The term metabolic syndrome has been discussed in the news periodically when referring to the health of an individual, but what exactly is it? According to the Mayo Clinic the syndrome has to do with a group of conditions that occur together that increase your risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

Despite this definition, there are still disagreements on exactly what the syndrome entails, or whether or not it exists. In fact these risk factors have been referred to by other names such as syndrome X and insulin resistance syndrome.

However, regardless of what the risk factors are called, they have become more common, which explains the need to address them.

Metabolic Syndrome Risk Factors List

As it was stated, there are several risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome. The following are the conditions commonly cited.

Obesity or Overweight This condition is the most common symptom of the syndrome. The excess weight is characterized by a apple-shaped body type or a high BMI. More to the point, this is when the excess fat is stored largely around the abdominal area of your body. Even though this is a typical sign of the syndrome, you can still be of normal weight and be diagnosed with the condition.

Age Your age plays a factor in developing the condition, with the risk of the development of the syndrome increasing as you grow older. People over 50 have a higher percentage of risk then the general population, with women having a greater percentage then men.

High Blood Sugar High blood sugar or glucose levels is another major cause in the development of the syndrome. This is because insulin resistance, which can develop out of high blood sugar, is considered a major risk factor to the development of type 2 diabetes.

High Cholesterol High cholesterol can lead to development of plaque on the walls of your arteries. When this happens, early signs of heart problems will be present, which can lead to coronary heart disease.

Sedentary Lifestyle Individuals who abstain from any type of vigorous physical activity shows increase risks for the syndrome. Because of the lack of demands placed on the body, this sedentary lifestyle causes your body to work less efficiently when it comes to metabolizing your food energy, which opens it up to developing problems such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure, to name a few.

Preventing Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is largely preventable because the majority of the risk factors can be overcome with changes in your behavior. For instance, eating more fruits and vegetables, and staying away from fatty meats can help you to lose weight and lower your cholesterol levels.

Equally important is staying active by increasing your physical activity. Turning off the television and going for a brisk walk can do wonders for your heart, as well as your mood, and thus help to lower your risk of developing the syndrome.

Even though initially these changes may not be easy, they will in the long run save you from needless suffering and medical expenses.

Pre-diabetes is also known as borderline diabetes. A persons normal blood sugar level would be between 70-100 mg/dl (milligrams per deciliter) when fasting. People with pre-diabetes will have a blood sugar reading of 100-125 mg/dl, above 125 mg/dl is considered diabetic.

Luckily there are ways to help reverse this condition and they are pretty simple if you do them. The first is to get some activity into your daily life. Sedentary people build up insulin resistance, which predisposes them to pre-diabetes. Exercise and activity improve your insulin resistance and help you burn sugar. Studies even have proven that exercise along can help with pre-diabetes, even if no other changes are made in your lifestyle Try to get about 30 minutes worth of walking, biking or swimming four to five times each week.

Smoking is a top cause of serious diseases such as heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and stroke. It also raises your risk for pre-diabetes. So stop smoking, you will do wonders for your health. There are many things available today to help you on your journey.

Limit your alcohol intake. A moderate amount of alcohol has been proven to help your health but drinking in excess can rise pre-diabetes to full blown type 2 diabetes. One drink a day can lower the risk for diabetes but limit yourself to that.

The last thing is really common sense, eat more vegetables and fruit. You need to get five or more servings a day of fruits and vegetables a day. This can reduce the risk of not only diabetes but of some cardiovascular disease and strokes. This can also help with weight loss, which is a precursor to pre diabetes also.

Research has shown that several drugs have been used effectively to treat pre-diabetes but none are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration . Metformin is the most promising but should only be used for very high-risk people who have pre-diabetes and are severely overweight and between the ages of 35 and 60.

The control of blood sugar with diet is nothing new. We all know when we are eating wrong and we don’t need anyone to tell us so. Just like a smoker knows that they would be much better off if they quit, a bad eater knows what they shoudn’t eat to be healthier.

Diabetes without insulin is possible and should be the goal of every diabetic.. Getting motivated seems to be the hard part for most people. It’s not easy to stop eating junk food when everyone else is doing it and it’s always easier to get.

The risk factors of diabetes should be enough to motivate anyone. Who wants heart disease, blindness, loss of limbs or kidney damage. All of these risks can be avoided with proper diet therapy in managing diabetes.

Treatment of diabetic complications begins with a diabetic friendly diet, it’s never too late to get started. A more aggressive diet and treatment of diabetes should be started without delay.

A diabetic diet rich in low glycemic foods is a priority in the first step to diabetes without insulin. A list of low glycemic foods should be next to your cookbook and near your shopping list. It’s not hard to stick to healthy foods and you will feel the difference in just a few days.

