Diabetes: A 21st Century Scourge - Causes of Diabetes Continued

As we continue to discuss the causes of diabetes there are two significant contributors that must be discussed. Seldom mentioned in most dialogue regarding this scourge are the massive amounts of medications that is consumed the world over and the staggering result of unmitigated stress on our bodies.

Medications

Watch most any pharmaceutical commercial and you will likely notice that about 20 seconds of a 30 second commercial is about all the terrible things the medicine may do to you. Of those 20 seconds a few sound something like this: “Be sure to tell your doctor if you have a liver condition or poor liver function” or “Liver test may be necessary to check liver function”. There are a multitude of reasons why these pronouncements are important but for the sake of this article we will stick with the diabetic angle.

Poor liver function is a death sentence. This may sound ominous and a bit over the top but consider what the liver does (e.g. cleanse the blood, regulate metabolism) and the picture becomes clear. A Poor liver leads to a poor life and possibly diabetes. Medications can slow liver function by creating the need for continuous cleansing of highly toxic substances. These substances may be specifically toxic to the liver breaking down cellular function which decreases the organ’s efficiency.

Also, some medications can actually slow down metabolic processes in the liver causing it to become fatty and sluggish. A fatty liver has great difficulty controlling fasting glucose levels. A fatty liver also increases the incidence of insulin resistance. It is estimated that some 80% of people suffering from Type II diabetes have fat in their liver.

Stress

When it comes to silent killers stress, in my opinion, is second only to inflammation. Chronic stress is a major health issue these days and it comes from multiple sources. Family and other relationships, traffic jams, even video games can induce stress responses in the body. One of the chief responses is elevated cortisol levels. Cortisol is released into the blood stream to give the body a boost of energy to accommodate the “fight or flight” response to stressful situations by increasing blood glucose levels. When cortisol is constantly released it increases blood glucose constantly and insulin resistance is not far behind because the cells do not actually need the energy. Once insulin resistance sets in Type II diabetes rears its hideously ugly head.

In addition, because the body does not actually need to fight or run the extra glucose in the blood stream has to go somewhere. That is when the body produces visceral and abdominal fight to store the unused glucose. This type of fat is extra special and not in a good way. It tends to adversely affect the metabolism essentially becoming its own endocrine system and affecting the hormones that either stimulate or decrease hunger. The net effect is a downward spiral alternating between unmitigated stress, increased abdominal and visceral fat, and increased appetite. All this leads to continuous elevated blood glucose levels and increased insulin resistance. Combined with the cumulative effect of chronic stress we are left with nothing short of diabetic trouble.

A Healthy Liver Equals A Healthy You Update!

We have come to the end of the first cleansing cycle for our livers. It is certain that this juice combination is powerfully strong and invigorating. If you have followed along I'm sure you agree. I'm also sure you would agree that it takes a bit of getting used to because of its potency.

Still our liver health is certainly worth the cleanse. Just think of these powerful natural juices coursing through your liver to help re-energize and tone the organ that is so vital to our health and well being. Help your body power away the impurities and fatty deposits that have built up over time from poor eating habits, smoking, alcohol use and prescription drug use. Of course there are other ways to cleanse the liver with some being more pervasive than others. The current state of your health should be the determining factor as to how much, how long and how detailed your liver cleanse should be.

Powerful Liver Support Through Herbal Cleansing

If you are seeing this post and have no idea about the liver cleanse that has been discussed allow me to refer you to "A Healthy Liver Equals a Healthy You" where all will be explained! Go in good health.

6DTTEQ8VH7W3

Artificial Sweeteners and Weight Gain

Our grocery and retail shelves are flooded with diet foods, diet aids, and even some "health" foods that contain artificial sweeteners added to them like aspartame and sucralose. Even items like toothpaste and cough syrup have artificial sweeteners in them. They are touted as the zero calorie/low calorie saviors for those who wish to either control their weight or lose weight. What actually happens in the end is something that has the potential to not only increase weight but also lead to other ailments and/or adverse health conditions.

Over the next few post a number of issues revolving around artificial sweeteners, in particular aspartame, will be reviewed. Issues covered will be how aspartame is broken down (metabolized) in the body, how they affect blood sugar and cravings, and the potential to become addicted to artificial sweeteners.
The liver is the body's primary organ for fat burning and metabolism. When aspartame is consumed it passes directly to the liver from the small intestines. The liver has to work overtime to break down aspartame into its key components: phenylalanine, aspartic acid, formaldehyde and methanol. Each one of these components disrupts the body's ability to perform key functions but I will digress for the sake of brevity. Back to metabolism. The liver has to utilize a great amount of energy to metabolize aspartame. From the moment it enters the liver it is given priority over most every other metabolic function. While the liver is working furiously to breakdown aspartame into several different poisons it is unable to fully metabolize fats (beneficial fats or otherwise) found in our foods or fats already stored in the body. The problem is now obvious. Whenever fat from food is not fully metabolized it is stored away and fat already in the body is not processed for fuel (which leads to its removal). This is how consuming products with artificial sweeteners like aspartame can actually help pack on the pounds instead of decreasing them. Contrary to popular belief losing weight is not all about calorie restriction because even low calorie artificially sweetened foods can cause weight gain by retarding the livers ability to metabolize what we eat and cause strong cravings (more on cravings later).

Foods sweetened with aspartame can slow the livers ability to metabolize so much that the liver itself can become fatty. Once this happens total liver functionality, such as blood cleansing, enzyme production and hormone production, becomes impaired causing systemic problems throughout the entire body. Also, a fatty liver makes losing weight a frustrating endeavor. As previously mentioned a fatty liver can not breakdown and utilize fat for fuel efficiently. All the time spent working out at home or in a gym has the potential of being negated from a fat burning perspective when low fat/non fat foods spiked with artificial sweeteners are consumed coupled with a fatty, over-worked liver. By no means is this a condemnation of working out as we all should strive to be more active. Care about what we consume is the emphasis here. I am providing some resources below for perusal. The next post will cover how artificial sweeteners affect blood sugar and cravings. Bon appetit!

Sources:
http://www.savvypatients.com/sweeteners.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvFRLIjOLOU&feature=player_embedded#!