We all know bitter melon as a vegetable but it is also known as a traditional Chinese medicine. Scientists recently discovered that the therapeutic properties in bitter melon can be a powerful treatment for type 2 diabetes.
Researchers pulped about a ton of fresh bitter melon and extracted four very promising bioactive components. All of these four compounds appear to activate the enzyme AMPK, a protein that is well known for regulating the fuel metabolism and enabling glucose uptake.
Type 2 diabetics have impaired ability to convert the sugar in their blood into energy in their muscles. This is partly due to not producing enough insulin, and partly because of their fat and muscle cells not using insulin effectively, a condition known as ‘insulin resistance’.
Exercise can activate AMPK in muscle, which then mediates the movement of glucose transporters to the cell surface, a very important step in the uptake of glucose from the circulation into tissues in the body. This is the single biggest reason for which exercise is recommended as part of the normal treatment program for someone with Type 2 diabetes. Four compounds extracted from bitter melon perform a very similar action to that of exercise, in that they activate AMPK.
There are diabetes drugs on the market that can activate AMPK but can have side effects. The advantage of this traditional Chinese medicine bitter melon is that there are no known side effects. Practitioners of Chinese herbal medicine have used it for hundreds of years to good effect.
Ingredients
barbecue sauce
1 10 3/4-ounce (301 g) can tomato puree
1/2 onion, 3 ounces (90 g) chopped fine
3 tablespoons (45 ml) French style whole-grain mustard
3 tablespoons (45 ml) fresh lemon juice
sugar substitute equivalent of 2 tablespoons sugar, or to taste
1 tablespoon (15 ml) Worcestershire sauce
1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 ml) hot sauce (optional)
1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) ground ginger
1/3 cup (160 ml) water
freshly ground pepper
6 chicken breasts, 6 ounces, (180 g) each, bone in, fat and skin removed
olive oil cooking spray
Prepare the coals in the barbecue or light the grill.
Making the sauce: place the tomato puree in a deep sauce pan. Add onions and let it simmer slowly, covered, for 5 minutes. Uncover and add mustard, lemon juice, sugar substitute, worcestershire sauce, pepper sauce (if needed), allspice, ginger, and water. Let it simmer slowly for about 10 minutes until the sauce gets thickened. Add the pepper as desired. Makes about 2 cups of sauce that can be frozen/refrigerated for up to 4 days, or served warm immediately.
When you are ready to grill, lightly coat the chicken breasts with cooking spray. Pat with freshly ground pepper and them place on the grill, bone side up. Grill, turning frequently, for 20 to 25 minutes. After 20-25 minutes brush both sides with barbecue sauce. Continue to grill until the chicken is no longer pink when cut with a knife.
To serve, return the barbecue sauce to the stove and bring to a rapid boil for at least 2 minutes. Transfer sauce to a serving dish and pass to spoon over chicken breasts.
Per serving (with 2 tablespoons sauce): 170 calories (10% calories from fat), 33 g protein, 2 g total fat (0.5 g saturated fat), 3 g carbohydrates, 1 g dietary fiber, 82 mg cholesterol, 246 mg sodium
Diabetic exchanges: 4 very lean protein
US researchers said that deep, restful sleep is very important for keeping type 2 diabetes away,
Research said that slim, healthy young adults who were deprived of the deepest stage of sleep known as slow-wave sleep developed insulin resistance — a trait linked to type 2 diabetes — after just three nights. The research demonstrates that the importance of deep sleep not only for the brain, but for the rest of the body
The effect was comparable to gaining 20 to 30 pounds.
“It turns out deep sleep also has implications for glucose metabolism and diabetes risk,” said Van Cauter, whose study appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
After three nights of disturbed sleep, eight of the nine volunteers had become less sensitive to insulin, without increasing the production of insulin.
Since insulin tells the body it has consumed energy, this deficiency can lead to weight gain and diabetes.
Reduced sleep often results from obesity and age. While most young adults spend 80 to 100 minutes per night in slow-wave sleep, this decreases to just 20 minutes for adults over 60.
“Any condition that involves a decrease in deep sleep is linked to an increase in diabetes risk. That is the case for aging and sleep apnea. This study really demonstrates a causal link,” Van Cauter said.
Type 2 diabetes can be prevented and in some cases reversed; all you have to do is make changes in the way you live and eat.An American Epidemic Diabetes occurs when your body does not produce or properly use insulin, the hormone needed to allow glucose and other fuels to enter your cells. Currently more than 17 million Americans have diabetes, or approximately 6.2 percent of the population. Additionally, it was recently reported that an astounding 40 percent of Americans above the age of forty are pre-diabetic. Obesity and a sedentary lifestyle are the leading risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes, and nearly 85 percent of newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics are overweight.A positive family history and consumption of trans fats are the other risk factors for this condition.
