Caucasian Blueberry Leaf Extract
Caucasian Blueberry Leaf Extract
The Phytomedicine for Diabetes
The Glucose "Paradox" of Diabetes
Dr. Zakir Ramazanov PhD
Glucose is the major source of energy for many mammalian cells, much of which is provided through the
bloodstream. That is why the level of blood glucose is regulated very strictly. The liver and kidneys are
the major organs responsible for maintaining a balance between dietary glucose, its storage, production
and release into the body.
Two metabolic processes in our body, glycogenolysis and glyconeogenesis maintain blood glucose within
a narrow range. The enzyme glucose-6-phosphatase is involved in both processes and plays a dominant
role in the regulation of glucose balance in our body.
Diabetes mellitus is a complex chronic disease which affects millions of people. It is characterized by a
progressive breakdown in normal insulin-related usage of glucose, the body's basic source of blood sugar
energy.
The body's use of insulin and glucose are a paradoxical "double-edged sword". On the one hand, we
cannot live without them. The body requires balanced insulin output from the pancreas and liver to
transport glucose effectively to all the other organs and tissues to maintain healthy metabolic function. On
the other hand, any insulin imbalance or loss of insulin sensitivity can cause a chronic overabundance of
glucose and result in diabetes.
When diabetes develops in children or young adults it is caused by a fundamental breakdown in the
body's ability to produce enough insulin for normal function. This is called juvenile insulin-dependent
diabetes. When diabetes develops later in life it is usually when organs and tissues lose their ability to
respond effectively to insulin, which is called adult-onset non-insulin-dependent diabetes. In adult-onset
diabetics, glucose is over-produced by the liver and under-utilized by other organs and tissues.
Either form of diabetes is a disease with serious, deleterious health consequences. If left untreated,
diabetes can cause retinal degeneration and blindness, lead to kidney and nerve damage, contribute to
atherosclerosis, poor circulation and in extreme cases even result in amputations and death.
Three Strategies for Diabetic Treatment
The primary objective in the treatment of diabetes is to lower abnormally high levels of blood sugar
and to stabilize it at normal levels. Three therapeutic strategies are generally used to achieve this:
1. Reduce glucose absorption from the diet
2. Reduce glucose synthesis in the liver
3. Accelerate glucose metabolism
Ideally, the most effective strategy would be to achieve all three at the same time.
Copyright 2005 All Rights Reserved. Reprinted with permission by Dr. Zakir Ramazanov.
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