Breast-Feeding Reduces Diabetes Risk

From the health point of view for the babies and mothers, breast-feeding is definitely advantageous as both of them may be protected against developing of diabetes disease and other health issues.

Diabetes (type I diabetes and type II diabetes) is a disease that has affected over 18 million people in United States alone, where another 15 million may not yet be diagnosed. In fact, diabetes has become one of the biggest cash cows of the medical industry, reaping in a staggering 10 million plus dollars a day. The cause of diabetes is that the body does not produce the insulin necessary for the body to absorb glucose, leads to persistent elevated blood sugar levels.

Breast feeding refers to a woman feeds her baby or a young child with milk produced from her breasts. Breast milk is actually a food so perfectly balanced to provide nutrition, hydration, and protection that it is impossible to replicate synthetically. As breast milk confers many health benefits to both babies and feeding mothers, expects recommend to have breast feeding if the mothers do not have transmissible infections.

In fact, studies conducted by Harvard Medical School show that the longer the women nurse, the lower their risks of developing type II diabetes. Besides, studies also reveal the advantages of breast-feeding in protecting the child against insulin dependent diabetes as well as other health issues such as allergy, asthma, Crohn's disease and some forms of childhood cancers.

Study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reveals that women who breast-fed have less risk in developing type II diabetes. During the study, a total of 157,000 nurses has participated for 12 years and they need to answer periodic health questionnaires. Study indicates that those women who breast-fed for at least one year are about 15% less likely to develop type II diabetes than those who never breast-fed. Besides, for each additional year of breast-feeding, there is an additional 15% decreased risk in developing this type of diabetes.

In fact, Researchers explain that breast-feeding may change metabolism of mothers which may help the body more sensitive to the blood sugar-regulating hormone named insulin, and thus keeping blood sugar levels at a stable level. This theory is based on some evidence that are shown in rats and humans that are breast-feeding. It is found that the mothers who breast-fed have lower blood-sugar levels than those who do not breast-fed.

Even though some people claim that more studies are needed to support the above study findings, there is no doubt for scientist to mutually agree on benefits of breast feeding for babies and feeding mothers. Since breast feeding helps in reducing risk in developing diabetes and other health problems, it is always recommended to do so if you have babies.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Sirtris Advancing No. 1 Drug into Mid-Stage Clinical Trials for Type 2 Diabetes (xconomy.com)
• Type 1 Diabetes Cure: Two Options (fitnesstipsforlife.com)
• Turning The Battleship Around: Low Carb Study at EASD (diabetesupdate.blogspot.com)
• Living close to parks, markets lowers risk of diabetes, researchers say (nationalpost.com)
• Anti-diabetes drug effective against cancer: study (ctv.ca)
• Double Diabetes - Placing Your Kids at Even More Risk (battlediabetes.com)
• A little wine a day may do you good (boschendal.blat.co.za)
• Breast Feeding Nursing Bra 36dd Expectant Moments White (parenting-success.com)
• FDA Approves Onglyza for Type 2 Diabetes (blisstree.com)
• Takeda Reacquires Rights to Leading Diabetes Drug in Canada (newswire.ca)
• "Obama Administration: New Medical Marijuana Guidelines Are Issued" and related posts (norml.org)

Read more...

What is Type I Diabetes

Type I diabetes is far less common than type II diabetes and it will affect younger individuals. That is why it is also known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes. The chances of developing type I diabetes is 3.7 to 20 per every 100,000 people. In fact, over one million Americans have type I diabetes and some 10,000 new cases are being diagnosed every year. It is normally found in puberty usually between ages 10 to 12 years old in girls and 12 to 14 years old in boys, even though is can be seen in adults in their late 30s or early 40s.

Diabetes is a serious issues and type I diabetes is the worst. The reason why people develop type I diabetes is due to the autoimmune disorder. The body will start to see it's own tissue as a foreign object and then it destroys the body's ability to produce insulin. In another word, the autoimmube disorder will cause the dysfunction of the pancreas where it will just stop producing insulin which the body needs to maintain a normal glucose level in the blood. This cause your glucose level is too high in the bloodstream, which is known as hyperglycemia.


The most common symptoms of diabetes type I include frequent hunger, frequent urinating and frequent thirst. People will feel always hungry is because their body cannot use glucose as an energy source. That is also why they are tired out easily. Since the body cannot absorb sugar or glucose into the blood cells, individuals need to release it through frequent trips to the bathroom, which subsequently lead to frequent thirst.

Apart from that, you will also experience blurred vision, fatigue, weight loss, low healing power as it takes you a long time to heal a wound or cut, dry mouth, dry or itchy skin, and you could even have impotence for men. Besides, you should look out for other symptoms such as muscle cramps, which are often caused by an electrolyte (calcium, sodium, potassium, or bicarbonate) imbalance and numbness or tingling in both the hands and feet. In addition, your immune system will become weak and you will be able to pick up infection easily.

Scientists claim that what triggers type I diabetes are genetic make up and environmental factors such as certain viruses. You may simply have the disorder because an immediate family member has it. Study shows that if parents are suffered from diabetes, whether is type I or type II diabetes, the higher chances of their children will be diagnosed with type I diabetes. That is why we need to take care of our health before we plan to have our own kids.

As for treatment, type I diabetes normally involves injections of insulin. It is absorbed in the blood stream and absorbed by the cells that need insulin and it will then control the levels of blood sugar. Apart from properly monitoring insulin level of the patient, their diet should also be well managed, including checking of the spacing of meals and the content and sugar composition of their food.
Read more...

Understand Diabetes

Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects as many as 17 million Americans, and one-third of them don’t even know they have it. To understand dibetes, we must first learn the role that pancreas plays in our body. When you consume carbohydrates foods, your pancreas will start to work. It will release insulin to pull the sugar out of your bloodstream and into your body cells, so that the sugar can be turned to fuel or energy, and used in your daily activities. When insulin is unable to regulate all the sugar out of your bloodstream, the sugar will then remain in your bloodstream and that is the time you will start suffered from diabetes.

Diabetes can cause serious health complications. These include kidney failure, heart disease, blindness,and lower-extremity amputations. In fact, diabetes is the 6th leading cause of death in the US. Most diabetics carry the same risk of having heart attack as someone who has already had such an event. And, diabetes has close realtionship with obese poeple too.

Diabetes Symptoms
The most common symptoms of diabetes are as follow:

• Being all time thirsty
• Frequent urination
• Increased hunger
• Feel tired all the time and have excessive fatigue
  

There are some other symptoms of diabetes that are prescribed as diabetes complications. These symptoms include:

• Weaken in vision and cause sight problems
• Recurrent skin infections which are very difficult to heal
• Feel tingling or numbness in your extremity
• Gum disorders
• Hair loss
• Unexplain weight loss
  

Types of Diabetes
Type I Diabetes (juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes): The reason for type I diabetes is due to pancreas unability to produce insulin. It is typically affecting children and young adults and is genetically-linked.

Type II Diabetes (non insulin dependent diabetes or adult onset diabetes): The body tissues resists whatever insulin is produced.

Type II diabetes accounts for 90-95% of diabetes cases. Type II diabetes is a life-long disease marked by high levels of sugar in the blood. Although there is a definite genetic link to the disease in a high number of cases, it is kick started by being obese, a lack of exercise and consuming a diet full of high glycaemic index carbohydrates such as white rice, cookies, sugar etc. In fact, type II diabetes can be controlled through weight loss and healthy diet habit.

Understand what is diabetes help you alerting the important of having a healthy body. Please take steps including exercise and eat healthy balanced-diet in order to minimize the risk of diabetes.

Read more...