Learning to Cope With Diabetes

There are three different types of diabetes that are very common today. Diabetes effects millions of people around the world and it can be a life threatening disease if it is not properly treated or treated in time. Many people may not even know that they have diabetes. That is why it is so important to talk to your doctor about your family history and get regular checkups with your doctor.

Getting the right medications for your health conditions is very important. With the right medicines and a good exercise program, along with a good diet, you should be able to take care of yourself with only some limitations. You can lead a very normal life if you have diabetes. Of course you do have to take the right care of it.

Some people are choosing to only try natural remedies, which can benefit your diabetes symptoms almost as well as a prescribed medicine, but others may not have a choice but to have insulin injections, sometimes as often as six times per day. Listening to your health care physician is vital after being diagnosed with diabetes. He will be able to assist you on what types of medicines that you will need. He will also talk to you more about which kind of exercise program you will need to start on. And, of course, your diet which is vital to maintain.

After being diagnosed with diabetes you will have to monitor your blood sugar levels every single day. Your doctor might even ask you to keep a journal on these daily readings so that he will have the ability to view them upon your follow up visits. This will keep him informed on your progress and allow him to make any slight adjustments that may be needed to your medications. He will be able to determine by these daily readings if your medications,diet and exercise program are helping you as much as they should be. If not, then he will know what needs to be done from there. It is important to keep up with this kind of information for him so you will have the proper treatments.

Different Types of Diabetes

There are three different types of diabetes that are very common today.

Type1 Type2 Gestational

When a woman becomes pregnant she will find that during the last trimester of her pregnancy her doctor will be checking her for what is called gestational diabetes. Usually if a woman is diagnosed with this type of diabetes during pregnancy, after giving birth, their glucose levels will go back to normal. The risk of diabetes is still there, up to 10 years after delivery or if she has a family history of diabetes. If a woman develops this type of diabetes during her pregnancy, her child will be at higher risk of becoming diabetic sometime throughout their life.

The most common type of diabetes is Type 2 diabetes. This is the kind of diabetes where the patient is not dependent on insulin shots. Being overweight has a lot to do with someone getting this type of diabetes, however, that is not the only thing to blame for it. With some people it may be genetic while with others it is caused by a high blood pressure level. Becoming physically active can help when treating this type of diabetes, along with a proper diet and medicine that your doctor will prescribe. He can give you an exercise program to follow along with the right kinds of food you should be eating. Number one rule is-follow your doctors orders fully.

The other kind of diabetes is Type 1 diabetes. This type is usually caused by pure genetics or your diet. This type of diabetes means that you are insulin dependent. Depending on the severity of this type of diabetes will determine how many shots you will need each and every day. As with the other types of diabetes it is vital that you put yourself on a regular exercise program along with a proper diet. Always get regular check ups with your family doctor. The patients pancreas is not producing any amount of insulin at all and that is the reason it is called autoimmune diabetes. If not treated properly and promptly, this can be the most dangerous one of all.

Enjoying Sweets With Your Diabetes

Many people believe that people with diabetes can not, in any way, have the enjoyments of indulging occasionally or ever, in getting to eat sweets. Those of you who are suffering with diabetes, if you do not already know, will be very happy to hear that you can in fact enjoy those sweet pleasures once in awhile. It is all about moderation, not just for people suffering from diabetes, but for everyone. The problem with any foods that are bad for us, is that so many of us eat entirely too much.

Studies have shown that people with diabetes that do enjoy the occasional sweets do have to worry about their blood sugars rising a little bit too quickly, but that also happens with any kinds of fatty carbohydrate foods that a diabetic might eat. I am not telling all diabetics to go out and get sweets anytime they please but just that if you choose to, if you crave it, if you feel like you need it, go for it, just do not over indulge yourself too much ok. It is important to keep your blood sugar in check at all times when you have diabetes.

