Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in our industrialized society. Approximately 16 million Americans are the victim of this disease and about half of them don’t even know that they are diabetic..

Apart from the disease itself, the side effects are also threatening. One-third of all new cases of kidney disease are caused by diabetes. As much as 80% of diabetics will die from cardiovascular disease and diabetes is the leading cause of amputations and blindness in the elderly.

Two Types of Diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes usually effects children and is caused by an attack of the immune system, which makes them insulin poor.

Type 2 diabetes is responsible for 90% of the cases. This type of diabetes is caused by insulin resistance.

Insulin Resistance.
Insulin resistance or Syndrome X is caused by our modern life style. Our diet has taken it’s toll. Far to many people eat a high-carbohydrate and high-fat diet and as a result, many have become less sensitive to their own insulin.

Insulin is a storage hormone that drives sugar into the cells to be utilized or stored as fat. Our body wants to control our blood sugar, but when our body becomes less sensitive to its own insulin, it compensates by making more insulin.

If our blood sugar rises, the pancreas are forced to produce more insulin in order to control our blood sugars. However, increase in insulin levels can cause some serious problems, called Syndrome X, like: – inflammation of the arteries, which can cause heart attack and stroke – high blood pressure (hypertension) – high level of triglycerides ( the other fat in the blood beside cholesterol) – low level of HDL (good cholesterol) – high level of LDL (bad cholesterol) – increased risk of blood clots formation – a significant development of “uncontrolled” weight gain, usually around the waist

A combination of these factors makes the risk of developing heart disease 20 times higher. We can’t ignore the growing risk of developing heart disease as the NUMBER ONE KILLER in our industrialized world!

Cause of Diabetes.
As we have seen, in order for our body to control our blood sugar levels, the pancreas have to produce more insulin. This elevated level of insulin is the cause of the destructive metabolic changes linked with Insulin Resistance or Syndrome X.

If we want to keep our blood sugar level low and constant, we need to consume carbohydrates which are slowly turned into simple sugar by our body. Many people consume food products that cause their blood sugar level to rise rapidly, like white bread, white flour, white rice, pasta and potatoes. These foods contain the wrong type of carbohydrates, which spike blood sugars. They have a high Glycemic Index. You can read more about the Glycemic Index in my special article.

Diabetes Test.
In order to test the development of Syndrome X, you can divide your triglyceride level by your HDL level. If the ratio is greater than 2, early signs of Syndrome X are present.

Cure for Syndrome X and Type 2 Diabetes.
Syndrome X or insulin resistance is totally reversible by life style changes, that means consuming a low GI diet, combined with a moderate exercise program and some basic nutritional supplements, in order to improve insulin sensitivity.

Diagnosis of Diabetes
In a review article for the Mayo Clinic, Dr. James O’Keefe stated: “Therapeutic efforts in patients with diabetes have focused predominantly on normalizing increased blood sugar levels, while often ignoring many of these other modifiable risks, which are caused by underlying insulin resistance.”

Doctors are mostly concerned about the fat content in people’s diet, instead of treating insulin resistance, which is a much better way to confront and control diabetes.

People with diabetes are deficient in the following micro nutrients: – Chromium: this is essential in the metabolism of glucose and the action of insulin. It improves insulin sensitivity. Diabetics need 300 mcg of chromium daily. – Vitamin E: apart from antioxidant defense, it also helps to solve the problem of insulin resistance. People with a low level of vitamin E have a five times higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. – Magnesium: deficiency can exist in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. It also increases the risk of retinopathy in diabetic patients. When this deficiency in older people is corrected, insulin function improves drastic. However, it is very difficult to diagnose magnesium deficiency. Cellular levels can only be tested in research labs, that’s why magnesium deficiency is under diagnosed. We all need at least 400 – 500 mg of magnesium in supplements every day. – Vanadium: This mineral is less known but can significantly increase insulin sensitivity when taken in supplements. Diabetics need 50 – 100 mcg in supplements daily.

The final question remains:If you struggle with diabetes, are you willing to make life style changes to make yourself independent of medication and live a healthier life?

To control your diabetes, you need a hemoglobin A1C of less than 6.5. This is hard to do with medication only. Watch your blood sugars closely. If it drops to much, your doctor has to adjust your medication.

Applying these principles will significantly improve your diabetic control.

   Edition #46

Overeating and depressed? There’s a connection,
and maybe a solution

Date:

December 21, 2015

Source:

Yale University

Summary:
Chronic overeating and stress are tied to an increased risk of depression and anxiety, and in a new study, researchers explain why that happens and suggest a possible solution. The researchers report that the anesthetic ketamine reverses depression-like symptoms in rats fed a high-fat diet in a similar way it combats depression and synaptic damage of chronic stress in people. continue reading.….

