Diabetes mellitus, causes, treaments, and cure

Diabetes Mellitus, Causes, Treatments, and Cures
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Diabetes mellitus (or diabetes) is an autoimmune disorder where
the pancreas is not producing or not producing enough insulin.
Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert the food you eat
into energy. When insulin is absent the glucose in your food is
unable to get inside the cells in your body, such as the nerve
cells in your brain. When sugar builds up in your blood over a
long period of time, you develop diabetes. There are three major
types of diabetes: type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and
gestational diabetes. In this article, we will focus on diabetes
mellitus.
All types of diabetes mellitus have something in common.
Normally, your body breaks down the sugars and carbohydrates
you eat into a special sugar called glucose. Glucose fuels the
cells in your body. But the cells need insulin, a hormone, in your
bloodstream in order to take in the glucose and use it for energy.
With diabetes mellitus, either your body doesn't make enough
insulin; it can't use the insulin it does produce, or a combination
of both.
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can start reversing your diabetes today.

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Since the cells can't take in the glucose, it builds up in your
blood. High levels of blood glucose can damage the tiny blood
vessels in your kidneys, heart, eyes, or nervous system. That's
why diabetes -- especially if left untreated -- can eventually
cause heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness, and nerve
damage to nerves in the feet, or otherwise known as diabetic
neuropathy and diabetic retinopathy.
Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is also called insulin-dependent diabetes. It used
to be called juvenile-onset diabetes, because it often begins in
childhood. Type 1 diabetes is also an autoimmune condition. It's
caused by the body attacking its own pancreas with antibodies.
In people with type 1 diabetes, the damaged pancreas doesn't
make insulin. This type of diabetes may be caused by a genetic
predisposition. It could also be the result of faulty beta cells or
islets of langerhans in the pancreas that normally produce
insulin.
A number of medical risks are associated with type 1 diabetes.
Many of them stem from damage to the tiny blood vessels in
your eyes (called diabetic retinopathy), nerves (diabetic
neuropathy), and kidneys (diabetic nephropathy). Even more
serious is the increased risk of heart disease and stroke.

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Treatment for type 1 diabetes involves taking insulin, which
needs to be injected through the skin into the fatty tissue below.
The methods of injecting insulin include:
 Syringes
 Insulin pens that use pre-filled cartridges and a fine needle
 Jet injectors that use high pressure air to send a spray of
insulin through the skin
 Insulin pumps that dispense insulin through flexible tubing
to a catheter under the skin of the abdomen
A periodic test called the A1C blood test estimates glucose
levels in your blood over the previous three months. It's used to
help identify overall glucose level control and the risk of
complications from diabetes, including organ damage.
Having type 1 diabetes does require significant lifestyle changes
that include:
 Frequent testing of your blood sugar levels
 Careful meal planning
 Daily exercise
 Taking insulin and other medications as needed
People with type 1 diabetes can lead long, active lives if they
carefully monitor their glucose, make the needed lifestyle
changes, and adhere to the treatment plan.
Now let’s discuss what you can do NOW to prevent and reverse
diabetes and pre-diabetes. But first I want to emphasize new

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research that should be headlines news but never saw the light of
day. Do our current drugs treatments for diabetes actually work
to prevent heart attacks and death?
Surely lowering blood sugar in diabetics is an effective strategy
for reducing the risk of death and heart disease. It would seem
obvious that if diabetes is a disease of high blood sugar, then
reducing blood sugar would be beneficial.
However elevated sugar is only a symptom, not the cause of the
problem. The real problem is elevated insulin unchecked over
decades from a highly refined carbohydrate diet, a sedentary
lifestyle and environmental toxins.
Most medications and insulin therapy are aimed at lowering
blood sugar through increasing insulin. In the randomized
ACCORD trial of over 10,000 patients, this turns out to be a bad
idea.
In the intensive glucose-lowering group, there were no fewer
heart attacks, and more patients died. Yet we continue to pay
$174 billion annually for these type of treatments for diabetes,
despite evidence that lifestyle works better than medications.
We also pay for cardiac bypass and angioplasty in diabetics
when evidence shows no reduction in death or heart attacks
compared to medication.

