Todays Health Article

February 3rd, 2012

The fact  is much information has been dedicated to the topic of how sugar is related to cancer and much of it has been construed or misunderstood. I like others, know that sugar has been beat up out of concern for our health.  There is other reasons not relating to our sugar consumption but marketing strategies. Never the less most do not understand the simple explanation, and this may clarify some peoples concerns.

The  Facts

Simply put, the facts about sugar and cancer can be confusing. More often tha not, many articles have  presented the material in a format  that is so misleading  that it creates a high level of anxiety for people with cancer.

With that in mind, if you learn a simple amount  of science behind the connections between sugar we eat and cancer risk, you can make wise choices for better health.

The Concept Is…

Sugar feeds cancer!  This is not useful for our understanding, as this is too broad to understand. For  those  who understand the purpose of sugar in our bodies,  the truth … Sugar feeds every cell in our bodies.

Our bodies have a need for glucose, or simple sugar, for energy. So if you were to cut  out every bit of sugar (NADA ,NONE) out of your diet, your body will  step up and make the sugar from other sources, such as our protein, or fat. Sugar substains the energy reguired for healthy cells.

Cancer Cells need Sugar…

Cancer cells, just like healthy cells,need sugar to grow. Now I am reminding you this, so you will  remember that there  is nothing  in particular as to the feeding of cancer cells versus the sugar that feeds the other cells in our body. (the healthy ones)

Yes, You need to Limit Amount of Sugar!

Understanding this further, sugar being the basic ingredient, when you eat a lot of sugar, your body produces a lot of insulin.

Insulin is a natural substance made by the body. Insulin can actually instruct cells to grow.  With this in mind, like the accelerator on the car, can speed up  or rev up our cell growth. Continuing this example, this is a good thing forthe healthy cells.  Why is this a good thing, because the cells in your body grow, divide, die, and are  replaced . This is just part of the natural process of living.

The downside of this, cancer cells can be or will be encouraged to grow more, too. So while some insulin in the body is normal, excess insulin may encourage cancer cells to grow more, which is not a good thing. It’s just unhealthy if we make too much of it.

Best Sources

I t is literally impossible to avoid every bit of sugar in your diet.   Nor should you do so. understanding that healthy cells need to grow as well.The best sources for healthy, complex carbohydrates such as vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and legumes (beans), are the very foods that appear to fight cancer best. So  you do not need to avoid all sugar and other carbohydrates.

What is your answer?

There are three other things in the diet that can help reduce the amount of insulin produced by the body when you eat sugar and carbohydrates. These are protein, fat, and fiber. When eaten along with even the simplest sugars, these three items help the body to make less insulin in response to simple sugar.

If you eat sugar with some protein, some fat, or some fiber, your body won’t produce as much insulin. Eating this other food helps your body process sugar more slowly, and this means that your body does not overproduce insulin. In short, protein, fat, and fiber help your body process sugar in a more healthful way.

Making it Work for You

Here is an ample of how this  may work for you. I am  thinking about fruit and fruit juice. The quanity of insulin your body makes after you eat a piece of fruit is much lower than the amount of insulin produced when you drink fruit juice.  The  reason is whole fruit contains fiber as well and that fiber helps balance out the sugar in fruit.

T o continue this same frame of mine about eating specific foods together to get a healthier snack or meal.  So nstead of having two or three pieces of fruit as a snack, you could try having one piece of fruit and a small handful of nuts. The nuts contain protein, fat, and fiber. These three things help your body keep insulin in balance.

Today’s Health Comments

Today it is important to remember sugar itself is not all bad, it just too much sugar, without enough protein, fat, and fiber to balance it out, can cause our bodies to make too much insulin.

The point here is, it is not the sugar, but rather the insulin that may be a problem for spurring cancer cell growth. To  take preventative measure, you should limit the simple sugar in your diet.

Trying to follow a stringent diet and ward  off every single dessert. is virtually very difficult and remember you need sugar to feed the healthy cells as well. So the bottom line here is moderation. You might find these tips to helpful concerning your food choices:

• Stick with naturally occurring sugar, such as the sugar that is found in fruit.
• Avoid concentrated sources of sugar. It is OK to have 100 percent fruit juice in moderation. Avoid fruit drinks that don’t contain any real fruit juice.
• Limit your  treats, and proportions
• Focus on whole, healthy, unprocessed food, including vegetables, fruit, whole grains, legumes (beans, lentils, and peas), nuts, and seeds.

