Hopeful Diabetes Article Released Today

Yahoo! Health released an interesting article today. Now, of course, I am a strong advocate of "prevention" through leading a healthy lifestyle (consisting of proper diet, exercise and wellness practices), however I do believe that this article deserves a mention.

Australian researchers have found that stomach surgeries that reduce the size of a patient's stomach (in this case, stomach banding), result in the disappearance of diabetes in many patients over the next 2 years. Although not involved in the study, American doctors have noted that gastric bypass surgery has an even greater success rate.

Diabetes experts who were quoted in this article suggested that these stomach surgeries should be considered for the very obese. They indicate that further research is necessary to see how long the effects last and who would benefit from surgery the most in the future.

I am certainly in agreement that we should consider surgery with the very obese because of the potential of very quickly increasing their quality of life. This would enable them to adopt a healthier lifestyle and would give them a fighting chance at living life more fully.

As for gastric bypass surgery and other stomach surgeries being used to treat diabetes with patients who are not obese, the jury is still out on that one. Experts do not recommend this route at this point, however the American Diabetes Association is interested in the findings of this research and revises its recommendations each year. With further research on the subject, we may see some changes to its advice in the near future. We shall see.

To find out more about the study methodology, including how the patients were selected, what type of care they received, their level of physical fitness, how much weight the study versus control group lost, as well as the success rate of stomach surgery versus traditional medical care in eliminating diabetes, I encourage you to read the article in its entirety. Let me know your thoughts as well.

Until tomorrow, be healthy, fit and live life to the fullest. You know you deserve it!

Have a great evening.

Sandy Huard, President, Women's Health Supply International

5 Great and Simple Ways to Help You Burn Fat

Here are 5 great yet simple ways to help you burn fat:

1. Do not eat poor quality carbohydrates before bed. Poor quality carbohydrates are those that contain sugar or are highly processed. These would include most breakfast cereals, breads, snack foods, candies, and even fruits and juices. Eating these foods immediately before bedtime will likely result in increased deposit of fat and will prevent your body from maintaining a successful fat-burning mode.
2. Increase your muscle mass. The more lean muscle you have, the more calories your body will burn even at rest. Muscle is extremely active metabolically. Do some resistance training, add some muscle, and crank up your metabolism.
3. Eat only as much as you need. Eating is all about moderation. Time your meals so that you eat before you are actually starving. This one simple step practically guarantees that you will eat less throughout the day. When you do eat, stop when your satisfied, even if that means not finishing everything on your plate.
4. Double up on your cardio training. From time to time it may be beneficial to the fat-burning process for you to split your cardio training into two short sessions rather than one longer one. Studies suggest that people who do 30 minutes of morning cardio and then 30 minutes of evening cardio lose more fat than those doing just one 60 minute session.
5. Eat more high fiber foods. Most of us do not get enough fiber in our daily diets. Fiber not only promotes overall general health, but also can significantly aid in your fat-burning efforts. Leafy greens and salads are ideal sources of fiber.

We've also got a lot of great articles at Articles and Health Guides that will help support your health, fitness and wellness goals. If you'd like even more information, sign up for our newsletter.

Share with me some of your tips and advice that help you burn fat too. Have a great night!

"Healthy. Fit. Living Fully."

Sandy Huard, President, Women's Health Supply International

A Controversial Health Article Released Today

I was shocked today to read the following headline: "Obesity now a 'lifestyle' choice for Americans, expert says".

The expert in question is economist Eric A. Finkelstein who wrote (along with Laurie Zuckerman) the book: "The Fattening of America", which you can find on Amazon.com. As of a few moments ago, there were 33 reviews with an average score of 3.5 stars out of 5 (a pretty decent score). There are a number of reviews that are highly complimentary and some that are pretty scathing.

Apparently, Finkelstein makes a number of claims from a load of research. I'll leave it up to you to decide once you've read the article and delved deeper into the book and/or reviews. Unfortunately, I have not yet read the book so I cannot comment on it further. However, I did want to comment on the article, which I did read.

Now, here are my 2 cents on "obesity as a lifestyle choice." It may be true that some of the choices we make, such as regularly consuming fast foods or not exercising regularly, do often lead to weight gain. However, this does not mean that people set out intentionally to becoming obese. Nor does it mean that they don't care about being overweight or obese. Nor does it mean that they believe being overweight or obese is not going to be a problem for them in later years. Nor does it mean that they think the medical community is going to cure everything that ails them, if and when they do get sick.

Of course, my views are only anecdotal and I haven't done an exhaustive research study on the matter. One thing I have noticed is that everyone I know discusses the topic of weight; is either on or just off of a diet; is upset about being overweight, obese or gaining a few pounds; and may have self-esteem issues as a result. But, those are my friends, acquaintances and family members. Perhaps you have a different view and believe that people knowingly "choose obesity".

Anyway, let's leave this for now and talk about our shared goals: "Healthy. Fit. Living Fully." For my part, I ate well today and went for a 45-minute power-walk this morning. I feel great. And I wish the same for you no matter what your current weight, level of physical fitness, or level of motivation right now.

Share your thoughts and goals with me, and give me your 2 cents on the article and book referenced above. Perhaps I've missed something.

Ciao for now. Have a great weekend!

Sandy Huard, President, Women's Health Supply International