The fat cells produce chemical, called cytokines, that start a cascade of reaction that ultimately lead to inflammation. This inflammation ultimately causes metabolic disorders, such as, diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia.

Both diabetes and obesity (hence diabesity) share the same underlying causes (genetic makeup and unhealthy lifestyle) and this require the same treatment. They are 100% preventable and, in some cases, entirely reversible.

Diabetes is diagnosed by the following criteria:

• HgA1c (Glycocylated hemoglobin) > 6.5%
• Fasting plasma glucose > 126 mg/dl
• 2-hr plasma glucose > 200 mg/dl post 75 gm oral glucose challenge
• Random plasma glucose > 200 mg/dl with symptoms (Polyuria, polydipsia and unexplained weight loss)

Impaired Fasting Glucose or Prediabetes is diagnosed by  the following criteria:

• Fasting plasma glucose 100 – 125 mg/dl [Impaired fasting glucose (IFG)] or
• 2-hr post 75g oral glucose challenge 140 – 199 mg/dl [Impaired glucose tolerance (IGT)] or
• HgA1C  5.7 % – 6.4 %

It is important to note that

• By the time of diagnosis of diabetes, 20% of patients have already developed retinopathy, 8% have nephropathy, 9% have neuropathy and up to 50% have cardiovascular diseases.
• Even before you develop diabetes, beta-cell in pancreas are getting affected leading to increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Obesity is assessed by body mass index (BMI):

The risk of diabetes escalates with the degree of excess weight. Therefore, the prevention of weight gain in people with diabetes as well as impaired glucose tolerance should be the main focus of treatment strategies.

Weight loss will surely improve diabetes and other metabolic disorders. It is important to understand that while you lose weight, specially when you have other medical problems, such as, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, etc., one should seek medical weight loss program which are physician supervised. Your current medications needs to be adjusted while you lose weight.

You learn about some easy weight reducing tips here.

At the Center for Medical Weight Loss & Metabolic Control, UMDNJ-SOM, we offer a Diabesity program designed for people who wants to lower their risk of diabetes, improve the current diabetes and lower the complication of severe diabetes.

Recommended Weight Loss Tools:

Protein an important part of our food group. It is present in every cell, tissue and organ in our bodies. These protein are constantly being broken down and

replaced.

The protein is broken into amino acids that are absorbed by body.

There are 20 different amino acids that join together to make all types of protein. Some of these amino acids (9 amino acids) can not be made by our body, so these are known as essential amino acids.

In the diet, protein sources are labeled according to how many and how much essential amino acids they provide:

• Complete Proteins: They provide all essential amino acids in sufficient quantity. For example, chicken, fish, eggs, milk and cheese.
• Incomplete Proteins: They either do not provide all essential amino acids or provide all amino acids in not sufficient quantity. For example, rice, beans, tofu and soy. Plant proteins are incomplete. You must combine them to get all of the amino acids your body needs.

Exercise is key component in weight reduction. You need to do both cardio and weight training. Take less calories in with proper diet is equally important.

The following online presentation will show you how easy it is to lose weight. They have:

• Role of hormones in weight loss
• Best ways to fire up metabolism
• Burn fat fast and develop lasting results

Stop Dieting and Start Living with this Diet Solution

1. First avoid FAD diet. Healthy proper nutrition is the key to a successful and safe weight loss.
2. Water. You ‘ll be amazed at how faster you’ll lose fat if you increase your water consumption. Drink about 8 cups a day at least.
3. Exercise. You must to both cardio as well as weight training. Do cardio daily and weight training about 2-3 times per week.

Now, as mentioned above, proper nutrition is the most important step, and with that said, here are the best foods to fight abdominal fat:

1. Protein (animal protein from chicken, turkey and tuna as well as plant protein from milk, lentils, chick peas, beans, yogurt, etc.)
2. Complex carb/Fiber (whole grains, oatmeal, apples, etc.)
3. “Good” Fat. Mono-unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) as in fish, nuts, olive oil, fish oil, etc.)

Check out the FREE presentation below for:

• Foods (that you thought were unhealthy) that actually assist the fat-burning process in your body
• 3 Foods marketed as “healthy” that actually increase your stomach fat… stay FAR away from these!
• Weird workouts (scientifically-based) that burn belly fat faster than typical cardio

Participantswho reported poor oral hygiene (never/rarely brushed their teeth) not only had an increased risk of a cardiovascular disease event but also had higher inflammatory markers, such as, c-reactive protein (CRP).

