Diabetes and ED: Diabetics May Find Help with Levitra

Men who suffer from diabetes may find help for their erectile dysfunction with Levitra.

There are several causes of erectile dysfunction, or ED, the medical condition that makes it difficult or impossible for a man to achieve and keep an erection adequate enough for intercourse. Among them can be lifestyle issues, such as smoking, drinking, taking illegal drugs, and leading an overall sedentary existence while eating high fat foods and carrying around too much weight. Another cause can be diabetes.

Diabetes is the result of the body not using blood sugar as energy because of having too little insulin, or having an inability to use insulin. And people with diabetes are at greater risk of developing high blood pressure. Men who suffer from diabetes have to watch their diets and glucose levels, and the last thing they need is more health concerns to deal with. Unfortunately, though, diabetes is often linked to erectile dysfunction; men with diabetes are three times as likely to suffer from ED as men who aren’t diabetic.

A man doesn’t have to be old to be affected by diabetes and erectile dysfunction. Men can be diabetic at any age, and when they mature, can start to experience symptoms of erectile dysfunction within a decade of their original diabetes diagnosis. So, even men in their 20s can be affected by erectile dysfunction triggered by diabetes. Erectile dysfunction can be a crippling psychological blow to a man at any age, but when a man hasn’t even seen his 30th birthday it can be devastating.

This is where Levitra comes in. Levitra has a high success rate of helping men with diabetes achieve erections, improving their sex lives, and some studies even suggest that Levitra may aid men with hypertension and heart problems, perhaps even reducing the risk of future heart attacks. Approved for use by the public by the FDA in 2003, Levitra has become nearly as popular as the original ED drug Viagra, with annual sales in the hundreds of millions of dollars, and new converts every day. And you can buy Levitra online easily and conveniently through an online pharmacy.

If you are diabetic, however, we also suggest healthy lifestyle changes that may improve, or at least maintain, your health, and which may actually improve your erections at the same time. As mentioned above, an unhealthy diet is one of the reasons for ED, so you should eat in a manner that you know is beneficial to a person with diabetes, the type diet that all of us, in fact, would do well to practice. This diet can include fish (for omega 3 fatty acids), beans (green, pinto and kidney), spinach, skim or soy milk, and nuts, just for starters. Your health is the most important thing you have, and anything that can make you feel better, and possibly even make a difference in your sex life, can’t be anything but good.

You can buy Levitra online through an established, reputable online pharmacy that has your health and welfare in mind. A company that has your best interest at heart will be able to tell you what will work best for your ED if you have diabetes, and there’s a good chance that their choice will be Levitra. Find out about Levitra today.

Author Resource – Michael Chizzle – Health article author specializing in men’s health issues. The author currently writes for a U.S. online pharmacy – www.accessrx.com.

AccessRx has been one of the leading online pharmacies since 1998, offering safe FDA-Approved online prescriptions, at the lowest prices available on the internet. Buy Levitra online at AccessRx and garner an array of benefits associated with buying prescription medicines online. Visit their Health Article Section at AccessRx.com to learn more about the benefits of safe and private online pharmacies.

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How to Diet like a Caveman

Over 10,000 years ago the diet of man was quite different from today’s. Lacking agriculture, dairy farms, or modern food processing methods, man ate only what he could either kill or pick. Many scientists believe that returning to man’s earlier dietary habits will make us thinner, healthier, and with less susceptible to cancer and diabetes.

The modern food industry is a wonderful thing. Through advances in science we can now feed millions more people on the same amount of land that once fed thousands. We lose fewer crops to disease and drought, and we can produce more bushels per acre than ever before. Our livestock are more healthy, the animals are less susceptible to disease, and they grow much larger (providing more food) than before antibiotics, steroids, and genetic engineering entered the picture.

Once the food enters our homes, we enjoy longer shelf life and easier preparation. Canned and dried goods can stay "fresh" literally for years. And it is quite possible to exist with no knowledge of cooking other than how to turn on the microwave.

With all of these modern advances one would think that the human species would be healthier, and better nourished, than ever in our history, but the truth is quite the opposite. While it is true that hunger is less of a problem in most of the developed world, we now face an obesity epidemic, and diabetes is growing ever more common. Disease and death from chronic overeating, and eating the wrong food, could be considered the major contributors making heart disease the leading cause of death in the United States.

