Metabolic Health for Successful Aging

Metabolic Health is Critical to Human Health

Slide Presentation for Successful Aging - Metabolic Health & Diabetes

Metabolic Disease aka Insulin Resistance aka Syndrome X is the state of being unable to properly store energy and burn energy.  It results from excess fat in the cells of the liver and the pancreas.  Lose the body fat, and you can lose the diabetes!


Here is the slide deck.


What is the root cause of diabetes and prediabetes?

Science has found the answer.  The root cause of type 2 diabetes and prediabetes is fat which has accumulated in the cells of the liver and the pancreas.  One thing that virtually all people with prediabetes and prediabetes have in common is they have gained "visceral" belly fat.  

Why do some people get type type 2 diabetes with just a little body fat accumulation whereas others can get a huge amount of belly fat and not develop diabetes?

Each person has a different Personal Fat Threshold, that is genetically determined.  So your genes determine at what threshold you will develop diabetes, but your lifestyle and how much body fat you gain, is the ultimate determinant of whether you maintain metabolic health or you develop type 2 diabetes.  Fortunately, when we lose fat, we tend to lose this visceral fat first.  So often a little fat loss goes a long way toward reversing type 2 diabetes and other diseases.

What is step 1 to lose body fat?  

Hint: step 1 is to NOT eat a bunch of additional fat.  Rather, the evidence strongly favors eating low fat and low calorie most every day for the rest of your life.  

What is the best way to eat low calories sustainably, so I can be thin and diabetes-free the rest of my long life?

Eat low calorie density.  Focus on the foods that fill you up without filling you with calories.  Those are the plant-based foods.  Because of their high content of water and fiber, plant-based foods are filling and highly nutritious, but they do not pack a lot of calories.

Handouts

Nutrition Packet

We have tremendous control over our health, through our food!  This packet is intended to give you inspiration, education, and a simple 1-week food log which you can fill out and share with your healthcare professional.