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Diabetes mellitus is a medical condition when the amount of glucose in the blood becomes too high. Glucose is moved from the blood to the body’s cells via a hormone known as insulin. Should the insulin level become too low, the blood glucose levels may rise resulting in diabetes.

By eating a balanced diet and taking regular exercise whilst maintaining a healthy body weight, one can assist with the prevention and delay of type 2 diabetes. Those who have developed diabetes should maintain a weight that is considered healthy and ensure that their diet is low in saturated fat and salt. They should, however ensure that their diet contains at least five portions of fruit and vegetables along with carbohydrates that are starching such as pasta, rice and whole-grain bread.

Untreated diabetes may cause increased thirst, the need to urinate more, weight loss, itching of the genital organs, blurred vision and tiredness.

Type 1 diabetes is also referred to as insulin dependant diabetes. The body’s immune system turns against itself and as result the cells that produce insulin are destroyed and the pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin. This type of diabetes usually develops in people under the age of 40 and in childhood.

Type 2 diabetes is when the body does not produce enough insulin or the insulin does not properly work. This type usually occurs in middle ages people. This type of diabetes is rapidly growing in the US due to people becoming fatter due to their poor diet and nutrition.

Treatment can include diet modification and physical activity for type 2 diabetes to help patients control their blood glucose level and help those patients who are overweight lose weight. It is usually possible to control this type of diabetes by diet and insulin. People with type 2 diabetes are advised to adhere to a healthy well balanced nutritious diet and will be give their individual dietary guidance by a health professional.

Likewise, a healthy nutritious diet and physical exercise can assist with the prevention of type 2 diabetes. Researchers have linked the regular consumption of whole grain foods to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, cancer and heart disease. Foods that are whole grain provide a person with many nutrients such as fibre, minerals, vitamins and resistant starch. They contain compounds such as antioxidants and phytoestrogens which can assist with disease prevention. Nutrients such as these may become lost in the refining process.

People with diabetes are advised to eat healthy – the same way that is recommended for the whole population. Their diet should contain plenty of fruit and vegetables, starchy foods and foods that are low in sugar, salt and fat. Bear in mind that cakes that are designed for the diabetic may not be beneficial as they can contain a lot of fat.

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Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Nutrition & Health.

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Tags: antioxidants, diabetes, diet, exercise, glucose, immune system, Nutrition & Health, type-2-diabetes

Whole grains are rightly touted as one of the best sources of fiber. Whole grains should be a part of every individual’s daily diet, as they are extremely beneficial to health for a multitude of reasons.

If you are not getting enough whole grains in your diet, or if you are still consuming white bread and pasta products made with refined flour instead of whole grain, then stop and think twice about what you are doing. To optimize your health, switch to whole grains and start reaping the benefits of doing so!

The absolute best sources of whole grains include such things as barley, oats, rye and wheat. Whole grains consist of the seeds of a plant and contained in it is the outer shell, the middle shell and the inner section. The outer shell is referred to as the bran while the middle section is the endosperm and the inner section is known as the germ.

Whole grains products whether they be bread, rice, pasta, cereal and other products are excellent sources of a number of vitamins and minerals including B vitamins, folate, chromium, copper, vitamin E, magnesium, iron, phosphorus and zinc. Folate is responsible for reducing the levels of an amino acid called homocysteine that exists in the bloodstream. Too much homocysteine in the blood has been shown through research studies to increase the risk of heart disease.

Whole grains are rich in lignans, phenolic acid and phytochemicals known as phytosterols. Research studies into the benefits of whole grains have discovered that that this “miracle food” is capable of decreasing the risk of a number of different cancers developing as well as type II diabetes. Whole grains are also effective at lowering cholesterol and decreasing the risk that an individual could develop heart disease and other circulatory problems. The benefits of whole grains do not end there. Whole grains are capable of decreasing inflammation in the body and therefore lowering the risk of heart disease and other heart complications.

A research study conducted at the University of Utah by Doctor Martha Slattery yielded the results that a diet rich in whole grains and in particular, high fiber cereals decreased the risk that rectal cancer will develop by approximately 31 percent. Further studies showed that a diet high in fiber, which is to say, more than 34 grams of fiber consumed on a daily basis, is capable of decreasing the chance of colorectal cancer by 66 percent.