If you do decide you want sweets one evening, just plan for the occasion, eat less carbohydrates throughout the day to give your body a fair shot at a tasty treat. Just remember to watch your portions. If you are creating your own special sweets then perhaps you could consider substituting the real sugar for one of the new substitues . That is very helpful when trying to watch your weight and also keeping an eye on your blood sugar levels. Having diabetes does not mean that you are going to suffer from now on with cravings that you can not ever satisfy.

Drinking Coffee For Diabetes

Now for the really good news for coffee drinkers. It has been discovered that drinking caffeine coffee actually reduces your risks of becoming a diabetic and it also helps in the many types of treatments for people who have type 2 diabetes. Many people may not be aware of this, so you should all consider doing a little research on the ways that coffee can actually help your health and talk it over with your family doctor. Several studies have been done on whether or not this is really accurate and the results are overwhelming in the ways that coffee can actually help your health. Usually women have more of a resistance to insulin than men do, so women may benefit from this knowledge more than anyone else. The fact of the matter is that with these studies, they have actually found that the risks for diabetes is going down somewhat with the increase of coffee consumption. Many people might be really happy with these findings because drinking coffee is something that many people all around the world enjoy, usually on an everyday basis.

If you are suffering from type 2 diabetes, drinking coffee several times a day will help with your insulin secretion because of the effects coffee has on your gastrointestinal hormones throughout your body. You can lower your glucose absorption rate and lessen your chances of futher complications by having a cup of coffee daily. Not only does your consumption of caffeine coffees help reduce your risks of diabetes and helps in treating some diabetes, it will also help in controlling a woman’s cholesterol levels.

Causes of Diabetes – What are the Risks Involved

The Causes of diabetes are still not fully understood. Neither are medical scientists able to explain why some people develop diabetes and others don’t. Certain factors have, however, been clearly identified which contribute to the development of diabetes.

Is Diabetes Inherited?

Heredity is a major factor. That diabetes can be inherited has been known for centuries. However, the pattern of inheritance is not fully understood. Statistic indicates that those with a family history of the disease have a higher risk of developing diabetes than those without such a background. The risk factor is 25 to 33 percent more.

Children are most likely to develop diabetes if either or both parents are diabetes, or if the expectant mother became diabetic, or if the mother was a confirmed diabetic prior to conception. This may not always be true. It is possible for parents who were, or are diabetic and the other remains free from the disease.

It is, however, essential that the blood sugar level of an expectant mother who is diabetic be maintained within the normal range, so that diabetes is not passed on to her child. It the blood sugar level is kept under control, the infant may not have nay symptoms of inherited diabetes, but a risk factor cannot be ruled out.

One reason why diabetes, especially type-2 diabetes runs in the family is because of the diabetes gene. But even it is caused by genetic factors beyond your control; there is no reason to suffer from it. Diabetes mellitus cannot be cured in full sense of the term, but it can be effectively controlled so that you would not know the difference.

Intensive genetic research is currently underway to identify genes associated with both type-1 and type-2 diabetes. In a study sponsored by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of USA the relatives at risk of type-1 diabetes are being treated with low doses of either insulin or an oral medication to determine if drugs may prevent the disease.

Surveys show that in India diabetes is more prevalent among males than females. In this population, family history of diabetes mellitus was present in 5.5 to 11.6 per cent. Amongst diabetics, 18.3 per cent urban and 6.4 percent of rural population had a direct relative with diabetes. Therefore, genetic predisposition in India is comparable to that observed in other parts of the world.

Diet: A Self inflicted Causes

Diabetes has been described by most medical scientists as a prosperity’ disease, primarily caused by systematic overeating. Not only is eating too much sugar and refined carbohydrates harmful, but proteins and fats, which are transformed into sugar, may also result in diabetes if taken in excess.

Too much food taxes the pancreas and ultimately its normal activity of producing insulin gets paralyzed. It is interesting to note that diabetes is almost unknown in countries where people are poor and cannot afford to overeat.

