Saturday, February 27, 2010

Preventing Gestational Diabetes While Pregnant

Gestational diabetes is a disorder that affects about two to seven percent of pregnant women. It is a pregnancy complication that be dangerous to the mother and the unborn baby. Preventing this pregnancy complication is possible through diet and exercise.
Signs of Gestational Diabetes
This pregnancy complication happens when the pancreas is unable to produce insulin, or produce it properly. It generally occurs in the fifth or sixth month of pregnancy, and generally disappears soon after delivery. The following are signs of gestational diabetes:
* Excessive weight gain
* Excessive hunger or thirst
* Excessive urination
* Recurring vaginal infections
This pregnancy complication is generally diagnosed after a pregnant woman is given a glucose tolerance test between weeks 24 to 28 of pregnancy. This involves drinking a glucose solution, and having blood drawn an hour afterwards. The blood is analyzed to see if the glucose level is above a certain amount.
Women who have a family history of diabetes, or who have had gestational diabetes in previous pregnancies are at higher disk for developing it. Those who are obese or who have sugar in their urine are also at higher risk.
Treating and Preventing Gestational Diabetes Through Diet and Exercise
There are a variety of dietary things that you can do to either treat or prevent this pregnancy complication:
* Do not skip meals. Doing so will throw off your blood sugar levels, which will ultimately affect your insulin levels.
* Eat small, frequent meals throughout the day. Between five to six smaller sized meals, spaced out about 2 to 3 hours apart is good for stabilizing your blood sugar levels, and for keeping your metabolism working efficiently.
* Eliminate refined sugar and simple carbohydrates from your diet. These are absorbed quickly into your bloodstream and cause blood sugars to rise rapidly.
* Eat foods high in fiber. Doing so will slow the absorption of sugar into your bloodstream and help stabilize blood sugar levels.
* Limit sweets.
* Exercise regularly. Exercising at a moderate intensity level three times per week decreases blood sugar levels. It also burns calories and offsets excessive weight gain, which can directly effect the onset of gestational diabetes.
It is much better to prevent than treat gestational diabetes. If possible, try to follow these guidelines starting at pre-conception, and follow through during your entire pregnancy.
Lisa has been writing articles for many years. Come visit her latest website at http://www.doublejoggingstrollersreview.com, which reviews the best double jogging strollers, and great deals on these items.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lisa_Simonelli_Rennie

Symptoms of the Onset of Diabetes

The most common symptoms of onset diabetes are well known among medical researchers and doctors. But these common symptoms can be misleading due to the fact that these symptoms also appear in diseases other than diabetes.
The common symptoms of onset diabetes are excessive urination, dramatic weight loss in a short period time, extreme thirstiness, sudden bouts of impaired or blurred vision, and a constant feeling of listlessness and no energy. These are the common signs, but just because you do not have any of these symptoms does not mean that are protected from the disease.

When a person has this illness, it means that his body cannot regulate the amount of glucose in his blood stream. This means that either his body is not making enough insulin to convert the glucose into energy. Or the body is producing enough insulin, but for some reason the body is not able to make use of the insulin. In either case, the end result is that the body ends up with too much glucose in the bloodstream. Extended periods of too much blood glucose is bad for the body. It can cause drastic shocks to the system as well as the gradual shutting down of the body organs of the body.

The symptoms of the disease are recognized at different points for the two main types of diabetes. For type 1 or juvenile diabetes, although there is no definitive age, these symptoms usually start to show up around the age of 14 or so. For "adult" onset diabetes or type two diabetes, the symptoms - if they appear at all, normally begin to show up in the early twenties. It is worth noting, however, that type two diabetes is showing up earlier and earlier in the population. This is primarily due to the fact that it is basically triggered by diet and obesity. And as the American diet seems to get worse every year, teenagers get fatter each year, and the incidences of this disease increases every year.

