Protein Supplement Helps Managed Type 2 Diabetes

If you are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes the bad news is it is perceived as progressive and incurable, however there is a good news! Type 2 diabetes can be reversed through sustained weight loss. This means you need to do regular exercise and eating healthy.

Another way according to a latest study, consuming a small amount of whey protein before meals can help manage blood sugar level in person with type 2 diabetes. The research said the patients with type 2 diabetes were divided into two groups. One group took protein supplement before meals which contained a low dose of whey protein. While the other group where not given any protein supplement. Both group were monitored while they carry on with their daily routine.

The group who took whey protein supplement showed positive results from the glucose monitoring. Their glucose levels were much more controlled compared to the other group who did not take the protein supplement before meals. The group had two hours extra per day of normal blood sugar levels on average compared to those who did not have protein supplement. Their daily blood glucose levels were also lower by 0.6 mmol/L.

According to the research whey protein benefits people with type 2 diabetes
in two ways:
First, it slows down the process of which the food passes through the digestive system. Second, it stimulates a number of important hormones that prevent the blood sugars from shooting up so high.

The study is composed of 18 patients 50 to 56 years old with type 2 diabetes. They took a small drink of protein (100 ml) that contains 15 grams (0.5 ounces) of protein 10 minutes before breakfast, lunch, and dinner for over seven days and they stick to their prescribed diabetes medication. Their glucose were monitored continously and their blood glucose levels were tracked automatically throughout the duration of the study.

The study was done by the Human Nutrition Research Centre and Diabetes Research Group at Newcastle University, UK and is published by BMJ.

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Metformin Drug For Diabetes May Reduce Cancer Death Risk

In a new research, scientists found that Metformin which is a drug for type 2 diabetes could significantly reduced death risks for certain kinds of cancers in postmenopausal woman suffering from type 2 diabetes.

They have found that women who have type 2 diabetes has 45% chances higher in dying than those women who had cancer but did not have diabetes. 

Their study noted that women who has cancer who took metformin to treat their type 2 diabetes their risk of dying due to cancer is almost similar to those women who did not have diabetes.

"Metformin users, particularly long-term users, may be at lower risk of developing certain cancers and dying from cancer, compared to users of other anti-diabetes medications," the study said.

The reseach head author Zhihong Gong from Roswell Park Cancer Institute in New York says the results may provide evidence that it may be more beneficial to use metformin as type 2 diabetes treatment than other drugs for postmenopausal women who have cancer.

The research studied 146,000 postmenopausal women aged between 50 and 79 years old from 1993 to 1998. The subjects had a 25% to 35% risk of developing colon and endometrial cancers, as well as non-Hodgkin lymphoma. This risk is more than twice for cancers of the liver and pancreas.

Gong says that the results of their studies indicate that diabetes is a risk factor for cancer and cancer-associated death. It also show that Metformin therapy may have a more significant role in managing diabetes-associated cancers than other anti-diabetes treatments.

Replacing 1 Sugary drink with water, tea or coffee a day decrease diabetes risk

If you want to decrease the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 25% swap one sugary drink with a glass of water, tea or coffee each day. That's according to a study done by Cambridge University. It is published last Thursday in European journal Diabetologia.

The research use a sample size of more than 25,000 men and women ages 40-79 from the United Kingdom. They recorded their food intake for 7 consecutive days, taking notes of the type, amount and frequency of portions, and whether sugar was added.  The study found that during 11 years of follow-up, 847 participants were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

By swapping 1 glass of soft drinks with water or unsweetened tea or coffee, the risk of developing type 2 diabetes was decreased by 14%, by replacing sweetened milk drink with water or unsweetened tea or coffee led to a further decrease in risk about 20-25%.

Eat Low Glycemic Food and Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

World Health Organization said that there is an emerging global epidemic of diabetes due to rapid increases of overweight and obese people and because of physical inactivity. WHO also said that deaths that is caused by diabetes are expected to increase by more than 50% in the next 10 years. Most notably, they are projected to increase by over 80% in upper-middle income countries like the US and Europe.

Type 1 diabetes is descibe as a lack of insulin production, while type 2 diabetes is caused by the body's ineffective use of insulin. Type 2 diabetes is much more common than type 1 diabetes, and accounts for around 90% of all diabetes worldwide. Type 1 diabetes cannot be revesed it is from the genes, while Type 2 diabetes can be prevented and it is caused by lifestyle. Sugary drinks, sweet food, red meat, fatty foods, processed sugars, a diet high in refined carbohydrates, physical inactivity, and poor weight management will lead to Type 2 diabetes.

