As if we needed another reason to love the stuff, chocolate is now proven to lower insulin resistance, a condition that can lead to diabetes. Researchers analyzed more than 40 studies and found that chocolate is responsible for a median drop of about 33 percent in insulin resistance. Now that’s news to feast on!
In a recent study, researchers in the Netherlands have confirmed what some groups, such as the Weston Price Foundation, have been saying for years: saturated fat is not the cause of cardiovascular disease and other health problems. To the contrary, researchers have found that when saturated fats are replaced with diets high in carbohydrates, the risk of heart disease is increased. This is something the diabetic industry has suspected, if not known to be fact for a while already.
Diabetes is a medical condition that can cause serious complications. It occurs when a person's body cannot properly utilize the hormone called insulin. Diabetes affects many of Americans and is a growing epidemic.
There are two common types of diabetes, which are Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is the more common of the two. There are also less common forms of diabetes, including gestational diabetes and juvenile diabetes.
In the early stages, some people are unaware that they have the disease. They may chalk off some of the early symptoms, not knowing that they are diabetes. However, if you are aware of the early symptoms, you can received treatment, including diet and exercise lifestyle advice to better manage the disease.
There are several early signs of the disease. An unusual thirst is one of the most common symptom. Along with the unusual thirst comes frequent urination. In a diabetic, cells in the body are lacking in fuel for energy. This makes the diabetic feel like they have an abnormally large increase in appetite. Even with an abnormal increase in appetite, some individuals begin to experience a sudden, substantial loss in weight.
Gestational diabetes can cause obesity in children, although in my own experience, I would venture to say that uncontrolled gestational diabetes causes obesity. New research seems to prove that breastfeeding for six months or more can reduce the risk of obesity for babies of moms who had GD. This is great news for those who may feel helpless to prevent the side effects of GD in children, because it gives something proactive and beneficial to try.
In the United States alone, diabetes impacts the lives of roughly 26 million of its residents. If left uncontrolled, the disease is can lead some serious complications, including blindness, kidney disease, amputation, and heart disease. That said, the disease requires carefully monitoring of not only food intake, but blood sugar levels.
Through research, we are learning more every day about what causes diabetes and how the food choices we make can impact our health. We know so much more now than we did even a decade ago, and this report gives us yet another insight into how food and diabetes relate. In an eight-year study on American Indians, researchers discovered that those who ate processed meat frequently had a significantly higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes:
It seems we are very caught up in trying to find ways to replace sugar in our diets. This makes sense, because sugar has become so prevalent in the foods we eat. I can’t imagine going a day without it, to be honest. If nothing else, I have to have it in my coffee, even though with every cup I feel guilty that I am still eating the stuff.