How can Flaxseeds Help with Diabetes?

Diabetes is a very debilitating disease brought on by many factors. One of the factors is an excess of saturated and trans fats in our diet. Another potential factor is a deficiency of LNAs . Changing our diets to include Flaxseeds, which contains alpha-linolenic acid (LNA) or omega-3, may help with our fight against diabetes.

Diabetes is a very debilitating disease that is caused by many different factors. There are two main types of diabetes, type 1 (juvenile) and type 2 (adult-onset) of this disease. There are also other subforms of it such as gestational diabetes.

What Causes Diabetes?

How this disease is cause depends on the type of the disease. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that generally strikes before the age of 20. This disease is caused when for a reason still not pinpointed by doctors, a person’s immune system starts attacking the cells in the pancreas that produce beta cells. These beta cells are what notify person’s body of when to use glucose and how much to use. A person that has type 1 of this disease therefore has difficulty regulating their body’s glucose levels because of this disease. There is still no cure for type 1 of this disease.

Individuals that are afflicted with type 2 diabetes generally fall prey to this disease when they are adults. This disease is more likely when people have several contributing factors present. Type 2 of this disease’s contributing factors include smoking, drinking excessively, obesity, family history, and being a part of certain ethnic backgrounds. Type 2 of this disease can generally be reduced in severity and even cured if a person adjusts certain bad habits such as eating a better diet and quitting smoking.

Gestational diabetes affects pregnant women that generally have many of the same contribute factors that individuals with type 2 of this disease have. However, women with gestational diabetes generally do not experience this disease after they are no longer pregnant. However, women that have had gestational diabetes in the past are far more likely to have it in any future pregnancies as well.

Diabetes and Flaxseeds

Flaxseeds and flax seed oil can be potentially be helpful in treating this disease. This is due to the fact that flax seed oil may actually have the ability to help stabilize blood sugar levels (glucose). While this does not necessarily treat the cause of the disease, it can lessen the severity of it. This property of flax seed oil is still being researched and has yet to be proven by scientists.

Individuals considering purchasing flaxseeds or flax seed oil to help with their diabetes should consult their doctor first. This will help consumers avoid potentially negative side effects they may experience on flax seed oil or if flax seed oil does not react well with many of their current medications. They can also discuss with their doctor whether or not the potential benefits of flax seed oil outweigh the potential risks.

Kerry Ng is a successful Webmaster and publisher of The Omega3 Flaxseed Blog. For more helpful information about Omega3 Flaxseeds visit Omega3flaxseeds.com

By Kerry Ng Published: 8/9/2007

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Soaring Diabetes Rates May Bring Wave of Childbirth Problems

Number of pregnant women with diabetes more than doubles in six years, according to health survey

The number of pregnant women with diabetes has more than doubled in six years, according to one of the largest health surveys of expectant mothers. Doctors fear the rise will lead to a greater risk of miscarriages, stillbirths and babies with serious birth defects. Children born to diabetic women are more likely to develop diabetes themselves.

Doctors examined 175,249 women who gave birth in 11 hospitals between 1999 and 2005 and found significant jumps in pre-pregnancy diabetes in every age, racial and ethnic group.

In the youngest group studied, aged 13 to 19, diabetes rose fivefold, while it doubled among women aged 20 to 39. Women aged 40 and older showed a 40% increase in diabetes over the same time period.

Doctors believe the rise reflects the sharp increase in type 2 diabetes, which is driven by soaring rates of obesity. The study found that cases of gestational diabetes, a temporary condition which usually abates after childbirth, remained steady at 8%.

"In the US and worldwide, we’re seeing an increase in type-2 diabetes. It used to be considered adult-onset diabetes, with diagnosis in the 40s, but we’re seeing it in children as young as age 10," said Jean Lawrence, of Kaiser Permanente, a California-based non-profit health foundation which runs 32 hospitals. The study appears in the journal Diabetes Care.

Women with diabetes are seven times more likely to have a stillborn baby than healthy women, while those with type-2 diabetes are twice as likely to miscarry and five times more likely to have a baby with birth defects compared with women with type-1 diabetes, according to two studies by British scientists this year.

Libby Dowling, care adviser for Diabetes UK, said: "The health risks to mother and baby are well known. However, many of the risks can be reduced with good blood glucose control before and during pregnancy. Good diabetes control can only be achieved if women receive pre-conceptual counseling and access to specialist [NHS] services during their pregnancy."

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Diabetes Care for Men and Women

Diabetes is a disease that requires special care and treatment as it can affect anyone of any age group…

Diabetes is a disease that can affect people of any age. You have to live with diabetes and there is no cure for it. Diabetes is directly related to the insulin level in the body. Depending on the secretion and absorption of insulin, the level and effect of diabetes will differ. It is a chronic disease and the reasons may be anything from hereditary to consumption of unbalanced diet. Around 171 million people in the world are found to be diabetic.