By going back to the way our ancestors ate we can alleviate many of the causes of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. This type of diet is also believed to drastically reduce incidents of cancer. The diet I’m talking about has been called many things. Some refer to it as the Hunter-Gatherer Diet, others call it the Paleolithic Diet, and in this article I’m referring to it simply as the Caveman Diet.

The Caveman Diet, as the name suggests, means we eat like a caveman; well sort of. What all of these diets prescribe is that we eat the way people ate before modern farming, ranching, or even agriculture existed. This type of diet means we eat what the human species evolved (or was created) to eat, before man learned how to place a seed in the ground or dig a crude irrigation ditch.

Hunter-Gatherer perhaps best describes the Caveman diet. If you can kill it or pick it, then that is what you eat. This is exactly what our pre-agriculture ancestors ate. In this type of diet any and all meat, including fish, poultry, beef, pork, etc. is on the menu. Also, most items that can be picked and eaten WITHOUT cooking, such as fruits and vegetables, are also on the menu. What we avoid is processed foods, added sugars, excessive salt and dairy products.

Specific items to avoid are:

• Grains – including bread, pasta, noodles (processed grains are thought to provide excessive carbohydrates that can damage our gastrointestinal tract. Other studies have show that carbohydrates are not as necessary as previously thought)
• Beans – including string beans, kidney beans, lentils, peanuts, snow-peas and peas (while very controversial, beans produce gastrointestinal problems and could result in a mineral deficiency)
• Potatoes
• Dairy Products
• Added Sugars
• Added Salt
• Canola Oil

Here is what you can eat:

• Beef, Poultry, and Fish
• Eggs
• Fruit
• Vegetables (except potatoes or sweet potatoes)
• Nuts such as walnuts, pecans, macadamia, and almond. (Do not eat peanuts, which are not actually a nut, but a bean.)
• All types of Berries
• Honey can be used as a sweetener
• Olive Oil

This type of diet is obviously extreme, and goes against most conventional wisdom. A change of this magnitude will also undoubtedly take some getting used to. Try starting with only one meal per day, with breakfast probably being the easiest place to incorporate it. As you become comfortable with your new diet for breakfast, then move on to other meals.

The goal of the Caveman Diet is to bring us back to the foods that the human body was intended to consume prior to man’s ingenuity taking over. This type of diet is not without controversy, but the empirical evidence suggests that societies employing the Caveman Diet are thinner, healthier, and live longer, while greatly reducing heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

Capstone Health and Fitness
Health, Fitness, and Diet Advice

By Scott Pettigrew Published: 10/3/2008

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Gestational Diabetes – Temporary Hyperglycemia in Pregnancy

All you need to know about gestational diabetes – a condition where high insulin resistance results in temporary diabetes during pregnancy. The screening test during pregnancy therefore should be mandatory at least in high-risk cases.

Gestational Diabetes is the diabetes (high levels of blood sugar) detected during pregnancy for the first time. Only about 3-4 out of 100 women may develop diabetes in pregnancy.

In gestational diabetes, the hormonal changes taking place in the body due to pregnancy tend to develop insulin resistance and the need for insulin increases many folds the normal. The level of glucose in blood rises leading to hyperglycemia. Some of the risk factors leading to gestational diabetes are obesity, family history of diabetes, pre-diabetes condition, older mothers and previous history of gestational diabetes.

Confirmatory diagnosis is made by laboratory tests like fasting or random blood sugar and glucose tolerance test. Regular glucose check needs to be done at intervals for proper control of diabetes.

Gestational Diabetes Symptoms
Nausea, fatigue, increased thirst and increased urination can be some of the possible symptoms. Most women with gestational diabetes do not develop any symptoms. The screening test during pregnancy therefore should be mandatory at least in high-risk cases.

