Diabetes costs our economy a fortune in medical care usage and lost productivity, and the number of cases continues to rise. The National Institutes of Health estimates that medical care and lost productivity due to diabetes cost our economy $174 billion in 2007 up from $132 billion in 2001 and $98 billion in 1997. So many children now develop Type 2 diabetes that it is no longer referred to as adult onset. Of course there are close ties between diabetes and obesity. If you are overweight your chances of developing diabetes increase significantly and if you have diabetes you are much more likely to put on extra pounds.

The mainstream approach to diabetes is medication to control insulin and blood sugar as well as its many side effects such as blindness, loss of limbs, heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease. The increasing number of cases along with rising costs suggest that the conventional approach may not be the answer and raises the question of "Can diabetes be reversed?"

While drugs and medical approaches tend to focus on the immediate cause of the problem, i.e. high blood sugar, a holistic focus may provide different answers. A good example is the approach of Robert O. Young, PhD, known for his expertise in understanding the importance of a healthy pH balance for disease prevention. Dr. Young suggests that diabetes is not so much a disease of the cells as a condition created by the environment of the cells.

After observing some dramatic reversals of diabetes in his patients, Dr. Young did a series of studies testing his proposition that a program promoting pH balance through appropriate diet emphasizing alkalizing foods, exercise and supplements could be effective for diabetes. His results showed that everyone who completed his three month program was able to either significantly decrease their insulin intake or discontinue it completely. Side benefits included weight loss, along with lowered cholesterol and blood pressure.

Recent studies, although more limited in their focus, support the connection between diet and diabetes. The association between consumption of red meat and the risk of diabetes was the focus of a study that appeared August 11, 2011 in the online version of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Scientist evaluated this relationship based on two longitudinal studies of nurses and their health and found a significant relationship between red meat consumption and diabetes risk. The authors suggested that replacing one serving of red meat with a serving of nuts, low fat dairy or grain every day could result in a 16% to 35% reduction in risk of diabetes.

Scientists at Newcastle University in England had similar results according to a press release from that institution. In this study 11 subjects who had developed diabetes as adults were put on a diet of 600 calories per day that included diet drinks and non-starchy vegetables for two months. Pre-breakfast blood sugar levels returned to normal in just a week and MRIs showed normal levels of fat in the pancreas allowing it to resume efficient functioning. All subjects were free of diabetes at the end of the study and seven remained free of the disease three months later after resuming a more typical diet but following advice about food choices and portion sizes.

A holistic approach to diabetes with a focus on diet, weight loss and exercise has real potential for assisting individuals and also for improving our health care economy.