Pre-Diabetes

Pre-diabetes, also known as metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and syndrome X, is a looming problem in the USA and many other countries.

According to the National Institutes of Health, in 1997 one in four U.S. adults--some 57 million people--had pre-diabetes. Most are not aware they have it.

Most with this condition will develop type II diabetes within ten years unless they lose 5-7% of their body weight. These people are also at risk for cardiovascular disease(heart disease).

Weight loss plus physical activity are much more effective than any medication at reducing diabetes risk. Metformin, a drug commonly prescribed to "prevent" diabetes is only effective 31% of the time. Changes in diet and lifestyle produce a successful result 70% of the time according to the NIH site.

The path to diabetes seems to be like many things in life: you are either moving toward diabetes, or you are moving away from it, depending on what you are eating and your exercise level. If we continue to do the things that contribute to becoming completely diabetic, with our bodies no longer being able to internally control our metabolism of sugar, then we will eventually become diabetic.

Diabetes is a serious inconvenience, as a lot of people in the United States are finding out. If it is allowed to progress, it ultimately causes blindness, nerve pain, and often the need for amputations of body parts that are no longer receiving enough circulation. That's a lot to give up for the privilege of continuing to eat what is loosely defined as the Standard American Diet.

Heart disease, as mentioned above, is also a complication that diabetes contributes to. And heart disease is eventually fatal. This was the fate of both of my grandmothers, which has made avoiding diabetes and embracing good health practices very important for me.

The Hardcore Approach vs. The Mainstream

This relativism is a perfect example of why most Americans are chubby and many are forced to take several prescriptions for various drugs daily, just to maintain the semblance of health. To state that sugar is just another carbohydrate neglects to mention that another carbohydrate food, such as a potato has many nutrients and fiber that have been removed from refined sugar. Sugar has no redeeming nutrient value, unlike the humble potato, but--according to WebMD.com--they are made equals in the simplistic sense that they are both just carbohydrates.

They go deeper into the swamp of half-truths to say that, "Substitute, don't add. When you eat a sugary food, such as cookies, cakes, or candies, substitute them for another carbohydrate or starch (for example, potatoes) that you would have eaten that day." So, in WebMD's view, since a carb is a carb, if temptation leads you to eat cookies, cakes, or candies, just don't eat any healthy, nutrient rich carbs, such as sweet potatoes, whole grain bread, or brown rice!

That is such poor advice from what we call a well-respected, mainstream source of information. I can only say that advice like that explains why the health of the average American gets worse every year.

It also explains why we predictably slip slowly from pre-diabetes into full-blown diabetes, type II. It makes me proud to be a non-expert. Although I have plenty of diabetic family members, I have avoided slip-sliding into diabetes by drawing a hard line between healthy whole foods and unhealthy refined foods.

One final comment on WebMD: Looked at from a business point of view, WebMD is just a vehicle filled with content(information) that attracts many viewers and thus, is useful for selling advertising for pharmaceutical drugs and medical procedures. Below is a final quote that proves my point.

"Check your blood sugar after eating sugary foods and talk to your health care provider about how to adjust your insulin if needed when eating sugars."

You see, the medical industry doesn't want you to be totally free of pre-diabetes. They could tell you how to reverse the disease, as Dr. Neal Barnard does, but there's not much money in that. The money is in getting you dependent on insulin and glucophage and metformin. It keeps doctors in business to make you have to schedule an office visit frequently to make sure you're taking enough insulin, etc.

It suits the doctors and pharmaceutical giants to treat you like a child who can't keep your hands out of the cookie jar, because--according to Dr. Ray Strand--if you keep spiking your insulin production, you will become diabetic. You won't find that kind of hard advice on WebMD, will you?

It is a well-known fact that we can prevent and even reverse diabetes by strict dietary avoidance of certain foods, especially those high on the Glycemic Index, and a healthy dose of exercise such as walking. I don't want even a little bit of pre-diabetes, so I seek out doctors--and they are rare--that aim to make us well, not sell us drugs. That requires those who follow this path to lose weight(if needed), stay very active, and carefully follow what I generally call the Healthy Planet Diet.

A couple more facts:

* All drugs have side-effects. Many times these are worse than the disease they are prescribed to treat. (Non-drug treatments, such as moderate exercise and smart dietary changes have no negative side-effects--and they cost nothing but a little time which is pleasantly spent, usually.)

* Drug therapies for pre-diabetes and diabetes do not prevent the progression of the disease. They only slow it down. And the cost of treating a diabetic patient for life is more than $700,000.

So, if you are like me and you're willing to take a more disciplined approach to your own avoidance of pre-diabetes, the choice is a simple one. Besides the side-effect of staying trim and fit for life, able to enjoy the benefits of feeling and looking your best for a long life, you get the satisfaction of keeping a large chunk of your lifetime earnings in your estate, rather than paying it out to doctors and drug companies for mediocre health. Isn't that worth saying no to daily temptations presented by sweets, meats, and refined foods?

To learn about the effects of most energy drinks and soft drinks on Pre-diabetes, click here