Young Cardiovascular

The most effective new tool in the battle against diabetes does not come out of a laboratory, hospital, or pharmacy. The latest diabetes treatment advance actually comes from the days of middle school gym classes.

When the physical education teacher paced you through push-ups and sit-ups you were sharpening your glucose circulation system. Insulin was called into action to replenish the energy reserves used in those calisthenics. This frequent cycling of glucose stores in your muscles kept insulin sensitivity high in your teenage body.

Resistance training can provide the same benefit to the adult body. More than a dozen medical studies have shown that resistance training increases insulin sensitivity. One of the most recent studies published in the journal Diabetes Care reports a 0.3 percent improvement in hemoglobin A1C scores for people who participated in resistance training for six months.

People who regularly participate in cardiovascular exercise earn an average A1C score improvement of about half a percentage point. Study patients participating in both cardiovascular and resistance training exercise averaged an improvement of almost a full point. Consider adding resistance activities to your diabetes exercise guidelines.

What Kind of Resistance Training Should I Adopt?

If you do not want to invest in new exercise equipment or a gym membership, calisthenics are easy and effective. Knee circles, glute kickbacks, ankle circles, arm circles, the Superman, and squats all work out muscles. Push-ups exercise many large muscles and circulate a lot of glucose.

Sit-ups are no longer encouraged because there is some concern that they harm the spine. If you want to replace sit ups you can try crunches, the side jackknife, leg lifts, or an exercise from yoga called the side plank.

Weight training is a classic resistance exercise. For home-based workouts you can purchase some dumbbells to curl, press,…

Many people with type 2 diabetes are overweight. It is often assumed that being overweight is a huge health hazard. However, there is strong evidence that overweight people who exercise to keep their heart fit can be quite healthy. On the other hand, a slim person who neglects exercise runs a significant risk of encountering health problems or dying.

A recent study showed that weight had little influence on a person's cause of death. Adults older than 60 who had higher levels of heart fitness lived longer than unfit adults, independent of their levels of body fat, according to a study in the December 5 issue of JAMA. However, the advantage was less pronounced among people who were obese.

Other medical research has shown that obesity and physical inactivity can produce a higher risk of death in middle-aged adults. Whether this is also true for older adults was uncertain.

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of South Carolina-Columbia, included 2,603 adults age 60 years or older. During the study 450 participants died. They found that those who died were older, had lower fitness levels, and had more cardiovascular risk factors than survivors. Those that died however, were not more overweight.

"It may be possible to reduce all-cause death rates among older adults, including those who are obese, by promoting regular physical activity, such as brisk walking for 30 minutes or more on most days of the week," the authors write.

The statistics were also surprising for slim and average weight individuals. Even thought they were not overweight, they were still subject to heart disease, diabetes and many other illnesses. Those that did not exercise for heart health had higher death rates than overweight exercisers.

Participants in the higher fitness groups were, for the most part, less likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as hypertension, diabetes, or high cholesterol levels. In most…

Here are six foods recommended by the experts at the Mayo Clinic that are proven to help reduce cholesterol levels. Your diabetes & nutrition plans should include some of them. Visit this site to find out more about cholesterol diet (Cholesterol)

• Oatmeal and Oat bran contain soluble fiber. Soluble fiber has been shown to reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol levels significantly. Eating between five and 10 grams of soluble fiber each day can reduce LDL cholesterol by 5 percent. The fiber binds itself to bile, which contains cholesterol, and is passed from the body instead of being absorbed through the intestines.
• Walnuts, a healthy treat rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, keep blood vessels healthy and pliable. Almonds have also shown similar healthy effects on cholesterol. Walnuts and almonds can easily be incorporated into diets, including low-calorie diets. Since nuts are high in calories, they can be used to replace foods high in saturated fats, like cheese or croutons on a salad. Research suggests that a diet in which 20 percent of calories come from walnuts may reduce LDL cholesterol by 12 percent.
• Fish are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to reduce triglyceride levels. They also reduce blood pressure and the risk of blood clots. Research also shows that among people who have suffered heart attacks, omega-3 fatty acids reduce the risk of sudden death. The Mayo Clinic recommends eating at least two servings of fish a week. The fish with the highest levels of omega-3 are mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna, and salmon.
• Plant Sterols or Stanols are used to fortify some foods and naturally block the absorption of cholesterol in the body. Orange juice with sterols can lower LDL cholesterol levels by 10 percent. However, the American Heart Association recommends that only people with elevated LDL cholesterol levels consume…

New Advice for Doctors About Low-fat, Low-carb Diets For Short-term Weight Loss

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recently issued its annual clinical practice recommendations to help health care providers treat people with diabetes using the most current evidence available. These guidelines address medication, insulin use, nutrition, exercise, and other aspects of managing diabetes.

This year the recommendations recognize the increasing evidence that low-carbohydrate or low-fat weight loss plans are equally effective for reducing weight in the short term (up to one year). Until now, the ADA did not recommend low-carbohydrate diets because of lack of scientific evidence supporting their safety and effectiveness.

"Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes—2008" reviews the growing evidence for the effectiveness of either approach to weight loss. In addition, there is now evidence that the most important determinant of weight loss is not the composition of the diet, but whether the person can stick with it, and that some individuals are more likely to adhere to a low-carbohydrate diet while others may find a low-fat, calorie-restricted diet easier to follow.

"The risks of overweight and obesity are well known," said Ann Albright, Ph.D., RD, president of Health Care & Education with the ADA. "We recognize that people are looking for realistic ways to lose weight. The evidence is clear that both low-carbohydrate and low-fat calorie restricted diets result in similar weight loss at one year."

Because people following low-carbohydrate diets may replace calories from carbohydrate with fat or protein, the recommendations also include monitoring the lipid profile (blood fats, including cholesterol and triglycerides) of patients on such diets. High protein diets may also worsen kidney problems. Therefore, it is also recommended that patients with kidney disease be counseled about appropriate intake of protein and that their…

There are a few studies about forecasting if a person will be successful at weight loss. This column will help you know if you could be ready, or if you need to make some life changes first.

There are a few predictors of weight loss and weight management success. To find out if you are ready to lose weight, ask yourself these questions.

Do you binge eat? If you find yourself feasting there could be emotional issues at play that could get in the way of your efforts to lose weight.

How much do you want to lose weight? People that engage in weight loss activities for health tend to do better than people who want to lose weight for to look good.

Have you earnestly attempted to lose weight before? People who failed in previous weight loss attempts tend to struggle in future attempts. Consider the barriers that got in the way with previous attempts and work to address them.

How much physical activity can you fit into your schedule each week? If you are not willing to exercise you probably won't lose weight. You will also miss out on other health benefits of exercise.

How many times do you eat fast food each week? Two or more times per week could be canceling out your other healthy activities.

How many servings of fruits and vegetables, excluding potatoes, do you eat daily? If it is less than five, think about how you can add more of these nutritious foods.

Were your parents overweight? If one or more of your parents were overweight you will probably have to work harder to manage your weight. Genes play a large role in our shape and size.

Properly managing weight comes from one's willingness to consistently engage in the right behavior. In some cases it takes extra efforts to overcome genetic or psychological issues. If you were not satisfied with the answers to some of the questions above,…