This week's topic is the common causes for diabetes. My clients often comment on how rampant people are being diagnosed with diabetes. Some of these clients think doctors are conspiring with the pharmacy industry to get more people to use diabetic medications. Personally, I find most doctors are skittish about diagnosing someone with diabetes because treating diabetes is very expensive and time consuming. Some doctors are apt to tell their patients they have "borderline diabetes" and recommend them to lose weight and exercise to control their blood sugar. On the other hand, since studies have proven 90% of complications (i.e. stroke, kidney disease & blindness) can be prevented with good blood glucose control, many doctors are treating diabetes more seriously. Here are the common causes for diabetes:

1. It's the genes, baby!

You inherited your mother's beautiful eyes and your father's great smile. Your parents may have also passed down your chance for diabetes. People of African, Asian and Native American origin have a higher risk of developing diabetes than Caucasians. Most of my clients admit to having a least one close relative with diabetes. Sometimes I get someone who claims they do not have anyone in their family with this condition. If you are one of these people, you need to think about the next four reasons you have diabetes.

2. Aging

Your possibility for diabetes increases with age. Around one hundred years ago, most people lived 40 to 45 years. Today, living until age 45 would be tragic. However, guess the average age most people are diagnosed with diabetes. Yep, age 45! I often ask my clients who tell me their parents did not have diabetes, how long did their parents live. However, people recently are being diagnosed at a younger age due to the next factor.

3. Weight

The obesity rate in the United States is at epidemic proportions. Two-thirds of our country is overweight and 30.5% of our fellow Americans are obese. Medical professionals consider anyone with a BMI (Body Mass Index) over 25 overweight and individuals with a BMI over 30 to be obese. A person with a BMI over 25 is at risk of developing diabetes, so most of our country is in the danger zone.

4. Processed Foods

Eating highly processed foods put you at risk for diabetes because most of these foods are not satisfying to your body. Do you ever notice how quickly you feel full when you eat a whole potato as opposed to chomping down on a bag of potato chips? Eating highly processed foods causes you to overeat thereby putting you at risk for gaining weight. We all know excess weight increases your likelihood for diabetes.

5. Your body is fighting back.

This is strictly directed to people with type I diabetes. Research has shown individuals with juvenile onset or type I diabetes may have developed this disease as an immune response from their body. People with type I diabetes have no cells left in their body to produce insulin. Scientists think these cells may have been destroyed when these people were sick. Something as simple as a bad flu or chickenpox may have triggered the body to attack these cells.

If you are reading this blog and do not have diabetes there is good news. Losing weight, exercising and avoiding highly processed foods decreases your risk for diabetes by 58% if you have a family history of diabetes. Your risk is even lower if none of your ancestors have this disease.

Email me at askard@stablebloodsugar.com if you have any questions about this topic or any of my other blogs. Allison

Allison L Boyd is a registered dietitian who counsels people with diabetes. She has a membership site with tools to help manage this serious disease. Her website is http://www.stablebloodsugar.net

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Developed in 1981 at the University of Toronto by Dr. David Jenkins, the Glycemic Index (GI) is essentially a rating system for carbohydrates. It ranks carbohydrates according to the extent they can potentially affect people's blood sugar levels. Carbohydrates differ in the way or manner they are broken down or digested. Those that break down and get digested quickly have high ratings or scores. Due to their rapid breaking down process, they often leave much of their sugar content in the blood stream and pose the greatest harm for diabetics. Letting people know which foods are harmful harmful for those who need to maintain their blood sugar levels is how pricelessly the Glycemic Index helps.

Carbohydrates with high Glycemic Index ratings or scores include French potato fries, white bread, and those that consist mostly of foods mixed with, or made of, white flour and white sugar. Even the well-regarded corn flakes have high scores and are therefore deemed bad carbohydrates. Those who have been diagnosed with diabetes would do well to familiarize themselves with the information offered by the Glycemic Index so that they can determine which foods are harmful for them or not.

People with diabetes are advised to avoid carbohydrates as a general rule. But it is also true that avoiding carbodydrates all the time may not be feasible and practical. For this reason the GI offers more value as it can distinguish which foods can be more harmful for diabetics than others. Unknown to many, for example, is how the GI considers white bread as more harmful than candy bars.

Knowing further how the Glycemic Index helps is beneficial for those who wish to control their intake of carbohydrates, as well as for those who follow a diebetic diet. The GI identifies foods that take more time for absorption into bloodstreams. Thus they provide the body with nutrients while giving body systems time to expel excess glucose normally. These foods rate low on the GI. Certain vegetables and fruits belong to this group of foods. However, baked potatoes do not belong to this group and are therefore deemed harmful for diabetics.

Potatoes oddly rank among those on top of the Glycemic Index. They have one of the highest ratings. This therefore should give fair warning to French fries lovers. Potatoes are not only low in protein and high in fat, they are also rich in carbohydrates.

Aside from distinguishing the high and low raters, knowing which carbohydrates belong to the intermediate group is one more way of how the Glycemic Index helps. This group consists of foods with ratings of 56 up to 69. It includes croissants, candy bars, and several brown rices. Such an information is useful for those who want to formulate and carry out a diabetic diet as they get to understand which foods rate high, medium, or low.

We already know that white bread rates higher on the Index than candy bars. Diabetics and those who simply want to pursue a healthy diet would be wise then to avoid white bread more than candy bars. Learning which foods are most harmful and less harmful for diabetics is the key of how the Glycemic Index helps.

