So, what is diabetes?
To put it shortly: it is a metabolic and hormonal disorder that disturbs your digestive process.
What do you know about your digestive system? I’ll tell you the truth, I didn’t know much about it! I knew that the food I was ingesting was going down my throat into the stomach where it was digested, went to the bowels where it was transformed to whatever was coming out two days later. I knew what was the purpose of the heart and lungs, the liver and the kidneys, however despite knowing that there was a spleen, a gallbladder, a pancreas, I never knew what their function was exactly. How does the water, for example, get to the kidneys to be transformed into urine? Since I never had any issues, it didn’t occur to me to find out! Heck no, I didn’t even think about these questions!
Till the day my Dogguy had a severe pancreatitis! We almost lost him!! That’s when the vet told me that there are two main functions of the pancreas: one is to secrete hormones to stabilize the blood sugar, the other is to create the enzymes needed for the digestion of the protein, mainly the meat. And in my doggo’s case, those enzymes were already digesting the pancreas itself! I didn’t understand anything and I struggled to remember all the words so I can google them later!
After two weeks in the clinic, so many worries and a huge bill at the end, my Dogguy made it! But it came with a total diet change: lean meat only, no fats at all, lots of veggies and some pasta and rice, everything boiled and crushed so it would be easier to digest. Two years and a half later, now that my Dogguy is already 10, I’m happy to say that he never had a spike, doesn’t eat pasta nor rice anymore, but he does have his sugarless, natural treats and he looks healthier than a youngster dog!
Back to our horses, what is really going on during digestion? Imagine your lunch, let’s say a Caesar salad: it has salad, anchovies, grilled chicken, Parmesan cheese, some croutons and a white, garlic dressing. Already at the first bite, an entire factory starts its machines to process the food coming in. While chewing, enzymes located in your mouth will start the breakdown into smaller molecules of the croutons. Once swallowed, the pancreas will send other special enzymes into your stomach to break down the anchovies, the chicken and the Parmesan cheese. But the digestion is not over yet! It just started! All the foods were just fragmented into smaller pieces and will be pushed towards your duodenum, the first part of your bowel. Here, most of the food molecules will be absorbed into the blood and carried all over your body. Water will be carried to the kidneys, sugar will be carried to the cells, most of the fats will get to the brain and so on. The salad that you ate, will arrive to the duodenum as well. Most of it it’s insoluble fiber that will not get absorbed. Only its vitamins, minerals, water and carbs will. The fiber will act like a patch that will slow down or prevent much of the absorption of the carbs of the croutons, the Parmesan cheese and of the salad itself. Thus less amount of sugar will get into your blood stream. Further down your bowels, the food arrives into a “coral forest” called the microbiome. There are countless living organism here that will feed on the carbs of the salad that did not get absorbed earlier, and also on the Parmesan cheese. Your interest is to keep this “coral forest” always healthy because it is here that your digestion is regulated, it is here that your immunity becomes stronger and some of the diseases are defeated, it is here that your body starts the fight with inflammation, it is here that certain vitamins are produced etc. From here on, whatever waste is left and not needed by the body, will be eliminated on its natural ways.
Where does diabetes fit in this scenario? Well, if you decide to eat only the croutons and the Parmesan cheese and leave the salad, the chicken and the anchovies on the plate, there will be no fiber to patch the duodenum therefore all the carbs will be absorbed at once into the bloodstream. If you eat everything on your plate, less amount of carbs will be absorbed as the fiber will block or slow down most of this process. When the carbs in form of glucose arrive to the liver, the latter gives a signal to the pancreas that it needs to open the insulin store as insulin will be needed to open the cells so the glucose can get into them. Each one of your cells is a little factory that transforms the glucose that just arrived into energy. All these cells work together so you can move, so your heart can beat, so your kidneys can filter your blood, so that your brain can think and give the right commands to your body and so on. So far so good.
What happens if you decide to eat a desert? Well, the fiber will continue to do its role and the process is kind of similar. Some more carbs will get into the bloodstream as glucose, that will be taken to the cells and transformed into energy. If you walk after this lunch, the muscles will consume the energy during the motion action. If you don’t do any type of physical activity, the energy will be stored for later use either in the muscles, or in the liver, or on your thighs in the form of fat. Now, if later in the afternoon, you decide to have a treat, some chocolate, some candies, a piece of cake with a cup of coffee, the story will completely change. Your lunch would be already digested, there is no more fiber to patch your duodenum so all the carbs in your treat will be absorbed immediately. The pancreas will release insulin, the glucose is taken to the cells, the cells take as much to fill up the stores but in the end will just close up as the stores will be full. Therefore the glucose will transform into more fat thus increasing your body-mass and one day you will be considered obese. But in the meanwhile there is still too much sugar in your blood so the brain will signal the pancreas that it needs to produce more insulin to help penetrate glucose into the cells. Unfortunately the cells are already full so they keep away from insulin. This is how the cells become insulin resistant. Eventually, since the glucose transforms into fat, the blood sugar will drop and there will be too much insulin in the bloodstream. Now the brain will think that the cells are starving so it will ask the pancreas to release another hormone, glucagon, so the blood sugar gets up again. The cells are already full so the brain thinks there is not enough insulin, the pancreas will release it, blood sugar goes down, then again glucagon will bring it up again…
There is a continuous labor that the pancreas does in trying to stabilize your blood sugar that reflects in sinuous ups and downs of your glucose levels, each time with a more or less smaller amplitude until it finally gets “steady”. Well… the truth is that it will never be steady unless you left for the journey in the after-world…
If you do not do anything to use the energy in the cells so the new glucose can be used as well, it can become hectic for the pancreas. If this happens only once in a while, it should not be an issue as our body will always find a way to fight back. But when it happens day after day, year after year, eventually the pancreas will wear out. After 10-12 years you get diagnosed with insulin resistance, pre-diabetes or diabetes type 2.
