Lower Iron if you Have or Want to Avoid Diabetes

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http://www.mercola.com/2004/jan/7/iron_diabetes.htm

 

 

Lower Iron if you Have or Want to Avoid Diabetes

 

 

Researchers found that the men who ate red meat, which contains heme iron, had

an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, while men who consumed food that contained

heme iron from sources other than red meat did not.

The study was conducted in 1986 on 38,394 men who were between the ages of 40 to

75 who were free from diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. After a

12-year period, researchers followed up on the men, noting their dietary habits,

and found 1,168 new cases of type 2 diabetes.

 

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition January, 2004

 

 

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

There are two types of iron found in food, heme and non-heme, Heme iron is more

easily absorbed by your body than non-heme iron. About 40 percent of the iron in

meat, poultry and fish is heme iron, while the iron in dairy, eggs and plant

foods is largely non-heme.

 

Iron is nature’s rusting agent, and excess levels of iron in our bodies is one

of the most potent ways that our body becomes oxidized, prematurely aged and, as

stated in the article, may face an increased risk of diabetes.

 

Iron creates a dilemma in that iron deficiency is the most common

single-nutrient deficiency disease in the world and is a major concern for

approximately 15 percent of the world's population. Iron is also a major

nutrient needed by most children and menstruating women.

 

However, most men have a problem with too much iron because iron is not readily

excreted through the body's usual excretory routes of urine, bile and sweat;

rather, the primary way in which iron is lost is through the shedding of cells

from the skin or gastrointestinal tract or through blood loss, as in menstrual

blood loss or chronic or acute hemorrhage.

 

I believe measuring iron levels is a very important part of optimizing your

health. As shown in the study above, 38,394 men didn’t have any signs of type 2

diabetes in the beginning of the study, however just 12 years later 1,168 new

cases showed up.

 

Diabetes is not something to play around with. It is a devastating illness that

will gradually suck the life out of you and contribute to a life full of

miserable health complications.

 

Fortunately, there are great " drugs " that can reverse and " cure " diabetes. They

are exercise and diet. I recently reviewed the exercise requirements to control

diabetes. The key to the dietary aspect is avoiding foods that increase insulin,

namely grains and sugars.

 

As I discuss in my new book, eliminating grains and sugars is key not only to

avoiding diabetes, but also to avoiding a number of other chronic illnesses.

 

Related Articles:

 

How to Diagnose Iron Overload

 

Iron Can Have Devastating Effects on Your Health

 

Most People Get Too Much Not Too Little Iron

 

Diabetics: Find Out How to Lower Your Blood Sugar With Metabolic Typing

 

Diabetes Costs More Than Double to $92 Billion

 

'Pre-Diabetes' Tests Urged for Overweight Americans

 

 

 

 

 

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