Normally on this blog, I keep things fluffy and reflective on day to day events….but this is a topic that makes me really mad. It makes me angry on a number of different levels all the way from government, corporations, the burden of health care costs, doctor shortage, physician ignorance, individual ignorance, and general laziness. Today we started covering the drugs used in the treatment of diabetes, and I could feel the old rage returning.
It’s estimated that type 2 diabetes aka non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) affects over 20% of all North Americans over the age of 65. This is the diabetes that used to be associated more with adults, but now it’s becoming increasingly common in children. NIDDM is now considered one of the fastest growing epidemics in North America. So that 20% number is growing, and we continue with our societal trends, that number will be closer to 1 in 4, or 1 in 3 by the time we reach 65.
How can you get NIDDM? Well, there are a lot of associations, but the main ones are linked with obesity along with an increasing resistance to insulin and a decreased ability of our cells to make it. And, as always there is some genetic predisposition – but in my opinion, that’s a cop-out (if we never took responsibility for our habits, and blamed everything on genetics then I’d be an obese, depressed, alcoholic with skin cancer).
Anyways, the point of all this is that type II diabetes is avoidable. The first measure of treatment for the disease is weight reduction and dietary control along with an oral therapy (not insulin). But consider this, if you're a 65 year old person, who’s used to a certain lifestyle and health habits, change at that point is almost futile. Most people fail within 5 years, and then have to face the constant blood picks to monitor glucose levels, and self injections. It really does take at least half of our life to form certain habits, so why not make good habits now so we don’t have to worry about them later.
We all know how its possible to become obese, but how do you create insulin resistance? Well, starting from basics, our body releases insulin in order to take glucose into our cells. A major source of glucose in our diet is from carbohydrates. But….I’m not saying that all carbohydrates should be restricted, I’m referring to those fast absorbing, simple digestible carbs. If your diet now has a lot of items such as white bread, bagels, white rice, muffins, cookies, pop, fruit drinks, anything with really colourful packaging, this is the stuff that really squeezes the insulin out of your cells. I could go into things like ‘glycemic index’ and ‘nutrient timing’, but the main message is just like a person can get burned out, the same thing can happen with the insulin cells (and then you’re in trouble).
Make changes now, start replacing your white bread with whole wheat, or multigrain, trade that muffin for a bowl of oatmeal (not the sugary individual packaged stuff). Making little changes now, means we don’t have to make big changes in the future. Other ways to really make our insulin cells happy is by having balanced diet. The goal is to make our blood insulin levels nice and steady instead of a spiking and dipping mess. So next time you sit down to eat (meals and snacks), look at your plate. Do you have a good source of protein to go with that multigrain bread? Are you getting good sources of fat in your diet – olive oil, nuts, avocado, fish oils (there’s a lot of great articles out on the benefits of fish oils), are there vegetables on your plate at every meal?.
Basically what I’m saying, is now’s the time to take a good look at your health habits, because the older we get the harder it will be. Even if you may appear “healthy” on the outside, doesn’t mean that you’re not slowly destroying your insides. One of my motto's is to do what you can, when you can, because you can. Be aware, be responsible for your health – just because there’s medicine or treatment for it, doesn’t mean it will make our lives better.
