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Over the years the different types of diabetes have gone by a number of different names. We have come to learn more about the characteristics of the different types of diabetes and what distinguishes one from the other. Today diabetes is divided into three main categories: type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes. Here is a brief description for each of these.
– previously referred to as insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) - or juvenile-onset diabetes – occurs when the pancreas can no longer make insulin. This form of diabetes usually develops in childhood or young adulthood. And it generally persists as a lifelong condition that usually cannot be treated solely with diet or lifestyle modifications. Type 1 diabetes patients need insulin (delivered by injection, pump, or oral medications) in order to store and use glucose.
Though not fully understood, the cause of this form of diabetes is most likely associated with autoimmunity, a condition in which the body does not properly recognize its own cells. In the case of type 1 diabetes, the body attacks the beta cells in its own pancreas, reducing or destroying their ability to create insulin. Along with autoimmunity, genetics and environmental factors likely play a role as well.
– previously known as non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus or adult-onset diabetes, occurs when the body stops recognizing the insulin secreted by the pancreas. This is the most common form of diabetes, considered to be occurring in epidemic proportions in today’s world. Because it can arise with minimal outward signs or symptoms, millions of people don’t even know they have it. Type 2 diabetes can affect people of any age, even children. It begins with insulin resistance and leads to a situation similar to type 1 diabetes in which the pancreas can’t secrete enough insulin. Your cells start off being unable to use the insulin being produced and eventually your pancreas stops making it.
The fundamental cause of type 2 diabetes is related to a high-sugar diet and a lack of exercise, though multiple nutritional and environmental factors have been fingered in recent years as contributing factors, including trans fats and persistent organic pollutants (POP’s). In normal situations, your body releases insulin in response to foods the body can break down and use as glucose: carbohydrates. If the blood has constantly high levels of insulin due to a diet high in refined carbohydrates, your cells become desensitized to it and the glucose can’t get into your cells.
This form of diabetes is associated with obesity, older age, a family history of diabetes, a history of gestational diabetes, certain medications, impaired glucose metabolism, psychological factors, and physical inactivity. But as the old adage goes, looks can be deceiving. Just as outwardly thin people can have too much of the "wrong" kind of fat – visceral fat versus subcutaneous fat – they can also develop insulin resistance and diabetes. The good news – when it comes to type 2 – is that if you’re in the early stages, you can get control of the disease with diet and lifestyle modifications. For more information, read our article on preventing type 2 diabetes.
– Like type 2, is a form of insulin resistance that occurs in the later stages of pregnancy. As the placenta supports the growing fetus, it produces hormones. These hormones may interfere with the mother’s ability to produce and use her own insulin. It is important to get control of gestational diabetes early in order to prevent exposing the baby to an excess of glucose, later stored as fat. Too much glucose in the womb not only leads to an excessively fat baby, but also may lead to other complications in adulthood, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Gestational diabetes usually disappears in the mother after the baby is delivered. However, once women have had gestational diabetes they are more likely to develop it in future pregnancies and more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.
Because diabetes can arise with few glaring symptoms, tune in to the following signs:
- Excessive thirst or hunger
- Exhaustion or fatigue
- Frequent urination
- Loss or gain of weight
- Blurry vision
- Cuts or sores that won’t heal
If you experience any combination of these signs, we encourage you to seek further evaluation with a healthcare practitioner. Don’t let the long-term effects of diabetes shorten your life or diminish your quality of life as you age. By detecting any problem you may have with insulin resistance or diabetes early on and managing it with the attention and care it deserves, you have the opportunity to take better care of yourself through balanced nutrition and regular exercise. This will make a difference in other aspects of your life as well, allowing you to enjoy excellent health well into your twilight years!
The key lesson is that your risk of developing type 2 diabetes is greater than you probably realize. The good news is that you can prevent it, and the path to prevention will awaken you in so many ways.
We see many clients who are not overweight and who think they’re leading fairly healthy lives end up with high blood sugar. In fact, some people who have prediabetes or metabolic syndrome are not obese, and may even be considered “thin.” Yet these women can go on to develop type 2 diabetes.
