Online Medical Advice

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder in which the body does not properly process sugar. While diabetes often runs in families, its onset and course cannot be predicted or prevented. But, with medication, proper nutrition and exercise, diabetics live healthy lives.

Uncontrolled, however, it can cause heart and blood vessel disorders that may lead to blindness, gangrene, kidney disease, and even death.

There are two basic types of diabetes. Type I, the more severe, is caused by a deficiency of the hormone insulin. With Type II, or noninsulin-dependent diabetes, there may be enough insulin, but the body’s cells have trouble using it.

In either form, excess sugar builds up in the blood because insulin is unable to regulate it. The sugar then “spills” into the urine, where it is excreted from the body. Frequent urination or excessive thirst often signals high blood sugar levels.

Having diabetes means you need to eat foods from each food group. Include breads and cereals, milk products, vegetables, fruits, meat and fish, nuts and legumes, and fats and oils.

Minimize sugars and fats while maximizing starches and proteins. The old standard of avoiding carbohydrates no longer applies. In fact, a diet in which 50 to 60% of total calories is obtained through complex carbohydrates is recommended. Keep fat to 30% of calories.

Control your caloric intake; being overweight makes diabetes worse. Weight management, especially in Type II diabetes, is crucial. Losing even a small amount of weight can improve or even normalize blood sugar levels in older diabetics.

Type I diabetics must eat meals on a regular schedule in order to balance their injections of insulin. All diabetics need to space their meals throughout the day so as to minimize extreme highs and lows of blood sugar levels.

If you haven’t been physically active, start slowly and build the intensity. Consult your doctor before starting your exercise program. Be aware that strenuous exercise can throw you out of balance by lowering blood glucose too much; this could lead to hypoglycemia.

Moderate exercise helps lower blood sugar by “burning” it off, making tissues more responsive to insulin and reducing weight. It also reduces fat and cholesterol in the bloodstream and lowers blood pressure. This is important because diabetics are at high risk for heart and vascular diseases.

Babies born to diabetics have a greater risk of birth defects than others. To minimize the risk:

• Get your body in the best possible condition three to six months before you conceive. If you must lose weight, do it under supervision of your doctor.
• Choose a doctor trained to care for diabetic mothers and their babies.
• Closely monitor your blood glucose before and during your pregnancy.
• Breastfeeding is good for both you and the baby, but it will set up new conditions for controlling blood sugar.

Respectfully Submitted by Idaline Hall. For more health quick tips you might find interesting, visit: http://HealthQuickTips.com.

Diabetes is a disease in which above normal levels of glucose circulate in the bloodstream, an unhealthy condition that can, over time, damage the body’s organs and circulation system. A major objective for people with diabetes is to manage and control the levels of their blood sugar (in the form of glucose).

For the person with diabetes, knowing the levels of sugars in the blood is essential in assessing their state of health and how well their diabetic condition is being controlled, a major task for all diabetics.

Home blood glucose monitoring

Performing a self-administered blood test is a daily routine for most diabetics and essential for them to know the status of the blood glucose levels that determine their diabetic condition. Some people with diabetes may only make the test once a day while others may need to take several blood tests throughout the day in order to more closely monitor the effects of their food intake and exercise levels that play a significant role in the rise and fall of blood sugar levels.

The home blood test is performed with the aid of a small hand-held measuring device that provides a digital reading after the application of a small droplet of blood from the end of a finger — obtained after making a small pinprick with a special lancet designed for the purpose.

There are two main blood sugar level targets to aim for, known as the fasting blood sugar level and the post-prandial blood sugar level.

Fasting blood test

In the United States, blood sugar levels are measured in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) and in most other countries they are measured in millimoles per liter (mmol/L)

The fasting blood test is usually made in the morning after a night’s sleep and before eating. According to the American Diabetes Association, the normal range for fasting blood sugars for a person who does not have diabetes is 70 to 100 mg/dl (4 to 5.6 mmol/L)

For the person with diabetes, the American Diabetes Association recommends a fasting blood glucose level of 70-130 mg/dl.

The post-prandial test

After eating food, the sugars in the blood increase depending on the sugar content of the food consumed and in a healthy non-diabetic person they usually return to normal levels after about 2 hours.

