What Type of Diet May Reverse Diabetic Kidney Failure?
Diabetes is the most common cause of kidney failure in the United States, and now researchers have shown for the first time that a dietary intervention alone may be enough to reverse the condition.
The new study found that mice with type 1 or type 2 diabetes and diabetic nephropathy (kidney failure) fed a ketogenic diet experienced a reverse in kidney failure after just eight weeks. A ketogenic diet, which is high in fat and low in carbohydrates, is often used to help control seizures in people with epilepsy and also sometimes as a weight loss tool.
Normally when you eat, the carbohydrates you consume are turned into glucose, but when your diet is very low in carbs and high in fat, your body will burn fat for fuel instead. This leads to the production of ketones, which replace glucose as the energy source. Since glucose is not highly metabolized on a ketogenic diet, it essentially blocks the damaging high glucose metabolism that can lead to diabetic kidney failure.
Researchers noted in the journal PLoS One:
“These studies demonstrate that diabetic nephropathy can be reversed by a relatively simple dietary intervention. Whether reduced glucose metabolism mediates the protective effects of the ketogenic diet remains to be determined.”
The expression of stress-induced genes, which are also associated with kidney failure, was also reversed in mice following a ketogenic diet. The researchers speculated that just one month on the diet may be enough to positively influence the expression of your genes and thwart the processes leading to kidney failure.
While a strict ketogenic diet may be hard to stick to, a diet rich in protein, vegetables and healthy fats, such as those from butter, avocado, nut butters, and olive oil, is a similar option that may also exert benefits for people with type 2 diabetes. Once you get into the habit of focusing your diet on these types of healthy whole foods, you’ll realize that your food choices are incredibly varied, making the diet surprisingly easy to follow.
What’s most important to take away from this study, though, is their finding that diet alone can reverse one of the most serious conditions related to diabetes. If you have diabetes, remember that your diet is one of your primary “weapons” against the pitfalls of the disease, and it’s very possible to reverse the condition entirely just by choosing the right foods. For more details on what types of foods to eat to prevent, manage and even reverse type 2 diabetes — without counting calories and without feeling hungry — contact the Functional Endocrinology Center of Colorado today.
————————————————————————————————————
The Functional Endocrinology Center of Colorado is passionate about improving the lives and lifestyles of individuals with Type II Diabetes and Hashimoto’s Disease. Call us at 303-302-0930 to schedule your complimentary consultation.
How Junk Food May Trigger Diabetes
It’s fairly common knowledge that an unhealthy diet is one of the primary risk factors for type 2 diabetes, but just how doughnuts, potato chips and French fries wreak havoc on your body’s ability to control blood sugar is more of a mystery to most.
New research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill reveals that junk food may lead to an inflammatory process that triggers insulin resistance and ultimately diabetes. Researchers exposed mouse immune system cells called macrophages to palmitate, a type of fat found in many processed foods. The palmitate interacted with proteins inside the cells called inflammasomes, leading to the release of interleukin-1 beta, which is known to play a role in inflammatory diseases.
As reported in NewScientist:
“Interleukin-1 beta … is known to “blind” liver, fat and muscle tissue to insulin. In people, this blindness to insulin ultimately leads to type 2 diabetes.”
You can read more about how inflammation triggers diabetes here, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that cell-signaling chemicals called cytokines, released by macrophages, cause cells to become insulin resistant, a condition in which your body has lost the ability to utilize insulin appropriately — and type 2 diabetes often follows.
In people who are obese, research shows that macrophages move into fat tissue where they release cytokines and interfere with the cells’ ability to use insulin properly. This is a likely reason why people who are overweight or obese are at an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Obesity actually contributes to a state of low-grade “silent” inflammation as well as insulin resistance.
Other inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, hepatitis C and inflammatory lung diseases are also linked to an increased risk of diabetes, which suggests that not only may type 2 diabetes be an inflammatory disease as well, but inflammation may also be to blame for why obesity triggers insulin resistance and diabetes.
Many factors can stimulate chronic inflammation in your body, but junk food is a primary culprit. All of the following foods (many of which are found widely in processed junk foods) may contribute to systemic inflammation:
- Trans fats (found in partially hydrogenated vegetable oil)
- Fried foods
- Sugar
- Bread and other refined carbs
- Soda
- Alcohol
- Polyunsaturated vegetable oils
Avoiding these pro-inflammatory foods and eating anti-inflammatory foods like fresh fruits and vegetables and wild-caught seafood can help to reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes.