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So now that we know what doesn’t work, let me review what
does work.
Dietary Recommendations to Reverse Diabetes
Eating in a way that balances your blood sugar, reduces
inflammation and oxidative stress, and improves your liver
detoxification is the key to preventing and reversing insulin
resistance and diabetes. This is a way of eating that based on a
whole foods diet that’s high in fiber, rich in colorful fruits and
vegetables, and low in sugars and flours, with a low glycemic
load. It is a way of eating that includes anti-inflammatory,
antioxidant, and detoxifying foods. It includes plenty of omega-
3 fats and olive oil, soy products, beans, nuts, and seeds.
All these foods help prevent and reverse diabetes and insulin
resistance. This is the way of eating that turns on all the right
genetic messages, promotes a healthy metabolism, and prevents
aging and age-related diseases like diabetes and heart disease.
Here are more specifics.
Meal Timing

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 Eat protein for breakfast every day, such as whole omega-3
eggs, a soy protein shake, or nut butters.
 Eat something every 4 hours to keep your insulin and
glucose levels normal.
 Eat small protein snacks in the morning and afternoon, such
as a handful of almonds.
 Finish eating at least 2 to 3 hours before bed. If you have a
snack earlier in the day, you won’t be as hungry, even if
you eat a little later.
Meal Composition
 Controlling the glycemic load of your meals is very
important.
 You can do this by combining adequate protein, fats, and
whole-food carbohydrates from vegetables, legumes, nuts,
seeds, and fruit at every meal or snack.
 It is most important to avoid eating quickly absorbed
carbohydrates alone, as they raise your sugar and insulin
levels.
Travel Suggestions
Two handfuls of almonds in a zip-lock bag make a useful
emergency snack. You can eat them with a piece of fruit.
Remember, real food is the best.
What to Eat

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 Choose from a variety of the following real, whole foods:
 Choose organic produce and animal products whenever
possible.
 Eat high-quality protein, such as fish – especially fatty,
cold-water fish like salmon, sable, small halibut, herring,
and sardines – and shellfish.
 Cold-water fish such as salmon, halibut, and sable contain
an abundance of beneficial essential fatty acids, omega-3
oils that reduce inflammation. Choose smaller wild Alaskan
salmon, sable, and halibut that are low in toxins. Canned
wild salmon is a great “emergency” food.
 Eat up to eight omega-3 eggs a week.
 Create meals that are high in low-glycemic legumes such as
lentils, chickpeas, and soybeans (try edamame, the
Japanese soybeans in a pod, quickly steamed with a little
salt, as a snack). These foods slow the release of sugars into
the bloodstream, which helps prevent the excess insulin
release that can lead to health concerns like obesity, high
blood pressure, and heart problems.
 Eat a cornucopia of fresh fruits and vegetables teeming
with phytonutrients like carotenoids, flavonoids, and
polyphenols, which are associated with a lower incidence
of nearly all health problems, including obesity and age-
related disease.
 Eat more low-glycemic vegetables, such as asparagus,
broccoli, kale, spinach, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts.

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 Berries, cherries, peaches, plums, rhubarb, pears, and
apples are optimal fruits. Cantaloupes and other melons,
grapes, and kiwifruit are suitable; however, they contain
more sugar. You can use organic frozen berries (such as
those from Cascadian Farms) in your protein shakes.
 Focus on anti-inflammatory foods, including wild fish and
other sources of omega-3 fats, red and purple berries (these
are rich in polyphenols), dark green leafy vegetables,
orange sweet potatoes, and nuts.
 Eat more antioxidant-rich foods, including orange and
yellow vegetables, dark green leafy vegetables (kale,
collards, spinach, etc.), anthocyanidins (berries, beets,
grapes, pomegranate), purple grapes, blueberries, bilberries,
cranberries, and cherries. In fact, antioxidants are in all
colorful fruits and vegetables.
 Include detoxifying foods in your diet, such as cruciferous
vegetables (broccoli, kale, collards, Brussels sprouts,
cauliflower, bok choy, Chinese cabbage, and Chinese
broccoli), green tea, watercress, dandelion greens, cilantro,
artichokes, garlic, citrus peels, pomegranate, and even
cocoa.
 Season your food with herbs such as rosemary, ginger, and
turmeric, which are powerful antioxidants, anti-
inflammatories, and detoxifiers.
 Avoid excessive quantities of meat. Eat lean organic or
grass-fed animal products, when possible. These include

