Vitamin D Can Help Shield You From Diabetes

 By: catherinfernates

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Another health breakthrough to report in the vast arena of breakthroughs that surrounds vitamin D. The "sunshine vitamin." A new study has found that not getting enough vitamin D can put you at greater risk for one of the biggest health problems of modern times: type 2 diabetes.

This study occurred in children, but the results can be extrapolated for everyone. Looking at obese and non-obese children, researchers found that low vitamin-D levels were significantly more prevalent in obese children. And that they were associated with risk factors for type 2 diabetes. The study appeared in the "Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism."

RECOMMENDED This Vitamin Could Beat the Flu

High rates of vitamin-D deficiency have been found in obese populations and past studies have linked low vitamin-D levels to cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Those three health conditions -- obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease -- are certifiably linked.

How obesity and diabetes is related to vitamin-D deficiency is not fully understood. This new study examined associations between vitamin-D levels and dietary habits in obese children. They tested whether there were links between levels of the sunshine vitamin and abnormal blood sugar levels and/or blood pressure levels.

In the study, obese children with lower vitamin-D levels had the highest degree of insulin resistance. This is the hallmark of diabetes, meaning the body has an impaired ability to move glucose from the blood into cells where it is used as energy. The study couldn't figure out why this is the case, but did suggest that low vitamin-D levels play some kind of role in the development of type 2 diabetes.

Here's what happened: they measured vitamin-D levels, blood sugar levels, insulin, body mass index, and blood pressure in 411 obese subjects and 87 control non-overweight subjects. Study participants were asked to provide dietary information, including daily intake of soda,
juice and milk, average daily fruit and vegetable intake, and whether or not they routinely skipped breakfast.

Sure enough, they found that habits like skipping breakfast and drinking sugary soda and juice were linked with lower vitamin-D levels among the obese kids.

Vitamin D is simply critical. If you can't spend 15 minutes of time in direct sunlight (without using sunscreen) each day, it is a very good idea to take a vitamin-D supplement
in the range of 1,000 IU.Visit for more information.:-http://www.doctorshealthpress.com/

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About the Author:
Vitamin D is simply critical. If you can't spend 15 minutes of time in direct sunlight (without using sunscreen) each day, it is a very good idea to take a vitamin-D supplement
in the range of 1,000 IU.Visit for more information.:-http://www.doctorshealthpress.com/

Reducing Your Risks Of Diabetes

 By: Ethan Kalvin

Photo: i.usatoday.net

Diabetes is on the rise and with the state of the American diet, it's no wonder. When it comes to eating American's may perhaps be counting calories but they surely aren't reading the labels of the foods they eat, at least most Americans. The problem is that even individuals who care enough about their health to read the labels really do not know what they are looking for and while the amount of calories, fat, salt, and sugar are obvious factors to look they are obviously only a part of the entire picture.

Since diabetes is a condition that has to do with a problem regulating blood sugar in the body it is essential to keep an eye on your sugar level, especially your fasting sugar level. And while many men and women know to watch their sugar and if there is a problem to keep it in check lots of people are still not aware that even if you don't eat much sugar you could be at risk.

Diabetes is essentially a problem with digestion of sugars and the body requires insulin in order to effectively process sugars. Sugars however are derivatives of carbohydrates and studies have shown that sugar has a lot less of an effect on diabetics then the consumption of starchy foods does. This is because foods such as breads, pastas, and even potatoes turn into sugar in your body and while they can be natural they still require insulin for digestion.

For a long time it was assumed that people who became diabetic did so because of a genetic link. While heredity does play a role in how a person's body processes and how much insulin it has this is not the only mitigating factor. Lots of people, especially children are being diagnosed with Diabetes and have no genetic link what so ever. It is important to realize that while genetics is a contributing factor diet is still of the utmost importance.

