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I discussed in part 1 of this series the process of type II diabetes is significantly influenced by the amount of body fat a person has, particularly fat around the abdominal area. Lifestyle modification in the way of diet and exercise are crucial factors for addressing type II diabetes. They must be present to achieve success if one is attempting to use a natural approach. The rest of Part 2 will outline Diet, Exercise and supplement strategies to help the body naturally control and reverse this condition.
*As a side note, it is very important to mention that all people with type II diabetes should be monitored by a physician. Regular blood tests and physical exams are needed to ensure that a person’s condition is under control and that irreversible damage is not being done to the system. The following are important tests to have done regularly (every 3-6 months) until the condition is under control: Diet: The most important thing for a type 2 diabetic to focus on in the diet is eliminating all high glycemic foods. If you remember from part 1 of the series, high glycemic foods break down into glucose in the blood very quickly. This in turn causes an excess release of insulin which signals fat storage. The stimulation of this cycle over and over again from the repeated consumption of high glycemic foods leads to the process of cells becoming resistant to insulin. The primary focus of the diet should be on low glycemic foods such as lean meats (chicken, turkey, fish, wild game) and vegetables (broccoli, zucchini, spinach, chard, mushrooms, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, butternut squash, yellow squash, green beans ect.). Some vegetables, such as carrots and beets, tend to have a higher glycemic index and should be consumed in moderation. Generally speaking, if the vegetable grows below ground it is more likely to have a higher glycemic index. There is another factor called the Glycemic Load that is important to consider when determining the best type of food for a type II diabetic. The glycemic load takes into account the glycemic index and overall provides us with a much more accurate assessment of how food affects our blood sugar levels. The glycemic load is calculated by multiplying the amount of carbohydrate in a serving of food by that particular food's glycemic index. This number is then divided by 100. The higher the glycemic load, the greater the stress on insulin. The Appendix has a table of foods ranked according to their glycemic index and glycemic load. Eliminating these foods entirely is not an easy thing to do, but if someone is serious about making a significant impact on this condition it is well worth the effort. For those people not ready to make an extreme commitment, start implementing some of the ideas slowly and one at a time. For example, commit to eating bread products only 2x per week. Or cut out the cake and cookies you may normally eat at the office. These small changes may not be enough to have huge impacts on your condition, but can help you get in the right frame of mind to make larger, more significant changes in the future. Exercise: Exercise is an essential piece of treating type II diabetes naturally because not only does it foster weight loss but it also can directly affect the cells sensitivity to insulin. Losing weight, particularly around the abdominal area, starts reversing the signals that trigger cells to become resistant to insulin in the first place. For weight loss to occur, it is important to focus on both weight training (anaerobic) and cardiovascular (aerobic) activity. By increasing the amount of calories you burn (exercise) and decreasing the amount of calories you consume (dietary changes) the body is put into calorie deficit and fat stores start to get burned to supply necessary energy. There are some specific strategies to consider when discussing exercise and type II diabetes. Previously I mentioned that certain types of exercise have the ability to directly increase a cell’s sensitivity to insulin. This process happens when a muscle is exhausted quickly and intensely which causes it to burn all of its stores of energy and sugar. When these glycogen stores become depleted the muscle cells start to starve for glucose. The starving cells quickly become highly sensitive to insulin again in an attempt to shuttle sugar into the muscle as quickly as possible. This process is essentially reversing the insulin resistance for a period of time just following the exhaustion of the muscle. Repeating this process on a frequent basis in different muscles all over the body starts the process of re-sensitizing the cells to insulin. The specific method of doing this using resistance training is commonly referred to as the reverse pyramid. The basic concept is that you start your weight lifting set using the most amount of weight you can lift, and you lift it the most amount of times you can until your muscles are exhausted. You then immediately switch to a lighter weight and continue to do repetitions until your muscles become exhausted at that weight. Again, you immediately reduce the weight and exhaust your muscles again. It is a total of 3 sets, back to back, using lighter and lighter weights. The overall goal is put your muscles in exhaustion right away and keep them there for the rest of the work out. Doing this type of exercise on the larger muscle groups of the body (chest, legs, back) will maximize the subsequent increase in insulin sensitivity. If you are seriously interested in trying a routine like this there are few things you should be aware of. Number one is that if done properly, you blood sugar will drop significantly after the workout as the starving muscles take up glucose. For this reason you may have to adjust your dose of insulin, if you are on it, or be prepared with some rescue juice if you start to feel lightheaded or hypoglycemic. As you continue to practice you will eventually adjust your medication accordingly and be implementing one of the most powerful natural tools for reversing insulin resistance. The other thing you need to consider is being safe and not hurting yourself with the weights. If you have never used weights before or feel somewhat uncomfortable with using them I highly suggest employing the services of a personal trainer to get started. You may only need 1 or 2 sessions but at least they can show you how to safely use the weights in way that minimizes the chances of injury. The Natural Pharmacy: When it comes to improving the body’s sensitivity to insulin, a key objective in reversing and managing type II diabetes, it is important to consider mineral, vitamin and herbal supplements. Below are three examples from the natural pharmacy that are particularly important to consider when addressing insulin sensitivity and blood sugar. Cinnamon Cinnamon has been widely used for centuries as a medicinal and culinary spice. It’s implications for the management of high blood sugar have gotten more recent attention due a large body of mounting research. Researchers found that cinnamon improved the ability of fat cells in diabetics to respond to insulin and greatly increased glucose removal from the blood. It is believed that a substance in cinnamon called MHCP is responsible for the beneficial results. The May 2006 edition of the European Journal of Clinical Investigation published a new study on cinnamon and type II diabetes . This double blind placebo controlled study from Germany conducted on 79 people showed that cinnamon had a significant ability to lower fasting blood sugar in type II diabetics when compared to placebo. It was most effective in those participants who had higher fasting blood sugars at baseline. A 2003 randomized, placebo controlled study published in Diabetes Care showed that 40 days of cinnamon supplementation resulted in significant decreases in fasting serum glucose, triglycerides levels, LDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol . None of these changes were noted in the placebo group. The authors conclude that the intake of cinnamon in proper doses can reduce risk factors associated with diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Chromium Chromium is a key factor for assisting insulin in the uptake of glucose into the cell. In the absence of chromium, insulin’s activity is blocked, preventing glucose from getting out of the blood and into cells. It is estimated that a large part of the American population is deficient in chromium. Numerous clinical trials have shown chromium’s ability to improve glucose sensitivity, lower insulin levels, and decrease total cholesterol and triglyceride levels while increasing HDL-cholesterol levels. Momordica charantia (Bitter Melon) Bitter melon has a long history as a folk medicine for treating diabetes. Clinical trials have demonstrated its ability to lower blood sugar levels in both type I and type II diabetes . It contains a substance called polypeptide-P which has a similar structure to bovine insulin. Experimental studies show its ability to achieve a sugar regulating effect by modulating the body’s response to sweet tasting foods. Bitter melons principle constituents are lectins and momordicine. It also contains charantin, which is extracted by alcohol, that has been shown to be more powerful than oral hypoglycemic drugs. When used in conjunction with the lifestyle modifications outlined above, these natural substances can help to substantially reverse insulin resistance and make signifcant changes for people suffering from type II diabetes. |
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