Kefir and Diabetes

I was recently talking to my husband about those days. Not only did I find the answers I was seeking, but I found more joy and understanding of the human body and how it teaches us if we listen. Many people ask for wellness, but I have discovered that you must tune yourself to look for the solution and not focus on the pain of what you are living. I used to tell myself that I would find the answer, that it would come to me. Then I would hang on to that answer and hope for dear life. The answers came swiftly and turned my life upside down. When I discovered during my third pregnancy that I had gestational diabetes. I managed it quite successfully during my pregnancy. My diabetes went away only to return with a vengeance seven months later, with a slew of other problems. I know a lot about diabetes since several people in my family have type 1 diabetes and my dad had type 2 diabetes. Watching my family live with this and gaining an understanding of what it can do to the body was a life-altering journey for me. I was not naïve about the difference between type 1 and 2 diabetes. They are quite different in nature - one is caused by the autoimmune system attacking itself (type 1) and the other (type 2) is caused by a condition known as “insulin resistance.”  In fact, in the early stages of type 2 diabetes, there’s plenty of insulin around but the body can’t use it effectively. I had type 2 diabetes and knew it was not something to fool around with. It can shorten your life and make you feel terrible.

It was these events that caused me to start drinking kefir. I was quite shocked at how quickly it lowered my blood sugar and blood pressure. I didn't expect that. So I did experiments on myself to see if it really was the kefir. After many trials, I was convinced it was the kefir. Drinking at least a cup of kefir in a smoothie every day, I watched my numbers normalize and diabetes and high blood pressure quickly became a thing of the past for me.
 My friend (and CPA) was the one who really clued me in to how effective kefir was on blood sugar. She had just been diagnosed with diabetes in the last few years and it had been caused by her lifestyle choices and sedentary lifestyle. We talked about this often. She really wasn’t wanting to change her eating habits very much despite the diagnosis. I had told her to try kefir and every time she did, it would lower her blood sugar quite dramatically. She never wanted to be bothered making it and would fall off the wagon over and over again. So, a couple of months ago she called me in a panic. Her blood sugars were so bad that they were going to put her on insulin shots. She didn’t do very well with making kefir every day so I told her to use the Easy Kefir packages and make a gallon at a time. Then she would always have some kefir and wouldn’t have to make it every day. You have to meet people where they are. Some people aren’t going to do the things that I am willing to do. I always try to find their path of least resistance and something they will actually do. The results were once again a lowering of her blood sugar so that she never did have to go on the shots. She still has diabetes, but it is well managed and under control. Her doctor was so impressed that she asked for a copy of my book.

Many studies are confirming the presence of altered gut flora in humans and animals with obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes, and hypertension. Growing research suggests that people who are obese and resistant to insulin have microbes in their gut that are different from the microbes in healthy people.^1,2 There is evidence that feeding probiotics and prebiotics to those with diabetes-related obesity and metabolic disorders can dramatically reduce insulin resistance, restore glucose sensitivity, and lower blood pressure and weight by altering their gut flora and encouraging the right kind of microbes to thrive and grow.² This adds to a feeling of overall well-being. These conditions can be very draining and tax the body, so when you balance your gut you liberate energy, lifting your mood and outlook on life.

Researchers at the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State have discovered insights into how people develop insulin resistance which can lead to type 2 diabetes. Professor Andrew Gewirtz, who specializes in research on the microbiome, intestinal inflammation, and diabetes, said: "Alterations in bacteria have been associated with metabolic diseases, including obesity and type 2 diabetes, but mechanisms remain elusive."

Study on 60 diabetic patients