What Causes Diabetes

Various Causes that can Cause Diabetes: Diabetes Information

The precise Etiology of most cases of diabetes is uncertain, although certain contributing factors are as follows :

Type 1 diabetes:

Type 1 Diabetes is autoimmune disease that affects 0.3% on average. It is result of distruction of beta cells due to aggresive nature of cells present in the body. Researchers belive thats some of the Etiology and Risk factors which may trigger type 1 diabetes may be genetic, poor diet (malnutrition) and environment (virus affecting pancreas). Secondly, in most of the cases diabetes occurs because there is abnormal secretion of some hormones in blood which act as antagonists to insulin. Example- Adrenocortical hormone, Adrenaline hormone and Thyroid hormone.

Type 2 diabetes:

Type 2 Diabetes, is also called non insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or adult-onset diabetes. It occurs when the body produces enough insulin but cannot utilize it effectively. This type of diabetes usually develops in middle age. A general observation says that about 90-95 % of people with suffering with diabetes are type 2; about 80 percent are overweight. It is more common among people who are older; obese; have a family history of diabetes; have had gestational diabetes. There are number of risk factors found to be responsible for type 2 diabetes, the more the Etiology and Risk factors carried by an individual the higher the risk for developing the diabetes.

Following are the Causes of Diabetes:

* Hereditary or Inherited Traits : It is strongly believed that is due to some genes which passes from one generation to another. It depends upon closeness of blood relationship as mother is diabetes risk is 2 to 3%, father is diabetic risk is more than the previous case and if both the parents are diabetic, it has much greater risk for diabetes.

* Age : Increased age is a factor which gives more possibility than in younger age. This disease may occur at any age, but 80% of cases occur after 50 year, incidences increase as age do in this group.

* Poor Diet (Malnutrition Related Diabetes) : Improper nutrition, low protein and fibre intake, high intake of refined products are the expected reasons for developing diabetes.

* Obesity and Fat Distribution : Being overweight means increased insulin resistance, that is if body fat is more than 30%, BMI 25+, waist grith 35 inches in women or 40 inches in males.

* Sedentary Lifestyle : People with sedentary lifestyle are more prone to diabetes, when compare to those who exercise thrice a week, are at lesser risk of falling prey to diabetes.

* Stress : Either physical injury or emotional disturbance is frequently blamed as the initial cause of the disease. Any disturbance in Cortiosteroid or ACTH therapy may lead to clinical signs of the diseases.

* Drug Induced: Clozapine (Clozaril), olanzapine (Zyprexa), risperidone (Risperdal), quetiapine (Seroquel) and ziprasidone (Geodon) are known to induce this lethal disease.

* Infection : Some of the strephylococci are suppose to be responsible factor for infection in pancreas.

* Sex : It is commonly seen in elderly especially males but strong evidence of developing diabetes in females with multiple pregnancy has been observed or in females suffering from (PCOS) Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.

* Hypertension : It had been reported in many studies that there is direct relation between high systolic pressure and diabetes.

* Serum lipids and lipoproteins : High triglyceride and cholesterol level in the blood are related to high blood sugars, in some cases it had been studied that risk are involved even with low HDL levels in circulating blood.

source:diabetesinformationhub.com

3 Easy Steps to Breaking Bad Habits

Think bad habits like nail biting and knuckle cracking are hard to break? Experts offer simple solutions.

We may be loath to admit it, but most of us have at least one bad habit. And while some bad habits -- such as smoking -- can pose serious health risks, others like nail biting, throat clearing, and knuckle cracking are really just plain irksome (for us and for the people that love us).

Odds are you have been biting your nails or cracking your knuckles for a long time. So how can you be expected to break these bad habits now?

Where there is a will, there is a way. No matter what your bad habit -- whether nail biting, knuckle cracking, cuticle picking, chronic coughing, or throat clearing -- WebMD's cadre of experts have a simple three-step solution that can be customized to whatever habit needs breaking.

"The more you do it, the more difficult it is to get rid if it, but every single bad habit can be broken," says Patricia A. Farrell, PhD, a clinical psychologist in Englewood, N.J. and author of How to Be your Own Therapist.

