"Health Articles"

Diabetes is a disease that affects the body natural ability to change carbohydrates and sugars into energy. There is no known cause for the onset of diabetes. However, there are certain factors that place a person at higher risk of contracting diabetes.

The risk factors of diabetes can include:

• A family history of diabetes
• Obesity
• Poor diet
• Physical inactivity

Different Types/Different Causes of Diabetes

There are three main types of diabetes -type-1, type-2, and gestational. Type-1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease and most often affects children and young adults. An autoimmune disease is one in which the body ability to fight infections is decreased causing the body to attack its own cells. In type-1 diabetes, the body often attacks the beta cells in the pancreas -the cells that produce insulin in the body. The main diabetes causes of type-1 diabetes are:

• Infections with specific bacteria or viruses
• Food-borne chemical toxins
• Cows milk -an unidentified component in cow milk can trigger an autoimmune reaction in the body. Young infants who are given cow milk have a higher risk of contracting type-1 diabetes.

The main diabetes causes of type-2 diabetes are:

• Increasing age
• Obesity
• Physical inactivity
• Poor diet
• The main diabetes causes of gestational diabetes are:
• Hormones produced during pregnancy blocking actions of insulin
• Mother body can’t produce enough insulin

Common Causes of Diabetes

There are some common diabetes causes that include genetic causes as well as environmental causes. The risk of diabetes is higher if there is a family history of diabetes. Environmental factors that can lead to the onset of diabetes include poor diet, lack of exercise, obesity, and stress. Diabetes is a disease that can be prevented -or controlled once a diagnosis has been made.

Prevention and Control in Diabetes

While the symptoms of diabetes are not life threatening, diabetes can lead to other more serious diseases and illnesses. People who have been diagnosed with diabetes are at a higher risk of diseases and illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, neuropathy and nerve damage, foot conditions, and blindness. It is extremely important to control your diabetes in order to avoid the onset of these more serious and sometimes life-threatening illnesses.

There are medications that can be used in the control of diabetes, as well as many natural remedies. However, the single most important aspect of a diabetic management plan is a healthy diet and exercise. A healthy diet should consist of fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, carbohydrates in healthy portions, Omega-3 fatty acids, proteins in healthy portions, and fiber.

A healthy diet not only helps your overall health, but also can be a major factor in offsetting the symptoms of diabetes. The longer you can prevent the symptoms of diabetes, the longer you can decrease the risks of more serious illnesses associated with diabetes.

A regular exercise routine is also an important factor in the prevention and management of diabetes.

All parts of your body are designed to work together in order to sustain life. By keeping your muscles toned and your blood flowing correctly, you can help your body to fight off infections and your body will be able to help in managing the symptoms of many illnesses. Strong muscles in the abdomen are essential for helping your digestive system work normally.

A Long, Healthy Life

It is possible to live a long, healthy life. You can help ensure that your body will work properly for a long time by beginning a healthy diet and routing exercise program early in life. The old saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” has real meaning.

By choosing to live a healthy lifestyle, you are choosing to consciously help your body fight of the symptoms of many illnesses and diseases. And, while some diseases are hereditary, such as diabetes, and you may still be at risk, by choosing to maintain a healthy lifestyle, you are helping your body become prepared to delay the onset of symptoms and to control the symptoms once they appear.

“You cannot always control circumstances, but you can control your own thoughts.”

Discussed in this article:

1) The Sleep-Diabetes Connection.
2) Sleep and Depression–A Brief Overview
3) How A Hypnotist Can Help.

The Sleep-Diabetes Connection

“Declare the past, diagnose the present, foretell the future; practice these acts. As to diseases, make a habit of two things—to help, or at least to do no harm.” (1)

Unfortunately sometimes a solution to one problem creates another. This means that, in some cases, to help is to inadvertently invite harm. Doctors are faced with this dilemma everyday.

