Diabetes: Prevention is the Best Cure

By Robert Scheer

There are 800,000 new diabetes cases diagnosed annually in the United States, and this number is expected to rise. Diabetes is a chronic disease that claims many lives each year. It is the number six killer in the USA today. While there is no cure, medical professionals are always looking for newer and more effective treatments. As with most chronic diseases, prevention is the best cure.

What Causes Diabetes?

Diabetes involves a person's metabolism. Basically, it is caused by the inability of one's pancreas to convert sugar in the food one eats into useful energy. This sugar then builds up in the bloodstream and internal organs, causing a variety of problems.

It is generally believed that sugar is bad for you. This is not exactly true. Actually, forms of sugar are found in nearly everything we eat, and our bodies require these sugars for energy. However, the kinds and amounts of sugar people take in are important.

How Can I Avoid Getting Diabetes?

Recently, there has been a new concern among Americans to adopt healthier lifestyles and prevent diabetes. Diabetes is often linked with heart disease. Keeping your heart healthy will help reduce the risk of diabetes. Make sure you get plenty of exercise. It is recommended that adults get their hearts pumping for at least twenty minutes three times per week. This is a minimum. You can do something as simple as jogging around the neighborhood or working out on an exercise machine in front of the TV. Just make sure it gets your heart pumping.

Weight is a factor in diabetes. If you are overweight, you are more at risk. The single best reason to diet and lose weight is your health. It may help to motivate you to imagine that you are not only getting into better shape and looking good, but also possibly saving your own life.

What you eat is also a factor. Foods that are high in cholesterol are risky. So are many kinds of animal fats, and refined starches and sugars. One way to eat healthier is to make sure you eat food from each food group. Eat breakfast every day and watch your portion sizes. Even if you eat healthy foods, don't over indulge.

There are a few lifestyle factors as well. If you get too little or too much sleep every night, you may be putting yourself at risk. Sleep helps to regulate glucose levels in the body. Smoking puts you at a higher risk, but new studies show that coffee and moderate amounts of alcohol may reduce the risk of becoming diabetic.

Finally, Native Americans, African Americans, Hispanics and Pacific Islanders have a higher risk of developing diabetes. If you belong to one of these groups, it is especially important to eat a healthy diet and make sure you exercise regularly, in order to help prevent diabetes.

Robert Scheer is a freelance writer and consultant for the Diabetes Prevention and Control website.

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Prevention and Treatment of Diabetes

By Nathalie Fiset

If you look at it statistically, sugar consumption of Americans and the population percentage with Type II (Adult) diabetes, you'll pretty much notice that it's one is to one. Therefore, there is the need to prevent and to treat diabetes as much as possible and as soon as possible.

Diabetes is a disease that results from too much sugar. Once it is there, you can no longer control it. Least you can do is preventing it from happening. Keep your body fat percentage at a low level. Those who are obese are the ones at risk in getting diabetes. Eat small portons during meals and control where you get your sugar.

Doctors claim that a factor why people get diabetes is what they eat. Truth be told, there is no diet that applies to everyone. There is not even a single diet that is appropriate for one person the whole time. In order for you to know what's right for you and what's not, you have to pay close attention to genetics. Example: Italians love pepperoni pizza. African American prefers pork rinds. But that does not mean that one culture cannot enjoy the other's viands.

Important thing you should look at in your diet to prevent diabetes is that there should be low sugar. Do not eat too much processed carbohydrates. Do not eat heavy meals two hours before you sleep.Regulate your intake of fat, carbohydrates and proteins. Nutritionists suggest that the ratio be 30/40/30. Notice that sugar is not included. Eat 5 to 6 small meals in a day. Start your day with a high-protein breakfast.

On to the other side of the spectrum, let's say that you already have diabetes. The least you can do is treat it in whichever way possible. Avoid fat-free foods. These will only make your insulin go up and down erratically. Plus you'll be putting on fat.

For those who have Type II Diabetes, do not eat enriched flour, bleached flour, white floor or any kind of wheat flour for that matter. These other kinds of flour have glycemic effects that can probably work against your health. Try to chow down varieties of grain flour. Examples of two good flours are soy and amaranth. Instead of oatmeal, eat oat groats. In a nutshell, get grains that are least-processed. This applies to everyone, disregarding the genetics. In doing this, you get to keep your insulin level stable.

This is something our parents used to tell us when we were kids but it remains to be true to those who have diabetes: drink lots of water. If you can, fill up a jug with one gallon twice a day. Make sure you drink this. The very minute you achieve the leanness that you are aiming for, revert to one gallon. For fat loss, you can replace it with water by drinking it chilled (not too cold).

