Smoking Statistics Over Last Decade (1999-2009)
By Nathan Martyn
Everyone knows that the use of tobacco and drugs is not a healthy choice for any situation. Unfortunately, many people still continue to use them. It is a sad but true condition that many people who use tobacco pass away at a much earlier age due to smoking.
Over the last decade, between the years of 1999-2009 the deaths due to smoking have increased drastically. Many people admit that they try smoking to see what it’s like or to fit in with a group. Most have seen advertisements for purchasing tobacco and get the idea from billboards or commercials. The commercials try to get smokers to believe that they will fit in better with a group or that smoking will reduce stress. Also, once you start to smoke it is very difficult to quit.
It has been said that out of the 45 million people who smoke worldwide, 70% of the people want to quit. That is over half of the smokers who are doing something that in their heart they really don’t want to do. Some adults do not see the harm in smoking around their children since they are not the ones that are puffing the cigarette. However, this myth is very wrong. Second hand smoke increases the chance of getting a heart disease by up to 30%. Children can also develop severe bronchitis as well as asthma.
Between this past decade, over 500,000 deaths and illnesses have occurred due to smoking the leading illness being Lung Cancer. Others include Ischemic Heart Disease, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Stroke, different types of cancer as well as others.
Below is a list of facts that have occurred due to smoking:
* One in every ten people die because of a disease related to smoking
* One in every three adults smoke a cigarette daily
* Ten million cigarettes are purchased in stores every minute throughout the world * One person dies every ten seconds from smoking
* One in every five children try a cigarette and become addicted to them for years on end
* Everyday about ninety thousand children try a cigarette (luckily some don’t continue) * Second hand smoke may be just as dangerous to children as smoking a cigarette themselves
* The highest percentage of people that smoke are between the ages of 25 and 44 According to the New England Journal of Medicine, deaths from coronary heart disease in adults ages 25-84 living in the U.S., dropped from 542.9-266.8 per 100,000 from 1980-2000. Smoking, among other factors, contributes to coronary heart disease. According to the American Cancer Society, there was a 16% decrease in lung cancer deaths among men from 1991-2003. There was a 10% cancer rise in women simply because rates of women who smoked dropped more recently than those of men.
Do not continue or start to smoke. Statistics have shown that your life is shortened with each and every cigarette you inhale. Please think of not only your own health and safety but your kids and the people you love around you as well.
Peter Martin is webmsater of Smoking Statistics, a comprehensive resource for statistics on smoking, cigarettes and health issues related to smoking.
Source: Nathan Martyn
Good Healthy Food Choices For Diabetes
By Carol Bell
For More Information Visit Our Website http://www.4diabetesinfo.co.uk Or Our Blog http://www.4diabetesinfo.co.uk/blog
It is true that if you have diabetes there are limitations to what you can eat but that does not mean you will no longer be able to enjoy your food. Regrettably, to stay healthy it will require strict adherence to a special diet which for some people may be the grounds they contracted diabetes in the first place. The situation today is much simpler than it used to be as there are particular diabetic recipes available which make the task of arranging a diet much simpler.
Firstly, one of the main ends for a diabetic diet is to lower your weight and maintain it. Diabetic diets actually help you here by ensuring you only consume the correct amount of food from the four main groups. Two complications linked with diabetes are coronary illness and strokes but by sticking to your diabetic diet plan you should reduce the risk of having these problems.
Diabetic recipes are designed to be healthy, ensuring a low fat diabetic diet which should help with some of the familiar symptoms associated with the condition such as blurred vision, low energy levels and endless thirst.
Eating healthy involves eating a wide assortment of nutrients that embrace the whole diet spectrum with the help of the diabetic menu containing the food pyramid of vegetables, entire grains, fruits, non-fat dairy products, beans, lean meats, poultry, and fish.
In diabetic, low carbohydrate diets, the foodstuffs that are approved are meats, fish, poultry, eggs and cheese and certain vegetables like kidney beans, carrots, avocados. Diabetic recipes should not contain saturated fats and foodstuffs but foods that are low in cholesterol such as skinless poultry, with fresh fruit and vegetables as talked about previously.
A diabetic is not just about eating the right foodstuffs, as it is also serious that the amount consumed is correct to ensure the calorific intake is not too high, so weighing the food will become second nature. Using the food labels in the supermarkets will also become second nature when you are preparing your diabetic recipes as they contain useful information, usually based on a diet of 2,000 calories per day.
If you have been prescribed 2,000 calories per day on your diabetic diet program then for breakfast you may be allowed some sugar free yoghurt or skimmed milk two slices of bread or alternatively pasta or rice cakes plus an egg and some fruit. However, if a lower one thousand eight hundred calorie per day has been advised for your diabetic diet program then your diabetic recipes book might suggest something like a cup of skimmed milk, a tablespoon of cheese, a couple of slices of bread and a serving of fruit.
In the afternoon a snack might comprise of a half cup of tea or coffee with substitute sweeteners a couple of crackers and some more fruit. Alternatively, to vary your diabetic diet you could always have a cup of skimmed milk or yoghurt to replace the tea or coffee. There is no reason for you to believe that you can no longer savor your food if you’re restrained to a diabetic diet, because diabetic recipes are designed to have plenty of variety.
Source: Carol Bell
Acute Complications of Diabetes
By Peter Geisheker
You’ve heard that diabetes is a serious disease, but have you considered just how serious? Many people today lead lifestyles that pose a high risk for developing diabetes. Unfortunately, once they do, the put themselves in line to develop many serious complications.
The following are some acute complications that can result if one develops diabetes. An acute complication is a serious, but short-term, problem that needs immediate attention. Diabetic ketoacidosis This complication, commonly referred to as DKA, is always considered to be a medical emergency. When your insulin level is low, the body will then turn to fat to burn for energy. This results in the development of ketone bodies. This is fine and natural, it happens periodically. However, if this process is sustained for a longer period of time, the ketone bodies will decrease the blood’s pH. This is where it becomes DKA.
When someone develops DKA, they tend to be extremely dehydrated and panting heavily and deeply, as if they were out of breath. Severe abdominal pain is not uncommon. While the person may be perfectly conscious, it eventually slows the person down and the resulting lethargy can develop further into a coma. After this, the person can suffer from hypotension, go into shock, or even die. A urine analysis can be done to determine the level of ketone bodies. If treated immediately, a full recovery is likely. However, if treatment is delayed or inadequate, the chances of death increase dramatically.
