Because diabetes is a condition where blood sugar is too high, many people mistakenly think that eating too much sugar is the primary cause of diabetes. While sugar is a contributing factor, there are many other habits that can increase your risk of developing this disease:
• Obesity (BMI of 30 or more) and overweight (BMI of 25-30) both increase the risk of diabetes, and even modest weight loss (9 pounds in three years) in someone with elevated blood sugar levels can cut the risk in half. Regular exercise can lower the risk, as well.
• Consuming simple carbs such as potatoes and white bread increases the risk while whole grain consumption lowers it.
• Trans fats increase the risk of diabetes while those who eat the most polyunsaturated fats have a lower risk.
• Eating one serving of red meat a day increases diabetes risk by 22% over those who eat red meat once a week. Processed meats such as hot dogs, bacon, and lunch meats increase the risk even more.
For more information on dietary fats, obesity, healthy eating, and exercise, scan the archives of this blog and stay tuned. These topics will continue to appear in the months ahead.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Blood Sugar and Diabetes
If you watch television, you’ve probably seen ads related to blood sugar testing. The incidence of diabetes is rising, right along with Americans’ waistlines. Diabetes occurs when the body cannot regulate blood sugars. Uncontrolled diabetes increases your risk for eye problems including blindness, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, and nerve damage. Data from 2007 indicate that 23.6 million children and adults in the United States—7.8% of the population—have diabetes, and the number is growing is each year (www.diabetes.org).
What is considered a healthy blood sugar (glucose) level? Glucose levels are measured through a blood test where the sample is drawn by a medical professional from a vein or by a finger stick. There are a variety of tests and the kind of test done determines what a healthy level is, as shown below:
• Fasting (at least 8 hrs since eating): normal range is 70-99 mg; beginning of diabetic range is 126 mg
• Two hours after beginning last meal: normal range is 70-145 mg; beginning of diabetic range is 200 mg
• Random: normal range is 70-125 mg; beginning of diabetic range is 200 mg*
* Other symptoms must be present such as increased thirst and frequent urination (especially at night), unexplained increase in appetite, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, erection problems, blurred vision, and tingling or numbness in the hands or feet
There are several risk factors for diabetes. We’ll look at those next time. In the meantime, make sure you speak to your doctor about how often you need to get your blood sugar level checked. (Unless otherwise noted, the source I used for this article was www.mebmd.com.)
What is considered a healthy blood sugar (glucose) level? Glucose levels are measured through a blood test where the sample is drawn by a medical professional from a vein or by a finger stick. There are a variety of tests and the kind of test done determines what a healthy level is, as shown below:
• Fasting (at least 8 hrs since eating): normal range is 70-99 mg; beginning of diabetic range is 126 mg
• Two hours after beginning last meal: normal range is 70-145 mg; beginning of diabetic range is 200 mg
• Random: normal range is 70-125 mg; beginning of diabetic range is 200 mg*
* Other symptoms must be present such as increased thirst and frequent urination (especially at night), unexplained increase in appetite, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, erection problems, blurred vision, and tingling or numbness in the hands or feet
There are several risk factors for diabetes. We’ll look at those next time. In the meantime, make sure you speak to your doctor about how often you need to get your blood sugar level checked. (Unless otherwise noted, the source I used for this article was www.mebmd.com.)
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Hormones Increase Breast Cancer Risk
Did you read recently in the Arizona Republic that women who take estrogen and progestin after menopause not only increase their risk for breast cancer, but also face even a somewhat increased chance of dying from the disease? How does this differ from what we already knew? How great is the risk? It can be confusing to sort it all out, so here are the facts:
• Eight years ago a federally funded study called the Women’s Health Initiative revealed that the risks of heart disease and breast cancer outweighed the benefits of taking estrogen and progestin for relief from menopause symptoms.
• Although at the time researchers thought the risk of death from breast cancer was not any greater, the use of the hormones dropped almost 65% from 2002 to 2009. Still, some 40 million women were taking the hormone combination.