When you think about avoiding diabetes it is essential to make sure that you're not only reducing the amount of refined sugar that's in your diet but that you're also limiting the amount of carbohydrates that you're ingesting each and every day. Diet is ever so important in helping to avoid diabetes and if you're willing to put in the effort to keep your carb intake down than you can effectively reduce your risk of diabetes even if you do have a family history of this disease.

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Food List For Diabetics To Eat - Diabetic Diet Plan

 By Tehmina Mazher 

Photo: scienceofhealthyliving.com

Diabetic diet plan is not complete without these four essential categories of food. If a diabetic person eats food that help him to metabolize sugar, trigger insulin sensitivity, protect him from glycation and lower down oxidative stress; he can achieve his goals of maintaining normal blood sugar levels.
Here is the food list for diabetics to eat
Metabolizers
Diabetic diet plan must include ingredients that help to restore the metabolism process of sugar. Excessive blood sugar triggers dangerous reactions that start to destroy the body. There are certain foods that help to restore process of sugar metabolism.
The following spices and foods are good metabolizers:
1- Basil
2- Cinnamon
3- Green beans
4- Broccoli
5- Apples
6- Sprouted beans
7- Whole wheat bread
It is good to add either 1 or 2 servings in each major meal.
Promoters
The trademark of diabetes type 2 is insulin resistance. Insulin helps the intake of sugar by the cells of the body. Nutritional promotion of insulin sensitivity help the medications to work better.
Following is the list of good promoters for diabetes:
1- Lean red meat
2- Cabbage
3- Collard green
4- Brewer's yeast
A diabetic diet plan that provides 6 to 7 ounces of lean cut of red meat with plenty of green vegetables provides a good dose of insulin promoters.
Reducers
Excessive blood sugar levels creat extreme oxidative stress. If blood sugar isn't properly metabolized then blood sugar quickly changes itself into reactive molecules that damage the body. Reducers are also termed antioxidants. Antioxidant foods are those that could lower down the oxidative stress by mopping reactive metabolites of sugar. The key step in the treatment of diabetes is to eat wide range of antioxidants. Following is the list of foods for diabetics that can be added in their diet plan for lowering down the blood sugar levels.
1- Cranberries
2- Blueberries
3- Red beans
4- Pomegranate
5- Artichokes
6- Black And green tea
Each diabetic meal must contain 2 to 3 servings of antioxidants.
Protectors
It is critically important that all diabetic understand the ways in which blood sugar level cause the damage. The naughtiest process is glycation. In this process sugar molecules react with proteins and form non function structures in the body. This is the prime cause of complications of diabetes. It makes the basis of heart attack, heart stroke and even blindness.
Protector foods include those foods that have the capability of minimizing the glycation effect:
1-Liver
2- Turkey
3- Chilli pepper
4- Chicken
5- Lean red meat
6- Lentils
7- Tuna
The best way to enhance diabetes favour diabetes is by adding chilli peppers as marinade for fish and chicken. This is also strongly advised that diabetics must only choose the leanest cuts of the meat.
It is not difficult to beat diabetes, if a person has got the right tools for it. Human body can heal itself with the proper diabetes diet. The diabetic person has to plan his diabetic meals with greatest care while incorporating metabolizers, promoters, reducers and protectors.

If you want to have a free diabetic meal plan specifically designed according to your personal requirement check Diabetic Diet Plan. This list will help to design a meal plan that has the ability to control the Signs Of Diabetes in a way that you'll end up saying where is my blood sugar?

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Proper Control Of Blood Sugar - Coping With Diabetes

