Diabetes - Dr. Sharon Rabb

DIABETES MELLITUS: A METABOLIC SYNDROME

Sharon Rabb Ph.D., ND, MPH, CNC

ABSTRACT

Diabetes mellitus, the most common non-communicable disease in the U.S., is a chronic digestive disorder as well as a metabolic disorder. This disease is a syndrome involving almost every system in the body from the endocrine to the cardiovascular. Insulin replacement and limited dietary counseling alone are insufficient to meet the complicated needs of the diabetic. Because of the significant lag time between probable onset and diagnosis, prevention and intervention in at risk individuals are key factors in a successful program. The medical establishment has been totally focused on insulin replacement and has missed other important variables. Fat and protein digestion and other endocrine dysfunctions are also important factors. It has been known since the early twentieth century that diabetes is a disease of nutrient starvation and needs to be addressed as such. An effective program includes:

· A nutrient dense diet

· Whole food vitamins and minerals

· Glandular products

· Herbal therapy

· Exercise

· Psychological counseling

Because each person is unique there is no single program that works for everyone. Individual differences play a vital role in designing an effective diabetic protocol.

INTRODUCTION

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic and digestive disorder involving the assimilation not only of carbohydrates but also fats and proteins. The result is a defective or deficient production of insulin by the beta cells in the islets of Langerhans, specialized cells in the pancreas, and an imbalance of other enzymes and hormones. This leads to impaired glucose use or hyperglycemia as well as impaired fat and protein metabolism due in large part to impaired production of enzymes, their cofactors, and hormones.

Diabetes is now the most common non-communicable disease and the 6th leading cause of death in the U.S. More people die of diabetes than car fatalities. The prevalence of diabetes is reaching epidemic proportions, and individuals with diabetes are at high risk of developing severe complications leading to other chronic conditions. Obviously, insulin therapy and limited dietary counseling are not adequate. Then, what is the problem, and what can be done? Because the medical establishment has been totally focused on a drug that will supply insulin, it has failed to grasp the underlying causes of diabetes and the adequate support of diabetic needs.

According to Drs. Gyr, Beglenger and Stalder, the pancreas has both exocrine and endocrine components. The exocrine component manufactures, stores, and packages digestive enzymes for digestion of food. The endocrine secretes hormones that regulate the metabolism and utilization of the absorbed nutrient components. Both functions are closely related both anatomically and functionally. It has been shown that the endocrine part exerts a profound effect upon the exocrine functions of the pancreas and that diabetes severely affects both components of the gland.

Dr. Harry Harrower said as much as early as 1932 in his work Practical Endocrinology. He stated that no gland works in isolation and that until we understand the interactions of the endocrine system, many diseases would remain a mystery.

Diabetes is a syndrome of a multitude of factors and needs to be approached as such. Diet and nutrition are, of course, major players, but just what constitutes adequate diet? What should be avoided and what added and why? This discussion will attempt to answer these and other pertinent questions.

Diabetes can be classified into either Type 1 or Type 2:

· Type 1: Is the autoimmune destruction of the pancreatic islet beta cells with total loss of insulin secretion. This type accounts for about 8% of the population with diabetes. Type 1 is also known as IDDM (insulin dependent diabetes mellitus).

· Type 2: Is a progressive chronic illness that usually is present for 4 to 7 years before diagnosis. The symptoms are less acute than Type 1. This disease is known as NIDDM (non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus). Most of this article will discuss Type 2, but much information can be applied to Type 1.

Contributing Factors to the Syndrome Diabetes Mellitus

· Lack of functional insulin (see note).

· Lack of digestive enzymes for fats, carbohydrates and proteins.

· Lack of whole food vitamins and other cofactors.

· Lack of healthy bile salts and insufficient lecithin and other factors to metabolize fats.

· Imbalances in endocrine function not limited to the pancreas.

· Chronic disorder of carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism and assimilation.

· Hyperglycemia - Hyperlipidemia.

