Probably the biggest damage from high amounts of sugar in the blood, with a diabetic, is done to your vascular system.
There are two types of damage to you vascular system:
the macro vascular system, with the large vessels and
the micro vascular system with small capillaries.
In the large vessels there is the coronary artery that supplies the heart muscle and there are peripheral arteries throughout body. There is also the micro vascular system that goes to the retina of the eye or the kidney.
High blood sugar can destroy your organs. What you can do about it?
Glucotoxicity (toxicity of glucose, which is sugar) causes a massive oxidation effect, which is like rusting inside your body. It can happen in your arteries, brain, or nerves.
Your body starts to heal it with proteins, calcium, and cholesterol that form plaques. That is the body’s equivalent of a bandaid. (By the way, diabetics that consume antioxidants from real food can lower the effects of glucotoxicity.)
Then you have glycation, caused when glucose and protein are combined then heated, such as with barbequed ribs that you then eat. This can cause some proteins in your body to become unusable and cause damage anywhere within your body.
These are the four main organs at risk from high blood sugar:
We are talking about hyperglycaemia. It has a huge effect on suppressing your immune system.
Hyperglycemia, an excess of glucose in the bloodstream, often associated with diabetes, is one of the big factors involved in the COVID situation, massively increasing your risk for mortality.
How does high sugar affect your immune system?
Firstly, because high blood sugar inhibits chemotaxis, which is the movement of white blood cells through the body towards where they need to do their work like an infection or a part of the body that’s damaged. It is the movement of white blood cells that is triggered by certain chemicals in the body.
Secondly, we have impaired phagocytosis. Phagocytosis is the mechanism where certain white blood cells will engulf and eat and kill pathogens: viruses, bacteria, fungus and mold. There are two main phagocytes. The neutrophils, which make up 90% of all the pus in your body after an infection. They’re very short-lived. With high sugar you have less neutrophils.
The other phagocytes are the macrophages. They are the big phagocytes they are there to guard to protect you. They will engulf pathogens and eating them up and put them in these little vesicles and dumping acid in there hydrogen peroxide, the main ingredient in Bleach, and that’s how they kill these microbes.
You have less neutrophils, less macrophages and you have less of their weapons. You take down a big part of the body’s army when you have high blood sugar or when you consume a lot of sugar.
Third, you have inhibited complement cascade. Complement cascade is a series of events that occur that will cause the bacterial membrane to burst. Basically it’s a mechanism to help kill bacteria.
Fourth, when you have high levels of sugar in the blood, you develop acidosis. The body’s pH starts to go down making, it is more acidic and that by itself inhibits immunity.
Fifth, it slows the white blood cells moving through the tissues. These white blood cells have the ability to actually go right through your tissues, right through the lymphatic system, through organs, through blood vessels. All that movement is inhibited. It is like having your own army and they had to walk through a huge muddy field and they were getting stuck and they couldn’t move that well. That’s what happens to your immune system.
Sixth, One of the big effects of having high blood sugar is the destruction of the vascular system, especially to the nerves to other parts of the body. With high sugar you’re going to have less oxygen through the body and with that you’re going to have an increase microbes that can live in that environment. They’re called anaerobes. They are pathogens that live in areas that don’t require oxygen such as fungus and candida. This is going to increase the risk for infection, fungal infections, Candida infections, and many other types of pathogens.
Lastly, you’re going to have less of an innate immunity and that’s part of the immune system that is the wall – your the skin and the inner skin and hyperglycemia destroys those barriers so now we don’t have that protection like we did when we were healthy.
Disclaimer: The content of this email or Post is not intended for the treatment or prevention of disease, nor as a substitute for medical treatment, nor as an alternative to medical advice. Use of recommendations is at the choice and risk of the reader.
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Dr. Eric Berg is an excellent presenter. Please watch these 2 short videos. The highlights are shown below. The 2 videos are:
How Stress Makes You Fat
Stress and the immune system
How Stress Makes You Fat
The body‘s response to stress is to spike cortisol and adrenaline. Cortisol has the potential to significantly raise your blood sugar.
Even if you’re on the low-carb/ ketogenic diet and you are doing intermittent fasting you will see that your blood glucose goes up when you are stressed or experiencing trauma.
In times of stress, cortisol will also release glucose from your liver and dumps that stored sugar into your bloodstream so the insulin has to take it into storage as fat.
Also, cortisol breaks down protein and converts it to glucose which can be stored as fat.
This is why women specifically after menopause they start losing their muscle mass. It turns into fat and their blood glucose goes up.
