Thursday, August 21, 2008

The Health Benefits Of Multi Vitamins

The majority of people do not eat a sufficiently balanced diet to provide them with all of the vitamins that they require and this has led to a boom in the multi vitamin supplement industry. Multi vitamin supplements are available in a number of different forms, including tablets, gel capsules and even liquids. Of course the most obvious benefit to taking multi vitamin supplements is convenience. It is far easier for a person to take one dose of a multi vitamin supplement that contains all of the necessary vitamins compared to taking each one individually. This is especially the case for children as it can be difficult for them to take a large number of vitamin supplements but one dose of a multi vitamin supplement is far easier. Of course, a liquid multi vitamin supplement is the most suitable form for children but it is also beneficiate anyone who has difficulty taking supplements in traditional tablet form.The increase in the availability of multi vitamin supplements has led to a great variety in the brands and also the actual content of the multi vitamin supplements. The names of some of the nutrients in these multi vitamin supplements can be a little bewildering and many people simply do not know which ones they require. To make the decision simpler there are now a number of multi vitamin supplements created for specific people. For example, there are multi vitamin supplements that are designed for children. These multi vitamin supplements contain the specific nutrients that children need for them to grow and develop properly. Pregnant women have unique nutrient requirements to ensure that their baby receives the necessary nutrients and there are multi vitamin supplements prepared for pregnant women. As we get older we also have different nutrient requirements and multi vitamin supplements for the elderly are a popular product.It is important to consider the contents of any multi vitamin supplement before consuming too many. There are some vitamins that can be toxic if too much is absorbed and this can occur more easily with multi vitamin supplements as some of the content may be overlooked. The labelling of the actual percentage of the recommended daily allowance for each vitamin in a multi vitamin supplement should be clearly labelled and must be assessed before a person takes them. Always seek professional medical advice before taking any multi vitamin supplement if thereis any doubt as to the benefits of the contents.

Daily Foods for a Healthy Heart

Daily Foods for a Healthy Heart by Janice Kumar

I have written articles on foods for skin and foods that you can apply on the skin for that special glow. In this article I talk about some natural herbal foods that are excellent for the heart and help decrease the possibility of heart damage. Of course, these foods need to be combined with daily exercise, moderate drinking and reduced ( zero) smoking. There are many foods available in nature which help decrease bad cholesterol, reduce blood pressure and keep arteries healthy. I give below some of the foods that are helpful. It is recommended that a person include these foods in one's diet slowly and tries to ingest at least two out of the below mentioned foods daily to stay healthy and fit.

First let me give some general life style tips which help in reducing heart related problems.
Stop smoking and kick this bad habit to lower heart damage and lung damage.
Try brisk walking for 20 minutes at a time and find long term benefits.
Try cutting down on sugar and salt intake. A reduced intake of common salt is also recommended for people with blood pressure problems.
It also important to reduce weight if overweight. The heart of an overweight person has to work harder and over weight people tend to have fat deposits and bad cholesterol which clogs up arteries.
Avoid junk food. Reduce intake to once in a month. This kind of food contains harmful trans fats which clog up the arteries.

The following foods help fight heart problems. They might just be the thing for you. So try them out by incorporating them in your diet.
Soya lowers bad cholesterol, provides health proteins and helps fight heart disease. Try mixing 50 / 60 grams of Soya to your daily food and find a marked difference to your energy levels.
Bengal Gram can be prepared in the form of a soup and ingested everyday. It is delicious and provides significant nutrients which help fight bad cholesterol and triglycerides. 40/50 grams of this lentil ingested every other day provides health benefits which lead directly to a better heart and lowers the risk of an heart attack by up to 20%.
Garlic is a wonder herb. It helps fight against cough, cold, minor infections and also helps boost immunity levels. Ingesting just 2-3 cloves daily helps reduce fat deposits in the arteries and lower heart threatening homocystenine/homocysteine levels in the blood.
Psyllium Husk , just 2- 3 small spoons (10-15 grams) a day , taken with water daily helps with digestion, lowers blood cholesterol and also aids in reducing blood sugar levels in type II diabetes. So go for this herb on a daily basis and let your body feel the difference.
Fenugreek is a well known herb used worldwide for treatment of type II diabetes and is well known for it's anti inflammatory properties. This specific characteristic helps in prevention of narrowing of arteries, helps control blood pressure and blood sugar levels and cuts the risk of a stroke in some cases by up to 30%. Do incorporate 20/30 grams of this herb in your daily diet to significantly reduce stroke risk over the longer term.
Just two pieces of Indian Gooseberry a day significantly cut the risk of an heart stroke by up to 15%. This fruits contains powerful anti oxidants and vitamin C which help boost immunity levels in the body and lower bad cholesterol formation. Enjoy this fruit raw or preserved and enjoy the benefits of the natural herb over the whole day.

