Tell-tale signs of diabetes

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#808080" TEXT="#080000" background="044b8573.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>MEDI-MAIL</B></FONT><B>    </B><B> |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="MEDIMAIL"><B>home</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="jobs26.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Medical Information">Medical Information</A>   |   <A HREF="jobs27.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Swine Flu H1N1">Swine Flu H1N1</A>   |   <A HREF="jobs28.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Childrens health">Childrens health</A>   |   <A HREF="jobs29.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Travel Health">Travel Health</A>   |   <A HREF="jobs2b.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Malaria">Malaria</A>   |   <A HREF="jobs2c.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Vitamins">Vitamins</A>   |   <A HREF="jobs3c.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Doctor will see you now">The Doctor will see you now</A>   |   <A HREF="jobs3d.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="How much water does our body need?">How much water does our body need?</A>   |   <A HREF="jobs39.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Tips">Tips</A>   |   <B>Tell-tale signs of diabetes</B>   |   <A HREF="jobs4a.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="NaturalMedicines">NaturalMedicines</A>   |   <A HREF="jobs4e.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Did You Know...">Did You Know...</A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#808080" TEXT="#080000" background="045d2083.jpg"> <div> <IMG SRC="0925e370.png" border=0 width="94" height="55" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 width="100%" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="04605053.jpg"> <div> <I>Tell-tale signs of diabetes</I></div> <div> "Muffin tops and beer bellies are signs of a syndrome that can lead to type 2 diabetes"</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="0f1fafb0.jpg" border=0 width="250" height="251" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> The name Syndrome X sounds like something from a sci-fi movie - but it is a medical condition that is estimated to affect one in four of us. Left unchecked, this condition can lead to type 2 diabetes, of which there are two million sufferers in this country.</div> <div> So what is Syndrome X - and how can you tell if you have it?</div> <div> Otherwise known as The Metabolic Syndrome or Insulin Resistance Syndrome, it consists of a cluster of risk factors, the main ones including insulin resistance leading to raised blood glucose levels, high blood pres-sure and high cholesterol. Sufferers are almost always overweight.</div> <div> The most easily recognised sign of Syndrome X is the roll of fat around the waist that gives men and women an apple body shape - the notorious beer belly or muffin top.</div> <div> `We don't fully know the processes that make this particular area of fat have an impact on the metabolism,' says Caroline Butler, a specialist nurse and care adviser for Diabetes UK. `But it appears the organs vital to the body's sugar metabolism such as the pancreas, muscles and the liver that lie deep underneath this roll of fat can be become directly affected. `Excess fat in the pancreas may stifle efficient insulin release, whereas excess fat in liver and muscle makes both organs respond less well to insulin than normal, a process termed insulin resistance.</div> <div> `The overall result can be a ten¬dency to slightly raised sugar levels.' Naveed Sattar, professor of meta¬bolic medicine at the University of Glasgow, explains what happens next. 'Although it seems that many individuals can initially cope with this glucose rise by making more insulin, further weight gain and thus further fat in the liver and muscle lead to greater stresses on the pan¬creas to make more insulin.</div> <div> `Eventually the pancreas becomes "exhausted" and glucose levels can then rise sufficiently high to be diagnosed as full-blown type 2 dia-betes. Some patients who cannot keep levels within the normal range using diet or tablets will need insulin injections. Weight gain is the key dri-ver of type 2 diabetes. The waistline is potentially the danger area.'</div> <div> Professor Sattar says we should look to our girths for guidance as waist measurement is now consid-ered a simpler and potentially more accurate indicator of risk than Body</div> <div> Mass Index.</div> <div> `Simple changes in diet and exercise - taking the stairs instead of the lift, for example - can make a big difference, but must be sustained pretty much indefinitely.</div> <div> `Of course, if such changes cannot resolve individual disorders in blood pressure, and risk for heart disease is sufficiently high, then additional drug treatments may be needed and will be prescribed by a GP.'</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="0f2f6680.jpg" border=0 width="246" height="360" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> The tell-tale signs that raise diabetes risk</div> <bR> <div> Here are the most common conditions that are risk factors for type 2 diabetes.</div> <div> •     Your waist measurement is more than 31.5in for women and more than 37in for men.