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I’ll try to put this in layman’s terms; a percentage of fats, proteins and carbohydrates gets broken down into glucose (carbohydrate are the bulk of incoming sugars). In terms of diabetes, when we talk about sugar/carbohydrates, it is common that most people would think of candy and sweets. However, in actuality the same carbs that’s in candy, are also in apples, carrots, pasta, rice, etc. Sugar exist in almost every single thing we consume each day, it is impossible to avoid.

This nutrition label is based on two large oranges, taken from Calorie King's website. As you can see, these oranges has more sugar than one pack of plain old fashioned Twinkies (which is about 24-30 carbs) We need to focus on quality carbohydrates. calorieking.com

Although not the sole cause, but a huge contributor of type 2 diabetes, are what I call “empty sugars”. Empty sugars to me are basically foods that contain sugars with no nutritional value. Two average sized oranges can actually contain more sugar than a 1 pack of 2 traditional Twinkies cakes, yet, oranges are enriched with immune boosting vitamin C. Sugars aren’t the “bad” stuff. Sugars are really what the body uses to sustain life!! But if you consistently consume empty carbs, such as things that have processed sugars (ie, cakes, microwavables, canned foods), your not giving your body the nutrition it needs to rebuild itself. Glucose is the energy your body needs to live, but overall good nutrition are the building blocks of life. Without decent nutrition, your body cannot regenerate cells to heal wounds, fight bacteria, metabolize sugar properly, or keep vital organs functional.

Your liver shares the responsibility of regulating blood sugar, and in essence, produces the glucose your body needs to survive. During the digestion process, the liver also stores about 8-12 hours worth of glucose to be used as reserves. Before Glucose is stored in the liver, it is converted into glycogen. Throughout the day, your liver breaks down that reserved glycogen back in to glucose, and delivers small amounts of now sugar in to the blood stream. This keeps your body functional.

Sensing the presence of  glucose, the pancreas’s beta cells release insulin to help glucose enter your body’s millions of cells for energy. As a result of these processes, both the liver and the pancreas together help regulate your blood sugars and keep them at safe levels.

The pancreas and liver are extremely important, because it protects your body from accumulating high sugar levels in the body. If high glucose levels occur, the body will try to use expel this excess sugar by way of urination (which is the reason for the heavy thirst). Over time if not corrected, will start to damage vital organs, such as kidneys and heart, as well as a host of other complications.

Every single body movement, heartbeat, exercise, and even mental thoughts, require glucose to function normally. The brain uses a large portion of daily glucose, because it is the central processing unit. This is one of the reasons why, if your glucose levels are too low, confusion often sets in. Your brain absolutely cannot perform with low glucose. Your brain would be literally in competition with the rest of your body for glucose.

References: EHow,

© 2010 DiabeticRadio.com

Researchers studied the prevalence of heart disease and stroke in four ethnic groups: whites, Chinese, South Asians and blacks all living in Ontario province, Canada.

Cardiovascular disease kills some 17 million people each year, and about 80 percent of these deaths occur in the developing world. Not every country is affected equally. But when scientists study populations in different countries, their results are influenced by a mix of culture, environment, and genetics.

A new study tries to sort out some of those factors.

A closer look at four ethnic groups

Researcher Maria Chiu and her colleagues studied the prevalence of heart disease and stroke in four ethnic groups: whites, Chinese, South Asians and blacks all living in Ontario province, Canada. They used data collected in national and community health surveys from 1996 to 2007.

Although all were living in the same place and had access to universal healthcare, Chiu found striking differences. Her analysis showed that more than one in 20 South Asians suffered from heart diseases, compared to around only one in 30 among the Chinese and black populations.

Chiu notes that those three ethnic and racial groups comprise 60 percent of the world population. “So it is important that we understand how these groups are, in terms of their heart health. And this study in Canada allows us to do that in a more controlled environment where everyone is living within the same physical environment as well as having access to universal healthcare.”

Chiu also looked at the prevalence of eight risk factors for heart disease and stroke, including smoking, obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes. These also differed significantly from group to group. For instance, whites were three times more likely to smoke than Chinese and South Asians. And South Asians and blacks were twice as likely to suffer from diabetes as members of the other two groups.

“Our study did not look at the causes for these risk factors being high and low,” Chiu explains. “It was important that we reported that they were high and low, and the next step would be to understanding why.”

Implications for policy makers

Chiu says her research raises important questions. And the answers will likely draw from a combination of factors, including genetic predisposition, cultural factors and socioeconomic status.

Chiu also said her research has important planning implications for policy makers. “For example, if we know from the study that diabetes is twice as prevalent among the blacks and the South Asian populations, and we know that the South Asian and the black populations are going to double or triple within the next 20 years, then our projections for our health care needs in the future, which currently are predominantly based on the white population, will be grossly underestimating our needs.”

Maria Chiu’s research is published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

© 2010 VOA

A new study released by the Registrar General of India indicates that obesity-related diseases have joined malnutrition as leading causes of death.

As India’s economy grows, so does the temptation for many people to eat more and do less. Tired and home late? Fatty food is just a phone call away.