Further Reading

Our Sweetest Addiction known Today

Todays Health Article

American Heart Month

February 25th, 2011

Today these symptoms basically are either being completely ignored, because we are feeling they are insignificant, or we may not even recognized these symptoms, as a health risk. This thinking, has allowed this major health threat to go undected by millions of people. Why would this become such a concerning fact, regarding our health today?

Facts from the Past

Diabetes rates in America have been increasing substantially. In 2010 nearly 26 million people have diabetes in the United States alone, from those 7 million people remain undiagnosed. Anther 57 million people are estimated to have pre-diabetes, The Centers for Disease Control, has termed the change an epidemic.

 The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse estimates that diabetes costs $132 billion in the United States alone every year. About 5%–10% of diabetes cases are type 1, with the rest being type 2.

The American Diabetes Association cite the 2003 assessment of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) that 1 in 3 Americans born after 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetime.

According to the American Diabetes Association, approximately 18.3% (8.6 million) of Americans age 60 and older have diabetes. Diabetes  prevalence increases with age, and the numbers of older persons with diabetes are expected to grow as the elderly population increases in number.

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) demonstrated that, in the population over 65 years old, 18% to 20% have diabetes, with 40% having either diabetes or its precursor form of impaired glucose tolerance.

Diabetes

 Why Diabetes, so many times goes undiagnosed, is because of its symptoms seem so harmless. Diabetes is a terribly destructive disease. It quietly  destroys circulation to the heart, brain, kidneys, legs, eyes and skin. It also increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure.Today more than 60 percent of non-traumatic amputations are due to diabetes. It is the leading cause of blindness in the adults 20 to 74.

Why, the symptom are overlooked by  about 90-95% of those with diabetes have Type 2, because it typically takes decades  before you may come to realize you have Diabetes. You may  have heard of the “classic” symptoms of diabetes: increased thirst, increased urination, hunger and weakness, but these are symptoms of  Type 1 diabetes which is most commonly seen in children and which is a very different disease from Type 2.

Because most diabetics have no symptoms, it is important to understand what to look for.

Type 1 diabetes, formerly called insulin dependent or juvenile diabetes, typically starts in childhood.

 Studies have shown that Type 1 diabetes results from the immune system attacking and destroying the pancreas cells that produce insulin. Insulin in our bodies is used to control blood sugar levels. Type 1 diabetes is genetically based, it is not inherited from parents as some suggest.

Its Symptoms may be of increased thirst, fatigue, weight loss, increased urination, hunger, and blurred vision.

Type 2 diabetes is more common in those who have family members with a history of the disease. People with a parent or sibling with Type 2 diabetes have a forty percent chance of developing it themselves. Those who have Type 2 diabetes, actually make enough insulin, but their bodies don’t produce it at the right time, and can not effectively use the insulin to control blood sugar levels.

Normally, our pancreas responds to eating by producing a surge in insulin. Early in Type 2 diabetes, the normal surge in insulin does not occur and blood sugars rise too high after eating. This is called post-prandial hyperglycemia. After a few hours, the blood sugar returns to normal. After some years, the body’s natural ability to get the blood sugar back down to normal is lost.

Type 2 diabetes usually does not cause symptoms and at some point  it increases the chance of fungal infections and slows healing of wounds, particularly on the feet. You may have very high blood sugars, which can cause sluggishness, blurred vision and occasionally double vision.

Because symptoms occur late, doctors look for diabetes before it causes damage. Typically a blood sugar is checked after an 8-12 hour fast when it should be less than 110. Often diabetes has been present for 10 years by the time the fasting sugar becomes abnormal.

Type 2 diabetes is caused by being overweight not by consuming too much sugar.

Actions and Preventions

Online Diabetes Risk Test

The extra calories may be the reason for the increased incidence of diabetes in our country today… where more than half the population is overweight. The good news is that just as being overweight causes diabetes, losing and maintaining normal weight can stop diabetes and prevent the related complications.

Everyone over 40 should have a fasting blood glucose about once a year. Those overweight people and have a family history of diabetes should probably be tested earlier than age 40. The goal in treating diabetes is to prevent complications. Many doctors are now looking at the blood sugar after eating to detect diabetes earlier, particularly in cases where diabetes runs in the family.

If you have Type 2 diabetes in your family, try to maintain a normal weight through proper diet and exercise. Ask your doctor about screening tests for diabetes including whether testing for elevated blood sugar after eating would be appropriate.