Another study that was recently conducted at Tufts University by Doctor Nicola McKeown, showed that the participant of the study who ate at least three servings of whole grains on a daily basis were much less inclined to succumb to insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome, both of which are likely to preceed type II diabetes and heart disease.

Whole grains provide both soluble and insoluble fiber to those who eat it regularly. The body requires both. A research study conducted by Doctor Qi and her colleagues at the Harvard School of Public Health with women participants showed the result that females who suffer from diabetes can benefit from eating a great deal of whole grains, cereal fiber and bran. When tested these women were found to have lower blood vessel inflammation which has been closely connected with circulatory disease.

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Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Food Cures.

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Tags: barley, cholesterol, Fiber, Food Cures, magnesium, oats, phenolic acid, phytochemicals, type-2-diabetes, vitamins, vitamins and minerals, whole grains

Insulin resistance is now being understood to be a major contributor to the onset of diabetes. While we know that glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin tests can be used to detect diabetes type I or II, many in the general public did not realize that higher glucose levels over a long period of time can create insulin resistance, thus setting the stage for the more serious forms of diabetes in the future.

What causes insulin resistance? One can point to current dietary habits and lack of exercise as the main contributors.

The body’s cells need sugar in order to run their metabolic functions, from brain activity to running to the tasks of everyday living. Most of this sugar is presented to the cells through the bloodstream in the form of glucose. Glucose is produced by the liver from foods that are digested in the stomach and small intestine, and whose components end up in the liver for further processing. The liver produces enough glucose to power the then-needs of the body, while converting the rest of the sugars to fat for storage for later use.

The liver creates glucose from all food types, but is particularly stimulated by the carbohydrates, which are easier to convert to glucose with fewer byproducts (such as ketones, which are poisonous byproducts of the production of glucose from proteins).

Two general types of carbohydrates stimulate the liver in different ways: the ‘simple’ carbohydrates are converted much faster, and create large amounts of glucose relatively quickly after ingestion. Simple carbohydrates include all the things that we love to eat, but are regarded as junk food by the general media: unrefined sugars, such as those found in soft drinks and in our cereals, flour, such as that found in white bread and fried foods, and sugar found in candies like chocolate bars and ‘energy bars,’ which are mainly sugars.

The ‘complex’ carbohydrates, on the other hand, are converted to glucose at a much slower rate, which means that there is less of a glucose peak after one eats complex carbs. Complex carbohydrates include whole-wheat bread, spaghetti and other forms of pasta, and starches found in legumes like beans and potatoes. These are ‘complex’ because the liver must perform a series of chemical transformations before converting to the end-product, glucose.

Insulin resistance is the result of too much glucose circulating in the bloodstream for too long a time. The high levels of glucose stimulate the pancreas (more specifically, the Islets of Langerhans) to produce more insulin. And more insulin circulating in the bloodstream means that the cells are ‘tired’ of the excess of hormonal signal, and develop a resistance to the chemical.

Simple carbs, consumed in too great a quantity, are clear causes of this insulin overproduction. The other factor which contributes is inactivity. That is, the less one exercises, the less the body is able to absorb the glucose which is produced in such high quantities by the liver.

If, for example, one eats too many simple carbs, but goes out and runs for an hour, much of the insulin messages are accepted by the cells, glucose levels are reduced and insulin resistance doesn’t occur.

Insulin resistance is therefore caused by two main factors: the types of food one eats, and the amount of exercise one does after eating. Both affect the level of insulin circulating in the bloodstream, and therefore can have an important influence over insulin resistance by the body’s cells.

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John Lonergan is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on  Insulin Resistance.

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Tags: glucose, insulin resistance, type-2-diabetes

PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) is a hormone imbalance that occurs in women, and can often be mistaken for something else. Women who have it have high testosterone and high circulating insulin levels. Without diagnosis, women with PCOS risk infertility, persistent weight gain and, if left untreated for a long period of time, Type-II diabetes.

