Type 2 Diabetes:
Empower Yourself
The Science…
Type
2 Diabetes is a condition that develops when normal levels of insulin are no
longer producing the correct response from cells. In healthy people, insulin binds to insulin-receptor
proteins on the cell membrane, signaling to the cell to transport glucose from
the blood into the cell. Once in the cell, it is used to create energy for
cellular processes, or it can be stored as glycogen to be used later.
A
problem arises however, with insulin resistance. This means that cells do not take up the
glucose, causing sugar levels in the blood to remain high. In an effort to transport glucose from the
blood to the cells, the pancreas produces more insulin which circulates in the
bloodstream. High plasma levels of
insulin and glucose due to insulin resistance is characteristic of ‘metabolic
syndrome’ – a condition that combines obesity, high blood pressure and insulin
resistance. Eventually, the pancreas is unable
to produce sufficient insulin resulting in consistently high blood sugar, and
typically, pancreatic exhaustion. Because
the cells are starving for energy, the person will have strong cravings for
carbohydrates to try and fill that energy need, which further exacerbates the
problem. Untreated, this cycle continues
and leads to heavy health complications.
The Stats…
As
of 2013/14, 3 million Canadians have been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and it
is estimated that another 700,000 are diabetic or pre-diabetic and don’t know
it yet. By 2025, it is predicted that 5
million Canadians will have Type 2 Diabetes. This is a 44% increase, and it is
unacceptable.
Diabetes
rates are continuing to rise at epidemic proportions. In spite of treatment, patients are not
getting better:
o
After 3 years on treatment, most
patients are adding a 2nd medication.
o
After 9 years, many patients require
several medications to keep blood sugar in balance.
o
All medications have benefits as well as
varying side effects, which may influence the need for more medications.
What is going wrong?
Three big problems:
- Not attending to symptoms prior to a confirmed diabetes condition
- Lack of comprehensive and current understanding regarding the diabetes effect on the body and cause
- The continuation of ineffective attempts to reverse the problem
Let’s
consider that there are several factors affecting glycemic control:
o
Decrease in compliance to diet, exercise
and medication protocols
o
Gut microbiome condition
o
Individual genetic components
o
Weight gain
o
Co-morbidities – obesity, kidney
disease, vision failure, high blood pressure, nervous system damage, etc
o
Medications that increase insulin
resistance, interfere with insulin release or increase hepatic glucose
production – these are glucocorticoids, antipsychotics and immunosuppressants.
o
Natural progression of the Diabetes
disease process
o
Patient’s health team not making
appropriate changes often enough or at all: a population study of Diabetes
patients showed many remain with A1C levels above optimal for years.
What can we do differently?
Personal eating behaviours and
experiences along with a collaborative approach between practitioner and client
is the missing link in helping people to successfully make the changes that are
necessary to improve health and possibly even reverse the disease process.
Assess and ACT on your
situation before it becomes a greater issue. Symptoms of diabetes that are more
noticeable such as nerve and pain patterns, circulation disruption, eyesight
changes and skin breakdown (feet) are signs the diabetes has gone too far. ACTing sooner such as when your energy really
changes, sleep patterns, weight gain, or cardiovascular changes (Increase in
BP) however there are assessments available that could show more internal body
changes you would not be aware of and can change your life.
Seek a qualified, progressive
practitioner to help with this "preventive" aspect to diabetes. If
not…"It does affect us all at some point! “ We have had many discussions with Internal
medicine and Vascular specialists who say definitively "that the
diabetes beats us everytime". Meaning, do not wait for
interventions to reverse diabetes.
As
the practitioner, we can’t simply continue with the status quo. We must look at each and every client as a
unique individuals when putting together dietary and lifestyle
recommendations. We, the practitioner,
have to examine the client’s current situation from all perspectives, including
spousal support and time management. The
client needs to be an active participant who is involved in making these
decisions, because it is up to him/her to put it to practice.
Realistically, we need also to
address the many barriers that can impede progress and have strategies in place
to help overcome these barriers:
o
Complications with food choices in
social settings
o
Temptation, planning and constant
self-care
o
Unawareness and/or denial of severity of
the disease
o
Limited/no understanding of association
between diet and disease
o
Misinformation, lack of social support
and time constraints
o
Perception that dietary recommendations
are restrictive and inflexible
This
understanding can help us create individually tailored programs that includes
behavior counselling, in collaboration with the client, which helps to increase
compliance and adherence.
Dietary
and lifestyle changes created with input from participant creates sustainable
change and improved health.
Click here for how we can help
written by Kim Banting - Nutritionist and the BODiWORKS Institute
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