How can taking care of your bones help reduce your risk of diabetes? The answer may be found in new research suggesting a strong connection between an acid load and diabetes in women.
In the French study of 60,000 women, those with a higher acid load had over a 50% increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes as compared to women with a lower acid load.
What’s also interesting is that the risk for developing diabetes was even greater for non-obese women of normal weight (considered to be 141 lbs or below) who had a high acid load as compared to women of normal weight who had a low acid load.
High acid load and diabetes has a linkage to obese women, but the association of acid load and diabetes was stronger among women of normal weight. Women who were overweight had about an overall 30% increased risk of developing diabetes. This suggests that acid load was a factor behind the increase in diabetes over the 14 year study, and not simply due to obesity.
Reducing the acidic load has long been part of my Better Bones, Better Body approach, and now it may be more important than ever — especially when you consider the increasing rates of diabetes in the U.S. I’ve seen statistics showing that 25% of those 65 years or older had been diagnosed with diabetes.
Starting an alkaline diet
In my clinical practice, I’ve found that one extremely effective way to reduce acid load is through a diet high in alkaline-forming foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and spices. In fact, I’ve devoted a whole section of my website to the Alkaline for Diet, including:
- pH and bones – why an alkaline diet makes sense
- Sample recipes from the Alkaline for Life diet
- Better Bones Programs, all which include the Alkaline for Life diet.
With an alkaline diet, you can help keep your acid-base (or pH) balance in the optimal range — supporting your bones and your entire body.
References:
Fagherazzi, G. et al., Dietary acid load and risk of type II diabetes: the E3N-EPIC cohort study. Diabetologia, DOI 10.1007/s00125-013-100-0,2013
National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health. (accessed 01.10.2014)
