Importance Of Blood Sugar Metabolism During The Covid-19 Era
During the current COVID-19 pandemic, we have learned that having diabetes significantly increases one’s chances of developing serious complications which could potentially be life-threatening. Although diabetes has increased globally, it has exponentially risen in the developing countries due to sedentary lifestyles, and fast food diets rich in artificial sugars and fat which can lead to obesity and other disorders. Obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and impaired glucose metabolism are now collectively called metabolic syndrome.
While a healthy diet is critical for maintaining optimum blood glucose levels, the scientists at the Dr. Rath Research Institute have shown that optimum intake of micronutrients is equally essential in controlling blood sugar levels and other aspects of metabolic syndrome.
Fructose is a type of sugar that is abundantly present in processed foods. We compared the effects of a specific micronutrient supplementation and metformin (a common antidiabetic drug) on various aspects of sugar metabolism in immature mice fed a high fructose diet.* Among many parameters we measured the amount of fructosamine in serum as a marker of changes caused by high blood glucose in the prior one to two weeks. We observed that mice receiving the micronutrient mixture in their diet had a 4% less fructosamine, while the mice taking metformin had a 15% increase in its level, indicating more damage to body proteins. In addition, the mice taking metformin had reduced insulin levels while insulin in mice in the micronutrient supplemented group was restored to normal levels. The micronutrient supplementation also showed additional benefits by reducing blood pressure, total cholesterol, and counteracting the effects of high fructosamine, which as such, could further reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Sustained high blood sugar levels can lead to serious diabetic complications including atherosclerosis, stroke, kidney failure, neuropathy, impaired wound healing, cataracts, and long-term disability. In addition, we have learned about the importance of controlling blood sugar levels in relation to increased risk of serious complications from COVID-19 infections.
Conventional medicine relies on drugs that artificially reduce the blood sugar levels. It does not address the root cause of this ever-increasing disease. Diabetes can be a very profitable industry for the pharmaceutical companies, as it leads to a variety of health complications requiring additional treatments. The majority of patients affected by diabetes-related disability are between 15-69 years old, which adds a tremendous financial burden on society due to medical expenses and lost workdays.
Individually a person with diabetes is estimated to spend $15,000-20,000 annually to manage the disease, and the annual global healthcare cost of managing diabetes is estimated to be $825 billion, with the largest cost incurred in countries which include China, the United States, and India. With this background, our study findings give hope that prevention and management of high blood sugar is possible without the devastating side effects of prescription drugs.
*J. Cha, et al., Molecular Medicine Reports, 2011, DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2011.562
