To Your Health
September, 2011 (Vol. 05, Issue 09) |
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The Power of Healthy Living
Among diabetics, sustained benefits are achievable when choosing to follow key anti-aging tenets in dietary choices and physical activity.
Osama Hamdy, from the Joslin Clinic in Massachusetts, and colleagues enrolled 141 patients with diabetes: 127 with type 2 diabetes and 14 with type 1 diabetes. Average patient age was 53 and average time from diagnosis was about 9.5 years; the average baseline weight of the participants was 240 pounds. The supervised lifestyle modification program included an interdisciplinary team that involved a diabetologist, a registered dietitian, a clinical exercise physiologist and a psychologist.
The dietary intervention gave patients a choice of 15 dinner meals, two meal replacements, and snacks designed to meet the clinic's nutritional guidelines for diabetics; a diet plan that included 40-45 percent carbohydrates, 20-30 percent protein, and less than 35 percent fat. The researchers also put the patients through a structured strength and cardiovascular exercise program that gradually increased activity. For the first four sessions, patients were encouraged to exercise 20-40 minutes four days a week; during the next four days the exercise prescription was increased to 40-45 minutes five days a week; and in the final four sessions patients were told to exercise 50-60 minutes six days a week. Patients also attended weekly teaching and behavioral support sessions.
At the conclusion of the 12-week program, participants were instructed to follow the same plan on their own. Subjects with a mean glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) of 7.6 percent at the study's start (higher amounts indicate poor control of blood glucose levels) were able to lower the level to 6.6 percent after the 12-week program and keep it at 7 percent even after three years. In addition, the team reported that subjects experienced an average weight loss after the 12-week study of 24.1 pounds.
Stop the Epidemic
With diabetes rates absolutely skyrocketing and far too many people turning to diabetes medication to "control" their symptoms, you can help stop the epidemic – starting with you and your family – by following the diabetes defense strategies outlined above. Best of all, they're fundamentally simple: nutrition, exercise and a healthy lifestyle; all things you should be pursuing anyway. Dodge diabetes and reap the health rewards. Talk to your doctor for more information.
Key Terms to Understand
Diabetes: A group of metabolic diseases characterized by high blood sugar, either because the body produces little or no insulin (type 1) or because the body does not make enough insulin and/or cells do not respond well to the insulin produced (type 2).
Insulin: A hormone manufactured by the pancreas that removes glucose from the bloodstream and into muscle, fat and liver cells where it can be utilized as fuel.
Glucose: A sugar that enters the bloodstream when food is digested. Glucose is the primary source of fuel (energy) for the body.
Insulin sensitivity / resistance: A decreased ability for the body to use insulin to remove glucose from the bloodstream. The body produces insulin, but does not utilize it well.
Blood glucose levels: The level of glucose in the bloodstream. People with insulin sensitivity / resistance will have higher levels of glucose in the bloodstream because of an impaired ability to remove it, which can lead to diabetes.
Ronald Klatz, MD, is the president of the American Academy of Anti-Aging (www.worldhealth.net), a nonprofit organization dedicated to the prevention, detection and treatment of aging-related disease.
Robert Goldman, MD, is the chairman of the American Academy of Anti-Aging (www.worldhealth.net), a nonprofit organization dedicated to the prevention, detection and treatment of aging-related disease.