Hyperglycemia hyperosmolar state Commonly referred to as HNS, symptoms of this condition are very similar to those of DKA, but with an entirely different source. HNS is a result of extremely high blood glucose levels. When your blood sugar is high, water is drawn out of the cells into your blood. Glucose is dumped into the urine. As a result, your body becomes extremely dehydrated. This continues to occur to dangerous levels. Emergency medical treatment is, again, necessary. Otherwise, the body will continue to dehydrate and subsequently shut down.
Hypoglycemia Rare, but still a risk, hypoglycemia is when the blood has abnormally low glucose levels. In the case a of a diabetic, this can be caused by not taking proper insulin dosage, or not taking it at the right time. The sufferer can become agitated, sweaty, and can begin to panic. Consciousness can range from slightly altered to completely lost.
Comas and seizures can put stress on the body and cause brain damage and death. Hypoglycemia needs to be addressed immediately. Minor symptoms can be treated with sugary foods and drinks. If the person is unconscious, however, glucagon or dextrose can be injected into the body. These can raise the blood sugar levels. Dextrose administered intravenously is the most common treatment in a hospital.
As you can see, the acute complications of diabetes are something that you want to avoid at all costs. These problems need serious, emergency medical attention. While full recoveries are likely in all cases, as long as treatment is administered immediately, it simply isn’t a risk worth taking.
Peter Geisheker is the CEO of the Independent Pharmacy Marketing Group. For more information on Diabetes and controlling high blood sugar visit www.santalsolutions.com
Source: Peter Geisheker
Walking Aids in Type 2 Diabetes and Weight Loss
By Jackie Khor
Such approaches are thought to be particularly effective in people with Metabolic Syndrome, a pre-diabetic state involving multiple symptoms including over-weight and central obesity, insulin resistance, elevated blood lipids, elevated blood glucose, and high blood pressure.
We hear a lot from both recent and past studies that if we shift in dietary habits to include low-glycemic functional foods and low-calories meals, and the modest increases in physical activity it could offer a valuable approach for reversing Metabolic Syndrome and preventing Type 2 diabetes and heart disease in at-risk people.
The simplest, cheapest and most effective way to access the benefits associated with a physically active lifestyle and they are many is to walk. No kidding.
For example, you might be able to find a few community projects that encourage people to walk 10,000 steps a day. Of course most people do not know what 10,000 steps are equal to, how long, or how far they should walk. 10,000 steps are roughly equivalent to seven or eight kilometers of walking. That may sound like a long walk, but the idea is not to do it all at once, but rather accumulate it over the course of your entire day. Walk and pick up the paper, walk a bit further from where you park the car, and take as many opportunities as you can during the day to acquire steps. Simply put, be a bit more self-propelled during the day. Depending on your habits, you may or may not need to add some extra walking before or after work to achieve the 10,000-step goal.
The normal person, by the way no one is normal, takes about 100 steps
per minute. If we use this number we can calculate that 10,000 steps will take you one hour and forty minutes to complete. Again this doesn’t have to be done all at once. Instead spread it over the entire day which means that still leaves you with over 22 hours on virtual inactivity!
You can use of a pedometer to keep track of the steps that you complete. These are relatively inexpensive and are available through a number of retailers. The pedometer is an effective means of establishing how much you do, and is a great little tool to start you on the road to increased activity.
One time I saw a movie on television. It started off with a wealthy man hold got into his car, drove down his driveway to the letterbox, picked up the newspaper, got back into the car, and reversed back to the house. This is only one (extreme) example of the poor activity decisions many of us make everyday. Called it the American Paradox, this seemingly conflicting message reflects the drastic decrease in ‘incidental’ physical activity and its effects on the energy balance. There has been a significant decline in the amount of incidental physical activity as opposed to goal-directed exercise that we are required to do, or choose to do, in our daily lives.
Walking is the only sustained aerobic activity that is common in the population today. Getting more people to walk more often will help the health and well being of both the individual and the community. It is estimated that an increase of 4,000 steps per day will equate to a loss of 0.2 kilograms per week for a moderately overweight person. Although this may not seem like a lot, one should remember that if you started that habit this week, within 12 months you would be over 10 kilos lighter!
Note: one kilometer equals 0.62 miles
Source: Jackie Khor
5 Ways to Formulate a Diabetes Diet
Simple Ways to Formulate a Diabetes Diet
By Tom Parker
Tom Parker owns and operates a number of useful fitness resources and websites. For more detailed information on how to formulate a healthy diabetes diet please visit; http://blog.freefitnesstips.co.uk/diabetes-healthy-diet.html
Since the food we eat is very closely linked with our blood sugar levels, it is not surprising that diet is one of the most effective tools we have available when combating diabetes. In this article I discuss five simple dietary changes that can help keep your diabetes under control.
Main Article:
One of the main symptoms of diabetes is higher than normal blood sugar levels which is brought on by the lack of insulin in a diabetic person’s body. The food you eat has a direct impact on your blood sugar levels and because of this diet is one of your best tools in the fight against diabetes. In this article I will be discussing five ways your diet can be modified to keep your blood sugar levels normal and keep your diabetes under control.
1) EAT 5 OR 6 SMALL MEALS PER DAY:
- Most people eat 3 main meals per day; breakfast, lunch and dinner. Whilst blood sugar levels to rise to some extent following meals, eating large amounts of food in one sitting can cause them to increase significantly and then drop a few hours later. This is why you may experience a sudden burst of energy immediately after a large meal but then feel tired and sleepy a few hours later. By breaking your meals down into 5 or 6 smaller meals you can minimise these blood sugar surges and spread them more evenly throughout the day, meaning that your blood sugar levels will fluctuate less and be much more stable.
2) LIMIT YOUR DAILY CALORIES:
-Developing a general understanding of how many calories are in the foods that you eat and how many calories you need to maintain a healthy body weight is a great way to keep your weight under control. But why is this important for diabetics? Well, fat cells have a number of characteristics that can aggravate diabetes one of which is that they have a lower number of insulin receptors than muscle cells. Therefore, by reducing your body fat levels you can increase your body’s receptiveness to insulin making it easier for your body to control your blood sugar levels.
3) INCREASE YOUR SOLUBLEFIBRE CONSUMPTION:
- One of the benefits of soluble fibre is that it holds food in the digestive tract for longer. This in turn means that sugars are released into the blood in a slower and more controlled way. Therefore, consuming more soluble fibre can help keep your blood sugar levels under control and minimise any rapid changes in your blood sugar levels. Fruits and vegetables are great sources of soluble fibre with apples, oranges and mushrooms being particularly rich in the substance.
