February is Heart Month. This time we will once again be bringing you a series of columns on heart attack prevention. According to the Beer-Doneen method, a popular heart attack prevention method, 70% of heart disease is caused by insulin resistance. Through the end of February, you can receive a discount on carotid IMT, which assesses the health of your arteries, at Compass Peak Imaging in Glenwood.

What is IR? Beta cells in the pancreas secrete insulin, which controls blood sugar levels. Think of insulin as the key to getting sugar into your cells so it can be used for energy. When cells become clogged with fat, the lock stops working and our tissues and organs can’t use insulin properly. This is a condition known as insulin resistance. Our bodies attempt to compensate for this resistance by excreting more and more insulin over the years, resulting in high blood sugar and insulin levels known as prediabetes. Eventually, the pancreas becomes exhausted, fasting blood sugar levels rise, and type 2 diabetes is diagnosed.

How widespread is IR? More than 34 million adults in the United States have diabetes, and more than 7 million of them are undiagnosed because their blood sugar levels are not tested or the tests are unreliable. More than 88 million Americans have prediabetes, the vast majority of which are undiagnosed. These symptoms are becoming more common in all age groups, but especially in young adults. Previously, he referred to type 2 diabetes as adult-onset diabetes, but he no longer uses that term because 5,000 children are diagnosed with adult-onset diabetes each year.

Diagnosis of insulin resistance/prediabetes: 1) If you have excess belly fat, it will also accumulate in and around your internal organs and in your muscle cells. Measure at the widest circumference of your waist, above your hips and belly button (not your belt size). If you are a white man and your waist circumference is above his 40 inches, or a woman and he is above 35 inches, you almost certainly have IR. Cutoffs are lower for Asians and East Indians. Due to genetic reasons, some people may not exceed these guidelines but still experience IR if their stomach is small when they look at their naked profile in the mirror. 2) The combination of low HDL (good cholesterol) and high triglycerides means IR. 3) If your fasting blood sugar is above 92, you may have IR. 4) A1C is a blood test that measures your average blood sugar over the past three months. 5.6 to 6.4, prediabetes is present. 6.5 or higher means diabetes. 4) The gold standard for diagnosing IR is the 1-hour and his 2-hour glucose tolerance test. After 12 hours (water only), you go to the lab, get a drink with 75 grams of glucose, and have your blood sugar levels measured. I drew it 1 hour and 2 hours later. A result of 125 or more in 1 hour and 120 or more in 2 hours is diagnosed as IR.

Why is IR so dangerous? Complications of diabetes can also occur with prediabetes and include: 1) Cardiovascular disease, including heart attack and stroke. 2) Chronic kidney disease that may lead to dialysis. 3) Diabetic retinopathy, which can lead to blindness. 4) Peripheral neuropathy. It can lead to chronic numbness and pain in the lower limbs, and even amputation. 5) Decreased immunity. 6) Male erectile dysfunction. 7) Dementia including Alzheimer’s disease.

Prevention, treatment and recovery from IR: Preventing Heart Attacks Doctors are always looking for signs of IR in their patients and will treat them aggressively if they spot it. In the prediabetic stage, IR is reversible. Diabetes diagnosed early is also reversible. However, in people who have had diabetes for many years, the beta cells in the pancreas are irreversibly destroyed. This is why most people who have had diabetes for many years end up using insulin. A plant-based, whole-food diet with no added salt, sugar, or oil prevents, treats, and reverses prediabetes and early diabetes by achieving and maintaining optimal body weight. Certain herbs, such as barberry, and certain medicines can help.

For more information, see Dr. Neil Barnard’s Diabetes Reversal Program or Bale and Donneen’s Healthy Heart, Healthy Brain.

Dr. Feinsinger is a former family physician with a special interest in disease prevention and recovery through nutrition. Free services provided by Center For Prevention and The People’s Clinic include a one-hour consultation, shopping with the doctor at the Carbondale City Market, cooking classes, and more. Call 970-379-5718 to make a reservation or email gfeinsinger@comcast.net..