Global Diabetes Rates Are Rising As Obesity Spreads

Global Diabetes Rates Are Rising as Obesity Spreads

WASHINGTON — The global diabetes rate has risen by nearly half over the past two decades, according to a new study, as obesity and the health problems it spawns have taken hold across the developing world.
The prevalence of diabetes has been rising in rich countries for several decades, largely driven by increases in the rate of obesity. More recently, poorer countries have begun to follow the trend, with major increases in countries like China, Mexico and India.
The study, published Monday in the British medical journal The Lancet, reported a 45 percent rise in the prevalence of diabetes worldwide from 1990 to 2013. Nearly all the rise was in Type 2, which is usually related to obesity and is the most common form of the disease.
A major shift is underway in the developing world, in which deaths from communicable diseases like malaria and tuberculosis have declined sharply, and chronic diseases like cancer and diabetes are on the rise. The pattern is linked to economic improvement and more people living longer, but it has left governments in developing countries scrambling to deal with new and often more expensive ways to treat illnesses.
The study, led by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, a research group, was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It is the largest analysis of global disability data to date, drawing on more than 35,000 data sources in 188 countries.
The study measured the burden of disability by calculating the proportion of a population living with any given disorder in a year. It found that the numbers of people living with di Continue reading

Rate this article

Total 1 ratings

Pears and Diabetes

Pears: A Sweet You Can Eat
Type 2 Diabetes: Overview
We naturally have sugar in the bloodstream that provides energy to every body cell. Healthy levels of this sugar, glucose, are maintained by insulin, a hormone secreted when blood sugar rises too high. Type 2 diabetes happens when your body doesn’t make enough insulin or your body’s cells don’t respond normally to insulin, called insulin resistance. This causes high blood sugar and immediately starts to starve cells of energy. Over time, high blood sugar damages sensitive tissues, such as those in the extremities, eyes, and kidneys.
What Should I Eat?
Following a regular meal plan, being active, taking medications, and tracking your blood sugar levels will help you manage your diabetes. Indeed, you may be able to control your diabetes just by eating healthfully and exercising regularly. Most people benefit from 3 meals plus 2 to 3 snacks every day. For easy snacking ideas, click here.
What are Carbohydrates?
Carbohydrates provide energy, and every cell needs energy. Carbohydrates are found in fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, beans, and dairy and come in three forms, sugars, starches, and fiber. Sugars are the simplest, most easily absorbed carbohydrates and include glucose needed to sustain energy. Starches are longer chains of sugars. Fiber is the indigestible part of a plant. While it is generally not digested, it may offer cardiovascular and digestive benefits.
Why Pears?
Everyone’s digestive system needs carbohydrates, and it is best to balance them with fiber, protein, or fat at every meal. Balancing Continue reading

Statins increase the risk of developing diabetes in at-risk people

Among susceptible individuals, statins — which are a common cholesterol-lowering medication — could increase the risk of type 2 diabetes by 30 percent. These new findings are sure to reignite debate.
Statins lower cholesterol by reducing its production in the liver. They do this by blocking an enzyme called hydroxy-methyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A reductase, which is involved in its manufacture.
Statins are one of the most widely prescribed types of drug in the United States.
Between 2011 and 2012, over a quarter of U.S. adults over the age of 40 were taking cholesterol-lowering medication. The vast majority of these drugs were statins.
Alongside their cholesterol-lowering ability, statins also have positive effects on inflammation and oxidative stress. Taken together, it would be unsurprising if statins helped to reduce the risk of developing diabetes.
But the reverse may well be true. Evidence is mounting that long-term statin use could increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. The first study to mention this potential effect was published in 2008.
Between then and now, many meta-analyses have been carried out. Some have added evidence supporting a link between statin use and type 2 diabetes, while others have brought such a link into question. Therefore, a definitive answer is yet to be found.
Reopening the statin-diabetes debate
Many previous studies that pointed out a link did not specifically set out to investigate diabetes and statins; their prime focus was on cardiovascular events. Because the number of diabetes cases within the experimental groups was low, it was difficu Continue reading

A plant-based diet for the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes

Go to:
Abstract
The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is rising worldwide, especially in older adults. Diet and lifestyle, particularly plant-based diets, are effective tools for type 2 diabetes prevention and management. Plant-based diets are eating patterns that emphasize legumes, whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds and discourage most or all animal products. Cohort studies strongly support the role of plant-based diets, and food and nutrient components of plant-based diets, in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. Evidence from observational and interventional studies demonstrates the benefits of plant-based diets in treating type 2 diabetes and reducing key diabetes-related macrovascular and microvascular complications. Optimal macronutrient ratios for preventing and treating type 2 diabetes are controversial; the focus should instead be on eating patterns and actual foods. However, the evidence does suggest that the type and source of carbohydrate (unrefined versus refined), fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated versus saturated and trans), and protein (plant versus animal) play a major role in the prevention and management of type 2 diabetes. Multiple potential mechanisms underlie the benefits of a plant-based diet in ameliorating insulin resistance, including promotion of a healthy body weight, increases in fiber and phytonutrients, food-microbiome interactions, and decreases in saturated fat, advanced glycation endproducts, nitrosamines, and heme iron.
Keywords: Diabetes mellitus, Insulin resistance, Vegan, Vegetarian
Go to:
1. Introduction
Type 2 diab Continue reading

Type 2 Diabetes Reversal — The Quick Start Guide

Type 2 Diabetes Reversal — The Quick Start Guide
How to Reverse Type 2 Diabetes — The Quick Start Guide
Twenty years ago, when you bought a brand sparkly new VCR machine, you would also get a thick instruction manual. Read this thoroughly before you start, the manufacturer would implore. There would be detailed setup procedures and troubleshooting guides.
Most of us ignored the manual, just plugged it in and tried to figure out the rest. That’s why we all had the blinking 12:00 on. Today, most new electronics now come with a quick start guide which has the most basic 4 or 5 steps to get your machine working and then anything else you needed, you could reference the detailed instruction manual. Instruction manuals are just so much more useful this way.
Well, I don’t know much about VCRs, but I do know about type 2 diabetes. I could write an entire book about obesity (oh, wait, I did that already), or fasting (oh, wait, done too) or type 2 diabetes (next up for 2018). But many of you will not want to go through the entire instruction manual. So this is your quick start guide for reversing your type 2 diabetes.
A Fully Reversible Disease
Most doctors, dietitians and diabetes specialists claim that type 2 diabetes is a chronic and progressive disease. The American Diabetes Association, for example, almost proudly proclaims this on its website. Once you get the diagnosis, it’s a life sentence. But, it’s actually a great big lie. Type 2 diabetes is almost always reversible and this is almost ridiculously easy to prove. This is great news for the more than 50% of Ameri Continue reading