Summing this blog entry up, I would say that the likely major ways of greatly reducing your risk of diabetes boils down to: getting enough vitamin D, having helminths (hookworms and whipworms), eating a Paleolithic Diet, engaging in intermittent fasting, exercising, getting enough sleep in complete darkness, consuming curry, cinnamon, and cloves; and avoiding toxins.
I previously blogged about the theory that in Type I diabetes the beta cells aren’t dead, but instead malfunctioning pain cells in the pancreas are preventing them from producing insulin. (A Cure for Diabetes?) Of course, there are a quite a few more ideas out there about the condition:
In Finland, a cohort of infants born in 1966 were given vitamin D supplements of up to 8,000 IU/day, and had about 1/3 the rate of type I diabetes as other cohort groups. (Intake of vitamin D and risk of type I diabetes: a birth-cohort study) Finland later adopted a level of vitamin D supplementation closer to that of the United States, and their population naturally has lower levels of sun exposure, so today the blood levels of vitamin D there are likely very low. Today Finland is the diabetes capital of the world. (Finnish epidemic offers clues to diabetes) (See also: Vitamin D Council)
Helminths might play a role in preventing diabetes through down regulating the immune system. (Review series on helminths, immune regulation and the hygiene hypothesis) (See also: Hookworms are our Little Friends)
The nitrates in our foods might be risk factors for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and diabetes. These nitrates are found especially in bacon, cured meats, and ground beef; but they are also in such products as beer, cheese, water, rubber and latex products, cosmetics, fertilizers, and pesticides. (Processed foods linked to Alzheimer’s and diabetes) Avoiding such foods supports the argument for the Paleolithic Diet, which according to one man’s experience cured his type II diabetes. (Paleo Diet – So Easy a Caveman Can Do It!) The Paleolithic Diet people argue that the high glycemic foods we eat cause chronic hyperinsulinemia, which leads to a host of diseases, including diabetes. (Hyperinsulinemic diseases of civilization: more than just Syndrome X) Advocates of the sweetener Xylitol argue that it is ideal for diabetic patients. (The Sweet Miracle of Xylitol, and Xylitol) Celiac disease, which is an autoimmune disease caused by an immune reaction to the gluten found in grains, is associated with a number of conditions, including diabetes, short stature, infertility, and anemia. (Largest Study Ever Finds That One Out of Every 133 Americans May Have Celiac Disease)
Intermittent fasting can help prevent diabetes and brain deterioration. (Meal Skipping Helps Resist Diabetes, Brain Damage, and Posts Tagged ‘Intermittent Fasting’)
Exercise reduces the risk of diabetes through weight control, growth factor changes, and the reduction of inflammation. (Exercise builds brain health: key roles of growth factor cascades and inflammation, and Changes in Vigorous Physical Activity and Incident Diabetes in Male Runners) In one study, multiple short duration exercise sessions of 3 x 10 min/day are superior to 1 x 30 min/day in glycemic control. Cardiovascular fitness improvements were similar for the two groups. (Comparison of the effect of multiple short-duration with single long-duration exercise sessions on glucose homeostasis in type 2 diabetes mellitus) Apparently 4 x 30 second sprints 3 times a week can greatly reduce the risk of diabetes and heart disease. (Short fast sprints ‘cut’ diabetes, and Extremely short duration high intensity interval training substantially improves insulin action in young healthy males)
Heavy snoring, sleep apnea, and insomnia have been implicated in cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and diabetes. Researchers have found that losing even a single night’s sleep causes the immune system to turn against healthy tissues in an autoimmune reaction. (Getting a Handle on Why We Sleep) The book, Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar, and Survival argues that our lack and sleep, and especially darkness, fouls up our hormonal systems; this greatly contributes to such diseases as diabetes, depression, heart disease, and cancer. The author advises getting enough sleep, and sleeping in total darkness. (See also: Posts Tagged ‘Sleep’)
Nursing an infant reduces his/her later risk of diabetes, cancer, allergies, infections, and arthritis. (Nursing Mothers…But Still Best for Babies)
Men with short legs, possibly caused by malnutrition during their first three months of gestation in utero, are at increased risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. (Men with Short Legs More Likely to Suffer Heart Attacks)
Large amounts of curry (turmeric) stops diabetes in diabetic mice. (Curry for Diabetes) Cinnamon and cloves improve risk factors for diabetes and heart disease. (Cinnamon, Cloves Improve Insulin Function) Dr. Richard A. Anderson found that doses of 1 to 6 grams of cinnamon daily improved blood profiles of diabetic patients. (A Spoonful of Cinnamon Helps Treat Diabetes)
Exposure to pesticides and air pollution have both been linked to diabetes. A major chemical accident happened in Seveso Italy, and years later those townspeople with higher levels of persistent organic pollutants in the fat in their bodies suffered much higher levels of type II diabetes. (Could the diabetes epidemic be down to pollution?) The use of the pesticide trichlorfon has been found to increase the risk of diabetes by 85%. (Pesticides linked to diabetes risk) Arsenic might be a risk factor for diabetes, since people with traces of it in their urine are more likely to suffer from it. (Are Traces of Arsenic in Tap Water Linked to Diabetes?)
Gastric bypass can cause remission in Type II diabetes independently of weight loss or obesity. What might be happening in that the upper intestines, the duodenum and jejunum, produce a regulatory hormone, anti-incretin, which is activated by the passage of food through this part of the intestine. Anti-incretins lower the insulin level, and incretins raise it; and together they regulate its levels. Researchers speculate that diabetics produce excess anti-incretin, which drives down their insulin, and block its action. (Rethink On Cause of Type 2 Diabetes)
The malarial drug hydroxychloroquine HCQ might prevent the development of diabetes in arthritic patients. (Antimalarial Drug Prevents Diabetes in Arthritis Patients, Study Suggests)
The risk of getting Alzheimer’s doubles if a person has diabetes before age 65. (Getting Diabetes Before 65 More Than Doubles Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease) And Alzheimer’s might be a third form of diabetes. (Discovery supports theory of Alzheimer’s disease as a form of diabetes) (See also Alzheimer’s) Children of mothers with autoimmune diseases, such as diabetes, arthritis, and celiac disease, have up to three times the risk of getting autism. (From Gut Buddies, Autism May be Linked to Mom’s Autoimmune Disease)
It’s little surprise that misinformation regarding diabetes comes from our government, and it’s likely that the diabetic dietary guidelines recommend such a high level of grain consumption they actually increase your chances of becoming diabetic. (The Best Way to Get Diabetes: Follow the Diabetes Dietary Guidelines) Also, the GI index is very over simplified. (GI Blues: What’s wrong with the GI Diet? Interindividual Variability and Intra-Individual Reproducibility of Glycemic Index Values for Commercial White Bread, Glycemic Index Values Vary from One Test to the Next) More misleading information comes from the book, The China Study, which concludes that there is a strong relationship between consuming animal products and numerous diseases, such as diabetes, cancers, heart disease, autoimmune diseases, etc. Of course, the Paleolithic Diet people would argue that this is because of the types of meats we consume, which come from domesticated grain fed animals. This relationship wouldn’t exist if the animal products people ate were from healthy grass consuming wild animals.
