Coping with Diabetes
Whether you have Type 1 diabetes or Type 2, managing your blood sugar becomes a central focus of your life. It affects everything you do, from when and what you eat to the constant fear of crippling complications.
The mainstream medical industry has dozens of ways to manage – but not improve – both types of diabetes:
- Constant monitoring (with painful finger sticks)
- Strictly planned diets (full of “no” foods)
- Insulin shots (for both types of diabetes)
- Potentially harmful prescription drugs (mainly for Type 2 diabetes)
What’s worse, millions of people take multiple drugs to manage their blood sugar. In fact, in one large trial, more than 60% of the patients took more than 3 diabetes drugs!
And even with all of these interventions, life and health don’t improve for most diabetes patients – Type 1 or 2.
But tackling a key underlying cause of the diseases may make an enormous difference in quality of life and robust health.
And it all starts with spore probiotics.
Type 1, Type 2: Same Name, Different Disease
These diseases share a name but work differently, sort of two sides of the same coin:
Type 1 is an autoimmune condition that usually strikes children, destroying the beta cells in their pancreas so that they can’t produce insulin.
Type 2 usually comes with age and is characterized by insulin resistance, which leads to the overproduction of insulin.
Whether you’re not producing insulin or your cells have become resistant to it, what happens next is the same: your cells can’t take in glucose (sugar) to use it for energy. When glucose can’t get into your cells, it floats around in your bloodstream and causes all kinds of damage to your blood vessels and organs.
That outcome hits both kinds of diabetes. And now scientists have discovered that there could be a sneaky single factor working behind the scenes to cause both kinds…
Gut Dysbiosis Triggers Diabetes
Dysbiosis – when the bad bacteria in your gut outnumber the good bacteria – plays a part in both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
And scientists now realize that by fixing your microbiome (your gut bacteria population), it’s possible to get both types of diabetes under control… and maybe even prevent or delay them all together.
How does an imbalance in your gut cause blood sugar issues? It works slightly differently in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. But, mainly, dominant bad bacteria mess with the immune system in ways that trigger insulin and glucose problems.
Studies are showing that getting your microbiome back in balance can turn things around. A healthy gut helps your body
- stop, slow, or reverse disease progression
- protect precious insulin-producing cells
- use insulin more effectively
- manage blood sugar levels
- avoid intense sugar spikes and dips
- maintain a healthy weight
And all it takes to rebalance your microbiome is a high-quality spore probiotic.
How Type 1 Diabetes Starts in the Gut
Cutting-edge research has uncovered a root cause of Type 1 diabetes – the devastating form of the disease that strikes children. The answer: the gut microbiome plays a role in two steps in the development of T1D. (Check out the research here.)
First, when an infant’s gut is initially colonized, it doesn’t contain enough of the right bacteria to support optimal immune function. That makes the baby more susceptible to autoimmune diseases – where the immune system attacks the body by mistake – like T1D. In this case, the body attacks the special cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, so the child’s body never creates enough to process blood sugar properly.
Second, as T1D starts to set in, the diversity of bacteria in the child’s gut decreases. At the same time, a family of bad bacteria species starts to take over. Those changes help T1D progress… and get worse.
Researchers now believe that fixing that initial colonization they may be able to protect against the development or progression of T1D.
A healthier “starter” microbiome can strengthen the immune system and put the brakes on autoimmune diseases, potentially protecting the child against ever getting full-blown Type 1 diabetes.
How a Gut Imbalance Sets Off Type 2 Diabetes
When bad bacteria run your microbiome, they make you vulnerable to developing Type 2 diabetes.
Those bad bacteria create harmful compounds called LPS toxins. When your microbiome is in balance and good bacteria – probiotics – are in charge, they keep LPS toxins under control. But in dysbiosis, those LPS toxins run wild and attack your gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
That leads to toxic streaming, a dangerous condition where those LPS toxins escape into your bloodstream and travel all over your body. That sets off an intense immune response, which causes inflammation throughout your whole system.
And it’s widely known that systemic inflammation brought on by dysbiosis triggers insulin resistance… and Type 2 diabetes.
Restore your microbiome
So, if diabetes starts in your gut…clinical research has shown that fixing your gut may help prevent, stop, or reverse the progression of both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
How does that work? When beneficial bacteria rule your microbiome, they take on diabetes in five important ways:
- Beneficial bacteria produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) such as butyrate and propionate. These SCFA strengthen the intestinal wall to prevent toxic streaming, reduce inflammation, and help lower blood sugar levels.
- A balanced microbiome helps prevent obesity, a key risk factor for Type 2 diabetes.
- Certain probiotic strains – such as bacillus indicus HU36 – produce powerful antioxidants and vitamin K2, which supports healthy insulin response
- Several probiotics produce antioxidants right in the intestinal tract, where your body can make the best use of them. These antioxidants shield against oxidative damage, another factor in the development of diabetes.
- Specific probiotic strains – bacillus coagulans – may help improve insulin production and sensitivity. [
Research into the connections between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes and the microbiome is just getting started. But we already know that a healthier gut goes a long way toward protecting you from the damaging effects of diabetes.
Bottom line: Fixing your microbiome can help you fight diabetes… and win.
Spore probiotics fix your microbiome
A healthy microbiome involves more than just increasing the number of probiotics (good bacteria). It also needs a lot of different kinds of probiotics to promote strong diversity.
That’s where the high quality spore probiotics in Just Thrive really shine. These four clinically proven strains of spore probiotics quickly rein in bad bacteria and set the stage for a wide variety of beneficial bacteria to flourish.
Plus, in a groundbreaking clinical study, the combination of strains in Just Thrive were shown to stop toxic streaming and reduce several inflammation markers.
The spore probiotics in Just Thrive include:
- Bacillus indicus HU36, best known for its role as a vitamin and antioxidant “factory”
- Bacillus subtilis HU58, which produces several natural antibiotics that help kill off bad bacteria so a diverse variety of probiotics can flourish
- Bacillus clausii, well-known for its role in taming inflammation and balancing immune system response
- Bacillus coagulans, which seems to help your body produce and use the right amount of insulin
Take charge of your microbiome by adding Just Thrive to your routine today. And let us know how it works for you – we want to know!
