The Diabesity Epidemic Part III: Treating the REAL Causes Instead of the Symptoms

In the last segment, I explained what doesn't work in the treatment of diabetes, namely conventional, outdated approaches to medicine that focus on treating the symptoms with medications instead of really addressing the underlying causes of illness. Now that we know what doesn't work, I want to spend some time in this segment explaining what does work. If we are effectively to treat this epidemic of diabetes, we must start focusing on the underlying causes that are driving these problems in the first place. You see, all these phenomena we see in diabetes are a result of the same thing, imbalances in the seven underlying key systems in your body that are at the root of all health and illness. Today we will learn what those seven systems are and how they provide a foundation for the exciting new field of medical research and practice known as Functional Medicine. In the last 20 years, an emerging body of scientific knowledge points to a number of factors that are the true drivers of diabesity. Now, while genetic predisposition may play a role in diabesity, what we now know is that the ways in which your lifestyle and environment wash over your genes to create changes in your moment-to-moment biological functioning is what leads to health or disease. These changes in gene expression or function are what result in the symptoms we see in diabetes. But your symptoms, your high blood sugar, high blood pressure, cholesterol, are not the real cause of diabetes. They are simply clues to help us find the real underlying causes. The fundamental causes of diabetes are imbalances in the key systems of the body that result in insulin resistance. These are problems that lead to problems of blood sugar control and all the other complications and associated problems we see in diabetes. Now there are seven fundamental systems in your body. These key systems form the basis of functional medicine. I call them the seven keys to ultra wellness. Understanding these basic systems and how they get out of balance and how to get them back in balance allows us to create a personalized medicine program for each person. This is the medicine of the future. To heal from diabetes or overcome any of the other chronic illnesses you suffer from, you must rebalance the seven key systems in your body that are at the root of health and illness. And here they are. Key one, optimize nutrition. Key two, balance your hormones. Key three, cool off inflammation. Key four, fix your gut. Key 5: Enhance Detoxification Key 6: Boost your Energy Metabolism and lastly Key 7: Calm youm Mind. Now let's get started with Key 1. The first key to ultra wellness is optimizing your nutrition and it's one of the most important keys in the treatment of diabetes. The main driving factor of our diabetes epidemic is our nutrient poor Calorie-Rich Diet. It has led to a nation and a world of overfed but undernourished people. In fact, there are so few nutrients in our diet that we now have an epidemic of nutritional deficiencies that promote the development of diabetes and other chronic illnesses. The solution is very simple. Whole, real, fresh food that you have to cook is the most potent medicine to prevent, reverse and treat diabetes. Now first let's look at some of the major dietary shifts that have driven the diabetes epidemic. And then I'm going to explain the exciting new science of Nutrigenomics which promises to help us cure the problem. The number one nutritional change that leads to diabetes is sugar in all its forms. Now think about this, the average American today eats 150 to 180 pounds of sugar every year. That's over half a pound of sugar a day. I'm not eating that much, so that means some of you are eating a lot more. We actually evolved eating 22 teaspoons of sugar per year, so we're no longer eating in harmony with our genes. In fact, in the last 30 years, our sugar calories increasingly come from high fructose corn syrup. This is mostly in the form of liquid calories from sodas, soft drinks, sweetened beverages. We need to stop eating and drinking so much sugar, it's killing us. The number two nutritional change that led to diabetes is our low fiber diet. Our sugar consumption has increased and our fiber consumption has decreased. We now eat less than 8 grams of fiber per day, yet our Paleolithic ancestors ate 100 grams of fiber per day. This is another indication of how we're no longer eating. in harmony with our genes. Fiber is so important because it slows the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream from our gut and it also reduces cholesterol. And where does fiber come from? From fruits and vegetables and nuts and seeds and beans. Those who eat a refined, processed diet that comes from boxes, packages or cans get less fiber than those who eat whole, real food. This lack of fiber is enormous in its implications for our health. It leads to a whole host of chronic illnesses including heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and cancer. Studies show that adding high levels of fiber to our diet is as effective as any diabetes medication without any of the side effects. And the number three nutritional change that leads to diabetes is our epidemic of nutritional deficiencies. A number of nutrients are particularly important to prevent and treat diabetes. These include vitamin D, chromium and vanadium, magnesium, zinc, biotin, B complex vitamins, and many other antioxidants such as alpha lipoic acid. These are very necessary for proper control and balance of insulin and blood sugar. When these nutrients are deficient, our biochemical machinery slows down and grinds to a halt. And these happen to be the very nutrients that most of us are deficient in. For now, what you need to understand is that the whole solution to the problem of the diabetes epidemic can be found at the end of your fork. What you put on your fork is the most powerful medicine you have to correct the fundamental underlying causes of chronic disease and diabetes. And that's true for one simple reason: food is more than calories, it's information. We generally think of food as a way to get energy, a means to feed our bodies the fuel they need to function. However, new science has shown that food literally speaks to your genes. The information your body receives from the foods you eat turns your genes on or off. This provides your body with instructions or information about how to control your metabolism from moment to moment and day to day, every time you take a bite of food. This is the science of Nutrigenomics, or how food talks to your genes, and it's the nutritional approach that underlies this entire program. Food is more than calories, food is information. By feeding your body the right information, you can turn off the genes that lead to diabetes, and turn on the genes so they lead to health. The key lies in the quality and the type of food you eat, not necessarily the calories you consume or the ratios of protein, fat and carbohydrate in your diet. My friend and colleague, Dr. Dean Ornish proved that you could reverse blockages in clogged arteries and increase blood flow in the heart simply by changing the quality of the food you put in your body and engaging in some simple lifestyle changes. He also has shown that you could beneficially affect over 500 genes, turning off the disease-causing genes and turning on the health-promoting genes by changing diet and lifestyle in just three months. This is more powerful than any medication ever invented. So, what should you eat? Here's a quick overview of what you should focus on. The optimal diet to prevent and treat diabetes includes fruits, Vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, whole grains, healthy fats such as olive oil, nuts, avocados, and omega-3 fats, and modest amounts of lean animal protein including small wild fish like salmon or sardines. This is commonly known as a Mediterranean diet. It's a diet of whole, fresh, real food. It's a diet of food you have to prepare and cook. from the raw materials of nature, and it has broad ranging health benefits. For now, just keep in mind that our common ideas about food being only a source of energy are very limited. Nutrigenomics and its role in diabetes is the future of medicine. It will help us both understand and successfully treat this burdensome condition that affects over one billion people worldwide.