The Fat Report » Obesity Related Diseases

Obesity and Insulin Resistance Video

Chuck Edwards — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 01:43:32 +0000

Obesity and Insulin Resistance

Nutritionist Heidi Kaufman explains the link between obesity and Type 2 Diabetes. As the body increases its fat content (especially around the abdomen), the cells in the body become less sensitive to the insulin that’s produced. This is a condition known as insulin resistance, which results from increased visceral fat also known as “belly” fat or intra-abdominal fat.

One of the most effective treatment methods for Type 2 Diabetes is weight loss. According to Ms. Kaufman, weight loss reduces the amount of visceral fat in the body, which brings it back to a state where it can more effectively process insulin. Insulin is what allows the cells to receive glucose for energy.

No Energy

With Type 2 Diabetes, the body thinks it has too little energy, because there is less glucose entering the cells. Kaufman says that when a person loses weight, their cells “perk up.” They begin burning more energy because of the weight loss, so the cells start working harder to process the glucose in the bloodstream.

In other words, the cells work harder to extract energy when you lose weight. Weight loss improves the overall condition of Type 2 Diabetes.

Bypass Surgery

Kaufman says gastric bypass surgery has been a particularly effective method of treatment. Within 2 months of the surgery, patients have lost up to 50 pounds. This dramatic weight loss technique has been shown to put diabetes symptoms in remission, including in patients who were already taking insulin or other oral medications.

Diabetes is best prevented and treated by losing weight and adopting a healthy lifestyle. For a great nutrition plan designed to help Diabetics and Pre-Diabetics lose weight, read my review of the Nutrisystem D Plan.

Diabetes: Thelma’s New Diagnosis

Chuck Edwards — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 05:33:28 +0000

Diabetes: Thelma’s New Diagnosis

This video details the story of Thelma Garza. Like many people with Type 2 Diabetes, she had no idea that she had the condition. It wasn’t until she had a routine physical exam that she found out. That was more than 20 years ago.

Insulin Resistance

Type 2 Diabetes is a disorder in which the body cannot properly use the energy it gets from food. In a healthy person, food is broken down into glucose (blood sugar) as part of the digestive process. That sugar is what gives the body energy, and insulin (produced by the pancreas) helps the cells receive the glucose. In a diabetic person, the cells become resistant to insulin, and the blood glucose levels get too high. It leaves an excess of glucose circulating in the bloodstream.

Thelma’s doctor pricked her finger to illustrate the problem. The doctor’s blood was runny, similar to water.

“She asked me to do the same thing, so I did,” says Thelma. “It was as if I had syrup between my fingers. She said, ‘That’s what’s running in your veins.’ She said that it was a miracle that I was walking around conscious.”

Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 Diabetes can lead to serious health conditions, including heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, amputation or blindness. Thelma took the risk seriously, and immediately cut all sugary foods out of her diet. Weight loss began almost immediately, and she began taking prescription medications to help manage the problem. She also learned to test her blood sugar on a daily basis.

Like many Type 2 Diabetes patients, Thelma admits that she remained in denial for years about her condition.

Dr Kal’s Addendum:
The lifestyle modifications she made to treat her Diabetes are the same modifications she could have made to prevent it. Don’t wait until you are diagnosed with Diabetes to lose weight and make lifestyle modifications.

Polycystic Ovarian Disease Overview

Chuck Edwards — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:23:40 +0000

Polycystic Ovarian Disease Overview

Nora Yates with megavista-health.com explains Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, also known as PCOS. Researchers have found a dramatic and natural treatment option for women with this condition.

PCOS is a condition in which the ovaries appear larger than normal in an ultrasound scan. The ovaries will have a large number of cysts on the outside, which result from a chemical hormone imbalance. These cysts can prevent the ovaries from functioning properly. A person suffering with PCOS may not be able to become pregnant, and will rarely ovulate. Other symptoms include:

Irregular periods: may go weeks without a menstrual cycle
Increase facial and body hair
Facial acne
Rapid weight gain

Insulin Resistance

A patient with PCOS may become resistant to insulin – one of the early signs of diabetes. Insulin resistance prevents the body’s cells from using glucose properly, and the body in turn stores the glucose as fat. Patients who are overweight are more at risk of PCOS, because excess body weight creates a hormonal imbalance.

PCOS is commonly treated by the combined oral contraceptive pill. The pill serves to reduce testosterone levels (which creates many of the above symptoms), regulates the menstrual cycle, and helps the patient maintain a healthy weight.

