Organic diet secrets of the stars? It's good to know what the stars do eat to get themselves healthy. Here are some of them but mostly though, they eat organic foods and they shun meats. Our parents have advocated the healthy style of eating greens so perhaps this is the way to go. Maybe it's more expensive though. Let's check them out:
Kate Bosworth, what does she do to keep her skin glowing? She said she tries hard to eat organic foods but it is clear that one cannot eat organic all the time. She therefore recommends that we just do our best. After all, eating organically some of the time is better than not at all. . Eating healthy is.
How about Marc Jacobs, the designer at Louis Vuitton? What did he do to prepare for his almost nude pictures in Harper's Bazaar? He said he switched to organic diet that has no sugar, caffeine, dairy and flour. He said he lost 20 pounds from that diet and the two-hour a day exercise, seven days a week at the gym.
Now let's go and see what Angelina Jolie's secret is in getting back her slim figure so quickly after delivering twins. She opted for a diet heavy in vegetables and Omega-3s. Her menu is like this: brown bread, organic salmon with tomatoes for breakfast, grilled fresh tuna or mackerel with spinach, tomatoes and watercress for lunch or supper.
Would you believe even the Rolling Stones try to eat organically? Bass player Wood's wife Jo introduced them to this when she went on the organic diet after suffering from perforated appendix. Herbalist Gerald Green explained to her how our immune system is destroyed by the chemicals in our food. So now the Stones drink organic vodka and wine.
Madonna is famous not only for her entertaining abilities but also for her organic and macrobiotic diet. She demands that her kids go on this diet when they stay with her ex-husband. She knows that when they're on this diet, their urine clears up carrying no more of those damaging toxins.
Ed Norton got ready to be the incredible hulk by being on an organic diet. During filming in Toronto for instance, he frequented an Organic Bar known as “raw food Shangri La”. He knows that food does not come in a box or a store, having been brought up by environmentalist parents.
Then there's Stella McCartney who has been a vegetarian all her life. Donna Karan is devoted to raw food and yoga and lost 20 pounds from going on a raw organic diet. Reese Witherspoon boyfriend, Jake Gyllenhaal, plans to open an organic restaurant. If he adds meat to the menu, it will be from animals that are hormone-free and fed with grass. There you have the stars' organic diet secrets.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Diabetes and Pollution Linked
Diabetes and pollution is the topic of a study conducted at Ohio State University that found links between several pesticides, air pollution and diabetes. They say that breathing soot affects the way insulin works in mice and make these fat mice at risk to develop Type 2 diabetes. The National Instituted of Health paid for this study which was published in Circulation.
This research that linked diabetes with pesticides include the ones used on golf courses. They are also used to kill pests that are supposedly harmful to food crops. The researchers also tied diabetes to air pollution. They found that breathing soot affects the work of insulin in mice. This made fat mice to develop type 2 diabetes.
The National Institute of Health funded this research which showed that fat mice that were already vulnerable to develop type 2 diabetes because of unhealthy diet increased their risk with air pollution. In other words, air pollution was the trigger that determined which of the fat mice would develop diabetes and which would not.
What is soot? This is also known as fine particulates. Mind you, there is more regulation now with the government stepping in trying to improve the smokestacks and diesel engines. Sadly, the air still remains unhealthy on some days in certain areas of the country because of the fine particulates.
Heart troubles and lung disease have been triggered by the unhealthy air. This is the reason the government stepped in to regulate the emission. And now the experts are saying that pollution may also be a factor in the obesity epidemic. This is why continuing work on this will help prevent heart attack and stroke.
Epidemiological researches have suggested the diabetics are at risk to develop cardiovascular problems. They say that this is associated with exposure to air pollution associated with power plants that burn coal and those emitted from traffic.
In one study the findings reported that exposure to air pollution consistently showed positive points estimates associated with inflammatory markers. This suggests that inflammatory mechanism is behind the increased risk to cardiovascular events due to air pollution.