Hermilando Aberia is an expert in social development work with at least 22 years of professional experience as either consultant or key staff member of health, community development, education and local governance projects. He has a Master's Degree in Development Management from the Asian Institute of Management. Contact Information: B21 L59 Kassel Kristina Heights, Tacloban City, Philippines. Mobile: (+63) 9058664106; Website: http://www.freewebs.com/iaberia

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People with diabetes weigh their options carefully when it comes to what they eat. Sugar and sweeteners are no exception to that rule.

Some people may prefer the taste of table sugar (sucrose) to other sweeteners. But, they also know the harmful effects that sugar can have. When people with diabetes eat too many sugary foods, blood glucose levels can skyrocket dangerously. Over time, elevated sugar levels can lead to permanent damage of the eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart, and other organs. For this reason, many people choose to substitute artificial sweeteners for some or all of the sugar in their diets.

What benefits do artificial sweeteners have? First and foremost, many have no calories and do not raise blood glucose levels. Second, many foods made with low-calorie sweeteners have fewer calories due to the reduced amount of sugar. Always be sure to read nutrition labels carefully; "reduced sugar" or "sugar free" doesn't necessary mean "reduced calorie" or "low fat."

Artificial sweeteners on the market today in the United States have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, a decision backed up by the American Diabetes Association. Some of the most common artificial sweeteners are these:

* Saccharin is found in products such as Sweet N Low, Sweet Twin, and Necta Sweet. Saccharin may be used in both hot and cold food and drinks.
* Sucralose is sold as Splenda. It retains its sweetness during baking and cooking, making it appropriate for cold and hot food and drinks.
* Aspartame is the sweetener contained in NutraSweet and Equal, and can lose some sweetness if subjected to high temperatures.
* Acesulfame-K (potassium) is found in products like Sweet One, Swiss Sweet, and Sunett. It may be used in baking and cooking.


Stevia is an herb that has been used as a sweetener for many centuries in South America amongst various indigenous tribes. Many people prefer to use it because it is all-natural. Stevia can be up to 300 times sweeter than sugar, and has a long-lasting sweetening effect.

Another type of sweetener is in a category of its own: sugar alcohols. Despite the name, sugar alcohols contain no alcohol. Sugar alcohols have about half the calories of sugar. Some sugar alcohols are sorbitol, xylitol, isomalt, and manitol.

If you'd like more information about the use of sugar and other sweeteners, speak to your health care provider.

You can find more articles about diabetes health and news at Destination Diabetes.

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A healthy diet with regular exercise is the most common advice given to diabetics. Type 2 diabetes is caused due to hereditary defect that reduces a person's sensitivity to insulin. You can't change that, but you can change the lifestyle, habits that lead to obesity, which is the most important environmental trigger to diabetes. This is why the diet and exercise are the major part of prevention and treatment.

Treatment You Have To Follow

A simple and easy treatment without spending a penny to overcome diabetes is very simple. Just before going to bed at night put a bottle of water along with an empty glass besides your bed. The first thing you have to do after closing the alarm of your waking time is to drink 750 ml of water, which is approximately 4 big full glasses of water. After this you are allowed to get up from the bed, take bath, wash your face and do whatever you want to ,except one simple thing, that is not eat or drink anything only for 45 minutes. After this small lapse of time you can eat or drink whatever you want to or as per your normal routine. You have follow this and repeat the procedure for 30 days.

If your routine is to take something to eat or drink soon after your breakfast you should discontinue this. The beginners, the sick and the children, who are unable to drink this much water can start this by reducing the amount in the beginning and then by slowly increasing the amount of water.

Changing years of old habits and patterns take time. In a calm moment relax, think logically the pros and cons and then apply a new way to treat your diabetes without using any medication and without spending a dime.

I know that what I have told you about diabetes can be unbelievable, but thats the truth and 100% truth. Diabetes can be managed and even reversed. Me and my many friends have reversed it by simply following the technique mentioned above and you can also reverse it. For a deeper insight into the process mentioned above follow these links- Diabetes Information and Diabetes Cure and see the guaranteed results yourself.

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If you are suffering from Type 2 diabetes and would like to lower your blood sugar levels without taking too much medications, the following steps may be followed:-

(a) Exercise: For diabetic patients, regular exercise is a must. Exercise burns the excess fat and excess sugar from your system. It burns the sugar as energy and also helps to store it in the muscles in the form of glycogen. This glycogen is used during increased physical activity and stress.

Walking is a very good exercise. Twenty to thirty minutes brisk walk per day, for at least five days a week is necessary to lower your blood sugar levels. Doing regular household work or gardening is also beneficial.

(b) Diet: Diet plays a major role in controlling diabetes. The main thing is to control the intake of carbohydrates. The diet should contain foods which have a high fiber content. Fiber helps to reduce weight and cures constipation. Eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables. Avoid bakery products and fast foods. The fat intake should be between 15 to 30 grams per day. Instead of two or three heavy meals, eat a number of small meal throughout the day. Try to eat at a fixed time.

(c) Green tea: Drinking green tea has a lot of benefits. It is full of antioxidants as well as it helps to reduce sugar.

(d) Decaffeinated coffee: There are some compounds present in decaffeinated coffee which help to control blood sugar. But don't add sugar to it.

(e) Avoid stress: An increase in stress levels leads to an excess secretion of stress hormones like adrenaline which increases blood sugar levels. You must try to avoid stress as much as possible. Try yoga or other relaxation techniques.

(f) Sleep well: A good sleep helps to reduce stress. It also helps to control your blood sugar levels. For example, if somebody suffers from 'sleep apnea' which is caused due to a lack in the supply of oxygen, it may lead to an increase in blood sugar levels.

For more information on Diabetes and Blood sugar and to know about how to reduce blood sugar naturally please visit: http://www.arup-diabetes-guides.blogspot.com

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