Obesity, cause, treatment and complication

Developing Gestational Diabetes during pregnancy carries a 15 to 60 percent chance of developing Non-Insulin Dependent (Type II) after pregnancy within a 5 to15 year period of time.  It is important to determine the significant risk factors that lead to Type II diabetes as this disease has reached epidemic proportions around the world.  From 1994 to 2002, the incidence of gestational diabetes doubled to now involve 7 percent of pregnancies.  This has an increased  maternal and neonatal morbidity which includes but is not limited to elevated blood pressure, preeclampsia, eclampsia, placental abruption, maternal kidney disease, increased susceptibility to premature delivery, increased incidence of C-sections, uterine infection, bacteria in the blood, maternal death, fetal macrosomia (large infant) hypoglycemia of the infant, prematurity of the lungs even late in the third trimester, increased risk or neonatal infection, hyperbilirubenemia, intrauterine fetal death, and perinatal mortality. 

By knowing the risk factors that lead to a higher incidence of gestational diabetes, there is hope to be able to prevent them before, during, or after the pregnancy in order to reduce the complications mentioned above associated with the immediate problems with gestational diabetes.

When patients are diagnosed with Non-insulin dependent diabetes, there are a host of complications and risk factors that occur:  increased risk of heart, peripheral vascular, kidney, eye, and neurologic diseases such as heart attacks, angina, pain in legs when walking (claudication , kidney failure,  blindness, stroke, transient ischemic attack, loss of balance when walking and unable to feel feet due to peripheral nerve damage.

Several  studies show three factors  that lead to highest risk for women developing Type II diabetes after having gestational diabetes in pregnancy:

1) BMI  (Basal Metabolic Index) > 27

 Patients have a 4 to 8 fold chance of developing Type II diabetes whose BMI is greater than 27

2) Developing gestational diabetes before 24 weeks gestation

 Patients who develop gestational diabetes after 24 weeks have less chance of developing Type II diabetes.  The fetal placenta is responsible for abnormal glucose intolerance after 24 weeks 

3) Use of insulin to control the blood sugars in pregnancy

Insulin  use in pregnancy means  the mother has less ability to produce an adequate amount of insulin during stress (excessive sugar loads, viral or bacterial infections, ect.)

Measures must be in place to prevent, reduce, and or treat each risk factor.

Regarding prevention, reduction, or treating a BMI of greater than 27 requires a comprehensive approach  involving  psychological, environmental, nutritional, and exercise.

1)  Eating minimal amounts of calories is noted to increase longevity. This is because obesity leads to chronic diseases such as cancer, hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis. One must learn to eat frequent small meals. Eating 5 to 7 small meals throughout the day will increase the metabolism by 10 to 12 percent. Increasing the portion of protein and reducing the amount of carbohydrates will reduce insulin demand that is needed to metabolize sugars in the body.  Patients must reduce breads, pasta, and sweets.  Patients must increase fiber intake, brown rice, sweet potatoes, nuts, and non-starchy vegetables.

2) Exercise. One must engage is some form of exercise 30 minutes to 1 hour a day.  Swimming, walking, riding bicycles, stationary bicycle, treadmill, weightlifting, rowing, stair climber, etc, are examples of exercises that will build muscle and help increase the uptake of sugars into muscle which in turn decreases the demand for insulin and reduces glucose resistance.   Increase in one pound of muscle leads to an increase of 50 calories a day being burned.  

3) Supplements  known to increase glucose utilization in diets.

a. Cinnamon

b. Bitter melon

c. Cane sugar

d. Alpha Lipoic Acid

e. Chromium Piccolinate

In summary, Type II diabetes leads to serious illness and disease left untreated.   Gestational Diabetes during pregnancy predicts a high incidence of developing Type II Diabetes within a few years.  Knowing the risk factors that lead to Type II diabetes after Gestational Diabetes and the ways to reduce or prevent these factors from occurring, will help to reduce the incidence of this detrimental disease.

What is the cause?  How do we prevent and treat it?