Possible complications to the Mother:

• Hypertension in pregnancy – Pre-eclampsia
• Caesarean delivery.
• Risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

Possible complications to the Child:

• Baby tends to be fat and overweight.
• Baby can be hypoglycemic at birth and have breathing problems.
• Grow as overweight children and adults.
• Risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

Treatment for Gestational Diabetes
Gestational Diabetes Diet: The dietician should be consulted for a proper diabetes diet plan. Fresh fruits and vegetables should be consumed regularly. Intake of fats and sweets should be limited.

Exercise: Physical activity helps to utilize the glucose in the blood. Moderate exercises should be planned under strict physician supervision.

Medications: Oral hypoglycemic drugs are not generally preferred. Insulin injections are recommended with monitored dosages as per the blood sugar levels.

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Meal Plans – Diabetic Meal Planning

Diabetic meal planning is a very complex area, and is crowded with contradicting ideas. Here are some suggestions and tips, none of which must be implemented without a prior consultation with your nutritionist, dietitian or healthcare expert.

No other kind of meal planning is perhaps as controversial as diabetic meal planning. Every few years, there is a new kind of diabetic meal plan that is advocated for patients of the disease. What’s more is that, the diabetic meal plans that are accepted by the health experts are not necessarily subscribed to by the dietitians. Some meal plans advise intake of more carbohydrates, while some want carbohydrates to be at a minimum. No wonder, patients of diabetes and their relatives are finding it so very tough to find the right kind of diabetic meal plan that they can use, without worrying unduly for the repercussions.

Dietary management for diabetes is undoubtedly a serious issue. Here, I try to give some medical points about diabetic meal planning that will help you know what the best option could be.

Diabetes Meal Planning – Objectives

Let us begin with what objectives a diabetic meal seeks to serve. The following are the objectives:-

• Maintaining the amount of blood sugar at a controlled level
• Reducing the amount of harmful cholesterol, especially in cases of obesity
• Keeping weight under control
• Making all kinds of nutrients available to the patients in their right measure
• Trying to minimize the need for supplements and medication
• Preventing complications of diabetes through a healthy meal plan

Diabetes Meal Planning – Important Characteristics

Ideally, a diabetic meal must have the following characteristics to be considered healthy and safe:-

• It should be a well-balanced diet, i.e. it should try to provide all the nutrients that are necessary for the wellbeing and good health of the patient.
• More than the quantity of the diet, the timing and the spacing between different meals is important. The body must be allowed to be familiarized with the eating cycle of the person which helps it to metabolize the foods better. For the same reason, there should be an adequate gap between meals.
• The diet should not be too different from the normal diet the person used to have before being diagnosed with diabetes. (This is an important point, especially in considering the drastic lifestyle changes that some meal plans try to bring about in diabetic patients. That would probably have only adverse effects.)
• The diet should not be monotonous. It should be varied everyday, or there could be a chance that the patient would develop a dislike for food itself, and that could cause more complications.
• Most importantly, the diabetic meal must not be too expensive, and must be readily available. An ideal diabetic meal plan is that which is made with available foods and is not too fanciful or a response to a meal fad.

Diabetes Meal Planning – Composition Of The Nutrients

Rather than the actual foods that are included in a diabetes meal, the amounts of the nutrients are of more concern. Diabetic people must be more concerned of nutrients like carbohydrates and fats. But other aspects such as total fiber amount and calories are also of great importance. Let us discuss how to handle these aspects in diabetes meal planning.

Carbohydrates And The Diabetes Meal

Carbohydrates are directly important to a diabetic patient, because sugar is a carbohydrate. Starch is the other form of carbohydrates. The total amount of carbohydrates that is consumed per day by a diabetic patient is of grave concern. That is because, if the amount of carbohydrates is too high, then the blood sugar level increases; and if it is too low, then the blood sugar level decreases.

At the same time, there is a lot of dispute about the exact amount of carbohydrates that a diabetic person must consume. There is wide speculation about how much is better – should 40% of the total calorie intake be in the form of carbohydrates, or is 75% a better option? The American Diet Association suggests an amount between 60 and 70%. But, in reality, the amount of carbohydrate will depend on the insulin dosage that the patient gets. If the person is on a high insulin dose, then more carbohydrates can be metabolized in the body. A concept of carbohydrate counting, where people are actually advised to calculate the amounts in grams of carbohydrates they are taking per day, is usually advised by diabetic meal planners. This enables people to consume any carbohydrate food, provided they do not exceed the carbohydrate limit per day that is assigned to them based on their insulin dosage.