Also cortisol decreases insulin sensitivity. This leads to insulin resistance, which causes the body to make more insulin to makes more fat, which slows down the metabolism. It’s a vicious cycle.
Also, cortisol will drive the storage of fat to your midsection or the area around the organs around in the midsection and the liver. This is why people under a lot of stress end up with a lot of midsection weight, skinny legs. It is because the body is breaking down proteins from the upper leg and butt muscles and turns into sugar and then converts that too fat and puts it around your midsection.
That is the relationship between stress and belly fat.
This Post has been condensed from: How Stress Makes You Fat
Stress and the immune system
Stress influences your immune system in general.
For any person with a chronic health problem it originated with some type of stressful event.
Stress can pre-disposed you to getting sick because what it does to the adrenal hormone called cortisol. Cortisol is a type of hormone, which is intimately involved in the immune response.
It suppresses white blood cells. It suppresses the T-cells, which trains the immune system to fight off infections. It lowers the immune barrier that allows the viruses to invade the cells. That’s why people get virus infections when they’re stressed such as shingles, herpes, etc.
It can increase platelets, which then will set you up for clotting factors.
It increases neutrophils, which will then leads to inflammation.
Stress is definitely involved in any autoimmune condition.
The typical treatment is prednisone, which is a synthetic type of cortisol. It will act on the adrenal hormones that will decrease inflammation and decrease immune function. For allergies or high levels of histamine people take prednisone or cortisol because it has that function.
When the stress gets too high there’s an alteration in the cortisol and adrenal function and this leads to a drop in the immune defense mechanism.
There are many different types of stress:
Physical trauma, surgery, being in a stressful relationship.
But the biggest stress is losses of a loved one or a job. That can hit someone very hard and the health just starts going downhill.
You can alleviate stress by going for long walks, getting in the sunshine to get your vitamin D, removing yourself from the stressful situation, taking a vacation, taking vitamin B and getting adequate sleep.
What to do with the stress that stuck in your body.
There are different parts of your body that are involved in the fight or flight mechanism. It is called the sympathetic nervous system. There’s also the opposite system called a parasympathetic nervous system, which counter the stress. And this is part of the nervous system that is throughout the body.
There is a way to tap into that to release the stress. One of the most powerful ones is working on the neck points. These points control the parasympathetic nervous system. If you apply pressure to these points it can relax you.
The next points are in the mid back, the next point are in the abdomen area which can indirectly affect the adrenal glands deep inside.
You can use Acupressure on these points on someone else or there are acupressure tools you can use on yourself, Dr. Berg sells one of them.
This Post has been condensed from: Stress and the immune system
Disclaimer: The content of this email or Post is not intended for the treatment or prevention of disease, nor as a substitute for medical treatment, nor as an alternative to medical advice. Use of recommendations is at the choice and risk of the reader.
I invite you to Follow my Blog, Facebook or be added to my email distribution list. My focus is to maximize my physical performance and mental clarity, body composition, and most importantly overall health with a wholesome diet and exercise.
I will bring you compelling articles on Ketogenic and GAPS diets, the Super Slow High-Intensity Exercise Program and supplements.
To follow my Blog, please click the Follow button to receive an email when the next posting is available. Hint: You may have to click the Accept and Close button before follow is available.
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What are the first warning signs of type 2 diabetes?
The “classic” signs of type 2 diabetes which lead people to see their doctor generally includes excessive thirst, frequent urination, blurred vision, numbness or tingling of extremities, weight gain and fatigue. However, these signs generally show up once someone has already developed diabetes. There are more subtle warning signs that can develop years earlier.
The most common early signs of type 2 diabetes can be fatigue and weight gain, but also surprisingly include symptoms of low blood sugar as well. Signs of low blood sugar generally develop when someone hasn’t eaten for a few hours, and include symptoms like nausea, light-headedness, severe hunger and irritability. This occurs due to a drop in blood sugar between meals, often caused by overproduction of insulin in people who have become insulin resistant. Interestingly, people can experience some of these symptoms, like hypoglycemia and irritability, before they even have a large elevation in their glucose or Hemoglobin A1c. If you are experiencing any of the symptoms listed, you should consider seeing your doctor and getting a blood test for diabetes.
How do I know if I have diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes is diagnosed in a number of ways. These include a fasting glucose of > or = 126 mg/dL, a hemoglobin a1c of 6.5% or greater, or elevated glucose on an oral glucose tolerance test. In addition, a random glucose of >200 is suggestive of diabetes.
However, there are a number of signs and symptoms that suggest type 2 diabetes and should make you consider getting a blood test. These include excessive thirst, frequent urination, blurred vision, numbness or tingling of extremities, weight gain and fatigue. Other possible symptoms include erectile dysfunction in men and irregular periods in women.