It’s estimated that over 50% of women with untreated PCOS contract Type-II diabetes before their fortieth birthday. Women with PCOS have a five- to seven-times higher incidence of heart attacks than women of childbearing age without the ailment. PCOS therefore poses an important danger to women, and should be diagnosed and treated as early as possible.

What causes PCOS? Simply put, PCOS represents multiple cysts on the ovaries. Cysts originate in follicles which should be producing oocytes (eggs) for reproduction. Because of a higher level of male hormones, these follicles do not fully mature, and instead remain as cysts in the ovaries. Since the follicles don’t mature, the ovaries put out less progesterone and are less likely to have their periods. With less estrogen and progesterone, a woman’s testosterone secretions increased and PCOS results.

These cysts are sources for testosterone, which counteract a woman’s natural estrogen level and lead to other problems. These problems can include excess facial hair, obesity and a diminished number of periods. Although all women secrete some level of male hormones, PCOS-afflicted women’s levels are much higher, which stimulates other symptoms. Other symptoms can include:

1. Acne
2. High cholesterol
3. High blood pressure
4. Thinning hair or male-pattern baldness
5. In more severe cases, patches of brown spots at the elbows, breasts, knees and other points on the body (note: these are also symptoms of Type-II diabetes

In reviewing the symptoms, it is clear that many women with PCOS are at a heightened risk for heart and other circulatory diseases. Of all the symptoms, high and persistent insulin levels may be the most harmful to a woman’s health. This symptom causes blood vessels to constrict, and may lead to insulin-dependent diabetes in some cases if left untreated.

How does one treat PCOS? There is no one perfect therapy. Each woman’s case must be treated in a different way. Those women who suffer from severe symptoms should be given steroids to reduce acute problems. Over the longer term, many women are given one or more of the following:

1. Birth control drugs, in order to regularize their periods and counteract the increased production of male hormones
2. Anti-diabetes medicines, including glucophage and Avastin, to reduce the effects of higher levels of insulin being circulated in the bloodstream.
3. Fertility medications, both to stimulate normal female hormone production and, in the case of infertility, to stimulate a pregnancy. The two drugs most often prescribed are Clomid and mettformin if the Clomid is not enough.
4. In the case of reduced pituitary output, gonadotropins are also administered.
5. Anti-androgens, such as Minoxidil (topical) are administered in order to counteract the male hormones’ influence on hair loss. Their secondary effect is to reduce the overall effect of male hormones on the female body.

If these drugs are not enough, a woman with PCOS can undergo surgery to reduce the number of cysts in the ovaries. By “cyst drilling,” the surgeon can reduce the amount of male hormones and insulin secreted by the ovaries and improve the relative output of estrogen and progesterone. Although any surgery is potentially dangerous (particularly with obese patients), this is a relatively non-invasive procedure which can be performed using laparoscopic tools.

It is estimated that five to ten percent of women have PCOS. Women who have a family history, or are obese, are more likely to contract PCOS.

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John Lonergan is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Insulin Resistance & PCOS.

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Tags: PCOS, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, type-2-diabetes

As commonly known to most of us, Anorexia and Bulimia are the most common forms of eating disorders. While this is true to a large extent, Compulsive over Eating is another type of an eating disorder which is slowly becoming very common too. The symptoms are the exact opposite to that of Anorexia and can cause serious damage to ones health. It too is basically a mental problem and has been found to be difficult to surmount. Let us try and understand this disorder more thoroughly.

Firstly, gender is not a bias for those affected by this disorder and therefore both males and females are affected. Recent studies have however shown females being more afflicted. Over eating can be described as going on a food eating binge and literally gorging on food. This binge in most cases is caused by accepting eating as a comfort from mental stress and is followed by a period of guilt and depression.

A person affected continues eating even after they are full and does this regularly every day, every meal. All of us tend to pig out on food at times, but when one overeats every single time, it is cause for worry and also for a check up to ensure you too are not becoming a compulsive over eater.

Some common pointers to one being a compulsive over eater are (a) Finishing your meal well before others and a desire to virtually attack the food on your plate. (b) Eating when not physically hungry that is eating without any hunger pangs or eating just for the heck of it. (c) Eating to a point when you feel distinctly uncomfortable. Every time you get up after a meal you realize you have over eaten but cannot help it. (d) Realizing that you are experiencing the symptoms mentioned above regularly and are yet not able to stop your self.

