Healthwise: Diabetes fighting

Showing posts with label Diabetes fighting. Show all posts

Wednesday, 27 November 2019

Five Ways Selenium Can Help Save Your Health

Selenium is an essential mineral. Your body needs it to function. It protects your cells—and DNA—from free radical damage. But you may not be getting enough.

INH ResearchFebruary 6, 2015

Your body needs selenium to work at its best. But you may not be getting enough of it. Here are five ways this mineral can help save your health.

Your body needs selenium to work at its best. But you may not be getting enough of it. Here are five ways this mineral can help save your health.

Selenium levels in soil vary from region to region. Concentrations of it are higher in the Midwest and Western areas of the U.S. than the South and Northeast.1

Poor soil quality and gastrointestinal illnesses put you at risk for low selenium levels. The problem is there are no clear signs of deficiency. Your first symptom could be low immunity, high blood sugar… Or worse. Don’t wait until you know you need more to start paying attention.

Here are five ways selenium can help save your health:

1. Fights Cancer: Low selenium levels in blood, hair, and nail samples could indicate as much as a threefold increase in overall cancer risk. It can make you up to eight times more likely to develop thyroid cancer.

One study found subjects supplementing with selenium lowered their risk for all cancer by 24%. And that effect rose to 36% in people who had the lowest baseline levels of it.2

2. Lowers Diabetes Risk: You don’t have to supplement to see a benefit from selenium… Research in the journal Diabetes Care revealed subjects with selenium-rich diets lowered their type 2 diabetes risk by 24%.3

Oxidative stress and inflammation cause insulin resistance. The more insulin resistant you are, the higher your odds of developing type 2 diabetes. Selenium prevents inflammation. But it also helps control blood sugar levels.4 This means it fights diabetes on two fronts.

3. Supports Thyroid Function: Your thyroid has some of the highest concentrations of selenium in your body. Having low levels means your thyroid won’t be working at its best. Or eventually at all.

It leads to thyroiditis. That’s an inflammation of this organ that makes it attack itself. But one study found taking a selenium supplement cut thyroid inflammation by around 40%.5 Eating a diet rich in this mineral may be the key to balancing your thyroid hormones… And avoiding bigger problems down the line.

4. Protects Your Heart: Researchers at Johns Hopkins found people taking a selenium supplement lowered heart disease risk by 11% compared to a placebo.

That’s just for supplements. Then there are people who had the highest overall concentrations of this mineral in their blood. They were at the lowest risk for facing heart disease… An impressive 24%.6 And this was independent of other risk factors that could’ve been working against the heart-protective benefits of selenium.

5. Boosts Immunity: It helps produce white blood cells. But it also enhances their abilities. Selenium makes your immune system’s NK—killer—cells stronger. This lets them respond faster to outside invaders. Like the flu virus and harmful bacteria.

Plus, selenium binds to toxic minerals. These include arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury. So there’s less inflammation for your immune system to deal with. It also makes them less likely to lead to the growth of cancer in your body.7

You can take a natural supplement to help get more. But your best bet is to eat more foods that are high in selenium. Brazil nuts, oysters, and organic sunflower seeds are a good start. You’ll also get it from grass-fed meat and mushrooms.

References:
1http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Selenium-HealthProfessional/
2http://www.lef.org/magazine/2012/ss/Selenium-Protect-Against-Cancer/Page-01
3http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/08/us-selenium-diabetes-risk-idUSBRE85718U20120608
4http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20030739
5http://press.endocrine.org/doi/full/10.1210/jcem.87.4.8421
6http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/84/4/762.full
7http://www.eidon.com/selenium0506.html

https://www.institutefornaturalhealing.com/2015/02/five-ways-selenium-can-help-save-your-health/

Five Reasons to Get More Magnesium

If you feel tired, weak, or nauseated… You might have a magnesium deficiency. And you’re definitely not alone. In fact, most people don’t have enough.1

INH ResearchJanuary 9, 2015

You should be getting at least 400 mg of magnesium a day. But most of us don’t. Here are five ways getting more of it can help save your health.

And talk about dangerous… This powerful mineral keeps us healthy and prevents serious ailments. Things like hypertension and osteoporosis. But there’s even more to it than that.

Here are five reasons to get more magnesium.

1. Stops Anxiety: Magnesium supports your nervous system. Low levels cause a disruption. This can lead to anxiety and depression. Some experts even believe a magnesium deficiency is a direct cause of depression…2 And about half of the people diagnosed with depression also have anxiety.