Non-Insulin dependent or Type II diabetes has reached epidemic proportions around the world.  Over 50% of the population that has this disease does not know they are affected.  Elevated blood sugars over a long period of time begin to effect bodily organs; including the heart, kidneys, eyes, liver, and peripheral vasculature and nerves.  There is a increase in heart disease (angina, heart attack), stroke, blindness, fatty liver, kidney failure, lack of circulation to the lower extremities leading to gangrene and amputation of the lower limbs, and decrease pressure and pain sensation of lower extremities due to peripheral nerve damage.  There can also be pain in the extremities due to nerve damage.

Immediate initiatives must be taken to treat high blood sugars.  Normal blood sugar control occurs due to secretion of insulin by pancreatic Beta cells.  Type 2 diabetes is caused by an inadequate amount of insulin being released, and insulin resistance.  Insulin works by attaching to receptors (special areas on the surface of the cell) on muscle and fat cells.  Glucose is picked up and transported inside where it is utilized for energy.  Patients with Type 2 diabetes are not able to transport the glucose into the cell.  This is called “insulin resistance”.  There are many theories to why this occurs.  What we do know is the following:

1) Type II diabetes is related to obesity.  Obesity has increased astronomically in the past 10 years.  As obesity has increased, so has the diagnosis of Type II diabetes.

2) Weight loss decreases level of blood sugars.

3) Decreasing fat intake reduces the amount of glucose in the blood

4) Exercising increases a certain protein in muscle that causes the cells to increase their uptake of glucose into the muscle cell which decreases blood sugars

Let’s briefly take a look at fat intake as a factor leading to insulin resistance.  A single human cell is made of many parts which carry out their specific responsibility in keeping the body alive and functioning properly. When a certain part of the cell stops functioning properly, the cell will eventually die.  Not only does this process affect one cell, it can do so in all the cells of the body thus resulting in death. All cells need glucose for energy which are necessary for the body to maintain strength, fight bacterial and viral infections, produce blood, live, breath, move, detoxify and excrete waste from the body.  Mitochondria are the specific portion of the cell that is important to convert glucose into the forms of energy that the body needs to live.  There are times when glucose is not available and the mitochondria use  fat cells to produce energy for the body.  This way of producing energy burns a lot more calories and takes more work in order to produce the same amount of energy than by utilizing glucose.  Under normal circumstances when  glucose is available, the mitochondria  prefer utilizing  it.  In Type II diabetes, the mitochondria continue to use fat as an energy source and not glucose.  There seems to be a “signal” that the mitochondria sends  to the surface of cells to prevent them from taking up glucose.  There is plenty of insulin, but the signal that the mitochondria sends out in the presence of fat cells over rides the presence of insulin.  This is the “insulin resistance”  that is seen and  the glucose level in the blood increases.  With the higher amount of energy and work that it takes for the mitochondria to produce energy by utilizing fat, they burn themselves out (stop working properly)

Type II diabetes can be treated in its early stages by exercise, decreasing carbohydrate and fat intake.  If the excess excretion of insulin does not decrease, and there is not a decrease in the mitochondria burning fat to produce energy, the Beta cells of the pancreas, and the mitochondria will eventually die.  This is when insulin will be required to control the blood sugars, organ failure will occur, resulting in death.

It is my hope that everyone will be screened for abnormal elevation of their blood sugars and that preventive measures will start today to reduce or prevent the detrimental complications that occur with this disease.

Approximately 7% of women that carry a pregnancy to term develop Gestational Diabetes during pregnancy. The incidence of Gestational Diabetes doubled from 1992 to 2004.  No one understands why this has occurred except that the incidence of obesity increased tremendously during this same period of time.  Type II diabetes has a incidence of developing between 15 to 60 percent 5 to 15 years after patients have had gestational diabetes.  The three risk factors that indicate who will develop Type II diabetes are 1) BMI >27, 2) developing gestational diabetes before 24 weeks gestation, and 3) the use of insulin or not during pregnancy.

