Diabetes: An Entirely Preventable

& Reversible Condition

The title of this article may sound like heresy to those who
have been schooled to believe that when diabetes
"happens" to you, it is with you for life. There is far more
to the story than both drug and naturally-based palliative
medicine normally touches upon.
According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA)
statistics, diabetes now afflicts 25.8 million Americans, or
8.3% of our population. Only 5% of diabetics are type 1,
where through autoimmune destruction of insulin
producing beta-cells, they are told they have a lifelong
dependence on insulin. The rest are classified as type 2,
resulting from insulin resistance (the cells of the body stop
responding to insulin) combined in some cases with insulin
deficiency. Additionally, according to the ADA 1 in every 4
Americans have pre-diabetes, or 79 million.
What's causing this epidemic?
While geneticists apply vast amounts of time, energy and
money to finding the "causes" of disease in our genes,
much less attention is placed on well-known triggers of
autoimmunity such as infections, vaccines, pesticide and
petroleum exposure (diesel fuel particles) and the
consumption of foods like wheat, cow milk and soy
(unfermented, GMO and/or excessive) are the major
contributing factors in the development of type 1
diabetes. Additionally, the consumption of high fructose
corn syrup and hydrogenated oil and basic deficiencies of
omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium and chromium contribute
to the development of type 2 diabetes.Blaming "bad
genes" on diseases like diabetes is a convenient way to
escape the obvious things we can do individually, and as a
culture, to prevent the escalation of an already epidemic
problem.We shouldn't settle for the unlikely prospect of a
future "cure" via the pharmaceutical pipeline, gene

therapy, stem cell research or similar high-priced

technological endeavors, when the cause (and therefore
the cure) of diabetes may be as close to us as what is at
the end of our fork.It is accepted truth that type 1
diabetes involves the immune system attacking the
insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Subsequent
damage to the pancreas leads to the reduced capacity to
produce insulin. While geneticist look for the "bad genes"
that are supposedly "causing" the autoimmune problem, it
is well documented that in susceptible individuals
something in wheat known as gliadin, for instance,
stimulates diabetogenic class II HLA antigens on the
surface of the pancreatic islet cells (cells that normally do
no display these antigens), marking them for autoimmune
destruction. [Do dietary lectins cause disease? BMJ. Also:
The Dark Side of Wheat]. Not everyone who eats wheat
will develop diabetes. Different people will exhibit differing
degrees of susceptibility to wheat proteins and this is why
it is right to say that there is a "genetic component" to the
development of type 1 diabetes, or to any disease. But
acknowledging the existence of genetic differences and
differing susceptibilities to illness in a population is not to
say that genes are "causing" the disease (read my short
essay on why genes don't "cause" disease here).In the
case of the wheat protein gliadin, it is not the gene that is
causing the islet cell to present an antigen on its surface.
It takes wheat gliadin to activate the genes necessary for
this cellular transformation. To use an analogy, the genes
predisposing one to higher risk for diabetes are like an
"unloaded gun." The "bullets" are certain antigenic foods
like wheat, cow's dairy and (unfermented, GMO and/or
excessive) soy. The "triggers" that "fire" this "loaded gun"
are varied, from prolonged exposure to these foods, to
increased intestinal/gut permeability, vaccinations, viral
infections, pesticide and chemical exposures and perhaps
a multitude of as of yet unknown factors.If we know that
the two most commonly lauded "health foods," cow's milk
products and wheat are implicated in the development of
type 1 diabetes, wouldn't it be a good idea to remove
them from the diets of our young as a precaution? What is

the other alternative? Succumb to the fatalistic fallacies of

the "gene theory" of disease, and just hope that our
children won't develop the disease because they do not
have "the bad gene," or have just been lucky in the game
of nutritional Russian roulette?Even after the beta cells in
the pancreas have experienced significant levels of
destruction, and there is now insufficient insulin to keep
blood sugar below toxic levels, the medical establishment
pretends like the body's self-healing and regenerative
abilities don't exist. Every minute 60,000 cells in our body
are reborn, and over the course of 100 days all
approximately 17 trillion are replaced by new cells. If one
can remove the causes of autoimmune self-destruction by
clearing infections, removing diabetogenic foods,
correcting mineral and vitamin deficiencies and
imbalances, shifting the tissue and blood pH back from
dangerously acidic levels, and supplementing the diet with
proven beta-cell regenerating foods, herbs, or nutrients,
the pancreas (in some cases) can regenerate beta cell
function. [see list of beta cell regenerators here].

Learn more at Wikipedia on C-peptide

Ideally a good endocrinologist or clinician will test for Cpeptide levels the moment (s)he is confronted with a
newly diagnosed type 1 diabetic. The proinsulin precursor
to insulin produced by your beta cells is composed of
three parts: two insulin side chains, named A and B, and a
peptide holding the two together known as C. Once the
proinsulin is enzymatically degraded by the beta cells and
its constituent parts released into serum to do their job, it
splits off into three separate parts leaving the C-peptide
as an accurate marker of just how much insulin the
diabetic body is producing. Taking a baseline reading at
the beginning of treatment establishes the pancreas' level
of health insofar as it reflects its remaining capacity to
produce insulin. Instead of blindly throwing synthetically
produced insulin at the problem (which through a negative
feedback loop may cause beta cell regeneration to
flounder, or cause further atrophy of those cells) a bare
minimum of insulin should be used while encouraging the
diabetic pancreas to come back on line with more of its
own production. Also, natural substances could be used
that protect the remaining beta cells from further
degeneration.Moreover, the form of insulin being passed
on as "bioidentical" with misleading names like Humulin
and Humolog is a byproduct of recombinant DNA
technology. All prescribed forms on the market, including
Lantus, come from GMO E. coli bacteria which produce a
form which is not as compatible with the human body as
the once universally available bovine or porcine forms.
Access to glandular extracts have been barred in the US
mostly due to drug company pressures (You can order
these animal forms from Canada over the internet). If the
drug companies and their enforcers (FDA) have their way,
all bio-identicals and/or animal glandulars will be made
illegal or unavailable in the future, including Armour
thyroid in favor of levothyroxine.Ultimately, type 1
diabetes can be prevented. Even after there is established
damage to the pancreas, much of the damage can be
reversed. These words may be heretical to the
conventional medical establishment, but absolutely