I would recommend consuming at least two of these foods daily to find significant benefit. However do try to consume all of the above foods on a weekly basis. The combination of these foods is extremely beneficial over the long run for the human heart and body and the benefits can only be experienced.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Size of your belly while pregnancy

Sometimes it seems for pregnant women that their belly is growing before their eyes, or, on the contrary, it's almost unnoticeable. Let's read experts comments on this question.
Which factors sizes of belly during pregnancy depend on?
Height of belly, i.e. height of uterus normally corresponds to the term of pregnancy. For example, on 32nd week of pregnancy it should be 32-33 cm. And volume of belly depends on a woman's individual peculiarities. Sometimes anatomic structure affects it: miniature women with slim pelvis have bigger belly, than tall women with full thighs have. But most of all growth of belly is connected with pregnant woman's general weight gaining. This is the factor which a woman should always pay attention to.
Which weight gaining is considered to be normal?
Every woman has her own individual norm. It depends on index of body mass, which can be calculated according to a special formula. Divide weight in kg on height in square meters. Normal index is from 19,8 to 25,9. If you're expecting twins, add at least 2,3-4,6 kg to this figures. Majority of women gain 40% of weight during the first half of pregnancy, 60% - during the second. If a woman had normal weight before pregnancy, then in the first term she may gain 1,5-2 kg, during the second - 0,5 kg a week, and for the whole 9th month - no more than 0,5-1 kg. Weight should be increased evenly and little by little. Normal baby's development depends on this.
What are the dangers of overweight?
If a woman gained too much weight, both she and fetus may experience troubles. Excessive weight gaining - is one of the symptoms of late toxicosis, unhealthy state of a pregnant woman. Late toxicosis may lead to development of miscarriage threat. Under such circumstances, a woman begins feeling pains in waist and lower part of belly. In extremely serious cases premature delivery or premature placenta exfoliation may take place. Moreover, overweight makes muscles work difficult. It also leads to edemas on feet, front abdominal wall, hands. Back and calf-leg muscles begin aching, blood circulation in legs' veins is gets broken, varicose disease becomes more intense. Pregnant woman gets tired more often and strong, becomes irritable. As for fetus, late toxicosis may cause chronic anoxaemia and even pre-natal death. Very full women's risk of such complications is higher.
What can cause extremely quick weight gaining during pregnancy?
Sometimes those who like eating well gain weight quickly. However, moderation in eating still doesn't guarantee normal weight. Too much liquid may accumulate in some women's organisms - for example, when kidneys work not well enough. So, if a pregnant woman gains weight too quickly, she should check quantity of liquid she drinks and evolves for day-and-night. Healthy woman evolves more liquid, than she drinks. And accumulation of liquid in organism leads to overweight. Then not only external organs, but also internal become swollen. Placentas' edemas are especially dangerous: they break normal fetus development.
How can a pregnant woman get rid of edemas?
While visiting maternity welfare centre, she should pay careful attention to recommendations concerning regimen of nutrition, which a doctor will give to her. As a rule, doctors advice all pregnant women to limit salt, piquant, fried and fat products consumption. The matter is that these products contribute to liquid accumulation in organism and lead to edemas. Once in 10 days it is recommended to arrange fasting days. Of course, this doesn't mean a pregnant woman should go without food. Hunger is categorically contra-indicated to a future mother. During fasting days a pregnant woman should restrict herself with certain products, for example, apples, cotton cheese, kefir, meat in strictly determined quantities. Moreover, she should observe confinement to bed - this improves liquid excretion out of organism. Diuretic herbs also help a lot. However, she shouldn't restrict quantity of liquid drunken suddenly. She should drink no less than 1,2-1,5 liters per day-and-night.