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eggs, beef, chicken, pork, lamb, buffalo, and ostrich. There
are good brands at Whole Foods and other local health-
food stores.
 Garlic and onions contain antioxidants, enhance
detoxification, act as anti-inflammatories, and help lower
cholesterol and blood pressure.
 Learn More About Reversing Your Diabetes Today!
A diet high in fiber further helps to stabilize blood sugar by
slowing the absorption of carbohydrates and supports a healthy
lower bowel and digestive tract. Try to gradually increase fiber
to 30 to 50 grams a day and use predominantly soluble or
viscous fiber (legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, vegetables,
and fruit), which slows sugar absorption from the gut.
 Use extra virgin olive oil, which contains anti-
inflammatories and anti-oxidants, as your main cooking oil.
 Soy Products such as soymilk, soybeans, and tofu are rich
in antioxidants that can reduce cancer risk, lower
cholesterol, and improve insulin and blood sugar
metabolism.
 Increase your intake of nuts and seeds, including raw
walnuts, almonds, macadamia nuts, and pumpkin and flax
seeds.
 And yes … chocolate can be healthy, too. Choose only the
darkest varieties and eat only 2 to 3 ounces a day. It should
contain 70 percent cocoa.

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Decrease (or ideally eliminate) your intake of:
 All processed or junk foods
 Foods containing refined white flour and sugar, such as
breads, cereals (cornflakes, Frosted Flakes, puffed wheat,
and sweetened granola), flour-based pastas, bagels, and
pastries
 All foods containing high-fructose corn syrup
 All artificial sweeteners (aspartame, Sorbitol, etc.) and
caffeine
 Starchy, high-glycemic cooked vegetables, such as
potatoes, corn, and root vegetables such as rutabagas,
parsnips, and turnips
 Processed fruit juices, which are often loaded with sugars
(Try juicing your own carrots, celery, and beets, or other
fruit and vegetable combinations, instead)
 Processed canned vegetables (usually very high in sodium)
 Foods containing hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated
oils (which become trans fatty acids in the bloodstream),
such as most crackers, chips, cakes, candies, cookies,
doughnuts, and processed cheese
 Processed oils such as corn, safflower, sunflower, peanut,
and canola
 Red meats (unless organic or grass-fed) and organ meats

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 Large predatory fish and river fish, which contain mercury
and other contaminants in unacceptable amounts, including
swordfish, tuna, tilefish and shark
 Dairy — substitute unsweetened, gluten free soymilk,
almond milk, or hazelnut milk products
 Alcohol — limit it to no more than 3 glasses a week of red
wine per week
Balance Blood Sugar with Exercise
Exercise is critical for the improvement of insulin sensitivity. It
helps reduce central body fat, improving sugar metabolism.
Regular exercise will help prevent diabetes, reduce your risk of
complications, and even help reverse it.
 Ideally you should do 30 minutes of walking every day.
Walking after dinner is a powerful way to reduce your
blood sugar.
 More vigorous exercise and sustained exercise is often
needed to reverse severe insulin resistance or diabetes.
Doing sustained aerobic exercise for up to 60 minutes 5 to
6 times a week is often necessary to get diabetes under full
control. You want to work at 70 to 85 percent of your target

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heart rate, which you can find by subtracting your age from
220 and multiplying that number by 0.70 to 0.85.
 Interval training can be an added benefit to helping
improve your metabolism and mitochondrial function. It
helps to increase the efficiency calorie burning so that you
burn more calories and energy during the time you are
NOT exercising.
 Strength training also helps maintain and build muscle,
which can help also with your overall blood sugar and
energy metabolism.
Supplements that Can Help Reverse Diabetes
Nutritional supplements can be very effective for Type 2
diabetes and insulin resistance. I recommend a number of
different supplements, depending on the severity of the problem:
 A multivitamin and mineral.
 Calcium and magnesium and vitamin D.
 Fish oil (1,000 to 4,000 mg) a day improves insulin
sensitivity, lowers cholesterol, and reduces inflammation.
 Extra magnesium (200 to 600 mg a day) helps with glucose
metabolism and is often deficient in diabetics.