Sugars not controlled during pregnancy can lead to fetal abnormalities, fetal macrosomia (large fetus), hypoglycemia (low blood sugars), hyperbilirubinemia (elevated bilirubin) which can cause damage to the infant’s brain, and pulmonary ( lung) immaturity.  These problems are reduced tremendously when blood sugars are kept under control.

Normally the way sugars are kept under control are diet, exercise, insulin, and glyburide.  There are other alternative treatments that show promise and have minimal side effects:

1) Cinnamon

2) Chromium Piccolinate

3) Bitter Melon

4) Cane Sugar

5) Alpha Lipoic Acid

Today we are going to discuss Cinnamon.  Cinnamon has been shown to decrease glucose significantly in patients.  1 gm, 2 gms, and 6gms of dried Cinnamon has been shown to decrease the fasting glucose by 18 to 30 percent.  It does so by its anti-oxidant effects and increasing the sensitivity of  the insulin receptors located in fat  and muscle cells.  In essence it activates the insulin receptors which allows efficient uptake of glucose into the cells so that it can be stored and metabolized properly.

With Type II diabetes there is an over abundance of insulin floating around and attached to receptors.  For some reason the receptor is not sensitive to the insulin in order to allow sugars to be taken into the cells properly.  This chronic elevated sugar state leads eventually to severe heart, kidney, peripheral nerve, and eye disease.

Dried Cinnamon has no side effects or teratogenic defects on the fetus in the recommended dosages.  When given in extremely high doses in rats, it has been found to cause skeletal and kidney problems including death.

In summary; Cinnamon has been found to decrease fasting glucose significantly dosages ranging from 1 to 6 grams.  With the decrease in the incidence of perinatal and maternal morbidity and mortality due to the significant decrease in maternal sugars, Cinnamon needs further study to determine whether or not it can be used as a first line agent to treat patients with Gestational Diabetes.

Diabetes is a serious and lifelong condition by which maximum people get affected. It is a metabolic disorder which affects the way the body uses the digested food for growth and energy. The chief source of fuel in the body is glucose. As we eat, digestive juices break down the food into a simple sugar and that is known as glucose. Type 1 diabetes mellitus is related with chronic medical condition. It is a condition in which an organ in the abdomen known as pancreas, produces very little or no insulin. Insulin is a hormone which helps our body to absorb and use glucose and other nutrients from food, store fat and build up protein. In the absence of insulin, the level of blood glucose goes on increasing and becomes higher than normal.

For Type 1 diabetic people, regular monitoring and treatment with insulin is necessary. Adjustment in lifestyle, proper treatment and self care are very helpful in controlling the levels of blood sugar. It also reduces the risk of complication which is related with diabetes.

Usually Type 1 diabetes begins in childhood or young adulthood but it may develop at any stage and at any age. People with Type 1 diabetes have an overwhelming and frightening experience. It affects our day to day life.

Usually the cause of type 1 diabetes is related with the condition, when the immune system destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. This is also known as autoimmune response. Usually type 1 diabetes develops in people with a family history of type 1 diabetes. It can also develop in the people with no family history of diabetes. In both the cases the people suffer from this problem that has one or more genes that make them susceptible to the disease. Even sometimes and in some cases type 1 diabetes might trigger the autoimmune response due to environmental factors. These environmental factors may be exposure to certain viruses and foods early in life.

On the basis of symptoms and blood test the diagnosis of diabetes is done. Some of the important symptoms of diabetes –

1. Losing weight
2. Feeling tired
3. Excessive thirst
4. Needing to urinate frequently
5. Blurred vision

The basic therapy for type 1 diabetes is the daily intake of insulin injection. Intake of insulin injections must be managed and balanced with proper and suitable meals. For the patients of type 1 diabetes, daily activities as well as frequent blood testing is necessary to monitor the level of blood glucose.

Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic anarchy in which the body does not respond to the possessions of the hormone insulin. It’s also known as insulin resistance. In addition to this, some people with type 2 diabetes also may not generate sufficient amounts of insulin in the pancreas.