It turns out that it's rather simple to struggle with edemas?
Unfortunately, not always. Weight gaining depends on kidneys' work in many aspects. Thus, for example, weight is gained quickly if a woman has chronic urolithiasis, chronic pyelonephritis. Sometimes pyelonephritis appears already during pregnancy. As hormonal background is changing during this period. Organism begins producing more of a hormone, contributing to urinary tracts dilation. And various infections come to kidneys through these open gates. That's why all pregnant women should pass bacteriological test of vagina's excretions, control urine analyses constantly.
What if a pregnant woman has too big fetus and this explains her overweight?
Such thing happens sometimes. But this may testify of another problem. Very often women suffering from diabetes have big fetus. If a woman herself was born being big, then she needs to check sugar content in blood and urine, as diabetes can proceed also in latent form. Sometimes diabetes appears already during pregnancy. Again because of hormonal background change. Such pregnant women are in a risk group - even if heightened sugar content was shown only on one of several tests. By the way, overweight during pregnancy often force accoucheurs to use Cesarean section.
On which terms sudden weight gaining is specially unwanted?
Excess weight gaining is especially dangerous in the second half of pregnancy, to be more exact, since 20th week. And the earlier such complications happen, the more difficult confinement a woman will have. That's why we recommend women to take care of their weight, take arterial pressure on both hands and urine tests. If a woman has late toxicosis, as a rule, her blood pressure increases and albumen appears in urine. If all 3 symptoms are found - edemas, heightened blood pressure and albumen in urine - a woman is urgently hospitalized.
Probably my question will surprise you. Is it possible to "adjust" a size of fetus somehow?
I think, yes. Balanced nutrition, including products, rich in animal and vegetable proteins, vitamins, minerals, is necessary for this. A woman should take vitaminous preparations for sure. Of course, these are copy-book truths, but a woman observes these rules not always, for this or that reason.
Apparently, size of belly depends also on quantity of amniotic fluids? Does liquid a woman drinks influence them?
No. Reasons of excess of amniotic fluids are quite other: diabetes, anomalies of fetus development, Rhesus-conflict, infectious complications. If a woman has little amniotic fluids, this quite often means she will give birth to a post-mature baby.
Probably, too small belly is better, than too big?
No, I wouldn't say that. Insufficient weight gaining often leads to defect of fetus development, giving birth to a very small baby, premature birth, and sometimes even to death of a new-born. Pregnant women should strive for "golden middle". By the way, American scientists noticed that women with optimistic view on life give birth to babies of small weight less often. Experts explain that optimist women take care of their health better: do exercising regularly and eat well.
Is there a straight dependence between a pregnant woman's emotional state and excess kilograms?
Probably, there is. You know, being under stress situation, some women begin eating any food they see and emptying fridge. Here goes excess weight. And, on the contrary, other women just cannot eat at all in stress situation. That's why it's so important for close people and future mother herself to take care of her stable, calm emotional mood.
Approximate allocation of weight gained during pregnancy Baby 3,5 kg Placenta 0,675 kg Amniotic fluid 0,8 kg Increased uterus 0,9 kg Breasts 0,45 kg Volume of mother's blood 1,5 kg Intracellular fluid of mother 1,4 kg Adipose cellulose of mother 3,25 kg GENERAL WEIGHT INCREASE 11,9 kg