How to Build Muscle & Be Your Plant-Based Personal Best

If there is one common behavior I see over and over again in the health and fitness industries, it is the fear people have of trying something new. That’s precisely how I felt when I enrolled in the Center for Nutrition Studies Certificate Program in Plant-Based Nutrition through eCornell in the spring of 2012. continue reading….

 

Is your life out of balance?

Introducing the Asteron Life ‘Wheel of Balance’, a self assessment tool designed to help you identify the areas of your life that need some attention. Take the test today.
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Recipe of the day – Brussels with hustle
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More Health & Nutrition form Nutrobalance
Health Breakfast Guidelines
Health Diet for Athletes
The Need for Supplementation

Most people who take vitamin and mineral supplements self-prescribe to what they think they should take, not even what is fashionable. As well as being a waste of money, this is likely to do more harm than good.

Why? Because taking an extra dose of one vitamin can lower levels of another. Falling short of a particular mineral can prevent the absorption of another, seemingly unrelated one.
A dose of an isolated vitamin or mineral that is too high can produce the same symptoms as a deficiency of another nutrient.

This is what nutritionists call synergy and it explains why taking extra calcium to build stronger bones may backfire on you. Too much calcium in the body can cause a deficiency in iron, zinc, magnesium and phosphorous by preventing their proper absorption.
All these minerals are vital for good bone health and their ongoing deficiency can lead to osteoporosis – the condition you were trying to prevent by taking calcium supplements.

Vitamin D, which is also known as the sunshine vitamin, since the body need exposure to sunlight to make it, enhances the absorption of calcium, but too much can cause a potassium deficiency.

Vitamin A is an antioxidant that is said to help to prevent premature aging. It does help to maintain the surfaces of the body,including the skin, but too much increases the body’s need for another antioxidant, vitamin E, which protect against heart disease.

Vitamin C remains the most popular of the self-prescribed supplements: an estimated ten million Britons take it every day. Research papers now prove that it has powerful antioxidant properties that protect against cancer and heart disease and show how it boosts the immune system to protect against infections and can even speed up wound healing. Yet not many people know that it works much better in the presence of vitamin A or that , to use it properly, the body needs calcium.

Ask any alternative cancer specialists what nutrients their patients should be eating and they will specify bioflavanoids. Though not a true vitamin, these are a group of biologically active substances found in plants that are sometimes called vitamin P.

As well as cancer-fighting properties, they also have an antibacterial effect in the body, where they promote healthy circulation, stimulate bile production for the breakdown of fats and lower blood cholesterol levels.

Foods that are rich in flavanoids include apples, beetroot, blackberries, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, cherries, dandelions, lentils,lettuce, oranges parsley, plums, peas, potatoes, rhubarb, rose hips,spinach, tomatoes, walnuts and watercress. But what you may not know is that they all work even better when taken with vitamin C, and vice versa.

Synergistic partners are rarely monogamous. To correct a deficiency in vitamin A, you also need six additional nutrients: choline, zinc, vitamin C, D and E, plus the essential fatty acids found in oily fish or evening primrose oil supplements.

To restore normal levels of vitamin C , you need the bioflavanoids, vitamin A, plus calcium and magnesium. Those last two minerals are so closely linked that if you plan to take a supplement, you need to follow a ratio of 2 : 1 in favour of the calcium. So if you are taking 800 mg of calcium, you need to take 400 mg of magnesium, too.

To correct a shortage of calcium in the hope of building stronger bones, you also need magnesium, boron, manganese, phosphorous, vitamins A, C, D and F, plus essential fatty acids.

To complicate the picture further, synergy may not affect the whole body but only specific cells, so the impact of what you are doing may be hidden. Smoking, for example, wipes out vitamin C in the body, but this deficiency may be confined to the cells of the lungs.

As you can see, when taking supplements you have to make sure that the vitamin and mineral balance in your body is maintained.

You may think that regular exercise , a positive mental attitude ,while applying the golden rule: ‘everything in moderation’ the key is to good health. However, if you understand the damage caused by processed foods,it will motivate you to change your diet, if you are aiming for a high level of health and freedom of degenerative diseases.

Acid-alkaline balance. We should consume acid- and alkaline-forming foods in the right ratio’s. This is not hard to realize, when we know that, generally speaking,fruits and vegetables are alkaline-forming and the rest is mostly acid-forming, with a few exceptions.You can read more about acid- and alkaline-forming foods in my article, by visiting my website.
The Australian diet contains nearly one-and-a-half times more acid-forming food as it does alkaline-forming food. This ratio should be the other way around.