• As a result of the diminished hormone use, breast-cancer diagnoses started to drop.
• Last year researchers concluded that women who took the hormones were 70% more likely to die of lung cancer. Lung cancer and breast cancer are the two leading causes of cancer death in women.
• Now that researchers have 11 years of data from the study, they have determined that the tumors that result from the hormone combination are just as likely to be the more difficult to treat type of tumors, not the smaller, less-threatening ones they had thought eight years ago. This means the risk of dying from breast cancer is slightly higher.
• Still, this newly identified risk of death from breast cancer as a result of hormone use is low.
• Researchers recommend that women who take the hormone combination do so at the lowest effective dose for the shortest period of time. There continues to be debate about whether five years is too long to be on the hormones.
• The use of estrogen alone, which women who have had hysterectomies take, does not carry the risks reported here.
There are many other risk factors for breast cancer, such as smoking, a sedentary lifestyle, a diet high in saturated fat, and genetics. Be sure to discuss your risks carefully with your physician so you can make the most informed choice about your health.
• Eight years ago a federally funded study called the Women’s Health Initiative revealed that the risks of heart disease and breast cancer outweighed the benefits of taking estrogen and progestin for relief from menopause symptoms.
• Although at the time researchers thought the risk of death from breast cancer was not any greater, the use of the hormones dropped almost 65% from 2002 to 2009. Still, some 40 million women were taking the hormone combination.
• As a result of the diminished hormone use, breast-cancer diagnoses started to drop.
• Last year researchers concluded that women who took the hormones were 70% more likely to die of lung cancer. Lung cancer and breast cancer are the two leading causes of cancer death in women.
• Now that researchers have 11 years of data from the study, they have determined that the tumors that result from the hormone combination are just as likely to be the more difficult to treat type of tumors, not the smaller, less-threatening ones they had thought eight years ago. This means the risk of dying from breast cancer is slightly higher.
• Still, this newly identified risk of death from breast cancer as a result of hormone use is low.
• Researchers recommend that women who take the hormone combination do so at the lowest effective dose for the shortest period of time. There continues to be debate about whether five years is too long to be on the hormones.
• The use of estrogen alone, which women who have had hysterectomies take, does not carry the risks reported here.
There are many other risk factors for breast cancer, such as smoking, a sedentary lifestyle, a diet high in saturated fat, and genetics. Be sure to discuss your risks carefully with your physician so you can make the most informed choice about your health.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Safe Sex Applies to All Age Groups
In 2007 when I was researching and writing my book, Worth Waiting For: Sane Sex for Singles, I was amazed to learn that unsafe still happens in every age group – a lot. How is this possible? While the safe sex message is not as prominent as it was fifteen years ago, it is still being promoted. The target age group, however, is young—under age thirty. Yet, although the message is aimed at this audience more consistently than it is at those over forty, an alarming number of young adults still have unsafe sex. Of the twenty-five to forty-four-year-olds surveyed, 39 percent did not use a condom the last time they had sex and likewise for 20 percent of the eighteen- to twenty-four-year-olds. Sadly almost half of the new STD infections are among adolescent girls (www.alternet.org/sex/62429)!
How about those over 45? Is it possible they have not heard of safe sex? I think it’s unlikely, but consider a study conducted by the New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in May 2008. Of single people with at least two sexual partners, some 44 percent of those over age forty-five reported not using condoms the last time they had sex. A University of Chicago survey of single women ages fifty-eight to ninety-three revealed that nearly 60 percent said they hadn’t used a condom the last time they had sex. It’s not surprising then that, in less than a decade, STD rates have more than doubled among people ages forty-five and older. From 1996 to 2003, the total cases of chlamydia, genital herpes, gonorrhea, syphilis, and genital warts among people over forty-five increased by 127 percent (.http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/articles/070805/13senior.htm).
