Health Bulletin, Chapter IV: Diabetes
When most people say "Diabetes," they mean "Diabetes mellitus type 2," which is a different disease than Diabetes mellitus type 1 and diabetes insipidus. I will be talking about Diabetes mellitus type 2 here, since it is the most prevalent and poses the largest threat to American adults. I will also call it DM2, for simplicity.
Simply put, DM2 is caused by a disequilibrium in one of our body's important signaling (hormone) systems. When we eat carbohydrates, our digestive system breaks it down into simple sugars like glucose. Glucose is great energy, but just like squirrels with nuts, our body wants to store glucose until times when we really need energy. Glucose can be stored in a number of locations, including the liver, muscle, and fat cells. The way our body coordinates the uptake or release of glucose from storage is by a signal called insulin.
When glucose levels are high, our pancreas secretes insulin. Insulin circulates around the body and tells cells to do things, such as absorb and store glucose. DM2 is a situation where our body doesn't respond to insulin as it should. Our body still breaks down carbs into glucose, and the glucose is detected and causes a release in insulin, but our cells become somewhat resistant to insulin. It takes a larger amount of insulin to get our cells to do what they ought. This means glucose stays in our blood for longer than it should, leading to hyperglycemia, blood vessel and nerve damage, and metabolic dysfunction.
The best way we can help prevent or delay DM2 is by diet and exercise. Several small meals throughout the day helps reduce the number of insulin spikes, which has been shown to delay the onset of insulin tolerance. Whole grains instead of sweets, more fruits and veggies. As for exercise, an eventual goal of 150 minutes of cardio per week is the aim of many patients who are physically able.
Obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and insulin intolerance have all been linked together in what we now call the "metabolic syndrome." The constellation happens so often that if three conditions are met, the eventual development of the fourth is almost inevitable. It is not coincidental that the lifestyle changes associated with the prevention of these diseases overlap considerably; you can see it as a 4-for-3 sale, or 2-for-1, or some nonquantifiable benefit that is greater than the sum of its parts. Eat well, and exercise. Bottom line.
Next up: Ladies' night (vaginal discharge, urinary tract infection, and osteoporosis. what a deal!)