The problem with eating too much acid-forming food is that it builds up toxic waste products,and is the cause of most of our health problems. A diet that contains insufficient fruit and vegetables is missing vital antioxidants ,beta-carotene, vitamins and minerals. They are most important to prevent oxidation, caused by free radicals, which are the main cause of heart disease,stroke, cancer and other diseases.

Excess Protein Australians consume two to three times as much protein as they need,mainly in the form of red and white meat, cheese and eggs. The amount that is sufficient for our body is approximately 85-120 gr per day. The ‘pure’ protein from this and other foods meets the international standard of half a gram of protein daily per kilogram of body weight.

Our body cannot store excess protein and has to be broken down and eliminated, putting much strain on our liver and kidneys. Large quantities of animal protein are highly acid-forming, contains a lot of saturated fat and cholesterol and forms uric acid, which may cause gout.

Excess Fat
A typical Australian diet contains 40% of total calories of fat, which is far too much and this amount of fat can be dangerous, as it is the major cause of heart disease, stroke, cancer and obesity.

Fat coats the intestines and blocks the assimilation of vital water-soluble minerals. Saturated fat stimulates the liver to produce large amounts of cholesterol. Together with rancid or oxidised fat they are doing the most damage to our health. Oxidation is caused by high temperature, exposure to air and light.

We only need small quantities of unsaturated fat, together with plenty of vitamin E in our diet to protect the fat against oxidation.

Refined Carbohydrates Refined sugar is highly acid forming, as it has lost alkaline minerals,which are needed to neutralise the carbonic acid formed during metabolism.

Because of the absence of vitamin B, which activate the enzymes to break sugar down to release energy it cannot be metabolised properly. The consumption of regular, large amounts of white, brown or raw sugar can cause high cholesterol,gout, hypoglycaemia, diabetes,obesity and depletion of minerals and vitamins.

The same is true for white flour (and its products: white bread,cakes,biscuits,pastries and pasta) and white rice. They have lost 50 – 75% of their vitamins and minerals and much of their fiber.

Lack of Fiber.
According to research, the major cause of bowel cancer is lack of fiber in the diet.
Fiber is required to create bulk in the digestive tract in order to stimulate peristalsis, the intestinal muscle action that pushes food matter along. If fiber is lacking, this stagnates partly digested food putrefies to produce ammonium and other nitrogenous compounds, which are highly toxic and may eventually lead to cancer.

Other symptoms of lack of fiber in the diet include appendicitis, diverticular disease of the bowel, varicose veins,piles(haemorrhoids)and hiatus hernia. It can also be the major cause of gallstones.

Fiber is found in vegetables, NOT in animal foods like red and white meat, cheese, yogurt, milk and eggs.

Stimulants A stimulant can be defined as an irritant, a mildly toxic substance,which the body cannot use and must be eliminated.

A stimulant works by producing an eliminative response and causes increased circulation in order to pass more blood through the liver to detoxify the stimulant. The increased circulation also sends more blood to the brain and muscles, which makes us feel more alert and more energetic. We get a temporary ‘lift’ – which is only temporary, because after the stimulation is over, the system slows down in order to recoup the energy that was squandered. This is a form of depression – which follows stimulation like night follows day.

The best known stimulants are: nicotine, caffeine, tannin, alcohol,salt, pepper, spices and pickles.

Smoking is one of the most destructive addictions and the harmful effects are widely known.

Coffee constrict the heart and arteries, increasing the risk of heart disease and various cancers and may make skin disease worse. High intake during pregnancy has been linked to deformed births and an increase risk of miscarriage.

The effects on the mind includes anxiety, sleeplessness, irritability, headache and racing of the heart. Drinking seven to eight cups per day has been reported to trigger terrifying panic attacks.

Alcohol.
Many studies have been conducted on the health effects of alcohol. The fact is that alcohol is a toxic substance and damage will result,unless the person is extremely healthy or the consumption is very low.

The risk of colon cancer is doubled by just 2 drinks per day. Brain damage can result from just three standard drinks per day. During pregnancy, only four drinks per day can cause the baby to be permanently and severely handicapped. Heavy drinking can cause damage to the liver, called cirrhsis, which may eventually be fatal.

If the alcohol is in the form of red wine,it contains a high level of antioxidants, and resveratrol, which reduces the risk of heart disease,stroke and possibly cancer as well. However, the same effects can be obtained by drinking dark grape juice without the possible risks on our health!

