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Saturday, September 29, 2007

Are You Ready to Change Your Lifestyle?










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September 29, 2007

Are you ready to lose weight? Are you ready to exercise? Are you ready to change your lifestyle? It is easy to say one wants to lose weight. People can even enumerate the reasons behind the desire to lose weight. But the more important question is, are you really ready to do what it takes to lose weight?

Researchers have recognized the five changes that people have to go through in order to change the lifestyle. They say that these are the considerations-before stage, the actual consideration-stage, the laying the groundwork stage, action, and maintenance. These are the steps one has to go through when embarking on the journey to change one's lifestyle.

During the pre-consideration stage, the person may not be ready to make the adjustment for at least six months. They may think that the weight does not really pose a big problem or they may have too many things on their plate and so have no more room for another priority.

In the second stage of the actual consideration, people may be thinking of making the change soon. They may not have a good knowledge of the problem but at least they are weighing the advantages and disadvantages of the planned lifestyle change.

At this second stage, they're waiting for further motivation but they don't think there is an urgent need to start. There's still hope for a cure-all pill is what they're thinking. They say aloud that they'll change someday. And they'll ask about the exercise plan or the diet plan that might help with the lifestyle change.

In the third step of preparation, they're now thinking of starting within a month. They're not sure how to get started but may have made some effort. They're motivated to change but after trying a bit, they slip back. They're now saying they're ready and want to change and are asking how to get started.

In the fourth step of action, they have made changes during the past six months. They believe it's possible to change the lifestyle and are making the effort to change. They have modified their ways and heading for success but need support. They now say they can do it or it's getting easier and think they're doing well.

Now on the last stage of maintenance is where they have shown documented changes for six months. They're now confident they can do it and the change has become part of their daily schedule. They're trying not to get back to the old ways and have to cope with unexpected situations like parties, eating out and going on vacations.

Which stage are you in? Find out where you are and get a buddy. The friend will spur you on to take a walk every day and it will be more fun to talk while taking a stroll. You can exchange meal plans while you do so and motivate each other besides. Pretty soon you will look forward to this part of your day.

There will be slip backs but get up and get started again. It will be easier this time because you are now a veteran at this for haven't you gone through all the stages? Just think of the goal of feeling and looking better but most of all what I like the best for you is to avoid the complications of diabetes.

If you want more information on diabetes, please visit this site:

Free Diabetes Alert

Thursday, September 27, 2007

A1c Test Helps to Diagnose Diabetes

September 27, 2007

A1c test is not the only tool to help diagnose diabetes but it is the one mostly used. This test finds out how the blood glucose is controlled for the last three months. It will show how close to the target level the blood sugar has been.

How is the A1c test done? The physician takes a small sample of blood. This is analyzed in the laboratory for sugar in the blood. All have this in the blood since this plays an important role in the production of energy. The body needs this energy in order to function.. For some people though over a period of time, the glucose attaches itself to the hemoglobin.

Hemoglobin is the red pigment present in the red blood cells which brings oxygen from the lungs to the tissues. Mind you, the glucose gets attached to the hemoglobin depending on its amount in the blood. The higher the glucose level, the more gets attached to the hemoglobin.

Now where does the A1c test come in? Well, it tells how high the glucose level is. This will alert us that there is then more glucose that gets attached to the hemoglobin. The test shows the result as a percentage of the total amount with the normal values in the range of 6 to 7.5%.

Those whose diabetes is uncontrolled will show the A1c test result 16% or more. As soon as the blood glucose is controlled, the result will go down to normal level. It is important to set one's goal to as normal as possible. This way the risk for diabetes complications will lower as well. Remember that the A1c result is only an estimate .

This just reiterates the importance of monitoring one's blood glucose level. Whenever there is a change in the physical activity and in one's meal plans, test the blood glucose level. We are lucky that we live in this day and age when we can self monitor our blood sugar level. Unlike before when people had to run to the hospital every time they needed to find out the blood sugar level. For we need this information in order to make the necessary adjustment.