The incidence of diabetes is directly linked with the consumption of processed foods rich in refined carbohydrates, like biscuits, bread, cakes chocolates, pudding and ice creams. In Britain, during the war when only whole wheat bread was available the incidence of diabetes dropped by 55 percent.

Parents should take great care to develop correct dietary habits in their children. Children should be prevented from becoming addicts to harmful foods like ice cream, cakes, jam, jelly, peppermint, chocolates and other sweets. The amount of food given to children should be such as would allow growth but not obesity. Children should be convinced about the importance of exercise and games and sports should be encouraged. Ideal body weight and a proportionate body is an almost certain guarantee against diabetes.

The Obesity Trigger

Obesity is one of the main causes of diabetes. Studies show that 60 to 85 % of diabetics tend to be overweight. In the United States of America, about 80 percent of type –2 non-insulin dependent diabetics are reported to be overweight. During the Second World War, when there was a decrease in the average weight of the people, the incidence of diabetes came down dramatically. The greater the obesity, the greater is the mortality rate due to complications of diabetes.

Excess fat prevents insulin from working properly. The more fatty tissue in the body, the more resistant the muscle and tissue cells become to body insulin. Insulin allows the sugar in the blood to enter the cells by acting on the receptor sites on the surface of the cells. In obesity, where a person is overweight by 20 percent of the ideal weight or has high uric acid, or some syndromes, receptors are sparse and functionally idle. This is observed in patients developing diabetes around the age of 40 years, and having type-2 non-insulin dependent diabetes. It is estimated that the incidence of diabetes is four times higher in persons of moderate’s obesity and 3 times higher in persons of severe obesity. It has been rightly said; Heredity is like a cannon and obesity pulls and trigger.

Older people often tend to gain weight, and the same time, many of them develop and mild form of diabetes because who are over weight can often improve their blood sugar simply by losing weight. In some cases, it is all that is required to bring blood sugar back into the normal range. Even small weight loss can have beneficial effects, reducing blood sugar levels, or allowing medicines to work better. However, sudden gain in weight may cause diabetes to return. It is therefore important for older people to keep their weight down to normal. Among those detected to be diabetic, almost one third are overweight.

Virus Infections

Pancreatic infections with Coxsackie’s B virus can result in beta cell damage, development of autoantibodies and, consequently, type-1 insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. Some of these can be diagnosed by a viral antibody test and islet cell antibody test. Screening for antibodies can indicate potentially juvenile diabetes in a family on the basis of auto-immunity.

The Lifestyle Risk

A sedentary lifestyle, resulting from lack of physical work and exercise, plays an improvement role in the development of diabetes. The less active a person, the greater the risk of developing diabetes. Modern conveniences have made work easier. Physical activity and exercise helps control weight, uses up a lot of glucose (sugar) present in the blood as energy and makes cells more sensitive to insulin. Consequently, the workload on the pancreas is reduced.

Exercise also adds to the muscles mass. Normally, between 70 percent to 90 percent of the blood sugar is absorbed into the muscles. A reduction in muscle mass-either due to age of physical inactivity—reduces the storage space for blood sugar, and it remains in the blood stream.

Smoking: An Important Risk Factor

Smoking is another important risk factor. Among men who smoke, the risk of developing diabetes is doubled. In women who smoke 25 or more cigarettes a day, the risk of developing diabetes is increased by 40 percent. Smoking also reduces retinal blood flow and increases the risk of developing retinopathy. It also decreases insulin absorption and limits joints mobility. Smoking, in combination with diabetes, greatly enhances the likelihood of premature mortality. It also depends upon the number of cigarettes a day a person smokes and the number of years he has been smoking.

Age

A risk of type-2 diabetes increases, as one grows older, especially above the age of 45 years. Part of the reason is that is people grow older, they tend to become less physically active, lose muscle mass and gain weight. With life styles becoming more sedentary, there has been an increase of diabetes among people in there 30s and 40s.