But there are some suggestions that can be considered universal in diabetes meal planning. The strongest of them is that carbohydrate foods must always be taken in small quantities, and they should be distributed throughout the day, to allow for metabolism. Ideally, 60% of the carbohydrate quantities must be divided between lunch and dinner, 30% must be kept for breakfast and 10% must be kept in reserve for some carbohydrate product taken during the day, such as milk.

Fats And The Diabetes Meal

Since weight is an important concern of diabetic people, the amount of fats they consume in a day becomes important. Ideally, the diabetes diet must contain fats only in low amounts, and where they are needed for cooking other foods. Eggs and meat are permissible to an extent. But the most acceptable fatty foods are fishes like salmon, which contain a high amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids. The total amount of fats in the diabetes meal must not go beyond 150 grams in a day.

A high level of fats in the diabetes meal will cause problems such as obesity, which could bring on many other complications of its own. As is well-known, obesity and diabetes make a fatal combination. In addition, fats when increased beyond limits in a diabetic diet will cause problems such as heart attacks, strokes and blindness.

Calories And The Diabetes Meal

The total amounts of permissible calories for diabetic persons are different from those for people without diabetes, and there too, the amount varies according to the age and the lifestyle of the person. Younger and hardworking diabetic people could use a total calorie intake of 2400-2600 kcal per day, while pregnant diabetic people should not go beyond 2300 kcal per day. Among people leading a sedentary lifestyle, obese people have more requirements of calories of 2000 kcal per day, but if these obese people are also seniors, then they should not go beyond 1000 kcal per day. For younger people leading a sedentary lifestyle, a calorie intake of 1700 kcal per day should be considered the limit.

Diabetes Meal Planning – Vegan Diets

A lot of publicity is being given to the role of vegan diets in controlling diabetes, but as expected, they are meeting with their own share of skepticism. Vegan diets are being considered especially beneficial in the control of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. But people who are adhering to vegan diets must make sure that they are meeting their protein requirements with the right kinds of vegan foods.

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Diabetes Insipidus

Diabetes Insipidus occurs in a person whose fluid regulation system gets damaged and there exists no control in fluid intake and amount of urine excreted. Let us understand the disease…

Fluid regulation system in our body plays an important role of keeping balance in fluid intake and excretion of the fluid by kidney and volume and composition of the body fluids. Diabetes Insipidus occurs in a person whose fluid regulation system gets damaged and there exists no control in fluid intake and amount of urine excreted.

Diabetes Insipidus:Diabetes Insipidus is a medication condition (endocrine disorder) caused due to the deficiency of a hormone named Vasopressin, an antidiuretic hormone (ADH) that is secreted by pituitary gland in brain or development of insensitivity of kidneys to the ADH hormone. Large amount of highly diluted urine is excreted because of the inability of the kidney to concentrate the urine. The amount of urine excreted remains high even if the amount of fluid intake is reduced to any level.
(Excessive urination in medical terms is considered when a patient urinates more than 50ml of urine per kg of his/her body weight in an interval of about 2 hours or in simple words more than 14 liters a day.)

Signs and symptoms of Diabetes Insipidus:The patient feels extremely thirsty and continues to urinate day and night in excessive amount. The blood glucose level in urine unlike diabetes mellitus is not high and doesn’t taste sweet. The patient suffering from Diabetes Insipidus also experiences blurred vision. Symptoms of Diabetes Insipidus in children include problems related to the physical growth, affected hunger, weight gain, diarrhea, vomiting and fever. Excessive urination in adults can lead to dehydration if not compensated with proper intake of liquid. People suffering from Diabetes Insipidus may wake up several times in the night to urinate.