Although this could be simple a correlation but not a causal relationship, we can still reduce the risk of inflammation with simple intervention – Brushing Teeth twice a day!

Source: British Medical Journal (BMJ)

Recommended Products:

• How to Get Rid of a Toothache Naturally in less than 12 hours
• Oral-B Professional Care SmartSeries 5000 Rechargeable Toothbrush
• Philips Sonicare FlexCare Plus, Rechargeable Toothbrush

After a rigourous review of literature, this task force made the following recommendations:

• Routine screening mammography in women aged 40 to 49 years is not recommended. The decision to start regular, biennial screening mammography before the age of 50 years should be an individual one and take patient context into account, including the patient’s values regarding specific benefits and harms.
  Grade: C recommendation (Means there is at least modest certainty for recommending against)
• Screening mammography in women aged 50 to 74 should be done every other year.
  Grade: B recommendation (Means there is at least moderate benefit for recommending this)
• Current evidence is insufficient to assess the additional benefits and harms of screening mammography in women 75 years or older
  Grade: I recommendation (Means we don’t have enough evidence to say for or against)
• The task force recommends against teaching breast self-examination (BSE).
  Grade: D recommendation (Means there is moderate to high certainty for recommending against)

USPSTF has no obligation to the Government or any entity regarding their recommendation. It is just based on latest body of evidence. One may think that how a screening test can be harmful. In fact the evidence concludes that risks are real. A test can trigger unnecessary further tests, like biopsies, that can create extreme anxiety and pain. And mammograms can find lesions that grow so slowly that they never would be noticed in a woman’s lifetime, resulting in unnecessary treatment.

However, if one have risk factors for breast cancer, such as, family hostory of breast cancer, nulliparous, late menopause, dense fibrocystic breast, etc, the risk of added testing may be weighed against finding cancer earlier. Such benefir-risk assessment should be done individually on patient-by-patient basis.

We hope such recommendations does not affect insurance coverage for yearly mammogram who may need it due to higher risks for breast cancer. Per the White House blog, Dan Pfeiffer, the deputy communications director, wrote that women who are currently getting mammograms under Medicare will continue to be able to get them. (Published in NY Times – November 19, 2009).

Only time will tell the real implications…

Source:

• USPSTF Recommendation Statement for Screening for Breast Cancer
• American Cancer Society: Breast Cancer
• NY Times: November 19, 2009 – “Screening Policy Won’t Change – US Officials Says”

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Latest update fro m New England Journal of Medicine (11/30/2009):

On Mammography – More Agreement than Disagreement. This article summarizes the conflict very nicely.

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Be concerned and participate in breast cancer walk promoting awareness about the disease.

The fatty buildup or plaque can break open and lead to the formation of a blood clot that seals the break. The clot reduces blood flow. When too little blood reaches the heart, the condition is called ischemia which is a reversible process. During ischemia, chest pain, or angina, may occur. The pain can vary in occurrence and be mild and intermittent, or more pronounced and steady. It can be severe enough to make normal everyday activities difficult. The same inadequate blood supply also may cause no symptoms, a condition called silent ischemia.

If a blood clot suddenly cuts off most or all blood supply to the heart, a heart attack results which if not treat immediately can lead of death of heart muscles that does not get the oxygen-carrying blood. The more time that passes without treatment to restore blood flow, the greater the damage to the heart.

Each year, about 1.1 million Americans suffer a heart attack. About 460,000 of those heart attacks are fatal.

Fortunately, we can prevent many of these heart attack from occuring. But this requires some proactive approach to improve health and wellbeing. We first need to understand all those risk factors. Some of the risk factors for heart attack are beyond your control, but most can be modified to help you lower your risk of having a first–or repeat–heart attack.

Factors you cannot control

• Pre-existing coronary heart diseases, including a previous heart attack, a prior angioplasty or bypass surgery, or angina
• Age-In men, the risk increases after age 45; in women, the risk increases after age 55.
• Family history of early heart disease-a father or brother diagnosed before age 55; or a mother or sister diagnosed before age 65.

Factors you can control

• Smoking.
• High blood pressure.
• High blood cholesterol.
• Overweight and obesity.
• Physical inactivity.
• Diabetes.