The role of insulin is to assist movement of sugar (glucose) from the bloodstream into the body’s cells, where it’s used for energy. Insulin also helps the liver to store surplus glucose. When the body cannot process and use glucose appropriately, the body’s cells do not get the energy they need. Medically, this is known as incapability to metabolize glucose, which results in a peculiarly high level of glucose in the blood, called hyperglycemia.

Type 2 diabetes often develops gradually from a condition called prediabetes, and symptoms may not appear for years. Symptoms can comprise of excessive thirst, which develops because of hyperglycemia, or high levels of glucose in the blood, it acts as a sponge to pull fluid out of the body’s tissues. This leads to sunstroke and extreme thirst as well as repeated urination. This pulls fluid away from the eyes, resulting in blurred vision.

As the body’s cells aren’t able to get the glucose they need for energy, people with type 2 diabetes may feel tired and weary. Without the appropriate energy supply for the cells, people with type 2 diabetes may feel very hungry, and weight loss may effect because the body has to use other sources for energy, such as burning muscle and fat supplies. High level of sugar in the blood makes it more difficult for the body to defy and fight infection and to heal, resulting in recurrent infections, especially skin infections and open, slow healing sores.

High amount of glucose in the blood can also pilot to coma, hyperosmolar hyperglycemic nonketotic syndrome, and shock. Over time hyperglycemia damages the body’s blood vessels, foremost to serious long-term complications, such as diabetic retinopathy, kidney failure, and blindness, kidney failure, serious skin infections, gangrene, cardiovascular disease, stroke, peripheral neuropathy, disability, and death.

The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Type 2 diabetes includes the 27 symptoms listed below –

No early symptoms – many people have Type 2 diabetes without knowing it

Early mild symptoms – from moderate blood sugars (which are dangerous and lead to serious complications) –
1. Skin rashes
2. Skin infections
3. Athlete’s foot
4. Poor skin healing
5. Urinary tract infections
6. Candida
7. Thrush
8. Dry itchy skin
9. Flaky skin
10. Skin ulcers
11. Peripheral neuropathy
12. Paresthesias
13. Foot tingling
14. Foot numbness
15. Hand tingling
16. Hand numbness
17. Blurred vision
18. Sexual problems
19. Erectile failure
20. Unusual vaginal dryness v 21. Premature menopause
22. Absent periods
23. Poor healing – any type of difficulty in healing of minor infections, injury or after surgery.
24. Weight loss
25. Weight gain
26. Drowsiness
27. Malaise

There is no room for play when dealing with serious conditions like diabetes. The right treatment should be taken right away in case that you find out that you suffer from this disease. Leave it untreated and it will lead to some very serious consequences, such as developing other health related conditions or even aggravated diabetes. So it is really important to keep these aspects in mind and go see a doctor if you think there may be something wrong with you. There are still people out there who do not even know they have diabetes, all this because they do not check with their doctor once in a while. You must be motivated enough to keep your good health the way you want it, just doing nothing is not enough! Just think that you double the chances of getting a heart related disease if you even have pre-diabetes, which is just the first stage! It is very important to maintain a healthy eating routine, so that you consume little fat, salt and so on. So keep in mind that the right treatment is advised in the event that you are diagnosed with diabetes. Keep reading and find out about the types of diabetes and how you can treat diabetes the right way.

The first type of diabetes is Type 1. There are two types actually, Type 1 and Type 2. The Type 1 is sometimes known as Juvenile Diabetes because it oftentimes occurs early in a person’s life. It is caused by the fact that, for some reason, the body is unable to produce a sufficient quantity of insulin. Insulin represents a hormone which is responsible for clearing away and reducing the glucose from your blood, by moving glucose into the cells of the body (for example, the muscles) to provide your cells with the glucose and energy they need. The insufficient insulin level which occurs in Type 1 diabetes is caused by the immune system, destroying whatever cells are producing insulin (located in your pancreas). The cells that are used to create the insulin are actually named beta cells, located in the pancreas. It is when the glucose remains in your blood, instead of getting inside the cells, that the serious problems of diabetes occur.

