Hope For Diabetics (Hong Kong)

Carbohydrate is the nutrient which has the greatest effect in terms of raising blood sugar levels and requires the most insulin to be taken or be produced by the body.

Lowering sugar levels is clearly a benefit for people with diabetes. Lower need for insulin is also particularly useful as lowering insulin in the body can reduce insulin resistance which can help towards reversing type 2 diabetes.

Insulin is also the fat storage hormone in the body, so reducing insulin in the body with a low-carb diet can help with losing weight. Continue reading “LOW CARB DIET?”

A ketogenic diet is a very low-carb diet, considered to be when you eat a level of carbohydrate of around 30g of carbohydrates per day or below.

This encourages the body to get its energy from burning body fat which produces an energy source known as ketones.

The diet helps to lower the body’s demand for insulin which has benefits for people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Continue reading “WHAT IS KETO DIET?”

In type 1 diabetes, the body produces very little insulin and so we have to try our best to perform the job of our pancreas.The task is not an easy one and sometimes control can slip up away from the best of us. This article serves as a guide to help you get your control back on track. Continue reading “CONTROLLING TYPE 1 DIABETES”

Keeping to sensible portion sizes will help in managing calorie intake and this also has benefits for blood glucose control. It is well noted that increased waist size is associated with decreased sensitivity to insulin. Continue reading “BENEFITS OF EXERCISING PORTION CONTROL”

1. Eat at least 5 portions of vegetables and fruit a day

We eat at least 5 portions of vegetables and fruit a day, amounting to 400g.

Ensuring we eat at least 5 a day, each day has been shown to reduce risks of a range of common health problems including heart disease and cancer.

Examples of single portions of vegetables and fruit include:

• 2 good sized florets of broccoli
• 8 Brussels sprouts
• 2 inch piece of cucumber
• Half an avocado
• 1 medium sized apple

Continue reading “FOOD TIPS FOR DIABETICS”

Reversing diabetes is a term that usually refers to a significant long-term improvement in insulin sensitivity in people with type 2 diabetes. People with type 2 diabetes that are able to get their HbA1c below 42 mmol/mol (6%) without taking diabetes medication are said to have reversed or resolved their diabetes. This also known as putting diabetes into remission. Loss of body weight can be particularly beneficial in helping to reverse the progression of diabetes. With time and dedication, type 2 diabetes can be reversed and the results can be very rewarding, with less tiredness and better all-round health. If you think you need to come off your diabetes medication, ensure you speak to your healthcare team before doing so. Continue reading “CAN WE REVERSE TYPE 2 DIABETES?”

When an intruder invades your body—like a cold virus or bacteria on a thorn that pricks your skin—your immune system protects you. It tries to identify, kill and eliminate the invaders that might hurt you. But sometimes problems with your immune system cause it to mistake your body’s own healthy cells as invaders and then repeatedly attacks them. This is called an autoimmune disease. (“Autoimmune” means immunity against the self.) Continue reading “AUTOIMMUE DISEASE – WHAT IS IT?”

People who have type 2 diabetes produce extra insulin. That insulin can get into the brain, disrupting brain chemistry and leading toxic proteins that poison brain cells to form. The protein that forms in both Alzheimer’s patients and people with type 2 diabetes is the same protein.

In the past few years, the connection between the two diseases has grown stronger with each relevant study. People who develop type 2 diabetes often experience a sharp decline in cognitive function and almost 70% of them ultimately develop Alzheimer’s.
A recent study published in the journal Neurology found that people with type 2 diabetes were more likely to develop the brain “tangles” commonly see in people with Alzheimer’s disease. They found that participants with type 2 diabetes were more likely to have the brain tangles, even if they did not have dementia or memory loss. Continue reading “ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE – HOW DOES IT RELATE TO INSULIN RESISTANCE?”

It is difficult to be conclusive when identifying a cause for a long term condition such as type 2 diabetes, when a number of contributing factors may be present. Key to the development of type 2 diabetes is the body’s inability to properly respond to insulin. Researchers from around the globe have studied data and carried out experiments to try to understand what may cause insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes to develop. Continue reading “WHAT CAUSED TYPE 2 DIABETES?”

The most common cause of type 2 diabetes is obesity-related, which generally follows a vicious cycle pattern:

• Diet high in calories -particularly if high in refined carbohydrates.
  Insulin levels in the bloodstream rise to cope with the high- and quick-acting carb intake.
• Weight is gained around the belly (central or truncal obesity).
• Consistently high insulin levels lead to the body’s cells becoming resistant to insulin and commonly lead to weight gain.
• High insulin levels also increase weight gain.
• Insulin resistance leads to an increase in blood sugar levels, particularly after meals.
• The pancreas produces more insulin to cope with rising blood sugar levels.
• High sugar levels lead to feelings of lethargy and high insulin levels lead to increased hunger.
• Hunger often leads to overeating and lethargy, with less physical activity being taken.
• Overeating, less activity and high insulin levels all lead to further weight gain and more insulin resistance.
• Consistently high demand on the pancreas to produce extra insulin leads to damage of the pancreas’ insulin-producing beta cells.
• Beta cell damage results in the body struggling to produce enough insulin, and steeper rises in blood sugar levels leads to more recognisable symptoms of diabetes, symptoms of diabetes, such as thirst and a frequent need to urinate