Causes:As mentioned earlier, Diabetes Insipidus is mainly caused due to the following two reasons:1) Antidiuretic hormones deficiency in body that is secreted by hypothalamus in brain to maintain balance of water in urine and blood.2) if the kidney loses its ability to recognize the antidiuretic hormones.3) People suffering from some kind of injury or a tumor in the brain (it can be either hereditary or caused by surgery or injury)4) Diseased pituitary gland causing lowered production of ADH

Types of Diabetes Insipidus:
There are four main sub-types of Diabetes Insipidus:
Central Diabetes Insipidus: Damaged hypothalamus in patient causes abnormal behavior of thirst mechanism, leading the condition to Central Diabetes Insipidus.
Nephrogenic Diabetes Insipidus: This is caused due to inability of the kidney in identification of antidiuretic hormones.
Dispogenic Diabetes Insipidus: This is caused due to damage or improper behavior of the thirst mechanism (which is located in hypothalamus).
Gestational Diabetes Insipidus: This is a rare form of DI and occurs only during pregnancy. During pregnancy an enzyme is produced in placenta which destroys antidiurretic hormones, this can lead to deficiency of ADH if production exceeds minimum level.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Diabetes Insipidus:
Other than excess urination, Diabetes Insipidus is pretty hard to diagnose and it is even harder to confirm the underlying causes of the disease.

Your doctor may perform blood test for ADH, calcium, bicarbonate and sugar level, urine test and examine the frequency and volume of urine, Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the patient’s brain etc. Your doctor may also direct you to an endocrinologist to confirm the disease.

Once it is confirmed that the patient is suffering from Diabetes Insipidus, your doctor may perform some additional tests to narrow down on the underlying cause of the disease. One such test available is Fluid Deprivation Test (includes study and analysis of fluid intake and urination, body weight and other factors) which helps in finding out if the condition is caused due to lack of ADH in blood, kidney disorder or improper fluid intake.

Your doctor may choose to administer the ADH level in your body and use a synthetic ADH hormone DDAVP which can be taken in injection, pill form and can also be inhaled. The treatment may take some time to help patient restore the normal level/volume of urination (it always depends on the response of patient’s body to the treatment).

In case if the hypothalamus/pituitary gland is damaged and causing problem, your doctor may suggest you undergo a surgery to remove the damaged gland (or tumor on the gland if any). This mode of treatment is generally used in Central Diabetes Insipidus.

In other types of Diabetes Insipidus, medication or hormone therapy may show some good result avoiding need to operate the patient.

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Complications of Obesity & Overweight

Obesity has become one of the major health problems worldwide. Obesity is not just a cosmetic problem, but lot of health problems & complications are associated with it. This article has covered some of the complications associated with obesity.

Calorie is a measurement of the energy content of food. The body needs calories as "fuel" to perform all of its functions, such as breathing, blood circulation, and physical activity.

1 gm of carbohydrate provides 4 Calories, 1 gm of protein provides 4 Calories and 1 gm of fat provides 9 Calories.

Eating too many calories and not getting enough physical activity to burn those calories results in overweight & obesity.
Adults with a BMI greater than 30 are considered obese and adults with a BMI between 25 and 29.9 are considered overweight.

Obesity increases the risk of developing several health problems like high blood pressure, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease (heart attacks), cerebrovascular disease (stroke), gout, gallstones, colon cancer, sleep apnea and non alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Obesity & High blood pressure:
Multiple factors are responsible for increase in blood pressure in obesity.
– Weight gain is associated with decrease in elasticity of blood vessels & increase heart rate.
– Excess calories are deposited in body as fat in fatty tissue. This fatty tissue increases demand for oxygen & nutrients, which in turn increases amount of blood circulating in the body. More blood traveling through arteries adds pressure on walls of arteries leading to increase in blood pressure.
– Obesity increases level of insulin in body. Insulin causes sodium & water retention in body, which results in increase in blood volume & extra pressure on arteries.
All of these factors can increase blood pressure.

Obesity & Diabetes: – Increased blood sugar level:
Type2 diabetes is a common health problem in diabetes.
– Insulin controls blood sugar.
– Insulin is required for the entry of sugar (glucose) into body cells from blood.
– Excess body fat in obesity makes body resistant to insulin. Because of this insulin resistance, sugar will remain in blood, which will lead to increase in blood sugar or diabetes.
– High amount of sugar in blood leads to complications in kidney, eyes, blood vessel, and heart.

