Having problems with altered blood sugar does not immediately mean being diabetic. Diabetes mellitus is diagnosed when fasting blood sugar is equal to or greater than 126 mg/dl. Everyone has experienced reading the reference range in their own tests for this parameter between 60 and 110 mg/dl. The gray area between 110 and 126 mg/dl is defined as “impaired glucose tolerance” and represents a high risk of developing diabetes if neglected.
So, what does “official” medicine do? It waits until there is overt diabetes, which means an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer, in addition to all the complications that diabetes brings with it. In fact, even today, it is the leading cause worldwide of limb amputations, blindness, and dialysis and profoundly impacts the quality of life of the person and their family, even from the earliest stages of the disease.
It is precisely from the perspective of ACTIVE PREVENTION that a change in lifestyle, that is, DIET, is important and has proven effective. Once again, a diet rich in vegetables, or even exclusively plant-based, that is, vegan, comes to our aid effectively because:
- It modulates sugar absorption, reducing blood sugar and insulin levels, counteracting the pathogenic mechanism of the disease.
- It improves intestinal eubiosis (that is, the composition of the intestinal bacterial flora) by promoting the growth of probiotic (“good”) bacteria at the expense of the negative ones. This also has positive effects on mood, the immune system, cardiovascular risk, constipation/diarrhea, and urinary tract infections.
- It improves the lipid profile (total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides), thus reducing cardiovascular risk.
- It counteracts the inflammation that arises due to the increase in adipose tissue, which functions as a true endocrine organ.
- It allows for balanced weight loss without resorting to an excess of proteins, which would promote hepatic synthesis of IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor), which favors the neoplastic transformation of cells.
To supplement the therapeutic value of a plant-based diet, there are numerous natural remedies, which fit excellently into the treatment of glucose intolerance and are of extraordinary help even in cases of overt diabetes. As always, it is difficult to give universal recipes because each case is unique. It is also useful to emphasize that this uniqueness is also evident at the psycho-emotional level, so Bach Flower Therapy support may be of interest.
