Diabetes (Diabetes mellitus) is a life-long disease marked by high levels of sugar in the blood. It can be caused by too little insulin (a hormone produced by the pancreas to regulate blood sugar), resistance to insulin, or both.
Causes, incidence, and risk actors:
To understand diabetes, it is important to first understand the normal process of food metabolism. Several things happen when food is digested:
- A sugar called glucose enters the bloodstream. Glucose is a source of fuel for the body.
- An organ called the pancreas makes insulin. The role of insulin is to move glucose from the bloodstream into muscle, fat, and liver cells, where it can be used as fuel.
People with diabetes have high blood glucose. This is because their pancreas does not make enough insulin or their muscle, fat, and liver cells do not respond to insulin normally, or both.
There are many risk factors for diabetes, including:
- A parent, brother, or sister with diabetes
- Obesity
- Age greater than 45 years
- Some ethnic groups (particularly African-Americans and Hispanic Americans)
- Gestational diabetes or delivering a baby weighing more than 9 pounds
- High blood pressure
- High blood levels of triglycerides (a type of fat molecule)
- High blood cholesterol level
Symptoms:
High blood levels of glucose can cause several problems, including frequent urination, excessive thirst, hunger, fatigue, weight loss, and blurry vision. However, because type 2 diabetes develops slowly, some people with high blood sugar experience no symptoms at all.
Symptoms of diabetes:
- Increased thirst
- Increased urination
- Increased appetite
- Fatigue
- Blurred vision
- Slow-healing infections
- Impotence in men
Treatment:
There is no cure for diabetes. The immediate goals are to stabilize your blood sugar and eliminate the symptoms of high blood sugar. The long-term goals of treatment are to prolong life, relieve symptoms, and prevent long-term complications such as heart disease and kidney failure.
Diabetes a lifestyle disease
Now’s the ideal time to learn about the impact Herbalife nutrition can have on this devastating disease. For the past 27 years we have witnessed incredible health stories from our customers and distributors. These occur not because our nutritional supplements are specific therapies for medical conditions, but because the Herbalife “way of life” produces profound health benefits. Now, the medical community has proven the ability of weight loss and exercise to prevent the development of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.
Reduce your risk of diabetes naturally
In an article published in the May 3, 2001, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, 522 overweight, middle-aged subjects with elevated sugars were studied. Those individuals who reduced their weight, by limiting their intake of fat, increasing their intake of fiber and engaging in physical activity, had a 58 percent reduction in the development of diabetes.
Reducing caloric intake, limiting bad fats and increasing fiber in the diet can help reduce developing a devastating disease. This means the healthy nutrition you and your loved ones consume is an effective way to reduce a disease that has become epidemic. Diabetes has gained prominence because it affects younger and younger people.
Herbalife products and diabetics
Distributors frequently ask if our products are appropriate for diabetics. The answer is an unequivocal yes. Healthy weight loss, and notably restricting carbohydrates, may be the most beneficial nutritional approach to preventing diabetes.
However, there is an important caution. People who are being treated with insulin or oral medications to lower their blood sugar should be advised that as they improve their diet and lose weight, their blood sugar levels may fall. Therefore, if a customer or distributor is on medication for diabetes, they must be supervised by their physician to ensure that they do not develop hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and their medications are adjusted appropriately.
It is recommended to lose weight with Herbalife Shapeworks™ Weight-Management, weight loss with Herbalife is simple to achieve. It can maintain the health benefits from losing weight using Herbalife products and reduce their likelihood of becoming diabetic, by as much as 60 percent, according to studies!
Did you know?
Diabetes kills more than 60,000 Americans each year.
Diabetes increases the risk of heart attack and stroke by two to four times.
Diabetes can cause or lead to blindness, kidney disease, nerve disease and limb amputation.
Of the 16 million Americans who have diabetes, more than five million are estimated to be unaware of it.
Luigi Gratton M.D., M.P.HHerbalife Herbal Aloe Drink brings relief. The aloe plant is known to contain many beneficial substances, including enzymes, vitamins, minerals and amino acids. Herbal Aloe Drink combines the goodness of aloe, with a delicious citrus twist for a healthy digestive system.
