Annie Sawyer, Ph. D.
Diabetes is found to be a serious metabolic disease and is taking on pandemic proportions similarly to the metabolic syndrome. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported (June 26, 2008) that the number of Americans with diabetes has grown to 24 million - a surge of more than 3 million people in the past two years. Type-2 diabetes is the one associated with metabolic syndrome and a predictor for CVD mortality (Wang et al 2007). Worldwide, over 250 million people suffer from the disease and the estimations for 2025 are depicted at a total of 380 million patients. Type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome can have serious consequences on organ systems containing smooth muscle tissue. Atherosclerosis and bladder dysfunction result from the high lipid levels that occur with obesity and diabetes and can cause cell dysfunction and death, termed lipotoxicity, in various cell types (Stern et al 2004).
Diabetes mellitus is actually a group of diseases characterized by high levels of blood glucose resulting from defects in insulin production and action, or both, resulting in either hypoglycemia (abnormally low blood sugar) or hyperglycemia (abnormally elevated concentration of glucose in the blood). Type 2 diabetes usually affects adults following a trigger as obesity, for example (Alberti et al 1998). The American Heart Association (AHA) estimates that 65% of patients with diabetes die of some form of cardiovascular disease. People with metabolic syndrome have a 5-fold greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes if not already present (Stern et al 2004). This classifies metabolic syndrome and diabetes way ahead of HIV/AIDS in morbidity and mortality terms, yet the problem is not as well recognized.
Diabetics who take dietary supplements as part of a healthy lifestyle program tend to have a better view of their personal health than those who do not supplement their diet, according to a recent study conducted by the Lewin Group. Data offered by the Dietary Supplement Education alliance (DSEA), found people who used dietary supplements reported to be in better health than the year before and that in fact approximately one third of diabetics take dietary supplements. Users of dietary formulas are more likely to be older, highly educated, with a higher income and insured. Diabetics who take supplements generally score higher on the U.S. Healthy Eating Index (USHEI) and are less likely to be heavy drinkers of alcohol (DSEA 2007, Jul 5).
Maintaining healthy blood sugar levels with aging is critical to better health promotion and metabolic syndrome prevention. High levels of blood sugar are associated with adverse affects on vision, heart and cardiovascular circulation, kidneys and nervous system. Estimates of the total number of persons with diabetes and the prevalence of diabetes in 2007 are derived from 2003–2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2004–2006 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), 2005 IHS data, and 2007 resident population estimates. It has been estimated that today 23.6 million people—7.8 percent of the population—have diabetes. Only 17.9 million people of these individuals have been diagnosed while 5.7 million people have been undiagnosed.
Heart attacks and strokes, based on general artheriosclerosis, or high blood pressure, are more common in metabolic syndrome with type 2 diabetes, due to the increased risk of blood coagulation. In all forms of diabetes, high levels of blood glucose increase the risk of the cluster of disorders what is now known under the term- diabetes-related complications: diabetic retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy and diabetic skin lesions - a possible long term complication. Similarly to metabolic syndrome - diabetes is often under diagnosed, being more likely to be viewed as one of the major complications of circulatory problems, stroke, heart disease, gout, kidney disease, retinopathy, blindness, nerve damage and even foot ulcers (Karst 2006).
Multiple studies suggest that changing behavior can affect diabetes risk. In the Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study (FDPS), 522 middle-aged overweight adults with impaired glucose tolerance are randomly assigned to a control or to an intervention group. The intervention group received individualized counseling for diet, physical activity, and weight change, leading up to a 58 % reduction in risk of developing diabetes over the three-year trial (Tuomilehto et al 2001). Another DSEA study conducted by the Lewin Group (August 15, 2006) on the dietary supplementation use in people suffering of diabetes mellitus is offering a complete summary on the different supplementation formulas and their mechanism of action in diabetes patients.
Hyperglycemia:
Keeping normal levels of blood sugar is N #1 factor for prevention of metabolic syndrome. Maintaining chronic high levels of blood sugar is a guarantee to develop not only diabetes, but also obesity, dyslipidemia and high blood pressure (all abnormalities of the metabolic syndrome cluster).
Glucose levels below the threshold for diabetes- 126 mg/dl- used to be admitted as normal in past. Nowadays, even a level of 100-125 mg/dl can raise a significant risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart attack, stroke, Alzheimer, and certain cancers. The government now refers to minimal elevations of glucose, known as “pre-diabetes” (impaired fasting glucose). “Thus anyone at a high risk with a sibling or a parent with diabetes, excess weight, and abdominal obesity should be tested annually for a fasting glucose” (Ford et al 2002 & Grundy et al 2005).
The authors believe that what most people do not know or recognize is the rapid “aging” effect of sugar and the bottom line is that blood sugar frequent spikes can make anyone prematurely older than his generation. When excess blood sugar reacts with proteins in the blood, advanced glycosylation end-products (AGEs) are formed what is leading to rapid glycation. As a dangerous process, glycation impairs bimolecular, cellular, organ and tissue functions leading not only to premature aging but also to rapid degenerative decline. The authors make final conclusion that “blood sugar control is of paramount importance”.
