Thursday 28 April 2011

Diabetes: A Rising Nationwide Health Concern

Diabetes: A Rising Nationwide Health Concern

Diabetes has quickly become a rising nationwide health concern. According to the Centers for Disease Control, it affects approximately 8.3 percent of the U. S. population, which includes nearly 7 million people that have yet to be medically diagnosed with the disease. Type II Diabetes is responsible for 90-95% of all diabetes cases in the U.S.; the remaining 5-10% are Type I.

Early detection and treatment is crucial to the lifelong health of a diabetic individual. Currently the best detection tool available to diagnose and monitor diabetes is a hemoglobin A1c test which reflects the average blood sugar level of a person over the past three months.

People with Type II Diabetes either do no secrete enough insulin, or the insulin that is produced is not properly utilized by muscle and fat cells (insulin resistance) resulting in hyperglycemia. A person with Type I Diabetes is unable to produce insulin at all.

There are various factors that contribute to the development of diabetes such as excess weight, sedentary lifestyle, fast distribution and diet (habitual excessive fat or carbohydrate intake and Vitamin D deficiency). High stress and genetics can also play a role in the development of the disease.

The symptoms of Type II Diabetes can vary among individuals and in many cases, no symptoms are present. Common symptoms may include extreme thirst or hunger, dry mouth, unexplained weight loss, blurred vision, fatigue and weakness, slow healing sores, headaches, frequent urination, itching of the skin or numbness and tingling of the hands and feet.

There are a variety of medication options available to treat and control diabetes; however the key to maintaining healthy glucose levels is through the implementation of a healthy diet and exercise routine.

Oral diabetes medications help to control blood glucose levels in individuals whose body still produces some insulin. A combination of oral medications is often used to attain optimal blood glucose control. People whose bodies are no longer able to release insulin due to their existing high blood sugar levels often require insulin injections, alone or in combination with oral medications, to manage their diabetes.

If left untreated, diabetes increases an individual’s risk of stroke, heart attack, skin infections, neuropathy and sexual dysfunction. It’s imperative to seek out medical attention if you feel you are at risk or exhibiting symptoms of the diabetes.

Saturday 23 April 2011

Gestational Diabetes Diet Menu for Safe Pregnancy

Gestational Diabetes Diet Menu for Safe Pregnancy

A further indicator of diabetes is a sudden reduction in weight. It is important that mothers and fathers consider this signal each significant and discuss to their pediatrician.

Diaper Rash: These are rather unpleasant for the toddlers. If these rashes are not healing even right after applying the ointments then it is far better to request for medical tips.

Tiredness: The kids who undergo from diabetes also experience from weakness. The system is unable to produce energy through the consumed meals so the youngster feels tired and fatigued.

Apart from over pointed out indications of diabetes, the kid starts to really feel dizzy, depressed and nauseous.

Gestational diabetes is a ailment that impacts pregnant women.

If you are pregnant, you really should be mindful of the indications of gestational diabetes so that you can seek out health care consideration immediately.

While you may well not have diabetes and may possibly under no circumstances have diabetes about the span of your lifestyle, you could be at possibility for establishing gestational diabetes.

Diabetes is a issue in which you body fails to covert sugar appropriately.

This excess sugar builds up in the physique and can be probably fatal if left unchecked. Even though this issue can be brought on by genetic disposition, diet plan, and other exterior components, girls who are pregnant are also at danger for a exceptional kind of the illness.

Generally, when the baby is born, the diabetes will disappear and might not appear if you turn out to be pregnant with yet another little one.

What Causes Gestational Diabetes?

Approximately 1 in 25 pregnant females is impacted by gestational diabetes.

Usually, this variety of diabetes will come about in the course of the final three months of the pregnancy , but may well most likely come about in advance of that time.

The surge of hormones that are existing even though you are pregnant can entirely modify your physique chemistry.

In addition, these hormones can make a person who has under no circumstances had any complications converting sugars in their human body instantly unable to do so correctly.

The certain hormones that are thought to be the root cause of the challenge arrive from the placenta.

Although not all gals are very likely to develop gestational diabetes, you might be far more at possibility if you are obese or expecting above the age of thirty.

Indicators Of Gestational Diabetes

The most typical symptoms related with gestational diabetes are serious hunger and thirst .