Most of the aforementioned symptoms of onset diabetes are signs that can be observed either by careful observation or sight. But there are medical symptoms as well. For example, obesity - especially in those with pear shaped bodies - has a very close correlation to diabetes. High blood pressure is another medical condition that has a high correlation to diabetes. High fat levels in the blood is yet another symptom that diabetes may be present. And there are many others as well. Again, the presence of any of these symptoms does not indicate diabetes - but the presence of any of them, and especially the presence of more than one of them, is a sign that you should probably have your doctor test for diabetes.

As mentioned before, some people with illness do not manifest any obvious symptoms. That is why it is good to periodically have your blood sugar tested during your physical. This is especially true if you have a family history of diabetes or if you fall into any of the high risk groups that are known to be susceptible to the disease.

Alice Saracho writes about nutrition and news related to diabetes such as type two diabetes diet and american diabetes foundation. Please visit her website for more articles.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alice_Saracho

Preventing Gestational Diabetes While Pregnant

Gestational diabetes is a disorder that affects about two to seven percent of pregnant women. It is a pregnancy complication that be dangerous to the mother and the unborn baby. Preventing this pregnancy complication is possible through diet and exercise.
Signs of Gestational Diabetes
This pregnancy complication happens when the pancreas is unable to produce insulin, or produce it properly. It generally occurs in the fifth or sixth month of pregnancy, and generally disappears soon after delivery. The following are signs of gestational diabetes:
* Excessive weight gain
* Excessive hunger or thirst
* Excessive urination
* Recurring vaginal infections
This pregnancy complication is generally diagnosed after a pregnant woman is given a glucose tolerance test between weeks 24 to 28 of pregnancy. This involves drinking a glucose solution, and having blood drawn an hour afterwards. The blood is analyzed to see if the glucose level is above a certain amount.
Women who have a family history of diabetes, or who have had gestational diabetes in previous pregnancies are at higher disk for developing it. Those who are obese or who have sugar in their urine are also at higher risk.
Treating and Preventing Gestational Diabetes Through Diet and Exercise
There are a variety of dietary things that you can do to either treat or prevent this pregnancy complication:
* Do not skip meals. Doing so will throw off your blood sugar levels, which will ultimately affect your insulin levels.
* Eat small, frequent meals throughout the day. Between five to six smaller sized meals, spaced out about 2 to 3 hours apart is good for stabilizing your blood sugar levels, and for keeping your metabolism working efficiently.
* Eliminate refined sugar and simple carbohydrates from your diet. These are absorbed quickly into your bloodstream and cause blood sugars to rise rapidly.
* Eat foods high in fiber. Doing so will slow the absorption of sugar into your bloodstream and help stabilize blood sugar levels.
* Limit sweets.
* Exercise regularly. Exercising at a moderate intensity level three times per week decreases blood sugar levels. It also burns calories and offsets excessive weight gain, which can directly effect the onset of gestational diabetes.
It is much better to prevent than treat gestational diabetes. If possible, try to follow these guidelines starting at pre-conception, and follow through during your entire pregnancy.
Lisa has been writing articles for many years. Come visit her latest website at http://www.doublejoggingstrollersreview.com, which reviews the best double jogging strollers, and great deals on these items.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lisa_Simonelli_Rennie

Garlic Helps Beat Diabetes Naturally - Control Blood Sugar

Well documented facts of how garlic helps the diabetic by improving blood sugar control, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, and other vascular risk factors makes it an important part of the control of diabetes. It really is a wonder drug that is cheap and plentiful.

The best way to get the benefits of garlic is to use it liberally in your cooking. Getting the taste for garlic has more benefits then I can list in this article. Once you develop your eating habits around garlic, you will not cook without it.

If you would rather get the benefits of garlic in pill form, you will have to watch out to make sure you're getting all the promised results. Manufacturers coat the prepared garlic in such a way that the tablet does not break down until it has passed through the stomach. This is called enteric coating.

There are a couple of things to look for when choosing a garlic product. It is important to make sure the tablet provides a sufficient level of allicin, important for control of blood sugar.

