Causes of Type 2 Diabetes, and Possible Ways to Reverse it

CAUSES OF TYPE 2 DIABETES AND POSSIBLE WAYS TO REVERSE IT

Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease where your body cannot use and regulate glucose (sugar) optimally. This causes glucose to accumulate in your bloodstream and your blood glucose levels to increase. Unfortunately, if left untreated, high blood sugar levels can cause various parts of your body, including your immune, nervous, and circulatory systems, to malfunction.

The exact cause of type 2 diabetes is still unknown, but many genetic and environmental factors are involved. The primary (interrelated) problems at play in type 2 diabetes are:

Insufficient Insulin Production

Insulin is the hormone that controls the movement of sugar from your blood into your body’s cells. This prevents a rise in your blood sugar levels because insulin prevents the sugar from accumulating in your blood.

When your body does not produce enough insulin, it causes sugar to accumulate in your bloodstream. It also stops your body cells from getting enough glucose for energy.

Insulin Resistance

Your body may produce enough insulin in this case. But your body cells do not respond efficiently to the insulin, thereby causing excess glucose to remain in your blood. When this happens, your pancreas will try to overcome this resistance by producing more insulin. Unfortunately, this wears out your pancreatic cells to the point where they can no longer produce enough insulin.

RISK FACTORS FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES

Genetics/Family History

According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), having a diabetic parent or sibling increases your chances of developing type 2 diabetes.

Certain ethnic groups also appear to have a higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes. These ethnic groups include:

• Native-Americans
• Asians
• African-Americans
• Hispanic Americans
• Pacific Highlanders

Furthermore, genetic conditions like hemochromatosis and cystic fibrosis can damage the pancreas and increase your chances of developing type 2 diabetes.

Pregnancy

Some women develop diabetes when they’re pregnant – gestational diabetes. This is thought to be because the hormones in the placenta interfere with your body’s insulin response. This interference results in insulin resistance and ultimately higher blood sugar levels.

Unfortunately, women who develop gestation diabetes have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future. In addition, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, delivering a baby weighing more than 9 pounds also increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Age

The older you get, the higher your risk of type 2 diabetes becomes. This is especially true when you’re 45 years or older.

Obesity

Excess body fat triggers some inflammatory responses that can cause your body tissues to develop insulin resistance. This can cause you to become diabetic if you do not lose the excess fat.

Unhealthy diet

Diets containing a lot of fat, calories, and cholesterol can cause your body to become resistant to insulin. This can result in type 2 diabetes if not addressed quickly.

Poor physical activity levels

Your body tissues become more responsive to insulin when you exercise. This reduction in insulin resistance explains why regular physical activity can help reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes.

Hormonal imbalance

While this is rare, certain hormonal issues can cause you to develop type 2 diabetes. This is because these hormonal issues sometimes cause insulin resistance. Examples include:

• Cushing’s syndrome. This condition causes your blood levels of the stress hormone – cortisol – to rise. The high cortisol level then causes an increase in your blood glucose levels, resulting in diabetes.
• Acromegaly. This happens when your body produces excessive amounts of growth hormone. If left untreated, the excessively high growth hormone levels can cause you to gain weight and eventually become diabetic.
• Hyperthyroidism. Here, your thyroid gland makes excessive thyroid hormone, resulting in many complications, including diabetes.

REVERSING TYPE 2 DIABETES

Many studies show that you can reverse diabetes. And the key is by losing weight. This is because losing some weight will help you control your blood sugar levels better. It can also help you achieve a reversal –  if you lose enough weight. This reversal is a lot easier if you have only had diabetes for a few years and haven’t started on insulin yet.

The following lifestyle modifications can help you lose weight and eventually reverse diabetes:

Reduce your total calorie intake – a very low-calorie diet (VLCD).

Many studies have found that losing weight by sticking to a very low-calorie diet can help reverse diabetes. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) findings showed that the reversal is due to the weight loss causing a reduction in the amount of fat in your liver and pancreas. This fat reduction then helps reactivate some of your pancreatic cells and ultimately improves your blood sugar control.  It also helps reduce your body’s insulin resistance.

A 2011 study showed that a diet of 800 calories daily for 8 weeks helped over 70% of the participants achieve normal blood sugar levels without medication. The diet consisted of 600 calories from shakes and about 200 calories from non-starchy vegetables.

However, the success rate of pancreas reactivation is higher in people who have not had diabetes for many years. It is, therefore, vital that you start a healthy weight loss plan as soon as you’re diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

You should also know that VLCD is a very extreme form of diet. Therefore, you should be very cautious when embarking on it. In fact, you should speak with your doctor first to determine if the diet is safe for you.

Become more physically active

This is another intervention that has been proven to reverse diabetes. The reversal happens because exercise helps your body become less insulin-resistant. However, it may be challenging to lose enough weight to trigger a reversal with exercise alone. On the bright side, combining exercise with healthy dietary modifications increases your chances of reversing your diabetes. Because the combination significantly reduces your body’s demand for insulin, resulting in a reversal of your diabetes.

According to a study, combining 10000 steps daily with at least 2.5 hours of moderate exercise weekly and a calorie reduction of 500-750 can help you achieve normal blood sugar levels without medications.

Fasting

Fasting – going without food and drinking with calories for a set period – is a straightforward approach that can help you lose weight.

According to a study, three 24-hour fasts every week for several months resulted in 67% of the subjects achieving normal blood sugar levels without medications. The remaining 33% were able to stop taking 75% of their diabetes medicines. The participants were also able to lose 10-18% of their body weight.

Another study showed that consuming minimal calories (500-600) for just 2 days a week helped diabetic people reduce their weight and blood sugar levels. The findings are also valid for people that reduce their daily calorie intake to 1200-1500.

Bariatric Surgery

Gastric bypass surgery has shown high success rates with diabetes reversal. According to a 2010 study, 72% of the participants achieved a diabetes reversal after 3 years.

Despite the high success rate, gastric bypass is not without complications during and after the surgery. For instance, it totally changes how you eat because you can only eat small meals after the surgery. You will also need to take nutritional supplements for the rest of your life to prevent nutritional deficiency. Therefore, you should thoroughly discuss the benefits and risks with your doctor before you go through with bariatric surgery.

THINGS THAT DON’T WORK

There is no “magic pill” that can cure diabetes. So, you should avoid products that claim to cure diabetes or work better than your prescribed diabetes medications.

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), many products are illegally marketed to cure diabetes. However, these products are unproven and may even be dangerous. Examples include:

• Homeopathic products
• Alternative medicines
• Dietary supplements
• Over-the-counter drugs
• Some prescription drugs

The FDA also found that some of these products that are “all-natural” contain prescription drugs that were not listed as ingredients. This can affect how the medications you’re taking work or even cause you to take too much without knowing.

KEY TAKEAWAY

While there is no “cure” for type 2 diabetes, achieving normal blood sugar and maintaining it without medications is possible. The key to achieving this reversal (or remission) is losing excess weight and being more physically active. This will improve your body’s insulin sensitivity and help reactivate some of your inactive pancreatic cells.

Because some of the successful reversal methods are extreme, you should talk to your doctor before starting any weight loss diet or exercise plan or undergoing surgery.