The second type of diabetes (Type 2 diabetes), represents a different metabolic disorder caused by the fact that, like Type 1 diabetes, the body is not able to produce enough (or even use) insulin. This is a very common form of diabetes; about 90% of the diabetes patients out there suffer from this type. This disorder does not happen overnight like others, but it builds up over time and it usually hits you in your adult years. This is why it is so important to take regular annual diabetes tests! You could be suffering from a low-level type of diabetes (called prediabetes which eventually leads to full blown diabetes) and you do not even know it, and if you leave it untreated, it will develop into Type 2 diabetes, which is the last and most serious form of diabetes. There are many forms of treatment out there, but the most common and used treatment (only as a final resort, if changes in diet, exercise and body weight loss doesn’t work) is the administration of insulin into your system.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2005, globally there are approximately 1.6 billion adults are overweight or overweight and 400 million are considered obese. In 2015 cases of obesity is predicted to increase two times higher than that figure. Do not underestimate obesity because, according to new studies at the University of Oslo in Norway, 21 percent of 424,500 adults in Asia, Australia and New Zealand who are overweight are at risk of dying from cancer than people with normal weight.

To avoid obesity, of course, needed a healthy diet. Although you have managed to implement the diet but what’s the point if you can not maintain it? A new study from Denmark suggested that you eat more high protein and low in refined carbohydrates or now better known as the low-glycemic index (GI). Bread wheat is an example of a low-GI foods are best for your consumption.

 What is glycemic index (GI)?

According to Drs. Thomas Meinert Larsen, co-author of this Danish study, in the New England Journal of Medicine, glycemic index (GI) is a measure of the ability of carbohydrates to raise blood sugar, anything that contains a low-GI can cause increased blood sugar run slower.

Larsen believes that a strong filling effect and regulation of blood sugar more balanced may be the reason why food with high protein and low-GI weight loss can make better controlled after implementing the diet.

The study involved 938 adults with body mass index (BMI) on average by 34, which is considered as obese. There are 773 people from these numbers have been successfully implementing the early stages of weight loss well. After that they were assigned to one of five weight-maintenance plan is different:

   1. Low-protein diet (13% of energy) and high GI
   2. Diets low in protein and low-GI
   3. High-protein diet (25% of energy) and low-GI
   4. Diets high in protein and high GI
   5. Control group, where they do not get the special diet assignment

The results showed that the GI has an important role here, the people who follow diets low in protein or with a high GI have gained back more weight than people who follow the way of maintenance with low-GI diet.

There is great controversy about the role of glycemic index in general and treatment of obesity in particular. However, this study provides strong evidence to support the importance of the concept of low glycemic index. In essence, the way is simply to replace foods that contain lower carbohydrate, and which importantly is not to make carbonated beverages are the only food that you eat at that time.

You can add your healthy diet with foods containing high protein and vegetables. High protein here is not in the form of large pieces of ribs for 16 ounces, or a very high protein foods such as popularized in several low-carb diet products, but more directed to high protein foods and beverages are natural like yogurt without feeling low in fat and high in protein , low-fat cheese, a small piece of meat and chicken, or turkey fried with vegetables and pasta wheat.

The Insulin Hormone is produced by the pancreas gland. In the pancreas gland contains about 100,000 of the island and every island of Langerhans contain beta-100 cells.

By beta-cell insulin hormone is produced, where beta cells can be likened to a key that can open the entrance of glucose into the cell. For later in the cell, glucose is metabolized into electric energy.

If the insulin hormone does not exist, then the glucose can not enter the cell with the result glucose stays in the blood vessels which means blood glucose level in blood increases.

Conversely, in addition to beta cells, there is also the alpha cells produce glucagon which has a function that works the opposite of the insulin hormone, which increase blood glucose levels.

In these circumstances the body often become weak due to the absence of energy sources within the cell. This is the most vulnerable place in diabetes mellitus type.

