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November is Diabetes MonthCynthia McMurray (1,988)    Cynthia McMurray  Write Words Tips for preventing DiabetesPosted Wednesday, November 11, 2009 (11 days 21 hours ago.) Viewed 22 times. November is diabetes month again. And on November 14 th , the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) celebrated World Diabetes Day (WDD), an officially declared United Nations Day created in response to the overwhelming worldwide increase in the cases of diabetes. Like many health issues, we often don't take notice until we, or someone close to us, develops the disease. But diabetes is an issue we should all be concerned about because unlike most other health issues, this disease will ultimately affect all of us at some point in the near future. Diabetes is a disease that concerns me for many reasons, mostly though because the majority of cases can be easily prevented. Right now, according to the IDF, 258-million people worldwide suffer from some form of diabetes. More than 2.4-million Canadians alone have diabetes and by 2010, that number is expected to reach 3 million. Sadly, for all our advancements in medicine and knowledge of preventative health care measures, Canada still has the sixth highest incidence rate of type 1 diabetes (juvenile) in children under 14 in the entire world. And this rate is expected to increase by up to 5 percent in the near future. Globally, almost 200 children each day are diagnosed with this disease. Even more alarming is the fact that every 10 seconds, someone dies from diabetes-related causes. Diabetes is a condition that affects our body's ability to process sugar. In a healthy body, once sugar is digested, it is broken down into glucose, the fuel our cells require to function properly. This glucose is then circulated throughout the body in our bloodstream. The pancreas produces insulin, a hormone that helps glucose move from the blood into our cells. Normally, our pancreases can regulate the amount of insulin it produces to accommodate varying glucose levels, however in someone with diabetes, this innate process is compromised, and ultimately, blood glucose levels can get too high when insufficient insulin is being produced. Essentially, chronically elevated blood glucose levels means our cells are not getting the fuel they need to function and survive. This condition can also become toxic to our bodies, which is what causes the often devastating symptoms associated with this disease . Essentially, there are three main types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes, a condition people are born with in which the pancreas doesn't function properly and produces very little or no insulin; type 2 diabetes, which develops sometime during a person's lifetime; and gestational diabetes, a temporary condition that occurs in about 4 percent of women during pregnancy. According to statistics, over 90 percent of all people with diabetes have type 2 and only 60 percent of people with type 2 diabetes are aware they have the disease simple because early symptoms are often not noticeable without testing. While type 1 diabetes is essentially an autoimmune disease with a genetic component, 90 percent of cases of type 2 diabetes are linked to obesity according to studies. And the leading cause of obesity is of course, poor diet and lack of physical activity, which is why, unlike some diseases, diabetes is more prevalent in the developed countries. Common symptoms of type 2 diabetes:
Tips to preventing Diabetes Maintain a healthy body weight: We know the risk of developing type 2 diabetes is directly linked to obesity. In fact, a 2006 study published in Diabetes Care shows that for every kilogram of weight loss, there is a 16 percent reduction in risk of developing the disease. Reduce your intake of high-glycemic foods: These are the foods that contain added sugar (fructose, dextrose, corn syrup, sucrose etc.) such as cakes, cookies, corn flakes. The simple sugars in these types of foods is absorbed by the intestine and transported to the blood stream very quickly compared to complex sugars like fruits and vegetables, in which the sugar is broken down more slowly and transported to the blood stream more evenly over time. Simple sugars cause the pancreas to react by secreted insulin in large amounts to deal with the rapid sugar influx. Cut back on salt and use spices to flavour food: While too much salt can cause a variety of health problems, certain spices are shown to have preventative health benefits for type 2 diabetes. Cinnamon is an especially good spice to use to help regulate glucose levels. Some studies show as little as 1 gram/day can reduce blood glucose levels by as much as 30 percent. Fenugreek is another effective spice shown to regulate glucose metabolism even lowering blood glucose levels by up to 45 percent in some cases. Fibre in fenugreek can also lower the glycemic index of foods, thereby slowing the absorption of sugar. Ginger , caper and garlic mimic the effects of insulin and coriander can help enhance insulin secretion. Other helpful herbs are Jamaican allspice, black pepper and thyme, which work by blocking glycemic reactions. Tumeric is also widely used in Eastern medicine to reduce blood glucose levels. Eat healthy fats: fats such as trans-fats and certain saturated fats like excessive omega-6 fatty acids can cause inflammation, which can indirectly lead to insulin resistance. Omega-3 fats on the other hand have anti-inflammatory properties which can improve insulin response. Get regular exercise: Studies show regular exercise is essential for type 2 diabetes prevention as muscles play a key role in the absorption of glucose in response to insulin. By maintaining good muscular function, we improve our body's sensitivity to insulin, ensuring regular blood glucose levels. Studies using pre-diabetic showed regular exercise of only two hours per week, over a period of three years, reduced glycemia considerably more than diabetes medications to lower blood glucose levels. Diabetes is one of the fastest growing diseases, yet is also one of the most preventable. Simple lifestyle changes can make a huge impact on our health in general but in the case of diabetes, it is the most significant thing you can do to prevent a disease researchers now predict will affect one in three children born this decade. Cynthia McMurray is a freelance natural health writer. She has written numerous books for leading health professionals and was the founder and publisher of a national natural health magazine. She is currently writing in-depth health manuals for a large international health and wellness company. She is also the founder and publisher of Bryler Publications. 