· Glycosylation of proteins leading to a number of complications.

· A build up of sorbitol.

· Metabolic or cardiac Syndrome X.

· Toxicity because of poor metabolism and digestion resulting in acidosis among other problems.

· Sympathetic nervous system imbalances contributing to nerve imbalances and emotional issues.

· Chronic infective disorders resulting from immune deficiencies.

· Vascular changes and cardiovascular disturbances

· Liver dysfunction and toxicity.

Note

Diabetes can result from either the lack of sufficient insulin or the overproduction of insulin due to the fact that the cells in the body have become insulin resistant. The function of insulin is to aid in the transport of glucose and other nutrients into the cell. When the body becomes resistant to insulin, it requires much more insulin to transport glucose, and it is not done effectively. Insulin resistance, coupled with obesity, elevated cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, high triglycerides and high blood pressure have become known as Syndrome X. In this syndrome it can require 300 to 400% more insulin to maintain normal blood sugar. There is some speculation that heavy metal toxicity and environmental chemicals might play a role in diabetes.

Hyperglycemia results in both micro-vascular and macrovascular damage known as the complications of diabetes.

Micro-Vascular Damage

· retinopathy

· neuropathy

· nephropathy

Macro-Vascular Damage

· cardiovascular disease

· cerebral vascular disease

Other Complications

· Fatigue

· brain fatigue

· irritability

· depression

· reduced immunity to infections

· ketoacidosis

· gastric dysmobility

· probably predisposes to cancer, heart disease, arthritis and other chronic diseases.

· gangrene

· obesity

· abnormal lipid metabolism

· fatty liver

Processed Foods and Diabetes

Diabetes is, for the most part, a disease of consuming copious amounts of synthetic toxic chemicals going under the alias as "food" and not eating adequate fresh whole foods.

Fraudulent Foods

· Artificial chemical sweeteners

· High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) or dextrose - synthetic sugar

· Synthetic hydrogenated fats and old rancid oils

· Bleached enriched white flour, processed white sugar

· Synthetic and/or isolate vitamin fragments sold as vitamins

· Chemical preservatives, flavors and dyes

· Pasteurized milk

· The products of one or all of these

· Chlorinated foods and water and fluoridated water

· Genetically hybridized foods

· Too much animal based protein and other meat toxins (not necessarily a fraudulent food but one that contributes to diabetes)

· Caffeine taken with meals increases blood sugar

It is the intake of these counterfeit foods as well as the lack of nutritious whole foods that are causing in large part the rapid increase in the incidence rates of diabetes mellitus (primarily Type 2).

Don Harkins in his article in the Idaho Observer, 2000 Nov 26, considers that most individuals are unaware that the artificial sweetener aspartame becomes formaldehyde in the body. Formaldehyde is so toxic that neither the FDA nor the EPA has identified a safe level of ingestion. Dr. James Bowen considers it a neurotoxin and a catalyst for polychemical hypersensitivity syndrome (PCS). According to Dr. Bowen, “The Persian Gulf Syndrome is largely PCS from massive NutriSweet (aspartame) exposure experienced by our men in combat units in the Persian Gulf”. The saddest joke on the American consumer is that aspartame – sweetened sodas are marketed as “diet” drinks. The truth is that aspartame suppresses the production of serotonim, which makes a person crave carboyhydrates which in turn causes them to gain weight”. There is a now a class action lawsuit against several individuals and companies over the many diseases believed connected to aspartame.

Diabetes is caused in part by what we eat and what we fail to eat.

Most people don't consider fat metabolism in relation to diabetes, but some of the major complications are directly related to fat metabolism (more later).

Statistically, there is a lag time of between 4 to 8 years from the date or probable onset of diabetes to the date of diagnosis. So, it behooves us to correct our dietary intake as soon as we can and as soon as we know how. There is much more to it than what you normally hear from a dietician or read in most books. We once had a certified dietician at the Master's level tell us that a pepperoni pizza was a completely balanced meal because it contained all the four food groups. As you will read, this is not accurate information.