For example, if a diabetic patient is depressed then, anti-depressants may be one solution. The challenge is that anti-depressants and many other medications can cause insomnia. (2)

This brings us to this article’s main point: The ‘Hidden Condition’ that frustrates doctors and hurt diabetics—Sleep disorders.

Sleep disorders have been linked to exacerbating or even precipitating diabetes as well as depression.

Allow me to explain more fully: It is known that poor sleep robs people of their health in general. But, for diabetics, it can actually cause a worsening of their condition. In the 2001 annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association, a study was presented that warned that a chronic lack of sleep may cause far more serious problems than a tendency to get sleepy behind the wheel.

The study found that people who do not get enough sleep on a regular basis tend to become less sensitive to insulin over time. This can raise the risk of obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes. In fact, according to Bryce A. Mander, the study co-author, it turns out that chronic sleep deprivation–6.5 hours or less of sleep a night–has the same effect on insulin resistance (3) as aging.

Furthermore, according to the study director, Dr. Eve Van Cauter of the University of Chicago, healthy adults who averaged 316 minutes of sleep a night–about 5.2 hours–over 8 consecutive nights secreted 50% more insulin (4) than their more rested counterparts who averaged 477 minutes of sleep a night, or about 8 hours. As a result, “short sleepers” were 40% less sensitive to insulin.

What is fascinating is that the poor sleep/excess insulin (hyper-insulinemia) connection has not received the attention it deserves. Even the Mayo Clinic is apparently unaware of this connection. Please review the following definition of hyper-insulinemia given by the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER):

“The term hyper-insulinemia means abnormally high levels of insulin in your blood. It’s not a disease.

Instead, it may indicate an underlying problem that’s causing your pancreas to make and release too much insulin. Insulin helps regulate blood sugar.

Causes of hyperinsulinemia include:

ï‚· Insulin resistance. This occurs when your body doesn’t use insulin properly. Risk factors include a family history of insulin resistance, lack of activity, obesity and polycystic ovary syndrome.

ï‚· A tumor of the pancreas (insulinoma), which secretes excess insulin.

Hyper-insulinemia doesn’t cause signs or symptoms. But if it leads to abnormally low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), signs and symptoms may include sweating, weakness, slurred speech, confusion and seizures.

Hyper-insulinemia is often associated with type 2 diabetes” By Mayo Clinic staff —December 10, 2003″ (http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?id=HQ00896)

Here is the challenge with the preceding information: It seems that it may not be fully accurate. This idea is put forth because the preceding Mayo definition states that:

(a) Hyper-insulinemia is not a disease and that

(b) Hyper-insulinemia has no signs.

Addressing the first point that hyper-insulinemia is not a disease:

Hyper-insulinemia is a now well recognized to be a predictor of diabetes. Also important to note is that excess insulin can cause or significantly contribute to the onset of heart disease and premature aging as well as diabetes.

Also bear in mind that insulin is a storage hormone produced by the body to lower blood sugar by sending it into the cells. Over time, excess blood sugar and insulin stresses the system and the cells become less responsive. This condition is known as insulin resistance.

Also note that in his best-selling book Protein Power, Dr. Michael Eades wrote:

“When insulin levels become too high… metabolic havoc ensues with elevated blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and triglycerides, diabetes, and obesity all trailing in its wake. These disorders are merely symptoms of a single more basic disturbance in metabolism, excess insulin and insulin resistance.”

It is also understood that excess insulin promotes smooth-muscle growth in blood vessel walls, which contributes to the formation of plaques. Artery walls become thickened and stiff, causing blood pressure to rise.

So, to classify hyper-insulinemia as a non-disease seems a bit short sighted when, if it was treated with more concern and urgency as a disease, then perhaps other disease states could be avoided.

Now, let’s look at the second point that hyper-insulinemia has no signs. Wouldn’t it make sense to think that perhaps it has symptoms and signs not yet recognized or associated? In my opinion, this condition does have plenty of symptoms: Low blood sugar reactions (moodiness, irritability, sweating, confusion, etc..), weight gain, elevated triglyceride and cholesterol levels.

