Med Health News

Category: Experts’ Blog

  • New Wristwatch-like Device for Diabetes Mellitus Patients Can Measure Your Blood Sugar Levels Without Drawing Your Blood

    New Wristwatch-like Device for Diabetes Mellitus Patients Can Measure Your Blood Sugar Levels Without Drawing Your Blood

    If you’re suffering from diabetes mellitus, here’s some great news – researchers from the University of Texas at Dallas have bioengineered a device that goes on your wrist and can monitor your blood sugar levels without taking your blood.

    Diabetes mellitus affects about 29 million U.S. residents, but an estimated 8 million more people in the U.S. have diabetes but haven’t been diagnosed. It’s a disease of serious concern because it can lead to many fatal and debilitating conditions, while also being difficult to manage daily. The good news is that bioengineers from the University of Texas at Dallas have found a way to make life a little bit easier for those suffering from diabetes mellitus. They’ve created a device much like a wristwatch that can measure key vitals without a blood sample.

    The device only needs 1 to 3 microliters of sweat to get readings of your sugar, cortisol, and interleukin-6 levels. The researchers say that the device can also help prediabetic patients and hyperglycemia sufferers to help prevent progression into diabetes mellitus type 2. They say that when these patients experience chronic stress, the increase in their cortisol levels can cause insulin resistance, which can raise their blood sugar levels above the normal range. If left unchecked, this cycle can push their conditions over into full-blown diabetes mellitus type 2, which then increases their systemic inflammation, which can be measured by their interleukin-6 levels.

    By monitoring these levels and understanding what they mean, they can serve as biofeedback for both prediabetic and diabetes mellitus patients. They can see what they’re doing in their lives that are aggravating their condition and can make lifestyle adjustments. This is very helpful since food isn’t the only factor in diabetes mellitus – perhaps their work life is raising their cortisol levels, or something as simple as not waking up earlier, which can lead to a more stressful morning that spikes their blood sugar levels because of the combination of breakfast and high cortisol levels.

    The researchers also say that their device is cheaper in the long run because it lasts for up to a week, whereas most current monitors for diabetes mellitus are only for one-time use.

    This new device can help curb the prevalence of diabetes mellitus in America where it’s caused by high-fat, high-sugar diets and sedentary lifestyles.

    If you’re wondering whether you should buy this device, consider the following:




    Over 70 Percent of People With Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 Die of Cardiovascular Disease

    Researchers found that over 70 percent of diabetes mellitus type 2 patients die of cardiovascular-linked events. They’re saying that the diabetes mellitus type 2 epidemic taking America will forseeably lead to an epidemic of cardiovascular disease.

    That’s not a surprise since diabetes mellitus complications can cause atherosclerosis, which can increase your risk for heart disease greatly. When your blood sugar levels are high, it increases the free radical levels in your bloodstream, which damages your blood vessels. This also consumes the nitric oxide that your blood vessels need to relax and dilate, which means they’re more likely to stay constricted. These conditions increase your risk for a cardiovascular event.

    But these cardiovascular complications can be lessened if you use the device to better control your blood sugar levels. If it allows you to better keep your blood sugar levels optimal, you’ll help prevent damage to your blood vessels caused by too much sugar circulating in your bloodstream.

    Soon these week-long diabetes mellitus wristwatch monitors will be available for purchase. Buying one will help you understand how your daily routine affects your blood sugar levels. It will also help keep you protected from cardiovascular disease by giving you better vigilance over your blood sugar levels. And remember – it doesn’t require a needle prick, just a bit of sweat!

  • 3 Sweets and Carbs You Need to Include In Your Daily Diet If You Have Diabetes Mellitus

    3 Sweets and Carbs You Need to Include In Your Daily Diet If You Have Diabetes Mellitus

    If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes mellitus but have a sweet tooth, you’ll be happy to know there are sweets and carbs that health professionals recommend for diabetics. Here are three healthy foods that help you control your blood sugar levels.

    Diabetes mellitus is a trying condition to live with because you have to watch your blood sugar levels throughout the day. If you eat something that’s too high in carbs and sugar, it could dangerously spike your blood sugar levels and make you sick. That means that liking sugary treats can be dangerous. But like everyone else, your body still needs your daily carbs for energy and to make vital proteins – so you’re allowed some leeway to sate your sugar cravings.

    But did you know there are sweets and carbs that are almost a must for people suffering with diabetes mellitus? Here are a few expert-recommended healthy foods that help you keep your blood sugar levels safe:

    1. Blueberries

    Blueberries are sweet and melt in your mouth. They’re great with salads or just about any meal. But blueberries are also a superfood because they’re rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Their antioxidant content can help protect and lessen any damage arising from diabetes mellitus complications.

    But despite their sweet flavor, blueberries have been found to help prevent and treat diabetes mellitus type 2 by lowering insulin resistance. They gave obese and insulin-resistant adults blueberry smoothies or blueberry and bilberry extracts for six weeks and found that the participants experienced greater insulin sensitivity.

    They also fed blueberries to rats that were also on an unhealthy high-fat diet for 1 to 3 months and found that they had better glucose tolerance.

