Why supplements?

2009-10-26T22:12:00.004+08:00

WE HAVE MOVED PERMANENTLY!

PLEASE LOG ON TO:

WWW.WHYVITAMIN.COM

IARC - 17 Million Is Dying of Cancer by 2030

2008-12-13T10:08:00.003+08:00

Why Supplements?: WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) released the new study this week at a news conference where cancer organizations gathered in hopes of drawing attention to the worldly threat of the disease. According to the report, "The global cancer burden doubled in the last thirty years of the twentieth century, and it is estimated that this will double again between 2000 and 2020, and nearly triple by 2030.” The report forecast that 26.4 million people will be diagnosed with cancer yearly by 2030 with 17 million dying.

The recent report identified some of the challenges in cancer care. The report highlighted the fact that in Africa palliative care is very limited because the use of narcotics are not allowed by law in some countries. Many countries have limited funds in their health budgets and high rates of communicable diseases. IARC’s Dr. Peter Boyle pointed out that cancer treatments in these less fortunate countries are scarce and out of reach for many of the population. Because help is so out of reach life saving treatments are very seldom available. Dr. Boyle said during a news conference, “This is going to present amazing problems at every level, in every society worldwide.”

Cancer cases have migrated from being seen mostly in the Westernized, wealthy, industrialized world to the less fortunate poor and middle-income countries. More people in poor countries are killed by cancer than HIV, malaria, and TB combined The recent gathering of organizations for the news conference where WHO released their report was “unprecedented” with representatives from the American Cancer Society, the Lance Armstrong Foundation, Susan G. Komer for the Cure and the National Cancer Institute of Mexico being present. The organizations hope to draw attention to the global affects and threat of cancer. They are asking the U.S. government to help with six main efforts including, helping fund cervical cancer vaccines and to endorse an international treaty to control tobacco.
.
Dr. Boyle said, “The rapid increase in the global cancer burden represents a real challenge for health systems worldwide. However, there is a clear message of hope: although cancer is a devastating disease, it is largely preventable. We know that preventive measures such as tobacco control, reduction of alcohol consumption increased physical activity, vaccination for Hepatitis B and Human Papillomavirus (HPV), and screening and awareness could have a great impact on reducing the global cancer burden.”

Source: http://www.healthnews.com/disease-illness/cancer-will-be-worlds-leading-killer-by-2010-2261.html

Why Supplements?

Diabetes During Pregnancy Soars

2008-12-03T14:32:00.006+08:00

Why Supplements?: The rate of diabetes among pregnant women is soaring as they have children later in life and grow fatter. The rate of gestational diabetes (GD) for women aged between 15-49 climbed more than 20 per cent between 2000-01 and 2005-06.

The number of GD patients at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital has soared more than 100 per cent over the past eight years, GD expert, Michael d'Emden, said. GD is a form of diabetes diagnosed during pregnancy that lasts the duration of the pregnancy.

The first national snapshot on the condition was released by the Australian Institute on Health and Welfare today. Other key findings of the report were that in 2005-06: 4.6 per cent of women, or more than 12,400 women, aged 15-49 years who gave birth in hospital were diagnosed with GD. One per cent of women aged 15-19 years were diagnosed with GD, compared with 13 per cent of women aged 44-49.

Women born overseas had double the risk of being diagnosed with GD, compared with those born in Australia. Women born in Southern Asia had more than three times the risk of being diagnosed with GD than Australian-born women. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women were diagnosed with gestational diabetes at 1.5 times the rate of other Australian women. Midwives at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital are now using a computer decision support program to manage patients with the condition, rather than patients seeing a doctor.

Dr d'Emden said women having children later in life and ballooning waistlines were factors in the massive GD increase. "Women who are overweight who get gestational diabetes have about a 50 per cent chance of progressing on to get Type 2 diabetes in 10 years time," he said. Women can reduce their risk of GD by regular exercise, eating a healthy diet and controlling their weight.

Source: www.aap.com.au

Why Supplements?

Get Off The Path To Diabetes

2008-11-27T01:50:00.003+08:00

Why Supplements?: According to the American Diabetes Association, there are 57 million Americans who have been diagnosed with pre-diabetes. Pre-diabetes is a condition people develop before the onset of type-2 diabetes. It is more common in women, and a person's risk increases with age and weight.

"Pre-diabetes occurs in individuals when blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not quite high enough to be called diabetes," says Carolyn Swithers, director of the Center for Nutrition and Diabetes Management at Hunterdon Medical Center in Flemington. "It is alarming that people can have pre-diabetes and not even know it."

Research has shown that some long-term damage to the body — especially the heart and circulatory system — already might be occurring during pre-diabetes.

"The good news is that you can take steps to delay or prevent type-2 diabetes with regular physical activity such as walking almost every day, reducing fat and calorie intake and weight loss," Swithers says. "Lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels also help you stay healthy. Diabetes is a serious disease. It is not just a "touch of sugar.' If you delay or prevent it, you will enjoy better health in the long run."

Diabetes is common, but a person can reduce their risk by losing even a small amount of weight. Choose whole grain products. Snack on fruits and vegetables. Drink lots of water. Pass on seconds. Eat half of your dessert. See a dietitian for help in making healthy food choices. Keep a food and exercise log.

Small steps lead to big rewards.

"Regular exercise tackles several risk factors at once," Swithers says. "It helps you lose weight, keeps your cholesterol and blood pressure under control, helps your body use insulin more effectively, cuts the risk of heart attack, strengthens your immune system, eases arthritis pain, protects against osteoporosis and keeps you thinking sharp as you age."

