LEMMO Integrated Cancer Care Inc.

Type 2 diabetes

High blood sugar due to poor insulin secretion, action or both
A New Term: "Insulin resistance" (when the hormone insulin does not seem to work properly in the body)

i. Preventing diabetes
- No effective treatments have been identified to prevent Type 2 Diabetes, with the exception of a diet program and exercise.
- The use of drug therapy to prevent diabetes remains experimental.
ii. Blood sugar control
- Ideal levels are those within the normal range for people without diabetes (normal people).
- Optimal levels maybe impossible to attain in some people with diabetes without severe side effects (i.e. low blood sugar) and its hard to obtain in many.
- The majority of type 2 diabetics have "suboptimal" levels of blood sugar (not normal levels).
iii. Limitations of medications for treating diabetes
- According to one paper, it appears that the use of any single drug either fails at the beginning or will fail over time.
- Several drugs are needed for optimal results.
- The optimal combination initially is unknown.
- Risks of medications include:
  - Low blood sugar
  - Weight gain
  - Death

Evidence points to a link between type 2 diabetes and cancer of the colon, liver, pancreas, breast, and endometrium.

In one study, eating whole-grain foods was protective against diabetes and refined grain foods increased the risk for Type 2 Diabetes. Women had a 57% greater risk of type 2 diabetes in the higher-eating group. The effect seen was not explained entirely by fiber content, magnesium, and vitamin E.
In another study, high glycemic index (foods capable of increasing blood sugar levels) foods from refined starches increased the risk of heart disease.
These data add to the concern that the current low-fat, high carbohydrate diet recommended in the US may not be optimal for the prevention of heart disease and could actually increase the risk in people with high degrees of insulin resistance and sugar problems.

Many reports have shown that oxidative stress (a form of rusting that occurs in the body) may have a major role in diabetic complications.
High blood sugar levels enhances the depletion of "antioxidants", which protects the body from oxidative stress or damage.
The "antioxidant system" appears to be compromised in diabetic patients, and more so with chronic complications.
In one study proper sugar control reduced oxidative stress but did not normalize the oxidative stress tests in the blood.
Giving vitamin E in these patients helped lower the "oxidative stress" or lower the rusting in the body.
"Oxidative stress" is increased in insulin-resistant people at an early stage before sugar problems and diabetes occurs.
In one research paper, the more insulin resistant the healthy volunteers were the lower the blood levels of carotenoids and tocopherols (vitamin E type chemicals).

Homocysteine is a chemical in the blood that rises when a person is low in three B-vitamins (folic acid, B6, B12).
High levels of Homocysteine appear to be a stronger risk factor for death in type 2 diabetics than in non-diabetics.
High homocysteine levels may be a risk factor for retinopathy (eye disease). For each increase in Homocysteine (5 umol/L), the risk of retinopathy rose by 50% according to one study.

Recognized since the 1950s
Plants contain between 100-500ug/kg
Excreted mainly in the urine, and its excretion increases with sugar and after insulin administration.
Patients who receive nutrition by intravenous means develop a clinical syndrome: high blood sugar & insulin resistance. In all cases chromium fixes this clinical & metabolic responses.
In 19 science papers in which people received 175-1000ug/day, chromium for durations of 6-64 weeks did not demonstrate toxic effects.
In most all studies using bioavailable chromium, positive results have been shown with greater effects at 1000ug/day compared with 200ug/day.

In the late 1800s, vanadium was proposed to have medicinal value and to be of benefit in nutrition, diabetes, atherosclerosis, anemia, prevention of dental caries, treatment of infection.
Has some cholesterol lowering effect.
16 type 2 diabetic patients were studied for 6 weeks. Fasting glucose and HbA1c decreased in the groups given 150 & 300 mg/day. Insulin sensitivity improved in 7 subjects at these doses. Side effects reported were mild GI upset.

Blood magnesium was inversely related with Type 2 Diabetes risk. Thus the lower the magnesium in your blood, the higher the risk for Diabetes and vice versa.
Low magnesium intake is associated with indicators of insulin resistance in healthy people.
In animals, magnesium supplements corrects insulin resistance induced by a high-fructose diet.
It may reduce blood pressure in patients with high blood pressure.

You need to move
The fattest children are those who reported low levels of vigorous activity and high levels of TV. Sixty percent of US children watch at least 2 hours of TV per day.
2.1 billion dollars of healthcare costs in Canada were attributable to physical inactivity in 1999.
People who used 3500 kcal in exercise per week had a 42% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to one who expended less than 500 kcal.
"Fidgeters" have been shown to burn up to 800 calories per day being active as opposed to those who dont move.