Overweight, but eager to get married? Now there’s overweightshadi.com, an Indian dating site exclusively for obese people.

In a country where the Global Hunger Index shows that nearly half of all children are malnourished, many of India’s well-off citizens are now seeking treatment for obesity.

New Delhi-based business professional Aradhna Tripathi admits she loves to eat. “Eating is the most important thing in any Indian household and how you show your love and gratitude for a person is through the kind of food you serve him,” she said. “Indian people are used to eating the kinds of foods cooked at home that are filled with masala and oil. With the kind of sedentary lifestyle we lead, these are the reasons we have obesity increasing. “

India’s current National Family Health Survey indicates that more than 20 percent of urban Indians are overweight or obese. And in the northwestern state of Punjab, nearly 40 percent of all women are overweight or obese.

Tripathi says she was inspired to lose weight after contracting gestational diabetes during her recent pregnancy. Her mother and grandmother are both diabetic.

More and more Indians are signing up for weight loss programs out of fear of disease, says Vandana Luthra, managing director of VLCC, a global slimming agency based in India. “Earlier it was more of a luxury going to a spa or wellness center, but today it has become a necessity,” she said.

New data released by the International Diabetes Federation shows every sixth diabetic in the world is an Indian – earning India the title “the world’s diabetes capital.” Research over the past decade shows that genetically, Indians store more body fat per kilogram than Europeans. Leading health professionals agree, obesity puts Indians at an even greater risk of getting diabetes.

This risk is now crossing socioeconomic lines, says Dr. Anoop Misra director of diabetes and metabolic disease at New Delhi’s Fortis Hospital.

He says five years ago obesity and diabetes were limited to India’s most affluent. But, now poor Indians also are getting fatter. “We thought we’d find all malnutrition, but what we found was the paradox. Many people were thin and undernourished. The other side was many were fat and some of these belonged to the poorest section of this slum. This was a clear contrast, a paradox occurring in the same community. Half people overnourished, half undernourished,” he said. He blames the rise in obesity on inexpensive and oily snacks popular in Indian slums, and a lack of preventative education.

China is not too far behind India. The World Health Organization says China’s obesity rates hover at 5 percent, and almost 20 percent in select cities. But Dr. Misra says China is better equipped to contain the epidemic because it can employ uniform prevention efforts in schools. India has a more heterogeneous mix of government and private schools.

Despite that, Dr. Misra says he is optimistic that India’s obesity epidemic can be curbed. “It is the schools that we have to concentrate upon, it is the children that we have to concentrate upon. And if it a uniform physical activity and discipline dietary instructions are given right to the children I’m sure that it can be curbed,” he stated.

© 2010 VOA

Mary Beth Eilders walks at Pecatonica River Forest Preserve. Photo by: AMY J. CORRENTI | RRSTAR

Mary Beth Eilders knew lifestyle changes were in order. The German Valley, Ill., resident didn’t exercise with any consistency, smoked up to a pack of cigarettes a day for 20 years and, at one point, weighed 240 pounds.

Dr. Murray Feingold, MetroWest Daily News health columnist

By Dr. Murray Feingold

Recently, I stopped at a drug store to buy a newspaper and strolled by the pharmacy counter. There was a long line of people waiting to pick up their prescriptions. And they weren’t all oldsters.

Looking at all of these people brought to mind a concern I have regarding the huge number of people who are taking medications.

What will they do if there is some type of disaster and there is no way for them to get their meds? To my knowledge there are no solid back-up plans to address this potentially serious issue.

How many of these people really need all of the medications they are taking?

Studies have shown that we are an overmedicated society.

Approximately 75 percent of all adults take at least one prescription drug. During the past 10 years the number of people taking a medication for diabetes or high blood pressure has increased by 75 percent. The number of prescriptions for antidepressants has increased by 50 percent.

The cost for all these medications is staggering. One estimate is that it costs close to $15 billion a year.

Medical progress is responsible for a great deal of the problem. Because of medical advances, people are living much longer and about a third or more of all medications are prescribed for this group.

The drug industry continues to produce newer, more effective medications that are usually quite expensive.

Today, more drugs are frequently used to treat an illness. For example, some people with hypertension are now taking three or four medications instead of one or two.

Years ago there were no statin drugs such as Lipitor or Zocor. Now, probably the majority of senior citizens are taking some type of statin medication.

During the recent debate on health care, because of the financial burden the cost of medications has placed on our economy, there were rumblings of limiting medications for our senior citizens.

It is obvious that we cannot continue on the present path regarding medications. Changes need to be made.

One thing is certain, there will be more intervention by the federal government – the automobile industry comes to mind.

Also, there will be increased limitations on the medications patients will be able to take.

Doctors will also encounter more paperwork if they want to prescribe drugs that are not on federal or third party-approved lists.

Consider today the glory days as far as getting your medications because tomorrow will be a much different story.

Massachusetts-based Dr. Murray Feingold is the physician in chief of the National Birth Defects Center, medical editor of WBZ-TV and WBZ radio, and president of the Genesis Fund. The Genesis Fund is a nonprofit organization that funds the care of children born with birth defects, mental retardation and genetic diseases.

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