Nature Immunology April 10, 2011
————————————————————————————————————
The Functional Endocrinology Center of Colorado is passionate about improving the lives and lifestyles of individuals with Type II Diabetes and Hashimoto’s Disease. Call us at 303-302-0930 to schedule your complimentary consultation.
Why Diabetics Should Not Smoke
It’s old news that smoking is bad for your health and can increase your risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke and many other serious diseases. But if you currently have diabetes, new research from researchers at California State Polytechnic University may give you yet another reason to quit.
The nicotine in cigarettes is particularly dangerous for diabetics, the study revealed, as it increases your blood sugar levels as well as your risk of diabetes complications. Levels of nicotine in the blood similar to that of a smoker’s raised HbA1c levels – a measure of the average amount of sugar in the blood for the past several weeks – by up to 34 percent.
The researchers speculated that nicotine may interfere with the way glucose attaches to proteins, leading to the increase in sugar levels. They also pointed out that increasing HbA1c levels by just 1 percent raises your risk of complications by 40 percent.
Past studies have also linked smoking to an increased risk of diabetes complications. In fact, cigarette smoking is known to increase the risk of eye disease, heart disease, stroke, vascular disease, kidney disease, nerve damage and foot problems in diabetics.
So if you have diabetes, you should know that smoking may make the condition more difficult to manage while increasing your risk of serious complications. And if you don’t, smoking will significantly increase your risk of developing the disease. One study found that smoking 16-25 cigarettes a day increased the risk of diabetes by more than three-fold compared to smoking none. Even exposure to second-hand smoke can increase your diabetes risk!
If you smoke, quitting is one of several lifestyle changes you can make to reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes, and make the condition easier to control if you already have it.
National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society, Anaheim, California, March 27, 2011
————————————————————————————————————
The Functional Endocrinology Center of Colorado is passionate about improving the lives and lifestyles of individuals with Type II Diabetes and Hashimoto’s Disease. Call us at 303-302-0930 to schedule your complimentary consultation.
Too Little Sleep Increases Kids’ Diabetes Risk
Does your child sleep less than 9 or 10 hours each night? He could be increasing his diabetes risk.
Kids aged 4-10 who slept the least amount and had the most irregular sleep patterns were not only more than four times as likely to be obese (a major diabetes risk factor), but they were also more likely to have altered levels of insulin, LDL (bad) cholesterol and C-reactive protein, which measures inflammation and heart disease risk.
Past studies have also found that skimping on sleep or getting poor sleep raises blood sugar levels, reduces your sensitivity to insulin and increases your diabetes risk. One study even found that after three nights without deep sleep young adults suffered a decrease in insulin sensitivity equivalent to that caused by gaining up to 30 pounds!
How much sleep do kids need?
In the latest study, kids slept an average of 8 hours a night. But those whose metabolic function was most disrupted slept just 6.5 hours a night on average, while those with the healthiest metabolic profile slept 9 or 10 hours.
This is right in line with the recommendations from the National Sleep Foundation, which suggests school-aged children (5-12 years) need 10-11 hours of sleep a night to function optimally. Yet, schoolwork, social activities, TV, video games, computers, and even caffeine consumption often interfere with a good night’s sleep for kids in this age range. As a result, sleep problems are common.
Remember that, like adults, kids need to have a regular sleep schedule to keep them on track, so try to establish a regular bedtime and wake-time that remains the same on weekdays and weekends. Your child’s bedroom (again like your own) should also be a “sleep sanctuary” that is dark, quiet and kept reasonably cool (cooler is better for sleeping) … and you’ll want to make sure your child is not able to stay up late watching TV or surfing the Web.
For more sleep tips for kids of all ages, check out these sleep tips from the National Sleep Foundation. And remember, getting a good night’s sleep is not just to avoid a crabby attitude in the morning — it could help to lower your child’s risk of obesity and chronic disease, including diabetes.
EmaxHealth.com January 24, 2011
————————————————————————————————————
The Functional Endocrinology Center of Colorado is passionate about improving the lives and lifestyles of individuals with Type II Diabetes and Hashimoto’s Disease. Call us at 303-302-0930 to schedule your complimentary consultation.
Why Dieting May Make You Fat
Millions of Americans start off their New Year on a quest to lose weight — you may very well be one of them — and that quest almost always involves going on a diet. But your good intentions at cutting your calories, restricting your food intake and otherwise starving yourself thin could be backfiring big time … and even making you fatter than you were before.
What gives?
Both acute and chronic dieting can reduce your circulating T3 levels by up to 50 percent. T3 (triiodothyronine) is the active form of hormone produced by your thyroid, and it plays a major role in your metabolism.