Even if you already have diabetes, get with your doctor and find a good nutritionist to work out a plan for your battle with this devastating disease. You can be a winner.

Read all that you can about diabetes and that way you will understand why each step in its treatment is necessary for control of blood sugar. It’s always easier when you know why.

Good eating and take care.

Type 2 diabetes is not a coronary heart disease (CHD) equivalent, suggest findings from an Austrian study presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes 46th annual meeting in Stockholm, Sweden.

Guidelines currently suggest that diabetes is a CHD risk equivalent, but there is little evidence to confirm this. Information on baseline CAD status among diabetics is missing from many studies, despite the fact that it is likely to have a significant influence on the degree of cardiovascular (CV) risk experienced, said Heinz Drexel (Vorarlberg Institute for Vascular Investigation and Treatment, Feldkirch, Austria), who presented the data.

To address this and clarify CHD risk in Type 2 diabetics, Drexel and team carried out a study in 750 Austrian individuals, aged 63 years on average, who consecutively underwent angiography for suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). Of these, 164 (21.9%) had Type 2 diabetes. The patients were followed up for 8 years for incident CV events - CV death, nonfatal stroke or myocardial infarction, or revascularization.

The group had a high level of CV risk factors, including hypertension (52%), smoking (58%), and high total cholesterol (mean, 218.0 mg/dl or 5.6 mmol/l).

Testing revealed that 244 patients did not have significant CAD (coronary stenoses of 50% or more) or Type 2 diabetes, 50 had diabetes but no CAD, 342 had significant CAD but no diabetes, and 114 had both CAD and diabetes.

Drexel and team found that the CV event rates for patients with no CAD or diabetes and those with diabetes but no CAD were 20.5% and 22.0%, respectively, representing a non-significant difference between these groups.

Patients with diabetes and CAD, however, did have a substantially higher CV event rate than those with CAD but no diabetes, at 53.5% versus 39.5%. This translated into a significant difference in CV event rate between diabetic patients with and without CAD.

Drexel suggested that the reason why patients with diabetes are thought to have similar CV risk to CAD patients could be that, “if you take a mean of the risk experienced by diabetic patients with CAD and those without, they appear to have a similar risk to those with CAD alone.”

Drexel said: “As long as the development of significant CAD can be prevented, Type 2 diabetes mellitus carried a much better prognosis than previously estimated”

He concluded: “Apart from its clinical and economical consequences, this is good news with important psychological implications for a considerable proportion of diabetic patients.”

MedWire (www.medwire-news.md) is an independent clinical news service provided by Current Medicine Group, a trading division of Springer Healthcare Limited. © Springer Healthcare Ltd; 2010

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For the individual living with diabetes, there is perhaps nothing more important than living a healthy lifestyle, which includes both diet and nutrition.

Diabetic cooking and proper nutrition and diet can be the determining factors in the quality of life they will have. Developing healthy eating habits can not only help a diabetic control his or her weight, but it can also play an important role in helping them control their blood pressure, prevent heart disease, and maintain healthy blood-glucose levels.

There are dozens of diets on the market today, and different approaches to diabetic cooking that claim to have benefits for a variety of groups. However, for the diabetic, most experts in the field recommend a diet that is relatively high in carbohydrate intake.

In fact, a typical recommended diet for a diabetic may allow for more than half of the individual’s daily calories to come from carbohydrates, while allowing less than thirty percent of the individual’s daily calories to come from fat and protein, respectively. In terms of diabetic cooking, this means having to employ the technique of cooking and eating several small meals throughout the day, instead of a few large ones, is also recommended, as this has been shown to both help keep the body’s metabolism operating at high levels, and prevent spikes or drops in blood-glucose levels.

A diabetic diet and diabetic cooking does not have to be limiting, or flavorless. Foods from every group can be a part of a diabetics’ diet, without having to compromise health or taste.

• From the fruit group, diabetic cooking can include a variety of fruits, including apples, oranges, peaches, and plums. Each of these fruits provides plenty of soluble fiber, as well as added sugar for the body.
• Whole grain bread, as well as whole meal pasta and breakfast cereals that are high in insoluble fiber, are also beneficial to a diabetic’s diet. The minerals they supply can actually help enhance the action of insulin.
• Fish can literally serve as lifesavers for diabetics, especially considering the fact that fish like salmon and sardines are full of omega 3 fatty acids, which most experts agree can help reduce the risk of heart disease. Diabetic cooking should always include a little seafood.
• To wash down all of that healthy food, consider the old standard: water. Beverages that are herb-based are also highly recommended for diabetics. Coffee and other drinks that contain caffeine should be avoided if possible, as should alcohol. If you have to have that cold glass of milk, fill up a glass with skim milk, since it is lower in fat that the other choices.
• Since vegetables are rich in fiber and carbohydrates, they are certainly a welcome part of any diabetic diet. Beans and lentils are especially recommended, as are asparagus, broccoli, and cauliflower, as well as spinach, kale, tomatoes, and green beans. A good serving of cucumbers, and even a few onions and some garlic have also proven beneficial.
• After going through the carbs and the fats, a diabetic now has to make choices related to protein. Lean meat and red meat, along with skinless poultry and fish, have proven to be excellent sources of protein, and important to healthy diabetic cooking. The key when eating meat is to limit the amount of fat that is consumed, since it is one of the best ways to maintain weight, and keep the body’s cholesterol levels low.