And there are probably a host of other signs and symptoms that accompany excess insulin levels. The question to ask is Who is looking for them? The answer? Not too many people. Hence, no generally agreed upon signs or symptoms.

If nothing else, the preceding should challenge those who can, to seek to eliminate or validate the idea that hyper-insulinemia is indeed a health crisis of a significant degree and, that it’s treatment could have untold benefits.

Sleep and Depression–A Brief Overview

Poor sleep and depression form a very vicious circle.

It is well noted that poor sleep contributes to depression. During a webcast on August 21, 2003, James C. O’Brien, M.D., FCCP, ABSM stated that:

“During REM-stage sleep is where we learn situations and incorporate situations and deal with emotions that, unless we deal with it properly, will affect us in terms of our daytime functioning on a mental, emotional level.”

The point is that feelings of depression that can be caused just by poor sleep, can adversely affect a person’s ability to take proper care of their health. Hence, good sleep is especially important for diabetics because sadness or depression induced by poor sleep can have deleterious consequences never mind the actual physical problems noted earlier.

Health care workers should also note that according to the National Sleep Foundation 2002 Annual Sleep Survey, almost 74% of Americans do not get enough sleep each night. The survey also found that those with sleep problems are twice as likely to feel stressed and tired.

The preceding facts are pointed out to alert those who treat diabetics that:

(a) There is a very good chance that their diabetic patients are suffering from a sleep disorder and

(b) A sleep disorder can frustrate their attempts to treat their patients for diabetes.

Something else that may interest those who treat diabetics is that sleep apnea treatment can lower glucose levels in diabetics. (5)

How A Hypnotist Can Help

All the preceding information and discussion takes us to our next point. Now that it is recognized that good sleep is utterly essential as an adjunct treatment for diabetes and pre-diabetes, doesn’t it make sense that a non-medicated approach to good sleep for these conditions would be reasonable as an important, first effort treatment?

I state ‘first effort’ because the dictum, “First do no harm” would seem to indicate that drug therapy should be a second treatment approach because some drug medications can sometimes cause other problems.

So what is a safer, first approach treatment for good sleep? Hypnosis.

William S. Kroger, M.D., states in his book Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis that “Hypnosis effects improvement in acute cases of insomnia. Often a single session is effective in restoring the sleep cycle, particularly if auto-hypnosis has been taught on the initial visit.”

Karen Olness, M.D. and Daniel P. Kohen, M.D. in their book Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy With Children, note the following:

“Hurwitz, Mahowald, Schenck, Schulter, and Bundlie (1991) described the successful use of hypnosis in 27 adult patients with sleep terror disorders. Seventy-four percent reported much or very much improvement with the use and practice of self-hypnosis.”

Bear in mind that if you go to see a hypnotist for a diagnosed sleep disorder (or any other diagnosed medical condition) the hypnotist must have your doctor’s consent before treating you. In this referral, it must be clear that you have been cleared of any disorder that a hypnotist cannot or should not treat that may be causing your sleep problems.

As a final note: A hypnotist truly can make an enormous difference in a person’s quality of life and health simply by helping them to sleep better. If you have not been sleeping well and, it seems to be worsening other conditions than, at the very least try a hypnosis for better sleep CD. The are hundreds available on the internet.

Warm Regards,

C. Devin Hastings

“Speak well to yourself because your deep mind is always listening.”

REFERENCES:

(1) Hippocrates in his Epidemics, Bk. I, Sect. XI.

(2) National Sleep Foundation Sleeptionary TM About Insomnia.
URL: http://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleeptionary/index.php?secid=&id=19

(3) Insulin resistance is a major factor in most cases of diabetes. Insulin resistance is a condition in which the body cannot properly utilize normal amounts of insulin.