Lifestyle Changes

There is, however, a natural method to control PCOS. The hormonal imbalance can be corrected by regular exercise and maintaining a health body weight. A body mass index between 19 and 25 is ideal for correcting the hormonal imbalance.

Doctors recommend that patients eat six small meals per day, consisting of fruits and vegetables, carbohydrates and protein. This helps stabilize the insulin levels in the body. The oral contraceptive pill will reduce the cysts and maintain the hormonal balance, but symptoms will come back if the patient stops taking the pill. Through proper diet and exercise, and maintaining a healthy body weight, Yates says the patient can control and treat PCOS naturally.

Dr Kal’s Addendum:
Polycystic Ovarian Disease can be treated and sometimes cure with weight loss and lifestyle modifications. If you are a woman with the disease, losing weight may be the key to you re-gaining your full fertility potential.

Diagnose and Treat Sleep Apnea

Chuck Edwards — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:53:14 +0000

Diagnose and Treat Sleep Apnea

Certified Medical Assistant Taylor Smith explains various treatment options for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).

The Diagnosis

In order to diagnose a patient with OSA, an overnight sleep study must first be performed. A sleep technician at an accredited sleep laboratory will attach electrodes and wires to the patient’s body. These will measure the patient’s breathing, eye movement, abdominal force and other factors, while the patient sleeps. The monitoring devices track what sleep stage the patient is in. A breathing monitor and a camera are also used to record the apnea symptoms.

Smith says many patients realize that they have a form of sleep apnea. They wake up and find that they can’t breathe for a few moments. Other patients think they don’t have a problem, and believe that they sleep well. It’s often their spouse who can’t deal with the excessive snoring, the awakenings and the sounds of the apneas, and this person often encourages the patient to seek treatment.

After the sleep study has concluded, doctors will take a look at the results with the patient.

The Treatment

One of the most natural treatments that’s available for OSA is known as CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure). In this treatment, the patient wears a mask or nasal unit, which is connected to a compressor by an air hose. A physician prescribes a specific level of pressure for the compressor, which forces air into the mouth and throat. This treatment expands the airway and prevents it from collapsing during a sleep apnea event.

Other treatment options include an oral mandibular advancement device. This is a dental appliance which can be used if certain conditions in the patient’s mouth are causing sleep apnea. Another option is a form of surgery performed by a nose-throat doctor, which corrects problems on the uvula and soft palate in the throat.

Dr Kal’s Addendum:
Obstructive Sleep Apnea can be caused and/or exacerbated by Obesity. By simply changing your lifestyle and losing some weight, you can treat and even cure the disease.

What is Type 2 Diabetes?

Chuck Edwards — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:29:16 +0000

What is Type 2 Diabetes?

Type 2 Diabetes is a condition that affects many people who are overweight or obese. Because of the seriousness of the impacts that it can have on your overall health, it’s important to talk to a doctor if you’re in an at-risk group.

Type 2 Diabetes occurs when the pancreas stops creating enough insulin for your body, and the cell structure becomes resistant to insulin. Cells in the body have insulin receptors. These respond to the presence of insulin, which then allows the cells to open up to receive glucose (blood sugar) for energy.

Blood Sugar

Blood sugar is created as part of the digestive process. The body breaks down carbohydrates, fats and proteins when you eat. Carbohydrates are transformed into glucose, which is then carried to the cells in the bloodstream. Once you’re done eating, the amount of blood sugar in your system increases; a healthy pancreas releases insulin so that your body can process the blood sugar.

When Type 2 Diabetes develops, the pancreas no longer produces enough insulin to process all of the glucose in the bloodstream. In addition, the insulin receptors on the cells no longer function properly, and fail to allow glucose to enter the cells for energy production.

Manage Diabetes

The results of this condition can be catastrophic. High levels of blood sugar in your system can lead to heart attack, stroke, nerve damage, blindness or kidney failure.

Type 2 Diabetes can be treated and managed. Proper diet, exercise and prescription medication can be used to help keep the body’s blood sugar levels in a healthy range. Once you’ve been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, daily blood testing with a home test kit is also necessary, to make sure your blood glucose levels remain healthy.

Obesity and Heart Disease on Larry King

Chuck Edwards — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:37:23 +0000

Obesity and Heart Disease

In this video, CNN personality Larry King hosts a panel of medical experts on obesity and heart disease, called “Take One Step: For a Healthy Heart.”