Atherosclerosis or fatty deposits in blood vessels:-
Cholesterol is carried in the blood as two compounds: Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and High-density lipoproteins (HDL). HDL is also called the ‘good’ cholesterol and LDL is also called the ‘bad’ cholesterol.
– Obesity is associated with low levels of good (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol and high levels of bad (LDL) cholesterol.
– When cholesterol levels are high, some of the cholesterol is deposited on the walls of the blood vessels. Cholesterol deposits reduces the elasticity of blood vessels, narrows blood vessels & decreases blood flow. All these changes lead to atherosclerosis and an increased risk of heart disease & stroke.

Coronary artery disease – angina & heart attack:
Atherosclerosis (fatty deposits in arteries) in coronary arteries (arteries that supply heart) reduces blood supply to heart. Decreased blood flow to heart can cause angina (chest pain) and complete blockage of blood flow to heart can cause heart attack.

Stroke or paralysis:
Atherosclerosis (fatty deposits in arteries) in arteries of brain can reduce blood supply to that part of brain. This decrease in blood flow can result in stroke or paralysis.

Osteoarthritis:
Obesity & overweight increases the load on the joints such as the knee, hip & lower back. This extra pressure on these joints speeds up the breakdown of cartilage, resulting in joint pain & stiffness.
(Cartilage is a flexible tissue that covers bone ends in a joint to cushion the bone and allow the joint to move easily without pain).

Gout:
Gout is type of arthritis caused by the accumulation of uric acid crystals in joints.
– Obesity is associated with increased production of uric acid, which can form solid crystal-like masses. Uric acid crystals are deposited in the joints & provokes an inflammatory reaction in joints leading to arthritis.

Sleep apnea:
Overweight & excess fat around neck causes narrowing of airways & leads to sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a condition in which person stop breathing for short periods during sleep & snore heavily. It results in frequent awakening at night and subsequent drowsiness & tiredness during the day.

Fatty liver disease (Non alcoholic fatty liver) :
Obesity increases the risk of developing fatty liver disease due to accumulation of fat in liver. These fatty deposits in liver can lead to inflammation & scarring of the liver called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Serious complication of this scarring is cirrhosis of liver.

Gallbladder disease and gallstones:
The gallbladder is a small pear-shaped organ situated beneath the liver on the right side of the abdomen. In obesity, excessive cholesterol gets deposited in gall bladder, which can lead to formation of gallstones. Rapid weight loss or loss of a large amount of weight can also increases the chances of developing gallstones.

So, obesity is not just a cosmetic problem, but lot of health problems & complications are associated with it.

For details on complications of obesity, please click here. You can get some important information on natural supplements for weight loss & books on our nutrition website here.

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List of health problems because of obesity

Obesity is not just a cosmetic problem, but it can lead to a lot of health problems and complications. The health problems associated with obesity are diabetes, heart diseases, arthritis, stroke, liver disease, gall stones etc.

Obesity is because of eating too many calories and not getting enough physical activities to burn those calories. Excess calories are deposited in the body as fat.

Obesity increases the risk of several health problems like high blood pressure, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, heart diseases, stroke, gout, gallstones, colon cancer, sleep apnea and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

High blood pressure:
Blood vessels carry blood from heart to different organs of the body and back to heart. The blood vessels have thick but elastic walls for proper flow of blood. Decrease in elasticity of blood vessel wall increases pressure on blood passing through these vessels. Obesity decreases elasticity of blood vessels causing increase in blood pressure.

Diabetes in obesity:
Insulin is required for entry of carbohydrate into cells from the blood. The carbohydrate in cell is utilized for energy production by the cells. Excess deposition of fat in the body causes insulin resistance, because of which, insulin cannot perform its function and sugar cannot enter into cells and remain in blood. This leads to diabetes or high blood sugar. High sugar in blood leads to complications in various organs like kidney, eyes, blood vessel, and heart.

Atherosclerosis or fatty deposits in blood vessels:
Obesity is associated with increase in levels of bad cholesterol in blood. Increase cholesterol in blood causes atherosclerosis or deposition of cholesterol on the walls of blood vessels. Atherosclerosis reduces the elasticity of blood vessels, narrows blood vessels and decreases blood flow through these vessels. All these changes lead to increased risk of heart disease and stroke.