The real problem of diabetes is a lack of whole food vitamins and other whole food nutrients found in fresh whole foods and a surfeit of junk masquerading as food.

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)

Numerous studies abound in the medical literature from early 1900s to recently linking HFCS to diabetes (and other diseases as well). HFCS is used as a food filler not just a sweetener because it is not only cheap but subsidized by the U.S. government. It is ubiquitous in everything from bread to baby food. Today Americans consume more HFCS than sugar, according to a study by J.E. Swanson (Metabolic effects of dietary fructose in healthy subjects; American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 55(4), 1992: 851-56).

Abstracted from L. S. Gross, and L. Li, May 26, 2004, "Increased consumption of refined carbohydrates and the epidemic of Type 2 diabetes in the United States: An ecologic assessment" in May 2004 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition:

HFCS is produced by processing corn starch to yield glucose, and then processing the glucose to produce a high percentage of fructose. Two enzymes used to make HFCS, alpha-amylase and glucose-isomerase, are genetically modified to make them more stable. The ubiquitous nature of HFCS (used in almost everything, from jams to condiments to soft drinks to so-called "health foods" also makes those trying to avoid genetically engineered foods even more difficult. Today Americans consume more HFCS than sugar.

According to the study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, corn syrup's ubiquity in our food has now been linked to Type 2 Diabetes.

Seeking to examine the correlation between consumption of refined carbohydrates and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the United States, researchers conducted an ecologic correlation study. They examined the per capita nutrient consumption in the United States between 1909 and 1997 obtained from the US Department of Agriculture and compared that with the prevalence of type 2 diabetes obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. After conducting a multivariate nutrient-density analysis, in which total energy intake was accounted for, corn syrup was positively associated with the prevalence of type 2 diabetes. Fiber was negatively associated with the prevalence of type 2 diabetes.

These results led the researchers to conclude, "intakes of refined carbohydrate (corn syrup) concomitant with decreasing intakes of fiber paralleled the upward trend in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes observed in the United States during the 20th century."

The question begs to be answered--why is this information being kept secret and why are food manufacturers allowed to continue--and--why is corn subsidized? The answer, of course, is money. HFCS is cheap and corn is highly subsidized.

Since the early 1900's HFCS has been suspected to cause diabetes in humans as well as test animals. In 1907, Dr. Harvey Wiley, then the head of the FDA, tried unsuccessfully to ban it from commercial use and failing that to at least acquire honest labeling. HFCS is processed so extensively that it becomes an exogenous or synthetic glucose which over-stimulates the pancreas among other problems. It was the only sugar to cause diabetes in test animals. The following is a quote from Dr. Royal Lee (Lectures of Dr. Royal Lee, I, pp. 198-99, 1958).

We will find that there are available vitamin concentrates that will often in minutes erase the heart reactions of various kinds that follow the use of the refined sugar, and bleached flour, the foods that kill seven hundred thousand people every year.

You may ask, "Why are these unfit foods permitted on the market if they are so dangerous?"

May I refer to Dr. Harvey W. Wiley's attempt to get synthetic sugar--glucose--properly labeled as a synthetic sugar substitute instead of being permitted to masquerade under the phony cognomen of "corn syrup." He predicted that we would become unduly afflicted with diabetes if we consumed much of this synthetic, counterfeit sugar, and tried his best to get it at least properly described and labeled instead of being palmed off on us as a natural food. Forty years after his unsuccessful attempts to enforce honest labeling of the product, Drs. Lukens and Dohan, at the University of Pennsylvania, confirmed their fears by showing that corn syrup--dextrose--was the only sugar known to science that was capable of causing diabetes in test animals when fed in substantial amounts.

The average American consumes as much as 170 lbs. of sugar a year! More than 1/4 the total caloric intake! HFCS combined with processed white sugar is one of the primary reasons for all chronic disease in this country.