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The Free Fitness
Tips Newsletter - June 2008
brought to you by
http://www.freefitnesstips.co.uk/
*****
The Free Fitness Tips Newsletter -
June 2008 is sponsored by:
*****
Hello everyone and welcome to the
June 2008 edition of the Free Fitness Tips Newsletter.
This month at
Free
Fitness Tips the focus has been firmly on the topic of
diabetes. Diabetes was actually the very first topic I
covered on the Free Fitness Tips blog but when I re-read some of
those diabetes articles this month I quickly realised that this
section of the blog was in need of a serious re-write. As
always seems to be the case I have not managed to get as many
articles added this month as I wanted but on the plus side I'm
really pleased with the articles I have written. They have
been a lot more detailed than my previous efforts and have received
plenty of positive comments from readers.
Anyway, this month's newsletter
includes:
1)
Featured Article
As I said at
the start of this newsletter diabetes has been the only topic
covered on the blog this month. If I'm being completely honest
I'm very proud of all the articles equally. Each one took a
lot of time, effort and research. However, I've decided to
feature 'The Causes of Diabetes' because I feel it acts as a nice
summary of the various factors behind diabetes...
The
Causes of Diabetes
In my last few articles I have
mentioned a number of the possible reasons behind the development of
diabetes. These included; obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, age and
family. However, many of these are risk factors and do not directly
cause diabetes themselves. In this article I will attempt to drill
down the causes of the various types of diabetes so that you can
take preventative measures and reduce your risk of contracting
diabetes.
1) GENERAL CAUSES:- The main cause of diabetes is the
cells of your body not getting enough
insulin (the hormone which breaks glucose down into energy).
This may be because your pancreas is not producing enough insulin or
because your body’s cells have become resistant to insulin.
2)
GESTATIONAL DIABETES (GDM):- It is currently not
known exactly what causes gestational diabetes. However, the widely
accepted belief is that changes to your body in the second and third
trimesters of pregnancy influence the development of GDM. During
this time your baby is growing and relies on
glucose (the body’s primary source of energy) for nourishment.
To ensure the baby receives enough glucose during these two
trimesters, the placenta releases insulin blocking hormones. This
causes women’s insulin requirements to increase by two or three
times the normal rate during pregnancy. Failure to produce enough
insulin to meet this excess demand whilst pregnant causes
gestational diabetes to develop.
3)
TYPE 1 DIABETES:- Again the exact cause of type 1
diabetes is unknown. The condition develops when the pancreas
becomes damaged. In most cases this damage is the result of an
auto-immune response (where the body’s immune system attacks its own
cells). In the case of type 1 diabetes, the beta cells of the
pancreas (which produce insulin) are attacked by the body’s immune
system meaning that insulin can no longer be produced. Whilst we
know WHAT happens to cause type 1 diabetes, we do not know WHY this
happens but there are a number of popular suggestions which include:
- An unknown viral infection
instigates this auto-immune response.
- Unknown toxins in the foods we eat cause this auto-immune
response.
-
Faulty nerves in the pancreas cause this auto-immune response.
4)
TYPE 2 DIABETES AND
PRE-DIABETES:- Pre-diabetes is an early indicator
of type 2 diabetes and the causes of each are almost identical. As
with the other types of diabetes listed above, the exact cause of
type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes is unknown. The conditions develop
when the body’s cells start to resist insulin. The pancreas responds
by producing more insulin and the liver responds by releasing more
glucose (because the body is not processing the glucose that is
already in the blood). Over time this limits the pancreas’s ability
to produce insulin and increases the body’s resistance to insulin.
Like with type 1 diabetes it is not know why the body’s cells start
to resist insulin. However, there are a number of specific,
associated risk factors including:
- Age:
Exercising regularly and keeping control of your weight reduces your
risk of contracting type 2 diabetes. However, as we age we generally
gain weight and exercise less. If you follow this pattern then the
older you get the greater chance you have of developing type 2
diabetes.
- Ethnicity:
It is not known why ethnic origin affects your chances of diabetes
but unfortunately it does. Blacks, Hispanics, American Indians and
Asian-Americans are all ethnicities which are at an increased risk
of developing type 2 diabetes.
- Family:
Again it is not understood why but having a parent or sibling with
type 2 diabetes greatly increases the risk of you contracting it
too.