There are other causes of type 2 diabetes. It can be genetic but in that case it can be prevented with a healthy life style, it can be a result of an aggressive treatment with steroids or other medication, it can be a continuously stressful environment, poor sleeping habits, chaotic eating habits. The most important thing is NOT to blame yourself. YOU DIDN’T KNOW IT. Sometimes it is just impossible to control our environment. None of us thinks about looking into the subject until someone dear is confronted with the situation. None of us thinks that those delicious treats are actually harmful for our health. But now you know it and it is only up to you to help your body overcome this situation.
Type 1 diabetes is a little bit different, the pancreas looses the ability to create insulin, therefore patients will have to inject insulin to replace this malfunction. It is only about 10% of the diabetics that are type 1, mostly diagnosed during their childhood, early teens, some exceptions will go up to their mid- late twenties. There are many factors that can lead to this diagnosis: it can be genetic, if the mother was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, a virus, a medical treatment and so on.
Can diabetes in any of its forms be prevented? Yes, with a healthy lifestyle, with a healthy diet. Ultimately, as epidemiologist and nutritionist Professor Walter Willett said it, the food that we eat is the reason of all our health issues: cardiac issues, neuro-degenerative conditions, hormonal disorders, digestive problems, cancer and so on. Can we control it? YES, we can! Can we reverse it? It might be less probable for type 1, but for type 2, YES we can reverse it! Will it come back? Yes, if you go back to your previous lifestyle. Let’s put it this way: you will always be a “carb-intolerant”!
01
Pre-diabetes
This is the most common issue that if not dealt with, will eventually lead to diabetes type 2. Your morning glucose is usually between 126 and 147 mg/dl or 7.0 and 8.2 mmol/l, your HbA1c is between 5.7 and 6.3 mmol/l. The latter is the average of your last three months glucose fluctuations.
How to prevent it? With a healthy life style: healthy diet, good night sleep, exercise, healthy socializing.
How to cure it? With a healthy life style: healthy diet, good night sleep, exercise, healthy socializing.
No medication is needed if you take action immediately and stick to your plan. Within a few months, total reverse is possible.
02
Diabetes type 1
It affects 5 to 10% of the diabetic patients, specifically the youngster ones.
It strikes very fast, one day you’re okay, the next day you’re rushed into the hospital because you passed out, or with a blurry vision, feeling and extreme fatigue or feeling hungry all the time, weight loss, extreme irritability…
How to prevent it? If you’re a mom and had been diagnosed with gestational diabetes or there is a history of diabetes in the family, diet is extremely important for your child, followed by exercise.
How to cure it? So far there is no cure, there is only management. Exercise and diet are extremely important as well as learning to handle insulin and carbs ratio.
03
Diabetes type 2 (Mellitus)
Type 2 can run in the family but it is most of the time the result of your culinary choices and how much you exercise. Stress management and sleep are equally important.
It takes 10 to 12 years for diabetes to develop. Usually people are diagnosed after treatment of another issue like heart disease or a brain stroke for example. It would be much easier to prevent it with regular blood tests and medical check ups.
Your morning glucose is over 150 mg/dl or 8.3 mmol/l, and your HbA1c is higher than 6.4 mmol/l.
How to reverse it? With a healthy life style: healthy diet, good night sleep, exercise, healthy socializing.
04
Gestational diabetes
This type of diabetes develops usually after the 20th week of pregnancy. Your morning blood sugar is usually over 190 mg/dl or 10.6 mmol/l.
There is an absolute need to collaborate closely with the medical team in order to establish an exact nutrition plan and drug administration.
How to prevent it? Regular blood tests, healthy diet, good night sleep, exercise, healthy socializing.
How cure it? With medication and a good meal plan during the pregnancy. It will go away after the child delivery. More than 50% of women may develop diabetes type 2 within the next 10-15 years.
05
LADA
(Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults)
This type of diabetes is a hybrid between type 1 and type 2 often referred to as type 1.5. Patients can be diagnosed with type 2 that slowly becomes type 1, as the pancreas looses all the abilities to produce insulin.
How to prevent it? Regular blood tests, healthy diet, good night sleep, exercise, healthy socializing.
How to manage it? The most important is to avoid giving extra job to your pancreas. The best would be a vegan or a vegetarian diet.
06
Other forms
Diabetes Insipidus – the symptoms are extreme thirst and frequent urination but the blood and urine tests do not show unhealthy amounts of glucose.
Diabetes Type 3 – recent studies show that seniors with Alzheimer’s disease may have the brain in a diabetic disposition because of its insulin resistance and deficiency.
How to manage it? The best option is a ketogenic diet with added coconut oil and red palm oil, healthy socializing, exercise and a good night sleep.
Diabetes Type 4 – describes the type of diabetes associated with glaucoma, diagnosed on patients over 65 who are neither obese nor overweight.