According to research conducted in late 2016, life expectancy in the United States has declined for the first time in two decades, leaving the researchers baffled as to what the exact cause is.¹

One of the primary perpetrators of this decline is believed to be drug overdose. But there is another major factor that has been pinpointed by a supporting study: diabetes, specifically Type 2 diabetes.²

There’s no doubt that diabetes is steadily growing to be an epidemic, particularly among Americans. According to data from the American Diabetes Association, at least half of all adults in the U.S. are either in a state of prediabetes or already have diabetes.³

Researchers also noted that it is actually “an underreported cause of death on death certificates” and should be considered the third leading cause of mortality in America, right after cancer and heart disease.⁴

Unfortunately, there is a growing amount of misinformation surrounding this common health condition. And, in some cases, it is the physicians themselves who are perpetuating this misinformation. But what exactly is diabetes? Why does it manifest, and more importantly, how can you protect yourself from falling victim to this growing epidemic?

Diabetes: An Illness Rooted in Insulin Resistance

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines diabetes as “the condition in which the body does not properly process food for use as energy.”⁵ When you eat, the food you consume is transformed by your body into sugar to be used as energy. For glucose to enter the cells of your body, it needs a hormone called insulin. 

The pancreas, an organ found near the stomach, is responsible for releasing this hormone into your bloodstream. However, if you have diabetes, either your body fails to produce enough insulin or it does not use insulin as well as it needs to. This causes glucose levels to build up in your blood.⁶

There are three well-known types of diabetes: Type 1 diabetes, Type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes. However, there are other lesser known types or classifications of this illness.

Many people think that diabetes is a disease of blood sugar – but it is not. Rather, it is a disorder of insulin and leptin signaling. Insulin acts as a source of energy for your cells. In other words, you NEED insulin to live. In healthy people, the pancreas does a wonderful job of providing your body with just the right amount. 

But in some, risk factors and certain circumstances put the pancreas at risk of not functioning properly. This causes insulin and leptin resistance, which then evolves over a long period of time. It starts as prediabetes and if left untreated, goes on to become full-blown diabetes. 

The Good News: Diabetes Is Preventable AND Reversible

The reason why conventional medicine fails to treat diabetes is because the solutions they put in place address the insulin deficiency through insulin shots or pills. In short, they are addressing the symptom and NOT the root cause, which is insulin sensitivity.

What many fail to realize is that diabetes, particularly Type 2 diabetes, is preventable and reversible. All it takes is proper attention to your lifestyle, especially your diet. In fact, in the majority of cases, diabetes does not need any type of medication.