Most doctors throw dangerous drugs—like benzodiazepines—at people with anxiety or depression. But just three months of use can raise your Alzheimer’s risk by 51% (among other dangers). Yet numerous studies show that magnesium eased depression and anxiety where these drugs failed. Without any side effects.3

2. Eases Stress: It doesn’t just support your nervous system. Magnesium stops cortisol levels from getting too high. It also helps your body produce melatonin which makes it easier to relax and fall asleep.4 Magnesium may help you fight headaches and fatigue. These are two of the most common signs of stress.

When you’re under stress, your body uses up magnesium faster.5 The result? Even more stress. It can also steal this mineral away from your bones and heart. This is why getting more magnesium from your diet alone may not be enough.

3. Prevents Diabetes: Magnesium can help keep your glucose levels under control. Just look at pistachios. They’re rich in magnesium. One study revealed eating 100 pistachios a day helped lower blood sugar levels by 78%.6

Another study found high magnesium intake cuts risks of diabetes by 33%.7 It can also reduce insulin sensitivity. Diabetics who took 365 mg a day significantly lowered insulin resistance after six months.8

4. Fights Cancer: Magnesium helps lower your colorectal cancer risk. About 95% of cases are adenocarcinomas. They begin with a tumor growth. Eventually, these growths can turn cancerous. Yet every 100 mg of magnesium you add to your diet each day lowers your risk of a growth ever developing by 13%. And if you already have a growth, you can reduce the odds of it becoming cancerous by 12%.

Magnesium may also help you avoid pancreatic cancer. One study found just two handfuls of magnesium-rich nuts a week can reduce your risk by 35%.

5. Keeps Telomeres Long: It’s the key to looking younger and living longer… Telomerase is the enzyme that controls the length of your telomeres. Without enough, you may age even faster. And this enzyme depends on magnesium. The mineral helps replicate and stabilize DNA.9

This might be the reason why people die of a magnesium deficiency… Researchers found low levels of magnesium increases death risk by 85%.10 Not getting enough of this mineral could kill you in as little as 10 years.

A magnesium-rich diet contains about 400 mg a day. This might sound like a lot. But it’s not as hard as it seems. Salads are a great start. Try spinach, chopped almonds, avocados, and shrimp. One square of organic dark chocolate contains 95 mg of magnesium.11

You can also find a magnesium supplement. Just make sure you read the label before purchasing. Look for one that gives you at least 200 mg per serving of natural magnesium.

References:
1http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/
2http://george-eby-research.com/html/magnesium-for-depression.pdf
3http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolutionary-psychiatry/201106/magnesium-and-the-brain-the-original-chill-pill
4http://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/health/magnesium-the-missing-mineral-20140117
5http://www.calmclinic.com/anxiety/drugs/magnesium
6http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/early/2014/08/07/dc14-1431.abstract
7http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14693979%20
8http://www.diabetesincontrol.com/articles/diabetes-news/15873-type-2-diabetes-risk-lowered-with-magnesium-intake
9http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22379366
10http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21703623
11http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/foods-high-in-magnesium.php

https://www.institutefornaturalhealing.com/2015/01/five-reasons-to-get-more-magnesium/

Friday, 15 November 2019

Are you getting adequate sun exposure and Vitamin D?

More and more studies come out confirming the power of vitamin D, a steroid hormone, to influence virtually every cell in your body.

Receptors that respond to vitamin D have been found in nearly every type of human cell, from your bones to your brain.

Recent research shows that women can help reduce their children’s risk of Type 1 diabetes by optimizing their vitamin D levels prior to and during pregnancy, as vitamin D has been shown to suppress certain cells of the immune system that may be a factor in the disease.

Studies published between 1990 and 2009 ³also revealed a significant link between high levels of vitamin D and a lowered risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, along with cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome.

It will likely take decades before healthy policy catches up with what overwhelming scientific evidence has already revealed about the benefits of vitamin D, and before increased sunlight exposure becomes the norm.

But you don’t have to take part in the waiting game – you can optimize your levels right NOW.

Ideally, you should regularly expose a large amount of your skin to healthy amounts of sunshine, preferably as close to solar noon as possible. Direct UV exposure translates to up to 20,000 units of vitamin D a day.