 By Henry Crane 

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Here are some statistics that are quite alarming: The American Diabetes Association revealed that some 24 million Americans are afflicted with diabetes and around 57 million more are at risk of acquiring the ailment. It is a worsening epidemic and has been reported as capable of killing more people than breast cancer and AIDS. Worse, the death rate has shot up to 45 percent since 1987 and 1 out of 3 kids are predicted to acquire diabetes. It leads to blindness and serious damage to the nerves.
Diabetes can be curbed through changes in dietary and lifestyle and not only through insulin and other artificial medications. It is also a matter of how to control your blood sugar correctly.
However, before speaking of controls and medications, one of the focal concerns of people is to understand what diabetes is all about. First of all, diabetes is the "inflammatory condition caused by the autoimmune system. The blood glucose levels of an individual needs to be kept within satisfactory limits. The blood glucose concentration must not be too high or too low, otherwise, this can be hazardous to the health. People who have been detected with diabetes must be aware that preserving lower blood sugar levels is an integral component in the life of diabetics.
One fact about diabetes is that it is more than taking insulin shots every day or keeping track of glucose readings. Coping with diabetes implies how to control your blood sugar, changing an unhealthy lifestyle and improving your nutritional regime. In short, it is imperative that you manage diabetes and not the opposite. People diagnosed with diabetes could have evaded some consequences of living with the disease if they had been more prompt in managing fluctuating insulin and blood sugar levels. The sad part is diabetes is permanent which means it will stay in the same condition or, most probably, degenerate as time passes. Medical studies revealed that diabetes is now the principal cause of blindness in the country. The culprit here is poor monitoring of blood sugar levels. Thus, it is really crucial that you know how to control your blood sugar.
Worse, unchecked blood sugar levels frequently lead to heart disorders and strokes, kidney ailments, infertility, intestinal malady, blindness, pregnancy risks and weakened immune response. There are uncomplicated procedures in staying away from the hazards of uncontrolled blood sugar levels. These include a steady diet of low-sugar, low-fat and foods that have low carbohydrate content, constant physical fitness workouts, stringent restraint on alcoholic drinks and tobacco, frequent consultation with your doctor and regular glucose readings to determine the progress, directions and trending of your diabetic tendencies.
Again, you must know how to control your blood sugar. This is the key to dealing with diabetes. The methodologies in seeing to it that your blood sugar is kept in check must be followed to the letter for this can extend your life and work towards its improvement. The whole process is not easy but it necessitates some self-discipline and a bit of sacrifice if your desire is to live longer.

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Living With Diabetes - A Guide To A Better Life

 by robertoms2003

Photo: desang.net

So many people in America struggle with diabetes, from kids who have it, to elderly people, the problems of high blood sugar can be something that can change your entire lifestyle but to know that you have diabetes is to know that there is a way you can help yourself find ways to adopt a new lifestyle that can help you. You can take up a new diet that will help you figure out the best way to manage your blood sugar. When you have diabetes, there are many types of foods that you will not be allowed to eat, such as foods that are rich in sugar, like ice cream, cake, candy, and other sweets that will have to be ejected from your daily repertoire of foods.

But you can replace these foods with things that require artificial sweeteners, such as Splenda or other kinds of artificial sweeteners that you can put into ice cream, cake, tea, and other kinds of foods that will help you stay healthy but still eat the foods that you love to eat and enjoy. It is important that you stay on a comfortable and healthy diet, or else you will not be able to maintain your insulin regimen with ease. Even if you take insulin on a daily basis, you might see that you endure health problems if you do not determine keeping a healthy diet and staying healthy.

People who have diabetes need to make sure that they take time out of their lives to exercise and make sure that you walk daily, run, and do exercising. This way you can help stay fit and healthy. You want to make sure that you keep a leafy green diet, salads, vegetables, some chicken, rather than a lot of fatty meats and things, and you can also make sure that you stay tuned with exercises and other kinds of activities.

You want to make sure that you stay fit and healthy no matter what, so that way you can avoid the complications that happen when people do not stay with their diets. You can also end up passing out or in a coma if you do not stay strong and healthy with your diet, as diabetes can be a life threatening disease, but if you stay healthy and make sure that you do not eat anything dangerous, you will not harm yourself worse.

Diabetes can require a lifestyle change, but you can do this easily, you can do this if you stay strong and if you have a strong support group. Keep your family nearby and allow them to help you with your diet, with your meals, and with your diabetes. Also, you want to make sure that you stay in a strong support group and you can join other diabetes support groups and this can help you understand the plight of others and better deal with your own qualms. And you can also help other people as well, with your own condition and help people work together to adopt this lifestyle.