Although compulsive over eating may not seem like a major problem or serious enough to cause worry, it has a very large number of negative affects on your good health. Heart disease, heightened cholesterol level, type II diabetes and obesity can result from this disorder.

The mental affect of having low self esteem is a major fall out and can have serious consequences. Proper counseling and guidance is required to relieve this mental strain. The best option in case some one you know is affected by this disorder is to make him/her open up to discuss the problem with you or an expert. While discussing such a problem be very serious and use a sympathetic and compassionate manner.

Understand the physical and mental stress the person is undergoing and make sure you do not ridicule him ever. If symptoms are left untreated it can have serious consequences and it is therefore highly advisable to consult a specialist for counseling.

Compulsive over eating is a disorder affecting a large number of people, especially in large towns and cities and we need to tackle such symptoms early.

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Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Eating Disorders.

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Tags: anorexia, cholesterol, compulsive over eating, Eating Disorders, obesity, type-2-diabetes

What is PCOS? It seems to be in the news and on TV programs these days, but it is difficult to understand what it is, and what causes it. PCOS stands for “Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome,” which is, at basis, a condition in which women produce many follicles on their ovaries each month, but generally do not produce a mature egg.

These follicles emit hormones, and wreak havoc on a woman’s hormonal system. Since the follicles emit testosterone, they can cause a woman to grow facial hair. They also secrete insulin, which results in long-term insulin resistance, and can eventually result in full-blown Type II diabetes, which must be treated for the rest of a woman’s life.

PCOS often is the cause for infertility. Many of us know that fertility requires a careful balance of female hormones in order to produce an egg on a regular basis. Since the woman suffering from PCOS has a deficit in estrogen and progesterone—the two primary female hormones associated with fertility and female qualities—she is often unable to produce an egg for fertilization.

What causes PCOS? It’s been called a “syndrome” because the cause is unknown. Although we know that the follicles are overactive and unproductive, we don’t know what causes this activity to take place.

We know that, in a normally-functioning reproductive system, a woman’s ovaries contain all the eggs she will have for her lifetime. These eggs are expressed from puberty to menopause, typically one per month. The mechanism of expression is the follicle, which both grows at the surface of the ovary and issues signaling hormones to let the rest of the body know when an egg is coming.

In a malfunctioning system, more than one follicle develops at a time. The excess of hormones may trigger a ‘defensive’ mechanism in the follicles which prevents their full expression, and thus inhibits overall production of an egg ready for fertilization.

The symptoms of PCOS can be confusing, as they are so diverse. The first indication is a weight gain, despite exercise and proper diet control. Insulin resistance occurs because of a spike in insulin production over a long period of time; the cells of the body receive an oversupply of insulin for so long that they develop an overall resistance, which results in insulin losing its effect to control serum glucose levels and results in a diabetes which needs to be controlled through diet, and sometimes through insulin injections.

Other symptoms can include acne (as a part of the hormonal storm), hair growth, and extremely irregular periods. A woman with PCOS can go for several months with no period, then suddenly have extremely heavy bleeding for a longer-than-usual period of time.

Depression is a common symptom, which may be related to hormone-caused mood swings, or to other underlying causes of the disease. Of course, women who suffer these other symptoms, including infertility, would have reason to feel depressed.

Until recently, few physicians were trained to recognize PCOS. There are now a good deal more articles in the scientific literature on how both to recognize and treat the syndrome.

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John Lonergan is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on  PCOS & Insulin Resistance.

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Tags: estrogen, infertility, insulin resistance, PCOS, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, type-2-diabetes

It is important for all individuals to maintain an active lifestyle for good mental and physical health. It is just as important for the older person who has type-2 diabetes to stay physically active for their good health. The reason is that exercise can actually improve the sugar control that is so important to managing diabetes. Contracting and relaxing muscles uses up energy.

As the body produces energy it uses the sugar supply in the blood during the time that you are exercising. This reduces the blood sugar level in your system. Exercise also increases the body’s ability to use insulin. This equates to your body needing less insulin in the process of taking sugar into your body cells, which can also reduce the blood sugar levels.