Despite the fact that a growling belly is certainly no stranger to a pregnant girl, any serious emotions may be signs of a difficulty.

Involved with the elevated liquid intake is an increased urinary output. Once more, this is a prevalent complaint for pregnant adult females, but any intense urination should be noted.

Other indicators involve blurred vision and excess excess weight attain.

If you think that you are suffering from any of these signs or symptoms, get in touch with your obstetrician.

He or she will operate a test to see whether or not you have developed gestational diabetes.

What To Do Following Diagnosis

If you have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, look at perusing up on the sickness by itself.

Training is the critical to acceptance and can make a condition that seems scary very livable, at minimum until eventually the birth of your little one.

Tuesday 19 April 2011

Parents, Kids and Genetic Testing For Adult-Onset Diseases

Parents, Kids and Genetic Testing For Adult-Onset Diseases

Direct-to-consumer genetic tests are controversial, with Congress last year scrutinizing their scientific accuracy and marketing practices. There’s also a philosophical debate raging about whether the public is ready for the type of information currently available about the risk of certain diseases.

But what about kids? A study published online in Pediatrics finds that some parents, at least, are willing to have their children tested to see their genetic risk of developing adult-onset diseases and conditions including diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease and certain forms of cancer.

With a few exceptions, the information you can get from these tests isn’t particularly definitive. It might indicate you have an above average chance of developing heart disease, but that doesn’t mean you’ll get it. And if you’re deemed to be at below-average risk, that doesn’t guarantee you won’t.

The survey covered 219 parents who were already interested enough in the topic to have participated in a large study on attitudes about testing for themselves. And respondents were on average more willing than not — 4.3 on a scale of 1 (not at all likely) to 7 (very likely) — to say they’d be willing to have their kids tested for the diseases. The survey also found that parents who intended to get tested themselves were more willing to consider getting their kids tested, too. Study authors urge pediatricians to anticipate parents’ questions about this kind of testing.

There’s one camp that says young people deserve to have preserved “their right to have and not have that information,” which means pushing off a decision until “they’re at a stage to make that choice,” study lead author Kenneth Tercyak, associate professor of oncology and pediatrics at Georgetown University Medical Center’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, tells the Health Blog. (To this point, testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations, which can indicate a significantly higher chance of developing breast and ovarian cancers, isn’t recommended for those under 18.)

But Tercyak notes that “parents make decisions on their children’s behalf all the time,” and that many are intrigued by the notion that genetic information might serve as a “teachable moment” to help kids adopt healthier eating or exercise habits in order to manage their risks.”It’s very difficult to help adults lose weight and exercise more, so the idea that we could begin to implement changes during childhood for true primary prevention is appealing,” he says.

Research is increasingly showing that adopting — or not adopting — healthy lifestyle habits as a kid or teen can affect the odds of developing heart disease as an adult.

Tercyak says, though, that it’s still an open question whether genetic information can provide a teachable moment. And we wonder: if a kid learns he’s at a lower-than-average risk of high cholesterol as an adult, would that encourage him to stay inside for another round of Halo rather than go outside and kick a soccer ball around?

Saturday 16 April 2011

How Can Metabolic Surgery Cure Diabetes So Fast?

How Can Metabolic Surgery Cure Diabetes So Fast?

"Since the recovery from diabetes occurs so early, a process other than weight loss has to be behind it. If we can identify and imitate this process, it could lead to entirely new ways of treating type 2 diabetes", says Nils Wierup, one of the researchers behind the study.

There is a strong correlation between being overweight or obese and type 2 diabetes, and many diabetics can recover if they lose weight, but this is not the focus of the study. Instead, the focus is on a side effect the astonishingly fast normalisation of the glucose homeostasis which is seen in 85 per cent of diabetics after metabolic surgery.

Gastric bypass surgery means rerouting food content directly to the small intestine, bypassing the stomach. This means that portion sizes have to become smaller and weight loss in the long term becomes significant.

"We don't mean that everyone with type 2 diabetes should undergo surgery, but maybe we can learn to achieve the same anti-diabetic effect without the surgery", says Nils Wierup.

Patients who will be invited to participate in the study are type 2 diabetics who are going to have gastric bypass surgery. They will undergo a variety of tests both before and periodically after the surgery.

