Complications of Diabetes – Learn How Nitric Oxide can be a Godsend!

The complications of diabetes have become a national health problem. Type 2 diabetes has grown to epidemic proportions in the United States leading to a greater risk for stroke, heart disease, and circulatory issues. Sadly, twice as many African Americans will develop diabetes when compared to the Caucasian community.

Fortunately, there are clinical studies to show that nitric oxide can positively affect the complications of diabetes. According to Dr. J. Joseph Prendergast, the product formulator for ProArgi-9 Plus:

“Many people still think diabetes is a disease about sugar.
It’s not the sugar! It’s the complications!”

Dr. Prendergast is not discounting the need to control your blood sugar.  That’s extremely important.  What he’s trying to get people to understand is that unregulated glucose (blood sugar) causes high levels of oxidative stress which damages the endothelial cells and their ability to properly produce nitric oxide – the master signaling molecule for your cardiovascular system.

This page will help you understand the hard facts and the complications associated with diabetes.  As well as the potential of a properly designed L-arginine / L-citrulline protocol to improve the health of your endothelial cells.  This can effectively combat oxidative stress and restore the endothelial cells’ ability to properly create nitric oxide.  Improved nitric oxide production can significantly reduce the complications of diabetes.

The Hard Facts!

Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce insulin (Type 1) or does not properly respond to insulin (Type 2).  According to ABC News 45% of the adult population is at significant risk for heart and cardiovascular disease.  Of the three greatest areas of risk, they listed diabetes as number 3 with high blood pressure as number 1 and cholesterol concerns as number 2.

It’s estimated that 23.5 million American adults have either Type I or Type II diabetes.  And, I used the word estimated because Type II diabetes is growing at an epidemic rate.  What makes this “America’s largest healthcare epidemic” is that 57 million Americans are in a pre-diabetic condition where their blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed with Type II diabetes.  Almost 25% of the American population is either in a pre-diabetic or diabetic condition and this is creating an enormous health challenge especially in the African American community.

Type II diabetes in adolescents has increased 10 times over the last decade and now represents 33% of new pediatric diabetes cases where as 20 years ago it was only 2%.  This diabetic problem is even worse for African Americans since they are 1.8 times as likely to develop diabetes as whites. And, the death rates for African Americans with diabetes are 27 percent higher than for Caucasians.  It’s estimated that the annual health care costs of a Type II diabetic is 2.3 times greater than a person without this disease.

Complications of Diabetes!

If you have diabetes or if you have a family member or friend who has diabetes than you already know how challenging this disease can be.  According to the Diabetes Association of Greater Cleveland:

To put these numbers in perspective, every 24 hours 4,100 new cases of diabetes are diagnosed, 810 people will die, 230 will have a diabetes-related amputation, 120 new patients will require kidney dialysis or transplant, 55 will go blind, and nearly 65% of diabetics will die from cardiovascular disease.

How Nitric Oxide Helps!

Although there is no evidence to date that shows that nitric oxide improves insulin availability, there is plenty of evidence that nitric oxide can intervene to help prevent diabetic complications. A family of enzymes called nitric oxide synthase (NOS)  generates nitric oxide from the essential amino acid L-arginine.  Nitric oxide is the master signaling molecule for the cardiovascular system, is an important neurotransmitter, helps to mediate pain, and is necessary in wound healing and tissue repair.

Unfortunately, nitric oxide production is often impaired in both Type I and Type II diabetics.  Current research seems to indicate three limiting factors:

Limiting Factor 1 is an accumulation of asymmetrical dimethyl arginine or ADMA in the blood. Under normal metabolism of L-arginine a small amount of a natural inhibitor to the NOS enzymes is formed called ADMA.  Normally, ADMA doesn’t accumulate because it’s eliminated in the urine through normal kidney functions.  However, reduced kidney function is part of aging.  Additionally, Type I and Type II diabetes accelerates this kidney dysfunction.  This allows ADMA to accumulate in the blood stream and inhibit the NOS enzymes to reduce nitric oxide production.