Left untreated, Type 1 diabetes causes the blood sugar to rise and produce acids which can cause nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, loss of consciousness and even death. Type 1 diabetes is treated withinsulin injections as it does not respond to pills. Type 1 diabetics must be rigorous in their diet and insulin treatment to avoid hypoglycemia or low blood sugar, which can result in coma and death.

Todays Health Comments

Today, with epidemic numbers of individuals suspected of Diabetes, everyone must assume they are at risk until you have taken the steps to determine if you are or are not a diabetic. Do not assume you have no symptoms and allow years to past by. Silently this illness can become present. Click on the link above and take the simple test. This simple action may answer your questions.Information below is for further learning and understanding.

For more information go to the American Diabetes Association www.diabetes.orgor The National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases at http://www.niddk.nih.gov/

“CDC’s Diabetes Program-News and Information-Press Releases-October 26, 2000″. http://www.cdc.gov/Diabetes/news/docs/010126.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-23. 

Narayan KM, Boyle JP, Thompson TJ, Sorensen SW, Williamson DF (October 2003). “Lifetime risk for diabetes mellitus in the United States”. JAMA 290 (14): 1884–90. doi:10.1001/jama.290.14.1884. PMID 14532317. 

American Diabetes Association (2005). “Total Prevalence of Diabetes & Pre-diabetes”. Archived from the original on 2006-02-08. http://web.archive.org/web/20060208032127/http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-statistics/prevalence.jsp. Retrieved 2006-03-17. 

 “Seniors and Diabetes”. Elderly And Diabetes-Diabetes and Seniors. LifeMed Media. 2006. http://www.dlife.com/dLife/do/ShowContent/daily_living/seniors/. Retrieved 2007-05-14.

Is SUGAR Becoming an Edidemic in the US?

Knowing this,  are we becoming  a population addicted  to Sugar?

How is this “SUGAR CRAZE” affecting our Health.

The average American consumes 2 to 3 pounds of sugar each week, that translates to over 150 pounds of sugar per person per year.

Sugar as an additive,  has attributed to this alarming number. With wide popularity of Sugar, it is in everything, and may be disguised in various forms. Sucrose, dextrose, and high fructose corn syrups  may be found as an active ingredient in  your processed food or condiments. These are highly refined sweeteners.

Most professionals stress a balanced approach to eating. If we limit the intake of acidic foods and increasing the intake of alkaline foods, one can achieve optimum health. One of the main factors in the fight against acidic pH levels is sugar.

Sugar’s Radical Effect:

On insulin levels, when they do drop; so does the release of  our growth hormone. Our growth hormones depress the immune system, leaving the body open to a variety of diseases and illnesses. Insulin also inhances the body’s ability to fight off weight gain and elevated triglyceride levels. Simply put, the higher in sugars a food is, the more likely it will promote fat storage in the body. These fat cells  host  in turn degrade the structure of red blood cells in our the bloodstream.

Within our body Vitamin C and Sugar will also fight for control of the cellular development.  Vitamin C and Simple Sugar, from a structural standpoint, are quite similar. As sugar levels go up in the body, they compete with one another when they enter cells. When a higher concentration of sugar is within the bloodstream,this allows more sugar into thirsty cells leaving little to no room for Vitamin C. Without the phagocytizing effects of Vitamn C on cellular structures they are unable to fend off the attacks of viruses and bacteria. Now having lower white blood cell counts, our immune system  isn`t strong enough to protect the body.

Sugar by absorption, steals vital micro-nutrients to help it metabolize in our system. With this deficit being created, our micro-nutrients are not being replaced, causing our fat cells and cholesterol to not be metabolized, thus leading to high blood pressure and obesity.

The ability of sugar to raise insulin levels artificially eventually leaves the pancreas dysfunctional and the body dependent on sugar. This is commonly referred to as diabetes.

Simple sugars have also been attributed to gallstones, mood disorders, heart disease and even asthma. With all of the negative effects that sugars have been clinically linked to, is it any wonder that sugar is also one of the most acidic things you can put into your body.

Cancer is the most dangerous result of heavy sugar dependence.  The  relationship between sugars and unhealthy acidic levels in the bloodstream is clearly drawn through the connection of glucose (sugar) and cancerous cells.

 Simple sugars are quite simply a poison to the body that will eventually deteriorate the quality of cellular development and suppress the immune system to the point of failure.

By balancing the diet,  you can decrease the risk of disease in the body.  Look carefully at  the  ingredient labels and be aware of the many names that simple sugars hide behind.