Why an Epidemic of Diabetes?

Type 2 Diabetes is caused by a confluence of many factors including, but not limited to, overweight, obesity, inactivity, unhealthy food habits, consuming packaged processed and genetically modified foods, society’s marketing push on high sugar content snacks, developed food allergies and nutritional deficiencies.

It truly is, for most people, a “lifestyle” illness. Over time we have, sometimes not knowingly, succumbed to a lifestyle that fosters an elevated blood sugar condition. Eating a poor diet is the main reason we are seeing such a rise in Type 2 Diabetes.* The standard American diet contains excessive amounts of refined sugar, flour, salt, and oils, and not enough nutrient-dense food. **

These refined foods lack basic nutrients and contain toxic byproducts from their manufacturing processes. This combination of nutrient imbalances along with toxic overload is a perfect recipe for developing Type2 diabetes.

One of the other aspects of why people can develop nutritional deficiencies, a contributing factor for Type 2 Diabetes, has to do with the body's lack of enzymes to breakdown foods or hydrochloric acid to synthesize the nutrients, especially when the food is cooked.

Reduced Hydrochloric acid activity affects the amount of protein and calcium we the body can absorb and will interfere with metabolic processes. Incomplete protein digestion can imbalance intestinal flora. Adequate Hydrochloric acid elegantly promotes absorption of key nutrients.

In addition to the nutritional issues and unhealthy food habits associated with Type 2 Diabetes, stress and toxic overload*** of the body can be factors that can tip the balance from a Pre-Diabetic state into a full blown Diabetic condition.

*(Data from the 2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet (released Jan. 26, 2011) Note that recent data published in 2012 from the CDC shows that these statistics have grown greatly over the past year and now one in three are now diabetic or pre-diabetic-27.2M and 87M respectively)

Total prevalence of diabetes


Diagnosed: 18.8 million people

Undiagnosed: 7.0 million people

Pre-diabetes: 80 million people


Under 20 years of age

  • About 1 in every 400 children and adolescents has diabetes

Age 20 years or older


Age 65 years or older





  • 12.6 million, or 10.8% of all women aged 20 years or older have diabetes

**Since the early 1900s, refined sugar consumption (about 2.5 Lbs. per year) in America has increased tremendously. The average American today consumes 158 pounds of refined sugar a year. When sugar was rationed during World War II, the rate of Diabetes dropped sharply. Refined sugar is largely responsible for the rise in processed carbohydrates that Americans eat. Refined sugar consumption results in raised insulin levels and increased rates of obesity, heart disease and Diabetes

*** "At least 78 ailments have been linked to sugar consumption, which has skyrocketed in America, especially during the last few decades. The body reacts to refined sugar consumption the same as it does to any ingested toxin; with increased energy expenditure accompanied by lowered function, especially of its defense mechanisms. Body chemistry and mineral balances are disrupted as well."

***Susan E. Schenck, “The Live Food Factor: “The Comprehensive Guide to the Ultimate Diet for Body, Mind, Spirit & Planet