Protect Yourself From Diabetes

(Article first published as New Diabetes Cases Projected to Triple by 2050 on Technorati.)

Information released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that diabetes will continue to grow to epidemic proportions over the next 40 years. Presently 1 in 10 US adults suffers from the disease, yet a quarter of those people are unaware their metabolism is no longer able to counteract the damaging effects of all the processed foods and sugar they consume each day. The disease is caused by poor diet and lifestyle and is considered to be one of the ten most preventable diseases.

Disabling the Health Care System

People diagnosed with diabetes have medical costs that are more than twice that of those who don’t have the disease. According to a study published in the journal Population Health Metrics, the number of diabetes cases will triple by 2050, affecting between 1 in 3 and 1 in 5 depending on population statistics and how long people will live after developing the disease. Diabetes will become the leading underlying cause of mortality as it more than doubles the risk of heart disease and sudden death from a heart attack.

The Real Cause of Type II Diabetes

With small exception, Type II diabetes is caused by a diet that is packed with processed foods stripped of any nutrients and loaded with sugar and refined carbohydrates. This diet accounts for the majority of calories consumed by many people each day. With every meal, blood sugar levels are pushed higher, followed by a severe crash.

These wild swings eventually overpower insulin’s ability to mop up excess sugar in the blood and usher it to muscles and our cells to be used as a source of energy. Ultimately insulin becomes resistant to the increased blood sugar levels and is unable to efficiently remove excess glucose from our blood. Sugar is then allowed to remain in the blood where it damages organs and causes serious complications to our kidneys, heart, eyes and nervous system.

Prevent Diabetes in Your Future with Diet

Research has shown that you can effectively prevent and treat diabetes through a stringent plan involving dietary modification and blood sugar monitoring. Any food that dramatically raises blood sugar must be systematically eliminated from your diet. Begin by cutting all processed carbohydrates such as chips, crackers and all junk food treats. The vast majority of people are also very sensitive to wheat and cornstarch so they must eliminate all breads (including multi-grain varieties), pasta and potato-based foods.

Check Your Blood Sugar After Eating

The second part of the plan involves checking blood sugar after eating, as this is when glucose becomes elevated and is known to be most dangerous. Begin by reading all nutrition labels for carbohydrate content. Any food that lists more than 5 grams per serving should be avoided. Using an inexpensive blood glucose meter, check your blood sugar at 1 and 2 hour intervals to be sure you don’t exceed 140 mg/Dl at any time. Extensive research has shown that blood glucose levels above 140 mg/Dl result in diabetic complications and are a strong indicator that you are either diabetic or will become diabetic within the next 6 to 12 months.

The important news is that you can either prevent or treat diabetes before it has a chance to deteriorate your health. By controlling blood sugar with a healthy low carbohydrate diet and strict monitoring of blood glucose levels, you can halt this disease in its tracks and dramatically lower the risk of many deadly complications.