If you want more information on diabetes, please visit this site:

Free Diabetes Alert

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Safety Issues for Physical Activity and Exercise

Before starting any change in physical activity and exercise, consult with your doctor first to be sure there are no health issues involved. For example, if you have heart disease, you may feel chest pain or have a heart attack when your physical activity is increased. Walking is safe for everyone but checking with your doctor is a good idea.

It is also a good idea to warm-up first for five to ten minutes before each exercise session. Have some stretching exercises of the muscles you will be using. Likewise, a cooling period at the end of each session will help prevent joint and muscles aches.

Use comfortable shoes when walking to protect your joints and your feet. If you're biking, try doing so on flat surface as going uphill is anaerobic while you're coasting when going downhill. It is more consistent to use a stationary bike.

Take good care of your feet. Examine them thoroughly before and after each session. Diabetes affects the nerves and you may be unable to sense minor problems in your feet. This could lead to abrasions and infections that could spread to the bones and result in amputation.

Take good care of your eyes. If you have a serious diabetic eye disease, some high-impact exercises are a no, no. Why? Because this could cause bleeding in the eye. This is not a common situation but checking with the doctor to see if you have this condition is certainly in your best interest.

Diabetics have more than twice the risk for heart disease than the average population. The trouble is that the diabetics have less warning symptoms than those without diabetes. The first time they find out they have a heart problem maybe when they have a heart attack.

You may have a hypoglycemia attack during exercise or even for up to four to eight hours after exercise. So you should have with you a snack that contains sugar to ward off this episode. If the hypoglycemic episode happens during or after exercise, you are ready to treat it with the snack.

Listen to your body as you exercise. It will tell you when you’re exercising too hard or too long. Slow down as soon as you feel shortness of breath. If it doesn’t go away, then think of it as an emergency. Stop exercising and get emergency help.

Free Diabetes Alert

Sunday, September 23, 2007

The Benefits of Exercise

We know the benefits of exercise. For one thing, it will make us feel better. Oh, not at the start, I admit. For all the things we have to do each day, what time is there left for exercise? But then, just think. Once you incorporate exercise in your daily routine, it gets easier and that's when you feel better.

In addition, exercise is our hope to reverse the destructive effects of the inactive lifestyle we have grown accustomed to. It will contribute weight loss and then our response to insulin will get better and have cardiovascular conditioning to boot.

There are two types of exercise. They are strength training and cardiovascular conditioning. Strength training is what they call anaerobic exercise which is of high intensity that makes one breathe hard and increases the heart and blood pressure. So although this burns calories, this is not for us especially at the start of our exercise program.

So it looks like cardiovascular conditioning is what we will focus on first. This is an aerobic exercise that uses large muscles and are of reasonable force to the point that one can still talk to somebody while doing the exercise. Walking, rowing, swimming, and bike riding fall under this category.

A personalized exercise prescription will enable one to get the correct amount of exercise as it will consider the following items:


  • Type of exercise

  • Length of exercise

  • Number of occurrence

  • Intensity of exercise



The type or mode of exercise involves free-moving and large muscle movement. It could be walking either on land or treadmill, biking on land or stationary bike, rowing either in a boat or machine, swimming and cross-country skiing.

Length of time of exercise is for thirty minutes or more each time. Number of occurrence is usually at least three times a week and at the start, not on consecutive days. It is good to build up on this first thirty minutes a day by starting for ten minutes, adding ten minutes at a time until one has the full thirty minutes.

As for intensity, for most people, start with light exercise at a relaxed pace. One can continue talking while exercising and feels like he can go on and on. When this starts to feel too easy, one can graduate to a higher intensity which is a good indication that one is making progress.

This type of exercise will help control the weight and lower the risk for diabetes. One may then want to add some anaerobic strengthening exercise such as lifting light weights (two to four pounds). One can lift these weights above the head a number of times and then increase the repetitions until one gets to a set of twenty repetitions.