T3 actually helps to increase your metabolism, raising your basal metabolic rate, or the number of calories you burn in a day while at rest, so you burn more calories. But when you diet, you essentially send your body into starvation mode, causing your T3 levels to plummet and thereby lowering your basal metabolic rate as well.
By some estimates, dieting may lead to decreases in T3 that lower your metabolic rate by up to 40 percent, and there is evidence that if you’ve been a chronic dieter your metabolic rate and T3 levels may not return to normal for many years. This means that you’ll burn fewer calories than you really should, and will likely have a very hard time losing weight or, if you’ve already lost weight, keeping it off.
So what’s the solution if you want to shed a few (or more) pounds? Do so in a way that will protect your thyroid hormones, not harm them. This means ditching the diet in favor of healthy meals that keep you satiated, not starving.
Really, who wants to spend their days counting calories and agonizing over every celery stick anyway? When you revamp your meals to include mostly fresh, unprocessed foods, you needn’t keep track of calories — just eat until you feel full and satisfied. Best of all, this type of eating program will NOT feel like a diet at all — you should enjoy eating your meals and experience not only extra energy but also weight loss (if you need it) as an inevitable result.
If you need help to give your eating habits an overhaul, please do not hesitate to call. We can share with you a sensible way of eating that will promote healing and optimal health, without even a hint of the dreaded “D” word.
National Academy of Hypothyroidism
———————————————————————————————————-
The Functional Endocrinology Center of Colorado is passionate about improving the lives and lifestyles of individuals with Type II Diabetes and Hashimoto’s Disease. Call us at 303-302-0930 to schedule your complimentary consultation.
Second-Hand Smoke Increases Diabetes Risk
Most people are well aware of the health hazards of smoking. Cancer, heart disease and diabetes are all associated with this dangerous habit. But did you know that your risk of developing type 2 diabetes also increases — significantly — if you’re exposed to second-hand smoke?
In this way, tobacco smoke can predispose you to developing diabetes even if you’ve never smoked a cigarette in your life.
The latest study revealed that nonsmokers exposed to second-hand smoke had a 1.8 times greater risk of developing diabetes than those not exposed. And the longer the exposure, the worse the risk became.
Among those exposed to second-hand smoke for less than an hour a day, a 1.34 times higher prevalence of diabetes was found. But when exposure time was more than four hours a day, the prevalence nearly doubled.
Cigarette smoke is known to aggravate insulin resistance, which is one reason why it increases your diabetes risk whether you’re the one smoking or not.
So while everyone should strive to keep their exposure to second-hand smoke to a minimum, if you have risk factors of diabetes, such as a family history, obesity, or pre-diabetes, you should be especially careful to avoid exposure to second-hand smoke.
Of course, if you’re a smoker with diabetes quitting the habit should be high on your list of health priorities as well, as smoking not only makes managing diabetes more difficult, it also increases diabetes complications like:
- Eye disease
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- Vascular disease
- Kidney disease
- Nerve damage
- Foot problems
Quitting smoking is one of the best ways to reduce your risk of developing diabetes in the first place, too, as studies show that people who smoke 16-25 cigarettes a day have more than three times the risk of developing type 2 diabetes than non-smokers. If you’re thinking of quitting, you can use this as one more bit of incentive to help you quit.
Annals of Epidemiology January 2011 Volume 21, Issue 1, Pages 42-47
The Korea Herald/Asia News Network December 17, 2010
———————————————————————————————————–
The Functional Endocrinology Center of Colorado is passionate about improving the lives and lifestyles of individuals with Type II Diabetes and Hashimoto’s Disease. Call us at 303-302-0930 to schedule your complimentary consultation.
8 Top New Year’s Resolutions for a Healthy 2011
It’s the start of a new year, a time to first reflect on the year that’s passed and make new goals for the year to come. No matter how your year is starting out — whether you’re facing challenges or on cloud nine — the choices you make now can make 2011 your best year yet.
Picture your new calendar as a clean slate, an opportunity to wipe away your past mistakes and fill the pages with new, positive outcomes. You now have a chance to create the year — the life — you wish you had, and that all starts by supporting your health.
I urge you this January to begin to regard your health as your greatest, most valuable possession, and to take the steps necessary to prevent chronic disease and illness and instead experience vitality and well-being both inside and out.
Really, it’s only when you feel healthy and alive that you’ll be able to move on to other goals in your life, as feeling great is a necessary stepping stone to achieving all that you ultimately desire!
So this year as you plan out your New Year’s resolutions … or even as you simply ponder the weeks and months to come … be sure to add these positive and empowering steps to your daily life — and kick off 2011 right!