This segment talks about problems related to abdominal fat – an apple-shaped figure as opposed to pear-shaped. Dr. Steven Nissem points out that abdominal fat cells release a substance that triggers arterial plaque, leading to heart disease. Being a heart attack victim himself, Larry King brings his own knowledge and experience to the table, asking the doctors, “Are we what we eat?” The answer is a resounding, “Yes!”

Americans have become increasingly overweight as a population in the past 3 decades. Figures vary depending on the source, but the most common statistic seems to be that about one-third of adults are either overweight or obese. The problem is also becoming more and more prevalent among American children.

What Should We Do?

The point of this special is to get everyone who watches it to take just one step towards reducing the risk of heart disease. Among the recommendations from the panel:

Eat fewer polyunsaturated fats, and eat more healthy fats
Walk 30 minutes a day
Eat one ounce of nuts per day
Daily brushing and flossing (periodontal disease can lead to heart problems)
Control the portion size at the dinner table

Diet and exercise are the keys to maintaining a healthy body weight, and reducing the risk of heart disease. The panelists recommend that if your body starts to take on an “apple” shape (i.e., lots of abdominal fat), you should stand up and take notice, and talk to your doctor about treatment options.

Dr Kal’s Addendum:
Great information from the panelist. I especially liked the advice about the Mediterranean Diet, which I am liking more and more. The Mediterranean Diet has been studied and studied some more. The results are all positive.

Lose weight permanently with my FREE weight loss plan, the Don’t Go Broke Weight Loss Plan.

New Therapy For Erectile Dysfunction

Dr. Kal — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:38:09 +0000

Stenting For Erectile Dysfunction

The author in this article discusses a new study being conducted by medical technology company Medtronic. The study is on a new therapy for erectile dysfunction. Medtronic is attempting to treat erectile dysfunction similar to how coronary artery disease is treated. They are attempting to use stents to open up the blocked arteries to the penis. If blood is allowed to flow freely to the penis, there should be no barrier to obtaining a healthy erection.

25 million American men have reported having erectile dysfunction. The therapies we are currently using will not work for almost half of these men. There is obviously a need for better therapies. Hopefully this stenting will work because sexual health is directly related to overall health.

As we search for better therapies for erectile dysfunction we should also work on teaching the lifestyle changes necessary to prevent it.

Source: Sun Sentinel

Physicians Officially Endorse Erectile Dysfunction Medications

The author in this article discusses the new erectile dysfunction guidelines released by the American College of Physicians (ACP). The ACP suggests the use of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors, such as Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra, for the treatment of erectile dysfunction.

This doesn’t seem like much news. Physicians have been using PDE5 inhibitors for years to treat erectile dysfunction. The one thing we have not been doing is treating erectile dysfunction with weight loss and lifestyle modification.

Source: New York Times

For weight loss tips to help you lose weight and keep it off, check out Dr. Kal’s Weight Loss Tips.

Photo by gingerpig2000.

The Osteoarthritis Epidemic

Dr. Kal — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:52:13 +0000

The author in this article discusses the future osteoarthritis epidemic.

The Future

Osteoarthritis is an inflammatory joint disease that has its greatest effects on the hip and knee joints. These joints are affected most because they are your weight bearing joints. As our population grows bigger, we are forcing these joints to bear more weight. This will inevitably lead to American adults getting osteoarthritis more often and at earlier ages.

Specialists are predicting that over 67 million Americans will have arthritis by the year 2030. Most of them will have osteoarthritis, not its distant cousin rheumatoid arthritis.

The Children

The sad thing is that our children will be more affected than we are. Never in history have so many children placed so much weight on their hips and knees at such an early age. To help prevent this, the Arthritis Foundation has joined the fight against childhood obesity. The foundation is actively encouraging children to:

Lose weight
Get active
Prevent joint injuries

New Therapy

The author also discusses a new therapy to treat osteoarthritis. When osteoarthritis becomes debilitating or the pain becomes unbearable, the next step is typically joint replacement surgery. However, joint replacement surgeries have their own limitations and complications. A new therapy, platelet-rich plasma therapy, may be the answer.

Platelet-rich plasma therapy uses the person’s own blood to treat their disease. The red blood cells are removed from the blood leaving platelet-rich plasma. This plasma is injected in and around the joint. The theory is that the platelet-associated growth factors encourage the regrowth of the joints damaged tissues.

I hope this therapy turns out to be a good alternative to surgery. However, osteoarthritis prevention via weight loss is still the best option.

For a great weight loss plan to help you lose weight and keep it off, check out the Low Calorie Diet.

Photo by Ed Yourdon.

Source: The Boston Globe