4) REDUCE YOUR SALT INTAKE:
- Although salt does not directly affect your blood sugar levels it can affect your blood pressure and with high blood pressure comes further complications such as heart disease. People with diabetes have a greater chance of developing high blood pressure than people without the condition. Therefore, combining the two is a recipe for disaster (excuse the pun). The recommended daily intake for salt is 6g so you should try and make sure that your maximum daily intake does not exceed this.
5) REDUCE YOUR ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION:
- Moderate alcohol consumption does not pose a significant to most people’s health. However, excessive alcohol intake can have a negative impact on your diabetes with the complications including hyperglycaemia (extremely low blood sugar levels). Therefore, you need to moderate when it comes to alcohol intake. Men should try to stick to 3-4 units per day whilst women should try to stick with 1 or 2 units per day.
Since diet is so closely linked with blood sugar levels it comes as no surprise that it must be closely managed in order to keep your diabetes under control. However, this does not mean that it has to be restrictive or boring. I hope this article has shown you how some simple dietary changes can significantly improve your diabetes.
Every intention has been made to make this article accurate and informative but it is intended for general information only. Diabetes is a medical condition and this article is not intended as a substitute for the advice of your doctor or a qualified medical practitioner. If you have any concerns regarding any form of diabetes you should seek the advice of your doctor immediately.
By Tom Parker
Diabetes Camp
American Diabetes Association Diabetes Camp Promo
Source: AmericanDiabetesAssn on YouTube
Herbie Hancock -’Cantalope Island’
Herbie Hancock and Pat Metheny have a good time on this groove of ‘Cantelope Island’. Hope you enjoy!
FoodSpook
Source: jesuschristopher on YouTube
Insulin Resistance and Diabetes
Are Insulin Resistance and Diabetes the Same?
Posted August 21, 2009
By Diana Walker
There are many people who think that insulin resistance and diabetes are one and the same but they are not. Diabetes is a condition that affects the way your body utilizes food for energy.
Normally, the sugar you take in is digested and broken down to a simple sugar, known as glucose. The glucose then travels in your blood where it waits to enter cells to be used as fuel. Insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, is what helps move the glucose into cells. A healthy pancreas adjusts the amount of insulin based on the level of glucose. However, if you have diabetes, this process breaks down, and blood sugar levels become too high.
Insulin Resistance On the other hand, insulin resistance is a silent condition that increases the chances of developing diabetes, and even heart disease. Becoming knowledgeable about insulin resistance is the first step you can take toward making lifestyle changes that will help you prevent diabetes and other health problems. If a person is insulin resistant, their muscle fat and liver cells do not make proper use of insulin because the cells have a diminished ability to respond to the action of the insulin hormone. Because the pancreas tries to keep up with the demand for insulin by producing more, the process to do so becomes compromised and excess glucose builds up in the bloodstream, since the pancreas cannot keep up with the body’s need for insulin.
In essence many people with insulin resistance have high levels of blood glucose and high levels of insulin circulating in their blood simultaneously. Studies have shown that more people with insulin resistance, go on to develop type 2 diabetes within 10 years. However this can avoided if they lose 5 to 7 percent of their body weight—which is about 10 to 15 pounds for someone who weighs 200 pounds.
Hence the importance of a daily exercise regimen; even if it is only a 30 minute walk per day, it helps. Insulin resistance can also occur in people who have type 1 diabetes. This is true especially if they those who are overweight. Diabetes and Insulin Resistance are Not the Same, But are Related In essence, diabetes and insulin resistance are not the same but yet are related.
There are several factors that determine if one or the other is present in the body and the symptoms for each are slightly different, although you will find that some are the same. Thus the confusion that they are one and the same health challenge. Symptoms Indicating Possible Risk of Insulin Resistance Women: 1. Overweight 2. Waist bigger than your hips 3. Buttocks slightly bigger than normal Men: 1. Overweight 2. Larger stomach If you are overweight, have a waist that is bigger than your hips, are a woman whose buttocks are slightly bigger than normal, or if you are a man with a rather larger stomach, then you may be at risk for insulin resistance. These are a few of the symptoms of insulin resistance with the weight and waist issues being major reasons to consider your health. No matter the level, it really is up to every individual to take charge of their health and learn to take more proactive measures to healthier living.
Are cravings for sugar, salt, junk food, sodas, and coffee running your life? Are you tired and foggy-brained? Need more energy, more mental clarity, less cravings for sugar? Diana Walker, Sunrider Leader, Cravings Coach and CEO of Diana’s Healthy Lifestyleshttp://www.diana2.com provides natural, safe options for creating vibrant health. Free education at http://www.thecravingscoach.com
Young Dogs With Diabetes
Posted August 21, 2009
By Kelly Marshall
You might not be aware of it, but puppies and young dogs can get diabetes. This happens when the pancreas does not develop normally in puppies, causing it to release insufficient insulin. Since insulin is important in moving glucose from the bloodstream into the cells of the body, this causes glucose to build up in the blood instead of reaching the important muscle and liver cells to provide them with energy. This can cause a number of symptoms and eventually even kill your dog. However, there are treatments that can stop this.
Let’s take a look at the symptoms of diabetes in young dogs and what you can do to help your pet. Juvenile diabetes in dogs will generally result in failure of your puppy to grow properly. These dogs will be smaller than normal in most cases, and prone to lose weight over time, but they’ll be constantly hungry and eat ravenously. Since the body cannot use its glucose properly, it cannibalizes muscle to produce the energy it needs. In the long run, this can result in weakness or even paralysis in a puppy suffering from juvenile onset diabetes.
The elevated blood sugar caused by juvenile onset diabetes in dogs will affect a number of different bodily systems. Excess sugar is processed through the kidneys, causing frequent urination and intense thirst in your pet. High levels of blood sugar can also affect the eye, damaging the lens and leading to dimness of vision and even blindness. Loss of muscle mass, in combination with low levels of energy available to cells in the body results in general weakness. If your dog seems small, underweight, weak, urinates more frequently than he or she should, or eats and drinks a lot more than normal, juvenile onset diabetes may be the culprit.
Elevated blood sugar levels are toxic to many systems in the body, including the liver, brain and blood vessels, and a dog that suffers from uncontrolled diabetic symptoms will not live out his or her full life. As soon as you believe your dog has this problem, you need to see the vet. A simple blood test will help determine the level of sugar in the blood, and treatment can be initiated – the earlier the better. Unfortunately, the methods that work well for humans – oral insulin tablets and control of the diet – don’t work very well in dogs. This means that people with a dog that is suffering from diabetes will need to provide daily injections of the right amount of insulin (carefully monitored with blood tests and tests of sugar in the urine) to allow their pets to live healthy lives.