Research also proved that people who are physically active for 30 minutes a day, five days a week, reduced their risk of type-2 diabetes. A person who is not very active should start slowly, talking with a physician first about what kinds of exercise would be safe.

Experts recommend making a plan to increase one's activity level toward the goal of being active at least 30 minutes a day most days of the week. Wear a pedometer and do 10,000 steps a day. Ask a friend to walk with you. Walk to church or temple instead of driving. Walk the dog more often. Use the stairs instead of the elevator. Yoga is another form of exercise that can help reduce blood sugar levels, blood pressure and weight.

Changing the way you eat and increasing your activity can delay or prevent type-2 diabetes.

"One of the most important things about diabetes is that it is a controllable disease," Swithers says. "How you manage your diabetes care is very much up to you. You decide what and when to eat. You decide whether to exercise."

DON'T BE A STATISTIC

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every 24 hours:

More than 4,000 adults are diagnosed with diabetes.
About 40 children and adolescents are diagnosed with type-1 diabetes.
Ten children and adolescents are diagnosed with type-2 diabetes.
Approximately 200 people die from diabetes.
Around 200 people with diabetes have a nontraumatic lower-limb amputation.
Roughly 130 people with diabetes develop kidney failure
Nearly 50 adults go blind.

The Center for Nutrition and Diabetes Management offers a program to help individuals reduce their risk for pre-diabetes. Classes are held the second Wednesday of every month from 6 to 8 p.m. The fee for the program is $40, and more information is available by calling 908-237-6920.

Source: http://www.mycentraljersey.com

Why Supplements?

Why Supplements? Pre-diabetes, The Silent Epidemic

2008-11-26T01:01:00.005+08:00

Pre-diabetes, also known as metabolic syndrome, impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or impaired fasting glucose (IFG), is an early sign that you may be at risk of developing full-blown type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It is a stage where there is high insulin levels, high triglycerides. low HDL (good) cholesterol, insulin resistance, a growing waistline and blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. In other words, you are in the gray zone between "normal" and "diabetic". You are a pre-diabetic if your blood glucose levels are between 5.6 mmol/l and 6.9 mmol/l.

Symptoms of pre-diabetes develop so gradually that most people affected by this condition often don't recognize it until it is too late. At this stage, vital organs such as the heart, kidneys, arteries, nerves, eyes would have started to deteriorate due to the high insulin level in the blood caused by the body cells being insensitive to the insulin. People who are pre-diabetic have a 40% to 50% chance of developing into type 2 diabetes within 10 years. A good percentage of pre-diabetic people are over 40 years of age.

Pre-diabetes is caused by a combination of a weakened secretion of insulin and reduced sensitivity of the body cells to insulin (insulin resistance). Insulin resistance occurs when the pancreas secretes normal amount of insulin to regulate sugar but the body cells do not respond. If no preventive measures are taken to bring down the blood sugar level to a normal level, the pancreas would over a period of time becomes totally overworked and would be unable to produce enough insulin to overcome the insulin resistance, resulting in your sugar levels rising to abnormally high levels. The excess sugar build up in the blood would then spills over to the urine and passes out of the body and eventually, this would lead to type 2 diabetes.

Although pre-diabetes is a serious condition but it can be reversed by making modest changes in their daily routines such as increasing the level of physical activity, achieved a healthy weight and follow a healthy balanced diet by eating fewer calories. Take action to prevent it from progressing to full blown diabetes as once you have it, there is nothing much you can do except that for the rest of your life you will have no choice but to change the way you eat and the way you live.

Diabetes has turned pandemic, says Fortis doctor

2008-11-19T01:00:00.003+08:00

Why Supplements?: Mohali, November 17 There has been a 10 per cent increase in the number of people suffering from diabetes, many of whom are children, in northern India, said Dr K P Singh, a senior consultant endocrinologist and diabetologist at Fortis Hospital, Mohali.

Detailing the results of an informal study conducted by him, Dr Singh said: “The highest number of diabetes cases (20 per cent) was found in Ludhiana while the lowest incidence of the disease was in Lahaul and Spiti (less than 1 per cent).”

With the urban as well as rural population afflicted with the ailment, the doctor said: “In India, diabetes is not an epidemic anymore — it has turned pandemic.”

According to Dr Singh, the poor spend about 25 per cent of their income on the management of diabetes. Currently, up to 11 per cent of India’s urban population and 3 per cent of the rural population above the age of 15 has diabetes.

“There has been an almost 20 per cent increase in the number of people being diagnosed with diabetes each year.” The factors responsible for the upsurge are: sedentary lifestyle, lack of physical activity, obesity, stress and higher intake of refined cereals as well as high fat and calorie-dense food.

Talking about World Diabetes Day, observed on November 14, Dr Singh said diabetes is a concern the world over. The date also marks the birth anniversary of Frederick Banting who, along with Charles Best, first conceived the idea which led to the discovery of insulin in 1921.

“All said and done, diabetes is a very common condition which can cause an early death. Though with better treatment options available nowadays, it can be controlled,” added Dr Singh.

According to the Diabetes Atlas, published by the International Diabetes Federation, there were an estimated 40.9 million diabetics in India in 2007 (about 16.7 per cent of the global number). This figure is predicted to rise to almost 70 million by 2025, making India the diabetic capital of the world.