by D. Cannon
Metabolic syndrome is the recent designation of a number of metabolic conditions that appear on the surface to be unrelated but occur in such a way that leads many physicians and scientists to speculate that there may be an underlying undiscovered disorder that is causing the problems. While the manifestations of metabolic syndrome may be quite diverse, most authorities believe that they are all based on some form of metabolic syndrome insulin resistance. Since the disorder has not been rigorously categorized and defined, it is impossible to say how many people suffer from it. However, some health care professionals have estimated that between twenty and twenty five percent of American adults suffer from some form of the disease. The widespread predominance of the condition combined with its relatively obscure nature have led many to refer to the disorder as "syndrome x".
While many healthcare professionals suspect that metabolic syndrome is simply a manifestation of some other as of yet undiscovered underlying illness, until the time comes that the mystery background illness is isolated and treatments are developed, physicians must treat metabolic syndrome symptomatically. The disorder typically consists of obesity of the central region (a "spare tire" or "beer belly"), low levels of HDL cholesterol, high blood triglyceride levels, insulin resistance (the inability of the body to properly utilize insulin to metabolize sugars), high fibrinogen levels, elevated blood pressure (hypertension), and several other similar metabolic disorders. All of these disorders are related in some way to insulin resistance, so many experts believe that syndrome x is related in some way to the body's inability to properly utilize insulin.
Since metabolic syndrome manifests itself as a conglomeration of disorders, there is no single test available to detect whether or not one suffers from the condition. One is generally believed to suffer from the illness if he or she exhibits symptoms of a number of the associated disorders. While guidelines vary, most physicians attempt to diagnose the condition using a combination of central obesity, triglyceride levels, HDL cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and level of insulin resistance.
The various disorders associated with syndrome x all have their own preferred treatment methods, and treating all of them with medications could be quite dangerous since it would require a high level of pharmaceutical use. However, all of the associated disorders share the fact that they can be treated or controlled (at least in mild to moderate cases) by increasing the amount of exercise received and carefully monitoring the diet. Since a diet and exercise regimen is the only treatment that can treat all of the associated disorders, it is by far the most common recommendation by physicians to patients who seem to be suffering from metabolic syndrome.
About the Author
Dustin Cannon writes on a variety of subjects and recommends http://www.DiseaseInfoRx.com for more information on the subject.
Visit this blog http://symptomsdiabetesdiseases.blogspot.com/
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Friday, March 2, 2007
All About Diabetes Mellitus
by: Michael Webb
Diabetes mellitus is a disease that causes higher than normal blood sugars in its sufferers. It is of two types: (1) Type I diabetes, which normally affects young people. It occurs when the body doesn't make enough insulin to rid the body of excess sugar. The only way to treat that disease is to provide insulin to make up for the lost insulin from the pancreas. (2) Type II diabetes generally affects older people and is a condition where the body makes insulin but the cells of the body don't respond to the insulin in the body.
The disease of diabetes mellitus affects 20.8 million people in the US or 7% of the total population. Nearly 6 million of them do not know they have the disease. Both genetics and environment and heredity play a role in who gets diabetes and who doesn't. Poor dietary habits and obesity play a large role in the development of type II diabetes.
There are many people who don't have diabetes mellitus but who are suffering from prediabetes, also sometimes called insulin resistance. Their body doesn't respond well to the insulin made by the pancreas but the situation isn't bad enough to raise the blood sugar levels yet. The body has higher than normal amounts of insulin in the system but it is enough to compensate for the blood sugar. Eventually, however, many prediabetics go on to develop diabetes in a few years.
There are several tests for diabetes mellitus. The first is a fasting blood sugar. This is normally less than 100 mg per deciliter. In prediabetes, the number is often between 100 and 120 mg per deciliter. In diabetics, the number is often above 120 milligrams per deciliter and is often much higher than that.
The other test for diabetes mellitus is called the "three hour glucose tolerance test" or "3 hr GTT". This involves getting a fasting blood sugar and then giving the individual a small bottle of highly sugared liquid to drink. Then the blood sugar is tested at one hour, two hours and three hours after drinking the sugared liquid. If any number is above 200, then diabetes is diagnosed.
Another test for diabetes mellitus is to check the glycosylated hemoglobin level. This is a measure of the amount of "sugar coated" blood cells in the body. The normal level is 6.0 and numbers above that is felt to be diabetes.
The treatment for diabetes mellitus is different depending on the type of diabetes the person has. Type I diabetes is almost always treated by insulin shots. This is because there is no insulin being put out by the pancreas and so insulin must be replaced. Type II diabetes is often treated with diet and medications. The medications are those that make the cells of the body respond better to the insulin being provided by the pancreas. There are also medications that act to lower the blood sugar directly.
