Diabetes: It Is Not About Excess Sugar

 

Most people misconstrue diabetes as a disease of sugar, when in fact; it is a disease of insulin and leptin signaling.

Leptin is a hormone responsible for controlling the appetite and body weight. The brain receives instructions from leptin on when to eat, how much to eat, and when to stop eating. Leptin helps to promote weight loss and prevents obesity caused by excessive eating which is greatly linked to diabetes.

Insulin, on the other hand, is released to direct excess energy into storage each time your blood sugar elevates. Insulin really stores extra energy for future usage rather than lowering blood sugar levels. The lowering of the blood sugar levels is simply a side effect of the energy storage process.

There has been controversy amongst doctors that diabetic treatments focusing merely on lowering blood sugar actually worsen the condition. Some say that taking insulin actually sabotages a patient's recovery because it may just aggravate insulin and leptin resistance over time. A better approach is to re-establish proper leptin and insulin signaling through proper diet.

Types of Diabetes and Its Symptoms

Type 1 diabetes is also known as the "insulin dependent" diabetes. The body's immune system destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas, leading to a complete absence of the hormone insulin. 1 in 250 Americans are affected by Type 1 diabetes.

Approximately, 90 to 95 percent of diabetics are type 2. This is the type of diabetes where the body is still producing insulin but is unable to recognize and use it correctly, making this an advanced stage of insulin-resistance.

Symptoms of type 2 diabetes are:

    Excessive thirst
    Nausea and possible vomiting
    Increased fatigue
    Blurred vision
    Frequent infections (skin, urinal, vaginal)
    Extreme hunger (even after eating)
    Unusual weight gain or loss
    Irritability
    Slow healing of wounds
    Numbness or tingling in hands and/or feet

News By vholistics