Standards of air quality outdoors help protect the population's sensitive people. The trouble is despite the standards, association between diabetes and pollution can still be detected even when the levels are below the standards. So there is still room for improvement in this regard.
One important pollutant is formed by such sources as power plants and also formed due the fossil-fuel combustion by motor vehicles. This is quite a concern for health as these pollutants are deposited in portions of the lungs and the lower airways. More has to be done to stop the link between diabetes and pollution.
This research that linked diabetes with pesticides include the ones used on golf courses. They are also used to kill pests that are supposedly harmful to food crops. The researchers also tied diabetes to air pollution. They found that breathing soot affects the work of insulin in mice. This made fat mice to develop type 2 diabetes.
The National Institute of Health funded this research which showed that fat mice that were already vulnerable to develop type 2 diabetes because of unhealthy diet increased their risk with air pollution. In other words, air pollution was the trigger that determined which of the fat mice would develop diabetes and which would not.
What is soot? This is also known as fine particulates. Mind you, there is more regulation now with the government stepping in trying to improve the smokestacks and diesel engines. Sadly, the air still remains unhealthy on some days in certain areas of the country because of the fine particulates.
Heart troubles and lung disease have been triggered by the unhealthy air. This is the reason the government stepped in to regulate the emission. And now the experts are saying that pollution may also be a factor in the obesity epidemic. This is why continuing work on this will help prevent heart attack and stroke.
Epidemiological researches have suggested the diabetics are at risk to develop cardiovascular problems. They say that this is associated with exposure to air pollution associated with power plants that burn coal and those emitted from traffic.
In one study the findings reported that exposure to air pollution consistently showed positive points estimates associated with inflammatory markers. This suggests that inflammatory mechanism is behind the increased risk to cardiovascular events due to air pollution.
Standards of air quality outdoors help protect the population's sensitive people. The trouble is despite the standards, association between diabetes and pollution can still be detected even when the levels are below the standards. So there is still room for improvement in this regard.
One important pollutant is formed by such sources as power plants and also formed due the fossil-fuel combustion by motor vehicles. This is quite a concern for health as these pollutants are deposited in portions of the lungs and the lower airways. More has to be done to stop the link between diabetes and pollution.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Low-Dose Aspirin Therapy Did Not Prevent Type 2 Diabetes
Low-dose aspirin therapy research result is some kind of a bad news because I thought taking low-dose aspirin has a dual purpose in avoiding cardiovascular events and preventing type 2 diabetes. Now they have just shot down the second benefit and for the research that did, it appears to be legitimate as they have a large number of participants.
Here's what the researchers did. They examined the efficacy of the aspirin therapy for the incidence of type 2 diabetes. They enrolled 38,716 women who did not have diabetes between 1992 and 1995. They randomly divided this set into two groups. One of the groups was assigned to take a low-dose aspirin on alternate days while the other group was given a placebo.
Here's what the researchers found. There was no difference shown by both the placebo and the aspirin groups as to the incidence of type 2 diabetes. As a matter of fact, 849 cases of diabetes was found in the aspirin group while the placebo group had 847 cases of diabetes.
Adverse events and bleeding episodes were higher in the aspirin group though than in the placebo group. The rate of the bleeding episode among the women in the aspirin group was 4.5% while the placebo group showed the rate of bleeding episode as 3.7%.
The researchers conducted this study due to the increasing number of diabetes cases, the high cost of treatment and the influence this has on the cardiovascular disease among women. They felt a need to determine appropriate strategies to prevent this.
The researchers believed that zeroing into both the reduction of diabetes and cardiovascular events was very appealing especially so the risk for both often appear in the same person. So identifying the preventive measures would have made the health condition among these women better.
No one was surprised at the finding because the type of aspirin used was low-dose. They already knew that high dose aspirin have shown that it can decrease the resistance to insulin, thus improvement in the functioning of the beta cells is the result.