Stress and Tension

Stress can be emotional or physical, such as a surgery or a serious infection, an accident or an emotional shock. Another very urban trait, the high stress lifestyle, not just amongst the young unwardly mobile, but increasingly in all walks of life, is a relatively new phenomenon in India. Since there is a known connection between stress and diabetes mellitus, those who are under stress and/or lead an irregular lifestyle, need to take adequate precautions and make necessary lifestyle adjustments.

Pancreatic insufficiency caused by stress, can lead to diabetes. Grief, worry and anxiety resulting from examinations, death of a close relative, loss of a joy, business failure and strained marital relationship, all a deep influence on the metabolism and may cause sugar to appear in the urine.

Organic Disorders

Diabetes may be associated with some grave organic disorders like cancer, tuberculosis and cerebral diseases. Diabetes may also be caused by a variety of other factors. These include certain metabolic and genetic disorders, inadequate secretion of insulin by the pancreas, malfunctioning of other endocrine glands like thyroid, pituitary and adrenal, excessive consumption of alcohol and the use of the certain drugs.

Race

Although the reasons are unclear, people of certain races are more likely to develop diabetes than others.

Diabetes – Three Natural Ways to Prevent Control and Treat

Almost everyone knows someone with diabetes. From 1980 through 2004, less than one-quarter of a century, the total number of Americans with diabetes more than doubled! Estimates show that about six percent of the American population or about 18.2 million Americans suffer from this life-long illness. And about 6 million of those people haven’t been diagnosed yet.

The causes of diabetes are well known. Diabetes is a condition that occurs when the body has lost its ability to regulate the levels of glucose (sugar) in the bloodstream. This is usually due to some interruption in the production of insulin. Insulin is the hormone in our body that lowers blood sugar levels. Without the hormone in our body, our blood sugar levels increase to dangerously high levels. Since all the organs in our body rely on a steady supply of glucose so they can function properly, any disruption blood sugar levels can have dire consequences. Diabetes often leads to blindness, heart and blood vessel disease, stroke, kidney failure, amputations, and nerve damage.

There are two major types of diabetes – Type 1 which is often called juvenile diabetes and Type 2 which is often called adult diabetes or adult-onset diabetes. Although diabetes can strike at any age, Type 1 diabetes usually strikes children and young adults. In Type 1 diabetes, cells in the pancreas called beta cells, these are the ones that make insulin to control blood sugar levels in our body, do not function. So in order to maintain or manage blood sugar levels, people with Type 1 diabetes must inject insulin or have it delivered by a small pump into their body. In effect, they must supply the insulin that the beta cells in their pancreas are not supplying. Type 1 diabetes accounts for about five to ten percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is more common than Type 1. Type 2 diabetes generally affects adults. Type 2 adult diabetes usually begins as the body starts to resist the effects of insulin – sometimes called insulin resistance. The body just doesn’t use the insulin it makes effectively or efficiently. This inefficiency puts extra demands on the pancreas where insulin is made by the beta cells. Over time, the pancreas and beta cells can’t keep up and gradually begin to lose the ability to make insulin at all.

The American Diabetes Association estimates that nearly 6 million Americans are currently living with undiagnosed diabetes. The effects of an adult with diabetes may first appear as problems with their vision, nerves, kidney failure, heart attack, or stroke. It isn’t until these life threatening conditions occur that they realize they have been living with the chronic disease of diabetes. The symptoms of an adult with diabetes and the symptoms of a child with diabetes are recognizable: excessive thirst, craving for sweet foods, passing urine frequently, tiredness and weight loss. Although the onset of Adult Type 2 diabetes is gradual, the onset of Juvenile Type 1 diabetes is usually very rapid and sometimes life threatening when they first appear.

Why would anyone develop Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes? Can diabetes be passed down? The answer is maybe. Genetics and other family histories are being examined to determine whether Type 1 or Type 2 are hereditary, but the cause of Type 2 diabetes is more associated with lifestyle habits. Type 2 diabetes is often seen in people who don’t exercise, are obese, have a poor diet, and lead stress-filled lives.

