Diabetes Increasing in African-Americans and Other Groups

Many groups in the U.S. and around the world are developing diabetes at a faster rate today than they were 5 years ago. But, African-Americans are more likely to develop diabetes at more than twice the rate of other groups! 

                    

More importantly, even with all the latest information available about controlling and reversing diabetes with diet and exercise, many African-Americans prefer to remain diabetic while embracing fast foods and diabetic drugs.

Why? To sum it up in one word, some African-Americans are D.E.A.D. emotionally, spiritually, and intellectually.

Warning: If you are overly-sensitive about these types of issues, do not read this web page. 

African-Americans Are D.E.A.D.  But They Don't Know It! 

Many people in the U.S. (including African-Americans) have increased their annual consumption of fast food from places such as McDonald's and Kentucky Fried Chicken -- even though most people know that these foods are bad for them. So, what's the real issue here?  Economics? Time? Convenience? Addiction? Lack of Motivation? Laziness? Lack of Knowledge? TV Marketing targeted at blacks? 

 

In recent years, fast food has grown to be a staple in many American diets; however, the percentage of African Americans that are consuming fast food products far outnumbers the percentage of other races. “African Americans between the ages of 20 and 39 were shown to have the most fast food in their diet when compared with their Caucasian and Hispanic counterparts, as one-fifth of their calorie intake came from quick service restaurants”, reports Afro.com.

                                  

This is alarming, especially considering that the country has slowly been shifting towards more healthy options. Many African Americans attribute their alarming support of unhealthy fast food to the higher price of healthier food choices or not having the time to prepare daily home cooked meals. “Fast food is quick and I don’t have time to cook with my lifestyle. I’ve gained weight but I think it’s because I’ve been less active physically since I graduated. I don’t even like fast food that much but it’s convenient”, said Kelli Williams, a 24 year old lab technician. This is understandable but there are much healthier fast food choices that are reasonably priced.

I See Dead People
Unfortunately, many people including African-Americans are D.E.A.D. inside -- they have become new version of "The Walking Dead". They may be alive physically, but, they're D.E.A.D. emotionally, spiritually, and intellectually.

Warning: Don't read the following if you are easily offended. These are the facts. Instead of getting offended, do something about it -- become a health advocate for your family.

D.E.A.D. stands for:

Denial or Dead Foods: Some African-Americans live in denial of what's happening to their health, eating dead foods and relying on drugs and doctors; and, telling you to "Talk to the hand".  They deny the seriousness of the disease by referring to diabetes as "a little sugar problem".

Some African-Americans deny that they have diabetes because they are ashamed of being diabetic. They deny that they need to change their lifestyle or eating habits due to the lack of knowledge. They deny that their poor eating habits is going to catch up with them and lead to diabetes and obesity.


Some African-Americans have the heads in the sand. They deny that they're fat and overweight by using terms such as "big-boned" or "thick" to rationalize that they're really not fat or obese. Really! They deny that their parents, siblings,  and other relatives have diabetes or have died from diabetes.  

Many African-Americans continue to eat a lot of "dead" processed foods that lead to diabetes, obesity, cancer, heart disease, and other illnesses. A life of denial makes life very difficult and leads to disaster -- physically, emotionally, spiritually, and financially.

Ego: The egos of some African-Americans make them believe that "they're special" and that they won't become diabetic. Their egos prevent them from humbling themselves to address their ignorance and get educated about nutrition and disease. Other African-Americans don't believe that there's someone more intelligent than them that can actually help them. This is part of the "self-hate" complex that blacks have about themselves. Of course, blacks deny that this complex exists, but studies indicate otherwise, i.e the black-white doll Clark study.

Apathy or Ashamed: Some African-Americans are apathetic, giving up and accepting the fact that there is nothing that they can do to prevent diabetes or successfully fight their diabetes. Unfortunately, with apathy comes a lack of hope and sense of hopelessness that permeates throughout  many African-American families. 

In addition, some African-Americans are ashamed of being diabetic, which allows the disease to spread silently from generation to generation. 

