Better circulation and a better brain for diabetics

Posted on February 14, 2018 by Virginia Tims-Lawson

I’ve watched so many people I care about struggle with diabetes. In fact, the husband of one of my good friends had to have two of his toes amputated when he was just 51 years old.

Diabetes causes so much damage — in large part because of the affect it has on your circulation (lack of circulation is why my friend’s husband had to face amputation). The disease stiffens your blood vessels and reduces the amount of oxygen that circulates throughout your body, including your brain.

And, when blood flow to your brain is impaired, it can affect the way you think and make decisions.

Luckily, a new study is shining a light on how people living with type 2 diabetes can improve their circulation and prevent cognitive problems.

Let’s take a look…

Healthy living strategies for type 2 diabetes

In this 10-year-long study (That’s right, this wasn’t just a two week follow up where you can’t tell if the results are accurate over time; it was a long range study!), researchers were looking to determine whether people with type 2 diabetes who ate less calories and got more exercise would experience better blood flow to their brains.

To do this, they assigned the participants to one of two groups:

• The first group was given a daily goal of eating between 1,200 to 1,800 calories in order to lose weight, based on their initial weight. They also had a goal of 175 minutes of physical activity during the week, through activities like brisk walking.

• The second group was called the “control group.” The control group attended diabetes support and education classes but did not eat less or exercise more.

Over the next 10 years, the researchers regularly followed up with the two groups via visits, phone calls and email to keep track of their progress.

At the end of the study, all participants were given an MRI of their brains to assess blood flow. Here’s what they found…

Compared to the control group (who did not change their diet or physical activity levels), the diet and exercise group had much greater blood flow to their brains.

In other words, if you have type 2 diabetes and you want to improve both your circulation and cognition, you should focus on eating a reduced calorie diet in order to lose any extra pounds and getting adequate exercise.

Other natural ways to improve circulation

Besides diet and exercise, there are a number of other natural ways to improve your circulation.

These include:

• Eat oily fish — The omega-3s in oily fish like salmon, mackerel and herring can make your blood less viscous, which helps improve your circulation, so be sure to get more in your diet. You can also take a good quality supplement, preferably krill oil.

• Drink tea — White, green and black tea are rich in antioxidants that can help dilate or widen your arteries. Try to get in a cup or two a day.

• Sit less — We all sit more than we should these days, whether it’s at home watching TV or at our desks at the office. And, all this sitting is terrible for our circulation. When you’re at work, take time to get up and walk laps around your desk. Better yet, walk up and down the stairs. At home, try marching in place while watching your favorite shows.

• Kick the habit — The carbon monoxide in tobacco reduces your blood’s ability to carry oxygen, which is damaging to your brain and other organs. Kick the habit to improve your circulation and your brain power.

• Grab some nitric oxide (NO) power — NO signals your arteries to open to receive blood flow and then relax again — which helps maintain healthy circulation. Certain foods can boost your body’s production of NO, like spinach and beets. If you don’t eat enough of those foods, a supplement like Peak Cardio Platinum™ can help. It uses L-Arginine, an essential amino acid, which helps the body produce more NO.

The circulation problems caused by diabetes can damage your organs and reduce blood flow to your brain, leaving you with memory issues and difficulty thinking. Use the tips above along with diet and exercise to preserve and optimize your circulation and keep your brain sharp.

Sources:

sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/10/171030141329.htm
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3712371/
content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1820250,00.html