Top American Diseases = Same Cause?

The top American killers like dementia, cancer, heart disease, and diabetes seem to be unrelated. There are entirely different conditions that are treated differently. Perhaps surprisingly, there is a chance to avoid ALL these medical concerns by addressing one problem: insulin resistance (IR). This process happens when your diet is too high in carbohydrates/sugar for your body, and blood sugar levels stay elevated over time despite the high levels of insulin trying to signal for blood sugar storage.

Ben Bikman, Ph.D., an insulin researcher, made a nice graph outlining this overlapping issue with all the conditions he believes stem from IR.

The connection between chronic conditions and insulin resistance (IR) is not to be underestimated. Heart disease, a leading cause of death, often stems from high blood pressure and inflammation triggered by chronically elevated blood sugar levels. Dementia, now referred to as Type 3 Diabetes, is also strongly associated with IR. Even cancer is not exempt, as it thrives on sugar rather than ketones for growth. Elevated blood sugar levels can also impair the immune system and autophagy, further underscoring the critical importance of managing IR.

According to the CDC, 97.6 million people in the United States aged 18 and older have prediabetes (the start of IR), which is 38% of the adult population. This includes 27.2 million people aged 65 and older, which is 48.8% of that age group. Prediabetes is a serious condition that occurs when blood sugar levels are higher than usual but not high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. Also, according to the CDC, more than 80% of people with prediabetes don't know they have it.

Eating a diet high in animal-based protein and fat, vegetables, and fruit generally keeps prediabetes away. The best way to check for IR is to get a fasted insulin, which ideally is under 5 uIU/ml. Otherwise, standard testing can give you an insight: fasting glucose in the 80s, an A1C well below 5.7%, and a triglyceride to HDL ratio under 2 are good signs you are insulin sensitive and your diet is currently suitable for you!