Type 2 Diabetes – Are You At Risk?

At Alchemy we’re asked on a regular basis about type 2 diabetes. This week the condition is hot news as researchers at Newcastle University announce ground breaking results in their quest for a cure. We all think we should know what type 2 diabetes is but there are a lot of misunderstandings about the condition, read on to find out more and see whether you could be at risk ……

What exactly is type 2 diabetes?

It’s when there is too much glucose circulating in the bloodstream as a result of the pancreas not processing the right amount of insulin.

Why does it matter how much insulin I’m producing?

A lot, type 2 diabetes occurs when your pancreas is basically ‘up the creek’, it’s the last stop in a gradual process, caused, largely, as a result of what we eat stressing the system. This leads to repeated outpourings of insulin, with levels spiking up and down. It is this flooding of the body which is of concern as the levels are not meant to spike like this on a daily basis.

Sorry, I still don’t see why high or low levels matter, which is best?

You’re just after a steady response, too much lead to ageing cells, damaged and blocked arteries and other nasty complications such as blindness and limb damage. Too little, on the other hand, is also an issue as this can cause the body to slip into a coma and in some cases to death.

You said before it’s a steady process, what did you mean by that?

Consuming too much sugar in our diet leads to weight gain, and, where this is around the middle, it is thought to indicate a predisposition to type 2 diabetes. A complication of this is a condition called insulin resistance and eventually full-blown type 2 diabetes.

My doctor has told me I’m insulin resistant, what exactly is that?

It is thought of as a precursor to developing type 2 diabetes and it’s where your body is responding poorly to the insulin it produces, largely because of dietary choices, weight gain and lack of exercise.

I’ve just realized, I’m not really sure what insulin is and what it does for me?

Don’t worry; lots of people wouldn’t be able to give an accurate answer. Basically, it’s a hormone and its job are to break down glucose into energy in the cells, any spare gets converted into fat.

I thought diabetes was something you are born with or just something old people get?

That’s type 1 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is reaching epidemic proportions with an estimated two to three million sufferers in the UK alone. It cost the NHS almost nine billion pounds a year to treat and is increasingly affecting children and young people.

But I thought you said a cure was on the way?

Possibly, the latest research just out has found that removing a single gram of fat from around the pancreas can reverse the condition. They have found that excess fat in the pancreas is specific to type 2 diabetes. So far the research was confined to obese patients having bariatric surgery but it looks encouraging. A reliable cure could save the NHS millions.

So what can I do to improve things and try to prevent the onset this condition?

There’s a lot to be done. Number one is to examine what part sugar plays in your diet and to look, not just, at the obvious things, but all the stealthy sources too. Next read the food labels, avoid anything that’s ‘diet’, ‘low fat’, ’lite’ and cut out anything with more than 3g of sugar per 100g. Then, examine the treat/reward mentality that we all embrace and come up with an alternative. Lastly, make exercise and healthy eating a part of your lifestyle.

Take charge and say NO to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, it’s not an inevitability, find out how Alchemy can transform you're eating and with it your life.