Let’s Talk Type 3 Diabetes
Yes you read that right. It was not a typo. There is such a thing as type 3 diabetes. Let’s take a look at the different types of diabetes, and how they compare.
Type 1 Diabetes
We have all heard of type 1 diabetes which in the past was referred to as juvenile diabetes or insulin dependent diabetes. It is where the cells of the pancreas that make insulin are destroyed (typically by ones own immune system – autoimmune). Having no or very little insulin is really bad, as sugar levels increase in the blood become toxic.
Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes used to be referred to as adult onset, but is not anymore. Why? Because we are seeing an alarming number of children developing type 2 diabetes. It is also called insulin resistant diabetes.
What happens in type 2 diabetes is that the person usually is eating too much sugar. When we eat sugar, we release insulin to shuttle that sugar into our cells. When our cells are “full” of sugar, they will turn off the insulin receptors so no more sugar can enter. If this happens long term, the cells become more and more resistant to insulin.
Type 2 diabetes is very much a disease of lifestyle and can be influenced significantly by changing eating habits.
Then what is Type 3 Diabetes?
Type 3 diabetes is similar to type 2 diabetes but it is selective to just the brain being resistant to insulin. The problem with this is that a person’s blood sugar may be “normal” but the sugar is not getting into the brain cells.
But why would just my brain become resistant? The brain uses up about 30% of the fuel that we consume each day. The brain is also very susceptible to damage. Sugar is not a clean fuel. Sugar would be similar to coal, in that it is a dirty fuel, while fat is similar to natural gas in that it burns much cleaner. When we burn sugar for fuel in our brain, we cause damage especially to our mitochondria in our brain.
Remember in science class we made cell models (or maybe you recently helped your child make one)? One of those little organelles was the mitochondria. The model was actually incorrect in that most cells have more than one. Your brains cells have thousands in one cell!
The best fuel for the brain is actually fat!
For most of us, we have taught our bodies to burn sugar for fuel especially our brains. What happens then when we can’t sugar into our brain cells. They don’t have fuel and they don’t work.
How would you know this is going on? Brain fog, fatigue while reading, fatigue after eating, trouble finding words, trouble with short term memory and having difficulty with simple tasks are all signs of poor brain function.
But that is just a normal part of aging right? Everyone else suffers from it so it must be normal. Wrong! It is common but not normal. As Dr. Rob in our office always states. “It is common to get mugged in New York, but it is not normal!”
What can you do about this? How do you even know?
It is important to get tested. Not just your fasting blood sugar but also your hemoglobin A1c and your fasting insulin (very important).
Just like Type 2 diabetes is very influenced by your lifestyle, so is Type 3.
Where to Start: Modified Ketogenic Diet
I think the best place to start is switch to eating a modified ketogenic diet. To learn more about this diet, I recommend either reading Dr. Mercola’s book “Fat of Fuel” or Dr. Jason Fung’s book “The Obesity Code.” I would also suggest checking out this video.
This way of eating cuts out many of the harmful foods that cause damage to the brain especially sugars (even ones found in fruits and grains). Instead, a person is eating lots of healthy veggies, lots of healthy fats, good quality free range meats, some fruits and few grains and nuts. Pretty much opposite of what many of us were taught in the 80’s and 90’s.
This is not a “fad” diet. This is how people have been eating for years and it is the only diet that has been shown to change brain health diseases like Epilepsy, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
The Role of Exercise
It is also important to do things that increase insulin sensitivity such as exercise, especially high intensity interval training.
There are some great supplements that have been shown to help with insulin resistance. Recently a study was published that showed Berberine was as effective as the Type 2 medication Metformin.
Getting proper sleep also is key to good brain health as our brain goes through autophagy when we sleep. Which means it is cleaning up all the “junk” we accumulated throughout the day.
Unfortunately many people dealing with Type 3 diabetes can’t make it through the night asleep. Their brain is used to getting sugar for fuel and when it can’t, your body releases cortisol and epinephrine to raise sugar levels. Hormones for fight or flight.
You are awake, you don’t know why but good luck falling asleep. Teaching the body to burn fat for fuel will help, but I would also recommend not eating for about 3-4 hours before going to bed.
You should also stop this idea of constantly grazing throughout the day. All it does is teach your body that is needs food every 2-4 hours. What do you think will happen when you sleep?!
If you are worried that you may be developing Type 3 diabetes and would like help, we can help!
Check out our website to learn how we can help or call our office at 952-949-0676 to schedule an appointment.
