Type 3 Diabetes: Metabolic Causes Of Alzheimer's Disease

Type 3 Diabetes: Metabolic Causes of Alzheimer's Disease

As the population of the industrialized world ages, illnesses associated with aging consume a larger portion of our healthcare budgets and impose increasing burdens on the quality of life of patients and their caregivers. Estimates suggest that in the U.S., Alzheimer’s disease (AD) affects 12 percent of people over age 65 and nearly 50 percent of those over 85, with predictions for this to include 16 million people by 2050.1 National healthcare costs associated with AD are expected to surpass one trillion dollars by mid-century.1
Considering the fact that AD has no known cure and current therapies are largely ineffective, identifying the triggering mechanisms and exacerbating factors behind AD is of paramount importance, as prevention and early detection would serve to decrease—or at the very least delay—the physical, emotional and financial hardships this illness creates. Prevention is also critical because AD symptoms often do not appear until loss of functional neurons is so widespread that irreversible damage has already occurred.
Significant epidemiological and clinical evidence has emerged that suggests AD belongs among the “diseases of civilization,” primarily caused by modern Western diets and lifestyles at odds with human physiology. High intakes of refined carbohydrates and omega-6-rich polyunsaturated oils, low antioxidant intake, lack of physical activity, and misguided avoidance of cholesterol and saturated fats combine to create a perfect storm for glycation and oxidative stress in the brain, ultimately resulting in severe cognitive decline that rend Continue reading

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7 Symptoms to Never Ignore if You Have Diabetes

If you have diabetes watch for these warning signs that something is amiss – and make sure you know how to respond
#1. Blurry vision.
Vision changes may mean your blood sugar is high, says endocrinologist Alan L. Rubin, MD, author of Diabetes for Dummies, Type 1 Diabetes for Dummies and other health books in the “Dummies” series. “High blood sugar draws more fluid into the lens of the eye, so your vision is less sharp,” he explains. “The first thing to do is to check your blood sugar more frequently and bring it under better control.” Temporary blurriness may also occur when starting insulin.
What to do: If problems persist despite good glucose numbers, tell your doctor. Eyesight changes may be caused by an easy-to-fix problem like dry eyes, be a side effect of some medications or even computer eye strain. But it can also be a warning sign of diabetic retinopathy – when tiny blood vessels at the back of the eye swell and leak. It could also be a sign of other vision issues like glaucoma or age-related macular degeneration. All can be treated to prevent further problems.
#2. Unusual thirst and feeling extra-tired.
High blood sugar is usually the culprit, according to the American Diabetes Association. But don’t shrug it off —letting your numbers drift beyond the healthy range sets you up for complications and could be a sign of a serious condition that needs immediate medical attention.
What to do: Check your glucose level now and recheck frequently; make sure you’re following your eating and exercise plan and taking your medication as directed. If you� Continue reading

What Happens if Diabetes is Left Untreated?

Well, we all are aware of the various complications that diabetes can cause in those affected with the condition. Sometimes, the disease may go undiagnosed as, in most of the cases, the signs and symptoms are not very clear and they appear only gradually. It might take years for a patient to get diagnosed with diabetes and by that time half the damage to the body has already been done. In some of the other cases, people take the disease too lightly and face the serious consequences later in the life. In today’s article, we shall analyze the consequences of untreated diabetes. So, let us join in for the article “What Happens if Diabetes is Left Untreated?”
Complications When Diabetes Is Left Untreated
Let us begin the article by understanding the consequences of untreated diabetes. Following are the irreversible and serious damages that untreated or undetected diabetes can lead to:
The Rise in Cholesterol and Blood Pressure
When you are not able to control your diabetes effectively, there are possibilities that various complications will take place as the level of bad cholesterol as well as blood pressure shall increase to a great extent. Hypertension or high blood pressure, in turn, gives rise to a host of other complications in the body such as strokes, kidney related conditions, amongst others.
Effect on the Vision and the Eyes
Uncontrolled diabetes is very harmful to the eyes and we are aware of the same by now. Diabetic Retinopathy is known to affect several millions of the people who suffer from diabetes. The increase in the level of blood glucose as a consequenc Continue reading

Alzheimer’s: Type 3 Diabetes?

The idea that Alzheimer’s is a type of diabetes (say, Type 3) has been circulating since 2005 and now, thanks to a story in New Scientist (“Food for Thought: What You Eat May Be Killing Your Brain”), the connection between poor diet and Alzheimer’s is becoming more convincing. Mainstream health advocates are finally beginning to understand what health nuts have known for a long time, that processed and junk food is a fast track toward dis-ease.
There are two types of diabetes: the type you’re born with (Type 1) and the type you “get,” Type 2. For years it was referred to as “adult onset diabetes” until children started getting it (Type 2 is brought about by a host of factors of which one is overeating like we do in #Merica). But, to critically look at the potentiality of Type 3 Diabetes, we need to understand how insulin works in the body, so here’s a brief lesson from the article:
“We all need insulin: in non-diabetics, it’s released to help cells take in the blood sugar (glucose) they need for energy. But the cells can hold only so much; excess sugar is first stored as glycogen, and — when there’s enough of that — as fat. (Blood sugar doesn’t come only from sugar, but from carbohydrates of all kinds; easily digested carbohydrates flood the bloodstream with sugar.) Insulin not only keeps the blood vessels that supply the brain healthy, it also encourages the brain’s neurons to absorb glucose, and allows those neurons to change and become stronger. Low insulin levels in the brain mean reduced brain function.
Type 1 diabetes, in which the im Continue reading

The Relationship Between Diabetes And Thyroid Disorder

At the clinic today, a patient came in for an initial assessment for Diabetes Self-Management Education. She was taking thyroid medication along with her diabetes and other medications. She was not the first patient that I have seen lately who is taking thyroid medication. I was aware of the link between diabetes and thyroid disease, and had some basic information. I thought it would be interesting to look into the dynamics a little further. After all, the pancreas and the thyroid both fall within the endocrine system. Now let’s take a look at why people with diabetes often seem to have thyroid disorder, and the reasons behind it.
What is thyroid disease?
In order to understand the relationship between diabetes and thyroid disease, it is helpful to understand what thyroid disease is.
At the front of your neck, just under your Adam’s apple is where you will find the thyroid gland. Thyroid disease is a problem that happens when the thyroid gland either under produces or over produces the thyroid hormones. Thyroid hormones are responsible for regulating the body’s metabolism.
From research, the percent of the population that will develop thyroid disease is 7 percent. The percentage of people with diabetes who have thyroid disease is greater than the general population. We will dig in a little deeper to find the reasons why, and examine the link between the two.
Note from Kirk and Health Institute:
A high percentage of low thyroid is “Hashimoto’s”, which like Graves disease is an auto-immune in origin and most often creates low thyroid symptoms. To address Hashimoto Continue reading