1 DIABETES

DIABETES ALICIA KRONE EVERGLADES UNIVERSITY

2 DIABETES DIABETES There are many benefits to an active lifestyle and good eating habits. Every individual has a different genetic makeup and predisposition to disease. Furthermore each individual has a different need and struggle maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Disease prevention and giving the body the right tools to help it operate optimally can be centered around diet and exercise. The more research that is done, the more people find that what they do now really does affect them in the future. Education is the key to getting people to continue to maintain a lifestyle change. It must be done indefinitely in order to remain effective. In the United States, junk food and sweets are readily available for purchase and consumption on every corner. It is up to each individual to make good choices and stick to their choices for the betterment of themselves. Our food pyramid is designed to help guide people towards a healthy lifestyle. With the sedentary , on the go lifestyle Americans have adopted, it is difficult to make good choices. Most people are overworked and feel they do not have time to exercise after a long day at their desk. Most people opt for fast food, vending machines, and foods high in sugar and carbohydrates, which are immediately turned to sugar in the body ,because of convenience. (Walker) Of all the diseases that diet effects, diabetes is one that can have curing effects if the individual monitors their intake and energy on a prolonged basis. Type one diabetes is basically an autoimmune disease where the body attacks the cells in the pancreas which produces insulin. Type one diabetics have trouble making insulin, or enough of it. Type two diabetics make plenty of insulin but it doesnt seem to be enough. Most type two diabetics are actually the result of poor diet and lifestyle choices. It is very correctable if the person feels they can maintain that type of lifestyle change. When sugar enters the bloodstream, the pancreas releases insulin to remove excess sugar. It is released based on what is needed to break down the excess sugar. Pure carbohydrates may have high sugar or can be converted

3 DIABETES to sugar quickly and therefore has a high impact on blood sugar. Protein and fat have less effect on it. (Walker) First, our bodies were not designed for the amount of sugar and processed carbs that most of us consume on a daily basis. The convenience factor is what is putting peoples systems in shock. The more convenient a food is, the worse is probably is for an individual. Most cereals, pasta, white bread and rice, crackers, etc all raise blood sugar rapidly. Sedentary lifestyles also do not need sugar for an energy source. Muscle cells are usually the place where the excess sugar gets dropped off. If we are not using our muscles to burn off the sugar, it actually can cause what is called insulin resistance. When muscles start resisting insulin the sugar goes to the fat cells. The high levels of insulin basically lock the fat cells and make it difficult to lose weight. (Bowden) The best way to prevent this process from happening, which is most important for those with a genetic predisposition to diabetes, is to eat a diet that does not spike your blood sugar. If the blood sugar level stays normal the pancreas never goes into overdrive. Insulin resistance is reversed by eating mostly low-glycemic foods which do not elevate the blood sugar. With carbs having the most impact on blood sugar, eating higher protein and fat diets and avoiding starchy carbs is the best diet. Type one diabetes can also benefit from this lifestyle because it can slow the onset of the disease. There are many different diets and schools of thought on what people should specifically follow. Each person will individually have to find what works best for them. (Bowden) One example of a good preventative diets is a Paleolithic diet, foods you could hunt, fish, gather, etc. This would create a demand when coupled with exercise for sugar in the muscles and therefore would reduce insulin resistance. There are certain herbs such as cinnamon, gymnema and bilberry that are recommended for those looking for an alternative approach to diabetes blood sugar balancing. Keeping blood sugar from going too high and staying too high is the key to prevention and to

4 DIABETES controlling weight. When insulin levels remain high it is almost like locking the doors to the fat cells, making weight loss difficult. Keeping blood sugar from spiking also controls cravings because there is no drop afterwards. Eating a diet more rich in fruits, veggies, and nuts also keep individuals from overeating. (Bowden) Cinnamon contains biologically active substances which have recently been more intensely researched. A caution that some herbal remedies do have side effects, so individuals must be careful when partaking in multiple forms of treatment. Cinnamon actually enhances glucose uptake by activating insulin receptor activity. It actually can lower blood lipid levels. Most diabetics actually benefit from the Complimentary Alternative Medicine along with diet and exercise changes. Practitioners should be open to helping patients with any types of treatment they would like to place into their regimen, and further studies on the complimentary methods and the interaction between conventional methods would be necessary. (Fabian) Individuals with diabetes are no more likely than those without it, to eat healthy. In the United States the diabetic population consumes less regular soft drinks and sweets than those without, but also consumer larger amounts of artificial sweetener. Although people with diabetes undergo some education for healthier eating, there is virtually no difference in consumption. This may indicate that the people who end up with diabetes may have originally had worse habits than those who do not. Although some patients are more likely to make changes, the overall conclusion is they do not. More education is needed, for both complimentary and conventional treatments. (Nothlings) There are quite a few different nutritional strategies besides the Paleolithic diet. There is the high carb, low fat diet. This diet was originally considered to be the best weight loss strategy. It is pretty effective when carbs are monitored to include mainly whole grains and other fiber rich complex carbs with low sugar index. The low carb, high protein diets demonstrated better weight loss than the prior.

5 DIABETES The concern with this diet is the increase of saturated fats as a result of the emphasis placed on the consumption of animal products. Further concern is the high protein can cause increased stress on the liver. The Mediterranean diet is one high in olive oil and a wide range of vegetables and fruits. This diet is known to specifically improve general health status and may reduce the onset of type two diabetes. The Mediterranean diet also has a better rate of keeping the weight off years after the intervention. (Walker) In conclusion, most people in the more developed countries have sedentary lifestyles. Most suggest half of the day is spent sitting for most Americans. Both resistance training and aerobic exercise greatly reduce the onset of most diseases. Resistance training builds muscle mass and reduces insulin resistance. The new diet and exercise prevention is a much more effective way to slow the onset of diabetes. It also can potentially cure the disease for some individuals. The patients weight loss goals, once they are met, must be maintained by more exercise. Many people make lifestyle changes and then quickly slip back into their old habits because they start to feel better. The evidence that diabetes is preventable by lifestyle change is now overwhelmingly obvious. Most of the information presented is more readily available than people think. People need to develop a focus on the importance of lifestyle changes , such as diet and exercise in order to help themselves and their families obtain optimal health.

6 DIABETES

REFERENCES Bowden, J. (2011). Blood Sugar Battles: How to Prevent, Treat, and Even Cure Type 2 Diabetes. Better ..Nutrition, 73(11), 44-50. Fabian, E., Toscher, S., Elmadfa, I., & Pieber, T. (2011) Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine ..Supplements in Patients with Diabetes Mellitu. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism, 58 (2), 101-108. Nothlings, U., Boeing, H., Maskarnec, G., Sluik, D., Teucher, B., Kaaks, R, & Kolonel, L. (2011). Food Intake ..of Individuals with and without Diabetes Across Different Countries and Ethnic groups. European ..Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 65(5), 635-641. Walter, K., ODea, K., Gomez, M., Girgis, S., & Colaguiri, R. (2010). Diet and Exercise in the Prevention of ..Diabetes. Journal of Human and Nutrition & Dietetics. 23(4), 344-352.