This is relatively anew investigation for the diabetics. Its abbreviated as Hb A1c. Best part is it doesn’t require overnight fasting. Principle behind it: Glucose in the blood gets itself attached to the membranes of red blood cells aka RBC. These stay till the life of the rbc is over ie 120 days or 3 months. So the level in blood reflects the control over 3 months. So far it was used only for follow up recently it was made as a tool for diagnosing too by the American diabetes association Advantages to patients It can be done 6 monthly for well controlled states 3 monthly for moderately to poorly controlled Doesn’t need overnight fasting No repeated pricks for fasting and after food Disadvantages Can’t be used for check the efficiacy of the new drug Can’t show controls below 3 month period Guide Levels Follow up Diagnosing <5.7% Good control No diabetes 5.7-6.4% Moderate control Prediabetes (to be confirmed by repeating the test >6.5% Bad control Confirmed diabetes
Natural sweeteners-better than sugar?
by on 17. Feb, 2010 in Diabetes News and Research
Hoping that you all had a great Valentine’s Day …… yup even if you are a Type 2 Diabetic. As diabetic people can always think of out of box on celebrating Valentine’s Day. Moreover , one chocolate or a candy won’t do much harm to you. But the question is can you resist the temptation of having some more of these delicious chocolates which are wrapped in heart shaped boxes . Now being diabetic doesn’t mean that you have to say “ NO” to sugar …….. you just need to watch your daily carbs .If you are a diabetic and love sugar and looking for some artificial sweeteners then you beware as they contain many artificial ingredients and more carbs than a table sugar. But there are two natural sweeteners that are alternatives to sugar : 1.Agave Nectar : Agave Nectar comes from the Agave plant which has been used as a natural sweetener for ages and has a consistency similar to honey. The Glycemic Index (GI) of Agave Nectar is around 20 to 30 whereas regular sugar has GI of 60 to 65 . 21 gms of Agave Nectar is 60 cals and 16 carbs whereas the same amount of granulated sugar is 64 cals and 16.8 carbs.It shows [...]
Heart disease and Diabetes
by on 08. Feb, 2010 in Diabetes Complications
Diabetic patients are more prone to heart diseases but why ????? Diabetes speeds up the hardening of arteries and this occurs when the cholesterol level gets too high . LDL and HDL are the lipoprotein that carry the cholesterol which circulates in our body. LDL takes the cholesterol through the circulatory system where it is needed and HDL carry which isn’t used back to the liver. When the cholesterol level gets high the LDL deposit the left over cholesterol into the blood vessels .This extra cholesterol that gets behind makes the vessel walls less flexible and more narrow which raises the risk for blood clots , heart attacks and strokes. Diabetic patients should watch their cholesterol level closely and should start taking proper medicines to lower their cholesterol levels . How to lower cholesterol level in diabetic patients : 1. Avoid coconut and palm oil and use less of oil wile cooking. 2. Eat low fat diary products. 3. Have more of fruits and vegetables. 4. Avoid eating read meat. 5. Do proper exercises. 6. Quit smoking , if you are a smoker. Recommended Cholesterol levels : LDL cholesterol : <100 mg/dl HDL cholesterol :45 mg/dl in men and >55 mg/dl in women Triglycerides : < 150 mg/dl What are [...]
Top 10 interesting facts and news on diabetes for 2009
by on 04. Feb, 2010 in top 10 lists
Ten interesting facts and news articles regarding diabetes for the year 2009 are: 1. The Asian population is affected five times more with diabetes than the white population. 2. Almost six percent of the total world population is affected by diabetes. This equals to about 246 million. 3. India is also termed as the world’s capital for diabetes. Almost 40 million people are estimated to be affected by diabetes in India and it is also estimated that this number could go up to 70 million by the year 2025. If these statistics come true, then every fifth diabetic around the globe would be from India. 4. The main reasons for the increase in diabetes in Indians are resistance to insulin and central obesity (when the body’s weight at the middle increases, also termed as apple shaped body). 5. Around 3.2 million people are estimated to die because of diabetes or problems that arise due to it. This problem causes six deaths in a minute. Diabetes results and its conditions result in one out of twenty deaths in the world. 6. Almost 90 or 95 percent of the diabetic population is affected by the type2 diabetes population. The juvenile diabetes (or type1 diabetes mellitus) problem affects around 70,000 children aged under [...]
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