Diabetes (in particular, Type 2 Diabetes) is a metabolic disorder, meaning that it is caused by diet and lifestyle choices and is COMPLETELY REVERSIBLE with scientifically proven nutrition and lifestyle changes!
Unfortunately the governments, dietitians, medical profession and junk food corporations keep pushing dietary advice that causes more people to develop diabetes, and making diabetes symptoms worse. Just look at the food pyramid (see my article on this recently on this page) and government dietary guidelines which say to eat 45-65% of your food intake as carbohydrates!
Carbohydrates in your body (such as sugar, whole grains, alcohol, breads, pasta, soft drinks, fruit juices and more) are quickly broken down into glucose (ie, sugar) which causes a high blood sugar spike - which is toxic to your body, as it's effectively diabetes. Your body responds to this high blood glucose by secreting a lot of insulin, a hormone which tells your body's cells to take in the high blood sugar, and also to store the excess blood sugar into body fat stores.
The resulting quick clearing of blood sugar then causes low blood sugar levels, so you feel hungry, have mood swings, and get cravings for another quick "hit" of carbohydrate (ie sugar) again and the cycle continues. Eventually your poor pancreas (the organ that produces insulin) becomes so overworked and unable to keep producing enough insulin quickly enough for all the carbohydrates you eat, that its function slows and your blood sugars remain at very high toxic levels for longer.
Constant high blood sugar levels also cause your body's cells to start to ignore the signals of insulin - as if it was a false signal. Your body is now "immune" or resistant to the effects of insulin, so your blood glucose levels remain at very toxic high levels.
If type 2 diabetes is not treated or reversed with dietary and lifestyle improvements, high blood sugar levels cause a lot of inflammation and damage in the body, in blood vessels, the liver, kidneys and many other organs, and can lead to atherosclerosis, heart disease, kidney damage, nerve damage, eye damage and more, and can even lead to death.
In short, a diet high in carbohydrates (sugar, whole grain products, and alcohol being the worst) cause weight gain, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Dietary recommendations that continue to recommend high carbohydrate diets for everyone are causing this epidemic in diabetes and obesity!
What should you eat instead? That's whole new topic! Or just contact me for a personalised consultation to help you with the correct and proven advice to lose weight, reverse type 2 diabetes, and be healthier!