DIABETES AND LOWER LUNG CAPACITY

After a half dozen studies have been done over the years, researchers have concluded that aside from blindness, kidney disease, stroke, and heart ailments, diabetes is also responsible for loss of lung capacity.

Lung capacity decreases as we age but having diabetes quickens this process. It was also noted that the worse the diabetes is as indicated by taking oral medication, and/or insulin, the faster lung capacity decreases.

Here we have yet another risk factor and side effect of this growing disease. What makes this especially tragic is the fact that while there are many people and children with type 1 diabetes who really have no control over the illness, there are many more of us with type 2 who have brought this on ourselves and have the option of getting it under control.

We must start thinking differently about how we see food. Instead of focusing on the enjoyment of eating we need to start recognizing that food must first and foremost be used as fuel for our bodies, much as gas is used to fuel a car. We can still treat ourselves once in a while, but it must stop being the goal of every bite we take.