Those with diabetes mellitus must check their blood sugars frequently with a glucometer or blood glucose meter. This may need to be done as often as six or more times per day for type I diabetes and the values reached determine the amount of insulin the person needs per dose. Insulin shots are given before each meal and sometimes at bedtime. Type II diabetics don't often need to check their blood sugars that often. Sometimes it is just checked in the morning and then after the evening meal.
Diabetes Mellitus brings you the latest news on the diabetes mellitus disease. Diabetes mellitus is ever increasing each day. Check out our latest information page at http://diabeteswelfare.com
More Information about diabetes visit this http://symptomsdiabetesdiseases.blogspot.com/
Diabetes mellitus is a disease that causes higher than normal blood sugars in its sufferers. It is of two types: (1) Type I diabetes, which normally affects young people. It occurs when the body doesn't make enough insulin to rid the body of excess sugar. The only way to treat that disease is to provide insulin to make up for the lost insulin from the pancreas. (2) Type II diabetes generally affects older people and is a condition where the body makes insulin but the cells of the body don't respond to the insulin in the body.
The disease of diabetes mellitus affects 20.8 million people in the US or 7% of the total population. Nearly 6 million of them do not know they have the disease. Both genetics and environment and heredity play a role in who gets diabetes and who doesn't. Poor dietary habits and obesity play a large role in the development of type II diabetes.
There are many people who don't have diabetes mellitus but who are suffering from prediabetes, also sometimes called insulin resistance. Their body doesn't respond well to the insulin made by the pancreas but the situation isn't bad enough to raise the blood sugar levels yet. The body has higher than normal amounts of insulin in the system but it is enough to compensate for the blood sugar. Eventually, however, many prediabetics go on to develop diabetes in a few years.
There are several tests for diabetes mellitus. The first is a fasting blood sugar. This is normally less than 100 mg per deciliter. In prediabetes, the number is often between 100 and 120 mg per deciliter. In diabetics, the number is often above 120 milligrams per deciliter and is often much higher than that.
The other test for diabetes mellitus is called the "three hour glucose tolerance test" or "3 hr GTT". This involves getting a fasting blood sugar and then giving the individual a small bottle of highly sugared liquid to drink. Then the blood sugar is tested at one hour, two hours and three hours after drinking the sugared liquid. If any number is above 200, then diabetes is diagnosed.
Another test for diabetes mellitus is to check the glycosylated hemoglobin level. This is a measure of the amount of "sugar coated" blood cells in the body. The normal level is 6.0 and numbers above that is felt to be diabetes.
The treatment for diabetes mellitus is different depending on the type of diabetes the person has. Type I diabetes is almost always treated by insulin shots. This is because there is no insulin being put out by the pancreas and so insulin must be replaced. Type II diabetes is often treated with diet and medications. The medications are those that make the cells of the body respond better to the insulin being provided by the pancreas. There are also medications that act to lower the blood sugar directly.
Those with diabetes mellitus must check their blood sugars frequently with a glucometer or blood glucose meter. This may need to be done as often as six or more times per day for type I diabetes and the values reached determine the amount of insulin the person needs per dose. Insulin shots are given before each meal and sometimes at bedtime. Type II diabetics don't often need to check their blood sugars that often. Sometimes it is just checked in the morning and then after the evening meal.
Diabetes Mellitus brings you the latest news on the diabetes mellitus disease. Diabetes mellitus is ever increasing each day. Check out our latest information page at http://diabeteswelfare.com
More Information about diabetes visit this http://symptomsdiabetesdiseases.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Diabetes and the Preventive Power of Coffee!
by Randy Wilson
Type 2 diabetes mellitus is one of the most rapidly accelerating diseases today in terms of number of people afflicted. Theories abound as to why this is the case; however, scientists are now looking at new ways to improve the overall health of those both at risk for and suffering from this disease. Many of these scientists have found that drinking coffees can significantly reduce the risk and effects of the disease. In a recent study done at the Channing Laboratory of the Harvard School of Public Health, at the Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, in Boston, Massachusetts, researchers explored the link between long-term coffees consumption and Type 2 diabetes mellitus. The study followed over 120,000 men and women for eighteen years.
The researchers found that long-term coffees consumption actually reduced insulin resistance, which is the key factor in Type 2 diabetes mellitus. They were able to conclude that long-term coffees consumption significantly reduces the risk for Type 2 diabetes mellitus in both men and women and therefore benefits the health of the coffees drinker. The results of this study were affirmed in another student by the Department of Molecular Medicine, of the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. Although this study was of a lower scale (7949 subjects), it found similar results. If the patient came into the study already suffering from Type 2 diabetes mellitus or impaired glucose tolerance (also known as insulin resistance or pre-diabetes), drinking at least 5 cups of coffees a day reduced their insulin resistance.