Next, if the quality of the enteric coating is not right, the allicin will not be liberated at the proper time in the small intestine. 75% of the tested brands of garlic tablets on the market released less than 10% of their label claim of allicin.

The studies showing a positive effect of garlic tablets are those that deliver a sufficient dosage of allicin.

There are two brands that use the USP method to ensure label claims for allicin potential. Garlicin {Nature's Way} and Garlic Factors {Natural Factors}. I recommend one of these two brands if you want to see results.

To learn more about the control of diabetes, visit Diabetic Help Page.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Demusz

Friday, February 26, 2010

3 Easily Digestive Foods For Diabetics

Balancing the blood sugar level is most important for the diabetic. Imbalance in blood sugar can lead to multiple problems like blindness, loss of limbs and even death. However one good thing is that though diabetes cannot be completely cured, it can be controlled. Eating a rich and balanced diet can help treatment of diabetes immensely.

Food Selection

Diabetes control is not only dependent on the medicine intake but more on the food habits and use of food. Indigestion can create major hazards for the diabetic patients and rich food can be one of the major causes for indigestion. It is therefore extremely essential that a patient suffering from diabetes takes only such food that is easily digestible.

Food 1 - Favorable Carbohydrates

Some of the important foods that are easily digestible and also have nutritional values are beans, vegetables, fruits, and grains. Foods like oats, grapes, cereals, peaches, whole grains, apricots, legumes, oranges, apples, peas, lentils, dried beans, and leafy vegetables are very good for diabetic patient. While some of them are carbohydrates that are really supposed to be dispensed with for diabetic condition, these carbohydrates are good for the diabetic due to their complex formation. These are rich in fiber and fibers are not digested in the body. Simply passing through the digestive system, these carbohydrates keeps the stomach filled up, reduce appetite, and reduce blood sugar and cholesterol. With fiber in the body, the total digestion process is considerably slowed down on turn slowing down the absorption of carbohydrates. Moreover these complex carbohydrates are rich in nutritional levels. On the other hand, simple carbohydrates burn out quickly causing the sugar level rise instantly.

Food 2 - Fish, Eggs, and Poultry Products

Like Carbohydrate, protein is very important source of nutrition and energy. It slows down the absorption of insulin in the body and thus prevents quick drops in blood sugar. Therefore it is very important for a patient taking sugar preventive medicines to eat some of these items on a regular basis to prevent the sudden drop in blood sugar level. Eggs, fish, and poultry products are better than red meat that immediately spikes blood sugar. Fish oil also prevents hardening of arteries that often occur in case of diabetics. Only precaution is to keep the protein level to 20-30% of the total calorie intake per day.

Food 3 - Essential Fats

While saturated fats and Trans fats are bad for diabetes, there are some essential fats that can give nourishment without harming the patient. Omega 3 and Omega 6 fats provide slow digestion, lower cholesterol, and lower blood pressure without affecting the blood sugar level either way significantly. Corn, olive oil, avocado, corn oil, salmon, and almonds can provide such fats that are good instead of being injurious to health of the diabetes patient.

Controlling blood sugar levels is an art. If you want to be an expert in it, you should know the full details in Diets for Diabetics AND Snacks for Diabetics.

Murali is the author of this article. This article can be used for reprint on your website provided all the links in the article should be complete and active.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Murali_V

Normal Blood Sugar Levels - What Are They?

The importance of normal blood sugar levels is related to the prevention of the complications of diabetes. If your blood sugar (glucose) level is not within the ideal or normal blood glucose range you can begin to experience short-term and long-term problems.

Short-term problems include high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) and low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). Long-term problems include blindness, kidney disease, heart disease, stroke, impotence, nerve disease and loss of limbs. Nerve disease can affect the feet and legs as numbness, pain or a burning, tingling sensation. Loss of limbs is the result when amputations are needed because of poor circulation, infection or nerve disease.