When African-Americans are confronted with this reality of apathy and shame, many of them become angry and tend to complain and attack people like the author, who ironically has the solution to their problem. Other African-Americans are weak emotionally or lack the emotional support from family and  friends. Some are weak-minded and lack the discipline and will power to even want to fight the disease. Others love eating the toxic, fattening fast foods from McDonald's, Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken, etc. 

Also, it's easier to drive to KFC  and pickup some chicken and mash potatoes than it is to steam some vegetables and bake some wild salmon at home. In addition, on the surface, it appears to many African-Americans that KFC and McDonald's are a lot cheaper than wild salmon and extra virgin olive oil -- but, many African-Americans forget about the high medical costs associated with being diabetic.

Disbelief: Some African-Americans live in disbelief that someone could actually reverse their diabetes after being so close to death -- due to their lack of knowledge about science and disease. In addition, they don't believe that they can successfully fight and reverse their diabetes -- especially if they've seen it happen to a parent or other relative.

As a result, they don't do the research to find out that thousands of people have actually defeated their diabetes. Others are shocked when their doctor tells them that they're diabetic. Some African-Amerians expect God to solve their health problems, when God has already told them what to do! (in the Bible). God also sends messengers, but some African-Americans ignore the messengers.

Note: To counteract being D.E.A.D., African-Americans and others have to become A.L.I.V.E. Read the next section for more details.

African-Americans Can Become A.L.I.V.E.!

Instead of being D.E.A.D., African-Americans can become A.L.I.V.E.

A.L.I.V.E. stands for the following:
Accountable and Active: African-Americans must become more accountable and responsible for their own health and. Some African-Americans need to stop blaming others and using negative energy to put others down.

In addition, African-Americans must become more active, and exercise on a consistent basis. Being active means more than just exercising for 30 minutes a day! Being active has to become an integral part of living each day.

Being active is a mindset, where you look for creative ways to move, i.e. walking up the stairs instead of taking the elevator; walking on your treadmill or using your elliptical machine while watching TV or talking on the phone; shoveling the driveway, mowing the lawn, gardening. African-Americans must also "accept" the fact that they have a serious problem (diabetes) -- because that's the first step in solving a problem: recognizing that you have a real serious problem -- not "just a little sugar problem". African-Americans must also become more aware of what's happening to their health, the food, and the drugs; and, how this lack of awareness will affect their children and their children's children.

Live Foods: African-Americans must value life and learn to love eating "live" foods while eating a lot less "dead" foods in order to fight the diabetes, obesity, or other illness. "Live" foods include vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, seeds, plant oils, whole grains, and filtered water.  

When African-Americans learn how to live, they will find their calling, their passion and their purpose in life -- which will bring and joy and fulfillment throughout the family and community.  They must embrace the life that is calling them, and use that life to embrace the world.

Intelligent: African-Americans must recognize that true knowledge is power; and, that they must acquire that power to become more intelligent. They can become more intelligent by taking classes and doing their own research on nutrition, disease, and drugs. 

A good way to start the education process is to get several books on diabetes, wellness, and nutrition, including the book Death to Diabetes. Once they acquire the knowledge, they won't give up and they'll realize that there is something that they can do to prevent diabetes or successfully reverse their diabetes. 

ln addition, they must invest the time and be insistent with their family and doctor that they really want to change.

Value or Visionary: African-Americans must recognize that they have value and that they matter. And, since they matter, they must value their own health instead of taking it for granted and contaminating it with dead food and drugs. African-Americans must be visionary and see beyond just today, and realize that a long-term commitment to a healthy lifestyle will provide many rewards in the future. It will also send a positive message to their children, who learn their (good and bad) habits from their parents. That's how diabetes is passed from one generation to the next! -- poor eating habits and lifestyle! African-Americans must also be vigorous in their commitment to seek and acquire the knowledge to improve their health and financial well-being.

Effort, Enthusiasm, Energy and Empowerment: African-Americans must make the effort to change their lifestyle and eating habits with enthusiasm and energy, and use a lot of  emotion and passion to drive those changes.  

