Archive for the 'Diabetes' Category

Do sukker forrsaker diabetes mellitus?
De nedenstende svar is fra de IFIC, internasjonal mat informasjon Council grunnleggelse, 1100 Connecticut aveny, N. W. suite 430, Washington, DC 20036.(Henblikk i bibliografi, del 8)] Den har been klar for mange r at sukker do ikke forrsaker diabetes mellitus. De effekt av sukker p de betingelse har been sm brnn forst.Answer All patients of diabetes mellitus are not advised to keep a fast. People who are suffering from diabetes mellitus type 1 are generally obese and the main reason they have diabetes is that their body cells do not respond to insulin due to obesity.

Can Insty be prescribed in Diabetes Mellitus?
Granules in Insty contain sucrose, which should be taken into consideration by the patients suffering from Diabetes Mellitus.There are many forms of diabetes mellitus. All of the forms are not hereditary. Diabetes mellitus type 2 can be passed from one generation to another.

Question # 2 : Do all people suffering from diabetes mellitus have high blood sugar?
Answer Diabetes mellitus is defined as hyperglycemia, i.e. excess sugar in the blood. Therefore, diabetes mellitus is caused only when the levels of blood sugar are much higher than the normal values. However, low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) can occur as a complication if the amount of insulin in the body increases.Answer Smoking can cause serious complications with diabetes mellitus. A smoker with diabetes is three times more likely than nonsmokers with diabetes to die of cardiovascular problems such as heart disease and stroke. Smoking interferes with the nervous system. This reduces the immune system of the body.

Question # 6: Why must patients of diabetes mellitus not smoke?
Answer Smoking can cause serious complications with diabetes mellitus. A smoker with diabetes is three times more likely than nonsmokers with diabetes to die of cardiovascular problems such as heart disease and stroke. Smoking interferes with the nervous system. This reduces the immune system of the body. Smoking reduces the lumen of the arteries and other blood vessels. This makes the blood flow through the arteries very difficult.Answer Diabetes mellitus of both types 1 and 2 affect sexual performance in both males and females, though the effect is observed very obviously in the males. Males suffering from diabetes mellitus develop impotence after a length of time. Such men are not able to get an erection. This becomes quite frustrating because diabetes mellitus does not reduce the urge to have sex, i.

Question # 4: How can diabetes mellitus be diagnosed early on?
Answer Diabetes mellitus is a disease that sets in gradually. It is very difficult to diagnose it early on. There are specific symptoms that can pinpoint the presence of diabetes mellitus. But some warning signs can be looked into. It there is an increased hunger or thirst, and yet a loss in weight, then it could be a symptom of diabetes mellitus. Any unexplained weakness could also be an indication of diabetes. In men, impotence, i.e.Normally animals need to have an empty stomach before they are anesthetized. A diabetic dog that has not been fed needs far less insulin.

I have heard about diabetes insipidus, is that the same as diabetes mellitus?
No. Diabetes insipidus, also known as water diabetes is caused when large amounts of dilute urine are produced. It is a far less common condition than diabetes mellitus. Diabetes insipidus is caused by problems in part of the brain or in the kidneys. There is no glucose present in the urine of animals with diabetes insipidus.Answer Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder caused due to the malfunctioning of the pancreas in producing insulin.

It is widely known that exercise helps combat the symptoms of diabetes. Along with nutrition modifications, it helps diabetics lead healthier lives thereby avoiding serious complications associated with the disease. Recommended forms of exercise vary according to a person’s interests and abilities. Exercise works to lower blood glucose or blood sugar levels by increasing the body’s sensitivity to insulin and using glucose as fuel. In addition, exercise can reduce stress level which has been linked to diabetes.

At the Yoga Biomedical Trust, founded by biochemist Dr. Robin Monro in conjunction with the Indian Yoga Research Foundation, studies were conducted to measure the effects of yoga practice on diabetic participants. What they found was that practicing yoga for just 30 minutes a day helps reduce blood sugar levels and alleviate stress. It was expected to find the blood sugar level reduction because exercise can greatly impact the conversion of sugar to energy and insulin sensitivity. However, what was discovered regarding stress, the diabetic and yoga,was just as beneficial.

