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Before You Begin
Information presented here is for general
educational purposes only. Each one of us is biochemically and metabolically
different. If you have a specific health concern and wish my personalized
nutritional recommendation, write to me by clicking
here.
Of
the 15 million Americans who have Type II diabetes, more than a third are
unaware of it. Another 21 million
Americans have a greater than 50/50 chance of developing the disease because
they have impaired blood-sugar metabolism. This
year alone more than 187,000 people will die of Type II diabetes, also called
non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), making it the sixth leading
cause of death by disease. Each day, over 2,200 people are diagnosed
with this chronic life debilitating,expansive,
and pro-aging disease.
What is Diabetes?
Glucose is a simple sugar found in food. It is an essential nutrient that
provides energy for the proper functioning of the body cells. After meals,
food is digested in the stomach and the intestines into glucose and other
nutrients. The glucose in digested food is absorbed by the intestinal cells
into the bloodstream, and is carried by blood to all the cells in the body.
However, glucose cannot enter the cells alone. It needs assistance from
insulin in order to penetrate the cell walls.Insulin therefore acts
as a regulator of glucose metabolism in the body.
Insulin is called the "hunger hormone". As the blood sugar
level increases following a carbohydrate rich meal, the corresponding insulin
level rises with the eventual lowering of the blood sugar level and glucose
is transported from the blood into the cell for energy. When the blood
glucose levels are lowered, the insulin release from the pancreas is turned
off. When the blood sugar level drops below a certain level, hunger is felt.
This often occurs a few hours after the meal. In normal individuals, such
a regulatory system helps to keep blood glucose levels in a tightly controlled
range. Cravings for sweets frequently form part of this cycle, which can
lead to snacking, often for more carbohydrates. If the cravings are not
fulfilled, sensations such as hunger, dizziness, moodiness, and a state
of "collapse" can result.
This system of auto regulation and homeostasis is the function of the pancreas
and it works around the clock. Dysfunction of this auto regulation system
- either inability of the pancreas to secrete any or insufficient insulin,
or pancreas overload from too much sugar ingested over a long period of
time, or over compensatory mechanism, or a combination of these, results
in the lack of insulin, and hence high blood sugar. This is the hallmark
of diabetes mellitus (commonly called diabetes)
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Of
the 15 million Americans who have Type II diabetes, more than a third are
unaware of it. Another 21 million
Americans have a greater than 50/50 chance of developing the disease because
they have impaired blood-sugar metabolism. 