Sugar is an essential factor in the blood that gives energy for the body. This sugar is obtained from the food that we eat. Insulin secreted in the pancreas gland is responsible for absorption of blood glucose by the body cells. When the production of insulin is insufficient, then more sugar will stay in the blood and the cells will starve of fuel. If insulin is produced more, the blood glucose will be consumed more and again cells will get tired wanting fuel for further activities. If any of these occurs, then the person is said to be diabetic.

Types of diabetes
There are 3 main types of diabetes. To treat diabetes, you must first know what type of diabetes has affected you.

Gestational diabetes - this starts in the pregnancy and the level of glucose in the blood will be higher. After delivering the baby, this type of diabetes will go away. But even after delivery the mother has to be monitored.

Type 1 diabetes - This is diagnosed in children and young adults. In this type, sufficient insulin will not be produced by the pancreas. Those who suffer from type1 diabetes have to take insulin for the entire life. Nowadays, insulin injections are common and after taking insulin the person can be very normal.

Type 2 diabetes - this is diagnosed in people at the later ages. Due to insufficient nutrition, the insulin is not secreted upto the required level or the cells don’t absorb insulin. As a result, glucose accumulates in the blood and lead to diabetes.

Symptoms
The symptoms of diabetes are similar for both men and women. There are some cases where people are found to be diabetic even if they don’t have any of these symptoms. Diabetes will show symptoms after the depletion of 80% of insulin producing cells. The typical symptoms include

• Sudden weight loss
• Frequent urination
• Excessive thirst
• Excessive hunger
• Lethargy
• Wounds in the feet

Many people in the world test for diabetes only when they find wounds that are not healed for a long time in their foot.

Treatment
The only treatment for diabetes is to take nutritional balanced diet, insulin tablets and injections. There is no cure and to prolong life after diagnosing diabetes, the patient must take sufficient insulin that is required to burn the sugar that is produced. The diabetic patients must regularly visit the doctor and check for the sugar levels in the blood. Diet control and regular exercises must be followed to control diabetes.

Care for men and women
Since diabetes affects people of all ages and races, we must take proper care so that we burn up extra sugar in the blood. In certain cases, the blood sugar was under control just by controlling the diet. You must take balanced diet that contains carbohydrates, necessary fat, proteins and minerals. Avoid all fried items and all oils. Exercises are a must to avoid diabetes. Fresh fruits and vegetables are always good for health. Generally women are found to be less aware of diabetes. It is now a myth that women live longer than men.

When a person is affected by diabetes, he/she is prone to many diseases as their immune system becomes weakened. If diabetes is not treated properly, it may lead to heart diseases and kidney failures. Many people also suffer from eye sight problems and nervous problems. Diabetes is a silent killer but if you know how to fight against it, you can conquer the disease and lead a normal life.

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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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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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Ever Pondered… How Destructive Obesity And Diabetes Can Be?

This world is full of injustice. I paid the full air fare for flying from New Delhi to New York. My weight is 70 kgs. The gentleman sitting next to me, almost bursting out of the seat belt, must be weighing about 200 kgs. He has also paid the same amount. Is this not injustice? Why obese people are given this preferential treatment?

All said in good humor! The obese people are to be pitied rather than condemned. They know not what they are doing- how much they are eating. To say it in clear cut terms obesity is extending a direct invitation to diabetes. Not very long ago, diabetes caught hold of the elderly and the aged. Now even the children suffer from diabetes, not the rarest of the rare cases, but quite a good percentage. It is increasing at a rapid pace.

The reason is not far off to seek. The modern mothers think that the easiest way to handle the children is to fulfill their all demands. The chocolates, the pizzas, the salty chips, cold drinks, the processed foods and what not!

The concept of right diet is not known to the children, but even the mothers wish to pretend ignorance, even if they know. Their placement of love for the children is wrong. Soon the children look like balloons and one fine day, when the doctor tells you that your kid has diabetes, you are shocked…How that can be…?

Various studies reveal that over 20 % of the world population is obese. You suffer, and you pass on this heritage to your children. You spend the whole day sitting at the office, with mental labor, without any physical labor and once you enter the house, tired and exhausted, you refuse to go out of the drawing room. Changing the channels, by push of the remote button is only your physical exercise.

Why blame anybody when you are declared to be a diabetic patient? Your diabetes is your own creation.

‘Doing nothing is not an option’ they say. ‘In 1989 a study found that five per cent of children were classified as obese. By 1998, the figure had almost doubled. The incidence of obesity is also increasing with age; according to an English survey in 1996, approximately 17 per cent of 15 year olds are obese,’ says Dr Penny Gibson, Consultant Paediatrician and Adviser on childhood obesity for the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

There is conclusive proof that obesity is one of the strongest causes of diabetes. Unless something tangible steps are taken all over the World, by premium Organizations like World Health Organization, the day is not far off, when we shall have diabetic families, from the child to the grandfather!

By: Ashish Jain -

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