How does that happen? And how do you make sure it doesn’t happen to you? In my view, there are several factors behind the diabetes epidemic. Women don’t realize how much sugar – in all its forms – they are feeding their bodies. Of course, obesity and lack of exercise are enormous issues as well. But few people – and not many doctors – realize that diabetes is a metabolic disorder that has multiple causes.
Twenty years ago very few practitioners were aware of metabolic syndrome. In fact, it was a controversial idea. Today it’s a diagnosis that’s broadly accepted in conventional medicine. The new idea today is that there are many metabolic syndromes – a family of related disorders that lead to diabetes as well as to other chronic and degenerative diseases. That may sound scary, but it’s actually good news. It means that medicine is getting insight into how the body works, how to see problems much earlier, and how to prevent disease.
Twenty years ago, metabolic syndrome was almost an unknown idea among conventional practitioners. Today it is recognized as the precursor to full-blown diabetes. This is gratifying because it means conventional medicine accepts the idea that diabetes develops over time – it doesn’t just appear overnight.
The diagnosis of metabolic syndrome is made when three or more of five disorders are present in the patient: high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, high blood sugar, high blood pressure and an above-average waistline.
In functional medicine, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome are considered the same thing. We view them this way because they begin with the same faulty cell signaling that overt time causes metabolic disorders and damage, symptoms of metabolic syndrome cited in conventional diagnoses, and eventually degenerative diseases.
New research is showing that we can use specific nutrients to sort out the mixed-up cell signaling that occurs in metabolic syndrome and reverse the problem. This is fascinating to me because it promises that we can use food and supplements to prevent or reverse insulin resistance and other metabolic disorders, instead of medication with its unwanted side effects! We will be hearing more about this in the next few years, but in the meantime following a Mediterranean diet can help provide similar effects.
Interestingly, making poor food choices is one of the big culprits leading to insulin resistance in the first place.
Type 2 diabetes manifests itself differently in each individual. And though symptoms and severity may vary, the starting point for most women is a diet with a high glycemic load (high in refined sugars and carbohydrates), combined with inactivity and a family history of type 2 diabetes. Next, the body reacts to high blood sugar by producing more insulin. With persistently high insulin levels, cells eventually build up a resistance to it and stop opening their doors. This stage, known as insulin resistance, is when glucose begins to pass through the body without being absorbed.
Soon enough, the pancreas gets the message and decreases insulin production. As insulin levels drop and diet remains high in glucose, blood sugar continues to creep up. Ultimately, insulin levels drop and blood sugar jumps dramatically. This is the point where the official diagnosis of diabetes is typically made. Since the harmful effects of insulin resistance cut across all of the body’s systems, the severity at this point varies widely from individual to individual based on the health of their other systems. While some people with diabetes continue to make small amounts of insulin and can control their blood sugar through diet, others stop producing insulin altogether and have to rely on outside sources of insulin.
Numbers may differ from lab to lab, but type 2 diabetes is generally diagnosed when fasting blood glucose has reached 126 mg/dL or higher (compared to a normal range blood sugar level between 70 and 99 mg/dL). We feel it’s much more beneficial to watch trends in blood glucose over time than to stick with one number.
Fortunately, there are several stops on the pathway to type 2 diabetes and, as with any good road trip, there are various routes available and opportunities to turn around. The problem is that many conventional healthcare practitioners don’t step in early enough to change a patient’s course until it becomes difficult to reverse.
It makes sense that if one out of every three of us is walking around with prediabetes, healthcare practitioners would be prepared to implement strategies to halt its progression to type 2. But this isn’t always the case. Standard blood tests look at blood sugar, among other things, but leave out one of the first indicators of prediabetes: insulin. Remember that insulin levels are among the first markers of change on the pathway to diabetes. At first they increase as insulin resistance sets in, then they start to decrease. So understanding how your insulin is working can help you to make important changes early on.