Once one reaches five sets of repetitions, then increasing the weights can be considered like from three pounds to four pounds. But there are safety tips to consider. Before starting to graduate to any level, one will have to consult with his doctor as there may be personal issues, for example with people with heart disease. That is what I will blog on in the next issue. Please visit the following site for the disclaimer and more information:

Free Diabetes Alert
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Friday, September 21, 2007

Which is better: Physical Activity or Exercise?

Certainly, on can always opt to have an effective option other than the strictly controlled exercise. Make small changes in your activities. Walk up or down stairs in place of going via the elevator, walking after lunch at the office instead of sitting around and gossiping with friends. The list is endless.

You will be surprised at how much calories you will burn just by incorporating some moving activities in you daily life. It is not that hard. It will not require you to set aside half an hour to one hour a day, three times a week. Let us see what guidelines we have to follow.

Let’s see first the difference between incorporating physical activity into the daily routine compared to exercise. The physical activity can be done as part of the daily lifestyle whereas for the exercise, you have to set aside a certain time.

The physical activity can be done at home, at work or anywhere else and there is no need to buy equipment and outfits. So, there is practically no cost. Often times, the exercise has to be done in the gym and you may have to buy equipments and outfits. In addition there will be fees to pay.

You burn off small quantities of calories often with physical activity while with exercise, you burn off larger quantities of calories but less often. With physical activity, there is little risk of injury while with exercise, you could twist your ankles or incur other injuries that may stop you from exercising until you heal.

Household chores burn calories. For example digging in the garden will burn 6 - 7 calories per minute. You will burn 11 calories per minute that you’re shoveling dirt and 5 -6 calories per minute that you’re painting the kitchen walls.

Walking is a physical activity everyone can do. As a matter of fact, on any given day, we do some walking. Programs have recommended trying to increase an extra thousand steps a day. This will burn an extra 50 calories and may not mean much to you. But think about it. How many calories will that be after a year? Right, over 18,250 calories.

So, what’s the moral of the story? Get walking, that’s what. Is there proof that this works? You bet! The Diabetes Prevention Program did a study on this very issue and found that the participants who put on an intensive lifetime lifestyle intervention program did better than those who did not walk.

The participants were even encouraged to increase their walking to more than ten thousand steps per day. This is the equivalent of five miles. They wore pedometers that kept track of the number of steps they made on any given day.

Remember that each step you take spends energy so walking a mile after lunch will help achieve the balance between food intake and energy output. This will certainly ward off weight gain and diabetes. Granted this will not take us back to pre-industrialization age but it will help us get nearer the goal of getting the energy level better and reduce the risk for weight gain and diabetes.

I know what I’m blogging about next time. Have you guessed? Yes, that’s right. I will talk about exercise. Only then will we be able to see the complete picture on the differences between physical activity and exercise. We have some ideas, but let’s give exercise a chance.

For more information about diabetes, please visit this site:

Free Diabetes Alert

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Physical Activity, More of this Please

September 19, 2007

Just as it is easy to eat too much, it is easy to move too little. This is what is causing the health problems we are facing in this modern age. With the advent of food processing accompanied by blatant advertising, it is just easy to eat too much of what is not the right kind of food.

In the same way, with the advent of machineries that make all work for us easy, we succumb to an easier way of life. Why walk to the corner store when you can ride in a car? Why wash the clothes by hand when we have the washing machine to do that for us?

So you see with eating too much of the wrong thing and moving too little, is it any wonder that we suffer from these ailments? For these two are the double whammy of our modern world. And don’t blame the fast food places for the predicament we are in. For do we not patronize the super sized food they entice us to eat? We asked for it and we got it. It’s time we make a change.

We have covered the eating part. Now let’s deal with physical activity. What do we know about this? There have been studies galore on this very topic. And four main studies have successfully found that increased physical activity has prevented the development of diabetes. Let’s summarize what we know about this:

. Physical activity contributes the most when done often at least three or four times a week with six and seven, even producing better result.

. Physical activity makes the muscles more sensitive to insulin thus making it easier to store the insulin in the muscles rather than having it rise.

. Physical activity helps with any weight loss program.

. Physical activity has helped make diabetes prevention a success.

