Clear Associations Between Diabetes and Thyroid Problems
Clear associations have been found between diabetes and thyroid issues. What can you do?
According to a recent study in the European Journal of Clinical Investigation here is the shocking stats of diabetics’ risk
of dying from thyroid cancer:
1. Men 75 years of age, 185% increased risk, women 22% lower risk.
2. Men 65-74 years old, 121% increased risk, women 203% increased risk
3. Men 55-64 years old, 253% risk, women 299%
4. Men 25-54 years old, a whopping 580% increased risk, women, not to be outdone, 534% increased risk.
Not surprising, considering that the diabetic spectrum is the worst thing that could happen to your body. So, there are clear associations between pre-diabetes / diabetes and thyroid problems.
Let’s look at cancer and the diabetic spectrum. (BTW, I refer to the “diabetic spectrum” rather than pre-diabetes or diabetes in particular because the difference is purely arbitrary–both are incredibly devastating to the human body).
Insulin levels are elevated in the diabetic spectrum as the body tries to better manage the elevated blood sugar that is having a harder and harder time making it into the cells (due to decreased insulin sensitivity, ie insulin does not “attach” to the cells).
Insulin is a proliferating hormone, meaning that it causes cells to divide more. Any time a cell divides, the chance for an error is present. And, while cell division is darn near perfect, it is not 100% perfect.
An error in cell division can lead to cancer. This means that anything that causes a cell to divide more would potentially increase the risk of a cancer developing.
And this would be relatively non-discriminatory as to the type of cancer. This is why we see an elevation of so many different types of cancer in the diabetic spectrum.
What Can You Do?
1. DIET! It all starts with diet! When you think about it a lot of our health problems in this
country are due to what we eat. Obesity and diabetes are directly related to our diets. Obesity and diabetes increase your risk for numerous disease processes.
2. EXERCISE! One of the main reasons we develop diabetes spectrum is from sedentary lifestyles. A typical day for a lot of us is drive to work, sit at the computer, drive home, sit at your kid’s baseball game and go home.
Ideally 30 minutes of resistance exercise with 30 minutes of aerobic exercise 3-5 days per week.
Resistance exercise can be body weight exercise like pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups, squats,
etc… Dumbbells, bands, kettlebells, free weights and machines are all examples of resistance exercises.
Aerobic exercises can be treadmill, elliptical, biking, swimming, running, rowing, whatever you enjoy. If you don’t have time or inclination to exercise work more activity into your daily routine. Get a pedometer, a pedometer counts the number of steps you take in a day, try to increase that number by 10% every month.
3. NUTRITION! Depending on people’s specific blood chemistry, we put together individualized treatment plans to correct nutritional deficiencies and decrease health risk factors.
For example, 83% of Americans are deficient in a specific mineral.
People who have been eating a lot of refined carbohydrates can be deficient in a certain trace mineral.
Deficiency of a specific vitamin has been called “epidemic” by researchers because it is such a problem.
We also address cholesterol, triglycerides, homo-cysteine, insulin and blood sugar from a nutritional perspective.
Controlling blood sugar and insulin levels are vital to good health, BE HEALTHY!