You know I stress how important it is to stop prediabetes from progressing to full-blown Type 2 diabetes, with all its life-altering complications involving your heart, eyes, nerves, joints, digestion, and brain.
Well, let's all take a deep breath — and exhale very slowly.
A preliminary lab study in the journal Nature has found a brain circuit that connects stress with increased blood sugar levels.
It appears that the amygdala (the part of the brain that affects responses to emotions, memory, and behavior) has direct communication with the liver, and both acute and chronic stress stimulate that organ to increase glucose production, raising blood sugar.
One 40-year study of almost 3,000 people in their 50s with diabetes found that those with the disease live almost eight years less than those with normal glucose levels.
So in addition to recommending that you reverse prediabetes with smart nutrition (less saturated fat, more healthy oils, minimally processed foods, and no added sugars), physical activity (300 minutes a week), and a healthy sleep pattern, I’m recommending you practice daily meditation (10 minutes in the morning and evening), yoga, tai chi, and deep breathing, as well as hanging out with your posse and finding a purpose.