8 Steps to Reversing Diabesity

Last week I began a discussion about a modern epidemic, a deadly disease that one of every two of you have, a disease that's making you fat, sick and will kill you, but 90 percent of you don't even know you have it.

This disease is diabesity, the continuum of abnormal biology that ranges from mild insulin resistance to full-blown diabetes.

This week I want to explain the real causes of diabesity and provide eight steps you can take to reverse this disease starting today.

The Real Causes of Diabesity

The entire spectrum of diabesity including all of its complications -- diabetes, elevated blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol -- are simply downstream symptoms that result from problems with diet, lifestyle, and environmental toxins interacting with our unique genetic susceptibilities.

Those are the real causes of diabesity.

And the reason these dietary and lifestyle factors lead to diabesity is because they create a condition known as insulin resistance. Contrary to what most people think, Type 2 diabetes is a disease of too much, not too little, insulin. Insulin is the real driver of problems with diabesity.

When your diet is full of empty calories and an abundance of quickly-absorbed sugars, liquid calories and carbohydrates (like bread, pasta, rice and potatoes), your cells slowly become resistant to the effects of insulin and need more and more to do the same job of keeping your blood sugar even. Thus you develop insulin resistance. A high insulin level is the first sign of a problem. The higher your insulin levels are, the worse your insulin resistance. Your body starts to age and deteriorate. In fact, insulin resistance is the single most important phenomenon that leads to rapid and premature aging and all its resultant diseases, including heart disease, stroke, dementia and cancer.

As your insulin levels increase it leads to an appetite that is out of control, increasing weight gain around the belly, more inflammation and oxidative stress, and myriad downstream effects including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, low HDL, high triglycerides, weight gain around the middle, thickening of the blood and increased risk of cancer, Alzheimer's and depression. These are all a result of insulin resistance and too much insulin. Elevated blood sugar is not the source of the problem.

And because insulin resistance (and diabesity) are a direct outcome of diet and lifestyle, the condition is 100 percent reversible in the vast majority of cases. Most people just need to eliminate the things that are sending their biology out of balance and include what's needed to help the body rebalance itself. For most, the interventions required are extremely simply and extraordinarily effective.

8 Steps to Reversing Diabesity

In my new book, "The Blood Sugar Solution," which comes out next February, I outline a comprehensive 8-week plan for overcoming diabesity in all its forms. Here is a sneak preview of the steps outlined in the book:

1. Get the right tests. Most doctors focus on fasting blood sugar. This is actually a poor indicator of diabesity. The best test to tease out the condition is an insulin response test where insulin levels are measured fasting and then 1 and 2 hours after a glucose drink. Demand this test from your doctor.

2. Get smart about nutrition. Despite the media hype and the seeming confusion amongst doctors, the basics of nutrition are extremely simple. Eliminate sugar and processed carbohydrates, include whole real foods like lean protein (chicken or fish), veggies, nuts, seeds, beans and whole grains.

3. Get the right supplements. There has recently been a frenzy of negative reports about supplements. Most of them are unfounded. Supplements are an essential part of treating diabesity. A good multivitamin, vitamin D, fish oil and special blood sugar balancing nutrients like alpha lipoic acid, chromium polynicotinate, biotin, cinnamon, green tea catechins and glucomannan should also be included.

4. Get relaxed. Stress is a major unrecognized contributor to insulin resistance and blood sugar imbalance. Push your pause button every day with deep breathing, visualization, yoga and other relaxation techniques.

5. Get moving. Aside from changing your diet, exercise is probably the single best medication for diabesity. Walk for at least 30 minutes every day. For some, 30-60 minutes of more vigorous aerobic exercise 4-6 times a week may be necessary.

6. Get clean and green. Environmental toxins also contribute to diabesity. Filter your water, look for green cleaning products and avoid plastics when you can.

7. Get personal. While the steps above will address 80 percent of the problems with diabesity, some may need to take additional steps to optimize key areas of their biology. Remember, the medicine of the future is personal medicine. Seek out your own biological imbalances and look for ways to address them.