Are You Overweight but Do Not Have a Diabetes Diagnosis? You Are Lucky! Part 2

A road to avoidIf patients with pre-diabetes lose between 5 and 7% of their weight and they exercise half an hour every day, five days a week, the risk for developing diabetes type 2 Mellitus can be lowered by 60 percent in 3 years.In Part I of these two articles I indicated that obesity is the major risk factor for Diabetes Type 2, also known as Diabetes Mellitus. To understand how obesity can take you to a diagnosis of diabetes type 2, let us check a few facts.The first thing you need to be aware of is that obesity is what ignites the spark. The extra fat accumulated in your fat cells releases cytokines, a kind of proteins that cause inflammation. In particular, the abdominal fat and the one found around your internal organs such as the liver, the heart, etc, are the ones associated with inflammation, indicates Dr. Brent Wisse at the Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle. According to Dr. Wisse, the cells that form the fat tissue secrete a number of molecules that seem to send signals to your body parts; these molecules start the inflammatory process. These signals in turn cause resistance to insulin, a state where the glucose in the blood cannot get into the cells. Therefore, inflammation within your fat tissue may be a first step which results in diabetes and atherosclerosis.As you can see, there is a relationship between obesity, the inflammatory process, and the appearance of resistance to insulin. These three factors are associated with a risk increase for developing diabetes type 2 or diabetes mellitus.As insulin resistance increases, your body cells panic because they are not getting their food, glucose, and thinking the problem is not enough insulin in the blood, they call the pancreas to produce more, so that glucose can enter the cells. Obediently, the pancreas releases more insulin into the blood which does no good because the fat cells refuse to let glucose enter. Eventually, these irregularities cause the glucose level in the blood to go up after meals although at this stage it still remains normal before meals.All this commotion causes the general level of glucose in the blood to go up little by little. Finally the pancreas gets exhausted with this back and forth glucose business and can not produce enough insulin to keep the glucose in the blood within normal levels. Of course, this process does not happen overnight; it may take between 5 and 10 years in an adult and the end result is pre-diabetes. The same process goes much faster in children.When the pancreas cannot satisfy the demand for insulin, glucose in the blood will reach levels where your doctor will diagnose diabetes type 2. At this point, patients need oral medication to lower the glucose in the blood, help the system to release more insulin, and reduce insulin resistance.With time, the production of insulin decreases even more and many patients with diabetes type 2 need insulin shots to control glucose. If the resistance to insulin continues for a long time, oral medication plus insulin shots could be necessary.As you may also know, diabetes can lead to heart and kidney complications as well as nerve damage in the legs and the eyes. Most patients with diabetes die of heart attacks, a powerful reason to follow a balance diet that protects your heart. ConclusionI hope your understanding of how obesity can lead to diabetes mellitus type 2 helps you take the necessary measures to prevent this terrible disease. And if you are serious about losing weight, please, don’t embark in a crazy diet that offers you miracles in a few weeks because chances are it may not be a healthy diet and you will get those lost pounds back quite soon. Get yourself acquainted with the sound principles of healthy diets available to you. A good alternative is a Mediterranean diet since throughout many centuries this diet has protected the people of the Mediterranean basin from obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and many other chronic diseases.

How to Maintain Normal Blood Sugar Levels

Maintaining blood sugar levels that are consistently within the normal range between 4.5 - 5.5 mg/dl or if you are from the US then multiply that figure by 18 to give you the mmol reading. Is the number one bane of most type 2 diabetics lives. We wake up reasonably cheerful, feeling ok; we have not eaten anything too terrible the night before so let's do a quick blood test to see how things are. Low and behold you're in double figures! What the hell but I haven't eaten anything. No you probably haven't. The crafty thing about your blood sugar and your general diabetic bio chemistry is that is has a memory. Don't think that the huge plate of pasta you consume at the bbq two days ago has been forgotten. All those carbohydrates had to go someone and in the process your pancreas has basically given you the middle finger as a kind of slap down. An article is not long enough to go into the intricate workings of type 2 diabetes but to keep it simple. if you want your blood sugar levels to stay within a normal healthy range. You are going to have to keep your diet simple as well. For a start, never kick your C factor or carbohydrate burning cycle into play in the morning. Kind of like a smoker, sure, he can go hours without one during sleep but the moment he sparks up the first one his body will be craving for the rest of the day.A major rule to keeping blood sugar levels normal for diabetics is to allow their bio chemistry to exert its metabolism how it is supposed to. Namely the fat burning cycle. To do this you should start the day with a protein or Greens breakfast. Omelette, cheese and cold meats, broccoli soup. Anything, just don't put two bowls of cereal down your neck, you'll only be setting your metabolism up for carb cravings for the rest of the day.