You don't need to avoid all carbs, you can manage your diet properly. Eating high fiber low-glycemic fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes will decelerate the release of sugar into your bloodstream. This will help you slow down the glycemic response and help you prevent developing Type 2 diabetes.

Meat can raise blood sugar levels, which is why vegetable diet is the best choice but if you are having a hard time not eating meat then eat white meat fish or chicken (without skin) the size of a matchbox and crowd it with greens like kale, Swiss chard, spinach, romaine, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Artichokes, Celery etc.

Sample menu for low GI diet (~1500kcal)

Breakfast 7:00 AM - 3 slices of whole grain bread, baked beans, Coffee or tea with 1/2 cup low-fat milk and 1 tsp sugar,

Morning Snack  - medium size 1 peice apple

Lunch 12:30 PM - 1 and 1/2 cup noodles, chicken/fish (1 match box size), medium egg,  1 cup green vegetables salad, one Orange.

Afternoon snack 4:00 PM - 3 oatmeal biscuits or high calcium cream crackers, 1 personal size Low-fat yoghurt

Dinner 8:00 PM - 1 cup Brown Rice, baked chicken/fish 1 piece (matchbox size). Or, 1 cup spaghetti with meat sauce. 1 cup salad (lettuce, cucumber, tomato, chick peas, peas, beans and lemon juice).

Why Avoid Sugar From Your Diet

Robert Lustig MD, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology, he explores the damage caused by sugary foods. He argues that too much fructose and not enough fiber appear to be cornerstones of the obesity epidemic through their effects on insulin.

Lustig said that the last 30 years have seen an onslaught of sugar and dwindling of fiber in the food environment which is a deadly combination for consumers who have been duped by the food industry. His 2009 lecture "Sugar: The Bitter Truth," has now been viewed 3,850,000 times on youtube. You can watch the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM&list=TL8lMbN4dKkvs.

Now he has brought the battle in the supermarket with his new e-book, "Sugar Has 56 Names: A Shopper's Guide." This e-book guide is meant for smartphones or tablets that you can view while shopping your groceries. It provides consumers with a new nutrition label for hundreds of processed foods that concentrate on sugar. From soy milk to sausage, and Sara Lee to supermarket brands, the data delineates the quality and quantity of sugar in products. Why the distinction? Because, as the book's title indicates, sugar goes by varied names - from fructose to fruit juice, and these derivatives differ greatly in how they're processed by the body.

"By paying attention to the sugar portion of the label people can do better in terms of making their own decisions," Lustig says.

Lustig said that it's not just the issue of obesity but the risk of metabolic diseases, which includes diabetes, heart disease, fatty liver disease, cancer and dementia. And sugar, he says, is a big part of the problem.

He gave readers with some interesting directives: don't go to the supermarket hungry; shop along the perimeter of the supermarket where fresh, whole foods abound; if it comes with a logo you've heard of, it's been processed; avoid anything "partially hydrogenated" it will outlive you,"; just because it says "whole grain" doesn't mean it is, but if it doesn't say whole grain it isn't; if sugar is listed among the first three ingredients, it's dessert.

For his part, there's "no such thing as a sugared beverage" in his home. "We have milk, we have water and occasionally we have some alcoholic drinks when we have friends over," he says. "There is no reason to drink your calories." To ensure sufficient fiber, the Lustigs have salad with every meal, which typically consists of a protein and green vegetables and whole-grain bread instead of white rice, pasta and potatoes. For dessert, it's whole fruit, except for weekends, when they treat their daughters, ages 8 and 14, to something "a little more elaborate," he says.

"We have to get back to dessert being once a week, not once a meal," Lustig says. As he writes, "Sugar is reward. Sugar is fun, but if every meal is fun, then no meal is fun. And I promise, you won't be having fun taking your insulin shots while you're on dialysis."

To change the food culture, and the food supply, he encourages consumers to vote with their mouths and wallets. "We, as a society, have to reduce availability, and we cannot do that right now without the food industry helping us do it," he says. "If you won't buy it, they won't sell it."