If you are diabetic, there is an increased risk of developing kidney disease. But the simple process of eating fish twice per week can help to reduce this risk. Baked fish is particularly delicious!

Studies are not entirely conclusive, but there seems to be evidence of increased levels of good cholesterol (HDL) and reduced levels of triglycerides amongst fish-eaters.

Also, eating fish can lower blood pressure and reduce the amount of fat and protein in the blood. This is important because if protein is found in the urine it can mean that kidney disease has taken hold.

However, diabetics should not take fish oil supplements as their benefits are limited and might adversely affect any other medication that they are taking.

Diabetics may also suffer from arrhythmia and heart disease, as well as having insulin resistance. In all these cases, eating fish can have beneficial results and the healthy Omega 3 fatty acids found in fish are partly responsible for this.

A regular exercise regime can also benefit people suffering from diabetes.

Monosaturated fats should be consumed, rather than saturated fats, as this can lower triglyceride levels. The American Diabetes Association recommends this and so a diet containing Omega 3 fatty acids is essential.

Perhaps even more importantly, if you are a woman, you can reduce your risk of heart disease by increasing the levels of Omega 3 in your body. If you’re a woman AND diabetic, it would seem prudent to make sure that you eat some fish on a regular basis.

Diabetes is very prevalent in today’s society. It is estimated that about 10% of the population currently suffers from this disease and if the problem continues at current rates, 1 out of 3 babies born after 2000 will develop this disease sooner or later. Not only is this condition life-threatening, but the cost of this disease is huge. The total costs of diabetes in the U.S. was $174 billion in 2007. And this is only for the diagnosed cases. If you take under consideration the 5,7 million people who are believed to have undiagnosed diabetes, the total cost will rise to $218 billion.

Although the incidence of this condition has skyrocketed, most people are still unaware of how serious this illness is. Sufferers are 2 to 4 times more likely to die of heart disease, compared to those who don’t have it. It also the leading cause of kidney failure and it is in fact a life threatening disease, causing more deaths in a year that AIDS and breast cancer combined.

Now that you know how serious this condition is, I’m sure that you would really want to find out if there is some way to cure it. Here are ways to get rid of diabetes the natural way:

• Stay away from alcohol: not only is it toxic to the nerves but alcohol can raise your blood sugar by acting as an obstacle to the liver’s natural function. Your liver is responsible for 2 jobs: flushing toxins such as alcohol out of your body and converting carbohydrate into glucose, which levels out your blood sugar.
  Unfortunately your liver can’t do both jobs at the same time, so it would be wise to avoid drinking alcohol.

• You need to decrease your intake in saturated fats and Trans fatty acids. Try to eat only poultry and lean meats and non-fat dairy products.
• Include more whole grains in your diet.
• Aim for small meals instead of large ones. This will help stabilize your blood sugar and maybe even lose some weight, which can be very helpful in managing this condition. Studies have shown that there is a strong correlation between extra weight and diabetes, so you need to follow a diet that can help you attain a normal weight.

Have you ever looked at a child who is suffering from signs of diabetes? Can you judge that child is diabetic? Can you see signs of diabetes in children?

I know the answer is no. On looking at the child one can never judge that person is suffering from diabetes.

But the things which we cannot see are really bad!

This chronic ailment increases the amount of blood sugar. The sugar in blood if remain elevated for a longer period of time then complications like kidney failure, blindness, heart disease, amputation and other nerve damages start to set in. The quality of the life of the child depends on the ability of the parents to recognize symptoms of child diabetes at their earliest.

Unfortunately child diabetes has reached to epidemic proportions. It is predicted that incidence of this chronic and deadly disease will continue to rise. Unluckily it is hard to identify the signs of diabetes in children. Read the given list so you can better understand why these symptoms of child diabetes are not easily recognized.

Signs of diabetes in children

Excessive Urination: The parents generally think that their child is drinking plenty of water

Frequent Urination: The parents’ often confuse and think their child is drinking a lot; so he is urinating more.