Here's how:
Step No.1: Make It Conscious

The first step is to figure out when -- and why -- you bite your nails, crack your knuckles, or engage in any other bad habit. "If you can notice when you are doing it and under what circumstances and what feelings are attached to it, you might be able to figure out why you are doing it and be able to stop," says Susan Jaffe, MD, a psychiatrist in private practice in New York City.
Step No. 2: Put It in Writing So It Really Sinks In

"Log it," says Janet L. Wolfe, PhD, a clinical psychologist in New York City and author of several books including What to Do When He Has a Headache. This will help you establish a baseline, she says. "Put down the antecedents, the emotions surrounding the knuckle cracking and what goes through your head when you crack your knuckles," she says. "This will make your bad habit more conscious."

Wolfe suggests keeping the log for at least a week. The next step is to analyze the data and look at what your usual triggers are. "Do you do it when you are anxious or bored?"

James Claiborn, PhD, a psychologist in South Portland, Maine, and the co-author of The Habit Change Workbook, agrees. "Write out a list of the pros and cons of this behavior and keep a record of when you do it," he tells WebMD. "Measurement of anything tends to change it and makes people much more aware in the first place."
Step No. 3: Bait and Switch

Once you realize when and why you are biting your nails, cracking your knuckles, or engaging in any other bad habit, the next logical step is to find a not-quite-as-annoying temporary or permanent replacement for it.

"If you are a nail biter, try gum," Jaffee says.

"For throat clearing, the competing response may be some sort of slow exhaling because it is impossible to do that and clear your throat at same time," Claiborn says. "Develop a way of breathing whenever you feel the urge to clear your throat. You can see some changes in a very short period of time. There will be a major reduction in throat clearing within days."

If knuckle cracking is your way of coping with stress, Wolfe, says, "Try getting your hands in a position where you won't be able to crack your knuckles. Or stroke the fabric of your sleeve, doodle, or do something else with your hands."

Meditation may also help break bad habits, she adds. Once you have identified the triggers, you can do meditation to distract yourself next time you are in a trigger situation.

Another tactic involves placing a large rubber band around your wrist, says Farrell. "Every time you become aware that you are [engaging in a bad habit], pull it back and allow it to snap so it creates a discomfort," she tells WebMD
source:headlinestoday

Some of the Reasons Why People Don't Exercise .....

Some of the Reasons Why People Don't Exercise .....but we think you should exercise anyway!
1. My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was 60. She's 97 now and we don't know where she is!

2. I joined a health club last year, spent about $400. Haven't lost a pound. Apparently you have to show up.

3. I have to exercise in the morning before my brain figures out what I'm doing.

4. I don't exercise at all. If we were meant to touch our toes, they would have grown in further up our body.

5. I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me.

6. I have flabby thighs, but fortunately my stomach covers them.

7. Is the advantage of exercising every day that you die healthier?

8. If you are going to try cross-country skiing, start with a very small country.

9. I don't jog because it makes the ice jump right out of my soda.

But seriously, exercise is really good for you.....learn more about it at:

Heart Attack Warning Added To Avandia Label

Heart attack warning added to Avandia label

Diabetes drug Avandia's label will cite "inconclusive data."

USA TODAY: FIGHTING DIABETES
MONDAY: Diabetes 'revolution' is cutting both ways | Get off the road to diabetes
TUESDAY: Diabetes strikes younger ages
WEDNESDAY: Islets could be key to a cure | New diet weapons | Recipes
THURSDAY: Living with diabetes gets easier | Drug requires label warning

By Rita Rubin, USA TODAY
The existing "black box" warning on the label of the widely prescribed diabetes drug Avandia will now include information about a potential increased risk for heart attacks, the Food and Drug Administration announced Wednesday.

FDA staff and the agency's internal Drug Safety Board were divided over whether Avandia should stay on the market, the FDA's Janet Woodcock said at a news conference.

