Hey Sugar, You Lookin At Me?

I was in a car accident a couple of years ago and injured, among other parts of my body, my lower back. I can’t talk about the case in any more detail, but I can say that the defense attorney who told me that my injuries were not injuries at all. He said they were natural age related changes to my infrastructure, but he was a j— , (I need to be kind here) and severely misguided. One thing that I learned in my grad school physiology class is that there are few age related diseases. Many less than imagined.

First, many of the ailments that we encounter as we age are not as much age related as they are lifestyle related. For example, take Type 2 Diabetes. Yes, that is more prevalent in the older adults, in fact it is often referred to as “adult onset diabetes,” but it is not a necessary evil.

In fact, Type 2 Diabetes is also increasing dramatically among children, adolescents and younger adults. That’s probably because with older adults, there is a tendency to exercise less, lose muscle mass and gain weight. Many kids today are corn syrup and Nintendo DS junkies (but of course, not mine.)

In a nut shell, people with Type 2 Diabetes can’t make or respond to insulin properly. Insulin works like a key that opens the doors to cells and allows the glucose in. Without insulin, glucose can’t get into the cells and so it stays in the bloodstream. As a result, the level of sugar in the blood remains higher than normal.

With Type 2 Diabetes, insulin is still produced but the body doesn’t respond to the insulin normally. Glucose is less able to enter the cells and do its job of supplying energy. This in turn, causes the blood sugar level to rise, making the pancreas produce even more insulin. Eventually, the pancreas can wear out from working overtime to produce extra insulin. Then, the pancreas may no longer be able to produce enough insulin to keep a person’s blood sugar levels within a normal range.

What does a healthy lifestyle have to do with this process? Being overweight raises your insulin resistance and the kind of food that you eat can affect your blood glucose levels. It stands to reason that if you exercise the resulting decrease in body fat will result in improved insulin sensitivity.

So, dad (if you are reading this blog) please stop eating hot dogs and ribs and cherry pie because I love you. And, while you are at it go take a swim or something. On the other hand, you are almost 80 so go ahead and feast upon your fatty favorites and enjoy your day sitting at the race track. I love you and I want you to be happy and live life on your terms, but please don’t forget to take your Vytorin after!