In addition, daily feeding must be in controlled amounts and on a regular basis to provide a consistent sugar supply. The good news is that with proper care and attention on the part of the owner, a diabetic dog can live a full and healthy life. If you suspect your young dog is suffering from diabetes, take action now and help your pet be happier and healthier.
This article was written by Kelly Marshall of www.ohmydogsupplies.com – your top source for really tough dog toys.
Source: Kelly Marshall
Epigenetics and Type 2 Diabetes by Rachael Moeller Gorman
Posted August 15, 2009
The New Heredity
By Rachael Moeller Gorman
For hundreds of years, people in the tiny parish of Överkalix, in northern Sweden, have endured bad times and celebrated good ones with little connection to the outside world. To the north and west are Lapps, and to the east, Finns. Though they technically speak Swedish, residents of Överkalix use a dialect that makes them virtually unintelligible to fellow Swedes.
But since the sixteenth century, the people of Överkalix have kept impeccable records of their lives. Clergy logged births, causes of deaths, and land ownership; other historical records noted harvests and crop prices. When epidemiologist Gunnar Kaati arrived 20 years ago, he found an extensive set of meticulous data for this isolated, homogeneous population—a perfect foundation for the large, multigenerational study he hoped to conduct. Kaati wanted to use the data to probe a new idea in clinical medicine—that exposure to certain environments during crucial points in development might determine whether a child would suffer disease years later.
We’re familiar with the notion that the environment is linked to disease—that a diet high in saturated fat may clog arteries and cause heart disease or that radiation mutates DNA and can lead to cancer. But in the emerging field of the fetal and developmental origins of adult disease, more subtle factors such as the amount of food a mother ate during pregnancy or the type of mothering she provided directly after birth may determine whether her child will develop cardiovascular disease or be left neurologically susceptible to overstress years later.
These effects, some researchers believe, have nothing to do with mutations in the DNA code. Rather, they seem to involve what are known as epigenetic changes: structural alterations to the DNA double helix. The notion is that we experience periods in development when our bodies are programmed to collect information about our environment, then readjust our growth depending on what we find. To make this readjustment, our bodies flick genes on or off, sending us on an irreversible trajectory. For example, if a mother doesn’t eat much during pregnancy, that may signal to her fetus that he is about to emerge into a food-poor environment, and he may be born smaller, with a slower metabolism, than if his mother had eaten heartily. Epigenetic changes can lead to, say, type 2 diabetes years later if the world the adult finds—such as a world full of food—is different from that forecast by the fetus.
Kaati took this idea a step further. He wanted to know not just whether a child’s own early environment caused common diseases later in life but whether the environment a child’s parents or even grandparents encountered had an impact. Animal studies suggest that such effects may persist in DNA for generations, and Kaati’s work, still at an early stage, hints that the same thing may happen in humans. Genes might “remember” what our ancestors ate, felt and experienced, altering our own lives generations later.
For many students of biology and evolution, such ideas immediately bring to mind Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, who theorized that traits acquired by an organism during its life can be passed on to its offspring. The classic example is the giraffe that stretches its neck to reach a tree’s top leaves and then gives birth to longer-necked young. Lamarck died 30 years before the 1859 publication of Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species, which detailed evolution as we now know it—a process by which chance differences (later recognized as mutations) improved an individual’s chance of survival and thus ensured the propagation of those traits. Each man proposed a similar result, but by very different mechanisms; in Lamarck’s view, alterations in a species were more immediately driven by environmental change, whereas Darwin saw a longer process of passive natural selection. The subsequent discovery of genes—the primary unit of natural selection— added credence to Darwin’s theory, and Lamarck’s was shelved, seemingly laughable compared with what had been learned about the body’s sophisticated mode of transferring traits.
Yet advances in epigenetic research suggest that Lamarck may have been onto something. As with the giraffe’s tall tree, environmental factors such as lack of food or inattentive mothering appear to alter our epigenomes and sometimes even those of our offspring. (Some researchers think epigenetic changes have helped speed evolution, causing more rapid alterations than could be explained by mutations alone.)
Though Lamarck’s work may have prefigured modern epigenetics, the term itself wasn’t coined until 1942, by a developmental biologist named Conrad Waddington. In Waddington’s view, epigenetics was what we now call developmental biology—the study of how, during development, our genes give rise to our phenotype, the way we look and behave. By the 1990s a new definition had emerged, and today we consider epigenetics the study of changes in gene expression attributable not to alterations in DNA sequence (mutations that change the protein made by a gene) but in DNA structure (alterations to the scaffolding that carries the code, which can turn entire genes off so they make no protein at all).
Though there are several ways these structural changes can happen, the best known—and the focus of most epigenetic research—is DNA methylation, which occurs when a small chemical compound called a methyl group attaches to a cytosine, one of the four nucleotides in the DNA code. Methylation turns off nearby genes in two ways: by blocking transcription factors from attaching to the gene (and thus keeping those factors from translating the gene’s code into a protein) and by altering the configuration of the DNA itself to make the gene less physically available for transcription. (In addition, some recent studies have suggested that methylation may sometimes alter the configuration to turn genes on.) When a cell divides and copies its DNA, it also copies the methyl group, so the same genes remain shut down in the replicated cells.
As an organism develops from a single cell into its final form, epigenetic mechanisms help cells become distinct tissues. So while every cell contains the same DNA code, each type of tissue—hair, heart, brain—differentiates itself through a unique combination of gene expressions. Epigenetic mechanisms turn off the genes that aren’t needed for a particular tissue type and help determine which proteins are expressed.
In recent years research has hinted that epigenetic mechanisms may be responsible for much more than just normal development. Development is inherently plastic, with organisms able to take a number of different paths depending upon the environment into which a fetus was introduced. But once certain developmental decisions are made, they are irreversible. David Barker, a professor of clinical epidemiology at the University of Southampton in England, has studied this idea in humans since the 1990s. In multiple studies he and others have found that babies with birth weights on the lower end of normal who grow up in affluent societies are much more likely to develop coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes and hypertension as adults than are heavier babies. Barker has theorized that smaller babies are prepared for a diet low in carbohydrates and fat, and when they encounter just the opposite in the real world, they are predisposed to metabolic illnesses.