Permalink Comments (0) Take the Trick out of Halloween TreatsPosted Tuesday, November 03, 2009 (20 days 5 hours ago.) Viewed 5 times. Well, we did it. We made it through another year of scary ghosts, creepy goblins and the occasional blood sucking vampire. And while the "tricking" may have ended without incident for most, I am willing to bet the "treating" is still going strong in the majority of households. And it's no wonder looking at the enormous stash our kids seem to haul home every Halloween night. Is it me, or does that pillow case seem to grow each year? Without going into how many snow banks my brother and I had to trudge through or the torrential rains we had to endure just to get to school, which was of course, two miles away, I will say that when we were kids, we never came home with the amount of candy our kids do today. I remember thinking I'd hit the jackpot when I found two mini size bags of potato chips amongst the array of single candies lining the bottom of my small plastic pumpkin pail. I am just blown away as I watch household after household doling out full 1 litre bottles of soda or even 12- ounce cans, full size chocolate bars and bags of chips and even big bags of skittles or Hershey kisses. I'm not sure what triggered this gluttonous thinking on our parts but one thing for sure is we are certainly not doing our kids any favours. Have you ever heard the saying "killing them with kindness?" Well, if the shoe fits I can hear the moans and groans as I write this "Come on they're kids. They deserve a little candy now and then." And surprisingly, I have to say I agree to some extent but I guess it all boils down to your definition of "now and then" and of course how much, and more importantly, the type of candy our precious darlings actually "deserve". What we term candy today and what our grandparents called candy are now two very different things. Apart from the sheer magnitude of candy choices lining store shelves, what goes into today's candy is nowhere near what it was even a few decades ago. If you looked at the ingredient list of the taffy your grandparents ate for example, it would simply state: sugar, butter, vinegar, water, salt and vanilla extract. Now, look at the same taffy label today. The list actually contains almost 10 times more ingredients, most of which I wouldn't even begin to try to pronounce. So, why add all these extra ingredients? In a word money. Isn't that what it usually comes down to? Old fashioned candy, the kind made with real ingredients, not some laboratory concoction, does not keep. Things like real, fresh churned butter eventually go rancid if left on a store shelf for a year or so, like many candies are. It also costs more than a little dab of hydrogenated vegetable oil mixed with the food dye "du jour", so money wins out over both taste and quality and of course, our children's health. Last Halloween, parents were warned, albeit after children had already become sick, that many brands of candy were tainted with melamine, a highly toxic carcinogen typically used in industrial products such as resins, foams, cleaning products, fertilizers and pesticides. Candy manufacturers worldwide were forced to recall their toxic candies including such staples as Cadbury, Nestle and Mars, companies we have grown to trust. And if it isn't the candy itself, we are now finding out the wrappers used to cover these poisonous treats are often made from materials containing PFCs, another highly toxic carcinogen. Unfortunately, regulating bodies allow manufacturers to use an array of chemicals in candy (and every other food we eat). And it isn't until something happens, like the melamine scare in 2008, that something is done. So, once again, it seems to fall back on parents to play "bad cop" and monitor the candy our children eat. Let's face it. We will never stop our kids from ever eating candy, and I wouldn't suggest we do, after all, it's a rite of passage of sorts. I would however suggest as parents we sort through what candy we allow them to eat and when. In our house, as soon as the Halloween candy comes in the door, we do a preliminary search, removing the obvious offenders such as anything with red food dye, MSG, aspartame and tartrazine. Often times, the labels don't indicate these dangerous products but if it says artificially sweetened for instance, you know it contains aspartame or something similar that is just as dangerous. As it stands now, food manufacturers in Canada are not required by law to actually list the exact ingredients. Simply stating food colouring or artificial flavouring will suffice. Health advocates are pushing the governing agencies to amend these laws but in the meantime, it is up to parents to do their research. Here are some of the worst offenders: Propyl Gallate, Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT): chemicals shown to cause cancer in laboratory studies. Often found in chewing gum. Aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet) and Acesulfame-K: shown to cause brain tumours, thyroid cancer and leukemia. Typically in sugar-free foods. Blue 1, 2; Red 3; Green 3; Yellow 6: Food colorings linked with thyroid tumours, bladder cancer and tumours of the adrenal glands and kidney. Monosodium glutamate (MSG): MSG is used as a flavour enhancer in many packaged foods, including potato chips. It is a neurotoxic chemical shown to directly harm nerve cells, over-exciting them to the point of cell death. Personally, I also avoid any candy manufactured in countries such as China or Taiwan simply because regulations are not as strict and often things slip by, such as the melamine in 2008. These candies are obviously cheaper, but I think it is better to be safe than sorry, especially when it comes to our children. Good Alternatives: You can easily find organic candies now. Many companies market organic brands of candy that actually don't cost much more than regular candy, which is full of dangerous additives, colourings and preservatives. Homemade candy is also a great alternative. After the Halloween stash is gobbled up (my kids are allowed three days then it's trash), try some healthy alternatives to candy like popcorn or fruit juice popsicles. Eventually, you will find your kids don't crave the "bad candy" as much. Cynthia McMurray is a professional natural health writer. She has written numerous books for leading health professionals and was the founder and publisher of a national natural health magazine. She is currently writing in-depth health manuals for a large international health and wellness company. She is also the founder and publisher of Bryler Publications (www.brylerpublications.com).
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