To conclude this overview on our modern diet, rest me to suggest that we need a diet that is essentially unprocessed,low in fat, high in fiber, free of salt, caffeine, etc, that contains lots of fresh vegetables and fruits.

   Edition #45

Cancer is not just ‘bad luck’ but down to environment, study suggests

Cancer is overwhelmingly a result of environmental factors and not largely down to bad luck, a study suggests.  continue reading

Exercise and Cardiovascular Health

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in the U.S. Heart disease and cancer combined, account for almost 50% of all deaths each year and affects nearly 14 million  continue reading…

13 foods you should never eat

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Protecting yourself with antibiotics is impossible. Dr. Michael Colgan, Director of the Colgan Institute of Nutritional Science in San Diego, wrote: “Our out-of-control disease industry has created most of the new bugs that now plague us. Our physicians are unwittingly engaging in biological warfare against the American public, far worse than anything done by Saddam Hussein.”

Each prescription of an antibiotic that is unnecessary, kills off the weak members of any bacterial colony present, that include any beneficial bacteria in our intestines. It’s called selective breeding. Only the strongest bacteria survive.

Because there is no competition for space and food, these resistant bugs can multiply quickly. When different antibiotics are repeatedly misused against a particular bacterial strain, it quickly breeds bugs that are resistant to all of them.

Misuse of antibiotics against self-limiting infections will not allow your immune system to develop its own powerful resistance. Most children in America today compromise their immune system by wrongfully prescribed antibiotics. They have never been allowed to develop resistance against unnecessary use of drugs, causing ear, nose and throat infections.

Alexander Fleming, who discovered the penicillin, warned us against these problems. At the beginning of this crisis, the microbiologist Dr. Stuart Levy of Turfts University at the head of a group of 150 scientists stated:”Unless we apply antibiotics correctly, there may come a time when they are no longer useful against diseases.” We didn’t pay attention to Dr. Levy’s warning and as a result the crisis is now upon us.

In the year 1992, physicians wrote more than 4,000,000 useless antibiotic prescriptions against the common cold and ‘flu viruses. They continue this malpractice year in and year out, despite clear instructions in the Physicians Desk Reference that the drugs are only effective against bacteria.

The picture for hospitals is even worse. According to recent studies, up to half of all antibiotics used in hospitals in America is improper. This criminal malpractice has caused hundreds of man-made, antibiotic resistant bugs, including new strains of tuberculosis, pneumonia, Ecoli, salmonella and meningitis.
They make hospitals very dangerous places to be!

If you have read my article about “How to Save Your Brain”, I don’t have to tell you again about the devastating effects this disease called “Alzheimer’s dementia” has on a person’s life. Dementia takes away meaningful life and leaves us trapped in our own bodies. Besides the fact that you are not be able to recognize family and friends, but also are not be able to perform the simplest tasks.

Today, more than two million Americans are affected by Alzheimer’s disease and is the most important reason why people move to a nursing home. According to research, nearly 50% of the population will suffer from this disease by the age of eighty. There are even people who are developing Alzheimer’s in their fifties.

Losing our ability to think is most devastating. Anyone dealing with Alzheimer’s within his or her own family understands this tragedy. It does not make much sense to reach the ripe old age of 89 when you have not be able to recognize your family for years.

For this reason it is of paramount importance to protect the health of your brain. Medical research has proven without any doubt that Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and other neuro degenerative disease are the result of free radical damage and oxidative stress.

The reasons why the brain and nerves are vulnerable to oxidative stress and damage are: 1. Depending on its size, a significant number of free radicals are created, caused by an increased rate of oxidative activity. 2. The levels of antioxidants within our brain and nerve tissue are relatively low. 3. Oxidative stress can easily cause damage to our central nervous system and once it is damaged, it may be a lifelong handicap.

A recent report by research at Case Western Reserve University concluded that an increase of oxidative stress with age may account for all aspects of Alzheimer’s dementia. There is strong evidence that patients with Alzheimer’s have significantly depleted levels of antioxidants in their brain and high levels of oxidative stress.

There is strong interest in an attempt to prevent this oxidative damage by giving the patients various antioxidants. A study reported by the New England Journal of Medicine in April 1997 showed that the progression of Alzheimer’s could be significantly slowed down by supplementing high doses of vitamin E. Patients were be able to stay two to three years longer at home.

