Weight loss is one of the most powerful treatments for overweight people with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Insulin shots and oral diabetic medications never cure the illness; they help control it. Many overweight diabetics can actually cure their condition with sufficient loss of excess adipose tissue. But weight loss is slow. Two of the most potent tools for quickly reducing elevated blood sugar levels are 1) restriction of calorie intake, and 2) exercise. The Advanced Mediterranean Diet incorporates both features, so diabetics must be prepared for lower sugar levels. Skip this chapter if you are not a diabetic. Diabetes mellitus occurs in two forms, oddly enough called type 1 and type 2. Not much in the field of medicine is this straightforward! Typically diagnosed in childhood, type 1 diabetes is also known as juvenile-onset or insulin-dependent. Insulin is a natural hormone that 1) lowers blood glucose levels by driving it into cells for immediate use or storage as glycogen, 2) stimulates formation of proteins, and 3) promotes fat tissue accumulation. Type 1 diabetics lack insulin, are not usually overweight, and do not live long without insulin shots. My comments hereafter are directed toward the more common diabetes, type 2. Most diabetics are type 2, also referred to as adult-onset or non-insulin-dependent. Although sometimes treated with insulin shots, these diabetics do not die soon if the shots are stopped, and many do quite well without insulin injections. So their lives are not “dependent” on insulin injections, in contrast to the type 1 diabetics. Eighty-five percent of type 2 diabetics are overweight. In addition to
excessive body fat, genetic factors and aging contribute to the incidence of type 2 diabetes. These diabetics have plenty of insulin, often more than average, but the body is resistant to insulin’s effect. In order to overcome this resistance, the body produces more insulin. Unusually high blood insulin levels are seen also in overweight people who are not diabetics and may contribute to the hypertension, lipid abnormalities, and vascular problems so often seen in obesity. Diabetes mellitus is defined by elevated levels of blood sugar. Blood sugar is also called glucose. But sugar is only the tip of the iceberg. Icebergs and diabetes both pose major, hidden dangers. Diabetes is often complicated by vision impairment, hypertension, blood lipid abnormalities (high cholesterol and triglycerides), numbness and/or pain from nerve damage, kidney impairment, and impaired blood flow in both large and small arteries. Blockage and hardening of the arteries, called atherosclerosis, leads to premature heart attacks, strokes, and loss of limbs from gangrene. Diabetes is the most common cause of end-stage renal disease. Diabetic men have twice the incidence of coronary artery disease (CAD) compared with non-diabetics. Diabetic women have four times as much CAD. Poor circulation to the brain and limbs is four or five times more common in diabetics. So more is going on in diabetics than simple blood glucose elevation. The primary treatment for overweight type 2 diabetics is reduction of excess body fat. [Continued....]
All matters regarding your health require supervision by a personal physician or other appropriate health professional familiar with your current health status. Always consult your personal physician before making any dietary or exercise changes.