{"id":1320390,"date":"2020-06-07T21:48:00","date_gmt":"2020-06-08T03:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/doctors-tip-diabetes-and-prediabetes-what-they-are-and-what-causes-them\/"},"modified":"2020-06-07T21:48:00","modified_gmt":"2020-06-08T03:48:00","slug":"doctors-tip-diabetes-and-prediabetes-what-they-are-and-what-causes-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/local-news\/doctors-tip-diabetes-and-prediabetes-what-they-are-and-what-causes-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Doctor\u2019s Tip: Diabetes and prediabetes \u2014 what they are and what causes them"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Greg Feinsinger<\/strong>
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Diabetes is a major cause of death and disability in countries on a Western diet \u2014 high in animal products, sugar, added oil and processed food. Today\u2019s column will discuss what diabetes and prediabetes are and what causes them; next week\u2019s column will discuss how to prevent and reverse type 2 diabetes.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important first to understand what glucose and insulin are. In his book \u201cHow Not to Die,\u201d Dr. Michael Greger notes that glucose is \u201cthe primary fuel powering all the cells in your body,\u201d and he defines insulin as \u201cthe key that unlocks the doors to your cells to allow glucose to enter.\u201d For optimal health, it\u2019s important that blood glucose stays within certain parameters, and insulin \u2014 made by the beta cells in the pancreas \u2014 is secreted as needed to regulate blood sugar. Diabetes is the disease that results when blood sugar levels aren\u2019t kept in check.<\/p>\n

Chronic blood sugar elevation damages blood vessels throughout the body, leading to several complications including cardiovascular disease (heart attacks and strokes); eye disease that can lead to blindness; kidney failure; erectile dysfunction; neuropathy (nerve damage) in the feet and legs and throughout the body; peripheral vascular disease that can lead to amputation of the toes and feet; poor wound healing; and dementia. It can also contribute to depression; increased risk of blood clots; increased harmful inflammation; and weakened immunity.<\/p>\n

There are two types of diabetes. Five percent of diabetic cases in the U.S. are type 1, which is an autoimmune disease where a subject\u2019s immune system goes rogue and attacks the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Type 1 can have a genetic component, and is not related to lifestyle, although all autoimmune diseases are more prevalent in societies on a Western diet. Type 2 diabetes accounts for 95 percent of diabetes in the U.S., and is clearly a lifestyle disease. This column is primarily about type 2 diabetes.<\/p>\n

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