Other trials, where Alzheimer’s patients used various antioxidants like vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E, zinc, selenium and rutin have been encouraging. A Cache County Study revealed that supplementation with a combination of vitamin C and vitamin E reduced the prevalence of Alzheimer’s dementia. It is obvious that, considering this kind of effect on patients with moderately severe Alzheimer’s dementia, what would be the effect on people who are just diagnosed with this disease? Would it be possible to decrease the risk of getting Alzheimer’s altogether by taking optimum levels of antioxidant supplements? Grape seed extract is ideal for preventing Alzheimer’s as it crosses easily the blood-brain barrier and is able to get into the fluid around the brain and the brain itself. It’s a very potent antioxidant, 50 times more than vitamin E and 20 times more than vitamin C Once in the brain, the proanthocyamidins in the grape seed, trap and neutralize damaging hydroxyl free radicals that can oxidize DNA and essential brain lipids, disturbing normal brain function.

Studies have shown that Phosphatidylserine can stimulant the release of acetylcholine and improve the cognition of patients with dementia. It has also been shown to improve mood, memory and cognition and has proven to be more effective wen used with Ginko bilboa ( which increase blood supply to the brain) and omega-3 fatty acids, which not only improve mood and combat depression, but also improve cognition. It significantly decrease inflammation, which is the enemy of normal brain function.

CoQ10 has been shown to improve or at least slowed down the progression of Alzheimer’s disease with high dose supplementation. CoQ10 is not only a strong antioxidant, but also produce energy within within the cell and has to be supplemented with 400 to 600 mg in gel form ,as it is more difficult to get through the brain barrier and into the brain.

Avoid any exposure to heavy metals like aluminum, mercury, cadmium etc. as they leave deposits in our central nervous system. They are also known to increase free radical production and cause tissue damage via oxidative stress.

Also avoid anti perspirants that contain aluminum. Anything you put on your skin will be absorbed into the body. Avoid the use of mercury amalgams for your dentures.

Taking an aggressive nutritional supplement program, along with a healthy diet and a modest exercise program is the best way to prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

It is always easier to protect your health than it is to regain it once you have lost it In particular with any case of dementia.

1) Choose a balanced diet, consisting of a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables ,(green, yellow and red), approximately three- quarters of total food intake by weight, preferable organically grown, if possible. Include cruciferous vegetables (cabbage) , carrots, tomatoes and garlic.

2) Avoid the consumption of deep-fried food and overcooked food, saturated fat and transfat.

3) Don’t overeat, “Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food.”

4) Choose unprocessed food, low in fat, preferably from plants and avoid animal fats and hydrogenated oils, including margarine. Use fresh flaxeed oil or fish oil for omega-3 fatty acids.

5) Eat adequate protein from plant sources and fibre from vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, legumes, seeds, oat bran and rice bran.

6) Avoid toxic synthetic chemicals as much as possible, particularly pesticides and other toxic chemicals. Drink filtered water, preferably reverse osmosis, to avoid chlorine and heavy metals.

7) Increase intake of natural minerals and vitamins from the juices of green, yellow and red vegetables.Supplement your diet with high quality multiminerals and antioxidants, particularly carotenoids, zinc and selenium and folic acid (vitamin B9).

Consume low glycemic food with a low glycemic load and keep calorie intake low overall.

9)Minimize intake of caffeine, alcohol, white sugar, white flour, table salt ( use sea salt instead), cured meats and smoked foods.

10) Keep clear of radiation. Research shows that nearly three- quarters of the energy from the antenna of a mobile phone is absorbed by the head. This radiation is the same kind of energy from microwave ovens and is sought to create hot spots in the brain.

It’s a well known fact that x-rays are causing cancer, even diagnostic use. An Australian radiologist estimated that about 270 Australians die each year from cancer, caused by such tests. Also the electromagnetic radiation from powerlines and household appliances may contribute slightly carcinogenic effects.

11) Exercise regularly, at least three times per week for half an hour, for example brisk walking, can make the necessary difference to an otherwise sedentary lifestyle.

12) Find ways to cope with stress, for example by practising meditation, yoga, and seek

  Edition #44

Advances in Nutrition November 2015 Media Alert
Sleep Deprivation and Diet

Better Choices
The surest way to lose weight is to eat less and exercise more.

But if weight loss is so simple, why do I have so much trouble with it?!As it turns out, “eating less” is a very difficult task. Your body really wants those extra Calories, and you live in a world where food is very plentiful. Instead of foraging for your food, you’re literally bombarded with opportunities to eat, and every food manufacturer tries to seduce you with their latest, tastiest offerings. You quickly develop food cravings that willpower alone cannot overcome. To win your “war” against food, you need to learn more about what you’re eating...continue reading.….