With this effort  enthusiasm, and energy, African-Americans will feel empowered and finally in control of their lives.  This, in turn will lead them to find their true passion and purpose in life. 

They must also have a certain amount of positive ego reinforced with supreme confidence and commitment to fight the establishment and the doctors, who will continue to push the drugs. 

Note: For more information, read the Death to Diabetes web pages about purpose in life, success, spirituality, and support. 

Disease Statistics for Black America

Health Conditions: In 2010, the death rate for African Americans was higher than Whites for heart diseases, stroke, cancer, asthma, influenza and pneumonia, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and homicide. 

Cancer  Facts

• In 2009, African American men were 1.5 times as likely to have new cases of lung and prostate cancer, compared to non-Hispanic white men.
• African American men were twice as likely to have new cases of stomach cancer as non-Hispanic white men.
• African Americans men had lower 5-year cancer survival rates for lung and pancreatic cancer, compared to non-Hispanic white men.
• In 2009, African American men were 2.5 times as likely to die from prostate cancer, as compared to non-Hispanic white men.
• In 2009, African American women were 10% less likely to have been diagnosed with breast cancer, however, they were 34% more likely to die from breast cancer, compared to non-Hispanic white women.
• African American women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with stomach cancer, and they were 2.4 times as likely to die from stomach cancer, compared to non-Hispanic white women.
• Blacks have approximately 30 to 40% more cancer and in some cases a 250% higher death rate than Whites.
• Life expectancy for Black men is 68.6 years old compared to 75.0 for White men (6.4 year difference) and Black women are 75.5 versus 80.2 for White women (4.7 Year Difference) This is a "six year discrepancy" for men and almost a "five year discrepancy" for women.

Diabetes Facts

• African American adults were 1.9 times more likely than non-Hispanic white adults to have been diagnosed with diabetes by a physician.
• In 2009, African American men were 2.2 times as likely to start treatment for end-stage renal disease related to diabetes, compared to non-Hispanic white men.
• In 2009, diabetic African Americans were 1.9 times as likely as diabetic Whites to be hospitalized.
• In 2009, African Americans were 2.3 times as likely as non-Hispanic Whites to die from diabetes.

Heart Disease Facts

• In 2009, African American men were 32% more likely to die from heart disease, as compared to non-Hispanic white men.
• African Americans were 1.45 times as likely as non-Hispanic whites to have high blood pressure.
• African American women are 1.9 times as likely as non-Hispanic white women to be obese.

HIV/AIDS Facts

• Although African Americans make up only 13% of the total U.S. population, they accounted for 47% of HIV/AIDS cases in 2006.
• African American males had more than 7 times the AIDS rate of non-Hispanic white males.
• African American females had more than 21 times the AIDS rate of non-Hispanic white females.
• African American men were more than 9 times as likely to die from HIV/AIDS as non-Hispanic white men.
• African American women were more than 20 times as likely to die from HIV/AIDS as non-Hispanic white women.

Immunization Facts

• In 2009, African Americans aged 65 and older were 40% less likely to have received the influenza (flu) shot in the past 12 months, compared to non-Hispanic whites of the same age group.
• In 2009, African American adults aged 65 and older were 30% less likely to have ever received the pneumonia shot, compared to non-Hispanic white adults of the same age group.
• Although African American children aged 19 to 35 months had comparable rates of immunization for hepatitis, influenza, MMR, and polio, they were slightly less likely to be fully immunized, when compared to non-Hispanic white children.

Infant Mortality Facts

• In 2005, African Americans had 2.3 times the infant mortality rate of non-Hispanic whites.
• African American infants were almost four times as likely to die from causes related to low birth weight, compared to non-Hispanic white infants.
• African Americans had 1.8 times the sudden infant death syndrome mortality rate as non-Hispanic whites.
• African American mothers were 2.6 times as likely as non-Hispanic white mothers to begin prenatal care in the 3rd trimester, or not receive prenatal care at all.
• The infant mortality rate for African American mothers with over 13 years of education was almost three times that of Non-Hispanic White mothers in 2004.