In the study, two groups were formed. A control group of diabetics and a yoga practice group. The control group underwent no changes in routine or diet. The yoga group attended a 90 minute yoga session once or twice a week. In addition, each yoga group participant was asked to practice 30 minutes per day at their convenience. At the end of the study, all yoga group participants had lowered blood sugar levels. Three participants were able to reduce the required amount of medication needed to control their diabetes. Interestingly, participants’ stress levels decreased, while feelings of well being increased. How would that influence diabetes?

The yoga patients took part in one or two 90-minute sessions a week and were asked to practice at home. The classes included the specific yoga exercises of the spinal twist, the bow and abdominal breathing.

At the end of the 12 weeks blood sugar levels fell significantly in all patients in the group and were slightly raised in a control group which had not joined in the yoga sessions. Three yoga students managed to reduce their medication, including one man who had not changed his drug regime for 20 years.

It is well known that exercise and nutrition play an important role in the management of blood sugar levels in diabetics. Recommended forms of exercise vary according to a person’s interests and abilities.

In the past, diabetics confronted with the disease may have been given the impression that strenuous, rigorous exercise was the only way to combat their rising blood sugar levels. Now, the opportunity to practice a gentle, mindful form of exercise has risen and been proven to help diabetics. Maintaining healthy respiratory, circulatory and endocrinal systems are important for everyone’s health. Yoga helps restore balance, inside and out.

The Atkins diet principles lay the foundation for a healthy, more balanced way of eating than the standard American diet. Its emphasis is on using good carbohydrates in balance with adequate protein. This is in stark contrast to what most Americans eat on a daily basis. The average American eats lots of processed foods that have hidden sugars and highly processed carbohydrates. This has put most Americans on the road to diabetes and pre-diabetic conditions. What is sad is that diabetes has a predictable set of stages and that they can be easily recognized.

To begin with, Type II diabetes is a disease that is a direct result of insulin resistance. This means that the body can no longer produce sufficient insulin to lower blood sugar levels. In youth, our bodies were able to digest and metabolize food more efficiently. A then-healthy pancreas worked to produce and release adequate amounts of insulin, no matter how many carbohydrates or sugar we ate. Of course, there may have been other consequences of unhealthy eating habits such as weight gain or mood swings but it didn’t matter that much at the time.

In youth, this pattern is continually repeated with little or no visible consequence. While children may gain a few pounds here or there, the possibility of acquiring diabetes is not usually considered seriously. Healthy systems recover quickly and easily. As we age though, the continued pattern takes its toll on our heart and circulatory system. The body becomes insulin resistant. That is, no amount of insulin works effectively to reduce blood sugar levels. At that point we become pre-diabetic or can acquire Type II diabetes.

Many people who are overweight are also insulin resistant. Insulin resistance means that the insulin is not doing its job in removing glucose from the blood stream. The pancreas gets over worked and it releases massive amounts of insulin, sometimes 20 times more than the body actually needs. This results in the blood sugar dropping to extremely low levels. This sets off a chain reaction in the body that leads to a release of adrenaline to correct the blood sugar problem.

In addition, as we age insulin resistance becomes more pronounced and aggravated. Long term damage can occur to the heart and circulatory systems even in the pre-diabetes stage. There are warning signs and tests that can be performed by a family doctor to determine if you are at risk for Type 2 diabetes. In most cases, gaining control of your blood sugar levels is the first step in effectively preventing or delaying the onset. Studies show that low-carb diets such as the Atkins can help an individual achieve stable blood-sugar levels by decreasing the spike and valley pattern.

In the Atkins diet, proteins are emphasized more in the plan. Proteins have little affect on blood-sugar levels. Therefore they help maintain a more steady balance in the body’s system. Low-glycemic index carbohydrates are incorporated as an energy source. While these still raise blood-sugar levels, it is at a much slower rate than highly processed, refined sugar and carbohydrates.

