Class teaches diabetics heart-healthy dining
Recent studies show that lifestyle changes can prevent or delay the onset of Type 2 diabetes, which is the highly hereditary form of diabetes.
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Type 1 and 2 diabetes is a major deal in the United States. Statistics show that more than 14.6 million people are diagnosed with diabetes each year. There are many ways to fight this disease, however, many people simply give up. Exercise has been proven to treat diabetes along with proper diet. Here are a few benefits of exercise for anyone living with diabetes.
1) Exercise increases insulin sensitivity.
The big problem for Type 2 diabetics is insulin insensitivity. By exercising you can improve how well your insulin works. This will ultimately help you to control your blood glucose levels.
Remember, there are 2 types of diabetes. Type I diabetes is when the pancreas makes too little or no insulin. An individual with diabetes type I will have to inject insulin throughout the day in order to control their glucose levels. Type II diabetes is characterized by the pancreas not producing enough insulin to control glucose levels. It can also mean that the cells are not responding to the insulin. When a cell does not respond to insulin, it is commonly known as insulin resistance.
The risk factors for type II diabetes include a feeling of laziness, high cholesterol, obesity, and hypertension. Just by being lazy the person will have a very strong risk factor that has been proven to lead to type 2 diabetes. When a person is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, they are told to exercise and diet in order to help with their insulin resistance.
A few things they should follow when dieting is to eat a low-fat diet and limit calories from saturated fats. The recommendations also include eating complete sources of protein, and limiting calories from protein. It is worth noting that protein plays an added role in a diabetic diet. Protein can actually slowly transform into glucose. Consuming appropriate amounts of protein can help a person who has either type I or II diabetes to manage their blood sugar levels.
If dieting and exercise does not work, then medication will be prescribed by the doctor.
2) Exercising will improve your cholesterol levels.
Exercise helps by raising the good cholesterol and lowering the bad. This is good news for diabetics because they are always at increased risk for cardiovascular disease.
Exercise causes the body to process glucose much faster. This will in turn lower blood sugar dramatically. The more intense the exercise, the faster the body will burn glucose.
3) Exercise will strengthen your heart..
Cardiovascular exercise is a major benefit to diabetics. With a stronger heart you will be able to exercise much harder. You will be able to go throughout your day and carry out tasks much easier. Many people do not exercise because they feel as though they do not have the energy. One key to remember is that exercise will give you energy.
4) Exercise can decrease blood pressure.
Many diabetics also have high blood pressure. Exercising can reduce your blood pressure when you are resting or exercising. Keep in mind that your heart is responsible for pumping blood throughout your entire body. This is also very important for reducing your chances of heart disease and stroke.
5) Exercise can improve your mood.
Diabetes can be a very stressful disease on anyone who lives with it. One thing great about exercising for anyone is that you feel really good about yourself. Exercise can even improve depression. Depression has been found to be a major cause of suicide. Yes, you have diabetes, but it does not mean you cannot lead a normal life.
Copyright 2007 Donald Mckenzie Jr
i have had type 1 diabetes for 5 months and i get so frustrated when i exercise. i haven’t exercised much at all since diagnosis, but i want to in order to keep myself healthy. basically, i had my insulin after lunch at 2:00 pm. then at 3:30 i ate 15g of a granola bar and did brisk walking for 30 min.’s. i checked my bs after exercise and it was 77. then i drank some milk and had some crackers to keep from going low.
basically i feel like exercise is so pointless if i just have to eat food before and after i exerercise ! i’m not overweight; about 5’4″ to 5’5″ and 97 lbs; but i want to be healthy but i feel like its so pointless and its not going to help at all. aghh i hate diabetes and my bs is greatly affected by exercise, so i have to be careful
any help/tips/info is much appreciated . thank you so much
New medication for type 2 diabetics
Doctors say a new tablet for type 2 diabetes lower blood glucose levels without the side-effects.
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Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in people with diabetes. In those with type 1 diabetes as young as 20-39 years old, the risk of dying from a cardiovascular or cerebrovascular event is five times higher than those without diabetes. This population group benefits more from exercise than an average person does.
Type 1 diabetics who exercise regularly reduces his/her risk for cardiovascular disease -according to a new study published in the August edition of Diabetes Care.
Researchers in Austria and Germany studied more than 23,000 youngsters between the ages of 3 and 18, and found that the more physically active youngsters were less at risk for high diastolic blood pressure and lipid profiles, and had lower blood glucose levels.
They specifically found that the more the youngsters physically exercised, their triglycerides and high cholesterol decreased from 41.2 percent for youngsters who did not exercise, to 36 percent to those who exercised once or twice a week. Additionally, it was found that their high cholesterol and triglycerides fell to 34.4 percent for those who have physically exercised three or more times weekly.
Physical exercise did not include school sports; it included regularly exercising for a period of 30 minutes per day.
30 minutes of daily exercise. Keep that in mind.
Also, there is a Canadian study that included the findings from death records of more than nine million adults offers somewhat grim news: a Type 2 diabetic may experience cardiovascular problems 15 years sooner than a non-diabetic.
The results were broken down into expected risks for different genders and age groups. For instance, women with Type 2 diabetes are considered to be a moderate risk for cardiovascular disease by the age of 46, compared to the age of 62 for non-diabetic women. Complete results are here.
While the study is interesting and improving your cardiovascular health is always recommended, panic is not recommended. After all, these results are from death records, not living diabetics. Perhaps those people did not treat their diabetes properly, or did not follow healthy eating and exercise patterns. With the determination to be healthy, there is no reason to believe you can’t live a long, healthy, happy life.
Another is that of the connection of obesity to diabetes. There is cross-treatment of drugs for obesity and diabetes, which is nothing new, and researchers are excited about another find. The new drug is designed to help reduce obesity in patients, which in turn may now seem to help stave off heart problems in Type 2 diabetics.