To see a mismatch between a baby’s real and predicted environment, consider the Dutch famine of 1944–45 and its legacy. When German forces cut off food supplies to parts of the Netherlands for six months, expectant mothers who starved during the final trimester were more likely to have babies who later developed type 2 diabetes. Programmed to expect hard times, these children grew up in an improving postwar environment. Researchers think epigenetic changes might have occurred in genes that regulate sugar absorption and metabolism. Other studies have linked a baby’s environment to kidney problems, asthma, osteoporosis and mental illness as an adult.
All these studies are merely correlational, with researchers noting that certain populations, having undergone a particular environmental stress early in life, have sometimes fallen ill years later. That raises questions of exactly how this may occur, whether epigenetics is the true mechanism and if there is anything to be done about it. While that has yet to be answered conclusively in humans, animal studies may be pointing the way.
For the purposes of epigenetics research, the agouti mouse is particularly apt. Its fur color is determined by the level of methylation on a piece of DNA found near the agouti gene. As a result, genetically identical offspring may look completely different from one another. One mouse might be yellow (indicating little methylation), another brown (a lot of methylation) and a third mottled (some cells with methylated genes, some not).
Randy Jirtle, an epigenetics researcher at Duke University, was intrigued by those tendencies and wanted to know whether early environmental influences could change the mouse’s levels of methylation. In a 2003 experiment, he fed agouti mothers folic acid, vitamin B12, choline and betaine—all methyl supplementers—during pregnancy. This not only increased the babies’ DNA methylation near the agouti gene but also boosted the likelihood that they would be brown, establishing that changes in DNA methylation are the mechanism that connects a mother’s diet to her offspring’s gene expression.
Then, in a 2006 study, Jirtle fed the mothers genistein, a component of soy, and found that it too increased methylation, making the offspring more likely to be brown. Next, he tracked the offspring’s adult weight and found that they were less likely to be obese. That’s because the agouti gene also governs the part of the brain that affects satiation. “The big question is how something that happens early, as a result of benign environmental influences, is linked to susceptibility to common diseases 20 or 30 years later,” says Jirtle. “At least for the agouti mouse, that link is DNA methylation.”
At about the time Jirtle was doing his mice experiments, Michael Meaney, a neuroendocrinologist at McGill University in Montreal, was working with rats, testing the methylation of a gene important to the stress response—a glucocorticoid receptor gene in the brain. It turns out it’s not just what a mother eats but also how she treats her babies that affects their epigenome—the pattern of epigenetic marks that accumulates throughout development. Some rat mothers are particularly attentive to their pups, excessively licking and nursing during the first week after delivery. Studies have shown that the pups of these mothers are less fearful as adults and less fazed by stressful situations.
Meaney found striking differences in methylation patterns between pups with highly attentive mothers and those with neglectful mothers. Less attentive mothering resulted in more methylation near the glucocorticoid receptor gene, turning it off; better mothering kept it on, producing more receptors and better regulation of the rats’ stress response. To confirm his findings, Meaney transferred pups born to neglectful mothers to highly attentive ones immediately after birth; the methylation patterns of these adoptees were almost indistinguishable from those of the attentive mothers’ natural offspring, and the adopted pups grew up to be as fearless as the natural pups. Although these epigenetic changes happened only during one crucial period—the first week after delivery—their impact persisted into adulthood. Yet when Meaney injected a compound into adult rats that demethylated key genes, neglected animals became less fearful. His work provides the first evidence that the way a mother takes care of offspring might change them forever by altering the epigenome.
These studies demonstrate how a less than ideal environment during a critical developmental period may have long-lasting effects. Now, Michael Skinner, a molecular bioscientist at Washington State University in Pullman, is going further, showing that such exposure may change the lives of the altered animals’ descendants too.
Skinner exposed pregnant rats to the toxin vinclozolin, a hormonelike compound known as an endocrine disrupter, during days eight through 15 of their embryos’ development—when the cells that will become sperm are particularly open to epigenetic changes. He found that almost all males in four subsequent generations descended from the vinclozolin-exposed rats had far fewer and less vigorous sperm than normal and were also more likely to be infertile. Moreover, these effects appeared to relate to patterns of DNA methylation.
“The exposure to vinclozolin apparently reprogrammed the remethylation in the male germ line permanently,” Skinner says. In a later study, he found that vinclozolin exposure during the same period not only caused reproductive defects but also led to a number of adult diseases, including prostate disease, kidney disease and tumor development. It even dampened the rats’ chances of finding a mate.
Skinner was the first to show that epigenetics propagates the effects of the environmental exposure of one generation to multiple subsequent generations. “We have a clearly transgenerational effect for four generations and a very high frequency of disease,” he says.
During his years working with the Överkalix data, Kaati has tried to link environmental developments in the parish with possible epigenetic changes in residents. He has followed the lives of people born in 1890, 1905 and 1920 and consulted crop data compiled during the lives of their parents and grandparents. His goal was to find how much food was available to people during one crucial stage of development: the slow growth period (SGP) before puberty begins (between ages eight and 10 for girls and nine and 12 for boys).
In a series of studies published since 2001, Kaati has shown that when food was scarce during a father’s SGP, his son was far less likely to die of cardiovascular disease. And if a paternal grandfather had plenty to eat during his SGP? His grandchild tended to have a shorter life, and his son had a quadrupled risk of dying of diabetes. (These findings may seem to contradict those of Barker and the Dutch famine researchers, yet the crucial difference may be that a child, during his SGP, requires little food, whereas a fetus requires a great deal.) But while these patterns suggest possible epigenetic links, researchers don’t know yet whether there’s a causal connection or which mechanism might be involved. Still, they have their suspicions. “The slow growth period is a time when sperm cells are maturing and during which information is imprinted on those cells,” says Kaati. “For our study’s next phase, we want to see whether these mechanisms extend beyond the three generations we have discovered.”
And if future studies confirm what Kaati and his fellow researchers suspect? “It might be dangerous to overeat during the slow growth period,” he says. “That’s what is happening now, with kids becoming fatter and fatter.” The resulting harm might conceivably persist for generations to come.
But because these studies are preliminary, researchers are cautious. “There’s almost a wish that epigenetic phenomena affect our lives—that when we change our diet, for example, it might change the way our genes are expressed,” says Adrian Bird, a molecular geneticist at the University of Edinburgh who specializes in methylation. “But we have a way to go before we can be sure.”
Several initiatives may boost this research. The National Institutes of Health names epigenetics one of four “grand challenges in biomedical health/research” that “can be uniquely addressed by NIH as a whole.” Therapies that could turn on important genes, especially for the treatment of cancer, are being developed, and some drugs are believed to modify the epigenome for such diseases as epilepsy and bipolar disorder.