. Physical activity should include both the aerobic exercise that improves metabolism and cardiovascular training and strengthening exercise.

. It is better to integrate physical activity in one’s routine as opposed to picking specific schedules.

There are quite a large number of exercise programs out there waiting for you to try them out. There are equipments for you to buy. But let’s face it, all of these require your attention and some effort on your part. There will be scheduling to do but finding the time is not easy.

How about going to the gym, you asked? Well, you may elect to do that but again that requires some time. You will have to get into your gym clothes, drive to the gym, exercise there and then take a shower after you cool down a bit.

How much better is it to do your exercise at home as soon as you wake up? You can even do your exercise in your pajamas. You can have the clock in front of you to time your exercise from aerobic to yoga to tai chi and weight lifting all in one hour. And best of all, you can keep up with the news at the same time.

There is another problem in signing up for vigorous exercise. Yes, that’s right. You could suffer from exercise-related injuries. This will set anyone back. This, along with lack of time, is it any wonder that 40% of the population does not have leisure physical activity weekly?

For more information, please visit this site:

Free Diabetes Alert

Monday, September 17, 2007

Treat Type 2 Diabetes and Related Diseases with Lifestyle Changes

A change in lifestyle can be so beneficial in treating type 2 diabetes. You know that lifestyle has quite an impact on this disease. How does lifestyle create such an impact? Well, being overweight along with low physical activity, is the most common cause of increasing insulin resistance.

That is why, changing those two lifestyle behaviors can reverse the damage this disease can cause. Even after developing type 2 diabetes, one still has a chance to prevent or reduce the complications by losing weight and increasing physical activity.

How is this possible? Well, since the pancreas have been so tired after many years of producing large amounts of insulin to compensate for the insulin resistance, it has now time to recover. You see they are not dead; they are just exhausted. Unlike in heart attack where the affected tissue remains dead, it is a different story with the pancreas. We can help them recover through lifestyle changes.

So get started to implement the changes in the lifestyle. The earlier this is done, the better it is all around. Just getting into a weight loss program with proper diet accompanied by increased physical activity will show positive results in the blood sugar levels.

Studies have shown that eating a few calories and exercising make blood sugar go down to the point that medications are not necessary. It is surprising sometimes when this happens but people believe it is because there has been an improvement in the secretion of insulin.

The same is true with increased physical activity. This lowers the blood sugar because it makes the muscle more responsive to insulin. Then over time this increased physical activity will help with the maintenance of weight loss.

Here are the five things one can do regarding changing one's lifestyle in order to make one's glucose level as close to the normal level as possible:

  • Lower or stop the use of sweetened drinks.

  • Lose five to ten pounds at the beginning.

  • Make sure you have fiber in your meals.

  • Have more physical activity.

  • Eat several smaller meals regularly instead of one or two large meals.


For more information on diabetes and the disclaimer, please visit or if this does not show, the post before this has Free Diabetes Alert at the end of it.

Saturday, September 15, 2007

How to Manage Type 1 Diabetes Successfully

Are there tricks to managing type 1 diabetes successfully? You bet there are. Here are the essential things to control the condition and maintain the blood sugar levels within target levels in order to stay healthy. Pay attention to your daily routine, understand that lifestyle will have an effect on the blood sugar and learn to adjust your insulin dose to maintain the blood sugar level that the health care team and you have pointed out as to the correct level for you.

At the very beginning, being consistent with the scheduling of meals and of meal portions will help a lot. Then later on you will learn how to regulate your insulin intake that will commensurate with any inconsistency you may encounter. For instance, if you plan to go to a party with some friends where you may eat more than your usual portion, take your blood sugar reading before the event. If you find it is high , then you might have to give yourself ten units of rapid-acting insulin, which is about four units of the usual dose.

You should have conversations like this with your health care team before any events come up. Think of possibilities when you may have to change your meal times and portions as well as your physical activity and check with your doctor then. This way you are prepared for any eventuality.