Sadly, many conventional practitioners lack the time to look closely at a patient’s lifestyle to determine if they could benefit from an insulin test. In fact, there is no set protocol for intervention until blood sugar begins to creep up, which means the patient has passed insulin resistance already. And though you can still reverse the problem, you’re much further along by then.
At Vibrant Way we encourage our clients to be proactive when it comes to their health. Often this means taking an honest look at your symptoms, nutrition, and exercise habits, and it could also mean deciding for yourself that you could benefit from an insulin test. There is nothing wrong with requesting an insulin test from your healthcare provider yourself.
Staying on top of insulin early can help you avoid type 2 diabetes, insulin imbalance – and the problems associated with it, including imbalance of your sex hormones.
The hormonal systems in our bodies are intricately linked by what is called the endocrine system. And, contrary to what many practitioners think, when one aspect of the endocrine system is off-kilter, it can throw other parts out of balance as well. This is the case with diabetes and menopause. Insulin interacts with estrogen, testosterone, DHEA and thyroid hormones. When insulin is out of balance from a poor diet, it can interrupt the regulation of estrogen, testosterone and other hormones. This can make the already bumpy hormonal path during perimenopause even more difficult.
Over time, poor insulin control can send all of the body’s systems – neuro-endocrine, cardiovascular, digestive and immune – out of balance, worsening your menopausal symptoms significantly.
What many women don’t realize is how nutrition is integrally connected to the web of hormonal balance. Put simply, if you change your diet, you can change your hormones. By eating balanced meals, including complex carbohydrates and high quality proteins and fats, you can regulate the insulin your body releases and keep estrogen and testosterone in balance.
Getting back on track starts with making healthier choices.
How many times have you reached for a glass of wine or a bag of potato chips after a bad day? We’ve all been there, and I’m the first to admit that these foods feel good in the short-term. But preventing diabetes means focusing on long-term solutions – nutrition, exercise, and balance.
In fact, a recent study done on over 3,000 people at risk for diabetes showed that lifestyle interventions, such as weight loss and regular exercise, reduced the incidence of type 2 diabetes by 58%, whereas Metformin, a common anti-diabetic drug, reduced it by only 31%. Additionally, whole foods rich in phytonutrients – such as those emphasized in the Mediterranean diet – have been shown to be favorable in lowering markers of insulin resistance. What all this research tells us is something that makes complete sense – that preventing diabetes through a holistic lifestyle approach is far easier and more effective in the long-term than any drug solution could ever be. And the first cornerstone of diabetes control is diet.
Nutrition – our food talks to our genes. If I had to pick the gold star in preventing diabetes, it would be food. What you eat can prevent and even control type 2 diabetes. At Vibrant Way we view food as complex information that our cells have been primed through the ages to receive. In other words, good food talks to your genes to keep things going just the way Mother Nature intended. Rising rates of type 2 diabetes should come as no surprise when you consider that the ways in which we grow and process our food have changed so drastically in just one or two generations, while our human genetic constitution hasn’t changed much in 40,000 years!
This might seem like a novel idea, but there is nothing revolutionary about the concept of balanced meals. This means that each time you sit down to eat, you should include appropriate amounts of protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats (these amount vary according to age and individual activity levels). This will help to keep your insulin levels in balance and make it less likely for you to store too much energy in the form of fat. And with insulin in good control, you will have better balance throughout your endocrine system, including other hormones like cortisol, estrogen, and progesterone.
Insulin control is strongly affected by the glycemic index of the foods you eat. The glycemic index of a food is a measure for how quickly insulin rises in response to the amount of glucose entering your blood stream after you eat it. Foods high in protein tend to have a lower glycemic index than carbohydrates. Simple carbs, like white flour and sugar, have a higher glycemic index than complex carbs like whole grains and fresh fruits. Simple carbs can overload your insulin receptors and make insulin resistance more likely to develop. To prevent the quick sugar surge from high glycemic foods, balance each snack and meal with a healthy protein and fat. But it’s about more than just the ratio of protein to carbohydrate to fat in your diet. The plant kingdom has been quietly evolving alongside us humans for many years, and the micronutrients available in fresh, richly colored, organically grown fruits and vegetables are instrumental in preventing the diseases of modern life – including type 2 diabetes. So choose the best information your food dollar can buy!