8. Get connected. Research is beginning to show that we get better more effectively when we get together. Invite your friends, families and neighbors to change their diets and lifestyle along with you. Together we can all take back our health.

And keep your eyes peeled for "The Blood Sugar Solution," due out next February, where I outline all of the social, economic, biological and medical underpinnings of this health epidemic and provide an 8-week, step-by-step system that will allow you to dig deep into your own biology and heal even the most severe cases of diabesity.

For more on diabesity, join us on www.drhyman.com and celebrate Diabetes Awareness Month.

Now I'd like to hear from you...

What are the root causes of diabesity in your life?

Have you tried any of the steps in this article? How have they worked for you?

What solutions do you see for our modern health crisis?

Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

To your good health,

Mark Hyman, M.D.

Mark Hyman, M.D. is a practicing physician, founder of The UltraWellness Center, a four-time New York Times bestselling author, and an international leader in the field of Functional Medicine. You can follow him on Twitter, connect with him on LinkedIn, watch his videos on YouTube, become a fan on Facebook, and subscribe to his newsletter.

 

 

 

Follow Mark Hyman, MD on Twitter: www.twitter.com/markhymanmd

Comments

[hattie54]

08:22 PM on 11/28/2011

A friend of mine is diabetic.She got her #'s down when she started eating a healthy breakast,good healthy mid am snack,a good small lunch,a good mid afternoon snack,a nice dinner with lots of veggies,good protein and finally a healthy snack before 9 pm.She says the days she and us not enough enough,not have enough carbs ( 136 g per day ),protein ( can't remember the #'s ),your body is hungry,it thinks its starving so the blood sugar shoots up.Drinking water and walking each day do make a difference.I walk but I don't drink enough water.

[blcayce]

07:44 PM on 11/28/2011

My husband has uncontroled diabetis type 2. He has had one heart attack and recently three new stints. My husbands Diabetes and heart disease is related to Agent Orange (3 tour in Nam).. He was put on an insulin pump about a year ago and at first seemed to be doing well but not so much anymore. I followed dietary rules pretty well, I too am a diabetic type 2 that is reversing (A1C 5.6). I am now considering a more radical approach and going vegetarian ( maybe even on to vegan).
WE are both in our 60's.. I worry about my husband, it seems nothing is working. He is only slightly overwieght.
v

[matejasmith]

05:22 PM on 11/28/2011

Dear Dr. Hyman, Thank you for this article and I will be purchasing your book. First, I come from a long line of diabetics. MomType 2 passed away (62 yrs) 2nd heart attack, 2 sisters, 1 brother, Type 1 passed (mid 40's)Strokes, kidney failure, siblings also had diabetic retinopathy. I have read your 8 steps and I must say, they do work. As I approached 40 I began to panic. I did not wish to wind up like my siblings or Mama. I exercised everyday, 60 min. Very cautious with my diet. Held my ideal weight for many years. 2 years ago, a tragedy occured and I became very depressed. I stopped exercising, gained 30 pounds, my employer cancelled my medical ins. And now, my health is at its worst. I realize that I must gain control and am now taking steps to do so. I will beat this and reverse it.

[Debra Sterns]

04:48 PM on 11/28/2011

I have a tough time with sleep - I can't stay asleep. Night sweats - tossing/turning - congestion - all affect me. I actually sleep better in daylight hours - but that is contrary to the rest of the world and my family - so I need to get regular sleep habits in place. I also can't seem to force myself to eat 3- 5 times a day and am physically limited to exercises like swimming or biking - I cannot walk more than 100 feet without pain. I started gaining weight when I quit smoking - then after a lengthy recuperation from surgery I sat and ate for close to 2 years - now I can't get that weight off. Depression caused the eating - now the physical limitations and shame seem to be causing the lack of exercise. Menopause hasn't helped one bit either. Do you ever suggest bio-identical hormone replacement therapies?