Complications of diabetes include:
· Kidney disease
· Blindness
· Heart attack
· Stroke
· Nerve damage
· Peripheral vascular disease (loss of limbs, impotence, etc.)
According to the American Diabetic Association, two out of three diabetics die from heart disease or stroke. Diabetes frequently goes undiagnosed in the early stages because minimal symptoms are present.
Symptoms of well-developed type 2 diabetes include:
· frequent urination,
· excessive thirst,
· extreme hunger,
· unusual weight loss,
· increased fatigue,
· irritability, and
· blurry vision.
Type 2 diabetes can be prevented and in some cases reversed; all you have to do is make changes in the way you live and eat. A landmark multi-center study published in the New England Journal of Medicine(February 7, 2002, Volume 346 (6)) found that individuals who lost a modest 7 percent of their body weight and engaged in thirty minutes of moderate, aerobic activity (walking) five days a week reduced their risk of type 2 diabetes by 58 percent.
Experts believe that 90 percent of all cases of type 2 diabetes cases can be prevented through dietary modifications, weight loss, and an increased activity level.
1-Maintain an optimal weight. To avoid type 2 diabetes, strive to maintain an optimal weight. This is the most powerful strategy to decrease your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, or if you already have it, to minimize its impact.
2-Exercise regularly for the rest of your life. This is the second most powerful strategy to avoid or control type 2 diabetes. Your optimal regimen should include thirty minutes or more of aerobic activity five or more days a week. Lifting weights has also been shown to be beneficial.
3-Strictly avoid or minimize the high glycemic white carbohydrates: white flour, white rice, sugar, and white potatoes. Consumption of white carbs leads to sudden elevations in blood glucose and insulin levels, which promotes weight gain and damages your cardiovascular system. When consumed over time, white carbohydrates encourage insulin resistance and may lead directly to the development of type 2 diabetes in susceptible individuals. 178 DR. ANN’S 10-STEP DIET
4-Do your fats right! Minimize saturated and strictly avoid trans fats. Saturated and trans fat contribute to heart disease and insulin resistance, the underlying metabolic problem in type 2 diabetes. Stay healthy by consuming the majority of your fats from the monounsaturated oils (extra virgin olive oil, canola oil, nuts, seeds, and avocados) and foods containing omega-3 fats (salmon, tuna, herring, mackerel, sardines, walnuts, soy, flax seed, wheat germ, and omega-3 eggs).
5-Consume your carbohydrates from the low to moderate glycemic index sources: vegetables, beans and legumes, fruit, and whole grains. Eat as many vegetables as possible, with the goal of at least five servings a day. All vegetables are great with the exception of starchy varieties, such as corn, potatoes, parsnips, and rutabagas. Vegetable superstars, for the prevention of type 2 diabetes, include: onions, broccoli, okra, brussels sprouts, dark leafy greens, tomatoes, and red and yellow peppers. Limit fruit to two servings daily, as they contain natural sugars which can elevate blood glucose and insulin levels. Avoid the sweeter, tropical fruits: bananas, mangos, pineapples, and papayas. The best fruits are berries (all varieties), cherries, apples, whole citrus, pears, plums, red grapes, apricots (dried or fresh), and peaches. Consume your grain products (cereals and breads) strictly from whole grain sources. The best whole grains for those concerned with type 2 diabetes are barley, rye, and oats. Strive to have one serving of beans or legumes a day. Although there are more than twenty-four varieties of beans available, choose those with the lowest glycemic index: soybeans, lentils, kidney beans, pinto beans, navy beans, chickpeas, black beans, and butter beans.
6-Consume some high-quality protein at each feeding. Fish, especially oily varieties like salmon, tuna, herring, mackerel, sardines, and lake trout are fantastic. Other good sources are skinless poultry, beans, wild game, soy, omega-3 eggs, and shellfish. Limit red meat to two servings or less a week.
7-Consume small, frequent meals, and neverskip breakfast. In contrast to those who skip breakfast, people who eat breakfast regularly significantly reduce their risk of type 2 diabetes. In addition, small frequent meals result in lower and more stable blood glucose and insulin levels over the course of the day.
8-Consume soy foods regularly. Soy foods have been shown to help stabilize blood glucose and insulin levels in type 2 diabetics. Make soy milk, tofu, tempeh, miso, soy nuts, and edamame a customary part of your daily fare.
