What is the minimum effort required to beat diabetes?

I never watch TV, but I occasionally get a glimpse of mainstream culture from the boob tube at the gym. Yesterday I saw a commercial about a drug for diabetes. The actor portraying a diabetic spoke of his disease as if it was the result of random misfortune — despite diabetes being the most preventable and reversable illness of all time.

This commercial reminded me of the current election silly season. We have leaders who present themselves as observers of crises that they in fact made possible. These politicians promise to uncover the people responsible and then take action.

With more than 11% of the U.S. population already living with diabetes, and 1.2 million more diagnosed with diabetes every year, I’m interested in how much effort an individual must actually make to control his fate.

The latest and most insightful work on chronic disease is converging on a universal metabolic explanation. (Read Good Energy by Dr. Casey Means, or Tripping Over the Truth by Travis Christofferson, or listen to any podcast featuring Dr. Jack Kruse.) In summary, everything from cancer to Alzheimer’s is a result of dysfunctional or damaged mitochondria failing to produce sufficient energy for cells to function properly.   

When it comes to creating, strengthening, and protecting your mitochondria, your highest value activity (besides avoiding radiation) is to honor your cells’ circadian rhythm. Millions of years of living outside has tattooed the cycle of bright days and dark nights onto the biology of every multi-cell organism above ground. For humans, exposure to sun in the morning (without sunglasses) is especially critical because our cells’ daily program depends on them knowing what time it is. Dim indoor days followed by artificially lit nights create biological confusion — and spikes of blood sugar and insulin.

Your light environment trumps the importance of even diet and exercise. Light directs the enzymes that regulate mitochondria, and junk light increases your body’s production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) — causing oxidative damage to sensitive mitochondria.

Champions of mitochondrial health are leading by example. Dr. Jack Kruse left New York for El Salvador, brought his home office outside, and doesn’t care that the noise of landscapers intrudes on his podcast appearances. Dr. Casey Means bought “comfortable snow pants, tall waterproof boots, and a long parka” to suit up quickly for walks outside in frozen, blizzard conditions in the state where she practices medicine. Even on lousy days, outdoor brightness is orders of magnitude greater compared to inside.

Unfortunately, our modern lifestyles make a health intervention as simple as *go outside* into a substantial lift. It’s not quite the same as heavy squats, but it still takes planning and habit. Can you eat breakfast or drink your morning coffee outside? Can you schedule 10-minute walking breaks while you’re at work? Will you find 30 minutes to sit outside when you return home? Where is the time for sun during busy weekends?

The diabetes commercial was wrong about our lack of agency when it comes to this disease. It was right, however, about the general lack of will to do something about it.