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MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS FOR CORONARY HEART DISEASE DEVELOPMENT: DIABETES MELLITUS AND OBESITY

admin — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 16:27:18 +0000

Diabetes mellitusThe normal levels of blood sugar in a fasting person are between 80-120 mg %. If the fasting level of blood sugar is more than 110 mg%, or after meals more than 160 mg%, it is called diabetes or high blood sugar. In diabetic patients, sugar can be detected in the urine also. Diabetic patients have a higher chance of developing coronary blockages. They are also prone to several other diseases like kidney damage, as well as damage to the nerves and eyes. Patients with diabetes are usually obese, have high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol levels, all responsible for blockages. Heart attacks may occur at a younger age in severe diabetics. The symptoms of diabetes are increased thirst, increased urination and weight loss, but in some cases there may be no symptoms at all. It is important for heart patients to control diabetes.
Obesity or overweightIf the weight of a person is more than the upper limit of weight for that age and sex, he is called obese or a fat person. People who eat excess fat and do not do exercise put on weight. There are standard charts available from which one can find out whether one is overweight or obese. Obese individuals have greater chances of getting heart diseases. They have increased chances of having high blood pressure and diabetes and thereby blockages. Obesity can be prevented by eating low caloric food, avoiding fats, avoiding excess sugar, and doing physical exercise regularly. Fat people remain inactive and are also made fun of sometimes. Therefore, they tend to develop excessive mental tensions resulting in hypertension and heart attacks. The chances of getting a heart attack increases by 15 times for obese people as compared to lean and thin individuals. *15/283/5*

MODES OF DETECTION OF DIABETES IN ASYMPTOMATIC INDIVIDUALS

admin — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 10:34:18 +0000

Diabetes may appear without any subjective complaints (asymptomatic) or symptoms. The following observations should alert an individual to the possibility of diabetes.

I A common OBSERVATION by the person : ‘ANTS SWARMING AROUND URINE IN TOILET’ Some intelligent person may report this to the physician.

II. Routine examination : Some persons are in habit of periodical blood glucose examination and diabetes may be thus detected.

III. High risk : Some asymptomatic high risk persons (relatives of diabetics) get their diabetes detected while undergoing periodic blood or urine glucose test.

executive health checkups, which are currently available in certain sopnisucatea hospitals.

V. Diabetes detection and health check-up camps : Organised by different social organisations e.g. Rotary Club, Lions Club etc.

VI. For Insurance policy or health certificate for Govt. Job: Blood glucose estimations for these purpose occasionally detects diabetes in asymptomatic individuals.

VII. Population studies (Epidemiology)

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DIABETES IN CHILDREN: DEFINITION, TREATMENT AND SUPPLEMENTS

admin — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 10:04:49 +0000

Diabetes is a disease in which people cannot metabolize carbohydrates because the pancreas will not secrete insulin, the hormone which regulates the metabolism of blood sugar. It is thought that the disease is hereditary. Haifa per cent of children suffer from diabetes mellitus and the onset is usually sudden and severe. The child or adolescent loses weight, gets hungry and thirsty constantly, urinates frequently and has a dry and itchy skin. Treatment is essential as the final outcome could be diabetic coma.
The 2 types of diabetes mellitus are insulin independent and insulin dependent. It is the latter which tends to occur in adolescents and it is sometimes called juvenile onset diabetes. Sufferers depend on insulin injections and must be under the care of a medical practitioner.
Research has shown that vitamin and mineral supplementation can help sufferers. Chromium is a component of the glucose tolerance factor (GTF) and it increases tolerance in animals, boosting the effectiveness of insulin. It is found in brewer’s yeast. A high fibre, high complex carbohydrate diet including foods such as cereal grains, especially rolled oats, root vegetables and legumes is important. Avoid any refined sugars. Complex carbohydrates should be 75 per cent of the diet, protein 15 to 20 per cent, and fat 5 to 10 per cent. Clinical studies have found that zinc is excreted in the urine by diabetics. A zinc supplement may be useful.
Clinical studies have also shown that vitamin С improved glucose tolerance in patients given 500mg daily. Supplementation may be useful but if your child is supplementing with vitamin С it may alter the results of urine tests. Talk this over with your medical practitioner who must also be supervising the disease.

Supplements
Brewer’s yeast                 for children over 12 years 500mg twice daily
Vitamin С                        l,000mg daily
Zinc                                25mg daily
Vitamin E                        l00 IU daily
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DON’T LET DIABETES GET YOU DOWN

admin — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 10:03:48 +0000

Diabetes occurs when the body is unable to fully metabolize sugars and starches, either because the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin for processing, or the insulin produced is less than effective.
In mild cases, diet alone can control the condition. In severe cases, replacement insulin is necessary. In all cases, the care of a physician is essential – but that doesn’t mean you have to give up on your get-up-and-go!

