Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Photo by Jacob Townsend on Unsplash A recent study published in the journal Michigan Pediatrics found that American teenagers sleep patterns are getting increasingly worse over the past two decades. Researchers who analyzed the University of Michigan’s annual Monitoring the Future national surveys of youth …
Photo by Damian Zaleski on Unsplash According to a 2012 study from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, about 50-70% of the population spends six or more hours per day sitting. It may not seem like a big deal, but research shows that sitting …
In a recent study, researchers found that those diagnosed with Diabetes in their 50s were more likely to suffer from memory problems and other mental decline in their 70s.
The study was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Beginning in 1990, researchers examined 13,351 adults aged 48 to 67 for diabetes and prediabetes. They also ran memory, reasoning, and problem solving tests on the subjects. After 20 years, the researchers found that those with diabetes experienced a 30 percent larger decline in mental function that those who did not have the disease.
Scientists believe that the correlation between these conditions has to do with lack of blood flow to the brain – in diabetic individuals, circulation decreases, resulting in damage to the small blood vessels in the brain. “People may think cognitive decline with age is inevitable, but it’s not,” said the study’s senior author, Elizabeth Selvin, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “Factors like diabetes are potentially modifiable. If we can better control diabetes we can stave off cognitive decline and future dementia.”
Diabetes is a life-threatening disease that causes blood sugar and triglyceride levels to become continuously and severely elevated. This excess of circulating blood sugar is very destructive, causing inflammation in the heart and circulatory system as well as in the eyes, brain, kidneys, and nerve tissue. It may lead to a myriad of other serious health conditions, as well.
This disease occurs when your cells become resistant to the effects of the hormone insulin for various reasons. Insulin normally stores sugar in your cells. However, long before full-blown diabetes occurs there is a period of what is referred to as “pre-diabetes”. Your blood sugar is already modestly increased and damage to the kidneys, blood vessel walls, and eyes is beginning to take place. Perhaps it should be renamed “early stage diabetes,” as even a modest elevation in blood sugar should always be looked at seriously.
More research shows that Vitamin D lowers the risk of developing diabetes – Click to read more!
Type 2 Diabetes is more common and 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 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 refers to an autoimmune disease that attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas and is much less common. Individuals who suffer from this condition always require insulin.
Impaired Fasting Blood Glucose: To determine your risk of developing this disease, your doctor will perform a test on your blood after you fast for 12 hours. If your blood sugar is lower than 99 after fasting, it is unlikely that you will develop diabetes. However, if the blood sugar is between 100 to 125 mg/dL, you have impaired fasting blood glucose and are at a higher risk of developing diabetes as well as cardiovascular disease. Proper diet, exercise, and specific nutrients are beneficial to many individuals at this point, and can help restore blood sugar levels down to a normal level. Some drugs may also prescribed for this effect. If your blood sugar after fasting is above 125mg/dL, you are considered to have full-blown diabetes and must begin aggressive treatment for this very serious condition.
New Study: “Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes Linked to Loss of Memory” – Click to read more!
A1C: This is a blood test that measures your average blood glucose over the past 2 to 3 months. A1C is the best method of monitoring overall glucose control, and the test should be repeated 2 to 4 times per year. Ideally, the blood glucose level should be less than 7 percent.
Symptoms May Include:
Photo by Dan Gold on Unsplash By early next year, more than 20 chain restaurants will be required to post calorie counts on their menus. Although the goal is to let consumers know exactly how much food they consume in the hopes that customers will …
Photo by Joshua Coleman on Unsplash In a recent study published in JAMA Pediatrics, scientists discovered that children who receive several rounds of antibiotics before the age of two are likely to have an increased risk of obesity by age five. This new research shows …
The United States ranked first ahead of ten countries on a list of the most obese nation, recently published in The Lancet Medical Journal.
Out of the 10 countries surveyed, we topped the charts, and heavily. Currently, there are 671 million Americans who classify as obese. But the increase hasn’t just been an American phenomenon. Globally, the number of obese individuals has jumped from 857 million in 1980 to 2.1 billion around the world in 2013.
Factors such as poor access to healthier foods, the price of healthy food, and lack of resources are among the top reasons why obesity is on a drastic rise.
Other key findings of this study include the following:
— In the U.S., roughly a third of the adult population is obese.
— In the developed world, men have higher rates of obesity than women, while the opposite is true in developing countries.
— 62% of the world’s obese people live in developing countries.
Nutraceutical Science and Weight Management by Jerry Hickey, R. Ph!
Even though we know that the U.S. has always topped the list when it comes to obesity, there are actions that will be taken soon in an attempt to slow the alarming rise in obesity. Clearly, it’s largely due to the food that we are consuming. More fillers, modifications and pesticides are also factors that lead not only to obesity, but also put you at risk for major health problems down the road.
Weight management is a challenge. Technology has led to a sedentary lifestyle; instead of physical activity, a large majority of Americans spend their time in front of a screen, lending to an unhealthy epidemic – obesity.
The obesity rate is a major health issue. In 2012, the CDC categorized 69% of adults and 31.8% of children as overweight or obese. Health complications of obesity affect almost every organ in the body because obesity can cause chronic low-grade inflammation. Obesity has a strong relationship with Metabolic Syndrome; a condition that can include high blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar which contributes to an earlier death. Obesity is associated with bone and joint issues, stroke, sleep apnea, and psychological problems, as well. In youth, obesity may also lead to an increase risk of developing many cancers in adulthood.
In order to lose weight, individuals must create an energy imbalance; eating less and exercising more.
Read More: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/u-s-tops-list-obese-countries-study-article-1.1810139#ixzz33aisHAeA