Blood sugar log

Type one diabetes, or diabetes mellitus, involves the loss of insulin producing beta cells of the islets of langerhans within the pancreas. This leads to insulin deficiency. There is no preventive measure to been taken against type one diabetes at this time.There is a misconception that diabetes can be avoided simply by watching your weight, but this isn’t entirely true. Most affected people are actually of a reasonably healthy weight when diabetes onset occurs.Treatment of type one diabetes is comprised mainly of insulin treatment, plus diligently monitoring your blood glucose levels with the aid of blood testing monitors.The Dreaded Finger PrickTracking your blood sugar with the daily finger prick is the bane of some people’s day, but it must be done.People with more advanced forms of diabetes, in fact, often check their blood sugar up to four times a day. If you only need to test it once, just remember, the inconvenience and discomfort could always be worse.Staying OrganizedWhen checking your blood sugar, you would be well advised to record the results in a blood glucose log book in order to keep track of day-to-day drops and jumps.Rather than jotting your glucose numbers down in a loose leaf notebook, you may want to look around in specialty bookstores or at dsdbookstore.com to find specially designed Diabetes management journals to help you log daily blood sugar levels.Having a designated daily blood sugar log will allow you to keep the whole process much more organized. Rather than fumbling through notebooks trying to remember which one you wrote your info in, you can keep the logbook with your testing supplies.Living a Healthy LifestyleIt’s important not to just call it a day and assume you’ll be doing just fine if you keep track of your insulin and blood sugar routine. Keeping a healthy diet is equally important to maintaining proper blood sugar levels.To arrange a proper diet and keep your levels regular, assuming you’ve already spoken to your doctor about your own ideal diet and weight, you should start by reading up on diabetes and nutrition.When you’re on a safe diet, start recording your meals, record how it made you feel, and keep this with your testing supplies, as well. It goes without saying that, if your blood sugar levels jump or drop, you’ll want to have a record of what you ate that day.This information may seem largely irrelevant, but it can actually be vital and even life saving.Without keeping track of your health, you’re risking further health complications such as risk of experiencing a diabetic coma, a stroke, or worse. Keep up with it, don’t be lax. Review your records every now and then and discuss them with your doctor.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Does Weight Cause Diabetes

We all see the "daily" news reports that diseases linked to obesity that are increasingly lethal in the world today. The death totals for diseases related to obesity have increased by more than thirty percent in the last decade. Obesity contributes to heart disease, stroke and diabetes and do not forget that they contribute to a host of diseases, including arthritis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported in a new study that self-reported diabetes has skyrocketed over the past six years. They also argue that obesity is the main cause of this dramatic increase. These groups most at risk are people older, less educated and minorities. Minorities are predisposed than white Caucasians to develop diabetes. The first study was done on a regional basis, the new study focused on the whole nation. The reports are alarming, and the CDC are concerned, there will be even more problems in the future. The surgeon general said that the number of obese or overweight adults in this country is fifty percent higher than it was just a decade ago. Children and young adults are increasingly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, which is mainly known as adult-diabetes, and hypertension is a problem with 24 percent of the population in children. Also studies show that one third of children born in 2000 will develop type 2 diabetes, which also leads to an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney problems, and undermines the brain to function properly. Researchers have found that obesity can also disrupt the metabolism of insulin in the body. They found that being overweight the waistlines lead to an increased risk of developing diabetes and even cancer. An interesting fact that adults who ate fast food at least twice a week and gained ten pounds were more likely to develop diabetes. Fast-foods are not considered as part of a healthy eating pattern, although some fast-food franchises have been the introduction of fruits, salads and bottled water for more healthy choices. We now know that adults should not lose five to seven per cent of their body fat to reduce the risk for diabetes and heart disease. This means that a 200-pound person would only have to lose a little as ten pounds to see benefits. A moderate change in lifestyle not only help reduce the risk of developing diabetes, but also an asset to your health in many other ways. Exercise also benefits circulation problems, heart problems, osteoporosis, and many other health problems. Marche moderate light and stretching routines are a good way to start an exercise program healthy. It is important to talk to your doctor before starting any new exercise program. They will be able to guide you through the launch and provide effective ways to begin. Studies have shown that increasing your level of exercise, working up to 30 minutes per day, or having some form of moderate physical activity will bring good results. Even walking slowly, instead recommended brisk walking will give you many advantages. Mild resistance exercises or yoga routines are good ways to start an exercise program. Try parking your car farther in the parking lot when you go shopping. This adds some additional measures and if you do always stages of assembly. You want May to try to march in place during the television. Education is the key to prevent overweight and obesity in children and adults. Many of us do not understand the link between calorie intake, good and bad carbohydrates, and the ratio of protein and fat in their diet. Just understand what happens to food in your body consumes will help us stay healthy. See the results of obesity and diseases related to obesity are a good way to help us decide to start living a healthier lifestyle. Regular exercise and healthy eating will greatly reduce the risk of a disease related to obesity such as diabetes. As adults, we must take the initiative in our families to fight against this epidemic diseases related to obesity. We have the capacity to monitor what children eat, look at labels before buying a product at the store, and make meals and snacks for our families.
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