Sugar Alert! – Memory Problems
By Dean L. Jones, C.P.M.
Diabetes suffers are twice as likely to have or develop memory loss problems. The science is slow in reporting this fact, but a major issue with insulin malfunction is dementia that can lead to developing Alzheimer’s disease. Even those who have been diagnosed by their doctors as pre-diabetic (people on the verge of developing diabetes), run the same risk of incurring memory loss.
Science has already confirmed that diabetes increases a person’s risk of having a stroke, and strokes can lead to mental problems, such as dementia, i.e. memory loss. Although the studies confirm the facts about the importance of a good diet, medical professionals still neglect informing their patients about the dangers associated with over eating processed sugars. Processed sugar is in nearly every packaged food item and consequently its use is prevalent at every meal and snack. The total downside is that processed sugars inflict havoc on blood sugar(glucose) levels that can cause the pancreas to overwork and push a body toward being insulin resistance, or diabetic.
Diabetes is no joke and the common warning signs are frequent thirst and urination. Kidneys work harder to filter out the excessive sugar and end up pulling more fluids from the body’s tissues. Constant fatigue is another signal that a person’s blood sugar is not under control and sugar is staying in the bloodstream instead of being diverted to the body’s cells. In addition, regularly feeling dizzy or shaky could be an indicator of low blood sugar or hypoglycemia.
Glucose is essential to function and a drop in blood sugar can be life-threatening. Likewise, the combination having high blood pressure and diabetes can cause a lack of ability for the kidneys’ to filter wastes and fluid over time. Nerve damage (called peripheral neuropathy) can be another sign of chronically elevated blood sugars. It results in numbness or tingling in the hands and feet, or inability to feel pain or temperature changes. Diabetes also damages the nerve that helps the stomach empty and move food smoothly through the digestive tract, a condition called gastroparesis.
With weight loss being the word of the day one needs to know that losing weight quickly, without trying, or without doing anything different, may be a sign that the blood sugar is too high. Remember the frequent urination results from high glucose levels and as it gets flushed out of the body in urine it takes the calories and fluids with it. Also, be aware of cuts and bruises that appear slow to heal, as it reduces the risk of infections in people with diabetes.
It all boils down to the immune system and its potential strength. The take away information about processed sugar is that it weakens the immune system every single time it is eaten, period!
Mr. Jones, is a marketing strategist with theSouthland Partnership Corporation (a public benefit organization), sharing his view on mismanagement practices of packaged foods & beverages.