The research team will also use pigs, both healthy and diabetic, for experiments that cannot be performed on patients.

"Pigs are suitable because they resemble humans in many ways, including anatomically and in terms of gastrointestinal hormones", says Nils Wierup, adding that it is possible that a less extensive gastric bypass may have the same dramatic effects.

"In that case the area we need to search will be smaller, and the mechanism we are searching for will be easier to find."

On the list of suspected factors are changes in the effects of gastrointestinal hormones. It is known that hormone secretion from the gastrointestinal tract plays an important role in glucose homeostasis. Gastric bypass surgery changes the conditions. Metabolic surgery might also drastically change the gastrointestinal bacterial flora since the pH changes, and this should mean that other species of bacteria can establish themselves.

"But it could also be a completely different mechanism. We have to look at a great variety of possible factors", says Hindrik Mulder, one of the researchers on the team.

Wednesday 13 April 2011

Are You at Risk for Type 2 Diabetes?

Are You at Risk for Type 2 Diabetes?

Are you at risk?

Among the primary risk factors for type 2 diabetes:

  • Being overweight

  • Leading a sedentary lifestyle

  • Being over the age of 45

  • Having a family history of diabetes

  • Blacks, Hispanics/Latinos, Native Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, women who had gestational diabetes and women who have had a baby weighing 9 pounds or more at birth have an increased risk.
  • The American Diabetes Association is rallying a target of 1 million people to take the Diabetes Risk Test through April 22 in hopes of identifying thousands who might be at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

    The test, which can be taken by telephone or on the Internet, asks participants to answer a few questions about their weight, age, family history and other potential risk factors. It's followed up with correspondence from the ADA that will address specific needs of each participant.

    "The test enables callers to determine whether they are at low, moderate or high risk for pre-diabetes or diabetes," said Elizabeth Huggins, a certified diabetes educator and Hilton Head Hospital's diabetes education coordinator. "Those at high risk will be encouraged to talk with their health care provider for further testing."

    DIABETES BY THE NUMBERS

    Diabetes affects nearly 26 million Americans. Another 79 million American adults have pre-diabetes, placing them at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes. If current trends continue, one in three American adults will have diabetes by 2050.

    "Unfortunately, people with type 2 diabetes can live for years without realizing that they have the disease," Huggins said.

    People with diabetes can exhibit noticeable symptoms, such as frequent urination, blurred vision and excessive thirst, but most people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes do not show these warning signs at the time they develop the disease.

    Often, type 2 diabetes only becomes evident when people develop serious complications ancillary to the disorder, such as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, eye damage or nerve damage that can lead to amputations.

    TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR HEALTH

    Studies have shown that type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed by losing 7 percent of body weight through regular physical activity (30 minutes a day, five days a week) and healthy eating. By understanding your risk, you can take the necessary steps to help prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes.



    Tuesday 12 April 2011

    Salt Levels Key to Reducing Diseases Like Diabetes

    Salt Levels Key to Reducing Diseases Like Diabetes

    Reducing tobacco and salt use could be one of the answers to preventing many deaths that result from non-communicable diseases like heart disease, stroke and diabates, a new study shows.

    According to health experts, NCDs are diseases that cannot directly be passed on from person to person, yet they cause severe adverse effects on people’s lives including death. These diseases are acquired over a period of time and the key risk factors are physical inactivity like exercise, inappropriate diet that is usually rich in fat, salt and sugar and excessive consumption of alcohol.

    Some of these other diseases include cancers, and chronic respiratory infections. The study published in the medical journal, the Lancet says the top priority must now be on reducing tobacco use and lowering salt intake.

    According to the authors, by 2025, salt intake per person should reduce to less than 5g per person, arguing that reducing salt consumption by just 15 per cent through aggressive campaigns would prevent an estimated 8.5 million deaths over a 10-year period.

    Reduce tobacco
    Reducing tobacco use, they argue, should be done through the already existing Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

    “Achieving this goal would prevent at least 5.5 million premature deaths over 10 years,”the survey shows.
    According to the authors, NCDs are becoming a huge public health threat with two out of every three deaths worldwide.