You may also use a safe tanning bed or supplement with oral vitamin D3. If you choose to do the latter, have your vitamin D levels routinely tested by a proficient lab to see if you are within the therapeutic range.

Follow age-appropriate vitamin D doses when supplementing.

VITAMIN D DOSE RECOMMENDATIONS
AGE	DOSAGE
Below 5	35 units per pound per day
Age 5 - 10	2500 units
Age 18 - 30	8000 units
Pregnant Women	8000 units
WARNING: There is no way to know if the above recommendations are correct. The ONLY way to know is to test your blood. You might need 4-5 times the amount recommended above. Ideally your blood level of 25 OH D should be 60ng/ml.

http://healthticket.blogspot.com/2013/12/must-read-you-can-prevent-or-cure-type.html

Wednesday, 13 November 2019

Selenium supplements increase diabetes risk, review study confirms

Researchers say the common supplement’s benefits are unproven, while risks are clear.

27th July 2018

A new analysis of data from multiple studies has linked selenium, a mineral found in the soil as well as in many multivitamins and other supplements, with an increased risk of diabetes. Scientists at the University of Modena in Italy looked at the results of 55 studies over the past 30 years. They found patients taking selenium supplements had an 11 percent higher risk of diabetes.

That’s a relatively small risk, the authors admit, but one that’s important because of the high and growing numbers of diabetes patients worldwide and selenium’s overall positive reputation as a supplement. Older observational studies reported the nutrient reduced cancer risk, but the new review results add to a growing body of evidence that selenium supplements might not be a healthy choice on your next pharmacy run.

Selenium is a nutrient we need but can’t produce ourselves. We ingest it with our diet, and seafood and organ meats are the richest source of selenium. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommend 55 microgram of selenium per day for adults. Most Americans get enough selenium from their food. “Although selenium is an essential element for human life due to its anti-oxidant effects, more isn’t better in this case,” Tommaso Filippini, one of the study’s authors, says.

With their review, the research team confirmed the results of a 2007 study that had started out suspecting selenium supplements may actually prevent type 2 diabetes due to their antioxidant effects. To the scientists’ surprise, they found the opposite: supplements may have increased the risk among their over 1,200 study participants.

Why selenium increases diabetes risk isn’t clear yet. Experiments in animals have shown that selenium unhinges the balance of free radicals and antioxidants in the liver and leads to an imbalance in blood insulin levels. The Modena authors also think that excess selenium’s pro-oxidant effect and toxicity may be involved in the development of other diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases. Another study at the University of Modena recently suggested a connection between inorganic selenium and the progression of mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease.

Selenium supplements became popular after observational studies in the 1960s reported that people with a diet rich in selenium, or who had high selenium levels in their tissue, had lower cancer risks. Some studies had backed up these results by showing that selenium could slow the growth of cancer cells in the lab. But a recent Cochrane review of newer, randomized controlled trials showed no effect of selenium on cancer risk.

The Modena team won’t pursue further human trials with selenium because of the risks they found. Except in cases of a diagnosed deficiency, they also recommend staying clear of selenium supplements. Filippini says: “It would be unethical to suggest supplementation because the benefits couldn’t be confirmed in trials, and the risks for other diseases, including diabetes 2, are clear.”

Feature image: Selenium via Wikimedia

https://www.researchgate.net/blog/post/selenium-supplements-increase-the-risk-of-type-2-diabetes-review-study-confirms

Tuesday, 5 November 2019

Reverse Insulin Resistance With These 8 Foods

Research indicates that you don't need drugs to control blood sugar. Food, herbs, and spices are the future of medicine

Posted on: Saturday, October 13th 2018 at 9:00 am
Written By: GreenMedInfo Research Group

Research indicates that you don't need drugs to control blood sugar. Food, herbs, and spices are the future of medicine

Over 80 million Americans have insulin resistance that can lead to diabetes. And you could be on the road to diabetes for 10 years or more and never even know it. Here's what happens.

The hormone insulin directs your cells to open up and take in glucose from the blood. With insulin resistance, your cells become desensitized to insulin. They ignore the instructions to open up and take in glucose. Your body keeps producing more insulin to try to get the message heard. But it doesn't work. And your insulin levels rise higher and higher.

Those chronically high insulin levels cause rapid weight gain, premature aging, high blood pressure, heart disease, and higher cancer risks. Eventually they lead to type 2 diabetes.

Herbs, spices and foods are your first line of defense. Here are eight that can help restore and maintain your cells' sensitivity to insulin.