There is a misconception that people who are just stressed out losing weight. Even when people lose weight when stressed out to do, the opposite is also true. Some people gain weight when they feel stressed. In this article we will discuss how to discharge the burden of high blood pressure and diabetes, and how to prevent or control can. Blood Pressure Even if people many answers if you asked, does “stress cause high blood pressure?” The fact of the matter, may not cause stress (HBP), but it has to raise your heart beat, because your body produces a flood of stress hormones that temporarily cause your heart beat faster too. You can look to headache, dizziness or blurred. The people do not seek medical care until they have the symptoms of the organ damage caused by chronic long-term high blood pressure. Some of these organ damage from chronic hypertension, ischemic heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, eye damage with loss of vision, and peripheral arterial occlusive disease. To reduce your chance (HBP), try getting much sleep. If you do not sleep enough, you may seem Your worst problems than they really are. Try to exercise as well. Make sure only the consent of your doctor before you start a new program. Exercise is a stress-reduction, the activity can actually lower your systolic blood pressure by as much as 50-10 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). Diabetes as a diabetic, both physical and mental stress to your blood sugar levels can swing out of control very quickly. Some symptoms include increased fatigue, unusual weight loss, frequent urination, excessive thirst, and etc. If you are stressed, increase blood sugar levels. Adrenaline and cortisol stress hormones that increase blood sugar levels usually when you need it the most. They are needed most, when you are in any kind of danger. But the way we react to certain situations often cause the same reaction. The best prevention of diabetes is to educate yourself as much as you can. One of the first thing you know, if you already have diabetes, should be to find out what type you are. Example, if you type 1 diabetes are ill, you must take insulin every day, formally called juvenile diabetes, this type is less common. Type 2 diabetes occurs most often controlled and usually by diet and physical activity. Most people also have to take tablets or insulin to control it. Many people with type 2 diabetes have no symptoms and do not know they have diabetes. People who are in danger of people who are working or have high blood pressure, are African American, Latino, Asian American or Pacific Islander, or American Indian. No matter what you’re in the third stage, you should take that very seriously and do what ever you can prevent or control.

Noted a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association published that Type 2 diabetics who were treated with low dose aspirin, it was found no significant reduction in the antherosclerotic events, also known as hardening of the arteries and clotting known, although they looked over the age of 65 with heart disease and type 2 diabetes, a reduction in the incidence antherosclerotic.Die American Diabetes Association (ADA) reports that the development of diabetes means more than just the management of insulin levels, but it requires dealing with potential risks such as heart disease, heart failure and stroke. need by the ADA, “People with diabetes also manage blood pressure and cholesterol and talk to their health provider about other ways to get their chance for heart attacks and strokes reduced.”

What Cardiovascular disease is occurring? cardiovascular disease, for many reasons, but often leads to heart failure, which, if the blood appears to pulmonary veins in the back, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). There are a number of diseases and conditions associated with cardiovascular disease, including:

*  arrhythmia

*  cardiac rehabilitation

*  cholesterol

*  congenital heart defects

*  Diabetes

*  heart attack

*  heart failure

*  high blood pressure

*  obesity

*  peripheral arterial occlusive disease

In addition, there are several signs and symptoms, that respect people, type 2 diabetes should have, as it may be the development of heart failure related to their diabetes or other heart diseases:

* Shortness of breath

* Persistent cough or wheezing

*  edema

* tiredness / fatigue

*  nausea

*  confusion, impaired thinking

* Increased heart rate

The treatment of diabetes type 2 diabetes is when the body does or does not produce enough insulin to supply the blood sugar as well known around the body with energy. A small selection of type 2 diabetes drugs for prescription purposes include:

*  Actos Avandia

*  However, there are a number of type 2 diabetes drug side effects that may occur. One such drug is reputed as Byetta, exenatide by Amylin Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly, which has been associated with serious risks for type 2 diabetes patients, bekannt.Byetta has caused pancreatitis in patients. This form of consumption Byetta for their condition may need to consult medical attention or talk to their doctor about the potential risks of the drug with side effects. It can also contact an attorney for a patient to develop pharmaceutical litigation or class action can Byetta.