Reversing Type 2 Diabetes

According to a 2015 study by The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), nearly 50% of Americans have type 2 diabetes or elevated blood sugar which increases a person’s risk for developing it. Insulin resistance is associated with type 2 diabetes and lack of production with type 1. This resistance is typically the result of three things: genetics, lack of exercise, poor eating habits, and excess weight. Recently, studies are indicating that by incorporating certain lifestyle changes, a person can reverse their diabetes where medications may no longer be necessary.

The average person with type 2 diabetes spends approximately $85,000 over their lifetime treating their disease and its complications. With almost 50% of the U.S. population is affected by type 2 diabetes, the economic burden on our healthcare system is substantial. We have experienced a 41% increase in healthcare costs from 2007 to 2012. However, there now hope that this trend can be reversed.

Taking proactive steps with one’s lifestyle can positively impact the effects of type 2 diabetes. A small clinical trial of 30 individuals in England revealed that a strict liquid diet put nearly half into remission for 6 months. This select group had lived with the disease for up to 23 years! CNN highlighted a New Yorker recently diagnosed with type 2 who chose to bypass medications and “do it himself.” Through diet and exercise, he was able to lose 40 pounds and keep his glucose numbers below the diabetic range for 2 years (at the time the article was published in 2011). Unfortunately, people do not realize the devastating impact type 2 diabetes has on your health. It causes nerve and kidney damage, loss of vision, heart attack and stroke.

Intervening to prevent, delay, or even reverse this debilitating disease requires commitments.

• Exercising regularly.
• Eating a nutritionally dense diet.
• Maintaining a healthy weight for your height.
• Getting sufficient sleep each night. 
• Lowering your daily stress levels.

Remember, you are not a statistic. Never underestimate the power you have to change your destiny!