1. Turmeric: 100% Effective In Preventing Diabetes

A 2009 study found curcumin, an active compound found in turmeric, was 500 to 100,000 times more effective than the prescription drug Metformin at activating glucose uptake.[i]

In another study of 240 pre-diabetic adults, patients were given either 250 milligrams of curcumin or a placebo every day. After nine months, NONE of those taking curcumin developed diabetes but 16.4% of the placebo group did. In other words, the curcumin was 100% effective at preventing Type 2 diabetes.

2. Ginger: Lowers Fasting Blood Glucose by 10.5%

In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial 88 diabetics were divided into two groups. Every day one group received a placebo while the other received 3 one-gram capsules of ginger powder. After eight weeks, the ginger group reduced their fasting blood sugar by 10.5%. But the placebo group INCREASED their fasting blood sugar by 21%. In addition, insulin sensitivity increased significantly more in the ginger group.[ii]

In another study, researchers proved that 1600 mg per day of ginger improves eight markers of diabetes including insulin sensitivity.[iii]

Many other studies prove the value of ginger for diabetes. For a complete list of studies visit Green Med Info's page on Ginger Health Benefits.

3. Cinnamon: Less Than Half a Teaspoon A Day Reduces Blood Sugar Levels

Cinnamon is one of the oldest spices and most popular spices. It's been used for millennia both for its flavoring and medicinal qualities.

Cinnamon has been shown to normalize blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetics by improving the ability to respond to insulin. A meta-analysis of eight clinical studies shows that cinnamon or cinnamon extracts lower fasting blood glucose levels.[iv]

Cinnamon works in part by slowing the rate at which the stomach empties after eating. In one study subjects ate about a cup of rice pudding with and without about a teaspoon of cinnamon. Adding the cinnamon slowed the rate the stomach emptied from 37% to 34.5% and significantly slowed the rise in blood sugar levels. Even less than a half of a teaspoon a day reduces blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetics.[v]

Here are 5 more reasons to eat cinnamon every day.

4. Olive Leaf Extract: Results Comparable to Metformin

University of Auckland researchers proved that olive leaf extract decreases insulin sensitivity.

In a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study, 46 overweight men were divided into two groups. One group received capsules containing olive leaf extract and the other group received a placebo. After 12 weeks, olive leaf extract lowered insulin resistance by an average of 15%. It also increased the productivity of the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas by 28%.[vi]

The researchers noted that supplementing with olive leaf extract gave results "comparable to common diabetic therapeutics (particularly metformin)."

5. Berries Lower After-Meal Insulin Spike

Studies show the body needs less insulin for sugar balance after a meal if berries are also eaten. In a study of healthy women in Finland, subjects were asked to eat white and rye bread with or without a selection of different pureed berries. Starch in the bread alone spikes after-meal glucose levels. But the researchers found that adding berries to the bread significantly reduced the after-meal insulin spike.

Strawberries, bilberries, lingonberries, and chokeberries were effective. So was a mixture consisting of strawberries, bilberries, cranberries, and blackberries.[vii]

6. Black Seed (Nigella Sativa): Just 2 Grams Reduces Insulin Resistance

In a study of 94 diabetic patients, researchers prescribed either 1, 2 or 3 grams a day of Nigella sativa capsules. They found that at the dose of 2 grams per day, black seed significantly reduced fasting blood glucose and insulin resistance. The higher dose of 3 grams per day did not result in additional benefits.[viii]

Black seed has been treasured for thousands of years for its healing properties. It is sometimes referred to as Roman coriander, black sesame, black cumin, and black caraway. It's been called the remedy for everything but death.

7. Spirulina Increases Insulin Sensitivity by 225%

In a randomized study of insulin-resistant patients, researchers compared the power of spirulina and soy to control insulin levels.[ix] They assigned 17 patients to receive 19 grams of spirulina a day. The other 16 patients received 19 grams of soy. After eight weeks the spirulina group on average increased their insulin sensitivity by 224.7% while the soy group increased their insulin sensitivity by 60%.

In addition, 100% of the spirulina group improved their insulin sensitivity while only 69% of the soy group improved.

8. Berberine Just As Good as Three Different Diabetes Drugs

Berberine is a bitter compound found in the roots of several plants including goldenseal, barberry, and Oregon grape. Studies prove it's just as good as prescription diabetes drugs.