It is wise to let your physician know that you are thinking about starting a new exercise program. Your doctor will advise you regarding your diabetes and how to design a program around your ability, age and health needs.

Some of the questions you may have:

How long to exercise? How Often? How hard do you exercise?

Normally you need to exercise a minimum of 30 minutes in order to improve you fitness level. If you have difficulty doing 30 minutes, start out at 10, then increase to 15 until in a few weeks you work up to 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Those persons needing to lose weight you may want to set a goal of 60 or more minutes of exercise.

Three times a week is how often to exercise that is usually recommended, your physician can give you a better individual guideline.

Determining how hard to exercise may be a little more difficult. In order to determine the degree of exercise, it’s extremely helpful to determine your heart rate. Some exercise equipment comes with monitors to help you determine this. You want to increase your heart rate and breathing rate to sufficient levels so that you are doing your heart well without causing exhaustion. Generally if you can sing while doing the exercise, you are not exercising hard enough. If you can talk, but are a little out of breath, you are at the appropriate level. If, however you cannot talk at all during exercising, you are in the “too hard” level and you need to take it down a level.

Exercise Tips:

Start with mild exercising if you have been inactive for a while. Gradually increase the time you exercise and how hard you exercise.

Start with 3 times a week and work up to 5 times a week.

Drink plenty of water before during and after exercising. Dehydration can affet your blood sugar levels, so stay hydrated!

Always carry diabetic identification with you while exercising

Choosing low-impact exercising is kinder to your bones and will lower your risk of injury. Good low-impact exercising: walking & swimming

Yoga and Pilates are great strengthening and flexibility activities

Avoid doing exercises that are high in intensity or involve lifting weights.

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Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Insulin Resistance & Diabetes.

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Tags: blood sugar level, diabetes, insulin resistance, type-2-diabetes

It used to be clear that Juvenile, or Type-I diabetes, occurred only with children, and Type-II (“Adult Onset”) diabetes occurred solely among adults. While Type-I diabetes remains a problem of the young, and has a different etiology than Type-II diabetes, both are climbing in incidence. Each has a different cause, and can be treated in different ways.

The classic definition of Type-I diabetes was a reduction in the ability of the pancreas to produce insulin. The insulin-producing parts of the pancreas—the Islets of Langerhans (a good trivia question on your college biology exam)—would somehow lose their ability to produce insulin. As a result, children of otherwise normal weight and constitution would need to move relatively quickly to treat their affliction, or die in a diabetic coma.

Recently, we’ve learned that much of Type-I diabetes occurs because children develop a form of auto-immune reaction to their own pancreatic cells. This hyperreaction to the body’s own cells results in a destruction of the Islets of Langerhans, and results in a lifelong need to replace insulin production with injections.

Type-I diabetes is a serious pathology, which can lead to much-increased levels of blindness, heart disease and neuropathies. If not treated properly, Type-I diabetics can contract diabetic ulcers of their feet and legs, leading to amputation.

We’ve seen a revolution in diabetes treatment with long-term insulin, better diagnosis, and, more recently, insulin pumps. The longer-lasting insulin gives the body a chance to respond in a more-normal way to spikes in glucose levels. Diagnosis has been improved through the institution of glycosylated hemoglobin tests, which are more reliable in predicting longer-term glucose levels. Finally, insulin pumps have allowed Type-I diabetics to better match their insulin production with their food intake, thus reducing the deleterious effects of too-high glucose in the bloodstream.

Type-II diabetes has been called “adult onset,” as it is closely linked to obesity caused by consumption of high-sugar, high-fat diets and a lack of exercise. Once exclusively a preserve of adults, Type-II diabetes has become an increasingly-common fixture amongst teens. It’s estimated that 13% of teens today have Type-II diabetes in the US.

This syndrome of early-stage obesity and resulting Type-II diabetes was almost unknown 20 years ago. The proliferation of junk foods and a sedentary lifestyle have caused the obesity epidemic, which in turn has resulted in an epidemic of Type-II diabetes throughout the population.

