Understanding Heart Disease, Diabetes, Blood Sugar and Insulin
I am going to explain in “simple science” terms the connection between Heart Disease and Diabetes and what about this you as prime timers need to know. For our purposes here I am going to define Prime Timers as folks in their 40’s, 50’s and beyond. But honestly it’s never too soon to plan for your IRAH- individual retirement account for Health. There is actually some really GOOD news in all the BAD and UGLY things I am going to share with you in this brief simplified explanation.
First of all let’s discuss the the BAD and the UGLY: Chronic illnesses such as Heart disease and the dreaded prime time HIGH’s…High blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes aka high blood sugar have increased to near epidemic levels in our country. For the first time in history the life expectancy of our children and grandchildren is lower than our own. Here are the grim facts: In the US Heart disease and diabetes are on the rise at an alarming rate in all age ranges, including children. Three out of four people over age 65 now take medication for chronic illnesses.(1). About 1 in every 4 deaths in the US is due to heart disease.(2). About 50% of all Americans have at least one of these three risk factors: Diabetes, high fat, poor diet, physical inactivity and excessive alcohol use. The good news is that cardiologist and research now proves that 95% of all Heart Disease can be prevented by lifestyle changes which means you can also lower your risk of developing other correlating illnesses such as Diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol by lifestyle changes as well. The state of Texas and Collin County Health Statistics are pretty much in line with the national averages. Collin County in North Texas fairs just marginally better than South Texas. ( see stats below) (3). What exactly is heart disease? Plaque or sticky stuff builds up your arteries, the inside of the arteries begins to narrow and harden, which lessens or blocks the flow of blood. Plaques can also rupture and form a blood clot the plaque, blocking the flow of blood which can result in a stroke or heart attack.
We all know by now eating a healthy diet and exercising are good for us. Simple FACT: If you move more and eat better you can significantly lower your risk of most chronic illnesses and the dreaded highs: high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high blood fats. If you eat more plant based proteins, eat lots of fruits and vegetables and move more, you will significantly lower your risk of all related prime time high’s. Also important to note: As you age your lifestyle choices are of higher significance than your inherited genes. I repeat: As you age your lifestyle have more of an impact on your overall health than your inherited genes. Did you know doing something as simple as lowering your waist size by 20% can lower your risks by 20%? Let’s discuss in very simple terms the main reasons for unhealthy aging and what you can do to improve your health at any age. Aging has two main causes: too much garbage accumulates in our body causing sticky stuff in our blood and tissues causing the immune system to weaken aka the body’s garbage disposal system. You can no longer get rid of the garbage effienciently and as a result the body falls out of balance. Good health is as simple as keeping the garbage out. There are three types of garbage that lead to sticky stuff build up in our tissues and blood. Oxidation, inflammation and Glycation. Each of these play a role in unhealthy aging and developing the dreaded HIGH’s of prime time.
Oxidation: Our bodies are oxygen burning machines and the exhaust from this process is oxidation which causes RUST in our bodies. The RUST or oxidants attack our cells like little hammers. Normally our bodies neutralize them with anti-oxidants but as we age our bodies produce fewer antioxidants. The oxidants build up and cause more RUST. Solution: Eat a diet rich in antioxidants daily such as deep blue and red berries.
Inflammation is the normal process of repairing wear and tear in the body. When the body is healthy this process is able to handle normal wear and tear repair. However, when wear and tear becomes excessive chronic inflammation occurs, this often causes painful swelling of the joints and other types of “itis” illnesses. Lastly, Glycation is the accumulation of sludge in the lining or the arteries which prevents the growth and repair of new tissues. As we age our cells become less sensitive to insulin, insulin resistant, which leaves excess glucose in the blood and type 2 diabetes can develop. In addition, The excess sugar/ glucose in the blood attaches to proteins making them stiff and sticky. They are called Aging Proteins or AGE’s which can result in heart disease and in loss of skin collagen, causing wrinkles. Ladies too much sugar equals wrinkles, do I have your attention now? If we continue to put garbage into our bodies as we age our garbage disposal simply can no longer keep up and junk starts to accumulate in our tissues. The immune system reacts making us more susceptible to excess inflammation and other autoimmune diseases.
Our bodies perform best when in a state of balance. To quote Dr. Sears, “The three magic metabolic words of Prime-Time Health are Stable Insulin Levels”. Insulin is our master hormone and it’s main job is to keep our blood sugar aka glucose our fuel for energy balanced. If blood sugar is too high or too low everything is out of sync. Important to know: the incidence of almost every age related illness goes up as your blood sugar rises ( the dreaded HIGH’s again). Excess sugar in our blood as we age wreaks all kinds of havoc on our bodies. It causes us to age faster, the excess unused sugar is stored making us fat. Excess Insulin in the blood can also cause kidneys to retain excess sodium causing high blood pressure and can stimulate the cholesterol making enzyme in the liver. Bad news: if you have one of these age related HIGH’s you are likely to develop another. Here is what happens with blood sugar in a healthy body. Cells need carbs for energy. When we eat, carbs are digested and absorbed through the small intestine into the blood. Blood sugar rises which triggers the release of insulin. Insulin is the key to unlock the doors to the cells to let the sugar in as fuel. The cells are sensitive and will only let in the amount they need. If too much insulin arrives the cells resist, the extra glucose gets the message and says I’ll go elsewhere in case you need me later. So the glucose is stored in the liver and or belly. If this happens repeatedly due to poor diet, excess junky carbs, bad fats and processed foods, eventually the doors of the cells become damaged and resist the insulin. This stage is pre-diabetic. The body needs to make more and more insulin for the doors of the cells to open. Normal amounts can no longer open the cell doors to let the sugar in and later type 2 diabetes will develop. Eventually the pancreas can wear out and will not longer produce insulin- and insulin dependent diabetes will occur.
Here is the good news. All of these highs are preventable and you can start lowering your risk by making your own medicine today. Here are some tools you can implement today and every day after to start your own journey to good health and longevity safe from the dreaded HIGH’s of prime time. 1, Lower your stress, take time each day to relax and unwind, 2, Stay Lean and or Get Lean by eating real foods, unprocessed, nutrient dense foods, the best foods are made in nature not a factory 3, Move more, Movement increases blood flow and produces Nitric Oxide which enables our bodies to make thier own medicine. Keep in mind the best exercise is the one you will do because you enjoy it. Considering making health your new hobby 4, Change your diet. Remove Waste from your waist by eating more fruit and veggies, the right complex carbs and the right fats. How we eat is as important as what we eat, eat smaller more frequent meals, this is easier on your digestive system causing less wear and tear and keeps blood sugar level though out the day. This method of Grazing keep our hormones balanced as well. These scary statistics I have shared with your today are based on averages. Remember you are not average! Make Health Your Hobby Today.
- Prime Time Health, Dr William Sears, MD
(2) CDC.gov
Symposium on Population Health — February 2017
Tex Med. 2018;114(2):22-27. By John Hellerstedt, MD
http://healthdata.org. Specific to Collin County Texas