At the moment 1.2 million people are living with Type II diabetes but are yet to be diagnosed . Type II diabetes when caught early can usually be reduced or eliminated by fat loss, exercise ( cardiovascular and resistance training ) and a healthy diet https://www.diabetes.org.uk/about-us/about-the-charity/our-strategy/statistics
Todays world of too much stress and not enough sleep, food readily available and lifestyles of commuting , sedentary jobs and busy home lives where exercise is reduced or completely forgotten - all of this is enough to stimulate excess weigh gain and bad blood glucose level readings but combined with the toxic , low nutritionally dense , calorie laden, ultra processed foods that are designed to over eat on- strategically available all around us 24-7 ( anything out of a tin, packet, Jar or box ) are ALL contributing to a massive increase in obesity and with it Type II diabetes.
Type II diabetes is a condition that happens because of too much glucose ( sugar ) circulating in the blood stream - over time what happens is akin to a bathtub where you leave the taps running - the bath tub fills and then the water spills out of the tub over the floor - inside you the sugar spills out of your muscles and cells and over loads the blood stream - attacking your internal organs - the brain, your nerves, heart and so forth .
The good news is by reducing your weight, exercising and eliminating all processed foods - you can reverse this condition . I have coached many diabetic clients safely back to a normal blood glucose reading.
When going for a blood test make sure you have been fasting - even a cup of black tea or coffee can affect your results . Drink water but that is it .
Have a good nights sleep .
If you have a high reading in the morning have a second test done later in the day and continue your fast to after lunch - some people genetically will have a high blood glucose reading in the morning but this dissipates with fasting as the day goes on
One bad nights sleep can flag you as being pre diabetic in a blood glucose test. This not only reflects the importance of sleep on your blood glucose but understand that one reading may not be an accurate representation - so always have a second reading done .
What is a high blood reading ?
Less than 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L ) is normal. 100 to 125 mg/dL (5.6 to 6.9 mmol/L ) is diagnosed as prediabetes. 126 mg/dL (7.0 mmol/L ) or higher on two separate tests is diagnosed as diabetes
Coupled with the high blood glucose you would see a low insulin level of 4 or 5 .
You can then do an Oral glucose tolerance test which measures how metabolically efficient you are - or shows how your body deals with glucose . This and a Continuous Blood Glucose Monitor that you can wear will illustrate what happens with respect to your blood glucose level when you eat .
If determined that you have too higher level of glucose , you do not dispose of it efficiently or if you do you require too much insulin to do it .
What to do if you DO have a high blood glucose reading and are flagged as pre diabetic or diabetic
1.EXERCISE : The best thing you can do for your health is exercise- daily activity walking , running , swimming , cycling, dancing, gardening etc etc moving your body daily - Cardiovascular exercise lowers your blood glucose level and reduces body weight both of which reduce Type II diabetes . Steady state cardio vascular activity uptakes glucose form the blood stream into the muscles directly . Try 45 minutes of fast walking 3-5 times per week.
After exercise your blood glucose continues to go down - it happens because aerobic exercise ( zone 2-lower levels of exertion ) really soaks up glucose into the working muscles
Building muscle mass - 80 % of glucose at least is disposed of in muscle ( unless you are utilising the glucose ) the liver takes some but has a much smaller capacity .Maximising muscle mass through strength training is your best tool for reducing blood glucose in the blood stream . Muscle mass is very effective at basically sucking up blood glucose - the more muscle mass you have the more metabolically healthy you are .
2. Ditch the carbohydrates . All processed foods and all carbohydrate foods ( fruits and vegetables contain carbohydrates but provide a ton of nutrition and fiber ) If you are very diabetic reducing fruit and vegetables very high in carbohydrates - baked potatoes, sweetcorn etc especially in the beginning can help , NEVER snack on foods - but never snack anyway .
Eat as many green vegetables and high fiber veggies as you can - the fiber will slow the carbohydrate release into the blood stream and help the transition through the body . The fiber also keeps you full and nourishes your gut bacteria which again helps with a healthy digestion . Eat slowly and chew your foods properly.
I always feel reluctant to tell people to reduce fruits and vegetables as they also contain polyphenols and antioxidants which nourish the body and brain and reduce damage .
3. Reduce Total calories : Fat loss will reduce Type II diabetes and blood glucose readings . Usually excess weight and type II diabetes go hand in hand especially when diagnosed later on in life .
4. Never snack - this causes spikes in blood glucose and contributes to excess calories.
5. Never eat at night - or after your last meal . Again this disrupts your blood glucose levels.
6. Using periods of fasting . There are many fasting protocols but this can be an excellent way to reduce weight and blood glucose levels . A 12 hour fast should be a minimum for everyone. Nothing but water within this window to give your digestion a break .
Following this you can try eating 2 meals a day or reducing your eating window to 6 hours , alternate day fasting and so on.
7. No alcohol or drinks containing sugar including fruit juices.
5. Ensure you have good sleep . 8 hours of quality sleep per night - going to bed and getting up the same everyday give or take 1 hour
6.Hypercortoslemia : stress . Increasing aerobic and resistance training adding in meditation and yoga and engaging in activities to stimulate your vagus nerve - cold water swimming etc will all help to reduce stress
Cognitive decline is related to type II diabetes or metabolic disease so we need to nip this in the bud quickly . There is a link between brain health , blood glucose , type II diabetes and heart attack so if you care about your brain and your heart then get moving , reduce the weight, adopt healthy eating patterns and start building muscle and getting adequate quality sleep .
Comments