Stroke Facts

• African American adults are twice as likely than their White adult counterparts to have a stroke.
• African American males were 60% more likely to die from a stroke than their White adult counterparts.
• Analysis from a CDC health interview survey reveals that African American stroke survivors were more likely to become disabled and have difficulty with activities of daily living than their non-Hispanic white counterparts.

Note: The above information can also be applied to other groups in America and around the world.

The REAL Normal Range for Your Blood Glucose

The normal range for a diabetic's fasting blood glucose level before meals is 80 to 100 mg/dl.  And, the postprandial blood glucose level (2 hours after meals) should be 90 to 110 mg/dl.

Optimally, a diabetic's should target his/her average fasting blood glucose level to be less than 100 mg/dl, ideally: 80 to 90 mg/dl.

Now, I realize that these numbers are a tighter and lower than the numbers given to you by your doctor.

When I was diabetic, I was told that "normal" for a diabetic was 90 to 120 mg/dl. My endocrinologist told me that it was unrealistic to give me the "real" normal numbers for a non-diabetic. He believed that giving me the real numbers would only frustrate me and make me angry.  Wow!

Note: If you take a look at the chart (below) of my blood glucose readings during my first week after I left the hospital, my readings were all over the place.  If I had accepted this as "normal", I would either still be diabetic or facing some major complication such as amputation, or, maybe I would be dead. Luckily, I didn't listen to the doctor.

As the chart depicts, the optimum range for managing one's blood glucose should be 80 to 100 (the green region); while avoiding the yellow and red regions.

Because of this misunderstanding of blood glucose readings, many diabetics have a false sense of security that they're managing their diabetes within the proper blood glucose range; or, that they're close to the proper range.

So, why is it so important to know the "real" numbers?

Because if your average fasting blood glucose is consistently outside the normal range, your diabetes is gradually rotting out the inside of your body! Sure, you may feel fine (at this time), but, in several years, you'll begin to experience the following  symptoms: weight gain, tiredness, cravings, vision problems, an increase in blood pressure, an increase in cholesterol, low glucose readings (hypoglycemia), dry mouth, thirstiness, tingling or pain in your feet, an increase in belly fat or your waist line, an increase in urination, protein leaking in your urine, etc.

You will also be taking more drugs within a few years. Most diabetics end up taking at least 3 different drugs, one each for their diabetes, blood pressure, and cholesterol.

Warning: These symptoms are the precursor to more serious diabetic complications including: kidney failure (dialysis), blindness, amputation, stroke, heart attack.

The sad thing is that all of these complications could have been prevented!! So, don't become comfortable or satisfied with higher than normal blood glucose readings -- you deserve better ...

FYI: Here's a video of me speaking about the importance of blood glucose testing and the data:

FYI: Here's a 3-minute video of me speaking about my endocrinologist and his denial that I could improve my blood glucose readings:

Statin Drug-Cholesterol Hoax

We all know that heart disease is one of the leading killers of people  around the world, particularly highest in countries such as the U.S. and Australia.

However, did you know that there are several medical studies worldwide that clearly show that higher cholesterol levels in the body actually increases longevity instead of decreasing it?

Yes, you heard that right! People with high cholesterol have been statistically shown to live longer and healthier than people with low cholesterol in several studies. There are multiple references for this phenomenon in Shane Ellison's controversial book, The Hidden Truth about Cholesterol Lowering Drugs,  Dr. Uffe Ravnskov's (MD, PhD) book The Cholesterol Myths, as well as Sally Fallon and Mary Enig's book, Nourishing Traditions.

So why in the world are the pharmaceutical and medical industry pushing for practically everyone on the planet to "lower their cholesterol"? Well, the first, and more innocent answer, is flawed medical studies from decades ago that have been accepted as fact and never fully analyzed for their validity.

Another answer is that this practice of recommending that half of the planet takes a cholesterol lowering medication (such as statin drugs), regardless of whether they truly have any real risk for heart disease, creates multi-billion dollar profits for the drug companies! Can you say ka-ching?