Chinese researchers compared berberine to metformin in a pilot study of 36 patients. They found berberine lowered blood sugar levels just as well as metformin in just three months. The patients also significantly decreased their fasting blood glucose, and their after-meal blood glucose.

In the same study, researchers gave berberine to 48 diabetics for three months. After only one week, berberine lowered both fasting and post-meal blood glucose levels. In addition, their insulin resistance dropped 45%.[x]

Other researchers conducted a meta-analysis of 14 studies involving 1,068 participants. They found berberine performed just as well as metformin, glipizide and rosiglitazone. Those are three of the top diabetes drugs on the market.[xi] And berberine has no serious side effects.

For more than 70 studies on this herbal compound visit Green Med Info's page on berberine

References

[i] Teayoun Kim, Jessica Davis, Albert J Zhang, Xiaoming He, Suresh T Mathews. Curcumin activates AMPK and suppresses gluconeogenic gene expression in hepatoma cells. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2009 Oct 16;388(2):377-82. Epub 2009 Aug 8. PMID: 19665995

[ii] Hassan Mozaffari-Khosravi, Behrouz Talaei, Beman-Ali Jalali, Azadeh Najarzadeh, Mohammad Reza Mozayan. The effect of ginger powder supplementation on insulin resistance and glycemic indices in patients with type 2 diabetes: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Complement Ther Med. 2014 Feb ;22(1):9-16. Epub 2014 Jan 8. PMID: 24559810

[iii] Tahereh Arablou, Naheed Aryaeian, Majid Valizadeh, Faranak Sharifi, Aghafatemeh Hosseini, Mahmoud Djalali. The effect of ginger consumption on glycemic status, lipid profile and some inflammatory markers in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2014 Feb 4. Epub 2014 Feb 4. PMID: 24490949

[iv] Paul A Davis, Wallace Yokoyama. Cinnamon intake lowers fasting blood glucose: meta-analysis. J Med Food. 2011 Sep ;14(9):884-9. Epub 2011 Apr 11. PMID: 21480806

[v] Joanna Hlebowicz et al, "Effect of cinnamon on postprandial blood glucose, gastric emptying, and satiety in healthy subjects." Am J Clin Nutr June 2007 vol. 85 no. 6 1552-1556

[vi] Martin de Bock, José G B Derraik, Christine M Brennan, Janene B Biggs, Philip E Morgan, Steven C Hodgkinson, Paul L Hofman, Wayne S Cutfield. Olive (Olea europaea L.) leaf polyphenols improve insulin sensitivity in middle-aged overweight men: a randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial.

[vii] Riitta Törrönen, Marjukka Kolehmainen, Essi Sarkkinen, Kaisa Poutanen, Hannu Mykkänen, Leo Niskanen. Berries reduce postprandial insulin responses to wheat and rye breads in healthy women. J Nutr. 2013 Apr ;143(4):430-6. Epub 2013 Jan 30. PMID: 23365108

[viii] Abdullah O Bamosa, Huda Kaatabi, Fatma M Lebdaa, Abdul-Muhssen Al Elq, Ali Al-Sultanb. Effect of Nigella sativa seeds on the glycemic control of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Indian J Physiol Pharmacol. 2010 Oct-Dec;54(4):344-54. PMID: 21675032

[ix] Azabji-Kenfack Marcel, Loni G Ekali, Sobngwi Eugene, Onana E Arnold, Edie D Sandrine, Denis von der Weid, Emmanuel Gbaguidi, Jeanne Ngogang, Jean C Mbanya. The Effect of Spirulina platensis versus Soybean on Insulin Resistance in HIV-Infected Patients: A Randomized Pilot Study. Nutrients. 2011 Jul ;3(7):712-24. Epub 2011 Jul 18. PMID: 22254118

[x] Yin J, Xing H, Ye J. Efficacy of berberine in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Metabolism May 2008;57(5):712-7 Pubmed 18442638

[xi] Dong H, Wang N, Zhao L, Lu F. Berberine in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systemic review and meta-analysis. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:591654 Pubmed 23118793

The GMI Research Group (GMIRG) is dedicated to investigating the most important health and environmental issues of the day. Special emphasis will be placed on environmental health. Our focused and deep research will explore the many ways in which the present condition of the human body directly reflects the true state of the ambient environment.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of GreenMedInfo or its staff.

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https://www.greenmedinfo.health/blog/reverse-insulin-resistance-these-8-foods

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