Prevent Diabetes With Fitness

27 08 2010

   If you have a higher risk to develop diabetes because you are genetically predisposed to it, you have all the more reason to get proactive about preventing the disease. One of the ways that you can ensure this is by taking care of your fitness levels.

   The better shape you are in physically the less likely you are to get diabetes. It stands to reason because the disease called Diabetes is linked to the metabolic rate of the body. The higher your metabolism the better your body is able to utilize the insulin it produces.

   The more you exercise the higher your metabolic rate becomes. This happen because the more energy you use the more the body has to produce for you. This energy comes from the conversion of blood glucose in the body to energy.

   This means that the body is properly producing insulin. The insulin is helping to digest the blood glucose. The body is getting and using all the energy it can at an optimal level. This is a great deterrent to developing diabetes.

   This is why keeping up with a good fitness regime can prevent diabetes. So if there is one thing that you are going to do to keep diabetes at bay, stay fit.



Natural Treatment for Insulin Resistance

3 08 2010

   What does one mean by insulin resistance? Insulin is a hormone which is secreted by the pancreas to regulate the metabolism of sugars in our body. So when we eat something which contain sugars, the pancreas release insulin into the body to absorb the sugars as they are digested into the cells.

   Now if you are insulin resistant your cells do not bind easily with the insulin produced and you need extra insulin to digest the same amount of sugar foods. Naturally the pancreas is not geared up to release that much insulin into the body and you get a high blood sugar count.

   This happens because the sugar released into the body via food is not digested into the body’s cells as energy but remain floating in the blood stream. There can be many reasons why your body becomes insulin resistant, but it is not a major cause of concern.

   It is possible to treat this condition with herbal remedies which makes the prescription of medication unnecessary. Herbal remdies have been proved efficient in treatment of insulin resistance, but must be taken under supervision. Specially if you are already using insulin medication as the effect of the natural treatment will effect the amount of your insulin dosage.



Functions of Diabetes

12 06 2010

   Diabetes is a disease associated with the pancreas. The pancreas gland is situated below the liver and contains special cells known as the beta cells of the islets of langerhans. It is these cells that secrete insulin. Insulin is a hormone which helps the body use up the glucose in the blood stream effectively.

   In a diabetic person the insulin is either not secreted at all or is secreted in a less amount than needed. This makes the blood glucose level rise as they do not get used up. The high level of blood sugars retained in the body results in a disease which is known as diabetes mellitus.

   Diabetes mellitus usually remains a chronic condition for those diagnosed with it. They can control the severity of the illness by making sure that the blood glucose levels do not rise in their body. This is best done by restricting the diet and exercising regularly.

   Since diabetes mellitus is hyperglycermia the sugar intake of the person needs to be controlled. Also the fat consumed needs to be controlled as it collects in the blood stream and aggravates the disease. This does not mean that the person should eat no fat and sugar.

   Fat and sugar are needed for energy to help the body do its daily work, but the amount that can be eaten must be controlled.



What Does Insulin Do To One’s Body

10 05 2010

   First let us consider what is insulin? Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreatic gland in the body. Insulin tends to impact the metabolism of the body along with most of the body systems. The absence of adequate amount of insulin can cause the person to become diabetic.

   What does the body need insulin to do? Insulin helps the glucose or blood sugar enter the cells and become energy. The glucose gets drawn from the blood and stored in the liver and muscles of the body in the form of glycogen.

   This glycogen is readily available for the body’s energy needs. So the body uses this source of energy before it burns any of the fat stored in it. That is why it is so difficult for most people to lose weight by merely exercising and not controlling their diet.

   Insulin is needed in a balanced amount in the body and if there is too much of it, the body can actually be harmed. That is why if you are a diabetic you need to undergo regular blood sugar tests to see that your medication is at the right dosage. More of less of insulin are both bad for the body and may be harmful.



