Studies Show That Chia Seeds Can Treat Diabetes, Boost Energy And More

Studies show that chia seeds can treat diabetes, boost energy and more

(NaturalNews) Chia is a species of flowering plant that bears oval-shaped, multicolored seeds. These seeds, which have a neutral taste and crunchy texture, have been cultivated for centuries as a survival food in their native Mexico and Guatemala. Chia seeds had only just begun to enjoy recognition in the United States, however, when the eccentric Californian gadget company, Joseph Enterprises, began to market them in the 1980s as "Chia Pets," which are terracotta figurines that sprouted chia.
Aztec warriors treasured chia seeds for their medicinal properties, and many of these alleged properties are now being confirmed by contemporary studies. Below is a list of the health benefits attributed to chia seeds and the research that reinforces them.
Rich in essential fatty acids
One serving (2 ounces) of chia seeds contains approximately 11 grams of fat. Of these, 1 gram is saturated fat, while the remainder is comprised of essential polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, including omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. In fact, according to a 2005 study published in the Nutrition Research journal, chia seeds are the greatest plant-based sources of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). ALA is an essential omega-3 fatty acid that has been known to prevent cancer, lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases, reduce cortisol levels and much more. Moreover, chia seeds and other foods that contain optimum omega-3/omega-6 balances are known to improve brain function, since our brains are built from the same fats.
Excellent source of protein and energy
According to chia expert Dr. Wayne Coates, chia Continue reading

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Health myth busted! Low-fat dairy promotes weight gain, heart disease and diabetes

(NaturalNews) There's a reason why many of the people you see regularly guzzling down diet sodas and opting for low- or fat-free dairy when they order their morning lattes are some of the most overweight, unhealthy people in society. Dairy products that have been stripped of their natural fats and fatty acid profiles not only promote unhealthy weight gain but also increase a person's risk of developing heart disease, diabetes and other related ailments.
Believe it or not, the ridiculous "fat makes you fat" myth is still surprisingly prevalent in many segments of society. Many old-school doctors and dietitians, for example, still actively encourage their patients to eat plenty of whole grains and avoid saturated fats, two grossly ill-advised recommendations that will continue to make people fat and ill until this flawed ideology is completely and forever tossed into the dustbin of bad science.
But this will only happen through continued education on the latest science, which is abundantly clear on the matter. As highlighted by Dr. Chris Kresser on his blog, a series of recent studies conclusively shows that consumption of low- and non-fat dairy products encourages the formation of metabolic disease and everything that it entails, including obesity, high cholesterol, insulin resistance, diabetes and heart disease.
A meta-analysis of 16 studies, in fact, co-authored by Dr. Stephen Guyenet, one of Dr. Kresser's colleagues, found that all of these risk factors are directly associated with low- and non-fat dairy consumption. Conversely, full-fat dairy consumption was found to be Continue reading

Diabetes in the Digital Age

Illustration: Jordon Cheung
A day in the life of a diabetes patient is an exercise in micromanagement. Blood sugar metering. Insulin injections. Meal plans. Exercise diaries. Logs filled with heart rate, blood pressure, and even pain measurements. It’s a lot to keep up with, for doctors as well as patients, but it’s also absolutely crucial. Proper diabetes management is key to a patient’s quality of life and to keeping blood sugar levels in line.
For the 387 million people in the world living with diabetes, this is reality. But in many ways, their experience is not so different from that of the rest of us, who struggle to stay on top of our health and to effectively communicate to our health providers what’s going on with our bodies. In America, about half of all adults suffer from chronic illnesses, and according to a 2013 Pew Research Center study, among those who do track their health, about half of them keep up with progress “in their heads.”
Mobile app development, fueled by cloud technology, is going to change these habits dramatically. Already, wearable technologies, such as Fitbit, and food trackers, are helping us log our meals, movement, and weight. These seemingly simple devices have transformative powers. They have been proved to keep people motivated to exercise and lose weight. According to the Pew study, tracking also leads 40 percent of trackers to ask a doctor new questions or to get a second opinion.
But digital tools are pushing healthcare to the cusp of a much larger transformation than that. Apps designed to improve our health are going far Continue reading

Diabetes drug may help in leukaemia

A drug used to treat diabetes could help in the fight against blood cancer, early research in the journal Nature suggests.
An international team of scientists gave the drug to patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia, alongside standard treatment.
Those who received the combination therapy were more likely to be free of the disease for longer.
Chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) is a rare blood cancer.
Boosting treatment
About 600 people are diagnosed with the condition each year in the UK.
Though a number of successful treatments exist, they do not help every patient and some become resistant to conventional therapy.
In this study, scientists gave a combination of the anti-diabetic drug pioglitazone and standard treatment to 24 patients whose CML remained active despite receiving conventional drugs.
After 12 months, more than 50% of the patients given the combination treatment were in remission.
And the first three patients to be given the drug had no reoccurrences of cancer in the five years that followed.
Scientists hope this combination therapy approach may prove helpful for other similar cancers.
Patients with untreated CML make excessive numbers of abnormal white blood cells.
Over time, these can crowd out the normal white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets a person has, making it harder for patients to mount a defence against infections and causing some people to bleed more easily.
The current standard treatment includes therapies such as imatinib.
Prof Peter Johnson, Cancer Research UK's chief clinician, said: "The outlook for people with chronic myeloid leukaemi Continue reading

A diabetes diet for people who have tried everything else: this diet will change your life

(NaturalNews) Hearing your doctor say that you have diabetes is a life-altering moment. You know instinctively that everything about your life has changed. What you eat, how and when you exercise, whether you can travel and even the type of work you do will now be seen through the filter of this diagnosis. Nothing will ever be the same.
Traditionally, medical treatments for diabetes have focused on lowering the blood levels of sugar in diabetic patients. Originally, injectable insulin was the drug of choice. In recent years, more medications have been added to the diabetes-fighting arsenal. These new drugs include, according to the American Diabetes Association website (1), thiazolidinediones, DPP-4 inhibitors, sulfonylureas, bile acid sequestrants, alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, biguanides, meglitinides and SGLT2 inhibitors. While all of these drugs work differently in the body, and come with a myriad of side effects, their main purpose is to chemically lower blood glucose levels.
A diabetes diet for people who have tried everything else
Purely medical treatments are one way to address high blood sugar. But, even though insulin treatments have been the standard for more than 90 years, and even as more and more drugs are being introduced, some doctors are now beginning to stress the importance of diet and exercise in addressing diabetes. Some studies even suggest that the disease can be stopped in its tracks with changes in diet and lifestyle. Here are a few dietary changes you can make that may lessen your need for medical intervention, and may reverse your diabetes entirel Continue reading