    “Reducing tobacco and salt use, improving diets and physical activity, reducing hazardous alcohol intake and achieving universal access to essential drugs and technologies have been chosen for their health effects, cost-effectiveness, low costs of implementation and political and financial feasibility,” the study shows.

    The results of the survey come ahead of a September UN high level meeting called to tackle NCDs. “The most important outcome of the UN high level meeting on NCDs will be sustained and strong high-level political support for a framework of specific commitments to tackle the NCD crisis as part of a costed national health plan,” the study said.

    “The aim is to reduce NCD death rates by 2 per cent per year which will avert an estimated 36 million deaths over 10 years,” they added.

    Saturday 9 April 2011

    Diabetes Linked to Higher Parkinson's Disease Risk

    Diabetes Linked to Higher Parkinson's Disease Risk

    People with diabetes may have a slightly increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease, a new study suggests -- though the reasons for the link, researchers say, are far from clear.

    The study, of nearly 289,000 older U.S. adults, found that those with diabetes at the outset were more likely to be diagnosed with Parkinson's over the next 15 years.

    Of 21,600 participants with diabetes, 172 (0.8 percent) were eventually diagnosed with Parkinson's. That compared with 1,393 cases (0.5 percent) among the 267,000 men and women who were diabetes-free at the study's start.

    When the researchers accounted for other factors -- like age, weight and smoking habits -- diabetes itself was linked to a 41 percent increase in the risk of future Parkinson's.

    That, however, does not prove that diabetes is a cause of Parkinson's, and the reasons for the connection remain unknown, said senior researcher Dr. Honglei Chen, of the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

    "Really, the evidence at this time is very preliminary," Chen told Reuters Health.

    People with diabetes, he said, should simply continue to do the things already recommended for their overall health -- eating a well-balanced diet and getting regular exercise.

    Chen and his colleagues report the findings in the April issue of the journal Diabetes Care.

    Diabetes and Parkinson's disease would seem, at first, to be unrelated.

    Diabetes arises when the body can no longer properly use the blood-sugar-regulating hormone insulin. Parkinson's is a brain disease in which movement-regulating cells in the brain die off or become disabled, leading to symptoms like tremors, rigidity in the joints, slowed movement and balance problems.

    But Chen said the connection between diabetes and Parkinson's risk could mean that the two diseases share some underlying mechanisms.

    One possibility, he speculated, is chronic, low-level inflammation throughout the body, which is suspected of contributing to a number of chronic diseases by damaging cells. Oxidation - the process fought by anti-oxidants - is another.

    On the other hand, Chen and his colleagues say, there might be something about diabetes - like a problem regulating insulin -- that contributes to Parkinson's. But that remains to be proven.

    A few large studies have looked at the diabetes-Parkinson's link before, with conflicting results.

    The current study, Chen said, included a larger number of people with Parkinson's. And unlike most past studies, it looked at the duration of people's diabetes.

    Tuesday 5 April 2011

    Guidelines for Diabetes

    Guidelines for Diabetes

    Diabetes is a disease in which the body produces no insulin hormone, or the body does not consider the insulin it produces. The body must have and use insulin to survive. Diabetes is a chronic and life-threatening disease if not treated properly. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has developed national guidelines for the treatment of diabetes.

    Diagnosis

    ADA guidelines recommend a diagnosis of diabetes be taken depending on the symptoms, a greater than 200 fasting plu 126, a random glucose sugar and a test result of hemoglobin A1c (diabetes) more than 6 per cent.

    Drugs

    ADA recommendations short and quick-produced insulin to insulin-dependent diabetics. Those who are not insulin dependent can take oral medications that help to use insulin better body.

    Diet

    ADA guidelines recommend maintaining a healthy weight with a lot of fruit and non-starch vegetables (colored dark), fish, lean meat, non-fat dairy products, whole grains, beans and water. The ADA says that no food is “closed” as long as it is part of a balanced diet.

    Exercise

    ADA guidelines recommend the daily exercise to make the body more sensitive to insulin. Exercise uses more glucose, reduced the quantity of insulin or oral drugs, maintains a healthy weight, lowers blood pressure, strengthens the bones stronger and helps to manage stress.

    Warning

    Poorly controlled diabetes can lead to heart disease, stroke, kidney damage, hypertension, eye, nerve damage, wound healing sickness, frequent hospitalizations, coma and death.