Diabetes Triggers

May 9, 2012

The Numbers for Today:

• Fasting Blood Glucose Level:  101 mg/dl.  Which is okay, but now anything over 100 is a disappointment.  Missed it by that much. 
• Weight: 188 lbs. 
• Exercise:  45 difficult minutes on the bike.  I had a hard getting up and I really dogged it for the 20 or so minutes.  Tired lack of enthusiasm this morning. 
• Mood:  6.5  Down mood continues. 

The Menu:

• Breakfast:  The usual morning fruit medley, good DASH Diet guy that I am trying to be.
• Lunch:  My attempt to recreate the vegetarian pita served at a local restaurant.  It  has humus and lots of vegetables on it.  What I am going to for that  tzatziki sauce I have no clue, but I will figure something out. 
• Dinner:  Salmon with sweet potatoes.  A favorite here 
• Snacks:  Prunes, one serving.  No, I don't have a problem and if I did, I don't know.  Hey, Klingons like them, or at least prune juice.

Other Triggers for Type 2 Diabetes
I got my type 2 diabetes the old fashioned way,  by eating too much and exercising too little.  I became fat and then diabetic.  That's the way 85% of those with type 2 diabetes trigger it.

While my trigger is the most common one today, it's not the only trigger.  I listed some here.

Here are a couple more. Note that two of these triggers were observed in studies involving mice.  Remember the saccharin study on mice decades ago?  That one turned out poorly. Lots of bad feelings all the way around.

Low testosterone: While low testosterone, obesity and type 2 diabetes all happen together, even thin men... er mice...with low testosterone can develop type 2 diabetes.  Diabetes developed regardless of the diet the thin, testosterone impaired mice were on, but those fed a high fat diet fared worse than those fed a low fat diet.  For humans, that may mean a low fat diet is best choice to at least lessen the severity of developing diabetes.

Eating too fast:  Those humans, not mice, who scarfed down their food were 2.5 times more likely to become diabetic than those who took a more relaxed approach to dining.  If this is true, I am big trouble.  The Charming Mrs. SWMBO always accuses me of wolfing down my food.  "What's the rush," she constantly tell me.  For the record, I say she is too slow of an eater. 

Why is it I don't buy this one?

I have no idea if this applies to fast eating mice, with or with out adequate levels of testosterone. 

I mentioned autoimmunity as a cause before, and there is potential treatment for that, hyperbaric oxygen treatment.  This study was performed on mice.

I should also note Michael Jackson slept in a hyperbaric chamber with the idea it would extend his life.

That didn't turn out very well, did it?


Finally, here's a clever rap video on living with diabetes.  As with so much in life, it's all in your attitude.