(4) The more insulin a person’s pancreas has to produce, the more likely it is that eventually the beta cells that produce insulin in the pancreas, will break down.

(5) Archives of Internal Medicine–February 28th, 2205

To manage diabetes, it helps to understand how it affects your body. In healthy people, the body turns food into glucose (blood sugar) to use for energy. Insulin, produced by the pancreas, is the hormone responsible for shuttling glucose into the body’s cells where it is either used right away or stored for later use. With diabetes, however, high levels of glucose build up in the blood because either the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin or the body can’t use the insulin it produces. Your treatment will depend on which problem you have.

Diabetes is broken down into three categories: type 1 or type 2 or gestational.

Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body’s immune system destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, usually leading to a total halt in insulin production. Insulin shots or the use an insulin pump to keep the blood glucose within normal range is a daily activity. Insulin - stimulates the entry of glucose into fat cells. Glucose is a simple sugar that normally enters the cells of liver, fat and muscle to be stored or converted into energy. Because insulin is one of the “major” hormones, it’s also impossible for your body to balance its “minor” hormones until your insulin metabolism is balanced first. Without insulin, blood glucose rises to dangerously high levels, if not treated it can lead to a coma or death. Type 1 most often occurs in children or young adults. Type 1 diabetes is usually referred to as insulin-dependent or juvenile diabetes. Type 1 diabetes often appears suddenly. Knowing the symptoms of diabetes can help you determine what steps to take. Here are some of the symptoms:

• High levels of sugar in the blood
• High levels of sugar in the urine
• Frequent urination
• Extreme hunger
• Extreme thirst
• Extreme weight loss
• Weakness and fatigue
• Moodiness and irritability
• Nausea and vomiting

In type 2, the pancreas produces some insulin, but the body in unable to use it properly. This leads to high levels of glucose in the blood. Because people with type 2 diabetes are often overweight, treatment usually includes weight loss. Until recently, type 2 diabetes was called non-insulin dependent or adult-onset diabetes. Often, type 2 diabetes develops slowly, and symptoms are mild:

• Increased thirst
• More frequent urination
• Edginess, fatigue, and nausea
• Increased appetite accompanied by weight loss
• Repeated or hard-to-heal infections (for example, skin, gum, vaginal, or bladder)
• Blurred vision
• Tingling or numbness in the hands or feet
• Dry, itchy skin

Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy when blood glucose levels rise above average. After delivery, blood glucose usually returns to normal, though women who have gestational diabetes are at greater risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Gestational diabetes, if left uncontrolled can lead to high blood pressure or a large baby. Most pregnant women are routinely tested for the condition. If you test positive, your doctor and registered dietitian will work closely with you to keep your blood glucose under control.

For anyone with diabetes, it is encouraging to know that the future gets brighter every day for managing the disease. Ongoing research provides people with the most up-to-date information and successful treatment plans possible. Diabetes information along with good diabetes management will help your body to function closer to normal.

To help you feel confident in managing diabetes, you can obtain additional information on what it is, who is at risk, how it’s diagnosed, and how it’s treated. You can also get information on eating well with diabetes. You can learn the role of food in managing your blood sugar levels. You’ll also get the latest nutrition advice; tips for shopping, cooking, and eating out; and the basics of building a meal plan using food exchange tips from the American Diabetes Association and The American Dietetic Association.

It’s well known that obesity and diabetes often go hand-in-hand. Over 60 million Americans are obese, a condition that makes it 20 to 40 times more likely that you’ll develop diabetes than someone of a healthy weight, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. Even being overweight (as opposed to obese) increases your risk of type 2 diabetes seven-fold.

Still, while epidemic numbers of Americans–nearly 20 million–have diabetes, it is not known why some obese people develop diabetes, while others never do.

A Hormone Called Leptin

The protein hormone leptin–which comes from the Greek word for “thin,” leptos–may hold the key to unlocking some of this mystery. Derived from fat cells, defects in leptin signaling may lead to obesity, overeating and less energy expenditure.