For the post-prandial test, the test taken 2 hours after a meal, the recommended target level is to be less than 180 mg/dL (<10.0 mmol/L) For many diabetics, that level is difficult to achieve and requires much attention to the types and amounts of food consumed.

Clinical blood tests

There are also important blood tests to determine blood sugar levels that are requisitioned by a doctor. For the person with diabetes, these blood tests are usually ordered periodically at about 3 or 4-month intervals, called the A1c (or variously as the glycated hemoglobin test or glycosylated hemoglobin test). The A1c blood test results, obtained after chemical analysis, provide an indication of the blood sugar levels that have existed during the prior 12 week period approximately. The test is based on the fact that blood cells are constantly being produced by the body and have a lifetime of about 12 weeks. Some of the hemoglobin molecules in those blood cells will have glucose attached to them and the A1c measures the percentage of hemoglobin cells that do have them attached.

The A1c target levels

The target for the A1c levels for the non-diabetic person is to be below 6 %, for the person with diabetes, the American Diabetes Association suggests that the typical range should be at less than 7%.

Clinical blood tests provide an analysis of many other important blood components, including cholesterol, tryglycerides, that can help the doctor determine a patient’s state of health.

Author’s Comments

As a person with type-2 diabetes for many years myself, I share the problems faced by my fellow diabetics and understand their concerns. For more information, please visit Type-2 Diabetes Problems and the Triple Threat of Diabetes. At the end of those pages, there is a link to the List of Diabetes Topics for that site.

What is the relationship between Honey and diabetes?

They have been many questions relating to whether honey have any effect on a person suffering from diabetes. This article attempts to dispel any myths that are associated with these questions about honey and diabetes.

The fact about this myth is simple to answer; however, the answer might be correct in this instance, but not necessary in every case. Let me explain before you get confused about my contradictory statement.

Honey is a type food and most food is basically carbohydrates, as with all other carbohydrates that are consumed; there will be an increase in blood sugar levels. Honey is no different from consuming any other carbohydrate or sugar.

The most important thing to note here is that honey and diabetes monitoring of the effects and any other foods should be a prerequisite of any person suffering from any illness. This is always the first step to preventing any disease from escalating.

The fact of the matter is that carbohydrates like sugar, sweetener and honey do not cause diabetes and the general advice that physicians give to people with diabetes is that honey unlike other sweeteners is perfectly OK to use. However, you should be careful of the amount you use and always monitor the effect regardless of the amount.

Why do I have this preference when dealing with honey and diabetes?

My personal opinion on the matter is that instead of sugars and sweeteners, honey should be used in their places as much as possible.

Well my most compelling reason is that sugars and sweeteners are process foods and no one really knows the long-term effect of processed foods on the body. While on the other hand honey is a wonderful and nature product from creation, with many other benefits I might add.

Honey is a specially formulated food and could also be beneficial for people who have diabetes especially at time when their blood sugar levels are low or they are hypoglycemic as it is called.

Did you know that honey is normally given as treatment for persons with hypoglycemia, which tends to quickly and efficiently raise their blood glucose levels.

There have been many studies into the effects of Honey and diabetes, which suggest that there is more value in honey to diabetics, when compared to sugar and sweeteners or other carbohydrates substitution.

Honey is much more beneficial than other sugars for diabetics according to one study was carried out that compared effects of fructose, sugar, honey and sucrose on the blood sugar levels of individuals.

The result affirmed that honey had less discomforting symptoms on them than sucrose and fructose, which caused an increase in blood sugar levels.

Honey and diabetes benefits

This study concluded that honey was much gentler on the blood sugar levels, despite being sweeter on a per gram basis and is more recommended over other sugars.

In 1986 Hogan Bassey wrote a book called Bee-keeping: digest of selected literature on bee-keeping, honey and beeswax processing. He reported that pure honey is the best substitute for sweets that should be used by diabetic patients.

He also states that it can be used generously as a substitute for refined or processed sugars. The use of Honey and diabetes monitoring shows a marked reduction in the glucose levels of the body over time, after having substituted honey for sugar.

However, that does not mean that you should not consult you Doctor on a regular basis for periodic examinations and for treatments.

I am Michael Bourne and I witness my father suffering with diabetes mellitus. We search all throughout history’s accounts to find a solution. To find out more all about diabetes mellitus, please visit http://www.curing-diabetes.blogspot.com and have a look at the ebook we created about diabetic diets while you are there.