The drug companies and their TV ads have convinced you and your doctor into prescribing unnecessary prescription drugs to healthy young people with perfectly normal cholesterol levels that just happen to be over this arbitrary number of 200 that they've come up with.

Note: Shortly, the medical industry will reduce this arbitrary number even lower to convince more people to take statin drugs. The medical industry is also targeting children, so parents beware!

As a result, more than 85 million Americans take statin drugs because they believe that statin drugs are good for them. Recent studies indicate that statins do more harm than just damage the liver, including muscle pain, muscle inflammation (myositis), heart muscle damage (rhabdomyolysis), heart disease, heart attacks, kidney damage, insulin desensitivity, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer's, reduction of CoQ10 levels ... and, the list keeps growing ...

As time goes on and scientists continue to learn more about heart disease, it has become quite clear over the recent years that inflammation within the body (NOT cholesterol levels) is what causes plaque build up in the arteries and eventual heart disease. Inflammation can be caused by many personal factors such as stress, smoking, viruses, consumption of refined and/or hydrogenated fats, an imbalance of omega-6 polyunsaturated fats to omega-3 polyunsaturated fats in the diet, excess refined sugars in the diet, etc.

Lowering your cholesterol doesn't attack the root of the problem (what is actually causing the inflammation in you). Lowering your cholesterol does nothing except to make the drug companies rich, and possibly leave you with a whole assortment of possible negative side-effects such as liver damage.

So, why will most of you continue to take the dangerous and toxic statin drugs after reading this web page? Because you believe in your doctor!  And, the drug does actually lower your cholesterol. So from your viewpoint, the drug's working and you feel fine -- no side effects, right? Even if you're not going to stop taking the drugs, at least get your blood tested (for high homocysteine, CRP) and get liver tested!

And, keep in mind that since cholesterol-lowering statin drugs (such as Lipitor and Zocor) were introduced in the late 1980s, heart disease has risen approximately 2.4% every year, while statin drugs have become one of the top-selling drugs in the U.S. and around the world.

Please Note: Just because the drug does its job and you feel fine doesn't mean that everything is fine! If you go to the website for that medicine, you'll discover what your doctor may not be telling you about these drugs!

If you don't believe us, then, do your homework and visit reputable medical websites and clinical databases that support what we're trying to warn you about.

Diabetic Drugs Cause More Harm Than Good!

Author's Perspective: Have you ever heard of a diabetic getting better once he/she started taking metformin or some other diabetic drug? Gee, I wonder why!

What Your Doctor May Not Be Telling You

Unfortunately, most diabetics are told to take the diabetic drug metformin (Glucophage), because the drug helps to lower their blood glucose to the normal range. This gives the diabetic the false sense of security that the drug is actually helping their diabetes. 

But, the doctor fails to tell the diabetic that the drug does absolutely nothing to stop the spread of the cell and tissue damage being caused by the diabetes! In fact, over a period of years, the drug actually causes damage to the liver and/or kidneys!

If you have an adverse reaction to the drug (such as an upset stomach) your doctor will not tell you why this is happening -- instead, he/she will just put you on a different drug such as glimepiride (Amaryl) or glipizide (Glucotrol).

So, be careful, not to jump at taking this drug!  Once you start down the "path of prescription drugs", your doctor will eventually add one or two additional drugs, which is going to make it difficult for you to wean off the drugs later on.

  

Western Medicine uses various types of diabetic drugs such as metformin (Glucophage), glyburide (Micronase, DiaBeta) and glipizide (Glucotrol) to "treat" your diabetes.

So, do these drugs actually work?  It depends on your point of view. These drugs help to (artificially) lower your blood glucose level, so that it seems that the drugs are working. On the other hand, the drugs do absolutely nothing to help your body get rid of the diabetes! So, from that viewpoint, the drugs aren't working.

In fact, these drugs contribute to long-term cellular and tissue damage that leads to gastrointestinal problems, kidney failure, liver failure, and other health issues that your doctor may not mention to you. 

