Lenten health re-run #6: A new epidemic

A new epidemic

According to Dr. Mark Hyman, medical writer and Director of Functional Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, we are in the middle of an “explosive epidemic” of obesity and type 2 diabetes – what he refers to as “diabesity,”  the single biggest chronic disease in America. This term encompasses the continuum of metabolic imbalance and disease that ranges from mild blood-sugar imbalance, through insulin resistance, to full-blown diabetes.

Nearly all people who are overweight already have “pre-diabetes.”  We force our bodies to digest and utilize refined and starchy carbohydrates, quickly absorbed sugars and liquid calories (sports drinks, fancy coffees, sodas, etc.). Over time, we lose our responsiveness to insulin, and need more of it to balance and correctly use blood sugar; this leads to elevated levels of insulin and the development of insulin resistance. Hyman says that high insulin levels encourage accumulation of belly fat and “drive inflammation, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, poor sex drive, infertility, and increased risk of cancer, Alzheimer’s, and depression.”  Over time, our cells become so resistant to insulin that blood sugar stays up and the pancreas can’t produce enough insulin to combat this.  That’s when we cross the line into diabetes.

Chronic disease results from imbalances in our biology that occur as a result of the interactions between our genes and our environment; to reverse this, says Hyman, we must focus on the causes that disturb our whole system.

If you answer yes to any of these questions, you are at risk for diabesity:

1)      Do you have a family history of diabetes, heart disease, or obesity?

2)      Are you of non-white ancestry?

3)      Are you overweight?

4)      Do you have extra belly fat? (waist > 35” for women and > 40” for men)

5)      Do you crave sugar and refined carbohydrates?

6)      Do you have trouble losing weight on a low-fat diet?

7)      Is your fasting blood sugar elevated, or have you been told that you have insulin resistance or diabetes?

8)      Do you have high levels of triglycerides or a low level of HDL (“good” cholesterol)?

9)      Do you have heart disease or high blood pressure?

10)  Are you inactive (less than 30 minutes of exercise 4X/wk)?

11)  Have you had gestational diabetes or polycystic ovary syndrome?

I certainly have more than one “yes” answer on this list – and I guess many of you do, too – if not for yourselves, then for people you care about.  Well, STAY TUNEDuntil next Friday for seven keys to reversing diabesity and returning to a more healthy self!