rudimentary from the perspective of basic biology and

enlightened nutrition.
Type 2 diabetes, and the pre-diabetic state of insulin
resistance that precedes it, are caused by the following
preventable factors:1) Excessive consumption of empty
calories. 2) Inactivity; lack of exercise.3) Consumption of
"hidden sweets," which are high-glycemic foods that don't
taste sweet but make the blood sweet, e.g pasta, cereal,
crackers. a) Excess sugar, but even worse....high fructose
corn syrup, and other sources of concentrated fructose:
e.g. agave.4) Hydrogenated oils.5) Nutritional deficiencies
of minerals, especially magnesium, chromium and zinc,
and omega 3 fatty acids, as found in foods like flaxseed,
walnuts and wild fish.6) Chemical exposures, including
environmental pollution, e.g. pesticides, and drugs, e.g.
various prescribed and over the counter drugs.One of the
basic mechanisms of insulin-resistant hyperglycemia (type
2 diabetes) is as follows:When we eat beyond our
capacity, excess energy is stored in the body as glycogen
and saturated fat. When through prolonged overconsumption of food our body no longer has room to store
these unneeded calories, insulin resistance emerges. In
order to protect from over-nutrition, the fat and muscle
cells begin to lose the number of insulin receptors and/or
loose function, thus reducing the amount of glucose that
may enter. This causes the blood sugar to raise to
unhealthy levels, leaving the pancreas with no other
option than to overcompensate and produce more insulin.
The resultant elevation of insulin levels can cause a
number of adverse cardiovascular, neurological and
endocrine effects.If this cycle continues, eventually the
insulin producing beta cells may become exhausted and
lose their ability to produce insulin, resulting in "double
diabetes" where you have low insulin and high blood sugar
as well as insulin resistance.Caloric restriction (especially
carbohydrates) becomes of vital importance in forestalling
the development of type 2 diabetes. Exercise is essential
in helping the body use up stored energy, converting
calories consumed into calories burned. Exercise has the
opposite effect of over-eating, increasing the number of

insulin receptors in muscle and increasing the sensitivity

of the body to insulin thus releasing the pancreas of the
burden of constant insulin production. Exercise also
results in the release of appetite suppressing hormones
and neurotransmitters which help to forestall over-eating.
Carbohydrates generally have an insulin secreting effect
on the body because they have a high glycemic rating,
relative to proteins and fat. That is to say, carbohydrates
cause the blood to become sweeter than protein or fat,
which are broken down slowly in the body, independently
of insulin. Even so-called "complex carbohydrates" like
puffed rice have higher glycemic ratings (110) than white
sugar (80), which is itself 50% fructose, and therefore
less likely to induce an insulin response than these "whole
grains." On the flip side, fructose while having a low
glycemic rating, can raise blood sugar on the back end by
reducing the affinity of insulin for its receptor contributing
to insulin resistance and elevating blood glucose. Fructose
also undergoes glycation ("caramelization") much more
readily than other carbohydrates, which contributes to
much of the morbility and mortality associated with
elevated blood sugar.When it comes to "whole grains," no
food category is associated with greater misunderstanding
in realm of blood sugar disorders. The perception that
"whole grains" are good for our health and should be
consumed in plenty is based on the assumption that the
millions of years of biological evolution that preceded the
advent of the agrarian revolution (circa 10,000 b.c.) are
no longer relevant. We spent 300,000 years as archaic
homo sapiens in the capacity of hunters, gatherers and
foragers, where the consumption of cereal grasses, and
especially the seed form of these grasses, would not have
occurred with any regularity, if at all, excepting starvation
pressures. Our metabolism is simply not designed for
large amounts of starch, sugar, and synthetically produced
sweeteners and fats. We need fruits, vegetables, seeds
and nuts, and high quality sources of protein in plenty.
Evidence exists demonstrating that the glycoproteins in
starchy grains known as "lectins," can bind to the leptin
receptors in the hypothalamus blocking out the appetite

suppressing effects of the hormone leptin. This is one

reason why bread, pasta, cereal, crackers, etc. can
generate incessant cravings and contribute to a condition
known as "leptin resistance." Wheat lectin also has affinity
for insulin receptors in the body which could result in both
insulin-receptor stimulation based weight gain and/or
insulin resistance, and which explains why it is used to get
cattle to slaughter weight quicker.High Fructose Corn
Syrup (HFCS) and purified fructose have both been shown
to cause insulin resistance in rats and humans. There are,
in fact, over 70 other adverse health effects linked to
purified fructose consumption. Hydrogenated oils also
dramatically reduce the responsiveness of our muscle and
fat to insulin, whereas omega 3 fatty acids increase that
responsiveness.
To view our extensive data archive on the subject on
potentially beneficial substances, dietary considerations
and the relevance of drug and environmental chemical
exposures in type 1 and type 2 diabetes, visit our pages
on the subject below.