 

Recently, the New England Journal of Medicine published a study that was supposed to prove what drug strategy for diabetics works the best. The study participants took several common diabetes drugs along with varied insulin treatments (once, twice, or three times per day).  

But, the researchers were disappointed to find out that none of their strategies worked! The researchers appeared confused – unable to explain why their study didn’t work.

Let me explain why their study failed.  Using insulin in a Type 2 diabetic is a last ditch effort and should be avoided if at all possible. Insulin transports sugar out of the blood – but it must put it somewhere. All too often it forces the formation of fat, leading to weight gain and deteriorating health.  If sugar is forced into cells that don’t want it, it will damage them. In other words, insulin injections don’t fix anything.  

Apparently the only thing doctors now know how to treat is the symptoms of a disease. If you want to fix someone with Type 2 diabetes, you need to re-balance their hormones and metabolic function. That means a plant-based diet, periodic exercise, and phytonutrients that help the body use sugar properly.

And, make sure that you're aware of drugs such as Avandia, which was pulled by the FDA because the drug was causing "too many" heart attacks! 

Avandia was originally approved even though the FDA knew that it caused heart attacks but it was within an acceptable range. What is an acceptable range for heart attacks? Isn't one heart attack too many?

Big Mistake!: Many diabetics believe that they are controlling their diabetes with these drugs. But, they're not!!

The drugs are actually hiding the symptoms of the diabetes, making  diabetics think that they're "controlling" their diabetes -- creating a false sense of security! In the meantime, the diabetes is still running rampant, causing organ, tissue, and blood vessel damage that goes undetected for years!

The top-selling prescription drugs in the U.S. are the drugs for diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol -- which happen to be the three major drugs given to most Type 2 diabetics.  Coincidence? (Don't think so!)

In addition, these drugs do not stop the development of diabetic complications such as amputation, kidney failure, blindness, stroke and heart attack. In fact, several recent studies have shown that some high blood pressure and cholesterol medications can actually fuel or cause diabetes!

If you find this hard to believe, just visit any of the pharmaceutical websites or google on "diabetic drug side effects" -- do your own research.

Health Impact of Drugs
Just like any other drug, these diabetic drugs Danger!create biochemical and hormonal dependencies within your body that can lead to long-term damage to your cells and organs.

If you are taking one of these drugs, it may be difficult to believe this, because you feel fine, you do not feel any discomfort or side effects.

However, many of the side effects will not be felt for several years, maybe even longer. But, eventually the following scenario will occur:

• The drug loses its effectiveness and your blood glucose level starts to rise.
• Your doctor increases the dosage to bring your blood glucose level back to the normal range.
• If this doesn't work, your doctor adds a new drug.
• Eventually when the oral drugs lose their effectiveness to lower your blood glucose level, your doctor will put you on insulin.

I know that you're probably thinking that if you keep taking the oral drugs and watch what you eat, you won't have to go on insulin.

But, that's not true. Why? Because while you were taking the drugs, the diabetes continued to progress (silently) and cause damage to more and more cells in your body. Eventually, the damage becomes so widespread that your doctor has to either increase your dosage, add another drug, or put you on insulin.

Please Note: Doctors shouldn't take the total blame here. Truth be told, most diabetics take the drug because it's easier to take a pill than to change one's diet. So, diabetics are partially complicit in taking the drug and not pushing back on their doctor for a non-drug solution.

Food for Thought: Diabetes is disease that is rotting out your insides. So, do you really believe that a pill can stop the rotting? 

Note: Visit the Death to Diabetes website or read Chapters 3, 12, 14 and 15 of Death to Diabetes to learn how to decrease the damage caused by the long-term use of these drugs.

Warning! 
Recent studies indicate that some drugs can damage to the pancreatic beta cells or trigger insulin resistance, causing you to develop diabetes! Those drugs include steroids, some hypertensives, statins, and some antibiotics. More specifically:

Statins (e.g. Lipitor, Mevacor): These drugs do a great job at lowering your cholesterol by attacking your liver, which produces 80% of your cholesterol. As a result, statin drugs have become the top--selling prescription drug in the U.S. with more than 80 million Americans taking this drug. 