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Diabetic Neuropathy and Nutritional Supplements

 By John Hayes Jr 

Photo: podiatrytoday.com

If you have insulin dependent diabetes, you know you need to take insulin to keep your blood sugar under control. You've probably also been told to exercise. And you've definitely been told to watch your diet - especially when it comes to sugar. What you might not realize is that there are nutritional supplements and vitamins you can take to help control your blood sugar as well. And many of these supplements can also help with the effects of diabetic neuropathy - one of the chief contributors to amputations in diabetic patients.
The number of clinical studies that show adding key nutrients to the health care regimen of diabetic neuropathy patients is growing constantly.
Granted, these nutritional supplements will not take the place of proper diet, controlling your blood sugar and a sound exercise plan, but they can definitely improve the effectiveness of all of these pieces of the diabetic neuropathy puzzle.
What You Should Look For in Nutritional Supplements
As a patient with diabetic neuropathy, your requirements in nutritional supplements are different than those of other people. While many companies use the convenience of their once-a-day multivitamin as a selling point, a pill you take only once a day is only going to be really effective for the two hours after take it. You need more than that for the symptoms of your diabetic neuropathy.
To get the full effect for treating your diabetic neuropathy, you need to maintain a steady therapeutic level of these vitamins and nutrients throughout the day to help keep your blood sugar under control.
Choose supplements that you take at last three times a day to keep the levels steady in your blood stream.
And look for nutritional supplements that come from an FDA approved manufacturer to ensure that what you're taking is pharmaceutical grade.
Which Vitamin Supplements You Should Take
There is so much information on the market now about nutritional supplements and vitamins. Don't go out there and buy vitamins without being prepared. Do your research and talk to a specialist like your favorite clinician to make sure you're taking the right vitamins for your specific diabetic neuropathy symptoms. We have a very specific protocol in our clinics.
Here's a quick cheat sheet of the Top 12 vitamins and nutrients for diabetic neuropathy treatment to help you identify some of the essential supplements that can help your diabetic neuropathy and exactly what they do:
Thiamin (Vitamin B1) - helps maintain healthy oxygen levels in the blood stream which means that you less chance of nerve damage due to poor oxygen levels reaching the nerves. The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of thiamine for the average person is 1.0 to 2.4 mg per day but diabetic neuropathy patients should take in the range of 60 mg per day in equally divided doses.
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) - works in combination with Vitamin B6 to help your body use glucose properly. The RDA is 1.2 to 1.6 mg per day but therapeutic levels should be around 60 mg per day.
Vitamin B6 - along with folic acid and B12, it helps prevent nerve damage and heart attacks. It can also help prevent diabetic blindness and/or vision loss. Therapeutic levels should be at least 60 mg per day but be very careful with your dosage. Some toxicity has been reported with extremely high levels of B6.
Vitamin B12 - works with folic acid to help prevent stroke and loss of limbs due to diabetic neuropathy. It also helps relieve neuropathy pain.
Biotin - when taken in combination with chromium, biotin (a B vitamin) helps insulin work more effectively, keeps the pancreas working well, and lowers blood sugar levels.
Chromium - when taken with biotin, helps insulin work better, keeps the pancreas working well and lowers blood sugar levels.
Copper - helps protect the cells in the pancreas that make insulin healthy, helps prevent diabetes related damage to blood vessels and nerves and lowers blood sugar levels.
Folic Acid - works with B12 to help prevent strokes and loss of limbs due to diabetic neuropathy.
Magnesium - helps relieve diabetic neuropathy pain and helps insulin work more effectively.
Manganese - helps prevent damage to blood vessels and nerves.
Selenium - sometimes called an insulin imitator, selenium helps take blood sugar into the cells. Selenium protects against blood vessel and nerve damage from elevated blood sugar levels, two of the contributing factors in diabetic neuropathy.
Zinc - helps blood sugar get into the cells and insulin work more efficiently.
These supplements, when used properly and under the care and supervision of your own clinician, can help improve your diabetic neuropathy symptoms and lessen the chances of permanent nerve damage and eventual amputation.
But take note - these supplements will not take the place of eating properly and exercising. They work in combination with a healthier lifestyle, not in place of it.
And never self prescribe vitamins supplements and nutrients. Work with your clinician to arrive at the levels you need for your particular diabetic neuropathy and blood sugar control issues. As with many other things, too much of a good thing can do more harm than good if not properly regulated and monitored by a specialist.