[pearlevision9240]

04:42 PM on 11/28/2011

My increase in insulin resistance is due to the constant use of high doses of Prednisone to avoid allergic reactions when taking antibiotics. I’ve already been in anaphylactic shock six times due to reactions to different foods and drugs. A high dose of Prednisone (1,500mg in a three week period) is the equivalent of putting a thousand pound weight on one side of a teeter-totter. Your blood sugar will go abnormally and dangerously high. After seven years, it’s starting to take more and more insulin to control my levels.

I’ve met with different diabetic-nutritionists hoping eating healthier would help. The problem I have is that I am now allergic to seventeen different foods and cannot repeat certain foods for a week at a time to avoid building up in-tolerances to those foods. Most diabetic-diets require several servings of various fruits and vegetables each day so they don't work for me. None of the nutritionists were able to set up a viable diet due to allergies.

Your suggestions will probably help 95% of those with insulin resistance problems. But you need to remember there will always be exceptions to the rule, and for those of us who fall into that small percent, reversing the problem is just not going to happen. Perhaps you should change your statement, “the condition is 100 percent reversible in the vast majority of cases” to - the condition is 100 percent reversible if you are able to follow the step I present here.

[omad]

02:35 PM on 11/28/2011

Feedback - I was a happy, healthy adult living in a great environment in the Pacific Northwest - Seattle - in the job of a liftime, wonderful friends and a super house. Mom on east coast began to have health issues - finally I had to tear myself away from all those good things I listed and moved to New Jersey shore to care for her. Government transferred me to job there and I hired nurses aides for day while I worked in stressful job. Up all night caring for her as she did not sleep and had serious problems. This lasted 5 years. When she passed I thought the tiredness would resolve itself. Unfortunately it did not. Finally doc sent me to Joslin Center and I was diagnosed with diabetes caused by stress. My life has so drastically changed and thank goodness I am retired because diabetes is a full time job when you are on insulin.

[paulythesuit]

01:41 PM on 11/28/2011

Color me stupid but....I almost have to have someone come in to my home and cook for me when it comes to trying to determine what you can and cannot eat. I've reviewed cook book after cook book tyring to determine what's practical to fix and eat. Avoid "processed foods & Carbs", I get that but where can I find reasonable receipes that don't require a culinary chef?

[grudgrime]

05:51 PM on 11/28/2011

THey are all over the internet. You don't really need recipes, just use common sense, avoid processed foods, eat lean meat (you can spice it up any way you want), fruits and veggies. It's not rocket science.

[EdMercer]

11:19 AM on 11/28/2011

Great information http://www.diabetescaresecrets.com and all very easy things to do for such a great benefit.

[glennkromminga]

10:47 AM on 11/28/2011

I find that 2-3 bottles of water a day do me as much good as the rest of your recommendations.

[magermama]

10:39 AM on 11/28/2011

One has to be careful making such far reaching statements. Insulin resistance can be reversed. When one's pancreas stops working correctly, hello genetics, one is a diabetic. You can eat right, exercise an hour a day and still be a diabetic. So please be mindful of bashing all diabetics as if they can change it - the 20 percent of us in that category would appreciate it. Thank you.

[Debra Sterns]

04:51 PM on 11/28/2011

I think he was referring to insulin resistant type II - not type l. All people who are type l or ll know the difference. There is no changing type l.

[RJ9255]

10:11 AM on 11/28/2011

Over the course of 6 mos, my A1C has gone from 10 (with 6-7 being normal) to 8.3 to 6.8 at the end of October. My cholesterol has dropped from 248 to 181 to 171; my glucose from 243 to 141 to 140 (still need to improve on that, obviously); & my triglycerides have plummeted from 519 to 175 to 118 - - all from keeping my carb intake to 30/meal & cutting out most processed foods. I'm sure a lot of that improvement can also be attributed to the type 2 diabetes & cholesterol medications I take. I was lucky to get an ol' codger of a Dr. (Dr. Reeves), who made no bones about the fact that he expected me to do my part to bring my values down, while educating me on what could happen if I didn't, thus inspiring me to excel in my efforts. We need more Drs, & diabetes-based programs, that take the time to educate their patients on the pros/cons of improving our diabesity. I was lucky enough to land in one such program that includes quarterly sessions with a nurse & dietician who helped educate me about cholesterol and diet. More importantly, we, as patients, need to do our parts by changing our diets & taking the medications they prescribe faithfully & consistently in order to achieve better values. Doctors can only do so much, therefore, ultimately the responsibility lies with us to improve our own health.