Just make sure that you do not skip meals. It is preferable to ahve 5 to 6 small meals in a day. You do not have to be satisfied completely. The minute you catch yourself eating too much because of boredom or anxiety, stop.

Exercise is also helpful. Build up muscle and burn the unwanted fat. Live a lean lifestyle and you will be able to cope well with diabetes. We suggest walking. It is a great exercise. Try doing it every day so that you can increase your blood sugar as well as your metabolic rate. You will also burn the extra calories even when you are right in front of the computer all day or sleeping soundly in your bed. Take the stairs and not the elevator. Park a couple of block away from the place you actually want to visit and walk the final distance.

For prevention treatment of diabetes, you have to pay close attention to every action you do. Burn as many calories as you possibly can. They say that prevention is better than cure, so if you can prevent diabetes before it takes hold, then you won't have to face the hassles and the troubles treating it.

Dr Nathalie Fiset is a family doctor and a certified hypnotherapist. For more information go to:

http://www.livinghealthywithdiabetes.com/Prevention-Treatment-of-Diabetes.html

http://www.aperfectharmony.com or http://www.a-1hypnosis.com

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Prevention of Diabetes

By Jeanette Pollock

Type 2 diabetes can affect anyone who is overweight, has a poor diet, and a family history of diabetes. For many, there are ways to help delay the effects of diabetes through diet, exercise, and having regular check ups with a doctor to monitor blood pressure and cholesterol. Taking care of oneself before the onset of diabetes will make living with the disease much easier later on in life.

There are many changes people will have to make in order to live a healthy life. Though this may be difficult at first, the rewards later on will be plenty. Living a healthy lifestyle will make a person happier in their life, give them more energy during the day, and will prepare the body for illness and other complications down the road. No one likes to think about aging, but being prepared allows a person to live a full life.

If one is overweight, exercising thirty minutes a day and eating a healthy diet will cause the weight to decrease over time. This is the first step when making lifestyle changes. By losing weight, one will also lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. This will also delay the onset of diabetes. The earlier a person can begin their new diet and exercise plan, the better off they will be.

After the age of 45, one should be tested for diabetes. This does not mean, however, that a person should not practice good eating habits before then. Prevention is about taking measures to deter the disease for as long as possible.

Jeanette Pollock is a freelance author and website owner of justdiabeteshelp.com. Visit Jeanette's site to learn more about the prevention of diabetes.

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Diabetes Prevention

By Eric Thorn

Did you know that type 2 diabetes can be prevented in many people? While genes you inherit will influence whether or not you are going to be prone to diabetes, your diet and nutrition are considered direct causes. Therefore, behavioral and lifestyle factors are the main cause. In fact, type 2 diabetes can be attributed to four such factors: excess weight, lack of exercise, a less-than-healthy diet, and smoking.

Making a few changes can dramatically lower the chances of developing type 2 diabetes. The same changes can also lower the chances of developing heart disease and some cancers. So, let's take a look at a few of these changes.

First and foremost you should control your weight. Excess weight is the single highest cause of type 2 diabetes. So, take a look at your diet, and make sure the foods you are eating are providing you with all the essential nutrient, minerals, vitamins, etc., that you need so that your body does not feel like it is being starved and store excess fat. A great way to get all of the important nutrients you need is to eat a diet high in raw fruits and vegetables, or to supplement the gaps in your diet with products that contain all of the necessary vitamins and minerals your body needs to function properly. One such product that is a great all natural source for all 8 essential amino acids, plus 10 more, most of the minerals you need, such as calcium, potassium, iron etc, and all the vitamins you need is Zija-a nutritional beverage made from the incredible Moringa oleifera tree.

If you can eat properly and fill in the gaps in your current diet, either with nutrient rich foods, or a convenient supplement, your body will let go of excess weight faster, and keep you at an optimal weight.

The second thing you should do is get physical. Your body should be active several times throughout the day. Inactivity promotes type 2 diabetes. How? Well, being active decreases your chances for type 2 diabetes because working your muscles more often and making them work harder improves their ability to use insulin and absorb glucose. This puts less stress on your insulin-making cells. You do not have to get into a full-on exercise regime, but increasing your amount of exercise and movement daily is important, so get up and go for a brisk walk. This is not to say that more intense exercise would not do some good. However, just small amounts of exercise have a variety of other benefits as well warding off type 2 diabetes. And even greater cardiovascular and other benefits can be attained by more, and more intense, exercise.

If you struggle with finding energy to get out there and exercise, this too can be linked to your diet, so work on making your diet a more lifestyle-sustainable diet. There are two simple dietary changes you can easily implement that will have a big impact on the risk of type 2 diabetes, as well as how your body feels.