There’s also some concern that industrial chemicals may need to undergo testing to make sure they don’t alter the epigenome in a way that could lead to disease. “In the future, we’ll need to test compounds for their ability not only to mutate our DNA but also to alter the epigenome,” says Duke’s Jirtle.
The field of epigenetics may just be dawning, but it could someday change the way doctors approach medicine. “If you think of the genome as a computer’s hardware, then the epigenome is the software that tells the computer how to work,” says Jirtle. “I think we’ll discover that many diseases aren’t the result of hardware problems—mutations—at all. They’ll turn out to be due to software—epigenetic—problems.”
Dossier
1. “Environmental Epigenomics and Disease Susceptibility,” by Randy L. Jirtle and Michael K. Skinner, Nature Reviews: Genetics, April 2007. A thorough review of the environment’s effects on the epigenome, it uses vivid diagrams and photos to illustrate key points.
2. “Transgenerational Response to Nutrition, Early Life Circumstances and Longevity,” by Gunnar Kaati et al., European Journal of Human Genetics, April 2007. The latest in Kaati’s series of fascinating studies on health in an isolated Swedish village shows that food supply during childhood can alter disease risk generations later.
3. Epigenetics? [http://epigenome.eu] This European site tackles the tough field of epigenetics for the general public with in-depth feature stories, frequent updates from the laboratory and the latest news.
Source: Rachael Moeller Gorman
Diabetes Signs In Toddlers
Awareness of Signs of Diabetes in Toddlers Helps Provide Them With Immediate Medication
Posted August 13, 2009
By Ann Nelson
Diabetes is common around the world. There may be several people who may not be even aware that they may be suffering from diabetes. It is a disease not just limited to adults; it can also affect toddlers as well. It is becoming common with growing children as well. This type of diabetes is called as juvenile diabetes or Type 1 diabetes. Children may not be even aware that there is something wrong with them. But, there are certain signs that parents and elders should be aware of, to recognize the signs of diabetes in toddlers.
You can start medical treatment at early stage and ensure that their blood sugar levels remain stable and they live a healthier life. There are different symptoms that can be seen in toddlers. However, there are few signs which should ring the warning bells in the minds of elders. Amongst children suffering from diabetes, whenever they eat, the food is broken down and sugar is released and absorbed into the bloodstream. It is carried to the cells to be used as energy for the different activities. However, the pancreas does not respond with insulin which leads to cells being unable to use the sugar. The cells are starved for energy and the sugar builds up in the blood. The children feel tired and fatigued due to lack of energy.
When there is excess sugar in the blood, the kidneys sense its level and start getting rid of it through urine. The point when kidneys allow sugar to enter the urine is called renal threshold. When the kidneys flush out excess sugar, it also takes the water in which it is dissolved. Thus the most common symptom is the excessive need to urinate. This is called polyuria. This in turn leads to dehydration. The body demands more water and the child feels increasingly thirsty. This is called as polydipsia. Children may also get the feeling of a dry sticky mouth or sore dry throat. Such children need huge quantity of water or any other fluids.
Even if there is reduction in the amount of fluids there is excess urination. To avoid dehydration you should allow them to have fluids. Some children may even start wetting the bed. The loss of sugar, dehydration and the inability to use blood sugar leads to weight loss even if they may be experiencing increase in appetite. It may be followed by tiredness, drowsiness and weakness. You may also notice diaper rash that is not ready to heal in spite of using various creams.
There are other serious signs of diabetes among toddlers like stomach pain, feeling of nausea, vomiting and labored breathing. If you notice any of these signs you should immediately approach your doctor for future action. You have to ensure that you monitor the blood sugar levels regularly. It may be a very traumatic experience for toddlers to get insulin shots regularly. Learn the proper way to provide adequate medication and care for your child. Create schedules for providing them with appropriate diet and medication.
Diabetes can be frightening for anyone but when it affects toddlers it causes great anxiety as the little ones are unable to tell what is happening to them. Make schedules for your child and stick to them if you want to control diabetes. The health of your kids is your priority and by being aware you can ensure that you child does not suffer from the ill effects and gets relief to the maximum possible extent. Drink lots of water because it is calorie free and helps to flush away the toxins. Did you know that flavored carbonated water has no calories, sugar, body, sweetener, color or preservatives? Want to know more about carbonated flavored water? Check out carbonatedseltzerwater.com
Reading all I can about diabetes and health. Found an excellent site at adviceondiabetes.com with a free ebook with more than 500 diabetes recipes.
Source: Ann Nelson
Cal Tjader, Shoshana
This post is not about medical issues, it is just for enjoyment. We have to have fun in life!
I first saw Cal Tjader when I was a teenager in Oakland, California in the 1960′s. Oakland’s Parks and Recreation Department sponsored latin music jam sessions on Wednesday nights at Bushrod Park. You had to get there early. The gym was always filled to capacity.
The music was HOT! You never knew what combination of Bay Area musicians might drop by. Cal’s piano player back in the day was a magnificent musician from Oakland named Lonnie Hewitt. Jerome Richardson is the flute player on many of the streaming videos at the end. We cannot overlook Al McKibbon on bass. Armando Peraza played congas for several years with Cal.
These dudes I have mentiond were Bad! I have not mentioned all of the players that performed with Cal Tjader. There is not enough space on one blogsite.
Pete and Coke Escovedo, (Sheila E’s dad and uncle), were there every week. They loved to play. Willie Bobo from San Francisco would show up. Mongo Santamaria would drop in if he was in town. Many, many musicians played at this recreation center while on their way to world-wide fame. I met Cal Tjader and attended many of his performances up until his passing in 1982. I still remain a most devoted fan. Hope you enjoy this video.
FoodSpook
Source: INDALOSOULCLUB on YouTube
Reverse Diabetes With Natural Medicine
Dr. Lucy Rojo on Naturopathic Medicine
Source: LarryCook on YouTube, Posted August 13, 2009
See http://www.thenaturalguide.com/natural-medicine.htm – Naturopathic Doctor Lucy Rojo – http://www.DrLucyRojo.us – explains how she uses Naturopathic Medicine to reverse Type 2 Diabetes. Produced by Larry Cook. Distributed by Tubemogul.
What Foods To Eat And Not To Eat For Diabetes?
Posted August 11, 2009
By Dr. Eswararamanan VR
If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, there are ways to improve and control the symptoms of your disease. It is very important to find out what to eat and not to eat for diabetics. Scientists report the global rates of Type 2 diabetes are likely to double in the next twenty years.
