Type 2 Diabetes – Is Soy Good For Diabetics?

March 27, 2012 No comments

Soy, which is a member of the pea family, has received a lot of positive feedback in recent years as a healthy alternative to meat due to its naturally high content of protein. The beans of the soy plant, appropriately named soybeans, have even been used for medicinal purposes. But what benefit, if any, does it hold for people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes?

There are actually many benefits diabetics can derive from soy. The fact is, many diabetics are prone to eating large quantities of meat. But these meats often contain a large percentage of fat and calories. So it makes sense to find a suitable substitute for these meats that provides the protein needed at a reduced risk to the diabetic and their condition. Soy offers this type of assistance.

One benefit from soy is that it helps to promote weight loss. It does this by limiting how fat is stored in the body. Because of its natural origin and low caloric count, it is a perfect substitution for the common meats that diabetics enjoy. Losing weight will then resonate into many other positive areas of the diabetic’s health.

Soy does a great job of helping lower the risk of such killers as heart disease. This is of massive importance since heart disease is the number one killer of people with Type 2 diabetes. How does it benefit the heart? It reduces some of the effect that LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, has on the body. This, of course, also helps reduce the possibility of stroke, as well.

Soy also specifically affects insulin. It has been discovered soy reduces the impact hyperglycemia has on the body. Diabetics get the added bonus that it can improve insulin resistance as well, and in some cases, when it is combined with a sensible diet and exercise, insulin resistance is no longer an issue.

It has also been proven soy is good for increasing the filtering abilities of the kidneys. This not only helps to maintain kidney health, but it also cuts down on the possibility of infections and kidney disease.

Soy is also good for the health of your eyes. It reduces the possibility of certain ailments, one of which is diabetic retinopathy. Its help with nerve damage prevention means many cases of neuropathy can also be reduced.

But the big winner is how it helps to fight cancer. This ability, known as anti-angiogenesis, means it helps to starve cancerous tumors of their blood supply. Since cancer cells rely on blood for their life, and their ability to grow and spread, limiting this is, in essence, the same as working to kill the tumor.

Diabetes , , , , , ,

Type 2 Diabetes – Five Plants Show Promise for Diabetes Treatment

March 27, 2012 No comments

Type 2 diabetes is on the rise in South Africa, just as it is in much of the world. Investigators at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University have looked at five plants used in traditional healthcare, for their possible potential in treating high blood sugar in Type 2 diabetes. Their results were published in November 2011 in the African Journal of Traditional Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

The cause of Type 2 diabetes is the cells poor ability to take in and use sugar floating around in the bloodstream. Blood sugar levels rise when cells are unable to take it in and use it to form energy. The study involved measuring whether extracts of certain plants could increase the cells’ ability to take in sugar and convert it to energy.

The investigators used human liver and muscle cells in glass containers, adding extracts of these five plants:

  • yellow bulbine,
  • pregnant onion plant,
  • ruta grav,
  • camphor bush, and
  • society garlic.

The liver cells were able to take in more sugar and use it to form energy when extracts of yellow bulbine, pregnant onion plant, and camphor bush were added. Muscle cells were able to take in more sugar when ruta grav and society garlic were added.

From this it was concluded these particular plants have the potential for use in treating Type 2 diabetes and should be studied further.

Yellow bulbine is a succulent plant that originated in South Africa. Other names for it include snake flower, cat’s tail, and burn jelly plant. It is used in home remedies for burns, rashes, blisters, insect bites, cracked skin and lips, acne, cold sores, coughs, colds, and arthritis.

Pregnant onion also originated in South Africa, and is also cultivated in Europe and Asia as an ornamental plant. It is used in Africa as a traditional remedy for arthritis, muscle pain, headache, toothache and minor injuries.

Ruta grav, also known as garden rue, bitter herb, and herb of grace, is commonly seen around the Mediterranean and Australia. It is used in traditional healing for bruises, pain, headaches, eyestrain, coughs, and toothaches.

Camphor bush, or bushman’s tobacco, commonly grows in Africa. It is traditionally used for blocked sinuses, headaches, coughs, bronchitis, toothache, abdominal pain, and stiffness.

Society garlic, also called silver lace or pink agapanthus, is indigenous to South Africa. It’s traditional medicinal uses include treating HIV and AIDs, stomach and intestinal ailments, asthma, tuberculosis and diseases that cause fevers.

Plants are complex sets of molecules, and can contain both helpful and poisonous substances. Traditional and herbal remedies should be used with caution of at all. More research will be needed before any of the five above plants might be proven safe and effective for treating people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. On the other hand, isn’t it nice to know that as research progresses, so many possibilities are coming to light?

Diabetes , ,

Best Foods For Diabetics – Can You Reverse Type 2 Diabetes With Food?

March 27, 2012 No comments

What are the best foods for diabetics?

Is it possible to reverse type 2 diabetes with food?

Can simple dietary changes really make that big of a difference in the lives of those suffering from this debilitating disease?

Modern medicine wants to tell us no but in reality there are several studies that are proving otherwise.

In fact one study published by Diabetologia shows that people with type 2 diabetes can see positive life changing results as quickly as 1 to 8 weeks by eating a certain diet containing the best foods for diabetics.

It used to be that we thought once you have type 2 diabetes then you have it for good, there’s no getting better and the only solution would be more pills and/or more insulin.

After seeing the result of studies like this you can see that is simply not the case any longer.

You could go as far as to say that it is beginning to cause a pardigm shift in the way we view type 2 diabetes.

Currently 1 in 4 Americans over the age of 60 has type 2 diabetes.

110million Americans have been added to that list in the past 3 years, from 2008 to 2011.

Experts are estimating that by the year 2020, 1 in 2 will be effected by diabetes or pre-diabetes.

Not to mention that even kids under the age of 10 are being diagnosed with what was formerly known as “adult on-set diabetes”

As you can see this epidemic is growing drastically and is only getting worse.

Right now the leading cause of death in America is heart disease.

At the rate diabetes is spreading, it could very easily take over as the number one leading cause of death in America in next 10 years.

That leads us to ask ourselves, what has changed over the past several decades that could have caused this?

The answer? Our country has become plagued by “convenient” foods loaded with chemicals and artificial additives that are made in labs by scientists not grown by farmers and prepared in kitchens.

In the old days, our ancestors didn’t have as much access to these types of foods and in some cases the “foods” weren’t “created” yet.

What is the simple solution that the study listed above recommends to help reverse type 2 diabetes?

You don’t even need to look at a diabetes diet chart.

Simply eat a diet that consists of “real” foods that are grown, not manufactured, have a low glycemic load, and are rich in fiber.

That being said, the best foods for diabetics are lean meats, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and limited whole grains.

Although there is some bread for diabetics made from real whole grains that is ok to eat in moderation, it is not one of the best foods for diabetics to eat on a regular basis.

Brian Lee Stewart is a St. Louis, MO native with a passion for Health & Fitness, family, good friends, internet marketing and the great outdoors. He holds a degree in Nutrition from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City and is a former Certified Personal Trainer with the National Academy of Sports Medicine. He is especially passionate about helping people find the best foods for diabetics due to several of his close family and friends of various ages having been diagnosed with diabetes and pre-diabetes.

Diabetes , , , ,
Page 1 of 1212345...10...Last »