Metabolic Disease and Diabetes

SOME of the STATS

Within their lifetime one in two individuals (3 billion worldwide) are at risk of developing metabolic disease, pre-diabetes or diabetes and its degenerative complications.

According to the American Diabetes Society, 1 in 3 North-American and 1 in 2 indigenous individuals born in 2000 will develop diabetes later in life.

On average, diabetes is diagnosed eight to fourteen years late; i.e. 8 to 14 years AFTER the patient shows the very first signs.

Research indicates well over 50 health conditions and diseases are future predictors of an increased risk of diabetes.

• Worldwide, according to the IDF (International Diabetes Federation), there are 246 million diagnosed diabetics

• By 2025 the IDF expects this number to top 380 million

• Each year an additional 7 million individuals are diagnosed with diabetes

• Every ten seconds two people worldwide are newly diagnosed with diabetes

• Every ten seconds one individual worldwide dies from diabetes and diabetes-related complications

• WHO (World Health Organization) predicts a global increase of 50% of diabetes deaths by 2015, 80 percent of which in upper-middle income countries

• WHO translates these deaths into 25 million years of life lost each year

• IDF figures on an additional 23 million years of life lost due to “disability and reduced quality of life caused by the preventable complications of diabetes”

For further details on latest statistics check the DIABETES-Series Little Book: Risk of Diabetes

Diabetes is NOT a new Disease!

Already the ancient Chinese have recorded, named and treated Diabetes. Xiao Ke is the name they called it. Still today we use several of the ancient Chinese medicine herbal formulae in diabetes control and reversal.

Interestingly, throughout history, diabetes seems to "surface" whenever a society is "resting on its laurels" after acquiring great wealth. That was an issue for the Chinese and also for the ancient Egyptians.

And, who knows, if Rome fell because most of its centurions lost their battle fierceness because they had become "diabetics"... At least their bucolic feasts just prior to the disintegration of the Roman Empire are proverbial.

Food for Thought (pun intended): Diabetes rates spike wherever processed, mostly grain-based, toxin-saturated foods and soft-drinks have become available...
Time to return to a healthier lifestyle involving food preparation rather than a car-trip to the corner store?!

GENES MAY TELL

It makes for food for thought that approximately 43% of the North-American population and close to 90% of some South-American, indigenous and Northern European peoples carry a gene (HLA-DQ8) that makes them potentially sensitive to gluten, an opioid-containing protein.

Gluten is the binding and storage factor contained in wheat, barley, rye, spelt, triticale, to some degree oats, and all processed foods, personal care items, toothpastes, make-up, the glue on envelopes, etc.

The majority of type 2 diabetics or individuals at risk of developing diabetes carry that same HLA-DQ8 gene...

The majority of type 2 diabetics experience some bowel-related issues (bloating, inflammation, malabsorption, mineral deficiencies, brain fog, etc.). So do celiacs (patients who are gluten-sensitive).

In either case, the duodenum (first part of our small intestines) appears to play a major role. -- 80-90% of all diabetics who undergo bariatric surgery, whereby the duodenum is being bypassed, no longer are considered "diabetic" after surgery...

Similar to celiac disease patients who for life have to eat gluten-free these "former" diabetics no longer affront their duodenum with offensive carbohydrates.

Today we are starting to control (and avoid) type 2 and to some degree also type 1 diabetes by sticking to a low-carbohydrate (and possibly gluten-free) diet for all HLA-DQ2 or HLA-DQ8 individuals.

If you are interested in the why's and how's check out At Risk?.