These statistics do not have to happen if we can begin to practice what foods to enjoy and avoid. A diet high in fiber, but low in fat is most often recommended for diabetics. You especially want to stay away from saturated fat and limit the amount of sugar you eat. Saturated fat is animal fat such as butter, and lard. Dairy products high in saturated fat include cream, cheese, meat, and chocolate.
What to eat and not to eat for diabetes: Bread is a major source of carbohydrates in our diets. Carbohydrate is an valuable source of energy, vitamins, and minerals. It also provides fiber that helps maintain blood sugar levels. Beans, peas, oats, and barley contain this fiber.
Whole grain products are the wisest choice because it takes longer for your digestive system to break down. This keeps the body from releasing sudden bursts of sugar. Potatoes, corn, and pasta are also carbohydrates.
Vegetables should be included on your list of what to eat and not to eat for diabetes. Tasty samples to include are spinach, carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage and cucumbers. You should have three to five servings a day, mixing it up, serving both raw and cooked vegetables.
Fruits contain carbohydrates along with natural sugars, so you must be careful indulging in too much. It is a good idea to mix fruit with a protein or before exercise. Make certain the canned fruits you buy are packed in unsweetened fruit juice. Diabetics require two to four servings of fruit everyday.
Milk and other dairy products should be limited due to being high in carbs. Switching to low-fat milk, and unsweetened yogurt will help keep your diabetes in check, and an added bonus of saving calories. Two to three serving of dairy products are your daily requirement.
Protein can be meat or meat substitutes such as peanut butter, tofu, cheese, and eggs. You only require about six ounces of protein a day, broken up over two to three meals. One tablespoon of peanut butter or an egg weighs an ounce. Fish, poultry, beans, and nuts, are sources of protein.
Fats and Sweets are necessary for our bodies but only in moderation. Avocados make a delicious topping in the place of mayonnaise. Making your own dressing avoids the trans-fat in processed foods. Sweets are allowed for many diabetics if the portion size is strictly under control.
Sugar free desserts are an option, but remember to take the extra carbs into consideration. Take control of your diabetes and look into what a balanced diet plan can do for you. An important step is finding out what to eat and what not to eat for diabetes.
With the popular food choices of today, our bodies are receiving only twenty percent of the necessary nutrients it craves. This fact is considered by experts to be what is behind the overweight crisis seen in many countries. Taking away from our mid-section could also lessen the appearance in development of adult on set diabetes.
Discover more about : List Of Foods For Diabetic To Eat , Diabetes Type 2 Natural Treatment and What are Causes of Diabetes and at my dedicated Diabetes Blog.
Source: Dr. Eswararamanan VR
Teen Diabetes-Video 2:41 min.
Posted August 8, 2009
Source: wmtwtv on YouTube
On World Diabetes Day, a Maine teen talks with News 8 about her battle with the disease. News 8′s Keith Baldi reports.
Worldwide Research for Alternative Treatments of Diabetes
Alternative Treatments of Diabetes Are Currently Being Researched in Many Countries Around the World.
Posted August 8, 2009
By Annie Duvall
Alternative treatments of diabetes are currently being researched in many countries around the world. There is research being done on natural substances that help alleviate many of the symptoms of Type-2 diabetes. Diabetes is a disease where the body is not able to metabolize glucose in the blood.
Type-1 diabetes is caused by the damage of Beta islet cells located in the pancreas. When working properly these cells usually secrete insulin but for people with Type-1 diabetes these cells are not working. Type-1 diabetics will need to be on insulin therapy for the rest of their lives. Type-2 diabetes is cause by the destruction of insulin receptors on cell surfaces which causes the cells to be resistant to insulin.
Type-2 diabetes can be managed with lifestyle changes and medication and in some cases with lifestyle changes alone. There are also many alternative or natural substances that can help alleviate symptoms and control blood glucose levels for Type-2 diabetes. Currently studies are being conducted on many herbs that have been used for centuries to treat diabetic symptoms.
There are several Amazon jungle root herbs with reported abilities to lower blood glucose levels, normalize the frequency of urination, and eradicate glucose in the urine of diabetic patients. In Brazil, the Pfaffia root has been used for decades to treat the symptoms of diabetes. Pata-de-vaca is also widely used in Brazil for the treatment of diabetes.
One doctor in China has studied the results of goji berry on the blood of thousands of patients. This doctor theorizes that the goji berry makes the patients blood more alkaline. He has reported that as the alkalinity changes, there is a turnaround of all illnesses. His claim is that this reversal includes diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, obesity, renal failure, high cholesterol, arthritis and other illnesses associated with physical or mental problems, including attention deficit disorder.
Another research program currently in China has diabetics drinking a tea made from the goji berry. Results show that up to 62 percent of subjects showed decrease in blood glucose levels and over half of the patients being able to control blood sugar levels with diet alone. Goji helps with the release of oxygen to the cells with an enzyme named 23BPG. This seems to help reduce the symptoms caused by the narrowing of blood vessels in the legs, eyes and other areas in the body of diabetics.
Another natural substance that is being studied is cocoa. A study conducted in Germany showed cocoa with high flavanol improves cardiovascular health. The study was specifically to test the effectiveness of the cocoa with long term use. Forty-one stable Type-2 diabetics were given cocoa with high dose flavanol in comparison with low flavanol dosage cocoa. During the study, the researchers did find that the flavanol found in cocoa did have a positive effect on FMD response in diabetics.
Researchers concluded that these results happened by increased production of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is a chemical that sends signals to arteries to relax and widen in response to increased blood flow. This relaxation of the arteries takes stress off the heart and blood vessels.
Alternative treatments of diabetes are currently being researched in many countries around the world. There is research being done on natural substances that help alleviate many of the symptoms of Type-2 diabetes.
Having diabetes myself, I found it hard to make some good food until I found more than 500 yummy recipes in a free ebook at Adviceondiabetes Source: Annie Duvall
Dave Brubeck Quartet
Posted August 7, 2009
Its time for a entertainment break. This video of the Dave Brubeck Quartet was shot in Berlin in 1966, the year I graduated from high school. Dave had already recorded his monster hit, “Take Five” in the early 1960′s. I became a dedicated young fan. The group consists of Dave Brubeck-piano, Paul Desmond-sax, Eugene Wright-bass, and Joe Morello-drums. This song is titled “40 Days”. Hope you enjoy!
FoodSpook
Source: Astrotype on YouTube
Diabetes Medicines – Herbal Solutions
Posted August 6, 2009
By Bertil Hjert
Diabetes is a serious health condition. Hence, medical experts have come up with a lot of solutions to cure and treat this disease. When it comes to medicines, a lot of options are available. You would find non-prescription, prescription and herbal medicines for diabetes.