In the same way, if you plan to play badminton and knowing this activity will lower your blood sugar level, you would have to lower the usual dose by some units. If you pay attention to this on a daily basis you should be able to master what you need to do. That is how to manage type 1 diabetes successfully.

For more information on diabetes and the disclaimer, please visit Free Diabetes Alert

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Lifestyle Related to Lower A1c Levels

Research has found that for those who want to reach their blood glucose level target to as close to the normal level as possible, there are four behavior patterns that will help them achieve this goal. What are they?


  • Have a consistent daily eating plan.

  • Adjust insulin dose to fit food intake.

  • Act accordingly to high sugar level by lowering insulin dose and reducing food intake.

  • Eat a regular snack at bedtime.



Eating about the same amount of carbohydrate each day will make it easier to manage the blood glucose level and match the insulin dose to fit the amount of food. At times when you eat more or less carbohydrates, adjust the insulin dose accordingly.

Your diabetes care team will help you learn how much one unit of insulin will lower your blood glucose level. It varies with different people. Eating a consistent snack at bedtime will help regulate the blood sugar level so this is one behavior you will be able to control.

There are two points that could make the A1c level higher. One is consuming more snacks at bedtime. We can't say this enough: Consistency is the key to better management of the blood sugar level.

The other behavior that could raise the A1c level is overtreating hypoglycemia. Make sure you follow the guidelines on how to treat this condition. The following site will show you how and the disclaimer. Just type in "how to treat hypoglycemia" in the Google Search and select the radio button for the following site:

Free Diabetes Alert

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Nutrition Lifestyle Main Concerns To Maintain Normal Glucose Levels

1. Eat meals and snacks at regular times. The amount of carbohydrate in meals and snacks have to be consistent. One way of doing this is through carb counting. This involves counting the total grams of carbohydrates or serving of carbohydrate at each meal and snack. One serving usually contains fifteen grams of carbohydrate. This is important because carbohydrates usually reach their peak 90 to 120 minutes after eating. Your blood glucose levels will be erratic if your carbohydrate consumption is different for each meal unless of course you know how to adjust your insulin in conjunction with your carbohydrate intake.

2. Know what effects insulin, food, and physical activity have on your blood sugar readings. Therefore you have to keep a record of the food and insulin intake and your physical activity specially at the start and then observe how your body reacts to them. One of the members of your health care team will help you with this.

3. Match your insulin with meal consumption. The fast-acting insulin should be taken thirty minutes before a meal and very fast acting ones should be taken right before meal time.

4. Decrease or get rid of sweetened beverages. Drink only four ounces of fruit juice each day as carbohydrates in liquid form can increase the blood sugar level rapidly.

5. Know how to manage hypoglycemia. Low blood glucose reading of less than 70 may cause weakness, trembling, sweating, excessive hunger, confusion, irritability and sometimes loss of consciousness. But we will not let this happen to us for we will drink four ounces of regular soft drinks as soon as we feel the aforementioned symptoms. Wait for fifteen minutes and test your blood glucose to see if it has gone up. If the reading is still below 70 mg/dL after the first treatment, then have another fifteen grams of fast-acting carbohydrates. We will carry a pack of 5 lifesavers and an ounce of raisins to eat for any eventuality.

Please go to this site for more information and the disclaimer:

Free Diabetes Alert

Sunday, September 9, 2007

Lifestyle Changes to Treat Diabetes

The lifestyle modification that we were supposed to undertake to prevent diabetes can also help treat it. Diabetes is distinctive in the sense that it affects all aspects of life like eating, physical activity, work, school, and travel and these in turn affect diabetes.

It is true that diseases require attention to taking the prescribed medication but diabetes is different in the sense that it entails watchfulness and awareness of the content and schedule of meals, physical activity, medications, glucose checking and an assortment of self-care requirements.

It is a touchy disease to the point that if you ignore it for a little time, it will make you pay. How? With painful and life-threatening hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia. And if you pay no attention to it for a longer period of time, it will penalize you more with much severe complications of blindness, foot ulcers and amputation, kidney failure and heart disease. But it is not going to happen to any of us because we will pay attention to food, exercise and seeing a doctor.