Exercise – move your body. Getting regular exercise is another excellent way to help you from developing type 2 diabetes. Not only does it keep your weight down, but it also lowers blood sugar, helps you utilize insulin more efficiently, keeps your cholesterol levels balanced, and improves circulation, thereby keeping your heart and blood vessels healthy and strong. Exercise also supports nervous system health and releases positive endorphins to boost your mood! The benefits are endless.
While cardiovascular exercise is specifically beneficial to your heart, toning muscle – through weight training, yoga, Pilates, or swimming, for example – is also a great way to increase the activity of your insulin receptors and prevent insulin resistance. This is because of all the tissues in your body, your muscles use the most glucose, and so they are most important for keeping your blood glucose levels steady. And once you learn how good it feels to move your body, you’ll be looking forward to fitting exercise into your schedule as much as possible!
Blood glucose – better regulation through diet and lifestyle. Of course blood glucose is important as well – it’s what we’ve been talking about getting into balance. For women who already have diabetes, it’s important to check blood glucose daily. But for those concerned with preventing diabetes, I recommend getting it checked a couple of times per year to see if it’s trending upward.
As I mentioned above, a normal fasting blood glucose should be well under 100 mg/dL, but it is much more important to watch the trend. Once you go above 100 mg/dL, you are considered prediabetic, which usually means that your blood glucose levels are somewhere between 100 and 126 mg/dL – higher than normal, but not high enough to be considered diabetic. You are insulin resistant at this point and much more likely to develop type 2 diabetes and other factors associated with metabolic syndrome – unless you step in.
Rather than focus on the numbers, know that you have much more control over blood glucose by eating well and getting more exercise. Astoundingly, 65% of diabetes patients die from heart disease or stroke, which tells us that treatment should be about more than just glucose control. Making lifestyle changes allows you to reap huge benefits in blood sugar control right away.
Emotions – They feed your soul! You can’t go wrong with good diet and plenty of exercise, but at Vibrant Way we understand that there’s more to this equation than just eating right and exercising. And that’s the emotional component. Reaching for sugar may be a sign that you’re lacking sweetness in your life. I want you to think about all the things that make you happy and consider the possibility that these things nourish you in profound ways that your food – no matter how impeccable – cannot. Whether it’s spending more time with your children, relaxing on your own, painting or digging around in the garden, giving yourself time to do the things you love will have a positive effect upon all your systems – from your heart to nerves to immunity to metabolism.
Just remember that feeling better means looking at the whole picture – your happiness, nutrition, exercise habits, hormonal balance, blood pressure, and cholesterol. But while we always encourage women to start inward on a quest for overall health and diabetes prevention, it also makes sense to look at what’s all around you.
From the key points outlined above, we can begin to see how the rising rates of diabetes may be the result of a complex interplay between our genes and environmental influences. It stands to reason, then, that scientists are starting to look more closely at how our environment affects our risk of diabetes. Nobody will argue with the fact that as modern technology surges on, we benefit from lots of conveniences. But along with all these conveniences we’re also taking in the heavy metals and man-made toxins that come with them. Materials used to create plastics, pesticides, household cleaners, flame retardants, rugs and furniture, computers – even white paper – all contain what are known as endocrine disruptors. And many of these foreign molecules have been shown to mimic the action of hormones in our bodies.
Since hormones turn on and off bodily functions, open cell doors, keep our moods stable, and so much more, it makes sense that endocrine disruptors could contribute to a shift in insulin production or utilization in the body. In fact, a recent study found that exposure to the specific kind of endocrine disruptors known as persistent organic pollutants (POP’s) may contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes.
Keep in mind, however, that endocrine disruptors are most likely not the primary cause of type 2 diabetes, though they certainly may contribute. And the good news is that there are many things you can do in your life to limit your exposure to these unwanted disrupters. Start by recycling your plastic food containers and replacing them with glass, NEVER using plastic in the microwave, giving your body a chance to recover by implementing regular detoxification, and drinking more water.
