A root cause of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is
obesity-linked Insulin Resistance, which can also increase
the risk of developing Pre-Diabetes and Type 2 Diabetes. All are disorders
that may result in Cardiovascular Disease leading to a heart attack or
stroke.
 Pre-Diabetes
affects people with blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but
not yet in the Type 2 Diabetes range. Doctors sometimes call this condition
impaired fasting glucose (IFG) or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), depending
on the blood test used to diagnose it.
The good news is that Pre-Diabetes doesn't have to lead to Type 2 Diabetes
because it can be reversed. But if neglected, Pre-Diabetes may become Type
2 Diabetes, which, in the vast majority of cases, must be managed for the
rest of a Diabetic's life and often requires daily injections of insulin.
Type 2 Diabetes, itself, is also a significantly increased risk factor
for blindness, amputation and kidney disease. So it is critical that you
understand the interaction of Insulin Resistance-linked PCOS and the various
forms of Diabetes in order to avoid the onset of other serious health complications.
The human body processes food into energy by converting it into glucose,
which is then passed via insulin through the cell walls. Insulin is a vital
hormone produced in the pancreas. Insulin Resistance de-sensitizes the
cell walls to insulin and impairs the vital conversion of glucose into
energy.
Pre- and Type 2 Diabetes are signs that this conversion process is not
working properly. People with one form or another of Diabetes either cannot
use the insulin that is produced or they have a pancreas that produces
little or no insulin. As the pancreas struggles to keep up with the body's
need for more insulin, excessive levels of glucose and insulin build up
in the blood stream, often leading directly to Pre- and Type 2 Diabetes.
 Certain
factors that figure in the onset of PCOS are also implicated in the development
of Pre- and Type 2 Diabetes: excessive abdominal fat, high LDL "bad" blood
cholesterol and low HDL "good" cholesterol, high levels of triglycerides
and hypertension (high blood pressure).
When you are Insulin Resistant, your muscle, fat and liver cells do not
use insulin properly. Because of the overproduction of insulin from the
pancreas, many people with Insulin Resistance have high levels of both
blood glucose and insulin circulating in their blood at the same time.
It's important to understand the distinction between Insulin Resistance
and Pre- and Type 2 Diabetes. Insulin Resistance occurs when the body produces
enough insulin but its cells lack enough receptor sites to allow the absorption
of insulin at a cellular level. Pre- and Type 2 Diabetes develop when the
body either doesn't produce enough insulin or it can't process the insulin
that is produced.
All of the factors associated with Insulin Resistance, Polycystic Ovarian
Syndrome and Pre-Diabetes are interrelated. Obesity and lack of exercise
worsen Insulin Resistance, which then has a negative effect on blood lipid
production, increasing VLDL (very low-density lipoprotein), LDL cholesterol
(low-density lipoprotein - the
"bad" cholesterol) and triglyceride levels in the blood stream,
as well as decreasing HDL cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein - the "good" cholesterol.)
These conditions are also severely increased risk factors for Type 2 Diabetes
which is one of the top fatal disorders in the United States. In 2000,
it was the sixth leading cause of death and has been associated with long
term complications affecting almost every part of the body, including blindness,
heart and blood vessel disease, stroke, kidney failure, amputations and
nerve damage.
Obese women are particularly susceptible to PCOS and Pre- and Type 2 Diabetes.
A vicious cycle quickly forms because these conditions, in turn, put women
at dramatically increased risk of Cardiovascular Disease, as well as the
development of many other serious health conditions, including stroke,
kidney damage and blindness. Overweight women do not, however, have a monopoly of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and its related disorders because females of normal weight and even lean women are also prone to these conditions.
Many patients have been educated about the importance of exercising, checking
their cholesterol levels and having their blood pressure monitored. But
there has been little to tie all of these factors together.
Studies have shown that a single solution will simply not work in trying
to address the myriad symptoms of conditions that can lead to Insulin Resistance-linked
PCOS and Pre-Diabetes. No pharmaceutical has yet been approved by the Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) specifically to reverse these conditions,
though there are approved drugs for use in the management of Type 2 Diabetes,
which is an irreversible disorder in the vast majority of cases.
If you wish to return to optimum health and avoid or reverse Insulin Resistance-linked
disorders, you have to consider a system which combines nutraceuticals
(vitamins, herbs and minerals that are disease-specific), a realistic exercise
program, nutritional guidance and a support system that will help you change
unhealthy lifestyle choices.
Click here to
read about the ground-breaking Insulite PCOS System, which
is scientifically-designed to reverse Insulin Resistance,
a condition that often underlies Diabetes. The system
includes several formulations such as InsulX, with ingredients like magnesium,
which lowers blood glucose and insulin levels - key factors in reversing
PCOS and Pre-Diabetes.
You may be interested in some of our Frequently
Asked Questions (FAQs) about PCOS and the Insulite PCOS System.
Click
here to read about PCOS and Stress
|