Diabetes is ranked as the sixth leading cause of death in the United States but may be underestimated. The reason is that more than 60 percent of those with diabetes often die as a result of heart disease or stroke. And it is the heart disease or stroke that is listed as the cause of death. Because the causes of Type 2 diabetes are associated with lifestyle habits, there may be a NATURAL TREATMENT for Type 2 Adult Diabetes. There may be a natural treatment for the CONTROL of diabetes.

Here are three natural lifestyle habits to prevent, control, and treat diabetes.

1. Maintain a healthy weight. 90 percent of all people diagnosed with diabetes are overweight. According to the American Diabetes Association, even 5 to 10 percent reduction in body weight can result in a tremendous reduction in the risk or severity of diabetes. For most people, that’s only a loss of 10-20 pounds.

2. Exercise. Physical activity can lower your blood sugar (glucose) and help insulin work better for your body. That means your body is less susceptible to the development of diabetes. If you’re trying to lose weight as a natural way to prevent, control, or treat your diabetes, a combination of physical activity and wise food choice can help you reach your target.

3. Nutrition. Eating habits contribute significantly to the current increase in diabetes. Over the past 50 years, people have been eating more and more carbohydrates and sugar-filled foods. Eating a lot of carbohydrates each day puts stress on the pancreas which must work harder to maintain blood sugar levels. As the pancreas degrades, and you continue to eat the carbohydrates, you make yourself prone to Type 2 diabetes.

Maintaining a healthy weight, regular exercise, and proper nutrition are important. They are three natural lifestyle habits that you can do today to prevent, control and treat diabetes. Eating healthy and getting the proper nutrition means a balanced diet, drinking plenty of water and taking a nutritional supplement. Taking a nutritional supplement on a regular basis ensures you are getting all the vitamins and minerals your body needs, including your pancreas, to rebuild, regenerate, and operate at peak performance levels.

Diabetes, The 6 Points That Will Explain It For You

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease in which patients present with absolute or relative insulin deficiency. It effects about 6% of western populations and is a major contributing factor for heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure and peripheral vascular disease. Diabetes mellitus is also the leading cause of new blindness.

1. Types of Diabetes

There are four forms of the disease, classified as: types 1 and 2, gestational and other specific types.

a. Type 1 Diabetes

In people with type 1 diabetes the pancreas is not producing insulin, so blood glucose levels are higher than normal. People with this form of diabetes require daily insulin therapy to survive. This form is further split into idiopathic diabetes and immune mediated diabetes.

Type 1 accounts for around 10% to 15% of all people with diabetes. It is one of the most serious and common chronic diseases of childhood, with about half of the people with this form of diabetes developing the disease before age 18. It is also known as insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) or juvenile-onset diabetes.

b. Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is marked by reduced levels of insulin (insulin deficiency) and/or the inability of the body to use insulin properly (insulin resistance). This form of the disease is most common among people aged 40 years and over and accounts for 85% to 90% of all people with diabetes. Most people with type 2 diabetes are obese.

c. Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy in about 3% to 8% of females not previously diagnosed with diabetes. It is a temporary form of diabetes and usually disappears after the baby is born. However, it is a marker of much greater risk of developing Type 2 diabetes later in life. Screening tests for gestational diabetes are usually performed around the 24th-28th week of pregnancy.

d. Other Specific Diabetes Types

This includes people who have diabetes as a result of a genetic defect, or exposure to certain drugs or chemicals.

2. Causes of Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes is caused by resistance to, or deficient production of, the hormone insulin, which helps glucose move from the blood into the cells.

In type 1 immune mediated diabetes, pancreatic beta cell destruction results in failure to release insulin and ineffective transport of glucose. There is no known cause for idiopathic diabetes.

In type 2 diabetes, the beta cells release insulin but, receptors are insulin resistant and glucose transport is variable and inefficient. Some people may have conditions that can cause diabetes, such as Cushing’s syndrome, pancreatitis or liver disease.

Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include;

a. Obesity

b. History of Gestational diabetes

c. Lack of physical activity

d. Hypertension

e. Age 45+

f. Ethnic groupings other than anglo-saxon

g. Low HDL cholesterol levels

h. Impaired glucose tolerance

i. Family history

3. Signs and Symptoms of Diabetes

Symptoms of diabetes include; dehydration, unexplained weight loss, excessive thirst, frequent need to urinate, fatigue, lethargy, severe irritation and itching, excessive hunger, blurred vision, skin and urinary infections and vaginitis.

4. Diagnosis

Diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance may be detected on routine blood tests as part of a general health check up or investigation for other symptoms or diseases. Diabetes tests check blood glucose levels.

Fasting blood glucose levels are classified as:

Normal: less than 100 mg/dl

Prediabetes: 100 to 125 mg/dl

Diabetes: greater than 125mg/dl

Because symptoms can be mild, diabetes is often detected when a person suffers a problem that is caused by diabetes, such as a heart attack, stroke, neuropathy, poor wound healing or a foot ulcer, certain eye problems, certain fungal infections, or delivering a baby with macrosomia or hypoglycemia.

5. Diabetes Treatment

Effective treatment endeavors to normalize blood glucose and reduce complications using insulin replacement, diet and exercise. For those with very mild diabetes, diet plus weight loss plus exercise may be enough to keep blood glucose within reasonable levels.

Dietary changes should focus on the ideas of weight loss and blood sugar regulation by keeping the blood sugar levels relatively stable throughout the day, avoiding big peaks or troughs.

The principal treatment of type 1 diabetes, even from its earliest stages, is replacement of insulin combined with careful monitoring of blood glucose levels using blood testing monitors.

Type 2 diabetes may require oral anti-diabetic drugs to stimulate body insulin production and increase insulin sensitivity. Various forms of natural supplements for diabetes treatment have also been postulated as effective.

People with unstable diabetes, or those requiring many injections a day, may benefit from an insulin pump which is worn on the body and delivers a continuous infusion of insulin via a needle implanted into the body.

Gestational diabetes is fully treatable but requires careful medical supervision throughout the pregnancy. Even though it may be transient, untreated gestational diabetes can damage the health of the fetus or the mother.

Treatment for all forms of diabetes need not significantly impair normal activities, if sufficient patient training, awareness, appropriate care, discipline in testing and dosing of insulin is taken

6. Complications

Diabetes mellitus is the most common cause of adult kidney failure worldwide in the developed world. If undetected or poorly controlled, diabetes can lead to blindness, kidney failure, lower limb amputation, heart attack, stroke and impotence.

Diabetes Risk for Men

Diabetes Risk for Men

Men with diabetes face several health concerns, including increased risk of heart attacks and strokes and impotence (not being able to have or keep an erection).

Above the age of 50, the likelihood of having difficulties with an erection occurs in approximately 50-60% of men with diabetes. In men over 70, 90% have erectile dysfunction problems (link to diabetes and ED page)

Diagnosed and controlled, diabetes can be successfully managed to minimise its impact on health and well being. You can prevent or delay diabetes complications like damage to eye sight and nerve damage to fingers and toes. However many men do not realise they suffer from the disease. Around one third of the men with diabetes are not aware of their illness.

Diabetes Signs and Symptoms

If you find yourself with any of the following symptoms, it is important you visit your doctor or health practitioner and get tested for diabetes:
• feeling tired
• frequent urination (especially at night)
• being very thirsty
• weight loss
• blurry eyesight
• recurring skin, gum, or bladder infections
• sores that heal slowly
• dry, itchy skin
• loss of feeling or tingling in your feet

Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes

There are different kinds of diabetes:
• Type 1 diabetes is usually first diagnosed in children, teenagers, or young adults.
• Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. People can develop it at any age, but it is often diagnosed in later life and is commonly found in men who are over weight and do little exercise.