Energize Your Eating
• Keep your diet low in fats and high in complex carbohydrates, especially those that are rich in fibre, such as whole grains and dried beans.
• Avoid all foods containing refined sugars.
• Have 4-6 small meals daily instead of 2-3 large ones.
• Eat more fish. It’s high in protein and low in fat.
• Increase raw fruits and vegetables in your diet.
• Add brewer’s yeast to meals when you can – especially if you’re a senior citizen. (Impaired glucose tolerance is a definite factor in maturity-onset diabetes, and brewer’s yeast is a prime source of GTF, the glucose tolerance factor which can potentiate insulin.)
• Make sure your meals contain plenty of vitamin E- and C-rich foods. These will help counteract the poor circulation and impeded blood vessels that diabetics are prone to.
• Drink a cup of freshly made raspberry tea 2-3 times daily (steep leaves in hot water for half an hour). It’s one of the best herbal remedies for lowering blood sugar.

Suggested Supplements
• GTF chromium, 50 mcg., 3 times daily
• Potassium, 99 mg., 3 times daily
• Chelated zinc, 50 mg., 1-3 times daily
• Water, 6-8 glasses daily
And don’t forget exercise!
*1/137/5*

THE G.I. FACTOR: WHY DO PEOPLE BECOME OVERWEIGHT?

admin — Fri, 08 May 2009 13:51:12 +0000

Metabolism. Our genetic make-up also underlies our metabolism, (basically how many kilojoules we burn per minute). Bodies, like cars, differ in this regard. A V-8 consumes more fuel to run than a small 4-cylinder car. A bigger body, generally, requires more kilojoules than a smaller one. Everybody has a resting metabolic rate. This is a measure of the amount of kilojoules our bodies use when we are at rest. When a car is stationary, the engine idles—using just enough fuel to keep the motor running. When we are asleep, our engine keeps running (for example, our heart keeps beating) and we use a minimum number of kilojoules. This is our resting metabolic rate. Our resting metabolic rate is the amount of kilojoules we burn without any exercise. When we start exercising, or even just moving around, the number of kilojoules, or the amount of fuel we use, increases. However, the largest amount (around 70 per cent) of the kilojoules used in a 24-hour period are those used to maintain our basic body functioning. Since our resting metabolic rate is where most of the kilojoules we eat are used, it is a significant determinant of our body weight. The lower your resting energy expenditure the greater your risk of gaining weight and vice versa. We all know someone who appears to ‘eat like a horse’ but is positively thin! Almost in awe we comment on their ‘fast metabolism’, and we may not be far off the mark!

All this isn’t to say that if your parents were overweight that you should resign yourself to being overweight. But it may help you understand why you have to watch your weight while other people seemingly don’t have to watch theirs.

So, if you were born with a tendency to be overweight, why does it matter what you eat? The answer is that foods (or more correctly, nutrients) are not equal in their effect on body weight. In particular the way the body responds to dietary fat makes matters worse. If you are overweight it is likely that the amount of fat you burn is small, relative to the amount of fat you store. Consequently, the more fat you eat, the more fat you store. Although this may sound logical, the ‘eat-more, store-more’ mechanism does not exist for all nutrients.

Amongst all four major sources of kilojoules in food, (protein, fat, carbohydrate and alcohol), fat is unique. When we increase our intake of protein, alcohol or carbohydrate the body’s response is to burn more of that particular energy source. Sensibly, the body matches the supply of fuel with the type of fuel burned. One of the fundamental differences between fat and carbohydrate is that fat tends to be stored whereas carbohydrate has a tendency to be burned. It is worth noting at this point that if your carbohydrate intake is low, it may reduce the amount of kilojoules you burn each day by 5 to 10 per cent While you may not have been born owning the best set of genes, you can still influence your weight by the lifestyle choices you make. The message is simply this: if you believe that you are at risk of being overweight, you should think seriously about minimising fat and eating more carbohydrate.

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LIVING WITH DIABETES: PACKAGED FOOD LABELS

admin — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 09:01:39 +0000

Many manufacturers now provide nutritional information on food packages. These may be useful in planning the diet for the person with diabetes.

Here are two examples of package labels:

1. An individual serving may be described.

Nutriment composition per serving one serve as described on packet

Protein 3 g

Fat 2g

Carbohydrate 15 g

Kcals 90

Kjoules 378

From this label one serve would be equal to one carbohydrate exchange.

1. The description may refer to a certain amount of the food. Nutrient composition per 100 g of prepared food.

Protein 4g

Fat 6g

Carbohydrate 22 g

Kcals 158

Kjoules 664

From this label l00 g of food would provide approximately 1 1/2 carbohydrate exchanges. If an average serve weighs approximately 30 g, then it will provide 1/2 carbohydrate exchange.

This information helps you work out the number of carbohydrate exchanges per serve. Not all foods labeled in this way are suitable for regular use as they may have high sugar content. It is also important to read the ingredients labeling. Ingredients by law are listed in decreasing order. Inclusion of ingredients such as sugar, glucose, dextrose, and honey in large amounts may mean that the product should not be used under normal circumstances.

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