We are lucky to be living in this day and age when with the medical advances we can live longer in a most productive way and be free of those nasty complications. All we have to do is to take care of it. It is not asking much considering what we will get in return. This diabetes type of treatment is often called the lifestyle approach to the ABC's of management. We will cover this later but if you want it now, go to:

For the disclaimer and more information on diabetes, please go to this site:

Free Diabetes Alert

Saturday, September 8, 2007

Preventing Diabetes With Medication and Lifestyle Changes

The Diabetes Prevention Program works hard at helping us uncover the ways and means to prevent diabetes. Not only did it study the effect of lifestyle changes, it also tested the importance of medicine like metformin in preventing diabetes. Metformin is the medicine that is usually used in treating diabetes. It lowers insulin resistance and the amount of sugar produced by the liver.

We know that diabetes develops gradually to the point the symptoms sometimes do not appear for as long as twelve years and by then, who knows what complications may have already set in. That is why it is good idea to be screened for diabetes if you are at risk for developing the disease. For now, let us examine what happens before the diagnosis is even made. Insulin resistance is slowly increasing causing the blood sugar levels to go up. To combat this, the pancreas tries valiantly to manufacture more insulin but in turn it gets so tired, insulin secretion breaks down. And what is the result? Type 2 diabetes, that's what.

That is why the Diabetes Prevention Program studied the medication that lowers insulin resistance to see if it is successful in preventing diabetes. This what they found. It lowered the risk for developing diabetes by 31%. But here is the kicker. The Diabetes Prevention Program found lifestyle changes lowered the risk of diabetes by 58%. How cool is that!

Which method would you choose to reduce the risk for diabetes? Is it through medication or through lifestyle modification? There are side effects in medication. And this is what surprised me. They said that lifestyle modification also has side effects although fewer ones. What side effects are they talking about here? Perhaps, achy breaky muscles at the start or lack of time? I don't know. People who know about the side effects of lifestyle modification, please enlighten me because I can't think of any.

Someday, they might find that the combination of medication and lifestyle changes is the most effective way to prevent diabetes. The Diabetes Prevention Program has not studied this yet. And here is another kicker for you. Sometimes, lifestyle changes can reduce or do away with the medication.

For the disclaimer and more information on diabetes, please go to this site:

Free Diabetes Alert

Friday, September 7, 2007

We're Eating More









Food has become more abundant and reasonably priced than before because the farming industry has been mechanically changed. There's more fish and vegetables yet the total calories from fat that people eat are still the highest. So not only do we eat more, we also eat the wrong food.

It is not a bad thing to have an oversupply of food, but the trouble is we suffer from overnutrition. That means we put on more calories than we spend in physical activities. And to make matter worse we don't have to work to obtain the food we eat, meaning we do not have to plant, to hunt for them, build a fire to cook, chop the wood for the fire, carry water from the well that we have to pump ourselves, churn butter and so on. The list is endless.

Not only that, most of the food we eat have been super-sized. Just look at the evolution of the hamburger. First, it became a cheeseburger. Then it turned into a double cheeseburger. Then this turned into a double bacon cheeseburger. What will we think of next? Put an egg on top of this, that's what. Serving sizes have increased and we have become addicted to these. No, we demand them. We patronize restaurants that offer us larger sizes. And buffets? Forget it for we flock to them like bees to honey.

So is it any wonder that we have become vulnerable to diabetes? Some rationalize and say, "Oh, it's because of aging and overweight." Wait a minute. Diabetes and metabolic syndrome affect 25% of the population and only 2.3% is severely obese and only 3.3% is older than eighty years old. So wake up and smell the roses for if we continue to deny this, we will have one huge nightmare.

For the disclaimer and more information on diabetes, please go to this site:

Free Diabetes Alert









Thursday, September 6, 2007

Less Physical Activity

We are now moving less. Actually we have graduated from being hard workers to becoming couch potatoes. Well, the industrial revolution changed the way we work. Before this period, our forefathers worked hard. Now machines have taken over this physical work. Centuries ago, going to work means doing physically taxing work. Now many of us sit at the desk all day long.