According to metabolic specialist Ron Rosedale, M.D.:

“Leptin is the way that your fat stores speak to your brain to let your brain know how much energy is available and, very importantly, what to do with it. Studies have shown that leptin plays significant, if not primary, roles in heart disease, obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis, autoimmune diseases, reproductive disorders, and perhaps the rate of aging itself.”

Further, a study on mice published in Cell Metabolism has revealed that leptin plays a role in regulating blood sugar, which it does via two brain-body pathways:

One that controls appetite and fat storage

One that tells the liver what to do with its glucose reserves

If the first pathway (the one involving appetite and fat storage) is disrupted, obesity is expected, which raises the risk of diabetes. However, the study found that both pathways may have to be disrupted in order for the body to lose control of insulin and blood sugar levels and develop diabetes.

“Taken together, our findings show there’s more to the obesity-diabetes link than the classic thinking that if you eat too much sugar, you’ll get fat and get diabetes and that if you don’t get diabetes, it’s only because you’re making more insulin to keep up with the sugar,” says senior author Martin G. Myers, Jr., M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Michigan Medical School. “There’s something else contributing. Now the challenge is to find out what that is.”

Leptin’s Link to Fat and Diabetes

“If a person is getting too fat, the extra fat produces more leptin, which is supposed to tell an area of the brain in the hypothalamus that there is too much fat stored, more should not be stored, and the excess burned,” Rosedale says.

“Therefore, signals are sent to stop being hungry, to stop eating, to stop storing fat and to start burning some extra fat off. More recently, it has been found that leptin not only changes brain chemistry, but can also “rewire” these very important areas of the brain that control hunger and metabolism,” he continues.

In fact, it is also possible to become leptin-resistant. How this process occurs is the focus of much research, but Rosedale suggests that leptin-resistance is similar to insulin-resistance in that it occurs after being overexposed to high levels of the hormone. At this point, the body no longer responds to the hormone, much like you no longer notice a bad odor after being exposed to it for a while, Rosedale explained.

Much like high blood sugar levels result in surges in insulin, sugar metabolized in fat cells causes the fat to release surges in leptin. Over time, leptin-resistance may develop.

Can Leptin be Used to Help Lose Weight or Prevent Diabetes?

As it stands, leptin is still a mysterious hormone that researchers are trying to sort out. To put it simply, though, overweight people tend to have very low levels of leptin in their systems (they may have disruptions in leptin signaling or they may be leptin-resistant, for instance). And, studies have found that feeding leptin to overweight mice causes them to lose weight. This effect was not observed in humans, however.

For now, the best way to reduce your chances of diabetes and obesity (and other diseases like heart disease and accelerated aging), according to Rosedale, is to avoid surges in leptin (which can eventually make you leptin-resistant).

Eating the typical American diet, full of refined sugars and other processed foods, is a surefire way to cause surges in leptin. Focusing your diet on simple, mostly unprocessed foods like vegetables is currently the best way to reduce surges in leptin and leptin-resistance, Rosedale says.

So for now there is no magic leptin injection or pill to make you lose weight and prevent diabetes. The good old advice of eating a healthy diet, though, will help to keep your leptin levels normal, which is key to a healthy weight and life

Every day, in the United States, more than 2000 new cases of diabetes are diagnosed. Type II diabetes, the most prevalent form of diabetes worldwide, often shows few or even no symptoms!

After eating, food is broken down into what is known as glucose, a sugar carried by the blood to cells throughout the body. Using a hormone known as insulin, made in the pancreas, cells process glucose into energy.

Because cells in the muscles, liver, and fat do not use insulin properly in the body of a person with type II diabetes, they have problems converting food into energy. Eventually, the pancreas cannot make enough insulin for the body’s needs. The amount of glucose in the body increases, and the cells are starved of energy.

This starvation of the cells, paired with the high blood glucose level can damage nerves and blood vessels. This leads to complications such as kidney disease, nerve problems, blindness, and heart ailments.

