We all know who Santa Claus is right? That jolly son of a bitch who runs the toy sweatshop up north... Well did you know Santa has diabetes?
That's right...Poor Mr. Kringle thought he was immune to the ole type 2 sugar disease because he's a fictional character... Turns out not. Anybody can develop diabetes. An estimated 387 million people on this planet have it. And that number has skyrocketed from 153 million in 1980 (holy...epidemic).
So what IS diabetes anyways?... How did Santa and the other 10% of the world get it?
Let's break it down.
So what IS diabetes anyways?... How did Santa and the other 10% of the world get it?
Let's break it down.
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a disease of improper insulin functioning. It is characterized by 2 main forms:
Type 1: The body cannot produce insulin.
Type 2: The body has become resistant to insulin (cells cannot use it).
90% of people with diabetes (along with Santa) have Type 2. Unlike Type 1, Type 2 is entirely preventable and mostly reversible.
So what is Santa doing wrong?
Diabetes is a disease of improper insulin functioning. It is characterized by 2 main forms:
Type 1: The body cannot produce insulin.
Type 2: The body has become resistant to insulin (cells cannot use it).
90% of people with diabetes (along with Santa) have Type 2. Unlike Type 1, Type 2 is entirely preventable and mostly reversible.
So what is Santa doing wrong?
1. Santa Eats Too Much Sugar
In case you glazed over my beautifully succinct definition of diabetes; it's basically a sugar disease. And you can get it by eating too much...
The main problem with sugar is that our bodies are not evolved to metabolize it in large proportions; especially without the accompaniment of natural fibers (like you would find in whole fruits and vegetables) that slow down digestion.
The main problem with sugar is that our bodies are not evolved to metabolize it in large proportions; especially without the accompaniment of natural fibers (like you would find in whole fruits and vegetables) that slow down digestion.
2. Santa Eats Unhealthy Types of Dietary Fats
Diabetes may be a sugar disease, but the types of dietary fat a person eats also matters.
One of the ways our bodies use the fats we eat is to construct cell membranes. These are the outer layers that surround and protect our cells. They determine what nutrients get in and what waste products get out. If the membranes are made up of shoddy materials, they don't function as well (i.e. sugar is less able to enter cells).
The standard American diet is loaded with these shoddy materials in the form of highly processed vegetable and seed oils (corn oil, soybean oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, etc). These oils are pro-inflammatory and prone to oxidation.
For a more in-depth analysis of which fats to eat and which to avoid; here's a solid breakdown from Chris Kresser's blog.
One of the ways our bodies use the fats we eat is to construct cell membranes. These are the outer layers that surround and protect our cells. They determine what nutrients get in and what waste products get out. If the membranes are made up of shoddy materials, they don't function as well (i.e. sugar is less able to enter cells).
The standard American diet is loaded with these shoddy materials in the form of highly processed vegetable and seed oils (corn oil, soybean oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, etc). These oils are pro-inflammatory and prone to oxidation.
For a more in-depth analysis of which fats to eat and which to avoid; here's a solid breakdown from Chris Kresser's blog.
3. Santa is a Gluten Junkie
Let's be honest... it's fun to make fun of people on gluten free diets. But that doesn't mean avoiding gluten and the rest of the inflammatory proteins in wheat is a bad idea. While only 1% of the population is acutely "allergic" to gluten, for the rest of us, it's simply a chronic toxin that causes inflammation and fat gain.
4. Santa caught that Obesity
Getting diabetes is a great way to get fat. But getting fat is also a great way to get diabetes. It's the wonderful cycle of metabolic syndrome...
When a person becomes insulin resistant at the cellular level, the pancreas compensates by pumping out more insulin into the bloodstream. And since insulin is in essence a storing hormone, this creates a perfect environment for fat gain.
On the other hand, when a person gains excessive amounts of fat, it put's stress on the organs and the individual cells to keep up. Our metabolic pathways start to resist and break down.
When a person becomes insulin resistant at the cellular level, the pancreas compensates by pumping out more insulin into the bloodstream. And since insulin is in essence a storing hormone, this creates a perfect environment for fat gain.
On the other hand, when a person gains excessive amounts of fat, it put's stress on the organs and the individual cells to keep up. Our metabolic pathways start to resist and break down.
Skinny Diabetics
Ok, so Santa eats cookies all day long... He got fat and diabetic. What about Buddy the Elf? That cocky bastard puts maple syrup on his spaghetti and he seems pretty healthy right?...
I hate to bring down your holiday spirit, but Buddy the Elf died last year. Yeah... turns out there's no rule you have to be fat to get diabetes. While approximately 85% of the people with diabetes are indeed overweight, the rest don't often present symptoms until some major damage has been done. Buddy apparently had nerve damage and fatty liver disease and didn't even know it.
Recent studies even suggest that skinny people with diabetes are actually at a greater risk for developing commodities like heart failure and chronic kidney disease. This makes sense when you consider that the fundamental process of storing body fat is protective. The whole reason our bodies take sugar and turn it into fat is so that it doesn't hang around in the blood too long.
Recent studies even suggest that skinny people with diabetes are actually at a greater risk for developing commodities like heart failure and chronic kidney disease. This makes sense when you consider that the fundamental process of storing body fat is protective. The whole reason our bodies take sugar and turn it into fat is so that it doesn't hang around in the blood too long.
New Years Resolution
Alright you cotton-headed-ninny-muggins- I know that it's Christmas... And that's no time to go on a diet. But the new year is upon us. Let's all join Santa in eating a little less sugar, a little less seed oils, and a little less bread... So we can all be a little less diabetic this next year.
References and Further Reading
Tight Junctions, Intestinal Permeability, and Autoimmunity Celiac Disease and Type 1 Diabetes Paradigms
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2886850/
Gliadin induces an increase in intestinal permeability and zonulin release by binding to the chemokine receptor
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18485912
Amylopectin starch promotes the development of insulin resistance in rats.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7782895
What is the Cause and Cure for Type 2 Diabetes
http://www.eidon.com/diabetes.html
Membrane Fatty Acid Transporters as Regulators of Lipid Metabolism: Implications for Metabolic Disease
http://physrev.physiology.org/content/90/1/367
How does Obesity cause Diabetes
http://life.gaiam.com/article/how-does-obesity-cause-diabetes
Obesity Paradox: Why Being Thin with Diabetes Is a Dangerous Combo
http://healthland.time.com/2012/08/08/obesity-paradox-why-being-thin-with-diabetes-is-a-dangerous-combo/
Tight Junctions, Intestinal Permeability, and Autoimmunity Celiac Disease and Type 1 Diabetes Paradigms
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2886850/
Gliadin induces an increase in intestinal permeability and zonulin release by binding to the chemokine receptor
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18485912
Amylopectin starch promotes the development of insulin resistance in rats.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7782895
What is the Cause and Cure for Type 2 Diabetes
http://www.eidon.com/diabetes.html
Membrane Fatty Acid Transporters as Regulators of Lipid Metabolism: Implications for Metabolic Disease
http://physrev.physiology.org/content/90/1/367
How does Obesity cause Diabetes
http://life.gaiam.com/article/how-does-obesity-cause-diabetes
Obesity Paradox: Why Being Thin with Diabetes Is a Dangerous Combo
http://healthland.time.com/2012/08/08/obesity-paradox-why-being-thin-with-diabetes-is-a-dangerous-combo/
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