Now don't get me wrong, these labor-saving devices are not bad to have around for they provide us with a lot of time for leisure activity. But do we walk, plant a vegetable garden or play touch football? What do we do? We watch the television for hours, surf the net and play video games. So you see, sedentary activities occupy us more than the physical activities we should be doing.

It looks like we live in a world that discourages movement. At work, we sit at the desk. At home, we have washing machines and all kinds of gadgets to do the work for us. And the time saved from not having to do all this work? We watch the television for hours. And now schools have cut back on physical education classes.

Now what will this sedentary life lead to? Obesity, that's what. And then what's next on the agenda? Diabetes comes, they say. There is such an epidemic on these two terms that someone coined a new word called diabesity.

For the disclaimer and more information on diabetes, please go to this site:

Free Diabetes Alert

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Type 2 Diabetes Becoming an Epidemic

Type 2 diabetes was called adult-onset diabetes for years, but now that more and more children have become heavier, the condition has been seen in teenagers. Of all diabetes cases, 90% have type 2 diabetes. And this type is influenced by lifestyle.

There are two causes of type 2 diabetes. The development of insulin resistance is the first cause. What is insulin resistance? Many produce enough insulin but the bodies do not respond to the insulin action. This inability to respond is called insulin resistance. Most often this happens to overweight people. There are other factors besides overweight that contribute to insulin resistance. As people advance in age , their body cells become less sensitive to the effects of insulin. A sedentary lifestyle and an inherited susceptibility can also result in insulin resistance. The inability to manufacture more insulin to keep up with the demand is the second cause of type 2 diabetes. So let's recap the two causes of the development of type 2 diabetes. They are insulin resistance and decreased secretion of insulin or both.

We don't really understand how insulin resistance develops. Researches lately have shown that fat cells make chemicals that cause the tissues to resist insulin. The more fat cells there are, the more chemicals are made. Due to this, the sugar can't go to the cells. Instead, it stays in the blood and the blood sugar level rises. Over time, the pancreas become so overworked they gradually lose the ability to manufacture enough insulin. The sugar level rises and diabetes comes knocking on the door.

Sometimes, the high blood sugar level leads to symptoms of diabetes like frequent urination, increased fatigue, thirst and weight loss, but the trouble is some people do not develop these symptoms so a lot have diabetes and do not even know it sometimes for as long as twelve years. The trouble with this is that not knowing one has diabetes one cannot start a program to prevent diabetes or take care of it in order to prevent the complications.

For the disclaimer and more information on diabetes, please go to this site:

Free Diabetes Alert

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes

Type 1 and type 2 diabetes are the two chief forms of diabetes. They have different causes and for the most part, they affect different kinds of people. However, they are the same in some ways. Here are their similarities.

. Both are characterized by abnormalities of high blood sugar and increased breakdown of other nutrients.

. Both have lower secretion of insulin. Type 1 makes very little or no insulin at all while type 2 cannot cope with the demands because the body has become resistant to insulin.

. Both can suffer from complications affecting the eyes, heart, kidneys and nervous system. The high levels of blood sugar over a period of time may result in severe damage as foot ulcers, blindness, kidney failure, amputation, and malfunction of other organs. There is also an increased risk of developing stroke and heart disease. If not treated, high blood sugar can lead to severe dehydration, coma, and death.

Type 1 diabetes most often occurs in children and young adults. That is why it was once called juvenile-onset diabetes. Those who have type 1 diabetes need insulin treatment in order to survive. It also used to be known as insulin-dependent diabetes. No one knows why the body's immune system attacks the pancreas destroying the body cells there making it unable to manufacture insulin.

It is known though that heredity has something to do with type 1 diabetes. And it is a known fact that it is not caused by lifestyle of being overweight, obesity and lack of activity. However, don't ever think that lifestyle changes are not important because they are part and parcel of treatment. Controlling the blood sugar level is crucial to avoid complications.

