Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.
This China virus sure does have people relying on false
information for everything from mask use to who’s at risk.
There is risk in every move you make, every day. This virus is no different. Some people are
at elevated risk, others have very little risk.
So how do you discern who is at risk and who is not? Are there any
parameters you can measure to see if you are high or low risk? Absolutely!
Dr. Mercola did an interview with Dr. Aseem Malhotra, a
British cardiologist, who delves into the role insulin resistance plays in the
Covid-19 pandemic picture.
Dr Malhotra claims the real pandemic is poor metabolic health. As early as March, the data out of China and Italy showed a clear link with obesity and poor outcomes with this virus.
Obesity, aside from old age, has been identified as one of
the primary risk factors for being hospitalized with Covid. In patients under
60, obesity doubles your risk of being hospitalized.
Obesity causes your body to constantly be in a state of
chronic inflammation. This cause’s more proinflammatory cytokines in
circulation which increases your risk of a “cytokine storm,” this is what kills
most people. It makes your body more susceptible to infectious diseases, from
Covid to Ebola to UTI’s.
Insulin resistance is the root cause of obesity, brought on
by a flawed diet. An April 15, 2020 article in “The Scientist” shows evidence
that higher blood glucose levels impact viral replication and the development
of the cytokine storm.
While obesity likely doubles your risk of death, metabolic
syndrome increases that likelihood by 3.5 times, and increases the likelihood
of hospitalization by 5 times.
Dr. Malhotra indicates most people have poor metabolic
health or metabolic inflexibility. There are two primary subsets of metabolic
health, insulin resistance and Vitamin D deficiency.
The five metabolic parameters of ill health and insulin
resistance include the following:
1. 1. A large waist circumference. (your waist
circumference should be less than 90% of your hip circumference)
2. 2. Prediabetes or Type 2 diabetes
3. 3. Prehypertension or hypertension (high blood
pressure)
4. 4. High blood triglycerides (ideally 2.5 times your
HDL level)
5. 5. Low HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol)
If you have all five of these under control, you are in good
metabolic health. Having three or more is indicative of metabolic syndrome. Of
course Vitamin D levels are highly important.
A the very lowest, your vitamin D should be 40 ng/ml, but ideally it
should be 60-80 ng/ml.
In conclusion, optimize your health. Limit or eliminate
foods that promote insulin resistance. Topping the list are processed foods
high in “vegetable oils,” added sugars and carbohydrates like bread, pasta and
white rice. Be more physically active, optimize your sleep and reduce stress.
Most importantly, get your vitamin D levels higher, its
cheap and easy to do so you have no excuse!