1. Eat Protein and Veggies at Every Meal: Your body needs protein to feel full and know it’s time to stop eating, and you need veggies for all their wonderful antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner, make protein (eggs, lean meat, fish) and vegetables your staples.
2. Stay Active: Exercise really is important, so be sure you’re staying active for at least 30 minutes five days a week or more. But remember to mix it up, incorporating jogging, dancing, strength training, yoga, kick-boxing, rebounding and more for their different benefits, and for the fun of it.
3. Turn Off the TV: You may be surprised how much more time you have in a day once you give up, or reduce, your TV time. And that’s time you can spend enriching your mind with books, taking a class at a community college, learning a new hobby or just talking with your friends and family.
4. Sleep: You’ve got a lot to get done in a day, but don’t skimp on your sleep as a result. You need proper sleep to heal and recover each day, as well as deal with stress and restore your energy. Ideally, try to go to sleep at the same time each night and awake at the same time each morning so your body gets into a regular sleep routine.
5. Relax: Both your body and your mind need down time to function optimally, so don’t feel guilty for taking time just for you. In fact, you should take “me time” every day, even if it’s just 20 minutes in the morning to meditate or an hour at the gym during your lunch hour. Also schedule regular relaxation holidays to relax and regroup for 24 hours or more at a time. You can take a vacation during this time or even just spend time at home doing things you want to do, instead of those you have to do.
6. Laugh and Smile: It’s easy to take life too seriously and lightening things up with laughter is a great way to improve both your physical and mental health. Try to see the funny side of life often, and if you’re upset ask yourself if this problem will matter in a week, a month or a year. Chances are the answer is no, so let it go and get back to focusing on the bright side.
7. Spend Time With Friends: People with lots of social connections live longer than those who are isolated, and it’s no wonder why. Visiting with friends and family nourishes your mind and body and, if your friends are like-minded, can also make it easier for you to stick with your healthful diet and exercise goals.
8. Find a Health Care Practitioner You Trust: Keeping an eye on your health is important at any age, and it’s essential that you have a health care practitioner who will be proactive at helping you prevent illness and stay well, rather than just treat disease after the fact. You should not be treated like a number; rather you should work with a health care team that regards you as an individual and a whole person, not just a list of symptoms.
———————————————————————————————————–
The Functional Endocrinology Center of Colorado is passionate about improving the lives and lifestyles of individuals with Type II Diabetes and Hashimoto’s Disease. Call us at 303-302-0930 to schedule your complimentary consultation.
What Do Loud Snoring, Trouble Sleeping Have to do With Your Health?
If you’re a loud snorer, it’s not only your spouse who may be suffering.
New research from University of Pittsburgh researchers revealed that people who snore loudly and frequently are twice as likely to develop metabolic syndrome — and had a more than two-fold increased risk of developing high blood sugar — than those who don’t snore.
Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of symptoms — high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high levels of triglycerides, low levels of HDL (good) cholesterol and excess belly fat — that increase your risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes significantly.
Snoring is incredibly common, affecting up to one-quarter of women and 40 percent of men, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. It occurs when your airway is partially blocked during sleep, causing tissue in the back of your throat to vibrate.
And loud snoring was not the only bedtime habit that increased the risk.
Difficulty falling asleep and unrefreshing sleep increased the risk of metabolic syndrome as well, by 80 percent and 70 percent, respectively. Numerous other studies have also shown that getting too little sleep causes disruptions in hormone levels that can increase your risk of diabetes, weight gain and other related problems.
So if you’re one of the 40 percent of women and 30 percent of men who report symptoms of insomnia or have trouble sleeping, it’s incredibly important that you get your sleep troubles worked out. Sleep is a necessity, not a luxury, so follow these tips for a good night’s sleep from the National Institutes of Health to help get your ZZZ’s.
If you’re a snorer you may have a harder time addressing the root of the problem, as it often runs in families for no apparent reason. That said, you’re much more likely to snore if you’re overweight, so getting back to your ideal weight is a smart move that may reduce your snoring — as well as your risk of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome simultaneously.
Smoking and drinking alcohol can also make you more likely to snore, so for best results you’ll want to cut these habits out as well.
Sleep December 1, 2010; 33(12):1633-40.
————————————————————————————————————
The Functional Endocrinology Center of Colorado is passionate about improving the lives and lifestyles of individuals with Type II Diabetes and Hashimoto’s Disease. Call us at 303-302-0930 to schedule your complimentary consultation.
Categories
|
Sign up for your
|
Sign up for your
|
CONTACT US4155 E. Jewell Ave
|