But these STDs aren’t the only concern for this age group. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the majority of HIV carriers by 2015 will be over age fifty, and about 15 percent of new infections occur in this age group. It’s alarming to consider that an Ohio University study found that about 27 percent of HIV-infected men and 35 percent of HIV-infected women over fifty sometimes have sex without using condoms (http://www.physorg.com/news96724718.html).
Although HIV/AIDS is not the automatic death sentence it once was, it not curable. Safe sex is not an option. It is a requirement every time for anyone who cherishes their health and well being.
How about those over 45? Is it possible they have not heard of safe sex? I think it’s unlikely, but consider a study conducted by the New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in May 2008. Of single people with at least two sexual partners, some 44 percent of those over age forty-five reported not using condoms the last time they had sex. A University of Chicago survey of single women ages fifty-eight to ninety-three revealed that nearly 60 percent said they hadn’t used a condom the last time they had sex. It’s not surprising then that, in less than a decade, STD rates have more than doubled among people ages forty-five and older. From 1996 to 2003, the total cases of chlamydia, genital herpes, gonorrhea, syphilis, and genital warts among people over forty-five increased by 127 percent (.http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/articles/070805/13senior.htm).
But these STDs aren’t the only concern for this age group. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the majority of HIV carriers by 2015 will be over age fifty, and about 15 percent of new infections occur in this age group. It’s alarming to consider that an Ohio University study found that about 27 percent of HIV-infected men and 35 percent of HIV-infected women over fifty sometimes have sex without using condoms (http://www.physorg.com/news96724718.html).
Although HIV/AIDS is not the automatic death sentence it once was, it not curable. Safe sex is not an option. It is a requirement every time for anyone who cherishes their health and well being.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Exercise Your Way to a Better Life
We’ve been told this for years, and we still don’t get it: to live long and well, we must exercise. There’s just no substitute. Dieting and maintaining a healthy weight are great, but they’re not enough. Exercise does things for the mind and body that diet cannot do, that nothing else can. Let me share just a few ways you’ll benefit from regular exercise. See if you can get excited enough about just one to get you going.
1. Exercise can reduce your risk of cancer or improve your prognosis if you do develop it. As the people I know age, I learn of new cancer diagnoses almost every week. The risk of colon cancer, breast cancer, endometrial cancer, pancreatic cancer, and several blood forming cancers are all affected by exercise, either directly or indirectly through weight management. Strive to do the highest level of aerobic exercise that you can manage safely and will continue with, since some cancer risks are reduced only with moderate to vigorous exercise.
2. Exercise creates new brain cells. As baby boomers age, more people are becoming interested in maintaining their cognitive abilities. Aerobic exercise increases blood flow to the brain and stimulates new brain cell growth and the connections between them. It also increases the supply of BDNF, a protein that promotes the growth of nerve cells and synapses that enhance memory and learning. Last year I lost my father after watching both these capacities diminish in him for the past few years. It was a painful experience for both of us and something I’d like to see us all avoid.
3. Exercise improves insulin sensitivity. As we age or put on weight (or both, as many people do), our bodies become less insulin sensitive, increasing our risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. In this case, both aerobic exercise and strength training will garner these benefits provided you exercise at least every other day.
Exercise is a simple and inexpensive approach to minimizing your risk of cancer, memory loss, and diabetes – three major health issues threatening the quality of life for millions of Americans. Join me next time for even more reasons to get off that couch and away from the computer.
Source: Nutrition Action December 2009
1. Exercise can reduce your risk of cancer or improve your prognosis if you do develop it. As the people I know age, I learn of new cancer diagnoses almost every week. The risk of colon cancer, breast cancer, endometrial cancer, pancreatic cancer, and several blood forming cancers are all affected by exercise, either directly or indirectly through weight management. Strive to do the highest level of aerobic exercise that you can manage safely and will continue with, since some cancer risks are reduced only with moderate to vigorous exercise.