    Blueberries are also fiber-rich, which allows you better blood sugar level control because it steadies the amount of sugar absorbed from your gut. The fiber slows sugar from being absorbed by getting between it and your intestines’ villi. Instead of all the sugar from your meal being absorbed rapidly, blueberries’ fiber slows its absorption such that all of it enters your bloodstream steadily over a longer period of time, which helps keep your blood sugar levels normal and keeps you feeling sated for longer.

    Blueberries seem to help boost your insulin sensitivity independent of your diet, and their fiber content helps keep your blood sugar levels from spiking after eating. They’re definitely one food you need to include in your diet if you’re suffering from diabetes mellitus.




    2. Tree Nuts

    Most tree nuts, like Brazil nuts, almonds, walnuts, and cashews, are superfoods because they’re rich in vitamins, minerals, omega-3 fatty acids, protein and other nutrients that are important for your brain, heart, and many other vital organs.

    Eating tree nuts has also been found to help treat diabetes mellitus. Participants suffering from diabetes mellitus were instructed to eat two servings of tree nuts everyday for two weeks. The researchers found that the participants didn’t gain weight and had improved fasting blood sugar levels. They stated that eating tree nuts can best prevent and treat diabetes mellitus type 2 if they’re eaten in substitution of simple sugar foods, like white rice.

    Tree nuts are also fiber-rich, which allows them to help you maintain normal blood sugar levels.

    Include tree nuts in your diet and you most likely will see an improvement in your blood sugar levels – you’ll also be enriching your body with vital nutrients.

    3. Purple Yams

    Purple yams, like most yams, are sweet and scrumptious. They’re also known as the Okinawan Sweet Potato because they’re a main part of the Okinawan diet, which is famous among health enthusiasts as the diet that lets you live until 100 years old with the ability to run fast even in your 80s.

    Purple yams are superfoods rich in vitamins A, C, and B6. They’re also loaded with antioxidants and contain the vital trace elements copper and manganese.

    Researchers found that purple yams’ flavonoids, which are a type of antioxidants, lowered diabetic rats’ fasting blood sugar levels and their cholesterol levels. Another study found that these purple yams’ flavonoids also protect your cardiovascular system from artherosclerosis caused by diabetes mellitus.

    And you guessed it – purple yams are rich in fiber, which lets them help you keep your blood sugar levels stabilized.

    Since purple yams can lower your blood sugar levels and help protect you from diabetes mellitus complications, you should switch out your bread for this diabetes mellitus-protective carb.

    You can indulge your sweet tooth daily with these healing sweets and carbs that help treat and protect you from diabetes mellitus. It’s best if you switch out your regular carb foods, like white bread and white rice, for these three superfoods if you want the maximum healing benefits they can offer you.

  • 3 Ways to Be Kinder to Your Father’s Heart This Father’s Day

    3 Ways to Be Kinder to Your Father’s Heart This Father’s Day

    Father’s Day has come and you’re probably all geared up to spend the day with your loving dad. While making your dad happy today to show your appreciation for all that he’s done for you is great, you should also consider his health. Here’s what you should know about the number one disease that most dads in America should watch out for.

    We all love our dads, and Father’s Day is the one day out of the year officially dedicated to them! It’s when you show how much you love your father by spoiling him more than you usually do – like spending the whole day doing everything he loves and buying him something that would make him happy. But filling your dad’s heart with joy can be different from keeping his heart happy – and spending the day eating barbecued hot dogs and burgers while watching the game might make him happy, but it also taxes his heart physically.

    It’s equally important to be more mindful of your dad’s health on Father’s Day because you want him to be happy and live long. And the number one disease that kills most men is heart disease. You should help protect your dad’s heart by being aware of what’s bad for his heart and what you can do to protect it.

    You can start by planning a heart-healthy Father’s Day with these suggestions:

    1. Try Vegan Hot Dogs and Burgers

    Red meat, especially processed meat, has been linked with increasing your risk for heart disease. For one, they’re filled with bad cholesterol and saturated fat. But researchers have also found that red meat has a lot of L-carnitine, which your gut bacteria turn into trimethylamine-N-oxide (or TMAO) during your digestive processes. TMAO has been found to cause atherosclerosis in mice, and researchers found that people who eat unprocessed red meat have a higher risk of developing heart disease.

    But people who eat processed meats have an even higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease because of their nitrate and sodium content.

    How can you enjoy burgers and hot dogs with dear dad without harming his heart? They may sound gross, but try vegan burgers and hot dogs. They’re made from tofu, which is soy and it’s been found to help protect your heart.




    2. Do Laps With Dad During Game Breaks

    Inactivity has been found to increase your risk for heart disease. In fact, researchers found that every hour you spend sitting increases your chances of dying prematurely from heart disease or other lifestyle diseases. If your dad’s ideal day is watching the game, then there’s going to be a whole lot of sitting.

    But if you both run rally laps around the living room or outside during intermissions, you can help mitigate the effects of prolonged sitting. Running is also great exercise for the heart and helps improve cardiovascular function.