Herbs for diabetes have become a rage among people these days. Experts in this field feel that diabetes has been treated with plant medicines for many years now. In fact, the efficiency of these medicines has been rated as remarkable. The best part is that these herbs are non-toxic and remarkably efficacious in fighting off diabetes.
Here are some of the herbal diabetes medicines widely used in order to treat this disease effectively: a) Pterocarpur Marsupium This medicine is a unique combination of herbs such as Malabar kino, verga, Indian kino and Pitasara. This herb has been used to cure diabetes for many years now. This drug is a natural agent and works wonders when it comes to treating diabetes.
b) Bitter melon (Momordia Charantia) Bitter melon is also known as balsam pear. It is a tropical vegetable and cultivated widely in South America, Asia and Africa. Experts have also come to a conclusion that the plant has been exclusively used to treat diabetes since ancient times. It is also referred to as the folk medicine. The melon is composed of different compounds and all those compounds are super rich in antibiotic properties. Care should be taken that this medicine should not be given to the patient in large doses.
c) Gymnema Sylvestre The herb is efficient in helping the pancreas in the process of insulin production in the case of Type 2 diabetes. It also works towards improving the power of insuling to reduce blood sugar in Type 1 as well as Type 2 diabetes. It decreases craving for sweet. The herb can be a great substitute for drugs that are known to lower blood sugar in Type 2 diabetes.
d) Onion and Garlic Now, this may seem to be really hard for some people to digest but it is true. Onion and garlic are significant in lowering blood sugar. The active ingredients in both the herbs are allyl propyl dissulphide (APDs) and triallyl disulphide oxide (allicin) respectively.
B) There are also other ingredients like flavonoids that play flavorable action. a) Fenugreek Also known as Trigonella foenuon graecum is rich in anti diabetic properties. These help in maintaining healthy sugar levels inside the body.
b) Blue berry leaves This is used for its beneficial ingredients myrtillin. The herb is widely know for producing excellent effects that last for about many weeks together.
c) Asian Ginseng This is Chinese medicine used traditionally to treat diabetes. It works towards enhancing insulin release from the pancreas and also helps in increasing the amount of insulin receptors.
d) Bilberry It reduces the risk of complications caused by diabetes including retinopathy and cataracts. e) Stevia It has been traditionally used to treat diabetes.
f) Ginkgo Biloba The extract is known to prevent as well as treat early stages of diabetes.
g) Cinnamon It enhances the efficiency of insulin.
For more Articles, News, Information, Advice, and Resources about DIABETES please visit DIABETES GUIDES and DIABETES TIPS.
Source: Bertil Hjert
Alice Waters: “The Edible Schoolyard”- Video 2:48 min.
Posted August 4, 2009
Alice talks about the importance of exposing children to real food at a early age. People are starting to listen. First Lady Michelle Obama had D.C. children come to the White House and worked with them to create a home garden. This is a direct result of Alice Water’s campaign to educate our children about the importance of real foods. Alice had been advocating for the White House to establish a home garden for several years. It is amazing how one person’s passion can influence a multitude of people and eventually effect change on a global scale!
FoodSpook
Source: tsffvideo on YouTube
Are You Shopping Your Way to Diabetes?
by George Tohme
We all know that diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and heart disease are the biggest killers in the U.S., yet the rates of these deadly conditions continue to rise. Why do so many of us continue the negative behaviors that cause these health disasters? It seems as if almost every week on the news we hear about the widespread, yet largely preventable, illnesses that plague America.
We all know what we should be doing to live healthier lives and prevent these conditions, yet we continue the very same actions that make us have low energy and be unhealthy. Pharmacists across the country witness a strange phenomenon every day in which they see customers come to the pharmacy counter to fill their prescriptions for blood pressure and diabetes medications, yet their carts are filled with the very foods that cause these ailments. Customers’ shopping carts are brimming with beverages and snacks loaded with sugar, sodium, and saturated fat.
Taking medications to lengthen their lives seems counter to the damage people are willingly doing to their bodies with little, if any, consideration. Certainly there are times when we all consume foods and beverages that are bad for us, and as long as we only do it once in a while, that’s okay. If we never enjoy a treat once in a while, it’s very likely that we won’t stay with a healthy eating plan.
The determining factor in how harmful it can be to consume salty, sugary, and fattening foods and drinks, however, is the frequency with which we consume them. When we start to deal with everyday stress after work by devouring a huge bag of potato chips washed down with a large cola, that can quickly become a serious problem. Add to that a habitual lack of physical activity, poor portion control, and excessive amounts of sugar and you have a deadly combination that robs many Americans of both their quality and length of life.
To many, it can seem overwhelming to try and make several major lifestyle changes all at the same time to correct the damage caused by poor nutrition and lack of activity. Fortunately, even one small change at a time can help someone to begin heading in the right direction toward good health. Once that small change feels comfortable, you can add another and another. Before you know it, you will have made several lifestyle changes that will improve the quality of your life, make you healthier, and help you to live a longer life.
Hunger management is a big issue for many people. Naturally, no one likes feeling hungry, and with our demanding work schedules, it can be extremely difficult to take regular breaks to eat properly. While our phones ring off the hook, our emails pile up, and our bosses ask us to work more hours, we feel increasingly stressed and tend to stuff down our lunch between meetings. Worse yet, all too often our lunch consists of drive-through fare or chips, candy bars, and sodas from the office vending machine. This not only makes us feel lousy and depletes our energy during the work day, but it slowly damages our health and brings us closer to developing serious illnesses.
To more effectively manage hunger, you should eat 3 meals and 2 snacks every day. Structuring meals, snacks, and portion sizes will enable you to achieve your goals of good health. Instead of running to a vending machine, bring in a handful of almonds and an apple to keep in the top drawer of your desk.
These smaller amounts of healthy food consumed more evenly will maintain your energy throughout the day and help you reach a healthy weight. Instead of drinking hot chocolate, soda, or a cafe latte with whipped cream, have a cup of green tea.
These simple changes will help you to feel better and develop good lifestyle habits that are the key to a lifetime of proper weight management. Remember that you are in charge and can make the lifestyle changes needed to prevent serious diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. Even better, you can start today to develop your own personal lifestyle makeover!
Author and pharmacist, George F. Tohme, is certified in diabetes and cholesterol management, smoking cessation, and nutrition, and he is a personal trainer. For more information, visit http://www.LifestyleMakeoverEbook.com to take his health and fitness quiz!
Source: George F. Tohme
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