Now that the new guidelines on aspirin for the diabetics have arrived, the experts are weighing the pros and cons or rather the benefits and risk of the low-dose aspirin treatment. It looks like that women who are under 60 and men under 50 who have no risk for heart disease should not be on low-dose aspirin therapy.
Here's what the researchers did. They examined the efficacy of the aspirin therapy for the incidence of type 2 diabetes. They enrolled 38,716 women who did not have diabetes between 1992 and 1995. They randomly divided this set into two groups. One of the groups was assigned to take a low-dose aspirin on alternate days while the other group was given a placebo.
Here's what the researchers found. There was no difference shown by both the placebo and the aspirin groups as to the incidence of type 2 diabetes. As a matter of fact, 849 cases of diabetes was found in the aspirin group while the placebo group had 847 cases of diabetes.
Adverse events and bleeding episodes were higher in the aspirin group though than in the placebo group. The rate of the bleeding episode among the women in the aspirin group was 4.5% while the placebo group showed the rate of bleeding episode as 3.7%.
The researchers conducted this study due to the increasing number of diabetes cases, the high cost of treatment and the influence this has on the cardiovascular disease among women. They felt a need to determine appropriate strategies to prevent this.
The researchers believed that zeroing into both the reduction of diabetes and cardiovascular events was very appealing especially so the risk for both often appear in the same person. So identifying the preventive measures would have made the health condition among these women better.
No one was surprised at the finding because the type of aspirin used was low-dose. They already knew that high dose aspirin have shown that it can decrease the resistance to insulin, thus improvement in the functioning of the beta cells is the result.
Now that the new guidelines on aspirin for the diabetics have arrived, the experts are weighing the pros and cons or rather the benefits and risk of the low-dose aspirin treatment. It looks like that women who are under 60 and men under 50 who have no risk for heart disease should not be on low-dose aspirin therapy.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Diabetes Leg Pain and the New Limb Preservation Track
Diabetes leg pain symposium of this kind is something I am glad to have come across as it will provide us with new connections to the world of Wound Care and Wound Healing, so crucial to diabetic patients. This 22nd annual meeting of wound care specialists from different disciplines met at the Gaylord Texan Hotel and Convention Center back in 2009.
What is important is that at this meeting they added a limb preservation track to address the concerns of vascular surgeons and doctors of podiatric medicine. These are the people who treat the diabetics who have lower extremity wounds and are at risk for amputation.
From Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Dr. Kazu Suzuki said that about one-third of diabetics suffer from diabetes leg pain and foot wounds and poor circulation. Apparently, these led to over 100,000 leg amputation each year and often these are preventable. How?
When the wound is detected and treated early, amputation could be avoided. That is why it is important to examine feet and legs for sores and wounds as the diabetics may not feel them and not know early enough that they are there. Examining the feet and legs every day should be part of the diabetes care plan.
There are limb preservation efforts through proper care of the wound and revascularization. These could save life and limb and are part of looking after the diabetic patients especially knowing that quality of life deteriorates after amputation. So it is important to know more about diabetes leg pain.
So this meeting addressed the diagnostic tests and treatment to help prolong the lives of the diabetics. It is their aim to raise awareness of the symptoms, care and treatment options for diabetic leg wounds. It will lower the cost of complications because early detection is cheaper than leg amputations which will require hospitalization and rehabilitation.
There will be another meeting on this issue this spring where they are going track the peripheral arterial disease and diabetes mellitus. The discussion will be on such topics as epidemiology, management and assessment of arterial disease from medical to surgical to rehabilitation.
It is my fervent hope that some experts will share what they have discovered at this symposium. You can be sure I will follow this up as I can't wait for new ways and treatment options for the diabetics who suffer so much from their diabetes leg pain.
What is important is that at this meeting they added a limb preservation track to address the concerns of vascular surgeons and doctors of podiatric medicine. These are the people who treat the diabetics who have lower extremity wounds and are at risk for amputation.
From Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Dr. Kazu Suzuki said that about one-third of diabetics suffer from diabetes leg pain and foot wounds and poor circulation. Apparently, these led to over 100,000 leg amputation each year and often these are preventable. How?
When the wound is detected and treated early, amputation could be avoided. That is why it is important to examine feet and legs for sores and wounds as the diabetics may not feel them and not know early enough that they are there. Examining the feet and legs every day should be part of the diabetes care plan.
There are limb preservation efforts through proper care of the wound and revascularization. These could save life and limb and are part of looking after the diabetic patients especially knowing that quality of life deteriorates after amputation. So it is important to know more about diabetes leg pain.
So this meeting addressed the diagnostic tests and treatment to help prolong the lives of the diabetics. It is their aim to raise awareness of the symptoms, care and treatment options for diabetic leg wounds. It will lower the cost of complications because early detection is cheaper than leg amputations which will require hospitalization and rehabilitation.
There will be another meeting on this issue this spring where they are going track the peripheral arterial disease and diabetes mellitus. The discussion will be on such topics as epidemiology, management and assessment of arterial disease from medical to surgical to rehabilitation.
It is my fervent hope that some experts will share what they have discovered at this symposium. You can be sure I will follow this up as I can't wait for new ways and treatment options for the diabetics who suffer so much from their diabetes leg pain.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Diabetes Pill Gives Hope to End Painful Injections
Insulin pill was thought of as something that will give hope to the diabetics. This was reported in August 2001. The claim was in a decade this would be a done deal. So on January 25, 2009 when I read the news that Diabetes Pill Gives Hope to End Painful Injections, I decided to revisit the news pertaining to this.
The every day injection of insulin they said will soon be a thing of the past. Apparently, a chemistry student has come up with the material that would enable the diabetics to take their insulin orally. This would be in the form of a pill.
Some people with diabetes are dependent on insulin to survive and have to give themselves injection three times a day. There had been efforts to replace these injections with oral insulin but these attempts failed because the harsh acids in the mouth, throat and stomach destroyed the pills, making them ineffective.
The new material, however, is a polymer with a gel-like consistency. This makes people think that it will be more effective because the insulin is protected from the harsh acids until it gets to the small intestine. It is there where it should be absorbed into the blood.
A graduate student from Purdue University, Aaron Foss, made this breakthrough. He said that the small intestine is less acidic and will enable the polymer to swell. This in turn will release the insulin. He presented his findings to the American Chemical Society during its 222nd national meeting.
The finding did well in the trials that showed up to 16% of the insulin could be carried to the bloodstream when in the past the figure was only 0.1%. Foss said that when he lowered the acidity after two hours, the material opened up that released the insulin.
He said it worked but he wanted to continue the research so that more insulin can be delivered. He therefore planned to change some parameters and to look at some other compounds and see if it can be further optimized. There was much hope in the finding.
Then on January 25, 2009, there was good news that Diabetes Pill Gives Hope to End Painful Injections. The news really excited me so here I am writing about this. This should be good news especially after it passes the human trials.
Diabetes UK found this interesting and welcomed it for anything that makes life easier for the diabetics is a real welcome news. They said it was too early in 2001 but the scientists were hopeful that this could be done within ten years. I will keep my fingers crossed that next year which is a decade from the first finding, that it should be here by then.
They've already experienced success on this that lowered the blood sugar level in animals after taking these pills. Let's hope and pray for their continued success as this will end the constant injections the diabetics have to endure; this will certainly add to their quality of life soon after the finalization of these pills with insulin.
The every day injection of insulin they said will soon be a thing of the past. Apparently, a chemistry student has come up with the material that would enable the diabetics to take their insulin orally. This would be in the form of a pill.