Unfortunately, while you may have good cholesterol numbers, these statin drugs may cause damage to your liver while increasing your risk for diabetes and cataracts!

These drugs also deplete your CoQ10 levels and may lead to muscle aching and a serious condition called rhabdomyolysis. 

We have been bamboozled into believing that just because this drug lowers our cholesterol that we won't develop heart disease or have a heart attack. But, heart disease and heart attacks have risen since this drug was made available to the public in 1989! Recent studies now show that this drug can lead to damage to your heart muscle and your liver!  Read about the Statin Drug Hoax for more details -- especially if you're taking a statin drug.

Sulfonylureas (e.g. Glipizide, Glyburide): Nutrients such as chromium and magnesium lose efficacy, requiring careful monitoring  of therapeutic dosage.

Biguanides (e.g. Metformin): Known to induce vitamin B12 deficiency, likely via impaired absorption. Metformin may also cause lactic acidosis, may inhibit folic acid absorption, and elevate homocysteine levels, which can lead to arterial plaque formation and heart disease and the need for more drugs.

Thiazolidinediones (e.g. Pioglitazone): May increase the risk for osteoporosis and fracture, warranting careful monitoring of vitamin D status.

Insulin (e.g. Humalog, Lantus): causes you to gain weight and remain diabetic! Long-term term use increases fat cells, which require more insulin.

This increases the dependency on the injections and ensures a complete reliance on the insulin injections – creating pancreatic beta cell dysfunction and the “insulin addiction trap”.

So, is it really worth it taking these drugs for your diabetes just because drugs are more convenient to take than changing your diet? 

The Diabetes-Cancer Connection

Unfortunately, some people diagnosed with cancer also have belly fat or large waists, a sign of insulin resistance and possible pre-diabetes. But, most medical doctors overlook the obvious signs of insulin resistance and pre-diabetes because the patient's fasting blood sugar is still in the normal range. In addition, being overweight or obese is associated with increased risks of cancers of the esophagus, breast (postmenopausal), uterus, colon, kidney, pancreas, thyroid, gallbladder, and possibly other cancer types. Don't let this medical oversight cause you to miss the opportunity to prevent a cancer diagnosis from happening to you! After all, it's a lot easier to prevent cancer than it is to fight it.

Evidence linking diabetes and high insulin levels to certain cancers has grown stronger over the past several years, leading scientists to investigate potential mechanisms.

A growing body of evidence is finding that having diabetes or signs of insulin resistance may lead to an increased risk of certain cancers.

The connection is strongest among certain types of cancers, including kidney, breast, prostate, pancreatic and colorectal.

“The trend emerging [in this area] is that the type 2 diabetes associated with high insulin levels is the biggest problem relating to cancer risk,” said Michael Pollak, M.D., a professor at the Department of Oncology and Director of the Cancer Prevention Research Unit at McGill University. But it’s not just type 2 diabetes, he added, this link is evident for everyone with pre-diabetes, which is a much larger group.

The Insulin-Cancer Connection

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 40 percent of Americans – 41 million people – are estimated to have pre-diabetes, a condition that increases the risk of developing diabetes. Hyperinsulinemia, too much insulin in the blood, is a sign of prediabetes. People can be unaware they have prediabetes for years before symptoms and rising glucose levels result in a diabetes diagnosis.

Hyperinsulinemia, type 2 diabetes and cancer all share a major risk factor: high body fat. AICR’s second expert report found that high body fat is convincingly linked to increased risk of several cancers, including pancreatic and colorectal.

The hormonal changes spurred by high body fat may be leading to increased risk of cancer and type 2 diabetes. Hyperinsulinemia could also act independent of body fat to increase cancer risk. “We know that lots of tumors have insulin receptors and research suggests insulin plays an important role in cancer, but it does not have to be a direct link,” said Dr. Pollak. “There may be other areas that insulin could affect.” Yet insulin, which stimulates cell proliferation and growth, appears to be one of the key mediators.

