Archive for the ‘Diabetes’ Category
Phytonutrients Defend Against Age-Related Diseases
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In the last ten years scientific research has validated the value of phytonutrients as a first line of defense against many age-related diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Phytonutrients are plant-based nutritional compounds. One of the outstanding phytonutrients is chia which is frequently called “the perfect food from Nature”. Chia seeds are loaded with many nutrients including protein, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fatty acids, and fiber. The chia seeds are edible and have a pleasant nutty flavor. Chia has been used as a food from Aztec times when it was a staple in their diet. In our time scientific research has documented chia’s ability to prevent a number of age-related diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. With over 55 million Americans currently estimated to be pre-diabetic any food that can support preemptive aging against diabetes needs to be taken seriously. The research indicates that chia can support a preemptive role in preventing diabetes and in reducing its effects in folks who are already suffering from it. In one study of diabetic patients who were at risk for heart disease those who took supplements of chia showed major improvment across a range of disease markers for diabetes including lipid profiles, inflammatory and clotting factors, and blood pressure. They also showed considerable improvement in the markers for cardiovascular disease including C-reactive protein and systolic blood pressure. Fortunately for seniors chia is available in the form of concentrated powders that will be effective in fostering senior health.
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Black Tea Aids Healthy Blood Sugar Levels
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The health literature is full of glowing reports about the many health benefits of drinking green tea, but what about the other tea, black tea? It turns out that it can provide a number of health benefits, too. Both types of tea contain polyphenols that are generally regarded as the substance that has been source of the teas’ historic ability to alleviate a wide range of medical ailments. Recent university research on nutrition reported that the polysccharides from black tea might moderate the spike in sugar levels that typically follow a meal. This report is good news for folks who are struggling to manage pre-diabetes or diabetes.
The researchers studied three types of tea including black, green, and oolong tea. All three were rich in polysaccharides, but they discovered that the black tea’s polysaccharides had a unique feature that made it better suited to support the body’s own function that reduces the spike in glucose levels in the blood after a meal. The lower molecular weight of the black tea’s polysaccharides is suspected to be the cause of its enhanced ability to lower the post meal spike in the glucose levels. Based on this research black tea has the potential to provide a natural glucose inhibitor against diabetes that will be a genuine benefit to senior health. For seniors drinking black tea after meals can provide a preemptive aging effect against diabetes.
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Resveratrol’s Twin Brother
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Studies based on recent plant extract research has discovered a plant extract that is very similar to resveratrol. This plant extract functions in ways similar to resveratrol, because it provides many of the benefits for longevity required for senior health. This compound which is found in minute quantities in grapes and blueberries regulates genes that control the development of diseases that typically affect seniors. Diseases like atheroschlerosis, cancer, diabetes, and systemic inflammation are classic examples of such age-related disorders. This plant extract is called pterostilbene and like resverotrol is a member of the stilbene family of compounds. It turns out that when the two are combined they work synergistically to enhance the good health benefits of resveratrol which is very good news for senior health.
When resverotrol and pterostilbene are combined they activate a person’s longevity genes. Together they act on our longevity genes in a manner that parallels caloric restriction without the obvious and very unpleasant side effect that accompanies caloric restriction. They act at different places to control gene expression. In the case of cancer they turn on the genes that kill cancer cells and turn off the genes that allow cancer cells to spread. They provide similar activity to head off diabetes and memory loss due to aging. Thanks to the availability of combined extracts of both resverotrol and pterostilbene seniors do not have to eat five cups of blueberries and drink 20 bottles of red wine a day.
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Preempt the Big 3 Diseases or Not?
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With all the smoke and mirrors in the media about reforming health care maybe its time to take a new look or think out of our usual health care box. It turns out that there is a lot that ordinary folks can do to prevent or preempt diseases from ever getting started. This goes double for folks as we get older, because of the special issues that affect senior health. We can choose our lifestyle so that we head in a direction with a high probability of attaining greater health or in an opposite direction with an equal probability of coming down with one of the big three diseases. The big three killer diseases are in order diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Four straight forward lifestyle changes can reduce the probability of contracting one of the big three by 80%. These lifestyle changes will not raise your health insurance premiums, but in some cases may actually lower them.
The big four lifestyle changes are within the reach of most folks, but they do require serious commitment. They are not monumental challenges like trying to climb Mt. Everest and return safely. The alternatives for not embracing these changes are higher health insurance premiums for everyone, seriously degraded quality of life and early death. The big four lifestyle changes include eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy weight, and not smoking. As one motivation coach put it, “Where attention goes, energy flows, and the result shows”. This is something that we can do for ourselves and our country, because a healthy people make a country healthy and prosperous.
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Cinnamon – Balances Inflammation
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Inflammation in our bodies is like a two-edge sword. We need an inflammatory response, because without it infections and wounds would never be healed. The second edge of inflammation acts as an accessory in many serious diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis and many others. For good health, especially for good senior health, we need to keep the inflammatory response in balance. As we age the inflammatory processes tend to fall out of balance causing those serious diseases.
It turns out that our bodies have their own balancing mechanisms that utilize certain proteins that can be induced by insulin, which is an anti-inflammatory hormone, and cinnamon extract. Recent research has shown that water soluble cinnamon extract lessens a type of intestinal inflammation. In addition to lessening inflammation, cinnamon has been shown to mimic the effects of insulin, manage blood-sugar metabolism, help regulate fatty acids, help reduce blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and act synergistically with insulin. Working together with insulin cinnamon reduces the type of inflammation that is known to the increase the risk for cardiovascular disease.
