Dr Karen Wolfe on Glycemic Stress, Sugar Addiction & Type 2 Diabetes

Dr. Karen Wolfe gave a talk on Glycemic Stress, Sugar Addiction and Type 2 Diabetes via the web and I took notes to encourage you to look into your lifestyle and discover whether or not it is killing you or someone you love. Dr. Wolfe went over the roots of sugar addiction and diabetes making important points that 1. Lot's of insulin that's not working properly. 2. Too much blood sugar that exhausts the pancreas leads to weight gain and more. What can this battle look like? For example, a "typical" breakfastof orange juice and a bagel are empty carbs high in caloric content. An example would be a latte and a blueberry muffin that has a whopping 770 calories. When you consider that the average healthy daily adult intake is 2000 calories you can see that this type of breakfast sets you up for a roller coaster ride of highs and lows in energy all day long. Maybe you are the person who doesn't eat breakfast at all and rationalizes that you don't need it.

What is insulin exactly and how does it play out in diabetes? Dr. Wolfe explained that insulin is secreted to lower blood sugar. When you become insulin insensitive you have  diabetes because your blood stream is flooded with sugars that have no where to go. Your body can only absorb so much. You  body then becomes insensitive to your own insulin. On the other end of the spectrum is having low blood sugar known as glycemia or unstable blood sugar.  In an effort to deal with these fluctuations, your body produces more cortisol (a hormone) and up and down you go in weight gain. If you think it's only your weight that's a problem think again. Free radicals are increased by elevated blood sugars which damages the arteries. This makes them constrict which leads to high blood pressure which means less blood flow to the heart. Your body has to work extra hard just to pump blood through and this causes damage to the arterial walls. When this becomes critical it is called a heart attack. A healthy balance between these two extremes is the goal.

Insulin Insensitivity Longevity &  Obesity

Our lifestyle has created chronic cellular stress. Case in point: Presently 70% of North American children are not expected to outlive their parents due to the fact that they have Type 2 Diabetes by the age of nine years. Please read that sentence again and try to envision a country where only 30% of the kids you see today will be alive by the time they are 60. (Have you noticed children walking to school in your neighborhood drinking Coca Cola for breakfast like me? Sound the alarm!) The progression to diabetes begins with glycemic stress which leads to metabolic syndrome or pre - diabetes to Type 2 diabetes. In other words, a Big Glucose Sugar Addiction = Bigger Insulin Response. High Insulin and High levels of Cortisol means your body is storing more fat. You can feel like you are always hungry and just can't stop eating. This is because the hormone that signals to the brain that you have had enough food to eat, leptin, is no longer receiving messages and so binge eating continues. Here are some simple actions you can take to improve your health.
1. Exercise is important because it is a lymphatic pump. Exercise improves insulin insensitivity. So if your kids have had recess cut from their school program, be sure to involve them in some fun physical activity to set them on the path for lifelong good habits. It could be jumping on a trampoline, taking a walk, riding your bikes, getting into yoga or just rough housing in the backyard.
2. A good nights sleep will provide you with enough energy to get through your day instead of going to food all day long for energy. Make sure you and your kids get a good nights sleep by turning off those electronic devices two hours ahead of bed time. It will also help your child grow and avoid tempermental meltdowns. Crankiness is a symptom of sleep deprivation.
4. Come up with a food plan and stick to it 80% of the time or work you way towards that goal. Just keep adding more good stuff and pretty soon the not so good stuff will be a non issue. Remember fiber first, adequate Omega 3 fatty acids, Active (Magnesium) Calcium and plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables that are tasty and ripe.No one likes eating rock hard tasteless produce.
5. Detoxify your body on a regular basis by drinking clean water. If you or your kids are resistant to drinking water try livening it up with some of the fabulous recipes from Spa Water  by Pam Wenzel, a breast cancer survivor.

Tangerine Lime Spa Water by Pam Wenzel