Diabetes: A Gateway to Heart Disease and Other Health Complications

Diabetes is a chronic condition that affects millions of people worldwide. While it is primarily known for its impact on blood sugar levels, diabetes also significantly increases the risk of heart disease and a variety of other health complications. Understanding the relationship between diabetes and these issues is crucial for prevention and management. 

Diabetic patients in India:  As of the latest estimates, around 77 million people in India are living with diabetes. This figure is expected to rise due to factors like urbanization, lifestyle changes, and an aging population. India has one of the largest diabetes populations in the world, making it a significant public health concern. It's always good to refer to reliable health organizations or government health data for the most accurate and up-to-date statistics. 

Understanding Diabetes: Diabetes is categorized mainly into two types namely  Type 1 and Type 2. 

A. Type 1 Diabetes: It is an autoimmune condition where the pancreas produces little to no insulin, a hormone essential for regulating blood sugar.

B. Type 2 Diabetes: It accounts for approximately 90-95% of all diabetes cases, and occurs when the body becomes resistant to insulin or when the pancreas fails to produce enough insulin. Lifestyle factors such as obesity, physical inactivity, and poor diet are significant contributors to its development. 

The Link Between Diabetes and Heart Disease: 

1. Increased Blood Sugar Levels: Chronic high blood sugar levels can damage blood vessels and nerves that control the heart and blood vessels. Over time, this damage can lead to coronary artery disease, where the arteries become narrowed or blocked. 

2. High Blood Pressure: Many individuals with diabetes also experience hypertension (high blood pressure), which further increases the risk of heart disease. The combination of high blood sugar and high blood pressure can lead to severe cardiovascular complications. 

3. Dyslipidemia: Diabetes often alters lipid metabolism, leading to high levels of triglycerides and low levels of HDL (good cholesterol). This imbalance contributes to atherosclerosis, the buildup of fats and cholesterol on artery walls, which can result in heart attacks and strokes.

4. Inflammation: Chronic inflammation is a common feature of diabetes. Elevated inflammatory markers can contribute to the development of heart disease by promoting atherosclerosis.

5. Obesity: Many individuals with Type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese. Excess body fat, particularly around the abdomen, is a significant risk factor for both diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Other Health Complications Associated with Diabetes: Diabetes doesn’t just affect the heart; it can lead to numerous health complications: 

1. Kidney Disease: Diabetic nephropathy is a serious condition where high blood sugar levels damage the kidneys' filtering system, potentially leading to kidney failure.

2. Nerve Damage (Neuropathy): High glucose levels can damage nerves throughout the body, leading to pain, tingling, and loss of sensation, especially in the feet and hands.

3.  Eye Complications: Diabetic retinopathy can cause blindness. It occurs when high blood sugar levels damage the blood vessels in the retina, leading to vision problems.

4. Dental Issues: People with diabetes are more susceptible to gum disease, tooth decay, and infections due to compromised blood flow and immune responses.

5. Skin Conditions: Diabetes can lead to various skin conditions, including bacterial and fungal infections. Poor circulation can also lead to slow healing of wounds. 

Prevention and Management: 

1. Lifestyle Changes: Adopting a healthy lifestyle is critical. This includes a balanced diet rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins, along with regular physical activity.

2. Regular Monitoring: Individuals with diabetes should regularly monitor their blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels to manage their health effectively.

3. Medication: For many, medication is necessary to manage blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels. Adherence to prescribed treatment plans is essential.

4. Education and Support: Understanding diabetes and its complications is vital. Support groups, counseling, and educational resources can help individuals make informed health decisions.

5. Regular Check-Ups: Regular visits to healthcare providers for screenings and check-ups can help detect and address complications early. 

From the above it is understood that Diabetes is not just a metabolic disorder; it is a significant risk factor for heart disease and a variety of other serious health complications. Awareness of the links between diabetes and these issues is vital for effective prevention and management. By embracing healthier lifestyles and adhering to treatment plans, individuals with diabetes can significantly reduce their risk of heart disease and improve their overall health.

Stay healthy, stay safe...

Girls must not ignore Poly-cystic Ovary Syndrome - PCOS; may convert in to tumer later on...

In today's era, it has become common for young girls to suffer from Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). One out of every five young women in the country is affected by PCOS.