- Gestational Diabetes (GDM):
If you develop gestational diabetes whilst pregnant the unfortunate
news is that you are at an increased risk of developing type 2
diabetes at a later stage. On the bright side, effective management
of gestational diabetes reduces the impact it has on the future
development of type 2 diabetes.
- Inactivity:
When you exercise you use additional glucose for energy and this
helps to moderate your blood sugar levels. Furthermore, regular
exercise helps you control your weight which makes your cells more
receptive to insulin. By being inactive you are negating all these
benefits and increasing your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
- Obesity:
An increased amount of fatty tissue increases insulin resistance in
your body’s cells. According to
DLife this is because; fat cells have fewer insulin receptors
than muscles, fat cells release free fatty acids which interfere
with glucose metabolism and excess glucose is stored as body fat
which increases the number of cells the pancreas has to supply with
insulin.
- Pre-Diabetes:
This one only counts for type 2 diabetes obviously. As discussed
above pre-diabetes is an early sign for the development of type 2
diabetes. If preventative action is not taken pre-diabetes can
easily develop into type 2 diabetes.
5) RUMOURS:- Since the exact cause of diabetes is
unknown, a number of rumours have developed regarding its origins.
In particular, these rumours falsely suggest that specific factors
can cause diabetes. Below I have addressed three of the most popular
rumours:
- Diabetes is Contagious:
Diabetes is NOT contagious. You cannot catch diabetes of another
person and if you are a diabetic you cannot pass it on to anyone
else. However, having parents or siblings with diabetes increases
your risk of contracting it. Therefore, whilst you cannot catch
diabetes directly off another human being (e.g. you will not get
diabetes by being in the same room as, touching, kissing or having
intercourse with another diabetic) there is a hereditary element to
the disease.
- Sugar Causes Diabetes:
This is one of the most popular rumours around. Diabetics need to
monitor their sugar intake quite closely and because of this sugar
is often linked with causing diabetes. Eating lots of sugar DOES NOT
cause diabetes. However, sugary foods are often very low in
nutritional value and rarely satisfy your hunger, hence the reason
that they are often referred to as “empty calories” (for example you
do not feel fuller after drinking a bottle of lemonade but you have
still consumed “empty calories” by drinking it). Consuming too much
sugar very often leads to you becoming overweight because the excess
calories from the sugar are not satisfying you in the same way that
more complex carbohydrates would. Being overweight makes your cells
more resistant to insulin which does increase your risk of
contracting type 2 diabetes. Therefore, whilst sugar is not directly
related to the development of diabetes it is still a good idea to
moderate your consumption.
- Stress Causes Diabetes:
Stress can aggravate diabetes and make the condition worse if you
are a diabetic. It is also possible that stress can trigger an
auto-immune attack, similar to those that lead to the development of
type 1 diabetes. However, to date there is NO EVIDENCE which
suggests that stress causes diabetes.
Whilst we have a general understanding
of what causes the various types of diabetes the exact triggers are
unknown. No one is 100% sure why the body’s immune system attacks
the pancreas in type 1 diabetes. Nobody knows for sure why the cells
of type 2 diabetics start to resist insulin. However, an increasing
amount of evidence suggests that regular exercise and healthy eating
can help prevent diabetes if you are not a sufferer, and minimise
the impact of diabetes if you are a sufferer. Therefore, whilst you
cannot be 100% certain of what causes diabetes you can be confident
in the fact that you know what prevents it. Try to exercise for at
least 30 minutes each day and consume healthy foods most of the
time, and the chances are you will never have to worry about what
causes diabetes because you will not be at risk from it in the first
place.
Every intention has been made to make
this article accurate and informative but it is intended for general
information only. Diabetes is a medical condition and this article
is not intended as a substitute for the advice of your doctor or a
qualified medical practitioner. If you have any concerns regarding
any form of diabetes you should seek the advice of your doctor
immediately.
Sources:
Blood Glucose/Sugar Information (Wikipedia)
The Causes of Diabetes
Type 2 Diabetes: Causes and Risk Factors (DLife)
Sugar and Diabetes Information (Health Castle)
Stress and Diabetes Information (Health A to Z)
Insulin Information (Wikipedia)
Obesity Information (Wikipedia)
Type 2 Diabetes Risk Factors (Mayo Clinic)
2)
Free Fitness Tips Blog Updates
As I said at the start of this
newsletter diabetes has been the key focus this month so no other
sections of the blog have been updated. Although the actual
number of articles I have written this month has declined, the
amount of content in each article has increased greatly.