Animal vs Plant Insulin

14 04 2010

    We all know by now that insulin is a hormone secreted by pancreas and it is essential for regulation of glucose in the body. However, diabetics face a lot of problems regulating their glucose levels since their body doesn’t produce enough insulin. This leaves a diabetic with the only choice of combating diabetes through alternative medicine approach which translates to insulin shots.

   This insulin medication is obtained from animal insulin. Early animnal insulin was effective but their absorption profiles were far from prefect. Their ability to induce an immune response was also debatable. The highly purified animal insulin was effective in treating diabetes, however their reduced immune response resulted in faster and shorter actions. Thus the effect was for a short span of time.

   Plant insulin comes from genetically modified plants and provides a natural cure. Unlike the animal insulin, it is consumed in its raw state or in the from of pills. The animal insulin is designed to enter the blood stream directly through shots given to a diabetic. Plant insulin is an alternative means of reintroducing insulin hormone to the body.

   Since the plant insulin is a result of genetically engineered hormone into the plant cell, it is aimed at long term benefits. These benefits are prevention of insulin degradation. The main difference being that animal insulin aims at short term benefits where as plant insulin is emerging as an alternative therapy to combat diabetes effectivity and would reap long term benefits. 



How Does Exercise Reduces Your Insulin Use!

13 04 2010

   The benefits of exercise in terms of fitness and staying healthy are well known to diabetic as well as normal people. In case of a diabetic exercise plays an important role in regulating the insulin within the body. When a diabetic person works out, his body doesn’t readily release insulin from the pancreas due to a drop in glucose levels.

   This self regulation of insulin due to exercising reduces a diabetic’s dependency on insulin injections. Thus the right combination of exercise and nutrition can be an alternative medicine to cure diabetes.

   Regular exercise over a substantial period of time is known to reduce overall insulin requirements in a diabetic. Besides this, as muscles become trained due to regular exercise they improve their internal storage of glucose, which feeds back into the amount of glucose demand during exercise and thus controls the entire cycle and reduces insulin dependency in a diabetic.

   Insulin is also known to maintain glucose levels within circulatory systems. Unregulated glucose levels are known to cause serious life threatening situations in case of diabetics suffering from diabetes mellitus. These insulin levels can be controlled though exercise and as a natural cure they can be beneficial in managing diabetes.



Breast Feeding With Diabetes

13 03 2010

   Can I breastfeed my baby? There is little else that may occupy the mind of a pregnant women who is suffering from diabetes. Whether you are already suffering from diabetes type 2 or have developed gestation diabetes during pregnancy, rest your worries. There is no reason why your child should not be able to breastfeed your child.

   Naturally due to the diabetic condition you have to take some extra precautions during pregnancy. However breastfeeding your child is a must as it is beneficial both to the baby and you. The colostrums of a diabetic mom will help protect the child from diabetes. The risk of the baby developing hypoglycemia is also diminished thanks to breast feeding by the diabetic mother.

   The Pediatricians say that the mother should breastfeed the child for at least one year. In fact most diabetics mothers who breastfeed report that the physical changes after the delivery help manage the diabetes even better than before. The metabolic rate of the lactating mother is higher than that of an average person, this helps make the diabetes manageable.

   There is even the benefit of not needing as much insulin as before. Many mothers who were under regular medication find that they need lesser dosages than before. This is why you must monitor the blood sugar regularly all through the period that you are lactating. If you are using any alternative medication techniques you will need to monitor your insulin and blood sugar levels very carefully. But do not worry about not being able to breastfeed your child.



Truth About Insulin!

8 03 2010

    Insulin is a hormone that is produced in the human body by the pancreas. It is released in the blood each time we eat a meal to help digest the glucose that the food release into the blood stream. This means that the glucose is prevented from sticking around in the blood and causing troubles to the body.

   In a diabetic person the body either does not produce the insulin in the right amount or is resistant to the insulin produced. If he is resistant to insulin it is type 1 diabetes, and if the body is unable to provide enough insulin it is called diabetes type 2. This is why he has to be given some insulin therapy.

