What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is having too much glucose (sugar) in the blood. This happens because the pancreas cannot make enough insulin. Glucose is an essential source of energy for the brain and is one of the sources of energy for the body. Glucose in the bloodstream comes from carbohydrate foods, which are changed into glucose after we have eaten them.

Glucose also comes from the liver, which converts fat and protein into glucose to make sure there is a constant glucose supply even when we are not eating. For people without diabetes the level of glucose in the body is between 4 and 8 mmol/L.

Insulin is produced in the pancreas and has two jobs in the body – the first is to transport glucose from the blood supply into fat and muscle cells, where it can be used for energy. The second is to switch off the liver once the level of glucose in the blood is high enough.

Diabetes is the result of the body not creating enough insulin to keep blood glucose levels in the normal range. It cannot presently be cured but it can be controlled and you can lead a full and active life.

Type 1
People who do not make any insulin (or very little) have Type 1 diabetes. Because the immune system destroys the pancreas they have stopped making insulin, and their body is unable to use glucose for energy. They tend to lose weight very quickly because their body is actually being starved. Their health rapidly deteriorates and they would die if insulin were not given. They therefore require insulin by injection plus healthy eating to stay alive and maintain good health.

Type 2
People with Type 2 diabetes are still making insulin but the production is sluggish or their body is resistant to insulin. Becoming overweight is almost always the cause of the body becoming resistant to insulin and can trigger Type 2 diabetes, even in young people. Type 2 diabetes can be treated with weight loss and regular physical activity. Medication in the form of tablets is often required to reduce the resistance to insulin or to stimulate the pancreas to make more insulin. Type 2 diabetes is a progressive condition in that the pancreas continues to get more sluggish over time. People with Type 2 diabetes may eventually require insulin.

Causes of Diabetes Type 2:

In Type 2 diabetes, either the body doesn’t produce enough insulin, or the cells in the body don’t recognise the insulin that is present. The end result is the same: high levels of glucose in your blood.

About a third of people with Type 2 diabetes also have high blood pressure (hypertension) and / or disordered levels of fats (cholesterol) in their blood (the medical name for this is dyslipidaemia). This combination of diabetes with hypertension and dyslipidaemia is sometimes called ‘the metabolic syndrome’ or syndrome X. Type 2 diabetes most often occurs in adulthood usually after the ages of 30 – 40 years.

However, increasing numbers of teenagers and children are developing Type 2 diabetes.
Some groups of people are more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes. These are Maori, Polynesians or Asians, people who are overweight, people who have a blood relative with Type 2 diabetes, women who have had a baby weighing more than 4 kg (9 pounds) or people who don’t exercise enough. If you have a blood relative with Type 2 diabetes you are more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes yourself. However Type 2 diabetes sometimes occurs in people who have no one in their family with the condition.

The Effects of Diet & Physical Activity on Diabetes:

Making changes to your lifestyle is a very important first step, and one that you have a great deal of control over. The goal of managing your daily life is to lower your blood glucose and improve your body’s use of insulin. This is achieved through a healthy diet, exercise and weight loss. The focus of your nutrition choices and regular exercise is to achieve and maintain healthy blood glucose levels. Losing weight helps your body use insulin better.

The Benefits of Noni:

The guidelines for reducing diabetes risk are consistent with the guidelines for coronary heart disease prevention, cancer prevention as well as general health promotion. The basis for good health is good nutrition, regular exercise, maintaining an ideal body weight and, most importantly, a first-rate immune system. Our health is directly influenced by our immune system. The onset of almost all infectious and degenerative disease is preceded or accompanied by inadequate immune response.

The immune system is not responsive to drugs for healing. Antibiotics and treatments used to fight infections and illnesses actually depress the immune system when used long-term. But the natural nutritive forces of Noni can and do support the immune system. By rebuilding immunity, health is naturally restored and disease disappears. If health and immunity are thereafter conscientiously maintained, the individual is no longer vulnerable to disease.

It is never too late to enjoy the health benefit that taking a daily dose of Noni Juice gives you. With the correct diet, exercise and by drinking Noni Juice daily, the immune system can be restored and maintained at a level that provides good health well into the Golden Years.