Therefore, although it initially seems like there has not been much
new material added to the blog when you actually read the articles
you will notice that there is a lot of new stuff here.
Diabetes:- I have
written a number of highly detailed articles for the diabetes
section of the blog including; 'Gestational Diabetes Explained',
'Type 1 Diabetes Explained', 'Type 2 Diabetes Explained' and
'Pre-Diabetes Explained.' I have also re-written a number of
my existing articles on diabetes including; 'The Symptoms of
Diabetes' and 'The Causes of Diabetes' because I felt they were not
up to scratch. You can read all my
diabetes articles at;
http://blog.freefitnesstips.co.uk/category/diabetes
3)
Featured Fitness Blog Post
I've decided to change the featured
fitness blog section slightly. Instead of featuring a fitness
blog I am now going to be featuring a fitness blog post. I
think this will be more beneficial to you guys because instead of
just providing a general description of the blog I can highlight a
really interesting, useful, insightful or funny post to you.
Anyway, this month's featured fitness
blog post goes to 'Green
Tea Can Help Recovery' from Pat's
All Muscle
Building blog. I chose this post because I have read a lot
of blog posts about the benefits of green tea such as it reduces
cholesterol and it improves your immune system. However, a lot
of these benefits are the type of things you expect to read on the
packet or hear on an advert. When I read them I never think
that the information is anything groundbreaking. Pat's post
was different. It really leapt out at me because it
highlighted a green tea benefit that I had never heard of before -
muscle recovery...
Green Tea Can Help Recovery
ChefMD
John La Puma
reports that weightlifters who drink green tea are able to
recover faster from the oxidative stress that occurs after
workouts.
“Athletes who drank the green tea had less damaging lipid
hydroperoxide and more protective polyphenols in their blood
before and after exercise. Another key finding was a 37
percent higher post-exercise level of a protein called
glutathione, which helps protect the body from oxidative
stress caused by damage from free radicals. The researchers
concluded that green tea provided significant benefits for
sports participants.”
When you
lift weights I think most of us are concerned more about results
and less about keeping our body and cells healthy (especially
from free radicals). That’s why getting enough antioxidants and
polyphenols is so important.
The
quicker you can recover, the quicker you can get back to the gym
and the less sore you’ll be. Which will in turn allow you lift
more weight, more often.
Source:
Green Tea Can Help Recovery - All Muscle Building Blog
-----
Full credit to Pat for this highly
informative blog post. You can read more posts on the various
aspects of building muscle at Pat's
All Muscle
Building Blog.
4) Free Fitness Tips Ebook
Since this month's focus has been on
diabetes it just wouldn't be right if I didn't have a free diabetes
ebook for you too. Well you're in luck, because this month's
free ebook is...
500
Delicious Diabetic Recipes
This ebook does exactly what the title
suggests providing you with 500 (well 515 to be exact) tasty
diabetic recipes. Sweets, meats and vegetables are all covered so
you should be able to find a recipe that matches what you want to
eat. Here's a sample recipe to wet your appetite:
-----
1)
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
1/4 c.
margarine
1 tbsp. granulated fructose
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Cream
together margarine and fructose, beat in egg, water and vanilla.
Combine flour, baking soda and salt in sifter. Sift dry ingredients
into creamed mixture, stirring to blend thoroughly. Stir in
chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonsful onto lightly greased cookie
sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10
minutes. Makes 30 cookies.
-----
The ebook
also come with full giveaway rights so feel free to pass it on to
family, friends, website visitors or whoever else you think may find
it useful.
Click Here to Download 500 Delicious Diabetic Recipes!
5) Final Words
This month I planned to have all my
diabetes articles complete but as regular readers will know things
very rarely happen on time with this website. That means next
month there will be more few more diabetes articles with the topics
including; 'Managing Diabetes with Exercise', 'Treating Diabetes
Effectively' and 'Diabetes Breakthroughs'. I'm also planning
to do some posts on the various types of cancer and the measures you
can take to avoid them.
Thanks for reading,
Tom Parker (Owner and Creator of Free
Fitness Tips)
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The Free Fitness Tips Newsletter -
June 2008 is sponsored by:
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