Blood Sugar - Insulin Resistance

Blood Sugar - Insulin Resistance

Metabolic syndrome, or insulin resistance syndrome, refers to a combination of certain health problems that all lead to an increased risk of diabetes. There is not a single definition universally accepted with a set of conditions, which make up metabolic disorder. While certain core conditions like obesity and high blood pressure exist in all models, the other conditions can vary. Metabolic syndrome is a precursor to diabetes and is diagnosed when a patient has three or more disorders at the same time that affect the metabolism. Health conditions include:


• Obesity
• Elevated glucose levels
• High blood pressure
• Abnormal cholesterol
• Heart disease
• Polycystic Ovarian    Syndrome
• High Triglycerides
• Elevated C-Reactive Protein levels
• High fibrinogen or plasminogen activator inhibitor–1 in the blood.

Having one of these conditions alone is difficult enough, but the more you have, the greater your risk for type 2 diabetes, stroke, or even more serious health complications. Risk factors that increase your chance of 

metabolic syndrome can include age, race, body weight and shape, or family history. Metabolic syndrome symptoms are similar to diabetes and can include:

• Increased thirst
• Frequent urination
• Increased hunger
• Fatigue
• Blurred vision
• Weight loss
• Frequent infections, or infections that are slow to heal

The treatment of metabolic syndrome requires overcoming insulin resistance and improving all other health conditions. A treatment plan laid out by Johns Hopkins says that the first step is lifestyle changes. Changing your lifestyle to include a balanced, healthy diet, regular exercise program and dietary supplements will be amazing factors in helping decrease your weight and improve your overall health. Some important specific recommendations are as follows:
Exercise: We recommend that you get 30 to 60 minutes of moderate exercise, such as brisk walking, every day.
Lose weight: Losing as little as 5 to 10 percent of your body weight can reduce insulin levels and blood pressure and decrease your risk of metabolic syndrome. Try to maintain a normal, healthy weight or begin a weight loss program.

Eat healthy: Dietary programs that limit unhealthy fats and sugars and emphasize fruits, vegetables, fish and whole grains are best.
Stop smoking: Smoking cigarettes increases insulin resistance and worsens the health consequences of metabolic syndrome.
Everyone at risk for metabolic syndrome should work with their doctor
to monitor weight, blood glucose, cholesterol and blood pressure levels to assess if lifestyle modifications are working. If a patient is not able to reach their goals with lifestyle changes, their doctor may also prescribe medications to lower blood pressure, control cholesterol or help you lose weight. If a person cannot properly manage their metabolic syndrome, there is a strong probability that it will progress to diabetes.
Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Insulin Resistance
The presence of diabetes and metabolic syndrome, which is the precursor to diabetes is a very important risk factor in diabetes.

Basically individuals suffering from diabetes and metabolic syndrome have INSULIN RESISTANCE

which results in high blood levels of insulin. More than 50 million Americans have metabolic disorders that include insulin resistance, according to the American Heart Association. Why is that bad for heart disease? First, insulin is a growth factor that promotes coronary plaque formation. That by itself is very bad. Second, insulin promotes hypertension, which we know is also very bad for the heart. Third, high circulating levels of glucose (blood sugar) directly results in macrophages and LDL cholesterol being turned into the deadly foam cells that are at the center of the new heart disease model. Fourth, insulin resistance also affects fat metabolism, which results in excessive levels of triglycerides, which we will soon discuss as another important risk factor in heart disease. Finally, insulin resistance is linked to obesity and is obviously a main manageable risk factor in heart disease.