2. Exercise creates new brain cells. As baby boomers age, more people are becoming interested in maintaining their cognitive abilities. Aerobic exercise increases blood flow to the brain and stimulates new brain cell growth and the connections between them. It also increases the supply of BDNF, a protein that promotes the growth of nerve cells and synapses that enhance memory and learning. Last year I lost my father after watching both these capacities diminish in him for the past few years. It was a painful experience for both of us and something I’d like to see us all avoid.
3. Exercise improves insulin sensitivity. As we age or put on weight (or both, as many people do), our bodies become less insulin sensitive, increasing our risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. In this case, both aerobic exercise and strength training will garner these benefits provided you exercise at least every other day.
Exercise is a simple and inexpensive approach to minimizing your risk of cancer, memory loss, and diabetes – three major health issues threatening the quality of life for millions of Americans. Join me next time for even more reasons to get off that couch and away from the computer.
Source: Nutrition Action December 2009
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Dietary Changes That Save You Money
Last time we looked at the high cost of being overweight or obese. Today I’d like to brighten the news and give you some very doable changes you can make to keep more money in your bank account. Let’s begin with the biggest money saver – lowering blood pressure.
In July 2009 the American Journal of Health Prevention reported that experts estimated that a 400 mg. reduction in daily sodium intake would affect some 1.5 million people with uncontrolled hypertension (high blood pressure), saving each of them on average over $1500 per year. While I wrote in September that it can be difficult to meet the daily sodium intake limits set by the American Heart Association, a 400 mg decrease in sodium is a very realistic goal. Several soup manufacturers offer a low sodium version of their soups, many of which would save you 400 mg of sodium or more in just one serving. Switching to salt free cottage cheese saves 420 mg per serving while using less sodium teriyaki sauce means 290 mg less sodium per serving compared to the original. Look for reduced sodium versions of all kinds of foods in your supermarket and at lowsaltfoods.com.
If overweight or obesity is your concern, you may be pleased to know that the Journal reported that a 100 calorie reduction in food intake per day would save some 71 million people an estimated $815 a year. Like sodium, there are many ways to accomplish a 100 calorie reduction. If you eat chocolate covered Oreos, eliminating just one gets you 115 fewer calories that day. Or you could substitute it for a regular Oreo and save half the calories. Switching from regular beer to light beer will save you 40 calories per serving, while eliminating one beer altogether saves 140 calories on average. One glass of wine is about 120 calories and that shot of rum in your rum and Coke is about 65. Of course, you could start drinking diet Coke and save 150 calories per can!
Finally researchers looked at what lowering high cholesterol would save each of the almost 4 million people affected and found it was over $500 per year. To accomplish these savings, this population would need to reduce their saturated fat intake 5 g per day. Saturated fat is found in animal products such as butter, milk, and meat. An 8 ounce glass of whole milk has about 8 g of saturated fat, 2% has 5 g, 1% has 2 g and non-fat or skim milk has less than .5 g. Choosing chicken (without the skin) or fish over sausage or bacon will result in similar reductions. While 1 tablespoon of butter has 7 g of saturated fat, margarines have trans fat, another dietary hornet's nest we won’t get into here. Strive to cut your intake of both in half and your unhealthy fat intake will decrease accordingly.
In July 2009 the American Journal of Health Prevention reported that experts estimated that a 400 mg. reduction in daily sodium intake would affect some 1.5 million people with uncontrolled hypertension (high blood pressure), saving each of them on average over $1500 per year. While I wrote in September that it can be difficult to meet the daily sodium intake limits set by the American Heart Association, a 400 mg decrease in sodium is a very realistic goal. Several soup manufacturers offer a low sodium version of their soups, many of which would save you 400 mg of sodium or more in just one serving. Switching to salt free cottage cheese saves 420 mg per serving while using less sodium teriyaki sauce means 290 mg less sodium per serving compared to the original. Look for reduced sodium versions of all kinds of foods in your supermarket and at lowsaltfoods.com.