15 minutes walk helps control diabetes

A study released by Diabetes Care said that a short 15-minute walk at moderate speed and 30 minutes after eating results to a significant control over the high blood sugar of older people and could prevent older people developing type-2 diabetes.

Dr. Loretta DiPietro of the Department of Exercise Science (George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services) said that blood sugar spikes after meals and for young and fit people insulin helps drive that sugar, glucose, into muscle cells and the liver where it's stored for energy. But for old people that system becomes less efficient and if there are too much glucose in the blood it can lead to type 2 diabetes and ardiovascular diseases. So resting after eating is the worst thing one can do.

source: NBC News Health

The Health Benefits and Cons of Coffee

Health Benefits of Coffee

Brain Gains. Moderate coffee drinking—between 1 and 5 cups daily—may help reduce risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, as well as Parkinson’s disease, studies suggest. How? Coffee’s antioxidants may prevent some damage to brain cells and boost the effects of neurotransmitters involved in cognitive function, say experts. ­Preliminary studies have noted that as coffee (or tea) intake rises, ­incidence of glioma, a form of brain cancer, tends to drop. Some ­researchers speculate that compounds in the brews could activate a DNA-repairing protein in cells—possibly preventing the DNA damage that can lead to cells becoming cancerous.

Defeating Diabetes. Studies link frequent coffee consumption (4 cups per day or more) with a lowered risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Scientists suspect that antioxidant compounds in coffee—cholorogenic acid and quinides—may boost cells’ sensitivity to insulin, which helps regulate blood sugar. While most of the research didn’t assess whether the brews were caffeinated, decaf may be even better, since other studies have found that caffeine tends to blunt the insulin-sensitivity boost.

Hearty Benefits. Some studies show that moderate coffee drinkers (1 to 3 cups/day) have lower rates of stroke than non-coffee-drinkers; coffee’s antioxidants may help quell inflammation’s damaging effects on arteries. Some researchers speculate that the compounds might boost activation of nitric oxide, a substance that widens blood vessels (lowering blood pressure). More java isn’t better: a 5-cup or more daily habit is associated with higher heart disease risks. Researchers ­believe excessive caffeine may sabotage the antioxidants’ effects.

Liver Lover. Though the research is limited at best, it appears that the more coffee people drink, the lower their incidence of cirrhosis and other liver diseases. One analysis of nine studies found that every 2-cup increase in daily coffee intake was associated with a 43 percent lower risk of liver cancer. Possible explanation: caffeine and antioxidant chlorogenic and caffeic acids in coffee might prevent liver inflammation and inhibit cancer cells.

Health Cons of Coffee

Java Jones. If you’re sensitive to caffeine, it can cause irritability or anxiety in high doses (and what’s "high" varies from person to person). How? Chemically, caffeine looks a lot like adenosine, a "slow-down" brain chemical associated with sleep and relaxation of blood vessels. Caffeine binds to adenosine receptors on nerve cells, leaving no room for adenosine to get in—so nerve cell activity speeds up, blood vessels constrict—and you get a caffeine buzz (or irritable jitters).

Of course, if you caffeinate yourself daily, you’ll likely develop tolerance to its effects and the jitters will subside. But that also means that eventually you’ll need a regular caffeine fix just to reach your baseline level of alertness. And your body will adapt by producing more adenosine receptors, making you more sensitive to the effects of adenosine. So if you don’t have your daily cup, you’ll likely develop withdrawal symptoms like extreme fatigue and splitting headaches (caused by ­constricted blood vessels).

A Sleep-Stealer. If you’re having trouble sleeping it might help to cut down on caffeinated coffee, or to drink it only early in the day. Generally it takes about 6 hours for the caffeine to clear your system, although it varies from person to person. The sleep-robbing effects may worsen as we age, too, a recent study suggests.

Cholesterol Caution. Boiled or unfiltered coffee (such as that made with a French press, or Turkish-style coffee) contains higher levels of cafestol, a compound that can increase blood levels of LDL ("bad") cholesterol. Choose filtered methods instead, such as a drip coffee maker.

Prudence for Pregnant and Nursing Women. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology says it’s safe for pregnant women to get a moderate amount of caffeine (no more than 200 mg, equivalent to 2 cups of coffee per day), but warns that it’s still not clear if higher intakes could increase risk of miscarriage. Since ­caffeine can pass into breast milk, nursing moms should cut down if their babies are restless or irritable.

Source: eatingwell.com