What are the symptoms of type 2 diabetes?
Symptoms of type 2 diabetes mellitus are as varied as they are unpleasant. If you notice any of the symptoms mentioned in this post, it would be advisable to seek medical attention.
For example, one might notice an increase in urination. A hallmark feature of type 2 diabetes is an elevated glucose (sugar) level in the blood. When blood glucose levels are high, the kidney struggles to filter the excess glucose out of the urine. The urine thus contains more glucose than it should, and this leads to higher volumes of fluid leaving the body through the urine. This is often accompanied by an increase in thirst.
Additionally, type 2 diabetes makes it difficult for the body’s organs to receive dietary fuel in the form of glucose. And when the body’s organs aren’t getting the energy they need to perform as they should, this can lead to fatigue and hunger.
Type 2 diabetes also makes it harder for the body to heal. This can lead to more frequent infections and slow-healing wounds.
Elevated blood glucose levels from type 2 diabetes can lead to blurry vision. Vision can improve as blood glucose levels decrease.
These particularly worrisome symptoms warrant seeking medical attention immediately:
very severe dehydration and
a significant impairment of one’s ability to think and speak clearly.
What are the symptoms of type 2 diabetes in women?
In general, men and women have similar symptoms of type 2 diabetes. These include excessive thirst, frequent urination, blurred vision, numbness or tingling of extremities, weight gain and fatigue. However, there are some additional symptoms in women that may signal possible type 2 diabetes. These include frequent vaginal yeast infections or urinary tract infections. High blood glucose levels make infections more common and difficult to treat. While there are obviously many possible cause for these infections, patients experiencing recurrent or severe infections should consider evaluation for diabetes.
Another frequent issue seen in women with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes is Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).This syndrome is thought to be connected to insulin resistance, a key component of diabetes, and common symptoms of PCOS include irregular menstrual periods, acne, pelvic pain, and infertility.
In addition, it is important to note that women with a history of gestational diabetes during pregnancy have an increased chance of developing type 2 diabetes in the future. If you have a history of gestational diabetes and have any of the symptoms listed here, it is a good idea to have a blood test for diabetes.
What are the symptoms of type 2 diabetes in men?
In addition to the commonly discussed symptoms for both men and women, another issue discussed less frequently is erectile dysfunction.
How can you prevent type 2 diabetes?
One of the most important first steps one can take to prevent type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is to reach out to a primary care provider.
A growing body of evidence shows that a well-formulated ketogenic diet can improve and even reverse T2DM. The diet significantly lowers blood sugars. Please see the related post on the best diet for type 2 diabetes.
One medication, metformin, has been shown in multiple studies to be effective at preventing the onset of T2DM. Metformin is both inexpensive and without long-term safety concerns.
There is scientific evidence that suggests that certain foods like refined grains and sugary beverages are associated (that is, they tend to go hand-in-hand) with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus.
There is a strong association between obesity and developing type 2 diabetes, but not all obese people will develop diabetes.
Obesity, like type 2 diabetes, can be caused by any combination of a number of genetic and environmental factors. Diet and exercise can be modified to prevent obesity.
What is the best diet for type 2 diabetes?
The scientific evidence in support of a well-formulated ketogenic diet to improve the health of folks living with type 2 diabetes is so compelling that the American Diabetes Association and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes recently issued a consensus report in which they acknowledge the value of a low-carbohydrate diet to help people living with type 2 diabetes.
Can a ketogenic diet reverse type 2 diabetes?
Insulin resistance is the hallmark of type 2 diabetes and manifests as carbohydrate intolerance. Like other food intolerances, the most logical and effective approach to managing carbohydrate intolerance is to restrict sugars and starches to within the individual’s metabolic tolerance.
A well-formulated ketogenic diet can prevent and slow down progression of type-2 diabetes, and it can actually resolve all the signs and symptoms in many patients, in effect reversing the disease as long as the carbohydrate restriction is maintained.
How do I manage my medications if I make dietary changes to improve my diabetes?
We strongly recommend that patients with type 2 diabetes consult a medical professional before making dietary changes. Changing your diet, particularly changing to the well-formulated ketogenic diet can be incredibly powerful in improving blood sugar and even reversing type 2 diabetes.
However, because of the rapid blood sugar and blood pressure improvements that are seen, it is very important that you have medical supervision while making dietary changes. This is particularly important in patients taking medications like insulin or sulfonylureas, which can cause dangerously low blood glucose.