Recurrent Infections: Generally parents consider that this is the part of childhood.

Blurriness In Vision: The vision of the children gets blurry but they are unable to explain this to their parents. Sometimes even they are unable to feel that something is going on with their vision.

Slow Healing Wounds and Cuts: Simply the parents think the injury was deeper one and it will take comparatively longer time to heal.

Numbness and Tingling In Feet and Hand: Once again this symptom of child diabetes is ignored by the parents and children. Children are unable to explain the weird feeling in their extremities to their parents.

Unexplained and Sudden Weight Loss: If the child was previously overweight then this symptom of child diabetes is welcomed by the parents otherwise the parents think the young one is going through the growth spurt.

Mood Swing or Irritability: This is generally blamed as child and parent confrontation. Some parents of teenagers think that it is the integral art of teen years.

It is also important here to keep in mind that all of these signs of diabetes in children may not be obvious at once. One or more symptoms of child diabetes are enough to take you to the doctor’s office.

The glycemic index is a measure of how fast a carbohydrate is converted into blood sugar in the body. It is important to know and understand because it’s directly related to the number one killer of Americans. Our love of high glycemic foods has led this nation down a slippery slope in regards to our health. The following information is science based knowledge and endorsed by physicians and nutritionists alike. It’s never too late to improve your health, and eating smart is easy and effective.

The glycemic index (GI) of food is found by giving a healthy individual a portion of food containing 50 grams of digestible carbohydrates (carbs minus fiber), and then measuring the effect of their blood glucose levels over a 2 hour time period. It is determined by calculating the persons blood glucose level changes in relation to the reference food which is liquid sugar (glucose).?Foods that have a high GI (above 70) metabolize into glucose fast, and low glycemic foods (below 55) slowly release the sugar into the blood stream evenly over a long period of time.

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High glycemic foods raise insulin levels quickly, and can lead to type II diabetes. Diabetes is directly related to heart disease, which is the number one killer of Americans by a large margin. It is this relationship between diabetes and heart disease that is so alarming. Diabetes is growing at an epidemic rate. High glycemic foods can actually cause type II diabetes and increase the chance of a heart attack.

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Low glycemic foods trickle sugar into the blood stream. This keeps you feeling full longer and stabilizes your blood sugar. But more importantly, it keeps your insulin levels from fluctuating. This combination results in weight loss and prevents things like heart attacks, strokes, and especially diabetes.

If you have diabetes and are concerned with what foods you can eat and which foods you should avoid, you may not realize it but the #1 best food group to consistently choose from is the protein group. Now why should you choose proteins to eat more than carbohydrates? It is because it has been well documented by the American Associations of Clinical Endocrinologists that individuals who have diabetes should get enough protein in their diet on a daily basis to help control their blood sugar levels.

Proteins Reduce Body Fat

Getting enough protein in your diet not only has been proven to prevent obesity and weight gain but it also is effective in improving metabolism in all people and more importantly in the diabetic. In fact a high protein diet is therapeutic for the diabetic.

A high protein diet that consists of 30% protein can help the individual with diabetes to loose weight. Losing weight and taking off excess body fat will help to cut down on insulin resistance. You see, body fat raises insulin resistance so the more body fat you have on your frame, the more insulin resistant you will be. Excess body fat will clog up your arteries and can lead to atherosclerosis, also known as hardening of the arteries. Once that happens, you will not only have diabetes, but you will heart disease also.

Proteins Specifically Reduce Abdominal Fat

A diet high in protein will reduce abdominal fat. Women who have a lot of abdominal fat tend to be diabetic. High protein diets can help you take off this body fat that is not only making you unhealthy but is bad for your self esteem and your body image. What woman does not want to protect her body image and remain attractive to men? Now, body image is not the real importance here, a healthy and long life is, but it doesn’t hurt to be happy with how one looks either. Losing weight and feeling good about yourself is one added benefit aside from controlling your diabetes, there are many others.

Proteins Stimulate the Release of Insulin

Protein is thought to have a favorable effect on diabetes because it can stimulate the natural insulin release from the pancreas. Making sure you get enough protein in your diet is not only safe if you have diabetes, it can be said to be therapeutic and will improve glycemic control.

Foods that are in this #1 Best Food Group

Basically foods that are in the protein group are:

• Eggs
• Milk
• Cheese
• Beef
• Pork
• Lamb
• Chicken
• Fish

If you concentrate on eating enough of these # 1 foods that are good for people who have diabetes, you will be able to be more effective in controlling the amount of blood sugar that is floating around in your veins and not making it into your cells. You can take charge of what you eat and be safe in knowing you are taking the best care of yourself as you possible can.