Diabetes and the Link to Pesticides
Today my friends, I would like to discuss a disease that is near epidemic levels, which is Type 2 Diabetes and its relationship to pesticides.
People with relatively high levels of certain pesticides in their blood may have an increased risk of Type 2 Diabetes, particularly if they are overweight. Being overweight has also been linked to some of the compounds in pesticides that have shown to promote obesity.
This study was reported in the journal Diabetes Care and there have been numerous other studies linking chemical pollutants to diabetes. We will discuss these further.
First let’s discuss what Type 2 diabetes actually is:
It is often call non-insulin dependent diabetes, is the most common form of diabetes, affecting 90% – 95% of the 21 million people with diabetes.
Now lets discuss the connection between Type 2 Diabetes and Pesticides:
According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) our diet in the US is the main potential source of exposure to many of these compounds with fatty foods, like dairy products and oily fish.
Some studies have found a connection between diabetes risk and exposure to older pesticides known as organochlorines, PCBs, and other chemicals that are considered “persistent organic pollutants”. The pollutants although banned in the U.S. and other developed countries after research linked them to many health problems including cancer, in the 1970’s.
Unfortunately, these chemicals are just as the name suggest, “Persistent”, they remain in the environment for years and build up in animal and human body fat.
We still have many environmental toxins and pesticides that we are exposed to daily that have not been banned and have also been linked to Type 2 Diabetes!
Information on some of the studies and research to the connection:
Riikka Airaksinen of Finland’s National Institute for Health and Welfare led the study for the effects of persistent organic pollutants which is believed to impair the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar, this explains the link to Type 2 Diabetes.
Some pesticides are toxic to the immune system, and some are endocrine (hormone) disruptor. Some pesticides are contaminated with dioxin, which may play a role in their toxicity. See this study– (Saldana et al. 2007).
The endocrine system of the body is made up of glands that secrete hormones. The pancreas, for example, is an endocrine organ that secretes the hormone insulin. Many substances can interfere with the endocrine system of animals, including humans, they are called “endocrine disruptor’s.” Endocrine disruption is important because hormones play a critical role in controlling how the body develops. A number of environmental contaminants (as well some pharmaceuticals) are endocrine disruptor’s. See this study– (Hotchkiss et al. 2008)
A number of the contaminants considered here, including arsenic, some persistent organic pollutants such as PCBs and dioxin, bisphenol A, phthalates, some pesticides, and possibly nitrate, are considered endocrine disruptors. (Please visit those pages for studies on these contaminants.)
All of this research and numerous study shows that there is evidence that various pesticides may contribute to the development of type 2 and gestational diabetes.
Dr. David Jacobs , a professor of epidemiology at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis who has worked on some of this research said “they are generally all around us in fatty tissues of living organisms.” “These chemicals are released in various ways, he said, and are being constantly recycled.”
“Pesticides and other industrial chemicals in use now are safer, in the sense of not being persistent”, Jacob said, “But” he added, “a chemical that is bad for the health of one life form, insects and weeds, is not likely to be good for humans. We need much better and more thorough safety testing for substances that we use in industry and for pest control.”
I must admit I was not aware of most of this information about pesticides and Type 2 Diabetes until I started researching it myself!
One way to help our bodies rid itself from these pesticides and toxins is to try to detox the body (Click Here to Order Native Remedies Detox Drop) eat as much organic food or local harvest as possible! Hopefully we have all benefited and learned valuable information that will help us live a healthier lifestyle!
Quote of the Day: In wilderness I sense the miracle of life, and behind it our scientific accomplishments fade to trivia!
Pingback: Natural Remedies to Control Diabetes Type 2