How do you evaluate where you stand on this risk factor? Knowing you do or do not have diabetes or metabolic syndrome is not enough as insulin resistance is not an either/or type factor. It is definitely a factor of “degree.”
We recommend that you obtain BOTH your fasting glucose level and your fasting insulin levels. Ideally, to rule out these as risk factors in heart disease you will want the glucose level below 90-100 and most importantly, the fasting insulin level at less than 5.
If your levels are higher than these, then insulin resistance is a high risk factor for heart disease for you. Much of insulin resistance is dependent on lifestyle so the good news is that it is a modifiable factor for most people. Regular exercise and lower carbohydrate (especially simple sugars) diets are a key to weight loss which directly impacts insulin resistance.
There are also a variety of nutritional products available to help manage carbohydrate metabolism and reverse insulin resistance. First, the cell membrane is the “critical” battleground for insulin sensitivity. As we age, our cell membranes lose their flexibility and normal, efficient biochemical processes become problematic. Remaking the cell membrane is actually quite easy to do with a combination of true non denatured protein, omega 3 fatty acids, nutritional iodine and the proper alkaline environment for cellular change. Secondarily, carbohydrate management can be enhanced with a number of herbal extracts. 

Epic Lyfe offers a 4 in 1 herbal product called Carbo Thin, which in our opinion is the top herbal product available in the marketplace. Look in the Thin Lyfe category. http://maxip17.epiclyfe.com/store/p/carbothin

If your doctor has gotten involved in treating higher blood sugar levels and you haven’t been put on insulin, then you are probably taking metformin, which is the only drug that is FDA approved and recommended for use in diabetes prevention. However, the drug is actually only meant to treat high risk people younger than 60 with pre diabetes and a certain body mass index. Those facts have seemed to be lost on the prescription

writing population of general practitioners and many people are perhaps dosing themselves needlessly with this drug. Relying on a “pill” that may have limited benefit, if you do not fit into a specific population, is not usually the best avenue to take. We recommend re-confirming the reasons why you are on this drug with your physician and discuss alternative plans to modify lifestyle behaviors, which have more dramatic, positive impact on this modifiable risk factor.

Type 2 diabetes was once known as adult onset or non-insulin dependent diabetes. Today, however, things have changed and children are being diagnosed daily with type 2 diabetes. Almost 24 million children and adults, or about 8% of the population, have this disease. Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition impacting the metabolism of sugar or glucose in your body as a fuel source. In the disease process, the body either becomes resistant to insulin, a hormone regulating sugar moving into the cell, or your body does not produce enough insulin. Left untreated, type 2 diabetes can become life threatening.

While there is no known cause of type 2 diabetes, there are a number of significant risk factors under study. Environmental toxins may contribute to recent increases in the rate of type 2 diabetes. A positive correlation has been found between the concentration in the urine of bisphenol A, a constituent of some plastics, and the incidence of type 2 diabetes. Other factors include an age greater than 45 years, high blood pressure, a HDL cholesterol level of less than 35 mg/dL or triglyceride level of greater than 250 mg/dL.
Genetics play a significant role in type 2 diabetes. Doctors know that Type 2 diabetes is more common in certain racial groups. These include people of African, Native American, Hispanic, and Pacific Island descent. In fact,

the Pima Indians in Arizona have a prevalence of type 2 diabetes, nearly 50 percent. Family history also contributes to the genetic link in diabetes. People who have a parent or sibling with the disease also have an increased risk of about 10 to 15 percent. If the sibling is an identical twin, then the risk is almost 100 percent.

As important as genetics can be, there are many lifestyle factors being studied to better understand type 2 diabetes. Obesity and sedentary lifestyles (or lack of exercise) continue to be the biggest risk factors.
Nutrition is critical. In fact, it is uncommon these days to find a type 2 diabetic who is not overweight. The typical unhealthy western diet as compared to a well planned, healthy diet has been researched; including, of course, the negative impact of consuming dairy products and excessive sugar.  

Diets rich in mono and polyunsaturated fats including olive oil, avocados, nuts and seeds and a diet that includes whole grains help with blood sugar regulation. Simultaneously, people should avoid refined carbs such as white bread, white rice, white pasta and potatoes as they elevate the blood sugar fast as do sugary drinks like sodas, fruit punch and fruit juices.
Exercise has many benefits including allowing the body to regulate blood sugar levels, increasing cardiovascular capacity and optimizing strength and endurance. The weight loss benefits of regular exercise can be the determining factor in this disease onset. Therefore, in our opinion, type 2 diabetes can be prevented in most cases. The recipe for success begins with healthy nutrition, exercise and maintaining ideal body weight.
Type 2 diabetes has a variety of symptoms:

• Increased thirst
• Frequent urination
• Increased hunger
• Weight loss
• Fatigue
• Blurred vision
• Frequent infections or slow healing wounds

The immediate goal of treatment is to lower high blood glucose levels. The long term goals of treatment are to prevent diabetes related complications such as foot ulcers and loss of mobility. The primary treatment for type 2 diabetes is exercise and diet along with daily monitoring of blood sugar levels using a blood sugar meter. In many cases, a physician understands that there will be a near universal lack of compliance when
it comes to eating better or exercising more, so they might prescribe any one of a number of drugs. If a person continues to have poor blood glu- cose control despite lifestyle changes and taking medicines by mouth, the doctor will prescribe insulin. Insulin preparations differ in how fast they start to work and how long they remain working. More than one type may be mixed together in an injection to achieve the best blood glucose control. Usually injections are needed one to four times a day. Some people with type 2 diabetes find they no longer need medication if they lose weight and increase activity. When they reach their ideal weight, their own insulin and a careful diet can control their blood glucose levels very well.

Nutritional Supplements and Metabolic Syndrome

We have developed an information system based on research done by Dr. Johanna Budwig back in the 1950’s. We support getting to the root of the problem based in human physiology. These products can help balance blood sugar and adapt to daily carb influence, achieve optimal protein needed for the cell to rebuild the membrane; help the body maintain the ph levels as well as help the thyroid master gland regulate hormone levels. The four products we recommend are:

• Carbo Thin is a synergistically balanced blend of potent, natural based extracts intended to help improve blood sugar transport and insulin response in people allowing diabetics a way to naturally regain control over the management of their blood sugar levels. Vital ingredients like bitter melon, prickly pear and banaba have been shown to increase insulin sensitivity, lower elevated blood sugar levels, reduce cravings for sugar and help with weight loss.

• A non denatured, whey protein product is a great addition to your daily nutrition intake. Scientific studies show that when heat is used to dry protein it burns thousands of cross-linked bonds into the original amino acid structure. When this is ingested, the enzymes in your intestines work 
overtime to break it down and the results are very little nitrogen retention.

• Baking soda designed to regulate your body’s pH balance to a normal range, and in turn, greatly reduce the risk of disease and illness. Accord- ing to many health researchers, the total healing of chronic illness takes place only when, and if, the blood is restored to normal, slightly alkaline pH. Your body pH affects everything. Human blood stays in a very narrow pH range...7.35. Below this range means symptoms and disease. When pH levels drop, blood can change shape, mutate, mirror pathology and grow. Also, enzymes that are constructive can become destructive. More research is showing that low oxygen delivery to cells is a major factor in most degenerative conditions.

• Nutritional iodine. Iodine is one of the most important minerals for proper functioning of the Thyroid. The thyroid does not get access to iodine unless the body pH is near perfect. With society in a largely pH unbalance, one would suspect a lot of thyroid problems. Malfunctioning

thyroids have been connected to arthritis, heart attacks, diabetes, cancer, depression, fatigue and more. Mineral deficiency relates to the quality
of life energy, or more specifically electricity in our bodies. The speed at which the electricity flows is controlled by the body’s pH balance.

• An Omega 3 fatty acid product, which has been shown to be instrumental in rebuilding damaged cell membranes as well as contributing to a variety of other critical metabolic processes.
In addition to these products, a person with metabolic syndrome should eat a diet consisting of a lower calorie intake that is rich in fiber. Reducing simple carbohydrates and increasing protein as well as following the green and yellow food recommendations and avoiding the red food as discussed in a previous session will be an essential partner in health improvement.
Finally people suffering from metabolic syndrome should also exercise 30-60 minutes at least four times a week.

The bottom line is that exercise, healthy nutrition and supplementing with correct non food supplements is an integrative approach that makes metabolic syndrome preventable and reversible. So take charge of your health! Eat healthy foods, get more physical activity and lose excess pounds. Not only can you reduce your risk for diabetes and metabolic syndrome, you can also reduce your risk for the other health conditions.