If overweight or obesity is your concern, you may be pleased to know that the Journal reported that a 100 calorie reduction in food intake per day would save some 71 million people an estimated $815 a year. Like sodium, there are many ways to accomplish a 100 calorie reduction. If you eat chocolate covered Oreos, eliminating just one gets you 115 fewer calories that day. Or you could substitute it for a regular Oreo and save half the calories. Switching from regular beer to light beer will save you 40 calories per serving, while eliminating one beer altogether saves 140 calories on average. One glass of wine is about 120 calories and that shot of rum in your rum and Coke is about 65. Of course, you could start drinking diet Coke and save 150 calories per can!
Finally researchers looked at what lowering high cholesterol would save each of the almost 4 million people affected and found it was over $500 per year. To accomplish these savings, this population would need to reduce their saturated fat intake 5 g per day. Saturated fat is found in animal products such as butter, milk, and meat. An 8 ounce glass of whole milk has about 8 g of saturated fat, 2% has 5 g, 1% has 2 g and non-fat or skim milk has less than .5 g. Choosing chicken (without the skin) or fish over sausage or bacon will result in similar reductions. While 1 tablespoon of butter has 7 g of saturated fat, margarines have trans fat, another dietary hornet's nest we won’t get into here. Strive to cut your intake of both in half and your unhealthy fat intake will decrease accordingly.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
The High Cost of Weighing Too Much
We all know that illness is expensive considering doctor bills, tests, treatments, and medications. Have you ever thought about the additional costs of time lost from work, travel to and from the doctor, and hiring someone to do what you were physically unable to, even if it’s just make dinner? Recently George Washington University researchers assessed all these factors and calculated something close: the cost of being overweight or obese.
Someone who is overweight has a body mass index (BMI) greater than 25 but less than 30. For someone 5’ 5” tall, this would mean a weight between 150 and 179 pounds, regardless of gender. An overweight man or woman 5’ 9” tall would weigh between 169 and 202. The cost of being overweight varies between women and men: for women, it’s $524 annually while for men it’s $432. (The cost difference between women and men is due to the findings that overweight and obese women earn less than those at a healthy weight, while men are not disadvantaged this way.)
Obesity begins where overweight ends, so having a BMI over 30 makes someone obese. The annual cost of carrying this much additional weight is alarming: $4879 for women and $2646 for men. What’s equally concerning is that two-thirds of Americans are either overweight or obese and almost 18% of teenagers are obese. Can you imagine what the cost of this weight will be to these teens over their lifetimes if they don’t take the weight off?
While there are so many reasons to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight besides cost, money is a big motivator for lots of us. I know of several people who are delaying medical treatment due to its cost, so next time I’ll look at some ways we can actually save money by making healthy lifestyle changes.
Source: USA Today 9/22/10
Someone who is overweight has a body mass index (BMI) greater than 25 but less than 30. For someone 5’ 5” tall, this would mean a weight between 150 and 179 pounds, regardless of gender. An overweight man or woman 5’ 9” tall would weigh between 169 and 202. The cost of being overweight varies between women and men: for women, it’s $524 annually while for men it’s $432. (The cost difference between women and men is due to the findings that overweight and obese women earn less than those at a healthy weight, while men are not disadvantaged this way.)
Obesity begins where overweight ends, so having a BMI over 30 makes someone obese. The annual cost of carrying this much additional weight is alarming: $4879 for women and $2646 for men. What’s equally concerning is that two-thirds of Americans are either overweight or obese and almost 18% of teenagers are obese. Can you imagine what the cost of this weight will be to these teens over their lifetimes if they don’t take the weight off?
While there are so many reasons to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight besides cost, money is a big motivator for lots of us. I know of several people who are delaying medical treatment due to its cost, so next time I’ll look at some ways we can actually save money by making healthy lifestyle changes.
Source: USA Today 9/22/10
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