[MONTENEGRO1949]

09:40 AM on 11/28/2011

I am a type 2 diabetic, have had it for 11 years. When I was diagnosed with it, it did not surprise me, it runs in both families. It did not scare me, I changed my eating pattern and I have it under control. People where I use to work (now retired) find out they have diabetes and they act like they are going to die soon. They would come to me for advice, word got around that I was diabetic. I would tell them what I did to control it. There is a lot of information on the internet.

[MONTENEGRO1949]

11:23 AM on 11/30/2011

NEW INFORMATION: BASED ON THE LATEST RESEARCH GATHERED BY THE AMERICAN DIABETES ASSOCIATION, HERE ARE THE 11 BEST FOODS FOR FIGHTING THIS DISEASE.
THE'RE ALL RICH IN CALCIUM, POTASSIUM, FIBER, MAGNESIUM, AND VITAMINS A.C, AND E- THE NUTRIENTS THAT APPEAR TO PACK THE MOST PUNCH (AND REMEMBER: IT'S BEST TO GET THESE NUTRIENTS THROUGH FOOD, NOT SUPPLEMENTS.)
1. BEANS
2. DARK LEAFY GREENS
3. CITRUS FRUIT
4. SWEET POTATOES
5. BERRIES
6 TOMATOES
7. FISH (CHOOSE COLD-WATER FATTY FISH, SUCH AS SALMON, HIGH IN OMEGA-3
FATTY ACIDES).
8. WHOLE GRAINS
9. NUTS
10. SKIM MILK
11. FAT FREE LYOGURT

[DanJake]

09:28 AM on 11/28/2011

Check your medicines for side effects, especially those that cause a rise in blood sugar. After I suffered a really horrible side effect from another medicine, I went to WebMD.com and got information on the side effects of every med I was taking. It just so happened that one of my three blood pressure meds, Chorthalidone (Hygroton) had one of its side effects listed as "infrequent but severe" on high blood sugar. On Nov. 10, I took a fasting blood sample the day before seeing my doctor. My blood sugar reading was over 150 after 14 hours of fasting. On Nov.11, when I saw the doctor and showed her my print-out on the Chlorthalidone side effects and the fasting value, she agreed to discontinue the chlorthalidone but to continue with the two other blood pressure meds. As of this morning (Nov. 28) my blood sugar has decreased down to 101 from a previous average of nearly 200.

[se72748]

09:21 AM on 11/28/2011

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes about a year ago.I take bitter melon,milk thistle,cinnimon,chromium picolinate,and fenugreek.I lost forty pounds.My blood sugar stays consistantly in the low eighties.I don't take metformin.

[Sheila Caldwell Rushing]

09:55 AM on 11/28/2011

I don't need to lose any weight, I'm 5'1 and weigh 100 lbs, but I'm interesed in where you find these ingredients? I am gong to go to my local health food store to see if I can find the indredients you listed, as I'm hoping it will help me with my blood sugar. If my blood suger gets over 110 I am screaming in pain, and I try my best to control my blood sugar, by what I eat, no starches, no sugar, no cola's diet or regular, no prossessed meats, I can't even eat fresh fruit, not even if my sugar is low, around in the low 60's as even fruit will run my sugar up shy high when my sugar is low. I can eat only 1/4 of a banana if my sugar is very low and it will run it up to around 130 and this is to high for me.

[bw1018]

10:00 AM on 11/28/2011

Do you mind sharing the amounts of each supplement you take? I've been wanting to get off of metformin and take supplements instead.

[hattie54]

09:12 AM on 11/28/2011

I need to keep working on my numbers.I notice the weeks I eat something for breakast and have a healthy snack 2 to 3 hrs after dinner,my numbers drop.