And never self prescribe vitamins supplements and nutrients. Work with you NeuropathyDR® clinician to arrive at the levels you need for your particular diabetic neuropathy and blood sugar control issues. As with many other things, too much of a good thing can do more harm than good if not properly regulated and monitored by a specialist.
Neuropathy patients, doctors and physical therapists can find lots more about the neuropathy treatments and systems of Dr John Hayes Jr by going to http://neuropathydr.com. Peripheral neuropathy doctors, physical therapists and patients will find more information as well as post comments and questions at this site as well.

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Type 2 Diabetic Alzheimer's, Insulin and Dementia

 By Martha J Zimmer 

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Type 2 diabetic Alzheimer's caught my attention when I was reading about nasal insulin spray. It was on the market for a short while, but diabetics did not warm up to it, so it was taken off the market again.
But researchers at the National Veteran's Administration Hospital had been looking at Alzheimer's dementia patients and the low levels of insulin found in their brains. The researchers decided to try giving those patients doses of nasal insulin spray, hoping it would reach their brains without causing high insulin levels in the blood.
The results were very encouraging. Memory and thinking skills were improved for a while in many of the Alzheimer's patients, most in those who had mild levels of dementia. Of course, lots more studies will have to be done before nasal insulin spray is prescribed for Alzheimer's dementia.
Looking For the Connection
Statistics show that having type 2 diabetes doubles your risk for Alzheimer's dementia. That is not the same as vascular dementia, which is often the result of hardening and narrowing of arteries, strokes and heart disease.
The steps from diabetes to vascular dementia are easy to follow since diabetes damages blood vessels, increasing the risk of heart disease, strokes and vascular diseases as we age. But what about Alzheimer's dementia?
When older diabetics with mental ability decline were tested, they had brain changes that look like both Alzheimer's and vascular dementia. The cause seems to be the long-term effects on brain cells of their inability to use sugar and respond to insulin.
Increased mild cognitive impairment (called MCI) seems to be the stage between normal aging and Alzheimer's dementia. There is a lot of interest in the pathways to Alzheimer because of the statistics.
Making a Case
If there is a connection between Alzheimer's and diabetes we need to know it. On Dr. Oz's website there is an article titled "Alzheimers - brain form of diabetes?" The writer explains that in Alzheimer's the brain's ability to use sugar is reduced. It is insulin that helps the brain take up sugar. Since insulin is not as effective with Alzheimer's, brain cells begin to starve.
In type 2 diabetic Alzheimer's the pancreas is pumping out insulin, more than is being used because of insulin resistance. There are high levels of sugar and of insulin in your blood. The damage they cause leads to poor circulation from blood vessel hardening and weakening.
In patients with early Alzheimer's the brain demonstrates resistance to insulin, and it starts with the sections that control memory and personality. Insulin resistance gets serious in the brain because insulin helps make neurotransmitters that are needed for neurons to talk to each other.
And your brain actually makes its own insulin, the same kind that is made in your pancreas. When that insulin isn't being used it causes inflammatory responses in your brain's blood vessels.
Another problem for Alzheimer's patients is the presence of brain plaques. They are formed by a protein called beta amyloid. Type 2 diabetes interferes with the breakdown of this protein, and it builds up, becoming one of the telltale signs of Alzheimer's dementia.
What Is Going On With Mortality Rates?
Heart disease and cancer statistics are down, but Alzheimer's, diabetes and Parkinson's have gone up. Until 1980 diabetes as a cause of death was declining, but since then it has gone up steadily.
That's in spite of improvements in medical treatment and understanding of the disease. That kind of rise in death rates does not seem to point to a genetic cause but to an environmental one.
Right now one in ten people over 20 years old has diabetes. One in four people over 65 know that have it. And the World Health Organization thinks that there is a huge number who have type 2 diabetes and don't know it.
Alzheimer's dementia is ranked the sixth leading cause of death. One in eight people over 65 has it, and half the people over 85 do. And there seem to be strong parallels between the mortality rates of both Alzheimer's and type 2 diabetes, and increased exposure to nitrates, nitrites and nitrosamines. But the connection has not become an accepted fact.
Research shows that large doses of nitrates, nitrites and nitrosamines are harmful to humans and animals, causing DNA damage, oxidative stress and breakdown of cell walls. It is a proinflammatory, causing cytokine activation. And cytokines found in your liver and fat cells may be the inflammatory cause of type 2 diabetes.
Nitrosamines are used to keep foods fresh. We have moved steadily to huge megafarms and away from smaller local farming communities, and the more foods are brought from far away the more nitrosamines are needed.
Nitrites are used in processing cured meats, and sodium nitrate is a common preservative in many processed foods. The question right now is whether long-term chronic low doses of these nitrosamines could cause Alzheimer's dementia, type 2 diabetes and Parkinson's disease.
While they are debating this, there are things you can do to reduce the levels of nitrosamines in your own diet. The first one is to avoid processed foods, and learn to look for sodium nitrate among the preservatives on labels.
Fertilizers, pesticides and cosmetics rely heavily on nitrosamines, so there may be some in your water and on your skin. Fried bacon, cured meats and cheese as well as beer have nitrates. So avoiding them can be hard.
Type 2 Diabetic Alzheimer's, Fighting Back
What else can you do? You can manage your type 2 diabetes, keeping your blood sugar well controlled. Take the medications you've been given for cholesterol and blood pressure too. Exercise for at least 30 minutes a day and eat healthy foods.
You can add "brain food" to your diet as well. These superfoods are especially good for protecting brain function and slowing the aging process in your brain.