   The articial insulin allows the body to control the blood glucose level. However one has to be very careful about the correct dosage of insulin needed by the body. This is why regular blood sugar teats are neede to be done by diabetic person.

   If the body has a higher level of insulin than normally needed other problems can crop up. One of the quickest conditions to manifest itself is high blood pressure. Another condition which comes about from insulin resistance is the weakening of bones as in osteoporosis.

   So you can see that too much or too little of the hormone insulin can cause a number of problems for the person. It is advised to consult a doctor and get blood tests done regularly to deal with the menace of diabetes and insulin. 



This Will Happen When You Become Insulin Resistent…

19 02 2010

   It is scary but true that some of us may be suffering from one of the most common but often overlooked diseases without our knowledge. It is a disease caused by one’s bodys inability to breakdown the food one eats, and one out of three people suffer from this condition. This peculiar condition is called insulin resistance.

   Insulin has three main roles:

   1- Regulate the liver from releasing too much glucose. When there is enough glucose in the blood, insulin tells the liver to shut down its production of glucose.

   2- Allow glucose to enter the cells by opening the doors of the cells. Later the glucose can be turned into energy.

   3- Directing some of the glucose to be stored back into liver and muscle and directing the extra food to be stored as fat.

   In case of insulin resistant body the liver continues to release glucose. There is also a defect in how glucose is transported inside the cell and how it is utilized inside the cell.

   Insulin resistance is caused largely due to over consumption of refined carbohydrates like breads, pastas, cookies etc. Eating to much saturated fat and omega 6 fatty acids also seems to increase the risk of insulin resistance.

   Insulin levels remain chronically high, and cells become less responsive and resistant to insulin, if not taken care of. As a consequence, relatively little glucose gets burned and levels remain high. With chronically elevated glucose levels, insulin resistance evolves into diabetes.

   To combat insulin resistance one must exercise regularly, lose weight and stop smoking. Physical activity increases body’s sensitivity to insulin. Losing weight has shown to decrease insulin resistance.  Since smoking contributes to insulin resistance it is of utmost importance to quit smoking to improve one’s health.

   Eat healthy and exercise well is therefore the mantra to beat insulin resistance.



‘3′ Myths of Diabetes

15 02 2010

   You can catch diabetes from someone else:

   Diabetes is not an infectious or contagious disease. Scientist don’t know for sure exactly what causes the disorder, but it can’t be caught from another person, like a cold or the flu. There, does, however appear to be a genetic link with type 2 diabetes. If a family member has the condition, you’re at higher risk for the disease.

   There’s only one dangerous kind of diabetes:

   Not so. Diabetes refers to a group of disease- all of which require serious attention that have in common the body’s inability to properly convert glucose from food into energy, leading to a high level of sugar in the blood. The main kinds include type 1 ( formerly known as juvenile-onset diabetes), type 2 ( once called adult-onset diabetes), and gestational (which occurs only during pregnancy). The suspected causes differ for each type, but managing any type of diabetes requires balancing food, physical activity, and if needed, medications. And while people with type 1 diabetes need to take insulin every day for their entire lives, type 2 diabetes is no less of a concern, because ignoring it could lead to devastating complications such as blindness, heart attack and stroke.

   Only people with diabetes need insulin:

   Everyone needs insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas that allows the body to convent food into energy for activity. People who don’t have diabetes make and use the right amount of this chemical. People with diabetes either don’t make any insulin, don’t make enough, or can’t use the insulin they make properly. If you or someone you’re caring for has type 2 diabetes, it’s important to balance food, activity, and in some cases medications, which may include insulin injections or an insulin pump (insulin isn’t available in pill form), to get the necessary amount of this essential hormone. And to dispense with another myth in this area. Insulin is a tool to manage diabetes, not a cure.