Girls living in cities are more at risk of PCOS compared to villages. The reasons behind this include restaurant and cafe food, soft drinks and packaged food, incomplete sleep, stress, and inadequate exercise.

As we know PCOS Polycystic Ovary Syndrome is a hormone imbalance that occurs in women. Androgenesis, i.e. production of male hormones, starts increasing in the ovaries of some girls. Due to this, ovulation occurs regularly. If PCOS is not treated timely, it can have many side effects. In such a situation, it is important not to ignore symptoms of PCOS when they appear in the body. The disease is easy to cure in the beginning.

Do not ignore the symptoms of PCOS - It includes -

• pimples on the face
• Facial and body hair growth
• depression
• heart disease
• infertility
• diabetes and
• hypertension.

According to the doctors, the risk of PCOS increases due to wrong eating habits, sitting habits, laziness, and ignoring the symptoms indicating the disease. Mainly it includes processed foods, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, hormonal imbalances, etc.

NEW GENERATION IS MORE AFFECTED WITH PCOS: Actually, when a girl was in childhood, she used to play outdoor games. Today mobiles and gadgets have changed the environment. Due to this physical activity is not possible. Girls spend most of their time sitting in front of the computer. Do not take out time for physical activities. Along with this, staying busy on social media till late at night causes a lack of sleep, dehydration, weight gain, hyperproteinemia, thyroid problems, and mood swings. Changing lifestyle is completely responsible for this.

PCOS IS HARMFUL BECAUSE-

1. Women face difficulty in conceiving. According to the report of the National Institute of Health, 70 to 80 percent of women suffering from it are affected by infertility.

2. Women face emotional turmoil due to hormonal imbalances.

3. Body weight starts increasing rapidly. Increasing weight increases the risk of many diseases.

4. Periods do not occur on time. During periods, some people face the problem of less bleeding and some more.

5. PCOS affects the endometrial lining of the uterus. In such a case of PCOS, the risk of endometrial cancer increases.

6. The problem of PCOS is related to hormones. Therefore, it is very important to manage your lifestyle so that the secretion of hormones can happen properly.

Five yoga asanas can control PCOS:

1. Setubandhasana- While doing this yoga, the body becomes the shape of a bridge. This asana can be done during periods and menopause. Digestion also remains fine with this yoga.

2. Matsyasana- The stomach should be empty while doing this asana. By doing this asana regularly, the muscles of the front of the neck and lower abdomen become active.

3. Sarvangasana- In this asana, the weight of the entire body is given to the shoulders. While doing this, one has to lie down and raise the lower part of the body. Due to this, the entire burden falls on the shoulders.

4. Bhardwaj Asana- By doing this asana, there is a stretch on the stomach, which reduces belly fat and improves digestion.

5. Chakki Chalanasana- In this yoga, one has to sit with both legs spread. Then the hands are kept in front and run like a mill. This strengthens the pelvic and abdominal muscles.

Stay healthy stay safe...

Are you Underweight? Know some healthy ways to gain body weight.

 On health grounds, it is mandatory to maintain a healthy weight. Both underweight and overweight can give adverse effects on the body and may prone to acquire many malnutrition or more nutritional disorders to the body. 

Being overweight can cause obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, and other health conditions and all of these conditions can damage different vital and important internal organs of the body and that can be fatal. On the other hand, if you are underweight, you might face issues such as low blood pressure, anemia, and low immunity among other tiredness, severe muscular pain, and other health conditions. It is, therefore, important that you maintain a healthy weight so that you don’t have health complications. 

Some people thought, that gaining weight is very difficult, however, on the practice ground, it is observed that gaining weight is too easy in comparison to reducing weight.  

Anyway, some people are interested to gain a little weight to look, not like a very thin personality. It is, however, important that you gain weight in a healthy manner and not just include all sorts of food in your diet to gain weight.

[Are you underweight? check regularly]

One more point I would like to add is that the genetic factors are also involved in making the body fatty or slim, although the genetic impact will not give more value if you are determined to maintain yourself healthy, it is seen in many cases that some people diet is very less in comparison to other but have more body weight whereas some are eating more but no gain of the body weight observed. There are many medical terminologies involving these conditions like imbalancing of hormonal secretion from respective glands like pancreatic glands. The pituitary gland, thyroid glands, etc, and to maintain the hormonal balances in the body or make the good function of the respective glad to work well with the appropriate amount of secretion of hormones, health screening followed by doctors consultation is very important. However, I will suggest a few ways that will help you to add some pounds if you are underweight. 

