youth population, 1 in 6 overweight children are pre-diabetic. The numbers are climbing at an alarming rate. Almost directly proportional to the increasing diabetic population is the obesity rate. Not surprisingly, one is closely linked to the other.
Science has been able to examine the cell’s processes in respect to metabolism and fat storage. What it cannot answer is which comes first, the chicken or the egg. As a person’s weight increases as result of poor nutrition, overindulgence of foods, or physical inactivity. His or her metabolism slows down and is overwhelmed. The result is less sensitivity to natural sugar converting processes. When the body cannot convert the glucose into fuel for cells, it stores the glucose as fat. The more fat cells store, the more overweight an individual becomes. This literally boggs down the systems. The cycle continues to repeat if nothing changes.
There is also a belief that insulin is needed to regulate blood sugar levels in the bodies. The term “insulin dependent” was created in the 1950s to create the impression that muscle and fat require insulin to take up glucose (the sugars created by eating high carbohydrate and sugary foods). However, current studies show that many different things in the body transport glucose. Cells require glucose for their cell respiration process. The body makes sure that the cells receive that, no matter how much insulin in present.
Without a doubt, balance is the answer, balancing nutrition with activity, relaxation with well-being. It has been found that nutrition and fitness can help prevent or manage diabetes. Prevention, if practiced soon enough, could mean a person will never get the disease, have to monitor their meals and blood sugar levels, or go on medication. Managing the disease by making changes in one’s diet and level of activity can make the difference between medication and insulin shots.
By incorporating inflammation fighting foods such as dark green vegetables, fresh dark fruits and complex carbs, as opposed to simple carbs, can not only help reduce pH levels in the body but improve blood sugar levels. By making conscious health decisions can delay the onset of diabetes does not have to be predetermined. Not everyone has to develop the it.
Related posts:
- A Definition of Diabetes The word diabetes is common enough. Nearly everyone has heard...
- Diabetes - An Introduction to Diabetes All forms of diabetes are characterized by a long-term excess...
- More Choices, More Chances Can yoga really help diabetics, too? While we know that...
- Type I Diabetes: No U Turn Many people with type 2 diabetes have to take insulin...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