Heart diseases:
Coronary arteries are the blood vessels that supply blood to heart muscles. Atherosclerosis or fatty deposits in coronary arteries in obesity decreases blood supply to heart muscles. Decreased oxygen supply and blood flow to heart can cause angina (chest pain) and complete blockage of blood flow to heart can cause heart attack.

Stroke or paralysis:
Atherosclerosis in arteries of brain can reduce blood supply to the brain. This decrease in blood flow can result in stroke or paralysis.

Arthritis:
Obesity and overweight increases the load on the joints such as the knee, hip and lower back, which can cause the breakdown of cartilage in the joint. Cartilage is a cushion like structure in a joint required for smooth movement of joints. Breakdown of cartilage in obesity results in joint pain and stiffness and other features of osteoarthritis.

Gout:
A type of arthritis caused by the accumulation of uric acid crystals in joints. Obesity is associated with increased accumulation of these solid crystal-like masses in joints, which causes inflammation and pain.

Sleep apnea:
Overweight and excess fat around neck causes narrowing of airways and leads to sleep apnea. In sleep apnea, person snores heavily and stops breathing for short periods, which results in frequent awakening at night.

Fatty liver disease:
Obesity increases the risk of developing liver disease called fatty liver disease due to accumulation of fat in liver.

Gallbladder disease and gallstones:
Obesity increases cholesterol deposition in gall bladder, which can lead to formation of gallstones.

So, obesity can lead to a lot of health problems and other complications.
For details on role of nutrients in various diseases, please visit Diet for Disease and for information on management of obesity by blocking carbohydrate absorption, please visit
Carbohydrate in Obesity website.

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Diabetes In Children

Diabetes is a pathological condition characterized by reduced secretion of insulin by pancreas. The number of cases of Diabetes Mellitus (also known as Diabetes) is on increase in children of late. Let us explore some more facts, its symptoms, causes and treatments available…

Diabetes also scientifically known as Diabetes Mellitus is now a common occurrence in children. There are many reasons why diabetes in children is rising rapidly. Very often exposing children to a certain virus such as the Coxsackie R virus or even certain environmental causes can trigger a diabetic condition. The most vulnerable period for children to get diabetes is around early primary school years or initial years of secondary school.

Type 1 and type 2 diabetes
There are two predominant varieties of diabetes. While earlier, Type 2 used to be seen primarily in adults, these days it is increasingly being found in children as well. The Type 1 diabetes is also called Diabetes Mellitus – IDDM and is characterized by very low levels of insulin. In such cases patients may be needed to manually inject insulin into their bodies. In the Type 2 variety of diabetes the patient’s body becomes immune to the effects of insulin. It can also trigger when the child’s pancreas are not able to product adequate levels of insulin.

What are the symptoms?
Diabetes in children is characterized by certain specific symptoms. The need to drink water more often, insufficient immunity to common infections, blurred vision, any wounds which do not heal fast enough, numb sensations in the hands and feet, frequent urge to urinate, too much hunger for food, rapid weight losses, irritable behavior and many more.

The problem with the symptoms of juvenile diabetes patients face is that these symptoms are easily considered as part of growing up years. Hence parents tend to take these quite lightly. Moreover, each of these symptoms alternates. So today, the child maybe facing extreme hunger, tomorrow it could be irritability and the next time it could even be blurring of vision. Since there is no particular pattern or consistency, detecting if it is diabetes will be very difficult for a parent. However close watch and careful observation is a must.

Initial and serious symptoms
There are certain symptoms, which usually occur on a sporadic basis in children with diabetes. These occur early on and are symptoms juvenile diabetes patients will never acknowledge openly. This includes excessive thirst, hunger, urination and blurred vision. The more serious forms of symptoms would include vomiting and stomach aches, deep and heavy breathing, acetone like smell in the mouth and in extreme cases even coma.

Sedentary lifestyles
The culprit for the rising rate of diabetes in children seems to be a relatively inactive lifestyle coupled with junk food. Also the tendency to sit in front of the computer for long hours, watch TV for long durations, as well as unhealthy eating habits – are all contributors to this sad phenomenon.

