Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Photo by MedicineHow Alanine is a amino acid, the building blocks of protein, that help the body convert glucose into energy and help to build muscle. Scientists at Joslin Diabetes Center have presented a new study where alanine may produce a short-term lowering of glucose …
Photo by Sharon Mccutcheon on Unsplash We’ve all experienced the impact our blood sugar has on our bodies, which includes the crash after the sugar rush. But beyond being energy-draining, our blood sugar can seriously impact our health. Even if you think you are following …
According to research published in the journal Science by researchers from the Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, the promotion of a select group of gut bacteria by a diet high in diverse fibers leads to better glucose control, greater weight loss and better lipid levels.
The 6-year study simply provides evidence that eating more of the right dietary fibers may rebalance the gut microbiota, or the ecosystem of bacteria, in the gut that help digest food and are important for overall health.
Diabetes is a group of diseases marked by high levels of blood sugar due to insulin production or insulin action. The most common form is Type-2 diabetes. It is a major contributor to mortality and morbidity. However, this type of diabetes can be completely avoided through lifestyle changes. For those with Type-2 diabetes, there are steps to control it and lower the risk of complications.
In the gut, it is the job of bacteria to break down carbohydrates and nourish our gut to reduce inflammation and help control appetite. Probiotics are the good bacteria in your digestive tract that are the key to healthy digestion and regularity. Levels of probiotics decrease as we age, but can also be lowered by factors like a poor diet and obesity. As the level of probiotics in our bodies decrease, problematic bacteria in the gut thrive. A shortage of short-chain fatty acids have been associated with type 2 diabetes and other diseases.
Researchers randomized patients with type-2 diabetes into two groups. One received standard patient education and dietary recommendations. The other, was given a large amount of many times of dietary fibers, while ingesting a similar diet for energy and major nutrients. Both took Acarbose, a drug used to help control blood glucose.
After 12 weeks, patients on the high-fiber diet had greater reduction in a three-month average of blood glucose levels. Their fasting blood glucose levels also dropped faster and they lost more weight.
The study supports establishing healthy gut bacteria as a new nutritional approach for preventing and managing type-2 diabetes.
Journal Reference:
Photo by Jason Tuinstra on Unsplash Diabetes is a vicious and life-threatening disease. It is a condition where your blood sugar is continuously and seriously elevated. The excess circulating blood sugar is very destructive, inflaming tissues in the heart and circulation, the eyes, brain, kidneys …
Turmeric, Curcuma longa, is a powerful herb that is native to India. It is a bright yellow/orange spice that is commonly found in foods like curry. The health world is buzzing about this herb due to its high levels of curcuminoids, or curcumin. Curcumin is …
Stevia is a natural, no-calorie sweetener that many have chosen as a replacement to the harmful but commonly consumed white sugar. This alternative sweetener is particularly popular among individuals with diabetes, as their need to control their blood sugar intake and maintenance is much higher. Researchers have now found that this sweetener may actually help to control blood sugar levels in a new study.
Researchers from the United Kingdom and Belgium have found that Stevia activates a protein called TRPM5, which is associated with taste perception and plays a role in the release of insulin after eating, according to the study’s authors. Study co-author Koenraad Philippaert says their finding could open to the door for new treatments for type 2 diabetes.
Stevia is a natural sweetener that comes from the leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana plant, also known as sweetleaf, that is actually around 200-400 times sweeter than table sugar. This plant tends to be grown on small farms in Asia, South America or other tropical/sub-tropical climates. Once harvested, the leaves are then dried and steeped in hot water to filter and concentrate the sweetest components of the leaf. According to an article published in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology, “As your body processes the sweetener, stevia leaf extract passes through your digestive tract without being broken down for calories. This is different than the way your body processes sugar: during digestion, complex sugars are broken down into monosaccharides and are absorbed into the bloodstream.
Using mice, researchers aimed to confirm the role of stevia in TRPM5 stimulation. The mice were fed a high-fat diet over a long period to prompt the development of type 2 diabetes. When the high-fat diet was supplemented with a daily dose of stevioside (an active component of stevia) the researchers found that the rodents did not develop type 2 diabetes. This was not the case for mice that lacked the TRPM5 protein.
The study’s co-author Professor Rudi Vennekens reports, “This indicates that the protection against abnormally high blood sugar levels and diabetes is due to the stimulation of TRPM5 with stevia components.” Though researchers say their findings could lead to new strategies to treat type 2 diabetes, they caution that more research is required.
Diabetes is a vicious and life-threatening disease. It is a condition where your blood sugar is continuously and seriously elevated (and your triglycerides are also). The excess circulating blood sugar is very destructive inflaming tissues in the heart and circulation, in the eyes, brain, kidneys, and nerve tissue leading to all manner of serious and life threatening diseases.
Diabetes occurs because for various reasons your cells become resistant to the effects of the hormone insulin; insulin normally stores sugar in your cells. However, long before full blown diabetes occurs, at a stage referred to as pre-diabetes, your blood sugar is already modestly increased and the beginnings of damage to your kidneys, your blood vessel walls, and to your eyes is already occurring (perhaps it should be renamed early stage diabetes); even a modest elevation in blood sugar should always be looked at seriously.
Diabetes type 2 is the more common version that occurs when the body’s cells become resistant to the effects of insulin. This results in elevated levels of sugar and triglycerides in the blood. The most common cause of type 2 diabetes is truncal obesity or having an apple shaped body instead of a pear shaped one. New evidence indicates that an increase in the circulating levels of CRP (C-reactive protein), an enzyme tied into inflammation and heart disease, is a major indicator of impending diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes refers to an autoimmune disease that attacks and destroys the insulin producing cells in the pancreas; it is much less common. People with type 1 diabetes always require insulin.
To determine your risk of developing diabetes your doctor will perform a test on your blood after you fast for 12 hours. If your blood sugar after fasting is lower than 99 you are likely ok. However, if the blood sugar is between 100 to 125 mg/dL you have impaired fasting blood glucose and your risk of developing diabetes is increased. You are also at risk for developing cardiovascular disease. For many individuals diet, exercise, and particular nutrients are very beneficial at this point and can help restore blood sugar levels down towards normal. Some drugs are also prescribed for this effect. If your fasting blood sugar is above 125mg/dL you are considered to have full blown diabetes and diabetes is a vicious disease that must be treated aggressively.
A1C is a blood test that measures average blood glucose over the past 2 to 3 months and is the best way to measure overall glucose control. It should be measured 2 to 4 times a year and the goal is less than 7 percent.