FDA scientist David Graham, who, with his supervisor, recommended taking Avandia off the market, said the revised black box doesn't go far enough. "This is a warning that's not a warning," said Graham, speaking for himself. "The other thing that's missing is a statement that … there are other alternatives available that work as well as Avandia and don't have this cloud hanging over them."

In August, a black box warning about the risk of heart failure in some patients was added to the labels of Avandia and Actos, the only other drug in its class. Avandamet, which contains Avandia and metformin, another diabetes drug, and Avandaryl, which contains Avandia and glimepiride, also carry the heart failure warning. Only Avandia's, Avandamet's and Avandaryl's black boxes will now mention heart attack risk.

The FDA has asked Avandia maker GlaxoSmithKline to conduct a trial comparing that drug's heart attack risk with those of other oral diabetes drugs. That trial is set to be completed in March 2014.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Food and Drug Administration | Justin | Heart attack | Actos | Avandamet

"Avandia remains a safe and effective medicine for most patients with type 2 diabetes when used appropriately," Ronald Krall, Glaxo's chief medical officer, said in a statement.

Avandia's impact on heart attack risk made headlines in May when Steven Nissen, chief of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, pooled the results of 42 clinical trials that, on average, spanned six months. Nissen reported in TheNew England Journal of Medicine that Avandia patients were 43% more likely to have a heart attack or be hospitalized for blocked coronary arteries than others in the trials.

The new information in Avandia's black box cites Nissen's finding but adds that three longer-term studies, which spanned an average of 41 months, did not confirm or rule out an increased heart attack risk. "In their entirety, the available data on the risk of myocardial ischemia (restricted blood flow in the heart) are inconclusive," the revised boxed warning says.

"I would have preferred a warning that was written with greater clarity," Nissen said. "I strongly prefer the language chosen by the Canadian health authorities."

Last week, Health Canada said that except when other drugs are contraindicated, Avandia should no longer be used by itself or with sulfonylureas (a class of diabetes drugs) or in any heart failure patients. In the USA, Avandia is approved as a stand-alone therapy or in combination with metformin and sulfonylureas, and it is contraindicated only in patients with advanced heart failure.
souce:usatoday/healthinformation

Double Chin, Hump in the back? Test your Sugar Level

A double chin, a buffalo hump in the upper back, and darkening, thickening of the skin at the nape of the neck can be early indicators of diabetes, a study done at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences has revealed. People with any of these three body markers were likely to develop diabetes over the next five years, it said.

“All these body markers are easily identifiable and we advise everyone who develop these to get their blood sugar levels tested. About 30 per cent of people with any of these symptoms would have diabetes and the rest would be at risk of developing it in the near future,” said the study’s lead author Dr Anoop Misra, HoD, Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases, Fortis Hospitals.

Today is World Diabetes Day. There are 250 million people suffering from the disease in the world, 40 million of them in India. Another 40 million are at risk of it, which makes it as common as the common cold.

The study was done jointly by the departments of Medicine and Biostatistics at AIIMS, along with Fortis Hospitals and the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, US.

Two of these markers for insulin-resistance, or a pre-diabetes stage, have been scientifically documented for the first time in the world.

source:hindustantimes

Breastfeeding Does Not Cause Saggy Breasts.

Study Says Breastfeeding Doesn't Cause Saggy Breasts

According to a University of Kentucky study that included 132 women who sought breast lifts or augmentation, in direct contrast to what many women may believe, breastfeeding does not cause saggy breasts.

It is noteworthy of mention that most of the women in question had been pregnant at least once and nearly 60 percent had breastfed at least once.

The BBC News reports that researchers analyzed each woman's medical history, height and weight, smoking habits, and pre-pregnancy bra cup size. They found no difference in extent of breast sagginess between women who'd breastfed and those who hadn't.

Nonetheless, it should be pointed out that the study authors did conclude that pregnancy itself was a factor.

The degree of sagginess increased each time a woman was pregnant. Smoking was another factor that contributed to breast sagginess.

To quote study author Dr. Brian Rinker, the BBC News reported that he says: "Smoking breaks down a protein in the skin called elastin, which gives youthful skin its elastic appearance and supports the breast."