There are a lot of factors that can help to attribute to diabetes cases - lifestyle, environment, heredity - and those who are at risk should be screened regularly to prevent diabetes. Those that are already diagnosed with diabetes should aim to keep their glucose level under control.

But how do you know if you have type II diabetes? After all, it has few symptoms, often no symptoms in some patients. However, if you notice an increased thirst or hunger, a change in weight, or blurred vision, getting tested for type II diabetes is necessary, as only your doctor will be able to help you find the treatment steps necessary to being able to manage your life with diabetes.

Simple changes such as eating right, managing your weight, and keeping your blood sugar level under control may be enough. However, you doctor may prescribe diabetes-regulating medications to assist you in controlling your type II diabetes.

Diabetes is a serious ailment with extreme consequences if it isn’t treated properly. But if you follow your doctor’s advice and maintain both your lifestyle and blood sugar levels, you can help to prevent the more serious consequences from occurring.

This article is for information purposes only and is not meant to treat, diagnose or prevent any ailment or disease. See your physician for proper diagnosis and treatment.

The incidence of diabetes is reaching epidemic proportions in the western world. Perhaps it is time to take stock of our lifestyle and to understand the dangers this disease presents.

Put simply, diabetes is the inability of the body to process sugars and starches properly. When we eat or drink our pancreas produces a hormone called insulin. Without sufficient insulin, body cells are unable to use glucose properly and blood levels of glucose rise, producing hyperglycemia, the major symptom of diabetes.

Excess levels of glucose and ketones (chemicals produced by the liver from fatty acids) can result in weakness, dizziness, and unconsciousness. Too little glucose (hypoglycemia) can produce similar symptoms. Both conditions are temporary and reversible.

Symptoms are thirst (polydipsia), increased urination, (polyuria), weight loss, constipation, tiredness, lack of energy, tingling or pins and needles in the hands or feet, blurred vision and increased infections.

There are three main types of diabetes:

1. Type 1 diabetes – no insulin is produced. Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus affects 10% of diabetics. Generally develops in children and young adults and affects more males than females. Sometimes called juvenile-onset diabetes, it occurs when a person’s body cannot make the hormone insulin. Without insulin, the body cannot use the carbohydrates and sugars in food properly.

2. Type 2 diabetes - insulin is produced but the body becomes resistant to it. Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus affects people who are more than 40 years old and overweight or obese. Sometimes called mild diabetes but it is just as serious as type 1 diabetes. The symptoms are similar to type 1 but may build up slowly. Diabetes specialists are very concerned at the rise in type 2 diabetes in young people. They are linking it to the big increase in the number of teenagers and young adults who are overweight or obese.

3. Gestational diabetes Diabetes that occurs during pregnancy is called gestational diabetes. If it happens during the first 12 weeks, it is probably likely that the woman had diabetes before she became pregnant. If it happens later in the pregnancy, it is more likely that her body cannot produce enough insulin for herself and the baby. Gestational diabetes usually goes away after the baby is born. But women who have had gestational diabetes are three times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes at some time of their life than those who have not had diabetes during pregnancy.

Uncontrolled diabetes and prolonged high blood sugar levels can, in later life, cause problems to many organs including the kidneys, eyes, nerves and the heart. High on the critical list for diabetics is the risk of serious eye disease and loss of vision.

Eye care professionals are predicting a devastating increase in vision loss as the diabetic epidemic grows alarmingly. Over 70% of our sensory information comes through our eyes.

High blood sugar can gradually damage the blood vessels at the back of the eye in the retina. This causes a problem called diabetic retinopathy and the longer you have diabetes the more likely you are to have retinopathy. More than 70% of diabetics develop some changes in their eyes within 15 years of diagnosis.

Non-proliferative retinopathy is the common mild form where small retinal blood vessels break and leak.