    3. Visit a Bathhouse

    Mix in a relaxing visit to a sauna or hot spring this Father’s Day. Hot springs and saunas are very therapeutic, and researchers found that regularly sauna bathing every week lowers your risk of heart disease by over 20 percent. It explains why heart disease is less statistically prevalent in Asia and Finland, where sauna bathing is a cultural norm.

    Remember to care for your dad’s health this Father’s Day so you can share more Father’s Days with him! Try these three tips to make this Father’s Day healthier for his heart, and hopefully you can incorporate them into his and your daily lives for better long-term heart-protective effects.

  • 3 Reasons Why Doctors Might Say You Should Drink Four Cups of Coffee Everyday

    3 Reasons Why Doctors Might Say You Should Drink Four Cups of Coffee Everyday

    It’s 5 A.M. and you’re reluctantly getting up to do your morning exercises before you have to prepare breakfast and drop the kids off at school. Believe it or not, having a cup or two of coffee now instead of during breakfast or before heading out to work can improve your workout. In fact, having another two cups of coffee throughout the day, like during lunch, protects you from chronic illnesses like cancer! Sounds crazy? Well, scientists don’t think so.

    Drinking coffee gets you more kick from your workouts.

    Drinking coffee before working out increases your metabolism while you exercise, according to a study published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. They found that you’ll burn 15 percent more calories if you drink 4.5 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of your weight. If you weigh 110 pounds, that’s around 224 milligrams of caffeine or 2.5 cups of coffee.

    Research also shows that drinking regular coffee increases your blood flow by 30 percent, which allows your muscles more oxygen during your workout. They also found that drinking two or three cups of coffee an hour prior to a 30-minute high-intensity workout reduces muscle pain. That means drinking coffee also helps you endure longer during strength or endurance workouts.

    If you do endurance training you’re most likely doing intense workouts everyday. Thus, your glycogen stores must be replenished quickly. Muscles store and use glycogen to give you power and endurance during exercise. If your muscles’ glycogen stores are high you can last longer and deliver more power. Fortunately, drinking coffee with your post-workout meal helps with that! Research shows that a diet of caffeine and carbohydrates increases your muscle glycogen by 66 percent four hours after an intense, glycogen-depleting workout.

    Drinking coffee also protects your muscles in the long term. Studies find that regularly consuming coffee offsets natural muscle strength loss due to aging. This isn’t limited to the muscles you actively tone during your workouts – the protective effects were observed in the diaphragm too, protecting your body’s ability to breathe as you get older. Researchers believe from these findings that your coffee habit may preserve your overall fitness and even decrease your risk for age-related injuries too.

    Drinking coffee helps prevent chronic diseases.

    If you party hard on Fridays after work with your friends, remember your cup of Java! Research by the University of Southampton finds that drinking four cups of coffee daily reduces your risk of developing cirrhosis from long-term alcohol consumption by 65 percent.

    These daily four cups of coffee also protect you from other chronic diseases as well. Research by Harvard University finds that drinking one to five cups of regular or decaf coffee everyday helps protect you from cardiovascular disease, stroke, neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, and diabetes mellitus due to coffee’s bioactive compounds which protect against blood-brain barrier blockage and reduce systematic inflammation and insulin resistance. However, drinking more than five cups reverses these health benefits.

    Furthermore, a study published in the Journal of Neurology and Psychiatry finds that drinking at least four cups of coffee everyday reduces your risk for developing multiple sclerosis by 26 to 31 percent. There seem to be compounds in coffee that have neuroprotective effects.

    Drinking four cups of coffee everyday helps prevent cancer too. Another Harvard study found that colon cancer patients in remission who drank four or more cups of coffee had a 42 percent decreased risk of cancer recurrence and a 34 percent decrease in overall mortality (including cancer-caused mortality).

    Ultimately, researchers found that drinking coffee reduces overall mortality by 15 percent.

    Late night studying with coffee to keep you awake is actually good for you.

    Drinking coffee while you study improves your memory. A John Hopkins study found that consuming caffeine enhances your memory for 24 hours. Caffeinated participants scored higher than non-caffeinated participants when shown images and asked to recall them. Remember that next time you’re studying for grad finals or working late finishing paperwork!

    If you chug a lot of coffee to boost your energy don’t be ashamed – it’s actually good for you! Drinking coffee before and after exercising enhances your performance and supports your muscles’ recovery. Coffee is also holistically healthy, helping prevent a wide range of diseases. Coffee also helps you cram for exams! But to be on the safe side, drink only four cups of coffee daily – you don’t want to reverse these health benefits.

    Sources:

    http://news.health.com/2014/06/19/5-reasons-to-drink-coffee-before-your-workout/

    http://www.health.harvard.edu/colorectal-cancer/harvard-researchers-link-coffee-with-reduced-colon-cancer-recurrence

    http://www.newsweek.com/coffee-could-lower-risk-ms-only-if-your-drink-excessive-amounts-stuff-433201

    motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2015/11/science-says-drink-your-coffee

    http://healthcare.utah.edu/healthfeed/postings/2016/02/coffee_cirrohsis.php

    http://www.hngn.com/articles/169080/20160113/weight-loss-5-best-new-superfoods-losing-recipes.htm