What is Diabetes?

Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose (sugar) for our bodies to use for energy. The pancreas makes insulin, which helps sugar get into the cells. When you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use the insulin it does make. This causes sugar to build up in your blood. Over the years, high blood sugar leads to problems like heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney disease, nerve problems, gum infections, and amputations.

Diabetes-Related Problems in Men

Men with diabetes suffer more from some diabetes-related health problems than women. The American Diabetes Association reports that:
• In people who develop diabetes before the age of 30, men develop retinopathy (a vision disorder that can lead to blindness) more quickly than women.
• Having the main symptoms of peripheral vascular disease (pain in the thigh, calf, or buttocks during exercise) is linked to a two- to three-fold increased risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, or cardiac failure in men with diabetes.
• Amputation rates from diabetes-related problems are 1.4 to 2.7 times higher in men than women with diabetes.

“Beer Pot” Belly Equals High Diabetes Risk

Overall obesity, measured by high body mass index (BMI) and a “beer pot” belly, measured by a large waist circumference, both accurately predict the risk of type 2 diabetes in men, but abdominal obesity appears to be the better predictor, new research shows.*
Both BMI and waist circumference are useful for assessing health but waist circumference can indicate a strong risk for diabetes whether or not a man is considered overweight or obese according to his BMI, researchers said.
As waist circumference increased, so did the risk of developing diabetes, with the risk in men with the highest waist circumference (up to 158 centimeters) increasing by 12 times.
The study findings also suggest that the currently recommended cutoff for high waist circumference of 102 cm (40 inches) for men may need to be lowered to 95 cm.
Many of the men who developed type 2 diabetes had measurements lower than the cutoff and the risk associated with the waist circumference increased at a much lower level than previously thought.

Sleeping Too Much Or Too Little Increases Diabetes Risk

Men who sleep too much or too little are at an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, according to a study by the New England Research Institutes in collaboration with Yale School of Medicine researchers.
Six to eight hours of sleep was found to be most healthy.
In contrast, men who reported they slept between five and six hours per night were twice as likely to develop diabetes and men who slept more than eight hours per night were three times as likely to develop diabetes. Previous data have shown similar results in women.
The elevated risks remained after adjustment for age, hypertension, smoking status, self-rated health status and education.
Too little sleep appears to produce metabolic disturbances like decreased carbohydrate tolerance, insulin resistance, and lower levels of the hormone leptin leading to obesity. The mechanisms by which long sleep duration increase diabetes risk requires further investigation.

You Can Delay or Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

When you take steps to prevent diabetes, you also lower your risk for heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness, and amputation.
Small changes in your lifestyle can make a difference.
They include:
• Getting 30 minutes of physical activity five days a week and losing 5 to 7 percent of your body weight.
• To help you lose weight, choose low-fat foods and foods high in fiber.
• Cut down on fat and cholesterol by having low-fat dairy products, lean cuts of meat, fish, poultry, fruits, and vegetables.
• Limit foods high in salt and sugar.

Know Your Risks That Can Lead to Type 2 Diabetes

It’s important to find out early if you have type 2 diabetes or if you are at risk of developing it. To find out if you’re at risk, check off each item that applies to you.
• I am overweight or obese. (Obesity is measured with a body mass index (BMI), which shows the relationship of weight to height.)
• I have a parent, brother, or sister with diabetes.
• My family background is African American, American Indian, Asian American, Latino, Maori or Pacific Islander.
• I have high blood pressure.
• My cholesterol is not normal. My HDL or “good” cholesterol is less than 50 or my triglycerides are 250 or higher.
• I am not very active. I exercise less than three times each week.

Talk to your doctor or health care practitioner about the risks that you checked off. If you are age 45 or older, also talk about getting tested for Type 2 diabetes. If your test result is normal, you should then be tested every three years. People younger than age 45 who are overweight or obese and checked off any of the items above should also talk about getting tested for diabetes
* SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, March 2005.

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