In addition, newer diabetes medications such as SGLT-2 inhibitors, can lead to a dangerous condition known as “euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis,” in which patients can have normal blood glucose but dangerous changes in the acidity of their blood.
In addition, due to the rapid improvements that are often seen in blood sugar, it is important to have close monitoring of your biomarkers. This can be difficult for most clinics to provide, but is part of the continuous remote monitoring that is part of the Virta treatment. They sometimes adjust medications multiple times in one day, and often need to be proactive in reducing medications to avoid dangerous low blood sugars.
Does cinnamon help treat type 2 diabetes?
Cinnamon has been extensively studied without showing consistent results.
Diabetic retinopathy can develop when a patient living with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has high blood sugars that damage the blood vessels in the retina. Read more at https://blog.virtahealth.com/diabetic-neuropathy/
Can I reverse diabetic neuropathy, nephropathy, or retinopathy with a ketogenic diet?
We have many anecdotes of reversal of neuropathy, retinopathy, and nephropathy in people with T2D following a well-formulated ketogenic diet but there are not objective data (i.e. published peer-reviewed studies) to provide evidence that this is true. Learn more by watching the in this link https://blog.virtahealth.com/reverse-diabetic-neuropathy-nephropathy-retinopathy-keto/
What are diabetic foot problems?
There are many complications (problems) that can happen to the feet when a person is diagnosed with diabetes. These include problems with the nerves, problems with the blood vessels, and problems with healing. Read more at https://blog.virtahealth.com/diabetic-foot/
What is the treatment for diabetic foot problems?
Checking your feet on a daily basis and avoiding injuries to your feet are the best way to prevent diabetic foot problems. Keeping good control of your blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels also helps slow the progression of nerve and blood vessel damage that causes diabetic foot problems. It is also best to have your feet checked by your physician or podiatrist (foot doctor) at least once a year
I invite you to Follow my Blog, Facebook or be added to my email distribution list. My focus is to maximize my physical performance and mental clarity, body composition, and most importantly overall health with a wholesome diet and exercise.
I will bring you compelling articles on Ketogenic and GAPS diets, the Super Slow High-Intensity Exercise Program and supplements.
To follow my Blog, please click the Follow button to receive an email when the next posting is available. Hint: You may have to click the Accept and Close button before follow is available.
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Disclaimer: The content of this email or Post is not intended for the treatment or prevention of disease, nor as a substitute for medical treatment, nor as an alternative to medical advice. Use of recommendations is at the choice and risk of the reader.
This is Part One of a series of three Posts. Part Two will cover more questions about Type 2 Diabetes. Part Three will cover Gestational Diabetes.
What causes high blood sugar?
Many things can cause high blood sugar, but what we eat plays the biggest and most direct role in elevating blood sugar. When we eat carbohydrates, our body converts those carbohydrates into glucose, and this can play a role in raising blood sugar. Protein, to a certain degree, in high amounts can also raise blood sugar levels. Fat does not raise blood sugar levels. Stress leading to an increase in the hormone cortisol can also raise blood sugar levels.
What’s the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes?
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition that results in the body’s inability to produce insulin. People who suffer from Type 1 diabetes must be on insulin in order to keep glucose levels within normal limits.
Type 2 diabetes is a disease in which either the body is able to produce insulin but is not able to produce enough or the body does not respond to the insulin that is being produced (known as insulin resistance). People with type 2 diabetes must be on a low carbohydrate diet to keep their diabetes from worsening.
What should your fasting blood glucose be?
A fasting blood sugar should be less than 100 in order to be considered normal. A fasting blood sugar of >100 to 125 is consistent with prediabetes. Fasting blood sugar levels of 126 or greater is diagnostic of diabetes.
If your fasting blood glucose is consistent with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, we recommend that you speak with your physician.
What is diabetic ketoacidosis?
Diabetic ketoacidosis (or DKA) is a serious medical condition that can result from very high levels of ketones in the blood. If it is not recognized and treated right away, then it can lead to a coma or even death. Because it is such a serious condition, a person who develops diabetic ketoacidosis is usually admitted to the hospital for treatment.
This condition occurs when the body’s cells are unable to use glucose for energy, and the body begins to break down fat for energy instead. Ketones are produced when the body breaks down fat, and very high levels of ketones can make the blood extremely acidic. The acidity can potentially cause coma and death.
People with type 1 diabetes are at risk of developing diabetic ketoacidosis if they do not take their insulin, if they do not eat, or if they become sick for other reasons (such as an infection). It is very unusual for people with type 2 diabetes to develop diabetic ketoacidosis.
Ketosis vs. ketoacidosis: What is the difference?