The first thing you can do is choose whole grains and whole-grain products over highly processed carbohydrates. For example, white bread, white rice, mashed potatoes, donuts, bagels, and many breakfast cereals have what's called a high glycemic index. That means they cause sustained spikes in blood sugar and insulin levels. Carbohydrates that aren't as easily digested cause lower, slower increases in blood sugar and insulin. As a result, they stress the body's insulin-making cells less, and help prevent type 2 diabetes. So switch from high glycemic foods to those foods that have a low glycemic index. Examples include whole wheat, brown rice, other whole grains, most beans and nuts, and whole grain breakfast cereals.

The second thing you can do is to meet your body's daily vitamin, mineral, and nutrient needs through the foods you intake. This can be done by consuming a variety of fruits, plants, legumes, nuts and seeds. For the best results, try and find plants whose minerals and vitamins are highly bioavailable, such as the Moringa leaves or the Moringa oleifera tree.

Last but not least, if you smoke, try to quit. Add type 2 diabetes to the long list of health problems linked with smoking. Smokers are 50% to 90% more likely to develop diabetes than nonsmokers, so if you are concerned with developing type 2 diabetes, cut smoking out of your daily routine.

Diabetes prevention does not have to be difficult, so take these simple steps of diet improvement and supplementation, and getting more physically active, and look forward to a better, healthier life.

Eric Thorn, a successful businessman, highly recommends the Zija Moringa Beverage as a way to provide your body with the vitamins needed to help prevent diabetes. Visit http://www.zijapower.com to learn more.

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Diabetes Prevention: Managing Stress At Work

By Khim Lyn Lim

Stress is now known as a contributing factor to many major illnesses; including heart diseases, strokes and also, diabetes. Specifically, work related stress is associated to many metabolic syndromes including high cholesterol and triglycerides and high blood pressure. For diabetes prevention, it is therefore important that you manage your stress levels effectively.

Diabetes is fast becoming a common disease. There are now 20.8 million children and adults in the United States, or 7% of the population, with diabetes. About two thirds of the 20.8 million people have been diagnosed. The remaining one third are still unaware that they have the disease.

A study was recently done that involved over 10,000 men and women in the age group 35-55 years old. The study revealed that the more work related stress that a person had, the more likely he will be diagnosed with metabolic problems, including diabetes. In fact, people who work with chronic stress levels were found to have twice as likely to develop diabetes. Thus, researchers concluded that stress does increase the risk of developing a metabolic problem and/or diabetes.

If you are still working, you are likely to experience work related stress. Diabetes prevention is necessary; so you have to learning how to cope with stress at work. These are some important questions to ask yourself: How do you manage stress at work? Do you carry work home with you? How to you relieve your work related stress levels?

Diabetes prevention can start with implementing these tips for your work:

• Take regular breaks. Move around every half an hour or so.
• Do relaxation and stretching exercises at your desk.
• Replace your caffeinated coffee and soda with water.
• Leave the work at work if you can.
• If you have leave entitlement, then take them.
• Avoid social settings where talk revolves around work.
• Use deep breathing and relaxation techniques to relieve stress.

Maintaining a positive attitude can help reduce your reaction to stress and thus aid in diabetes prevention. If your job is causing most of your stress, then it is time to do something about it. You can try talking to your superior and think of ways to make it less stressful. It is also far better to take on a less stressful position than to be stressed and unhealthy. For diabetes prevention, there are definitely ways that you can go about improving the stressful situation at work.

Diabetes is a condition that needs to be effectively managed via changes in diet and lifestyle. For some great information on diabetes research, do check out this site at http://www.diabetes-treatment-research.com

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Diabetes Prevention and Management

By Juliet Cohen

Diabetes is a hormone disorder that can cause problems with the kidneys, legs and feet, eyes, heart, nerves, and blood flow.Diabetes can cause many complications. Acute complications (hypoglycemia, ketoacidosis or nonketotic hyperosmolar coma) may occur if the disease is not adequately controlled. Diabetes is on the increase, probably because people are living longer, getting fatter and leading increasingly inactive lifestyles. Diabetes, without qualification, usually refers to diabetes mellitus, but there are several rarer conditions also named diabetes. The most common of these is diabetes insipidus in which the urine is not sweet; it can be caused by either kidney or pituitary gland damage. The term "type 1 diabetes" has universally replaced several former terms, including childhood-onset diabetes, juvenile diabetes, and insulin-dependent diabetes. "Type 2 diabetes" has also replaced several older terms, including adult-onset diabetes, obesity-related diabetes, and non-insulin-dependent diabetes. About 3 to 8 percent of pregnant women in the United States develop gestational diabetes.