Of course, exercise and a healthy lifestyle are important components of delaying or preventing Type II diabetes. The Atkins diet, however, is one of the simplest changes a person can make to get on a healthy track. Balancing proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, the building blocks of nutrition, allows a person’s body to work efficiently and optimally. The result is stable blood-sugar levels, weight loss and more energy.

The Atkins diet helps effectively control blood sugar. The combination of proteins, fats and good carbohydrates will keep your body satisfied without the roller coaster effect. Controlling carbohydrates in quantity as well as type will help limit the insulin spikes. This will let your pancreas work in the way that it was meant to be, and it will decrease the likelihood of your developing pre-diabetic conditions. It’s a vicious cycle that, if left unchecked, can lead to diabetes later in life. When the Atkins diet is followed effectively it produces stable blood sugar throughout the day and helps you stay off the road to diabetes.

Diabetes rates have soared in recent years, particularly in developed countries where junk diets and obesity have reached epidemic proportions. Diabetes is a terrible disease in which the body fails to control blood sugar levels (referred to as ‘insulin resistance’).

According to a 2007 study by the University of Cardiff in the UK, drinking a pint of milk a day may protect men against diabetes and heart disease. But upon closer examination of the research, the study has turned out to be flawed and without merit.

Jon Barron (of The Baseline of Health Foundation) analyzed the data from the study and his comments are summarized in the five points below:

1. The 20-year study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, looked at how human insulin resistance was affected by the consumption of dairy milk. According to the study, which tracked 2,375 men aged between 45 and 59 over a 20 year period, consuming milk reduces the risk of insulin resistance. The more milk they consumed, the lower the risk of diabetes.

2. Although the study looked at a decreased risk of insulin resistance with increased dairy consumption, it found little correlation between dairy consumption and the incidence of diabetes itself. In comparing the lowest milk consumers with the highest, it found only 7 more cases of diabetes among the lowest consumers, a statistically insignificant amount. The incidence of heart disease was not looked at in the study.

3. Also, people who had diabetes at the start of the study were excluded from the results so that we don’t know if their condition improved or deteriorated while drinking milk. That would be significant information in determining the overall health value of dairy when it comes to metabolic syndrome.

4. Another failing in the study is that it only references the amount of milk and dairy products people were consuming, nothing else. Clearly, the more milk you drink the less you drink of something else, and vice-versa. If instead of drinking more milk, you drink more soda pop, more fruit juice, or more sweetened coffee, this can have a major effect on insulin and be a major factor in the risk of diabetes.

5. In other words, the so-called health benefits attributed to milk in the study may have nothing to do with milk at all. They may instead be a reflection of lowered consumption of more harmful highly-sugared beverages. It sounds likely that the men drinking milk were eating an overall better diet, but the study doesn’t tell us either way. In any case, without that information, the study is meaningless.

When you look at the research into diabetes there are many studies (too numerous to mention here) linking milk consumption with a higher incidence of diabetes, and there are virtually no studies suggesting that milk prevents diabetes.

The author Sally Fallon makes the following comment in her book Nurturing Traditions (1999):

‘There is some evidence that pasteurization alters milk lactase (a form of sugar), making it more readily absorbable. This and the fact that pasteurized milk puts an unnecessary strain on the pancreas to produce digestive enzymes, may explain why milk consumption has been linked to diabetes’.

This is confirmed by other research. It is known that lactose undergoes condensation and molecular changes as a result of heat treatment. Lactose in milk feeds glucose into the bloodstream, and this in turn can over time create insulin resistance.

With organic milk the risk of diabetes is even greater. This is so because most organic milk sold in the world (over 80 percent) is UHT milk. In North America virtually all organic milk is UHT. The pasteurization temperature of UHT is double that of regular milk. This means that such milk is more likely to flood the bloodstream with milk sugar, increasing the risk of diabetes.

In a new report (see below), ‘Organic Milk Myth’ explores this subject in greater detail.