July 16, 2008
Reuters on MSNBC.Com/Health
July 16, 2008
Obese women 70 percent more likely to develop deadly disease, study finds
LONDON - Obese women who carry most of their extra weight around the stomach are 70 percent more likely to develop pancreatic cancer, an international team of researchers reported.
The findings suggest are some of the first evidence that the link between obesity and pancreatic cancer is as strong in women as in men, Juhua Luo of Sweden’s Karolinska Institute and colleagues reported in the British Journal of Cancer.
“We found that the risk of developing pancreatic cancer was significantly raised in obese postmenopausal women who carry most of their excess weight around the stomach,” she said in a statement.
“Obesity is a growing and largely preventable problem, so it’s important that women are aware of this major increase in risk.”
Pancreatic cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death worldwide. It accounts for only about 2 percent of the cancers diagnosed each year but the first-year survival rate is less than 5 percent, according to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
Stronger link for obese men, too
Until now, smoking and chronic pancreatitis were the most well-established risk factors for the disease in men and women, with much of the evidence also pointing to a stronger obesity link for men.
As part of a large study known as the Women’s Health Initiative, Luo and colleagues followed more than 138,000 menopausal women in the United States for more than seven years to investigate the links between obesity and pancreatic cancer.
They found that 251 women developed the disease, and of these, 78 had the highest waist-to-hip ratios. After factoring in other risk factors, this was 70 percent more than the 34 women with the lowest excess stomach weight who got pancreatic cancer.
The findings also suggest that excess weight around the stomach may better predict the disease than the traditional Body Mass Index, or BMI, measurement for obesity, the researchers said.
They also suggested that obesity could increase the risk of pancreatic cancer by affecting insulin levels, and that diabetes may also play a role. Obesity is one of the main risk factors for diabetes.
“We know that carrying a high proportion of abdominal fat is associated with increased levels of insulin, so we think this may cause the link between obesity and pancreatic cancer,” the researchers said.
Several studies have shown that obesity raises the risk of several types of cancer including breast and colon as well as heart disease and other conditions.
July 9, 2008
ABC News.com
July 10, 2008
From Checking Family History to Eating Better, How to Protect Yourself
More than 23 million Americans have diabetes, and up to a quarter of those do not even know they have it. A new report found that children are at greater risk of developing the disease.ABC News’ medical contributor Dr. Marie Savard appeared on “Good Morning America” today to share five tips on reducing you and your family’s risk for type 2 diabetes
1. Determine if You are at Risk
Find out your family history. If there is diabetes in your family, then you are at greater risk. If you had pregnancy gestation diabetes, you are at risk. If you are African-American or Hispanic, you are at greater risk.
Check on blood sugar level. Your blood sugar should be under 100; 100 to 126 is prediabetic, which means you are well on your way to trouble, but diabetes is still preventable at this stage.
2. Rule of 100s
Blood sugar under 100. As previously mentioned, check your blood sugar level, and if it is higher than 100, you are on your way to trouble.
LDL Cholesterol under 100. This is the bad kind of cholesterol. As opposed to HDL, the “good” kind of cholesterol, high levels of LDL can put you at serious risk for diabetes.
Mean blood pressure under 100. The average of two blood pressure tests ought to be under 100. It will tell you where you stand and how much you need to work at lowering your numbers by changing your lifestyle.
3. Exercise
Walk 30 minutes every day. The No. 1 way to cut down your risk of diabetes, or to manage the disease if you already have it, is to exercise. Several studies say that exercise can lower your risk of diabetes by nearly 60 percent and as much as 70 percent in the elderly.
Lose 2 inches from the waist. You need to lose weight to get the effects. So get out a pedometer and your tape measure and start taking 10,000 steps a day. That’s about 30 minutes of walking and you can do it in increments of 2,000 steps. The benefit is cumulative, even if you stop and start.
4. Eat High Fiber Foods and Healthy Fats
Eat more fruits and vegetables. Diet is another big lifestyle change that has a major impact on preventing diabetes.
To continue reading:
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Parenting/story?id=5337605&page=1
June 11, 2008
From Insulite Laboratories’ weekly health support messages
The excess weight that some people carry around their middles could be making them fatter than ever, researchers have discovered.
A Canadian team found abdominal fat tissue produces a hormone called NPY, which also prompts the development of cells that turn into fat. High levels of NPY in the brain produce constant feelings of hunger.
Abdominal fat is known to be the most dangerous form of excess weight because it increases the risk of Pre- and Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.
The researchers, from Lawson Health Research Institute linked to the University of Western Ontario, carried out tests on rats which showed that abdominal fat, as well as the brain, produces NPY - also called Neuropeptide Y. It is thought that excessive production of NPY in the brain is one of the main reasons why overweight people eat more food than they should.
But the scientists found NPY in abdominal tissues increases fat cell numbers by stimulating the replication of fat cell precursor cells, which then change into fat cells.
Lead researcher Dr Kaiping Yang said: “This may lead to a vicious cycle where NPY produced in the brain causes you to eat more and therefore gain more fat around your middle - and then that fat produces more NPY hormone which leads to even more fat cells.”
The team will now look at whether NPY produced in the abdomen is released into the body’s circulatory system and therefore affects hunger messages in the brain.
Regular exercise combined with a balanced nutritious diet can help reverse an underlying cause of excess weight and obesity, namely the imbalance of blood glucose and insulin called Insulin Resistance. By reversing this latter condition, you can facilitate weight loss.
http://www.pcos.insulitelabs.com
June 10, 2008
by Sheryl Walters
Naturalnews.com
June 9, 2008
The benefits of yoga are increasingly well known. Deep relaxation and a strong body are continually proven results of a regular yoga practice.
Now a recent study in Channai, India has shown that a yoga practice is fantastic for treating metabolic syndrome x. It can actually reverse the clinical and biochemical changes associated with this aging syndrome.
Metabolic syndrome is one of the biggest causes of premature aging and heart disease. It is a combination of medical disorders that increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes. It affects a large number of people, and prevalence increases with age. Some studies estimate the prevalence in the USA to be up to 25% of the population.
Metabolic syndrome is also known as metabolic syndrome X, syndrome X, insulin resistance syndrome.
It is a catch all phrase that describes a pre-diabetic state that includes symptoms such as:
* Fasting hyperglycemia — diabetes type 2 or impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance, or insulin resistance
* High blood pressure
* Central obesity (also known as visceral, male-pattern or apple-shaped adiposity), overweight with fat deposits mainly around the waist
* Decreased HDL (Bad) cholesterol
* Elevated triglycerides
This can result in a multitude of problems including fatigue, depression, diabetes, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and liver disease.
Dr. R.P. Agrawal, of the SP Medical College, Bikaner, India, and colleagues evaluated the beneficial effects of yoga and meditation in 101 adults who showed symptoms of metabolic syndrome. In the study, 55 adults received three months of regular yoga including standard stress management yoga poses and a form of transcendental meditation daily. During that time they continued to receive their standard care.
The results show that yoga is anti-aging, lowers blood pressure, and is beneficial for treating metabolic syndrome x. Waist circumference, blood sugar, and triglycerides were significantly lower, and “good” HDL cholesterol levels were higher in the yoga group as compared to controls.
Yoga has been known to balance the endocrine system and hormones for centuries. Now it is also being recognized as a way to balance blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of diseases brought on by a classically western diet.
To continue reading:
http://www.naturalnews.com/023394.html