Some people with diabetes are dependent on insulin to survive and have to give themselves injection three times a day. There had been efforts to replace these injections with oral insulin but these attempts failed because the harsh acids in the mouth, throat and stomach destroyed the pills, making them ineffective.
The new material, however, is a polymer with a gel-like consistency. This makes people think that it will be more effective because the insulin is protected from the harsh acids until it gets to the small intestine. It is there where it should be absorbed into the blood.
A graduate student from Purdue University, Aaron Foss, made this breakthrough. He said that the small intestine is less acidic and will enable the polymer to swell. This in turn will release the insulin. He presented his findings to the American Chemical Society during its 222nd national meeting.
The finding did well in the trials that showed up to 16% of the insulin could be carried to the bloodstream when in the past the figure was only 0.1%. Foss said that when he lowered the acidity after two hours, the material opened up that released the insulin.
He said it worked but he wanted to continue the research so that more insulin can be delivered. He therefore planned to change some parameters and to look at some other compounds and see if it can be further optimized. There was much hope in the finding.
Then on January 25, 2009, there was good news that Diabetes Pill Gives Hope to End Painful Injections. The news really excited me so here I am writing about this. This should be good news especially after it passes the human trials.
Diabetes UK found this interesting and welcomed it for anything that makes life easier for the diabetics is a real welcome news. They said it was too early in 2001 but the scientists were hopeful that this could be done within ten years. I will keep my fingers crossed that next year which is a decade from the first finding, that it should be here by then.
They've already experienced success on this that lowered the blood sugar level in animals after taking these pills. Let's hope and pray for their continued success as this will end the constant injections the diabetics have to endure; this will certainly add to their quality of life soon after the finalization of these pills with insulin.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Dance and Diabetes As an Elegant Tool to Fight This Condition
Dance and diabetes they say is an elegant way to help keep this condition at bay. This is what this tribe is doing to reach the people to keep them healthy for they are at higher risk to develop diabetes. We can do the same and dance away our pains and getting two birds in one shot. Not only are we getting the exercise but also we can socialize and have fun dancing and listening to the music.
Shelley Bointy demonstrated how to do a two-step dance. This was part of a workshop at Haskell Indian Nations University. She was showing the teachers how to use the round dance of the Native Americans so they can use it to motivate the students to prevent diabetes by exercising.
This song and dance workshop was organized by Shelley Bointy. This was where the Red Lake Singers from Minnesota performed a dance song. The group ranged in age from 21 to 67 years old. A group of Lawrence teachers joined them. At first, they did a slight shuffle with the left foot, then right. Pretty soon they were circling the room.
Right in front was Johnny Smith singing and beating the drum. The upper bodies moved to the beat of the drum and pretty soon they were sweating and feeling winded. The songs were short but they enabled the group to exercise for diabetes. It helped the teachers learn to use the round dancing of the Native Americans to motivate people to exercise and stop diabetes.
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and the National Institutes of Health have been working together for several years on intervention programs directed at the Native American children. In addition to the song and dance, they employ examples from the past to develop healthy behaviors.
The 67-year old in the group had been singing and dancing for decades with these singers and dancers. After he had a heart attack, his doctor recommended that he should keep on dancing. He therefore continues to do the round dancing to keep his own condition properly managed. What a fun way to prevent complications by combining dance and diabetes.
Shelley Bointy demonstrated how to do a two-step dance. This was part of a workshop at Haskell Indian Nations University. She was showing the teachers how to use the round dance of the Native Americans so they can use it to motivate the students to prevent diabetes by exercising.
This song and dance workshop was organized by Shelley Bointy. This was where the Red Lake Singers from Minnesota performed a dance song. The group ranged in age from 21 to 67 years old. A group of Lawrence teachers joined them. At first, they did a slight shuffle with the left foot, then right. Pretty soon they were circling the room.
Right in front was Johnny Smith singing and beating the drum. The upper bodies moved to the beat of the drum and pretty soon they were sweating and feeling winded. The songs were short but they enabled the group to exercise for diabetes. It helped the teachers learn to use the round dancing of the Native Americans to motivate people to exercise and stop diabetes.