There are lots of ways to help yourself when it comes to the prevention of type 2 diabetes. Just remember to look at the whole picture.
At Vibrant Way, we believe you are the most important caretaker of your body. This leaves you with choices when it comes to what you eat, whether you exercise, and the spaces in which you surround yourself. This can be a powerful — and, for some women, overwhelming — concept. But making better choices doesn’t have to be difficult. Start by determining where you are and what your goals are. You may want to put it all down on paper. We find that articulating and defining what we want and don’t want in life can help us more easily achieve our greatest desires. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Move toward healthier meals and snacks. It may be true that fast food is less expensive and more expedient than buying fresh whole foods and cooking yourself, but keep in mind the old adage: Food is the cheapest medicine you can buy. And when you do need to eat in a hurry, even making different fast food choices can make a world of difference. Choose the grilled chicken instead of a cheeseburger next time. Or simply drink water instead of soda with your meals. Be sure to check the labels for trans fats and high-fructose corn syrup. Remember that you don’t have to do everything all at once. Little by little, making better food choices will help you reverse your insulin resistance within weeks.
- Strive for regular physical activity. We don’t advise jumping right into the recommended 60 minutes a day if you haven’t exercised in a while. Just start by doing something active a few days a week. Getting into the habit of moving your body and increasing your heart rate is what counts. Be sure to talk with your healthcare practitioner about what forms of exercise are safe for you. Proceed from there to find an activity that fits your life. Nearly everyone can benefit from walking more. Before you know it, you’ll work up to a longer period of exercise and start to feel all the positive results!
- Enhance your nutrition with vitamins and minerals. Our cells are constantly using micronutrients in their everyday functions to produce energy and keep us thriving. Diabetes and prediabetes compromise the nutrients our bodies are able to take up, which can lead to nutritional deficiencies. Adding a high-grade multivitamin/mineral complex and supplemental omega–3 fatty acids will help fill in any nutritional gaps, regulate hormones such as insulin, and protect your body from the complications associated with diabetes.
- Detox your personal environment. Avoid unnecessary chemical exposure by using glass or stainless steel instead of plastic to store your food and drink. NEVER use plastic in the microwave, or avoid the microwave altogether. Make a point to use all-natural cleaning products and cosmetics. Drink plenty of water, and try our two-week Detox Diet to detox your system. It will also help your health on all levels, including your endocrine system, to limit time you spend in stressful relationships and environments. As scientists are now discovering, stress takes a heavy toll on our bodies. Ironically, the very technology invented to save us time, such as laptops, cell phones and e-mail, may afford us less time to decompress. Make time to relax and get away from the pressures of life. Even if it’s just a one-day yoga retreat, a walk on the beach or an hour-long bubble bath, taking a holiday from stress is never a bad thing for your body.
- Consider other complementary treatments. As you may understand by now, diabetes is a complex disease. It manifests itself differently in each individual and the preventative methods that work for some may not be enough for you. Certain complementary treatments have shown positive effect in managing the risk factors leading to diabetes, and may be worth looking into. Whatever course of treatment you pursue, remember to work closely with an experienced practitioner for the best results.
Learning how to prevent type 2 diabetes changes the way we look at everything – the way we eat, travel, exercise, work, and view the world around us. And, trust me, all of this is for the better! It can certainly feel overwhelming sometimes. It helps to remember that you can’t change everything in one day – nor should you try. Revising our habits takes time and commitment.
At Vibrant Way we believe in balance, which is achieved through a dynamic equilibrium between forces. There are positives to every negative, and though preventing diabetes may seem daunting, what it requires is for you to pay more attention to your body and do what makes you feel good in the long run. This is never a bad thing. Embrace the chance to take better care of yourself, and before you know it life will be sweeter than you ever imagined possible!
Our Women’s Empowerment Program is a great way to balance your hormones and prevent diabetes!
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