What should I do to prevent the heart attack? (Checklist)

• Get your blood work done periodically because this is the only way to know if you have high cholesterol or high sugars.
• Get your blood pressure check periodically because people usually does not have have any pain when you have high blood pressure. If you don’t get it checked, you may never know that you have high blood pressure.
• If you don’t already know, then find out if you parents had any history of heart disease or heart attack at an young age.
• Stop smoking if you have not already done so. (Also see Short Guide to Quitting Smoking, What products are there to help me quit smoking)
• Limit your intake of salt, fatty foods, concentrated sweets and sweetened beverages (Also see Weight Loss and Exercise can lower your blood pressure, )
• Eat breakfast daily which should consists of soluble fiber, bran, multi-grain and protein. Avoid energy-dense foods
• Be physically active for at least 45 minutes daily (Also see Tips on improving physical activity on daily basis)
• If you have diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol and you take any medications, please make sure to take them regularly. By controlling you sugars, cholesterol and blood pressure even with the medications can help you avoid you risk for heart attack

Additional Resources:

• Interactive Tutorial explaining the heart attack.
• Heart Risk Calculator
• The DASH Diet for Hypertension
• The New American Heart Association Cookbook, 7th Edition
• American Heart Association Low-Fat, Low-Cholesterol Cookbook, 4th edition: Delicious Recipes to Help Lower Your Cholesterol

References:

• National Heart Lung and Blood Institute – Heart and Vascular Diseases
• American Heart Association

Get low cost books on cardiovascular disease and heart conditions at Valore college books.

It is tough to argue that non-vegetarianism is the better choice. In my experience, I’ve found that most non-vegetarians argue that if they don’t kill the animals, the world will be overpopulated. This is not a valid argument, for this world is full of resources and if humans stopped eating animals, other animals would eat animals and the overpopulation problem will work out itself. In my opinion, this is not a reason to continue to eat meat.

Vegetarianism is certainly the healthier choice as well. It has been proven that vegetarianism is a major alternative treatment of cancer. Other conditions that can be treated with vegetarianism include obesity, osteoporosis, arthritis, allergies, asthma, environmental illness, hypertension, gout, gallstones, hemorrhoids, kidney stones , ulcers, colitis, premenstrual syndrome , anxiety, and depression.

It is amusing to me how the major pharmaceutical industries spend billions of dollars each year finding drugs that can help treat the illnesses listed above, yet the true cure to these problems is as simple as a change in diet. According to the American Dietetic Association, the total direct medical costs in the US attributable to meat comsumption were estimated to be $30-60 billion a year. What an outrageous amount to be wasting on a problem for which the solution is in our hands! Especially with such a bad economy at this time, this money can easily be used for something else.

One should consider vegetarianism as a diet option. Not only is it the healthier and cheaper choice, but it can save you from many illnesses all throughout your life. I realize for someone eating meat their whole life this is not an easy change, but feed your body what it deserves and your body will reciprocate and keep you healthy. If you don’t believe me, just Google vegetarianism on the web and you will find millions of articles saying the same fact: Vegetarianism is the healthier choice.

Laughter is a mini-workout
A genuine laugh can burn extra calories. According to a study published in International Journal of Obesity in May 2006 [1] showed that laughter causes a 10-20% increase in Energy Expenditure (EE) and heart rate (HR) above resting values, which means that 10-15 min of laughter per day could increase total EE by 40-170 kJ (10-40 kcal). A few calories every day translates to a few pounds a year—so keep laughing!

Stronger Immune System
According to an article recently published in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine [2], laughter may reduce stress and increase natural killer cell levels, a type of white blood cell that attacks cancer cells. Laughing also promotes an oxygen/carbon dioxide exchange and clears airways. Muscles and joints are flexed and stretched, promoting muscle tone.

NOW LAUGH!

Watch this videos! I am sure it will make you laugh!

• Laugh Your Abs Away (You Tube Video)
  
• Laughter Yoga on Discovery Channel (You Tube Video)
• Laughter Yoga in London -BBC News
• Laughter Yoga -CNN Report

References:

1. Buchowski MS, Majchrzak KM et al.Energy expenditure of genuine laughter. Int J Obes (Lond). 2007 Jan;31(1):131-7. 2006 May 2
2. Bennett MP, Zeller JM, Rosenberg L, et al. The effect of mirthful laughter on stress and natural killer cell activity. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. 2003;9:38-45.