9-Take your supplements. A multivitamin, 500-1,000 mg of vitamin C in divided doses, 400 IU of vitamin E, pharmaceutical grade fish oil, and a broad spectrum antioxidant. (See the next chapter for additional information on supplements.) If you have a chronic medical condition or take prescription drugs, consult your physician first.
10-Regularly consume foods high in chromium: broccoli, whole grains, oysters, lobster, shrimp, mushrooms, and brewer’s yeast.Chromium is a mineral that works with insulin to transport blood glucose from the bloodstream into the cells. Inadequate levels are known to impair insulin’s activity and contribute to insulin resistance, the dangerous metabolic condition precipitating type 2 diabetes.
Source: Dr. Ann’s 10-Step Diet
Myocardial infarction more than doubles the risk of new-onset diabetes and leads to a 15-fold increased risk of impaired fasting glucose, according to a study of more than 8,000 MI patients.
During a mean follow-up of 3.2 years post-MI, 3.7% of patients developed diabetes, compared with 0.8% to 1.6% for historical cohort populations with no history of MI, Dariush Mozaffarian, M.D., of Harvard, and colleagues, reported in the Aug. 25 issue of The Lancet.
Additionally, they found, 27.5% of patients developed impaired fasting glucose compared with 1.8% of historical cohorts.
“Our results indicate that myocardial infarction could be a prediabetes risk equivalent,” the authors wrote. “Smoking cessation, prevention of weight gain, and consumption of typical Mediterranean foods might lower this risk, which emphasizes the need for guidance on diet and other lifestyle factors for patients who have had a myocardial infarction.”
Although diabetes confers a well documented risk of coronary disease and MI, less is known about the impact of MI on subsequent diabetes risk. Dr. Mozaffarian and colleagues retrospectively examined the issue in 8,291 patients who had had an MI within the previous three months and were free of diabetes before the infarction. The patients were participants in the Italian GISSI Prevention trial.
New-onset diabetes was defined as use of diabetes medication or a fasting glucose of 7 mmol/L or greater. Impaired fasting glucose was defined as a blood glucose level of 6.1 mmol/L or greater but less than 7, but it was also calculated on the basis of a lower blood glucose threshold of 5.6 mmol/L.
During follow up, 998 patients (12%) developed diabetes, and 2,514 (33%) developed diabetes or impaired fasting glucose, increasing to 62% using the lower cutoff threshold.
In contrast, contemporary population-based cohort studies of middle-aged white adults have shown diabetes rates of 0.8% to 1.6%, the authors stated. The incidence of new-onset impaired fasting glucose has been 1.8%, using a blood glucose range of 5.6 to 7.0 mmol/L.
New-onset diabetes and impaired fasting glucose increased the mortality risk in MI patients. As compared with patients who had a fasting glucose of less than 5.6 mmol/L, those with a glucose level of 5.6 to 6.05 mmol/L had a 10% greater mortality during follow-up.
A glucose level of 6.1 to 7 mmol/L increased the mortality risk by 15%, and development of frank diabetes raised the mortality risk by 44% (P<0.05 for trend).
In a multivariate analysis, independent predictors of diabetes and impaired fasting glucose were:
Independent predictors o? diabetes but not IGF were inability to exercise (HR 2.43), use of diuretics (HR 1.15), and wine consumption exceeding 1 L per day (HR 1.45).
Further adjustment for baseline clinical variables revealed additional predictors of diabetes risk after MI: BMI gain during follow-up (HR 1.17), higher triglycerides (HR 1.61), lower HDL (HR 1.46), higher leukocyte count (HR 1.23), and higher consumption of butter and other oils (HR 1.26).
“These findings indicate that, just as diabetes can be considered a coronary heart disease risk-equivalent, acute myocardial infarction should potentially be considered a prediabetes risk-equivalent,” the authors said.
Lifestyle modification could play a major role in reducing diabetes risk after MI, they continued. Obesity (as reflected by BMI), smoking, and lack of physical activity are major, modifiable contributors to diabetes risk.
In a commentary on the study, Lionel H. Opie, M.D., of the University of Cape Town, South Africa, said the findings “further tie the knot between myocardial infarction and hyperglycemia-each causes the other.”
Offering a possible explanation for the link between MI and diabetes, he noted that blood glucose values of less than 5.6 mmol/L have prognostic value for diabetes.
“A reasonable hypothesis would be that the previous acute myocardial infarction was associated with an undetected modest, but definite tendency towards prediabetes at the time of the attack,” said Dr. Opie.
Source: The Lancet
Source reference:
Mozaffarian D et al. “Incidence of new-onset diabetes and impaired fasting glucose in patients with recent myocardial infarction and the effects of clinical and lifestyle risk factors. Lancet 2007; 370: 667-675.