This was particularly true for women, who statistically suffer from a larger risk of insulin resistance than men. The health of those who drank coffees also benefited from enhanced insulin response. The Department of Epidemiology and Health Promotion of the National Public Health Institute; at the University of Helsinki in Helsinki, Finland, also did a study of over 14,000 middle-aged patients to see if there is a relationship between coffees consumption and Type 2 diabetes mellitus. This study was particularly interesting because the Finnish people have the highest coffees consumption in the world. This study again found that the incidence of Type 2 diabetes mellitus decreased as the coffees consumption increased.
In doing this study, the researchers found that this relationship existed even when the results were statistically adjusted to account for other risk factors, such as age, smoking, weight, alcohol consumption, and filtered/non-filtered coffees. As mentioned previously, women have a higher incidence of insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes mellitus than men. That may be why the Department of Medicine at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital/Ostra in Goteborg, Sweden, concentrated their study on women exclusively. When they studied 1361 women with no previous incidence of heart disease or diabetes over a period of twenty years, they found that the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes mellitus for women who consumed five or more cups of coffees daily was almost half of that of women who drank three to four cups each day. The study also found that it's possible that the coffees had an affect on the women's cholesterol levels, further benefiting their overall health.
Finally, the Centre for Nutrition and Food Safety at the School of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences at the University of Surrey in Guildford, United Kingdom, again confirmed the benefit of drinking coffees with regards to reducing the risk of Type 2 diabetes mellitus. This study focused on the coffees effects on the gastrointestinal hormones that help regulate insulin secretion. The study found that caffeinated coffees actually lowered the absorption rate of the glucose, thereby reducing the effects of the Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Overall, these studies suggest that drinking caffeinated coffees can be beneficial to those looking to reduce their risk of developing or worsening Type 2 diabetes mellitus. © Copyright , All Rights Reserved..
Type 2 diabetes mellitus is one of the most rapidly accelerating diseases today in terms of number of people afflicted. Theories abound as to why this is the case; however, scientists are now looking at new ways to improve the overall health of those both at risk for and suffering from this disease. Many of these scientists have found that drinking coffees can significantly reduce the risk and effects of the disease. In a recent study done at the Channing Laboratory of the Harvard School of Public Health, at the Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, in Boston, Massachusetts, researchers explored the link between long-term coffees consumption and Type 2 diabetes mellitus. The study followed over 120,000 men and women for eighteen years.
The researchers found that long-term coffees consumption actually reduced insulin resistance, which is the key factor in Type 2 diabetes mellitus. They were able to conclude that long-term coffees consumption significantly reduces the risk for Type 2 diabetes mellitus in both men and women and therefore benefits the health of the coffees drinker. The results of this study were affirmed in another student by the Department of Molecular Medicine, of the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. Although this study was of a lower scale (7949 subjects), it found similar results. If the patient came into the study already suffering from Type 2 diabetes mellitus or impaired glucose tolerance (also known as insulin resistance or pre-diabetes), drinking at least 5 cups of coffees a day reduced their insulin resistance.
This was particularly true for women, who statistically suffer from a larger risk of insulin resistance than men. The health of those who drank coffees also benefited from enhanced insulin response. The Department of Epidemiology and Health Promotion of the National Public Health Institute; at the University of Helsinki in Helsinki, Finland, also did a study of over 14,000 middle-aged patients to see if there is a relationship between coffees consumption and Type 2 diabetes mellitus. This study was particularly interesting because the Finnish people have the highest coffees consumption in the world. This study again found that the incidence of Type 2 diabetes mellitus decreased as the coffees consumption increased.
In doing this study, the researchers found that this relationship existed even when the results were statistically adjusted to account for other risk factors, such as age, smoking, weight, alcohol consumption, and filtered/non-filtered coffees. As mentioned previously, women have a higher incidence of insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes mellitus than men. That may be why the Department of Medicine at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital/Ostra in Goteborg, Sweden, concentrated their study on women exclusively. When they studied 1361 women with no previous incidence of heart disease or diabetes over a period of twenty years, they found that the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes mellitus for women who consumed five or more cups of coffees daily was almost half of that of women who drank three to four cups each day. The study also found that it's possible that the coffees had an affect on the women's cholesterol levels, further benefiting their overall health.
Finally, the Centre for Nutrition and Food Safety at the School of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences at the University of Surrey in Guildford, United Kingdom, again confirmed the benefit of drinking coffees with regards to reducing the risk of Type 2 diabetes mellitus. This study focused on the coffees effects on the gastrointestinal hormones that help regulate insulin secretion. The study found that caffeinated coffees actually lowered the absorption rate of the glucose, thereby reducing the effects of the Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Overall, these studies suggest that drinking caffeinated coffees can be beneficial to those looking to reduce their risk of developing or worsening Type 2 diabetes mellitus. © Copyright , All Rights Reserved..