Proliferative retinopathy is more serious. New blood vessels grow abnormally within the retina. If these vessels scar or bleed they can lead to potentially serious vision loss including blindness.

Common circulatory complications include high blood pressure, hardening of the arteries, reduced circulation to the limbs, kidney problems, and damage to the retina of the eye, sometimes causing blindness. People with diabetes are vulnerable to circulatory problems, which can narrow the coronary arteries, causing angina and increasing the risk of a heart attack.

Nerve-related complications include numbness, pain, and impotence. Damages to nerves and small blood vessels can cause numbness and lack of sensitivity to pain. As a result, you may be unaware of minor injuries, which then become infected. Uncontrolled diabetes can cause itching in the genital area. In men damage to the blood vessels supplying the penis can lead to impotence.

People with diabetes also have a reduced ability to fight infection, and they heal less quickly than do other people. People with high blood glucose levels are prone to cystitis, bladder and kidney infections, and diabetes can result in damage to small blood vessels.

Some of the steps a person with diabetes can take are:

1. Stabilize and control your blood sugar with diet.. A diet that controls weight establishes regular eating patterns, and helps control glucose concentrations in the blood.

2. Have a yearly diabetic eye examination.

3. Undertake regular exercise.

4. Limit alcohol intake, regulate consumption of carbohydrates, and eat plenty of fibre rich foods.

By following the above guidelines, a person with diabetes can expect to live a relatively normal and productive life. Your health care specialist will be your best ally and should be consulted whenever you have any concerns about your diabetes or your treatment.

A healthy diet and regular exercise program not only will improve your appearance, but it also can improve your health and decrease your risk of developing certain diseases. Recent studies by Harvard researchers have concluded that moderate exercise and a healthy diet can prevent most cases of type 2 diabetes - the most common form of diabetes. The study overwhelmingly indicated that by making the appropriate lifestyle changes, diabetes can be prevented over 90% of the time. The study also concluded that lifestyle changes significantly reduced the risk of getting the disease by 58% among people who already showed signs of developing diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes accounts for over 90% of all diabetes cases. It occurs when your body can not properly utilize insulin in getting nutrients to your cells. This results in high levels of sugar in your blood. The number of cases of diabetes has been growing rapidly. Studies indicate that over 16 million Americans have some form of diabetes! Type 2 diabetes used to be considered a disease of the old, but not anymore. It is becoming much more prevalent in younger people and has recently been showing an alarming increase among young people.

Diabetes is a disease where your underlying genetic background is critical. If you have these genes and are at risk of developing diabetes, your lifestyle decisions very well may determine whether these genes become active or remain dormant.

What is most interesting is that Harvard researchers determined that 91% of cases among the people they studied could have been prevented by watching their weight, eating a healthy diet, moderate exercise, and not drinking and smoking. Being overweight is the number one reason people contract diabetes - 61% of all cases are attributed to obesity and weight problems.

Some other interesting facts: Overweight women cut their risk by 24% simply by walking regularly. There is a direct correlation between the amount of exercise and instances of diabetes. The more exercise, the less instances. Those who did 7 or more hours a week of exercise had a 29% lower risk than those who did not exercise or exercised less than 30 minutes per week. Eating a diet that is high in fiber, low in fat and low in partially hydrogenated oils (french fries, commercial baked goods) also significantly decreases your risk. If you already do not do so, become a label reader!

Pepper may not just be for seasoning. Capsaicin is a protein compound found in pepper and peppers significantly lowers blood sugar levels and increases insulin levels. Researchers have not concluded if the pepper compound acts by increasing the release of insulin, or by slowing it’s breakdown. Large doses of aspirin also lower your blood sugar and is an effective treatment of diabetes, but researchers warn that that the large doses required have detrimental side effects (intestinal bleeding, dizziness, nausea) that outweigh the benefits.

There are many diseases and illnesses you have no control over, but type 2 diabetes is highly preventable by watching your weight, exercising, eating a healthy diet, and not smoking or drinking.