What you can do
If you happen to detect any one of the symptoms juvenile diabetes patients are known to experience, in your child, then immediately get your child tested. The testing procedure is very easy and does not hurt. In fact in the case of diabetes, it is better to get your child tested as early as possible – before the disease reaches its full potential. Although Type 2 diabetes is incurable, children can control this disease through proper diet and adequate exercise. Once the disease reaches more serious proportions, then injections of insulin and medication may be needed to control diabetes.

How to administer injections
Children with diabetes have to start undergoing insulin injections from a very young age. Sometimes, even children as young as 5 years are known to have injected themselves successfully. As compared to the traditional syringe injector, the pen injector is known to be more convenient to use.

The injection needs to be rotated between legs, abdomen and arms to avoid fat build up in these areas. In addition to the child knowing how to administer injections, any other member of the family also needs to be trained in the method adequately.

They also should know things like how to detect dipping blood sugar levels in the body as well as treatment methods with carbohydrates that are easily absorbed. Foods like honey, glucose tablets and even soft sweets can help in raising carbohydrate levels in the body of the child. You need to monitor blood sugar levels 4 times in a day by pricking the finger tip and extracting a blood sample.

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What Causes Diabetes?

Diabetes is a problem of the metabolism. Find out what the causes are for it to occur.

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder, wherein the blood sugar, or glucose, levels in the body are excessively high. The foods that we eat are turned into glucose, which is what gives us the energy we require to live and carry out our daily activities. The body produces insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas, to take the glucose into the cells. Basically, there are three types of diabetes: Type 1 Diabetes; Type 2 Diabetes; and Gestational Diabetes.

In Type 1 diabetes, the body does not have the ability to make insulin. In Type 2 diabetes, the body cannot make or utilize insulin adequately. Without adequate amounts of insulin, the glucose remains in the blood.

Having excessive glucose in the blood, over a period of time, can lead to diabetes and various associated problems. For example, it can impair the nerves, kidneys, and eyes. It can even cause gangrene, stroke, and heart disease. Pregnant women can be afflicted with gestational diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes, which is the more common form of the disease, can cause symptoms like frequent urination, thirst, fatigue, and blurred vision. Sometimes there may be no symptoms at all. Having a blood test can be a way of checking if one has diabetes or not. If diagnosed with diabetes, devising a diet, weight control, and exercise can be ways to control it. The blood glucose level should also be monitored regularly and the prescribed medications should be taken as advised by the doctor.

So, What Causes Diabetes to Occur?

It is not known fully yet exactly what causes diabetes. Medical science still does not understand why some people get affected by diabetes while others remain unaffected. However, there are some factors that seem to be associated with the higher chances of getting the disease. Given below are some of those factors:

Type 1 Diabetes:

It is though that Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease, which means that the immune system of the body acts against the cells of the pancreas, thus hampering the production of insulin. A susceptibility of developing this type of diabetes may occur in families. Certain kinds of viral infections may also cause it.

Type 2 Diabetes:

Hereditary Factor: A strong genetic link is suspected in Type 2 diabetes, which means that it has a tendency of running in families. Those who have a history of diabetes in their family background are 25 percent more susceptible to developing diabetes.

Dietary Factor: Modern eating habits comprise largely of consuming foods high in refined carbohydrates such as bread, biscuits, cakes, candies, and so on. This has given rise to the epidemic of diabetes cases in our times.

Excessive Weight: Compared to muscle cells, fat cells contain fewer receptors of insulin. Also, fat cells give off free fatty acids, which hamper the metabolism of glucose. This leads to hyperglycemia, or an abnormally high level of blood sugar, which ultimately results in diabetes.

Sedentary Lifestyle: The modern lifestyle that many people lead today involves less physical work and long hours of sitting during work. And even after work, our leisure activity has a general tendency of being sedentary. Research has revealed that there are higher chances of developing diabetes the less active an individual is.

Stress Factor: Another aspect of our modern life is the high amount of stress encountered in our jobs, or day-to-day activities. The metabolism is also adversely affected by a chaotic and irregular lifestyle. Even emotional stress such as worry, anxiety, and grief may cause changes in the blood sugar levels, leading to the disease.

Smoking and age are also some of the other factors that can cause diabetes.

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