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Diabetes Emergency Cards Now Available to International
SelectWisely has expanded its product line of travel translation cards to include a new Diabetes Emergency card. Travelers with diabetes can use this card to improve communication when traveling in countries where they dont speak the language. The card is available in 24 languages and dialects.Emergency cards In response to growing demand from customers with serious food allergies and other medical problems, SelectWisely now offers travel translation cards for medical emergencies and, in particular, diabetes emergencies. The new Diabetes Emergency card is used to communicate a serious diabetes condition, ask for a doctor or to be taken to a hospital. The card is a simple-to-use, easy-to-carry tool that travelers can keep in their pocket or wallet and use in the event of a medical emergency.
LanguagesThe new Diabetes Emergency card was developed for travelers visiting countries where they dont speak the language. Many people with serious medical conditions get nervous and fearful when traveling to a foreign country even if they have all their medical prescriptions and devices with them explains Jim Ahlberg, President of SelectWisely. Our cards provide an additional level of assurance that they will be able to communicate a few basic sentences to explain their situation. We offer translations in all the major world languages including Spanish, Chinese, German, French and Italian as well as less common ones such as Czech, Arabic, Hebrew, Hungarian, Nepali and others . A total of 24 languages and dialects are currently available for the Diabetes Emergency card from the SelectWisely web site.Non-diabetes related emergenciesSelectWisely also offers a new general emergency card to be used by travelers with serious food allergies or others who want to ask for medical help or to be taken to a hospital.
This is also available in 24 languages and dialects and can be ordered directly from the SelectWisely web site.SelectWisely now offers travel translation cards in:· 15 standard languages. (French, Italian, Spanish, Greek, German, Russian, Polish, 2 forms of Chinese, 2 forms of Portuguese, Japanese, Thai, Swedish and English)· Over 40 different foods. (All the common allergy-producing foods such as nuts, peanuts, wheat, milk, shellfish, and eggs plus many less common ones such as strawberries, corn and soy)· 11 types of cards in the following categories: o Food allergies o Vegetarian o Lactose Intolerance o Gluten-free o Diabetes Emergency· Customized formats and languages through a Special Order program.About SelectWiselyLaunched in 2004, SelectWisely offers individuals a simple, customized tool to communicate their food preferences and health related issues while traveling in foreign-speaking countries or dining in local restaurants. The SelectWisely web site allows customers with food allergies, restrictions or dietary sensitivities to create wallet-sized, laminated travel translation cards specific to their needs. For more about the company, complete language and food offerings, ordering instructions and card examples, visit www.selectwisely.com.Contact Information:Jim AhlbergSelectWisely973-729-6538http://www.selectwisely.com.
LanguagesThe new Diabetes Emergency card was developed for travelers visiting countries where they dont speak the language. Many people with serious medical conditions get nervous and fearful when traveling to a foreign country even if they have all their medical prescriptions and devices with them explains Jim Ahlberg, President of SelectWisely. Our cards provide an additional level of assurance that they will be able to communicate a few basic sentences to explain their situation. We offer translations in all the major world languages including Spanish, Chinese, German, French and Italian as well as less common ones such as Czech, Arabic, Hebrew, Hungarian, Nepali and others . A total of 24 languages and dialects are currently available for the Diabetes Emergency card from the SelectWisely web site.Non-diabetes related emergenciesSelectWisely also offers a new general emergency card to be used by travelers with serious food allergies or others who want to ask for medical help or to be taken to a hospital.
This is also available in 24 languages and dialects and can be ordered directly from the SelectWisely web site.SelectWisely now offers travel translation cards in:· 15 standard languages. (French, Italian, Spanish, Greek, German, Russian, Polish, 2 forms of Chinese, 2 forms of Portuguese, Japanese, Thai, Swedish and English)· Over 40 different foods. (All the common allergy-producing foods such as nuts, peanuts, wheat, milk, shellfish, and eggs plus many less common ones such as strawberries, corn and soy)· 11 types of cards in the following categories: o Food allergies o Vegetarian o Lactose Intolerance o Gluten-free o Diabetes Emergency· Customized formats and languages through a Special Order program.About SelectWiselyLaunched in 2004, SelectWisely offers individuals a simple, customized tool to communicate their food preferences and health related issues while traveling in foreign-speaking countries or dining in local restaurants. The SelectWisely web site allows customers with food allergies, restrictions or dietary sensitivities to create wallet-sized, laminated travel translation cards specific to their needs. For more about the company, complete language and food offerings, ordering instructions and card examples, visit www.selectwisely.com.Contact Information:Jim AhlbergSelectWisely973-729-6538http://www.selectwisely.com.
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