Limiting Factor 2 is a change in pH from alkaline to acidic. The NOS enzymes are pH dependent and work best in slightly alkaline (basic) conditions.  In diabetes, glycolysis and ketoacidosis are negative factors that force tissue pH towards acidic conditions.  To compensate the body will use calcium to restore its proper alkaline pH.  Calcium is needed to activate the NOS enzymes.  Thus, this acidic change causes the NOS enzymes to become less active and efficient resulting in a decrease in nitric oxide production.

Limiting Factor 3 is adequate supplies of oxygen necessary for the NOS enzymes and nitric oxide production. Since diabetics typically have impaired circulation this reduces blood flow and the body’s ability to supply oxygen to the endothelial cells particularly in the extremities.  Additionally, diabetics often experience elevated blood glucose levels.  This extra glucose becomes attached to the hemoglobin to change its structure and to bind nitric oxide instead of oxygen.  Once nitric oxide is bound to the hemoglobin it is not easily released which compounds the problem.

Diabetes creates a compounding effect, which leads to a multitude of complications. As this disease causes biochemical changes in the blood stream, kidneys, and surrounding tissues thru low oxygen, acidosis, and the accumulation of ADMA, it reduces the production of nitric oxide.  The reduction in nitric oxide reduces wound healing and tissue repair (especially affecting the endothelial cells).  This reduction also limits normal vasodilation, which affects the cardiovascular system.

This continues to impair the production of nitric oxide, which negatively affects neurotransmission and pain.  Thus, many of the complications of diabetes such as heart disease and high blood pressure, retinopathy (eye problems), neuropathy (nerve damage), kidney disease, bruises to the hands, feet and legs, and poor circulation to the extremities (which often lead to amputation) are all aggravated by low nitric oxide production.

Two Fold Approach to Improved Diabetic Health!

Most people who deal with diabetes only deal with blood sugar levels.  There is no question that this approach is absolutely necessary.  Unfortunately, the oxidative damage done to the endothelial cells is not addressed. Yet addressing this problem is critical to reducing the risk for diabetic complications.  Again, I refer back to Dr. J. Joseph Prendergast and his comment at the beginning of this page:

“Many people still think diabetes is a disease about sugar.  It’s not the sugar!  It’s the complications!”

Dr. Prendergast has 35+ years of experience as a prominent endocrinologist in Palo Alto, California with an extremely large patient base of diabetics.  His clinical studies have shown that if you implement a proper L-arginine / L-citrulline protocol you can effectively reduce and/or eliminate much of the oxidative stress to the endothelial cells.  This results in good nitric oxide production to eliminate or reduce many diabetic complications.  For example, of the 7,000+ patients who have followed his L-arginine / L-citrulline protocol none have had serious hospitalizations, no amputations, and less than 1% has had cardiovascular issues.

This is a remarkable record which the American Diabetes Association recognized by awarding Dr. Prendergast with the 2008 Father of the Year Award!

Monitoring blood sugar levels will always be important for proper diabetic care.  Equally important is properly nourishing your endothelial cells through diet, exercise, and taking sufficient amounts of the amino acids L-arginine and L-citrulline.  Each of these three lifestyle factors will go a long way to helping your endothelial cells stay healthy and produce the necessary nitric oxide to prevent the complications of diabetes.

How ProArgi-9 Plus Can Benefit Diabetics!

ProArgi-9 Plus is a clinically proven L-arginine / L-citrulline nutritional supplement designed to help repair your endothelial cells so that they can properly produce nitric oxide.

The product formulator for ProArgi-9 Plus is Dr. J. Joseph Prendergast who incorporated Nobel Prize winning science, with cutting edge vascular research, to develop a clinically proven, natural supplement that has benefited thousands of his patients and tens of thousands of people around the world.

If you’re currently experiencing complications of diabetes or would like to prevent them, then I would invite you to try a clinically proven product that can repair your endothelial cells and improve they ability to produce nitric oxide.