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and the National Institutes of Health have been working together for several years on intervention programs directed at the Native American children. In addition to the song and dance, they employ examples from the past to develop healthy behaviors.
The 67-year old in the group had been singing and dancing for decades with these singers and dancers. After he had a heart attack, his doctor recommended that he should keep on dancing. He therefore continues to do the round dancing to keep his own condition properly managed. What a fun way to prevent complications by combining dance and diabetes.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
High Blood Sugar Could Impair Thinking
High blood sugar reading could impair brain functioning which makes sense because low blood glucose could also affect one's thinking ability. The brain needs glucose to keep functioning and since it does not store nor manufacture its own glucose it has to rely on the body to process that.
People with type 2 diabetes may have higher average blood glucose (sugar) levels and this may be linked to lower brain functioning. This is according to a study where researchers found that those with higher levels of hemoglobin A1C had worse results while doing cognitive tasks.
Hemoglobin A1C is the measure of average blood sugar levels over two to three months. The cognitive tasks that were found to have lower results among those with high blood glucose levels are those that tested memory, speed and the ability to manage multiple tasks at the same time. Higher A1C levels were also linked with lower scores on a test of global cognitive function.
These findings were published online and I was interested in following it up. The study is appropriately called MIND (from the Memory in Diabetes) It really is a part of the trial called ACCORD (from to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes.
Of course people are concerned even if the impairment is mild. This is what Dr. Tali Cukierman-Yaffe, the lead researcher, who is from Tel-Aviv University in Israel said in a news release with the American Diabetes Association.
What is not clear though is that the researchers were not sure whether higher blood glucose levels increase the risk for cognitive impairment or whether cognitive impairment lowers the ability of the body to control the blood glucose levels. They were hoping this will be clarified in the ongoing ACCORD-MIND study.
The study will test the hypothesis that decreasing the A1C levels could improve cognitive functioning. Meantime we know that in the previous research the diabetics are found to be 1.5 times more at risk to suffer cognitive decline and dementia than those without diabetes.
Since we know there are so many people whose cognitive functioning is high like the new member of the Supreme Court and she has had diabetes for decades. Let us therefore prove the hypothesis wrong by making sure we do not have the levels that are considered to be high blood sugar.
People with type 2 diabetes may have higher average blood glucose (sugar) levels and this may be linked to lower brain functioning. This is according to a study where researchers found that those with higher levels of hemoglobin A1C had worse results while doing cognitive tasks.
Hemoglobin A1C is the measure of average blood sugar levels over two to three months. The cognitive tasks that were found to have lower results among those with high blood glucose levels are those that tested memory, speed and the ability to manage multiple tasks at the same time. Higher A1C levels were also linked with lower scores on a test of global cognitive function.
These findings were published online and I was interested in following it up. The study is appropriately called MIND (from the Memory in Diabetes) It really is a part of the trial called ACCORD (from to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes.
Of course people are concerned even if the impairment is mild. This is what Dr. Tali Cukierman-Yaffe, the lead researcher, who is from Tel-Aviv University in Israel said in a news release with the American Diabetes Association.
What is not clear though is that the researchers were not sure whether higher blood glucose levels increase the risk for cognitive impairment or whether cognitive impairment lowers the ability of the body to control the blood glucose levels. They were hoping this will be clarified in the ongoing ACCORD-MIND study.
The study will test the hypothesis that decreasing the A1C levels could improve cognitive functioning. Meantime we know that in the previous research the diabetics are found to be 1.5 times more at risk to suffer cognitive decline and dementia than those without diabetes.
Since we know there are so many people whose cognitive functioning is high like the new member of the Supreme Court and she has had diabetes for decades. Let us therefore prove the hypothesis wrong by making sure we do not have the levels that are considered to be high blood sugar.
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