Diabetes is found to be a serious metabolic disease and is taking on pandemic proportions similarly to the metabolic syndrome. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported (June 26, 2008) that the number of Americans with diabetes has grown to 24 million - a surge of more than 3 million people in the past two years. Type-2 diabetes is the one associated with metabolic syndrome and a predictor for CVD mortality (Wang et al 2007). Worldwide, over 250 million people suffer from the disease and the estimations for 2025 are depicted at a total of 380 million patients. Type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome can have serious consequences on organ systems containing smooth muscle tissue. Atherosclerosis and bladder dysfunction result from the high lipid levels that occur with obesity and diabetes and can cause cell dysfunction and death, termed lipotoxicity, in various cell types (Stern et al 2004).
Diabetes mellitus is actually a group of diseases characterized by high levels of blood glucose resulting from defects in insulin production and action, or both, resulting in either hypoglycemia (abnormally low blood sugar) or hyperglycemia (abnormally elevated concentration of glucose in the blood). Type 2 diabetes usually affects adults following a trigger as obesity, for example (Alberti et al 1998). The American Heart Association (AHA) estimates that 65% of patients with diabetes die of some form of cardiovascular disease. People with metabolic syndrome have a 5-fold greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes if not already present (Stern et al 2004). This classifies metabolic syndrome and diabetes way ahead of HIV/AIDS in morbidity and mortality terms, yet the problem is not as well recognized.
Diabetics who take dietary supplements as part of a healthy lifestyle program tend to have a better view of their personal health than those who do not supplement their diet, according to a recent study conducted by the Lewin Group. Data offered by the Dietary Supplement Education alliance (DSEA), found people who used dietary supplements reported to be in better health than the year before and that in fact approximately one third of diabetics take dietary supplements. Users of dietary formulas are more likely to be older, highly educated, with a higher income and insured. Diabetics who take supplements generally score higher on the U.S. Healthy Eating Index (USHEI) and are less likely to be heavy drinkers of alcohol (DSEA 2007, Jul 5).
Maintaining healthy blood sugar levels with aging is critical to better health promotion and metabolic syndrome prevention. High levels of blood sugar are associated with adverse affects on vision, heart and cardiovascular circulation, kidneys and nervous system. Estimates of the total number of persons with diabetes and the prevalence of diabetes in 2007 are derived from 2003–2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2004–2006 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), 2005 IHS data, and 2007 resident population estimates. It has been estimated that today 23.6 million people—7.8 percent of the population—have diabetes. Only 17.9 million people of these individuals have been diagnosed while 5.7 million people have been undiagnosed.
Heart attacks and strokes, based on general artheriosclerosis, or high blood pressure, are more common in metabolic syndrome with type 2 diabetes, due to the increased risk of blood coagulation. In all forms of diabetes, high levels of blood glucose increase the risk of the cluster of disorders what is now known under the term- diabetes-related complications: diabetic retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy and diabetic skin lesions - a possible long term complication. Similarly to metabolic syndrome - diabetes is often under diagnosed, being more likely to be viewed as one of the major complications of circulatory problems, stroke, heart disease, gout, kidney disease, retinopathy, blindness, nerve damage and even foot ulcers (Karst 2006).
Multiple studies suggest that changing behavior can affect diabetes risk. In the Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study (FDPS), 522 middle-aged overweight adults with impaired glucose tolerance are randomly assigned to a control or to an intervention group. The intervention group received individualized counseling for diet, physical activity, and weight change, leading up to a 58 % reduction in risk of developing diabetes over the three-year trial (Tuomilehto et al 2001). Another DSEA study conducted by the Lewin Group (August 15, 2006) on the dietary supplementation use in people suffering of diabetes mellitus is offering a complete summary on the different supplementation formulas and their mechanism of action in diabetes patients.
Hyperglycemia:
Keeping normal levels of blood sugar is N #1 factor for prevention of metabolic syndrome. Maintaining chronic high levels of blood sugar is a guarantee to develop not only diabetes, but also obesity, dyslipidemia and high blood pressure (all abnormalities of the metabolic syndrome cluster).
Glucose levels below the threshold for diabetes- 126 mg/dl- used to be admitted as normal in past. Nowadays, even a level of 100-125 mg/dl can raise a significant risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart attack, stroke, Alzheimer, and certain cancers. The government now refers to minimal elevations of glucose, known as “pre-diabetes” (impaired fasting glucose). “Thus anyone at a high risk with a sibling or a parent with diabetes, excess weight, and abdominal obesity should be tested annually for a fasting glucose” (Ford et al 2002 & Grundy et al 2005).
The authors believe that what most people do not know or recognize is the rapid “aging” effect of sugar and the bottom line is that blood sugar frequent spikes can make anyone prematurely older than his generation. When excess blood sugar reacts with proteins in the blood, advanced glycosylation end-products (AGEs) are formed what is leading to rapid glycation. As a dangerous process, glycation impairs bimolecular, cellular, organ and tissue functions leading not only to premature aging but also to rapid degenerative decline. The authors make final conclusion that “blood sugar control is of paramount importance”.
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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The material in this newsletter is provided for informational purposes only. Thus our intentions are not to diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat or prevent any disease. If you use the information in this newsletter without the approval of your health professional, the authors of this letter do not assume any responsibility. Copyright @ 2009, Natural Health-Wellness LLC. All rights reserved.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The material in this newsletter is provided for informational purposes only. Thus our intentions are not to diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat or prevent any disease. If you use the information in this newsletter without the approval of your health professional, the authors of this letter do not assume any responsibility. Copyright @ 2009, Natural Health-Wellness LLC. All rights reserved.
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