Diabetes can also cause heart disease, stroke and even the need to remove a limb. Pregnant women can also get diabetes, called gestational diabetes. Type 1 diabetes mellitus—formerly known as insulin-dependent diabetes (IDDM), childhood diabetes. Type 2 diabetes mellitus—previously known as adult-onset diabetes, maturity-onset diabetes, or non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Symptoms of Type 2 diabetes may include fatigue, thirst, weight loss, blurred vision and frequent urination. Some people have no symptoms. A blood test can show if you have diabetes. Exercise, weight control and sticking to your meal plan can help control your diabetes. Most people affected by type 1 diabetes are otherwise healthy and of a healthy weight when onset occurs. Diet and exercise cannot reverse or prevent type 1 diabetes. Gestational diabetes is caused by the hormones of pregnancy or a shortage of insulin. Women with gestational diabetes may not experience any symptoms.

Diabetes mellitus is characterized by recurrent or persistent hyperglycemia. Diabetes affects more than 20 million Americans. About 54 million Americans have prediabetes. Medications have also been shown to provide similar benefit. Both diabetes drugs metformin and Precose have been shown to prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes in people with this pre-diabetes condition. A group of medicines known as ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme) inhibitors are sometimes used to reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular complications in diabetes and can also reduce the risk or progression of kidney and eye diseases. Microscopic or nanotechnological approaches are under investigation as well, in one proposed case with implanted stores of insulin metered out by a rapid response valve sensitive to blood glucose levels. Medications to treat diabetes include insulin and glucose-lowering pills called oral hypoglycemic drugs. Insulin preparations differ in how quickly they start to work and how long they remain active. Stop smoking, which hinders blood flow to the feet.

Diabetes Treatment and Prevention Tips

1. Diabetes is usually controlled by a healthy diet and regular exercise.

2. Magnesium may play a significant role in preventing Type 2 diabetes.

3. Use of metformin, rosiglitazone and valsartan.

4. Exercise, weight control and sticking to your meal plan can help control your diabetes.

5. Glucose in the blood is produced by the liver from the foods you eat.

6. Oral medications are still insufficient, insulin medications are considered.

7. Maintaining an ideal body weight and an active lifestyle may prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes.

8. Strict control of blood glucose, or blood sugar, as well as blood pressure

Juliet Cohen writes articles for home remedies and homemade recipes. Learn how to give first aid in emergency situations.

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Diabetes Information - Green Tea as a Diabetes Prevention and Treatment

By Mary Rose Antonio

In diabetes prevention, a diabetic person usually responds very nicely to diet and lifestyle changes.

You have to eat right, drink green tea everyday, and get regular exercise. I call it your diabetes nutrition plan.

There's absolutely no doubt that dietary changes and weight loss can have a major impact on diabetes treatment. If you just lose 10 pounds, for example, you may be able to decrease your insulin resistance. That's a significant breakthrough because insulin ushers blood sugar, or glucose, into your cells. In order for your cells to get the life-giving energy they need, they must accept rather than resist insulin.

How can drinking green tea help control an all-consuming disease like diabetes? Green tea polyphenols have been found to be potent inhibitors of amylase. In recent study, it was shown that just one cup of green tea was found to inhibit 87% of amylase's activity. And if less sugar gets into the bloodstream, blood glucose levels will automatically be lowered.

Dietary supplements like antioxidants may help reverse deficiencies that have developed as a result of diabetes, protect your body from diabetes-related damage, improve your metabolism so you have more energy, and help to stabilize blood sugar.

Antioxidants such as vitamins C and E, are one of the most important diabetes treatment, studies confirmed.

Both these antioxidants can help prevent the major long-term complications of diabetes, such as blindness, kidney disease, and nerve damage due to high sugar levels.

Shortages of B vitamins also lead to nerve damage in the hands and feet. Some studies indicate that people with diabetes develop less of the numbness and tingling associated with diabetes-related nerve damage if they take supplemental B vitamins.

Green tea contains B-vitamins plus vitamins A, E as well as minerals, polyphenols, and catechins which are powerful antioxidants in the market today.

I hope my article on diabetes information is helpful to you or your loved one.

Mary Rose Antonio is a great believer in natural healing and she invites you to learn more about the amazing benefits of green tea. She also has an online store selling organic teas such as green teas, and more! Each of them possesses its own quality and benefits to your body. Sign up for her newsletter to get exclusive discounts and giveaways as well as a chance to win a FREE tea gift basket each month!

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