How Exactly Does Type 2 Diabetes Develop?

Insulin resistance is the cause of both prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. Ok, so what is the cause of insulin resistance? Insulin resistance is now accepted to be closely associated with the accumulation of fat within our muscle cells. This fat toxicity inside of our muscles is a major factor in the cause of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, as it interferes with the action of insulin. I’ve explored how fat makes our muscles insulin resistant (see What Causes Insulin Resistance?), how that fat can come from the fat we eat or the fat we wear (see The Spillover Effect Links Obesity to Diabetes), and how not all fats are the same (see Lipotoxicity: How Saturated Fat Raises Blood Sugar). It’s the type of fat found predominantly in animal fats, relative to plant fats, that appears to be especially deleterious with respect to fat-induced insulin insensitivity. But this insulin resistance in our muscles starts years before diabetes is diagnosed.
In my video, Diabetes as a Disease of Fat Toxicity, you can see that insulin resistance starts over a decade before diabetes is actually diagnosed, as blood sugar levels slowly start creeping up. And then, all of the sudden, the pancreas conks out, and blood sugars skyrocket. What could underlie this relatively rapid failure of insulin secretion?
At first, the pancreas pumps out more and more insulin, trying to overcome the fat-induced insulin resistance in the muscles, and high insulin levels can lead to the accumulation of fat in the liver, called fatty liver disease. Before diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, there is a long silent s Continue reading

Rate this article

Total 1 ratings

Is this the formula for reversing type 2 diabetes?

The first-year results of a clinical trial have shown that almost half of people partaking in an intensive weight management program delivered through primary care achieved remission of their type 2 diabetes without medication.
The trial, which is called the Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial (DiRECT), builds on earlier work by co-lead investigator Prof. Roy Taylor, director of the Magnetic Resonance Centre at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom.
The earlier work showed that a radical change in diet can reverse type 2 diabetes.
The results of the trial, recently reported in The Lancet, suggest that remission of type 2 diabetes may be achievable through intensive weight management programs supported by routine primary care.
The team's findings revealed that after 12 months of radical weight management, participants lost an average of 10 kilograms (22 pounds), and that 45.6 percent of them went back to being non-diabetic without medication.
'Long-term maintenance of weight loss' focus
Prof. Taylor says that significant weight loss reduces the amount of fat in the liver and pancreas so that they can start working normally again.
"What we're seeing from DiRECT," he remarks, "is that losing weight isn't just linked to better management of type 2 diabetes: significant weight loss could actually result in lasting remission."
"Our findings suggest that even if you have had type 2 diabetes for 6 years," adds trial co-leader Prof. Michael Lean, chair of Human Nutrition at the University of Glasgow in the U.K., "putting the disease into remission is feasible."
He says that their Continue reading

Diabetes Complications in Dogs and Cats: Diabetes Ketoacidosis (DKA)

Unfortunately, we veterinarians are seeing an increased prevalence of diabetes mellitus in dogs and cats. This is likely due to the growing prevalence of obesity (secondary to inactive lifestyle, a high carbohydrate diet, lack of exercise, etc.). So, if you just had a dog or cat diagnosed with diabetes mellitus, what do you do? First, we encourage you to take a look at these articles for an explanation of the disease:
Diabetes Mellitus (Sugar Diabetes) in Dogs
Once you have a basic understanding of diabetes mellitus (or if you already had one), this article will teach you about life-threatening complications that can occur as a result of the disease; specifically, I discuss a life-threatening condition called diabetes ketoacidosis (DKA) so that you know how to help prevent it!
What is DKA?
When diabetes goes undiagnosed, or when it is difficult to control or regulate, the complication of DKA can occur. DKA develops because the body is so lacking in insulin that the sugar can’t get into the cells -- resulting in cell starvation. Cell starvation causes the body to start breaking down fat in an attempt to provide energy (or a fuel source) to the body. Unfortunately, these fat breakdown products, called “ketones,” are also poisonous to the body.
Symptoms of DKA
Clinical signs of DKA include the following:
Weakness
Not moving (in cats, hanging out by the water bowl)
Not eating to complete anorexia
Large urinary clumps in the litter box (my guideline? If it’s bigger than a tennis ball, it’s abnormal)
Weight loss (most commonly over the back), despite an overweight body Continue reading

Diabetic blisters: What you need to know

People with diabetes can sometimes experience blisters on their skin. These are known as diabetic blisters, bullosis diabeticorum, or diabetic bullae.
Although more than 29 million people in the United States have diabetes, diabetic blisters are relatively rare, affecting just 0.5 percent of those with the condition.
The blisters typically occur in people with uncontrolled diabetes. They are painless and tend to heal on their own without the need for medical intervention.
This article looks at the causes and symptoms of diabetic blisters and lists several ways to treat and prevent them.
Contents of this article:
Causes
The exact cause of diabetic blisters is not known, but several factors are thought to play a role in blister development. The blisters may result from:
wearing shoes that do not fit properly
reduced circulation
a fungal infection called Candida albicans
other injury or irritation to the feet or hands
Furthermore, certain people with diabetes are more at risk of developing diabetic blisters than others. People at risk of developing diabetic blisters include:
people whose blood sugar levels are not under control
people with sensitivity to ultraviolet (UV) light
men, as research reveals men are twice as likely as women to have diabetic blisters
Symptoms
Diabetic blisters most commonly appear in people who have had uncontrolled diabetes for several years. In some cases, however, they may be the first indication of diabetes or even prediabetes.
Blisters are usually clear bumps that typically appear on the legs, feet, and toes, as well as the arms, hands, and finge Continue reading

The Complete Guide To Fasting & Reversing Type 2 Diabetes: A Special Interview With Dr. Jason Fung

“Everyone has a physician inside him or her; we just have to help it in its work. The natural healing force within each one of us is the greatest force in getting well. Our food should be our medicine. Our medicine should be our food. But to eat when you are sick is to feed your sickness.” – Hippocrates
Fasting has not received as much attention as it should when it comes to the world of health and medicine. That’s because you can’t really make any money off of it. The ‘pharmaceutical science’ studies used in medical schools to teach doctors about human health simply don’t focus enough on fasting for doctors to be knowledgable in the subject. Doctors also learn very little about nutrition and are trained to prescribe drugs as a result.
Dr. Jason Fung is trying to change all that. A Toronto based nephrologist, he completed medical school and internal medicine at the University of Toronto before finishing his nephrology fellowship at the University of California, Los Angeles at the Cedars-Sinai hospital. He joined Scarborough General Hospital in 2001 where he continues to practice and change peoples lives.
He is one of a growing number of scientists and doctors to create awareness about the tremendous health benefits that can be achieved from fasting. It’s one of the oldest dietary interventions in the world and has been practiced for thousands of years. If properly practiced fasting was bad or harmful in any way, as some doctors suggest, it would have been known by now, and studies would not be emerging showing the health benefits that can be achieved from Continue reading