</div> <div> •     Your blood fat (triglyceride) level is high or your HDL-cholesterol (good cholesterol) is low. Unlike LDL cholesterol, which is harmful, HDL carries fats away from the blood stream to the liver where it then passes out of the body. You are diagnosed with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.</div> <div> •     You have hypertension</div> <div> (high blood pressure,</div> <div> over 140/90).</div> <div> •     You have had a heart attack or stroke.</div> <div> •     You have impaired glucose tolerance or higher than normal fasting glucose levels.</div> <div> •     You are female, overweight and have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).</div> <div> You had gestational diabetes (during pregnancy).</div> <div> •     A close family member has type 2 diabetes.</div> <div> Diabetes Careline 0845 120</div> <div> 2960; <A HREF="http://www.diabetes.org.uk" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.diabetes.org.uk">www.diabetes.org.uk</A>.</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="0f3e9230.jpg" border=0 width="233" height="291" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B><U>9 Simple Ways to Trim Fat from Your Waist</U></B></div> <bR> <div> Cut just 100 calories a day.</div> <div> That's all you need to ditch to beat belly bulge, says Mehmet Oz, MD, author of YOU on a Diet: The Owner's Manual for Waist Management. Dropping this amount from your daily intake -- we're talking one cookie, a soda, or a glass of wine -- will help you lose about 12 pounds a year. And it's a cinch to stick to a plan that requires no actual dieting or deprivation.</div> <bR> <div> Build muscle mass.</div> <div> During a cardio workout, your body zaps hundreds of calories, but your metabolism slows down almost instantly when you stop. After strength training, on the other hand, you burn fat for hours. "Regular weight lifting can boost your metabolic rate by about 15 percent," says Tim Davis, director of personal training at Peak Performance, a gym in New York City. He recommends three 45- to 50-minute sessions a week.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="0f438f00.jpg" border=0 width="312" height="240" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Run from fat.</div> <div> One of the most effective ways to reduce flab around your middle is to jog it off. "Hit the road for 30 to 60 minutes two to four times a week," Davis suggests. Steady running not your thing? "Interval training -- constantly switching up the pace of your workout -- will also help you lose weight, because it blasts more calories," Davis says. "Do two minutes of sprinting followed by a 60-second walk, then repeat for a half hour."</div> <bR> <div> Eat good-for-you foods.</div> <div> Your body is smart -- it knows when it's not getting any nutrients. So if you munch on processed foods like chips and doughnuts, you'll still be hungry, Dr. Oz says. The fix: Chow down regularly on fruits, vegetables, fish, low-fat dairy, and whole grains, says Keri Gans, RD, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.</div> <bR> <div> Have a high-protein breakfast.</div> <div> Skip the sugary cereals. They're too easily digested, which means they speed through your system. "An egg-white omelet is a good choice," says Louis Aronne, MD, a clinical professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and director of the weight-control program at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. If you're eating on the go, try unsweetened Greek yogurt with fruit and a dollop of honey or a piece of string cheese with whole-grain bread.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="0f5dcf60.jpg" border=0 width="220" height="246" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Don't skip meals.</div> <div> That will only set you up to overeat. "Nosh on small portions every three to four hours to keep your metabolism running, so your body won't panic, go into starvation mode, and stop burning calories -- which is what happens when you haven't eaten in a while," Gans says.</div> <bR> <div> Head off a freak-out.</div> <div> Stress causes the body to start stockpiling fat in the gut. "Your system thinks a crisis is coming," Dr. Oz explains. "It deposits fat cells into the belly because it's the most convenient storage space." Chill out with yoga, meditation, or massage. If you're a stress eater, keep healthy snacks such as almonds on hand to prevent junk-food binges.</div> <bR> <div> Get your shut-eye.</div> <div> "Lack of sleep increases the likelihood you'll gain weight," Dr. Aronne says. "When you're tired, the hormones that stimulate appetite increase, while the hormones that help you feel full plummet." Aim for seven to eight hours a night.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="0f67e7f0.jpg" border=0 width="126" height="127" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Move more all the time.</div> <div> Computers, TVs, video games, and cars keep us glued to our seats. The result: We're less physical than ever before. To trim your tummy, "do whatever you can to keep moving," says Olson. "Even 10 minutes can help." Studies show that you can burn up to 350 calories a day (the equivalent of your lunch!) by walking around when you're on the phone, tapping your toes when you're surfing the Web, doing squats when you're brushing your teeth. Before you know it, you'll be saying buh-bye, belly fat!</div> <bR> <div> (courtesy of Fitness Magazine)td</div> </td> </tr></table></body>