High levels of insulin, independent of body fat, are linked to increased production of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). And IGF-1, which shares a similar structure to insulin, plays a key role in cell growth, proliferation and inhibiting apoptosis.

A Complex Link

Some of the strongest findings relating to diabetes, hyperinsulinemia and cancer risk relate to colorectal cancer, but – as in other cancers – there are no clear answers. In one recent study, researchers from the University of Minnesota found that women diagnosed with diabetes had a 50 percent higher chance of developing colorectal cancer than women without the disease. The researchers drew upon data from approximately 45,000 participants of a large screening study that began in the 1970s. The study analyzed data on women with no history of colorectal cancer or self-reported diabetes for eight years, who later developed colorectal cancer.

“We didn’t have information on insulin level, so we used diabetes as a proxy,” said lead study author Andrew Flood, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Division of Epidemiology and Community Health and the Masonic Cancer Center at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. “But a lot of people have undiagnosed diabetes,” said Dr. Flood. “If insulin is the problem, then we thought people who were prediabetic would have elevated levels of insulin.”

To test this hypothesis, the researchers included women who were likely prediabetic at the beginning of the follow-up period (they were later diagnosed with diabetes). It is likely these women had hyperinsulinemia. Surprisingly, the link to cancer was lower – although still significant -- with the addition of the hyperinsulinemia group. “It could be that the people diagnosed with diabetes during follow-up hadn’t been hyperinsulinemic long enough to increase risk, or that people need to be hyperinsulinemic to a greater degree to see an effect.”

Responding to Insulin

After eating carbohydrates, the pancreas responds by producing enough insulin to transport the glucose from the bloodstream into the cells. Glucose is the cells’ energy source and without it, cells cannot function. If the cells do not respond to insulin (insulin-resistant), the pancreas pumps out more. Over time, it can take ever-increasing amounts of insulin for the cells to take in enough glucose. People with pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes can have both high glucose and insulin levels. In some cases, blood can measure a normal glucose level but insulin levels are still elevated.

Recurrence and Outcome

In some cases where there is only a moderate link between insulin resistance and cancer risk, there is a strong relationship to cancer behaving aggressively and recurrence. In a preliminary finding, Dr. Pollak and his colleagues examined data from a trial involving approximately 600 post-menopausal breast cancer patients. Along with other hormones, insulin was measured at time of diagnosis and ten years later. The researchers found that obese participants who had the highest insulin levels at diagnosis showed significantly increased risk of disease recurrence.

Dr. Pollak’s results mirror studies in prostate and other cancers that show high levels of insulin or blood glucose are linked to advanced adenomas, recurrence or mortality. A study by Dr. Flood, for example, found that patients who recently had potentially precancerous polyps removed from their colon or rectum and who had elevated insulin and glucose levels were at higher risk of recurrence compared to those with the lowest levels. And patients having the highest glucose levels had especially elevated risk for recurrence of advanced adenoma.

FYI: Other disease pathology connections include: diabetes-heart disease, obesity-cancer, obesity-diabetes, and obesity-heart disease.

Key Point: The good news is that many of the nutritional principles used to manage diabetes and control blood glucose levels can be used to treat most cancers, i.e. a plant-based diet of green, leafy and bright-colored vegetables, raw juices, onions, garlic, plant oils, whole fruits, filtered water, etc. However, for treating cancer, the vegetables and fruits should be organic. Also, it is imperative to avoid the processed foods that contain refined flour, sugar, HFCS, PHO (trans fats), vegetable oils, and saturated fat and avoid most beverages especially soda, diet soda, bottled fruit juices, and cow's milk; plus, fast foods of course.

Note: For more information concerning alternative treatment strategies for cancer, go to the following web pages:
http://www.deathtodiabetes.com/Cancer_and_Diabetes.html
http://www.deathtodiabetes.com/Cancer_Fighting_Foods.html
http://www.deathtodiabetes.com/Cancer_Cure_Naturally.html

Reference: AICR ScienceNow Volume 25, Summer 2008 http://preventcancer.aicr.org/