Chris Kresser and I agree on paleo diets as the base diet of humans. My friend says he likes Chris’ approach to explaining principles via links with many studies. So I’m recommending Chris’ special report section on Diabetes and Obesity: Diabesity
Obesity, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes have reached epidemic proportions. There’s not a person reading this article who isn’t affected by these conditions, either directly or indirectly. Yet as common as these conditions are, few people understand how closely they’re related to one another.
It is now clear that not only do these conditions share the same underlying causes – and thus require the same treatment – they are 100% preventable and, in some cases, entirely reversible.
Because of these similarities, Dr. Francine Kaufman coined the term diabesity (diabesity + obesity) to describe them. Diabesity can be defined as a metabolic dysfunction that ranges from mild blood sugar imbalance to full-fledged type 2 diabetes. Diabesity is a constellation of signs that includes:
abdominal obesity (i.e. “spare tire” syndrome);
dyslipidemia (low HDL, high LDL and high triglycerides);
high blood pressure;
high blood sugar (fasting above 100 mg/dL, Hb1Ac above 5.5);
systemic inflammation; and,
a tendency to form blood clots.It’s almost impossible to overstate how serious and far-reaching a problem diabesity is. It affects more than one billion people worldwide, including 100 million Americans and 50% of Americans over 65. Recent statistics suggest that diabesity may already be the leading cause of chronic disease and death in the world, and its impact is expected to rise dramatically in the next 25 years.
In this series, we’re going to get the bottom of the diabesity epidemic. We’ll leave the conventional model of understanding diabesity – which is now about 40 years old – in the dust and replace it with an updated 2010 model that reflects the current scientific literature. We’re going to uncover the real causes of of diabesity, and we’re going to find out exactly how it can be prevented and even reversed in the majority of cases.
Read the collection of articles on diabesity at http://thehealthyskeptic.org/diabesity
There is another thread in this awful syndrome too – that is entirely overlooked — and that is thyroid imbalance. Within the array of thyroid hormones — there is usually an underlying imbalance — helping to cause weight gain and other issues. The medical mainstream has all but forgotten the thyroid and its hormones in this scenario. Getting this in balance has a lot to do with getting all the other issues resolved.
This is all very interesting but what everyone is very vague about is precisly what happens in the body of an obese person to so dramatically increase the risk of diabetes. The big story at the moment is the recommended diet change, from high in carbs to the exact opposit.