Do You Know This Diabetes Risk Factor?

Type 2 diabetes is an epidemic in nearly every corner of the world. Being overweight, having a high carbohydrate diet and insulin resistance are classic risk factors. Not everyone with type 2 diabetes is overweight though. If there is excess fat in your pancreas, you can look slim but you’re at high risk of becoming a diabetic. This is also a risk factor for pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. Fatty pancreas is often not diagnosed until it becomes severe.

Having a fatty liver means you could also have a fatty pancreas. Around one in four people over the age of 50 have a fatty liver. Your doctor may never have checked your pancreas, thus you may not know you are at risk of diabetes.

Fatty pancreas tends to develop in people who are insulin resistant. If healthy pancreatic tissue is replaced by fat, the pancreas can no longer manufacture sufficient insulin or digestive enzymes. The pancreas is an organ that lies horizontally across the back of the upper abdomen behind the stomach. The pancreas manufactures the body’s supply of insulin, which controls blood sugar levels and fat metabolism. Insulin is released from the pancreas directly into the blood stream. Insulin blood levels rise after a meal, especially if it contains a lot of carbohydrate.

The pancreas also manufactures enzymes and secretes them into the pancreatic duct which empties into the small intestine to enable digestion of food. The enzymes produced by the pancreas include lipases that digest fat, protease which digest protein, and amylases which digests starch. People with pancreatic problems often find they suffer with digestive conditions such as bloating and indigestion. Taking a digestive enzymes supplement, as well as ox bile can be very helpful for improving digestive comfort, and enabling you to absorb more nutrients from your food and supplements.

How to improve the health of your pancreas and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes:

• Cut out sugar, high carb foods and industrial seed oils.  These foods create fat accumulation in internal organs.  Most people with a fatty liver or pancreas got one because they ate more carbohydrate than their body could process.  Carbohydrate rich foods include sugar, flour, bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, breakfast cereals and grains.  The liver is very efficient at converting these foods into fat.  The other food that promotes the formation of a fatty pancreas is omega 6 rich vegetable oil.  Fried foods and packaged foods like crisps, chips, crackers and cookies are usually full of the wrong fats.
• Eat plenty of protein and natural fats. These foods will keep you feeling full and will keep your blood sugar level stable throughout the day.  This is very important in order to prevent sugar cravings, foggy head and fatigue. Many people trying to lose weight don’t eat enough protein and fat.  They are in such a rush to lose weight and want to reach their goal that they eat too little food.  This is risky because you will be far more likely to binge on all the wrong foods once you get tired and hungry enough. When eating protein rich foods like fish, poultry or red meat, please eat a palm and a half sized portion. Whey protein powder is an excellent source of protein that’s highly satiating. It will help to keep you feeling full for many hours and reduces the risk of sugar cravings. Please include good fats in your diet like olive oil, avocados, nuts, seeds, ghee, pastured animal fats and oily fish such as salmon.  People who don’t eat enough protein and fat usually crave sugar and carbohydrate. For more information see the book Diabetes Type 2: You Can Reverse it. Many of our patients have poor liver health, therefore compromised fat digestion. If you have a sluggish liver, it will not produce sufficient bile. That means eating good fats can leave you feeling bloated, nauseous and tired. Taking an ox bile supplement can help prevent those symptoms.
• Berberine enables weight loss by improving insulin sensitivity. This is important for type 2 diabetics or pre-diabetics because the insulin in their body doesn’t work properly.
• Improve your liver health with a liver tonic. Diet changes will work on their own eventually, but you should reach your health goals sooner, and feel more energetic sooner if you take a good quality liver tonic. Livatone Plus contains the nutrients your liver needs in order to burn fat efficiently and detoxify your bloodstream.
• Don’t forget to eat raw vegetables. It is important to eat raw food such as salad every day. Try to eat as many different colored vegetables as possible because the pigments in vegetables are antioxidants and they each have unique benefits.  Your liver and bowels need the nutrients in raw vegetables to function at their optimum. It is well worth adding raw juices to your diet – check out my Raw Juices Can Save Your Life book for recipe ideas.

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.