Type-II diabetes affects the body in much the same way as Type-I diabetes over the long term. While some people with Type-II diabetes can become insulin-dependent, some drugs (such as glucophages) can diminish the deleterious effects of excess insulin and glucose circulation. People with Type-II diabetes nevertheless encounter higher incidences of heart disease—estimates are three to seven times as high as non-diabetics—and related diseases, such as strokes, neuropathy and kidney disease.

It is clear that more exercise and weight loss can reverse the diabetic effects of insulin resistance. Since few obese patients are willing or able to increase exercise or reduce caloric intake, many are condemned to suffer the lifelong consequences of diabetes.

Type-I diabetes will be treated in the future by drugs and devices which reduce the body’s tendency in some people to attack its own cells. Anti-inflammatory drugs, immune suppressants and, in the future, more targeted drugs will improve the outlook for such people. Better and earlier diagnosis, coupled with this better therapy, will reduce the overall rate of Type-I diabetes.

Type-II diabetes, on the other hand, will continue to climb dramatically, along with the rate of obesity in this country. Without a clear strategy to reduce obesity, we must resign ourselves to the fact that more and more people will suffer from Type-II diabetes, and the resulting co-morbidities.

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John Lonergan is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on  Insulin Resistance & Diabetes.

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Tags: glucose, type-2-diabetes

Diabetes is a scourge on our society. The number of diabetes patients in the US has climbed to an estimated 12-14 million, up from 8 million in 1990. This article will deal with the growth in Type-I and Type-II diabetes in the US, and the effect that diabetes can have on circulatory disease.

The rate of increase is closely tied to the number of obese and morbidly obese people in the US. There are 66 million obese people in the US (obesity is defined as a BMI of over 30%). Nearly a fifth of these people have diabetes today. Left untreated, we can forecast that many with long-term obesity problems will eventually contract Type-II diabetes as a response to long-term problems of insulin resistance.

It’s no coincidence, therefore, that rates of heart disease and other circulatory problems is increasing. What is surprising is, until recently, the rate of heart disease had been declining since the 1950’s. The reason for the fall was primarily due to a reduction in cigarette smoking, from over 60% of the population, to under 25% today.

In addition, we’ve seen an increase in certain populations which are more susceptible to circulatory disease: these maladies are much more common amongst people of Latin American and African-American subgroups. There is a certain correlation between diabetes and circulatory disease. Both African-Americans and Latinos have much higher rates of obesity and heart disease. As those subgroups have grown, so has the overall incidence of diabetes and circulatory disease.

Finally, people are living longer. As we age, we grow more susceptible to circulatory diseases. It is estimated that the number of people in the US over 75 will double between 2005 and 2030.

What is the connection between diabetes and circulatory disease? Cause and effect works in two directions: as we exercise less, we gain weight. With less exercise, we also tend to have higher levels of circulating insulin. These higher levels contribute to an overall increase in insulin resistance from the cells of the body. As insulin resistance increases, the pancreas increases insulin output in order to counteract the problem. A long period of insulin resistance is typically followed by the onset of insulin-resistant Type-II diabetes.

What effect does diabetes have on the circulatory system? Blood vessels thicken throughout the body in response two three factors related to obesity and diabetes:

1. High blood pressure causes a thickening of the arteries
   High circulating LDL and lower HDL ratios contribute to the formation of plaque in blood vessels, which leads to a further narrowing of those vessels
2. Inflammation, which can result from circulating substances such as homocysteine in obese and diabetic patients, leads to higher levels of heart and circulatory disease.
3. The smaller the blood vessels, the greater the damage caused by this thickening and narrowing of the blood vessels. The greatest problem in both diabetics and obese people is with their circulation in the capillaries and their extremities. That’s why we see blindness (as a result of constriction in the capillaries of the eye), neuropathy in the feet and hands, and a reduction in circulation in the brain and heart—all are due to a less-effective circulation and narrowing of the arteries.

Heart disease and circulatory disease are interrelated. It is estimated that 60% of those patients who undergo angioplasty will also need vascular intervention—particularly in the kidneys, iliac, SFA (superficial femoral artery) and femoral-popliteal arteries of the leg. Left untreated, patients are at a much higher risk of heart attacks, strokes, and diabetic foot ulcers.