1. Add simple carbohydrates to your diet: If you want to add some extra pounds to your diet, it is recommended that you add a bit of carb to your diet and that could be some potatoes or a bit of rice that could help you add some extra kilos. 

2. Add smoothies and shakes to your diet: Smoothies and shakes have calories in them and consuming them can add to your weight. Also, they have good nutrients in them which is again a healthy option. 

3. Exercise: This might sound weird but yes, exercising is important for weight loss as well. When you exercise, you stop the accumulation of fat and work on muscle building which eventually helps in weight gain. 

4. Get good sleep: When you get good sleep, it helps to improve your metabolism and also helps in muscle gain which eventually adds to the weight.

Disclaimer: Tips and suggestions mentioned in the article are for general information purposes only and should not be construed as professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor or a dietician before starting any fitness program or making any changes to your diet.

 

Diabetes patient has more risk to Tuberculosis....

The National Institute of Health has confirmed that a diabetic patient has more risk of tuberculosis than a common person. The NIH Scientist and Scientific Director,  ICER stated that diabetes can increase the risk of TB and vice versa. Both diseases can pace up each other's occurrence, the scientist confirmed. 

They told that diabetes even can worsen the situation while treating TB patients. There is an increased risk of TB replace even after being cured in the presence of diabetes. Diabetics can give the worst effect in treating TB patients said the scientist. 

In Chennai, a pioneer study has been conducted by Professor M. Vishwanathan, Diabetic Research Centre (MVDRC) has shown that over fifty percent of the people with TB are either Diabetics or pre-diabetics. ICER- INDIA, MVDRC, and ICMR-NIRT have also done studies on whether TB can trigger the onset of diabetes in TB patients. Dr. Babu explained, " TB can triger a process called stress-induced hyperglycemia and hence increase diabetes risk n non-diabetic individuals".

He further added that several studies including many of his clinical trials have shown the impact of diabetes on TB. TB may also increase the chances of developing severe complications with diabetics. 

Researchers told that TB is curable but it may take a longer time and more intensive care more than a couple of years even after completing treatment. It is also told by them that the lungs of the TB patient recover more slowly due to expansive damage to the lungs caused by the TB bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis responsible for damaging the lungs. Diabetes is a chronic disease in which either the pancreas does not produce a sufficient amount of insulin or the body organs do not effectively utilize the insulin produced in the body.  

  

If you wish to live a long healthy life, then include these things in your daily diet from today onward…

Nowadays everyone wants to live a long and healthy life. People face serious diseases at an early age due to their disturbed routine work style, so, at least we may take a good diet that should not harm our vital organs. The diet should consist mostly of vegetables, fruits and whole grains, healthy fats, and healthy proteins. Along with this, one should stay away from sweet drinks. Instead, make a habit of drinking more and more water. 

As we know that due to poor routine, lack of workout, improper diet, and stress, diseases like obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. become common.  Every person should think about healthy and long life and have a happy every day. But, Should we really take care of our body by providing it healthy, normal, and hygienic food and whether we are doing a workout at least 5 days a week for one hour? 

The majority of answers will be NO. Then, how can we think about our good and healthy life? Whether our tongue is under control. Whether our mind not demanding unwanted things to dump inside the stomach and to give torture to other vital organs? The human body needs many vitamins and minerals to function properly. Healthy eating can help you live a long healthy lifestyle, but if you don't eat a well-balanced diet, it can have a negative impact on your physical and mental health. 

Nowadays we do not get the right amount or complete nutrition from the food, we eat every day. That's why there is a need for a diet plan so that you can get all the necessary nutrients. There are some common but useful tips to maintain our health well - 

1. Avoid more consumption of Sugar: Excess calories and blood sugar in the body increase the risk of obesity, cancer, diabetes, dental and liver diseases. Therefore, we should consume sugar in moderation. Apart from this, tea, coffee, chutney, ketchup, cake, cold drinks, etc. should also be consumed in limited quantities. Instead of juice fruits, you should eat fresh fruits. 