Normal blood sugar levels depend on when the test was taken. A fasting normal blood glucose level is taken from a person who has not eaten for 8-12 hours. A person who does not have diabetes will have a normal fasting blood glucose level somewhere between 70 and 100 mg/dL. The goal for people with diabetes for a fasting blood glucose level is less than 110 mg/dL or in some cases 120 mg/dL. This is also the goal for normal blood sugar levels just prior to meals.

Blood sugar levels after meals, specifically 2 hours after one starts eating (2 hour postprandial blood glucose level), are less than 140 mg/dL in a person who is not diabetic. Poorly controlled diabetics will often have higher 2 hour postprandial (after meal) blood sugar levels depending upon how much carbohydrate they have consumed, how much insulin they are producing and how responsive their insulin is to the carbohydrate consumed. Other diabetic medications they may be taking and the effectiveness of that medication regimen are also an important factor in controlling blood glucose levels. Your health care team will help you set the blood glucose target range that is right for you. These guidelines apply to many people. Your target range may be higher or lower than these guidelines.

Another test your doctor may run is hemoglobin A1C (Hgb A1C) or sometimes just referred to as A1C. Hemoglobin A1C results give a number followed by a % sign. The test results of a person who is not diabetic will be less than 6%. Good control for a diabetic is often less than 6% as well. The initial goal for a diabetic person is to lower hemoglobin A1C to between 6 and 7%.

Hemoglobin A1C gives a 2 to 3 month perspective of what your blood glucose or blood glucose has been. It basically gives a 2 to 3 month blood glucose average. It gives it in a percentage based upon how many sugar molecules attach to the hemoglobin molecules (2 to 3 month life) in your red blood cells. That percentage then equates to blood glucose ranges. For instance, an A1C level of 6% is equal to a daily glucose testing average between 115 and 150 mg/dL, an A1C level of 7% equates to a daily glucose testing average of 150-180 mg/dL.

In summary, in a person who is not diabetic normal blood sugar levels are considered to be less than 100 mg/dL fasting or before a meal and less than 140 mg/dL 2 hours after the start of a meal. Blood glucose levels of diabetics can run too high causing short-term problems like hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia. Long-term complications can be serious and include blindness and kidney, heart and nerve disease.

Go to Blood Sugar Levels Normal to get free information on diabetes. This website will give you all of the information you need on this topic along with a lot of other diabetes related free information. Don't miss out on this new website if you are looking for more information. Find us at http://BloodSugarLevelsNormal.org/blog/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jo_Trapp

Diabetes Impotence - Cure Diabetes Impotence Before it is Too Late to Reverse It

Unfortunately many men will suffer diabetes impotence before they do something about their blood sugar level. The diabetic has a poison in their bloodstream called glucose. This powerful poison can cut of the circulation in the body. Waiting is the worst things that a diabetic or person with a high blood sugar level can do. The poison in the bloodstream can eventually cut your life short.

Diabetes is a silent killer, it is slowly killing the cells of the pancreas. The sugar in the bloodstream is literally choking the life out the the diabetic. Diabetes impotence is when the poison is cutting of life to the male organ. The bloodstream is coming polluted and it is affecting the circulation. Men may lose the ability to maintain intimacy. They may be able to start but then will not be able to finish. Studies show the body without normal blood sugar levels is aging faster than one with a normal sugar range. Often diabetic medications can cause serious effects that leave the patient in a difficult position between maintaining a normal blood sugar level or risking the medicines side effects.

Each day that the diabetic waits they can lose the use of their toes or their fingers. Often the diabetic will have to have the legs removed due to the poison in the bloodstream. The critical thing that a diabetic must do is find the right diet. The problem is that most diets can do very little. These diets remove sugars and fats but do not heal the root problem. This is why diabetes continues to grow. The good news is that there is diabetes diet by a filmmaker that has been healing people in an amazing way. It is a diet that lower blood sugar and heals the pancreas which is the answer to the problem. You must seek the right diet quickly before the veins in the male organ are permanently damaged. If you have diabetes impotence do not wait take action very fast.

You may click here to see the filmmaker's diet cure that is reversing diabetes impotence

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Collin_Camino