Diabetes is closely linked to heart and other circulatory diseases. The correlation between the two means that both must be treated in order to improve a person’s morbidity and mortality.

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John Lonergan is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Insulin Resistance & Diabetes.

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Tags: cigarette smoking, circulatory diseases, insulin resistance, obesity, type-2-diabetes

66 million Americans are clinically obese. That means that they have more than 30% fat by body weight, when a ‘normal’ body should have less than 25%. Obesity has reached epidemic proportions over the past twenty years.

Obesity used to be thought of as a problem of a few states in Appalachia and the Southeast. It is now prevalent across the United States. In 1990, no state had an obesity prevalence rate greater than 20%, and only 4 states had an obesity rate between 15 and 19%. By 2000, 46 states had obesity rates of greater than 20%, and 17 states had obesity prevalence of over 25%.

The US is a leader in obesity, but rates are climbing around the developed industrial world. It is estimated that there are over 300 million obese people in the world. Rates in China, Western Europe and even Japan are increasing.

Morbid obesity, defined as a BMI (body mass index) of greater than 39%, afflicts 3% of all Americans, or about 9 million people. While the number of obese patients has grown by 24% from 2000 to 2006, the number of morbidly obese people has grown by over 50% during the same period.

Even children are not immune. Whereas childhood obesity was virtually unknown before 1990 in the US, the incidence of obesity has climbed to 13% amongst teens and pre-teens in 2006. Type-II diabetes, previously only an affliction of obese adults, has started to become a concern with children as well.

The statistics are incontrovertible. The key questions are: how does obesity affect the health of those who have it, what is causing this epidemic, and how can we reverse its effects?

Obesity leads to a series of problems. The main concerns with the obese are heart and circulatory diseases (including strokes and peripheral vascular problems) and diabetes. These two problems are interrelated, as diabetics have a much higher chance of contracting circulatory diseases. Even the incidence of some cancers, such as estrogen-dependent breast cancer, can be raised by obesity. Those diseases related to diabetes and overweight are also increased; these include blindness, neuropathy, congestive heart failure and valve calcification.

What are the primary reasons for this growth in the number of obese people in the US? While there was always an underlying level prior to 1990 due to problems with the thyroid, heredity or other hormone imbalances, the growth in obesity since then can only be attributed to the consumption of higher-calorie foods and lack of exercise.

High calorie consumption comes through a number of sources, but especially

1. “super-sizing.” Compare the size of a McDonald’s hamburger from the 1980’s and one served today—it’s three times bigger, on average, by weight.
2. The presence of sugar and fat in the foods we eat.
3. We eat out much more often than we did in the past. Restaurants tend to pour on the sugar and fats, and their portions are enormous.

Lower exercise comes from the proliferation of armchair activities we’ve seen since 1990. At that time, there were four or five main TV channels; there are now over 150 on most televisions. Americans are watching much more television today than they did 20 years ago. In addition, the attractions of the Internet have led to a sedentary existence—particularly for pre-teens and teenagers. The habits that these people form in their youth remain with them for the rest of their lives.

What can be done against obesity and morbid obesity? The usual ‘saws’ of “more exercise, less caloric intake” are always valid, but heeded less and less. Despite the proliferation of gyms, commercial diet plans and books on dieting, most diets fails.

For those who are morbidly obese, bariatric surgery is the best alternative. Although dangerous—four percent die during or after surgery—and ineffective in over 20% of the cases, bariatric surgery often represents the best opportunity for the morbidly obese person to escape the serious problems brought on by their overweight condition.

Since 2004, when the Medicare CMS approved reimbursement for bariatric surgery, we’ve seen an explosion in the number of such operations. Whereas there were fewer than 20,000 bariatric surgeries in 1998, that number expanded to nearly 200,000 in 2004. It is estimated that the rate will increase to 800,000 by 2008.

Obesity is a scourge on our modern populace. We should do what we can to address the underlying causes.

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John Lonergan is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Insulin Resistance & Obesity.

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Tags: circulatory diseases, diabetes, diet, obesity, type-2-diabetes