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 Chromium (500 to 1,000 mcg day) is very important for
proper sugar metabolism.
 Antioxidants (such as vitamins C and E) are important in
helping to reduce and balance blood sugar.
 B-complex vitamins are important and are part of a good
multivitamin. Extra vitamin B6 (50 to 150 mg a day) and
B12 (1,000 to 3,000 mcg) are especially helpful in
protecting against diabetic neuropathy or nerve damage.
 Biotin (2,000 to 4,000 mcg a day) enhances insulin
sensitivity.
 I also encourage people to use alpha-lipoic acid (300 mg
twice a day), a powerful antioxidant that can reduce blood
sugar significantly. It also can be effective for diabetic
nerve damage or neuropathy.
 Evening primrose oil (500 to 1,000 mg twice a day) helps
overcome deficiencies common in diabetics.
 I encourage people to use cinnamon as a supplement. One
to two 500 mg tablets twice a day can help blood sugar
control.
 Other herbs and supplements that can be helpful include
green tea, ginseng, bitter melon, gymnema, bilberry,
ginkgo, onions, and garlic. Fenugreek can also be used to
help improve blood sugar, although large amounts must be
taken.
 Banana leaf (Lagerstroemia speciosa) can be an effective
herb. Take 24 mg twice a day.

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 I recommend konjac fiber, such as PGX (WellBetX), four
capsules 10 minutes before meals with a glass of water.
This helps reduce blood sugar after meals and improves
long-term blood sugar control while reducing appetite and
cholesterol.
Manage Diabetes by Managing Stress
Stress plays a dramatic role in blood sugar imbalances. It
triggers insulin resistance, promotes weight gain around the
middle, increases inflammation, and ultimately can cause
diabetes. So it’s essential to engage in relaxation practices on a
regular basis, such as yoga, breathing, progressive muscle
relaxation, guided imagery, hot baths, exercise, meditation,
massage, biofeedback, hypnosis, or even making love. Your
survival depends on it.
Use Medications if Necessary
A number of medications may be helpful for diabetes. There are
several specific classes of medications, each with their own
effects. Sometimes combinations are helpful.
These are the main classes.

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 The biguanides, especially metformin (Glucophage), is one
of the best medications to improve insulin sensitivity. It can
help lower blood sugars by improving your cells’ response
to insulin.
 Thiazolidinedione drugs are a new class of diabetes
medication and can help improve uptake of glucose by the
cells by making you more insulin-sensitive. They also
reduce inflammation and help improve metabolism
working on the PPAR, a special class of cell receptors that
control metabolism. They can cause weight gain and liver
damage. Thiazolidinediones include rosiglutazone
(Avandia) and pioglitazone (Actos).
 Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors include acarbose and miglitol,
which can help lower the absorption of sugar and
carbohydrates in the intestines, reducing the absorption of
sugar after meals. And there are newer medications on the
market every day.
Older medications include sulfonylureas include glipizide,
glyburide, and glimepiride. I strongly recommend against these
medications because they only reduce your sugar in the short
term and cause further insulin production, which actually
worsens diabetes over the long term. They have also been linked
to high risk of heart attacks, which you are trying to prevent.
They treat the symptoms rather than the cause.

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Insulin is the last resort after all other measures have failed and
often leads to a slippery slope of weight gain and increased
cholesterol and blood pressure. Many patients have been able to
come off insulin entirely if they are treated early and
aggressively through the other methods I’ve listed.
Diabetes and its precursor, insulin resistance, are looming as the
major threat to our health in the 21st century. It will affect 1 in 3
children born today, and 1 in 2 minority children. This is a tragic
consequence of our toxic food environment, our unmitigated
exposure to stress, our sedentary lifestyle, and environmental
toxins.
However, these problems are completely preventable and often
reversible through aggressive lifestyle changes, supplements,
and exercise and stress management. Diabetes is the biggest
health epidemic triggered by the obesity epidemic, but all of our
medical efforts to treat it are focused on medications and insulin.
It is simply the wrong approach.
If you follow these guidelines instead, you will see a dramatic
change very quickly in your health, your weight, and your
diabetes.

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Just try it!
Have you been diagnosed with pre-diabetes or diabetes? Have
you been told that you must take drugs to treat it?
If so, Click Here To Find Out How You Can Reverse Your
Diabetes Naturally Today!
To your good health,
Mark Hyman, MD

Diabetes mellitus, causes, treaments, and cure

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