2. Consume more fruits and vegetables daily: Your diet should also include a good amount of fresh fruits and vegetables. Beans, peas, green leafy vegetables, and colorful vegetables must be eaten in vegetables. Apart from this, including pulses in the food. Beans are very good for health. They contain fiber, sodium, folates, vitamins, calcium, and other nutrients. Therefore, it is advisable to eat a bowl of beans in the morning. Along with minerals, there is a lot of copper, vitamin B6, magnesium, zinc, selenium, and vitamin K. Beans reduce cholesterol levels. It is a good source for heart patients.

3.  Minimize salt consumption: Sodium is very essential for our health but too much salt is believed to cause high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. This can lead to a loss of calcium, which can weaken your bones. As you age, the salt content in packaged foods can really take a toll on your health. 

4. Avoid alcoholic drinks: Excessive use of alcohol can cause so much damage to our liver that it is not possible to fix it. The liver performs many important functions such as multiple metabolisms, digestion, and removal of toxins from the body. 

Stay healthy, stay safe….

  

Avoid white foods, they make you sick...............

Maida, Salt, Ajinomoto, and Sugar increase the risk of cancer, diabetes, and obesity, know how they harm the body. 

Eating less and doing more physical work is the most important thing for the health. But the presence of essential nutrients in the food is more important than that too. in the changed and speedy lifestyle, people are searching for automatic and easy solutions to survive; in this, the fast-food was trending to be the best option for them but an increased amount of fast food and packaged food in the diet have reduced the number of nutrients from our food. These include substances such as sugar, salt, maida, and Ajinomoto. The most important thing to know is that the quantity of this material in processed food is up to dangerous levels. 

[Refined wheat flour ]

According to the Harvard Institute of Health, they are not only causing serious diseases like cancer, type-2 diabetes, obesity, blood pressure, heart attack, etc. but also they can reduce the lifespan by at least ten years. 

Food and Dietetic Experts say that the aforesaid four items that are becoming important parts at hotel and restaurant for daily food for increasing taste as per public demand give rise many more life-challenging diseases. 

1. Maida - cause of diseases like obesity, cholesterol: During the processing of wheat to make flour, the tissues found in it called endosperm are destroyed. Similarly, the bran required for digestion is also removed. Overall, almost all of its nutrients are lost while making maida from wheat. In such a situation, it causes serious digestive problems as it is very much sticky and gives trouble to the villi (many small finger-like projections found in the small intestine that make the surface rough and also play a major role to absorb nutrients from food) in our small intestine by sticking over the surface wall of the small intestine and make them smooth and inactive for absorption of food and as a result, the digestion is affecting very badly. 

Acceptable quantity of maida: Foods made from all-purpose flour (maida) can be eaten once a week. That is also just for testing, and, not a full diet. 

2. Sugar: Cause of diseases like cancer, diabetes, etc. Sugar without processing or can sugar is good for health in a limit but nowadays no one likes it. People want only crystal white refined sugar. As we know that the sugar is also called empty calories. It does not contain any nutrients. As soon as it reaches our digestive tract, it breaks down into glucose and fructose. For people who do not do physical work, it gets stored in the liver in the form of fat. It also has a bad effect on insulin, which increases the risk of diabetes. 

Acceptable quantity of sugar: Just 5 teaspoons of sugar per day is enough for an adult. After the age of 40, this should reduce also. 

3. Ajinomoto: Extremely harmful to the heart. Ajinomoto is monosodium glutamate. It is found naturally in tomatoes, grapes. It is mostly found added in Chinese food, soup, etc to enhance the taste. 

Correct dosage: There is no need to take it artificially. If you wish to enhance the taste of your food, just take some tomato, onion, and cucumber slices as a salad or squish the quarter pieces of lemon in the food that is enough. 

4. White salt: Most responsible for high blood pressure: Salt affects the amount of water in the body. If we eat more salt then the extra water stored in the body increases the blood pressure. Apart from this, when salt is refined; the iodine found in it is removed. At the same time, during refining, fluoride is added to it, which causes harm if eaten in excess. 

Correct doses: A maximum of 1 teaspoon of salt should be taken in daily food. If you have BP then definitely consult a dietician.

Stay healthy, stay safe...