"The groundwork for all happiness is good health." - Leigh Hunt

Tuesday. Following up on yesterday’s intro, Apple unveiled its long-awaited mixed-reality headset. Apple claims the $3,499 Vision Pro will be the “most advanced personal electronics device ever,” allowing you to immerse yourself into the world of augmented and virtual reality. Well, for us planning to stay in the real world, we need to solve some pretty significant health problems. One of those problems is diabetes. Is it preventable? Is it reversible, and how? Let’s dive in.

Is Diabetes A Life Sentence?

Over 11% of the U.S. population — about 37.3 million people — suffer from diabetes today. For most people, this diagnosis means a lifetime of closely monitoring blood sugar levels and taking medication, but should that necessarily be the case? Is diabetes a life sentence of drugs, or can it be reversed?

Diabetes mellitus, known commonly as diabetes, is a condition that sees blood sugar levels surge too high due to an issue with insulin. This hormone, secreted by the pancreas, acts as a gatekeeper, allowing sugar to travel from your bloodstream into your body's cells. When insulin production drops in Type 1 diabetes or your body becomes insulin-resistant in Type 2 diabetes, the consequence is high blood sugar that can cause serious harm, leading to conditions like heart disease, kidney complications, nerve damage, and even blindness.

While there's no magic cure for diabetes, the condition can sometimes be put into remission. Losing weight, even just 5-10%, can significantly improve blood sugar levels and reduce the need for Type 2 diabetes medication. Some people have even managed to reverse their Type 2 diabetes entirely through substantial lifestyle changes.

Unfortunately, Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition that cannot currently be reversed, though scientific advances toward a cure are ongoing. When we have written about diabetes in the past, we haven’t been clear about this distinction. It is important to note that only about half a percent of U.S. adults have been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. When discussing diabetes as a huge, growing problem in the U.S., we are referring to type 2.

It's also staggering to realize that millions of Americans have diabetes but are unaware of their condition. A simple tool like the CDC's one-minute risk tool or speaking to your doctor about getting tested can be a game-changer. If the results indicate diabetes or even prediabetes, it's time to make serious lifestyle changes because reversing the condition is very doable for most people, especially if you are still in the prediabetes stage.

Being diagnosed with diabetes calls for a significant lifestyle overhaul — from dietary changes to medication management. There are many medication options for Type 2 diabetes that help your body use insulin more efficiently or remove excess glucose. While most are oral, insulin and injectable medications are also common, mainly if blood sugar levels are exceedingly high.

Recent years have seen a slew of new diabetes drugs hit the market, some of which not only lower blood sugar but also aid with weight loss. These medications are definitely helpful, but they shouldn’t replace the lifestyle changes that can put diabetes in total remission and eliminate the need for any of those drugs in the future.

Type 2 diabetes can sometimes be reversed without medication. A U.K. study known as the Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial (DiRECT) demonstrated that, through extreme dietary changes and weight loss, patients could reduce their blood sugar levels below diabetic thresholds, with about a third maintaining that control for at least two years without medication.

Such lifestyle changes might seem daunting, but it is much better than the alternative — dealing with the long-term consequences of uncontrolled diabetes. Finding a nutritional plan, you can sustain over the years is crucial. Cutting out added sugars, refined carbs, and highly processed foods and replacing them with nutrient-dense whole-food options is the key.

All that said, prevention remains the best medicine for type 2 diabetes. Shifting to a healthier diet and incorporating more physical activity into your daily routine today can dramatically decrease your risk of developing diabetes or prediabetes tomorrow.

The key takeaway? In the war against diabetes, the stakes are high, with estimates showing that a diagnosis at age 40 can shave six years off your life expectancy. This is a big deal, and more Americans are facing this unfortunate diagnosis earlier in life today than ever before.

You can reverse type 2 diabetes with lifestyle changes, but more importantly, a pinch of prevention today can go a long way and mean you’ll never have to reverse the condition in the future.

Tonic Shots

1. Blood Sugar Friendly Breakfast

Many breakfast foods are packed with sugar and refined carbs. Start the day with this recipe instead for something that won’t spike your blood sugar and possibly lead to insulin resistance and, eventually, diabetes.

2. Want To Improve Your Creativity?

Scientists found that 20 minutes of outdoor movement improves convergent and divergent thinking, which are the foundations of problem-solving and creativity. The key takeaway? Get outside and move your body to improve your cognition and creativity. 

3. Speaking Of Blood Sugar

When it comes to fruit, what are the best and worst options for avoiding those dreaded blood sugar spikes and drops?