It seems that every time we turn on the TV we hear news about the increase in diabetes in the America. It should come as no surprise that one of the major causes for the increase in diabetes is due to the obesity problem. Not only is obesity causing an upturn in diabetes, but it also contributes to heart disease, strokes and heart attacks. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has reported that cases of diabetes have skyrocketed in the past several years. What is the number one reason for this? Obesity.
The Surgeon General has also said that as a nation, the number of overweight adults and children are 50% higher than they were just 10 years ago. This has led to a massive increase in Type 2 diabetes, which up until this point was an adult onset form of diabetes. Not anymore, children of all ages are now Type 2 diabetics.
Other recent studies have shown that of all the children born after the year 2000, over one third of them will develop Type 2 diabetes in their lifetime. This form of diabetes can lead to kidney failure, blindness, stroke and heart disease among others. It is a serious problem.
What is creating some of these problems? The answer is really very simple. One is how we eat. Most everyone is eating fast food once or twice a week at a minimum. Fast food is full of everything that is not healthy. High fats, carbohydrates and calories all lead to weight gain and in turn, the increased risk of getting diabetes. Fast food should be avoided, or at least reduced to only an occasional meal.
Along with the fast food comes the soda. Fast food restaurants and all convenience stores now serve up monster-sized sodas for everyone to consume. 48 oz or 64 oz cups of soda are now commonplace wherever you go. The sugar and carbs these drinks contain are enormous. The results? More and more children are getting diabetes just from drinking too much soda. (Some school systems are now removing soda machines from schools due to this epidemic)
One other factor that needs mentioning is the lack of any exercise most people do not get. Did you know that by only going for a brisk walk for 30 minutes, 3 times a week can prevent the onset of diabetes? Exercise helps prevent heart problems and many other health concerns. Even if you can only walk at a slow pace, that's ok. Any kind of exercising is going to help. You can start small and work up to a higher level. By losing just 5% of your bodies fat can help prevent you from becoming a diabetic.
Keep yourself educated about diabetes. Even if you are not at risk yourself, know the signs to look for in your family. Most people don't know that drinking a gallon of soda every day is going to lead to diabetes. They don't understand that that super-sized hamburger meal is loaded with carbohydrates that are contributing to the risk of diabetes. By understanding the causes for becoming a diabetic you can go a long way in starting to prevent it from occurring in you and your family.
In order to confirm a series of hypotheses regarding the major influence of obesity and metabolic anomalies in facilitating and accelerating the progression of viral hepatitis, medical researchers have recently conducted several different studies. All the performed studies produced similar results and doctors were finally able to draw a conclusion upon this matter. According to recent study findings, obesity and the so called ?metabolic syndrome? (a wide spectrum of disorders that also comprise insulin resistance and abnormally high blood fat levels) can be directly linked with steatosis (accumulation and deposition of fat at the level of the liver), liver fibrosis, liver cirrhosis, as well as hepato-cellular carcinoma.
Recently published findings of an extensive study performed on more than 3000 patients with hepatitis C from 10 clinics in France, Switzerland, Italy, Australia and the United States have confirmed the fact that certain metabolic factors and obesity play major roles in the occurrence and progression of liver disease. Such factors have also been identified as responsible for facilitating the development of steatosis and fibrosis among patients diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C. In addition, the study has also revealed the fact that obesity actually reduced the potency of existing treatments and therapies for acute and chronic forms of hepatitis C.
Although the exact way by which metabolic anomalies and obesity facilitate the occurrence of steatosis and fibrosis are still unknown to medical science, doctors suspect a series of factors such as inflammation, pronounced autoimmune response and abnormal levels of hormones and cytokines (leptin, adiponectin) inside the body to be responsible for causing such forms of liver disease. According to recent findings, fat tissues produce a variety of hormones known as adipokines that control the production of glucose and lipids at the level of the liver, and also determine a series of immune activities. Leptin, for instance has been identified to facilitate inflammatory processes and fibrogenesis.
Obesity is suspected to cause insulin resistance, which further determines the accumulation and deposition of fat inside liver cells. Considering the fact that hepatitis C also causes insulin resistance, obese patients with hepatitis C are confronted with highly elevated insulin levels. On these premises, most medications used in the treatment of hepatitis C are inappropriately absorbed by the body and thus fail to produce efficient results.
A possible solution to the problem consists in administering anti-diabetes drugs such as metformin (Glucophage), pioglitazone (Actos), and rosiglitazone (Avandia) in order to reduce the phenomenon of fat deposition in the liver. In addition, the use of pegylated interferon and ribavirin in higher doses and in long-term treatments may also help in enhancing the action of other medications administered to obese patients with hepatitis C. Medical scientists are currently performing additional research in order to find efficient solutions to the reduced response of obese patients to common treatments of hepatitis C.
Both Michael Russell & Groshan Fabiola are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Michael Russell has sinced written about articles on various topics from Celebrities, Dieting and Diabetes Treatment. Michael RussellYour Independent guide to . Michael Russell's top article generates over 2240000 views. to your Favourites.
Groshan Fabiola has sinced written about articles on various topics from Woman Menopause, Medical Condition and Health. If you want to find out more resources about or even about. Groshan Fabiola's top article generates over 6120000 views. to your Favourites.