• Walnuts slow the aging of the brain with an antioxidant called luteolin. It may reduce memory deficits and inflammation of the brain too. You can also find luteolin in olive oil, peppers and celery.
• Berries - blueberry juice has improved memory and depression in trials. It can slow aging and increase signal ability in your brain.
• Fish rich in omega-3 such as wild salmon slows cognitive decline. It also has B12 which may actually protect you against Alzheimer's.
• Coffee and tea may prevent Alzheimer's and improve your brain's function.
• Spinach and other green leafy vegetables have vitamins C and E which have been shown to increase and protect brain function.

If you exercise your mind it keeps those brain cells agile. There is proof that brain games help people stay sharper as they age. And physical exercise is always a great idea.
And if you have begun having problems with cognitive decline, all those things will help you too. It becomes more important to manage your sleep, because it is too easy to get your sleep cycle messed up in early Alzheimer's. And if you have pain, restless leg syndrome, or depression, get some help for those too.
Type 2 diabetic Alzheimer's dementia may have many causes, and nothing explains all the complications of Alzheimer's or of type 2 diabetes for that matter. We may watch with interest and even hope as researchers dig into the mysteries of our body's systems, but we must live today. We can find joy in our creative outlets and our friends and family. It's still the secret of living with type 2 diabetes.
"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." J.R.R. Tolkien, taken from The Lord of the Rings

Martha Zimmer invites you to visit her website and learn more about type 2 diabetes, its complications and how you can deal with them, as well as great tips for eating healthy that will make living with diabetes less painful.
Go to http://www.a-diabetic-life.com and find out what you can do to avoid many of the pitfalls of this life-changing condition, like paying for cures that don't work and spending money for things you could have gotten free. Martha has made the mistakes and done the research so you don't have to.

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