Ketosis: Endogenous ketones are known to be safe at physiologic levels. It has long been known that ketones are an effective alternate metabolic fuel and recent studies have shown them to be potent epigenetic and hormonal signaling molecules as well. In nutritional ketosis, serum ketones range from 0.5 to 5 mM. This is the body’s normal state of lipolysis (breaking down of fats) that occurs when carbohydrates are avoided.
Ketoacidosis:In stark contrast to this normal physiology of ketosis, pathologic ketoacidosis manifests with serum levels ketone levels of 15-25 mM (i.e., three- to ten-fold higher than in nutritional ketosis). Lipolysis is exquisitely regulated, so it is exceedingly rare for a patient with normal pancreatic beta cell function to enter ketoacidosis.
How does Metformin treat prediabetes and type 2 diabetes?
The mechanism of action of metformin is not fully understood. It appears to reduce glucose production in the liver, although there is now evidence that other factors may also play a role.
What is type 1 diabetes?
Type 1 diabetes is a condition where the body does not produce insulin.
What is insulin? Insulin is a hormone that is needed for the body to move glucose from the blood into the body’s cells. All of the organs in the body, including the brain, the heart, and the lungs, are made of cells. These cells use glucose for energy, which is why it is important for the glucose to move from the bloodstream into the cells.
The lack of insulin production in type 1 diabetes is usually caused by a problem with the pancreas. Type 1 diabetes is considered to be a permanent condition when it is diagnosed.
Prediabetes
What are the signs and symptoms of prediabetes?
Prediabetes is considered to be one of the most insidious precursors to diabetes because it may not have any signs or symptoms. This is why it is so important to do diagnostic blood tests checking a fasting glucose or hemoglobin A1c (Hba1c) test to establish a diagnosis of prediabetes. Many people who have prediabetes do not have any symptoms. By the time symptoms occurs, the diagnosis has usually already progressed to diabetes. There are some rare situations in which an individual can present with diabetes-related complications such as a retinal bleed, neuropathy or even a stroke, while only having a diagnosis of prediabetes.
What is the best diet for prediabetes?
A low carbohydrate diet is the ideal diet for prediabetes. This is because prediabetes occurs when glucose levels start to rise and the body produces insulin to try and lower the glucose levels. If the body cannot produce enough insulin or if the insulin level that the body is producing is not enough to meet the demands of the high glucose load, then glucose levels continue to rise.
How do you reverse prediabetes?
Prediabetes can be reversed by following a low carbohydrate diet.
Once glucose levels are lowered with a low carbohydrate diet, the body’s demand for insulin also goes down. As insulin levels are lowered due to lowered glucose levels, this will then be reflected in lab results such as a normal HbA1c or fasting glucose. Once Hba1c or fasting glucose has been normalized, then one can say that the prediabetes has been put into remission or reversed.
Dr. Hallberg describes how a low carbohydrate diet can be an effective treatment for insulin resistance in this video.
What is the usual treatment for prediabetes?
Some providers may prescribe Metformin to patients who suffer from prediabetes for some time and are unable to make the dietary changes to reverse their prediabetes, yet are at high risk for developing diabetes.
Many patients who receive a diagnosis of prediabetes will also be told to lose weight with diet and exercise. Weight loss also plays a role in reversing prediabetes; however, the mechanism by which prediabetes is reversed is related to lowering insulin levels, and lowering insulin levels can help reduce weight.
Can prediabetes be reversed permanently?
Prediabetes can be reversed through the dietary changes outlined here. However, it is important to understand that if someone eats a low carbohydrate diet and reverses their prediabetes but then begins eating carbohydrates again in the future, the prediabetes will return.They must eat a low carbohydrate diet lifelong in order to reverse prediabetes and keep it permanently reversed.
The source of this information is the Virta Health website. Here is the link, please copy and paste it into your address bar
I invite you to Follow my Blog, Facebook or be added to my email distribution list. My focus is to maximize my physical performance and mental clarity, body composition, and most importantly overall health with a wholesome diet and exercise.
I will bring you compelling articles on Ketogenic and GAPS diets, the Super Slow High-Intensity Exercise Program and supplements.
To follow my Blog, please click the Follow button to receive an email when the next posting is available. Hint: You may have to click the Accept and Close button before follow is available.
I thrive on feedback. Please let me know you are interested in the content by clicking Like, Commenting or sending me a message or email about the Post.
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Disclaimer: The content of this email or Post is not intended for the treatment or prevention of disease, nor as a substitute for medical treatment, nor as an alternative to medical advice. Use of recommendations is at the choice and risk of the reader.
2HealthyHabits 