For the disclaimer and more information on diabetes, please go to this site:

Free Diabetes Alert

Monday, September 3, 2007

The Basics of Diabetes

What are the basics of diabetes? And why do we have to know these? We have to learn a bit on this topic of metabolism in order to understand why many are developing prediabetes and diabetes. You see metabolism is part of the processes in the body that direct energy like fat into storage or for use and for physical activity. The three food groups that provide this energy are carbohydrates, fat and protein. Fats and carbohydrates are the sources of energy that keep the body in good working order.

Complex carbohydrates are broken down in the small intestine into smaller sugars which are then absorbed into the circulation. These are carried into the blood to the cell where it is further broken down. This provides us with energy. Fatty acids that are broken down from our dietary fats is the other major source of energy. What carries these sources of energy? Insulin, that's what. Insulin is manufactured in the pancreas where there are a number of cells called islets. The most important cells here are the beta cells that make insulin.

How does insulin do its job? After a meal, when the blood sugar level rises, the beta cells sense this and make insulin which increases the amount of sugar and keeps the blood sugar from rising too high. It also directs the storage of sugar, fats and protein. So when the blood sugar falls, the insulin directs the energy from the storage to the cells that need them. You see, insulin is like a traffic policeman. This is what happens when a person is healthy. When the system is disrupted, then there is trouble ahead.

For the disclaimer and more information on diabetes, please go to this site:

Free Diabetes Alert

Sunday, September 2, 2007

Why is Diabetes on the Rise?

Diabetes has been skyrocketing for the past 50 years. More and more people are suffering from this along with the complications. Many have high blood sugar levels and although some are not high enough to qualify as diabetic, just the same they are too high for good health. This last one is called glucose intolerance or prediabetes.

Anyone who has normal blood sugar or prediabetes can prevent the coming of the full grown disease and its complications by learning as much as he can, keeping an open mind and by implementing the suggestions he learns from reading. Of course he has to consult with his doctor first.

And if you already have type 2 diabetes, you can still help take care of your condition and improve your blood sugar level. Perhaps this will let you lower the medication you need to take but best of all, you may be able to avoid the complications.

So in this blog of mine, I will endeavor to present a program to help the diabetics take control of their condition to the point they will beat diabetes instead of the other way around. It really is simple. It is about changing the lifestyle we have grown accustomed to. It may not be so easy to eat less and healthy and move more but if it will mean a healthy life with no chance of going blind or losing a leg to diabetes, I would much rather eat right and move more, wouldn't you?

There are more things in the following site. Go and visit it and you will find a lot of information there to help you on your way to beating diabetes:

For the disclaimer and more information on diabetes, please go to this site:

Free Diabetes Alert

Saturday, September 1, 2007

The Power of Positive Thinking

Some people, when faced with a diabetes diagnosis, deny reality. They fight it and think of what might have beens. Well, this kind of thinking is not going to help. You can change things only if you accept the reality. Only after acceptance will you be able to make realistic steps.

First, prepare yourself mentally. Clear your mind so you can better understand in a positive manner what you will read about the disease. You can educate yourself better this way and then you will be able to manage the disease better on a daily basis. You can then give yourself the best possible care by monitoring your blood glucose. You can be more conscientious of proper medication intake and dosage. And then with proper exercise and meal planning, you will not suffer any complications.

Now if you continue to be in denial, will it be possible to do your best to take care of yourself? I don't think so. Just think how lucky we are to live in this day and age when modern high-tech medical advances have made it possible for the diabetics to live longer.

So it is up to you to move forward with the most positive attitude. This way, you can deal with diabetes in an en enlightened manner. So this is my challenge to you. Study as much as you can about the disease while keeping your mind focused on the positive future of the medical advances. Even while I write this, there are reports on a daily basis on studies about diabetes that will improve the life of the diabetics. Hopefully, someday these studies will lead to the elimination of the complication. That is why in my website, I have news alert where I report all the items I read about. I feel that knowing that advances are going on, the diabetics will feel encouraged. Go there and check it out:

For the disclaimer and more information on diabetes, please go to this site:

Free Diabetes Alert