Feline Diabetes

Today's topic, after a long delay, comes from the realization of looking at my neighbours cat and wondering what if a cat had diabetes, or so called "feline diabetes".

For humans you would notice the symptoms, or you may not. If you do not usually it happens where its really bad and then in the hospital they find out you are diabetic. A little to late to control the factors such as diet in order to improve your diabetes.

But what about a cat? A cat can't really tell you what's wrong. What do you do when it throws up or is mopey around the house. You clean it up or think lazy cat, what's wrong with you, and you continue your day. What if the reason the cat seemed lazy was because of diabetes? It's possible. So how can you tell if the cat, or any other pet like your dog, has diabetes? Is feline diabetes common?

Feline diabetes is the same as for humans, a deficiency in the ability to produce insulin. With that deficiency, the body is not working at 100%, and the food the cat eats is not converted properly with the insulin.

How can you tell if your feline cat is diabetic?
Here are some signs:

1) The cat goes pee a lot!!! You see pee stains all over your house, go get it checked out.

2) Weight loss in your cat! If you cat is half its weight from a few months back, that could be a clear indication of feline diabetes.

3) If your cat is lethargic, then add that to the number of symptoms your cat is experiencing.

4) Last big sign for feline diabetes (cat diabetes), is that the cat may have a disorder called neuropathy which causes a weakness in the rear legs. If you see your cats rear legs not working like normal, take your cat to the vet.

As you can see, and know I know after my thoughts about feline diabetes, aka cat diabetes, there are plenty of early warning signs just like for humans, so please take care of your pets!

What Causes Diabetes?

Your Health and You: What Causes Diabetes? By Gabriel J. Adams

The causes of diabetes vary significantly from case to case, and doctors are still identifying new causes each year. However, there are a number of known factors which may influence or cause the development of diabetes, and these are important to take into consideration when making daily lifestyle choices.

Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that has a small genetic link, tending to be more commonly found in men. Type 1 diabetes develops when the cells inside the pancreas that are supposed to produce insulin are attacked by the immune system, causing the body to function with an insulin deficiency. Certain viral infections contracted during childhood or youth can be severe enough to cause this immune system malfunction.

Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is generally caused by a genetic predisposition toward the disease, which means that parents may pass the gene that causes type 2 diabetes onto their children. It is possible to reduce the complications that arise from type 2 diabetes, or even postpone its onset indefinitely, by making wise lifestyle choices that prevent the disease from actually developing. This includes avoiding high blood pressure, staying away from a diet composed of high-fat foods and excessive alcohol consumption, staying active, and taking care not to become medically overweight.

Certain ethnic groups are also more genetically predisposed toward the development of type 2 diabetes. These groups include, but are not limited to, African Americans, Native American, Hispanic and Japanese Americans.

Type 2 diabetes may also develop with age, regardless of one’s attempts to stave it off. In some cases, family genetics simply dictate that type 2 diabetes will become onset as one gets older, and the risk for this tends to increase significantly at around 45 years old, and again after 65.

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Diabetes diet: general considerations

Diabetes diet: general considerations presented by American Diabetes and Dietetic Association by Groshan Fabiola

It is very important for people with type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes who are on insulin or oral medication to maintain a normal blood glucose levels and to establish treatment goals:

-to control their blood pressure
-to obtain the ideal body weight
-to prevent diabetes complications (heart, kidney disorders)

Those are general dietary goals, but the US Dietary Guidelines for healthy eating for all Americans, includes the following: to use in alimentation monounsaturated fats(virgin olive oil, canola oil) and polyunsaturated oils (sunflower, rapeseed) and to avoid the use of saturated fats(animal products)and avoid cholesterol consume. To eat plenty of fiber-rich foods (whole grains, fresh foods, vegetables), nuts, seeds or legumes. Pay attention to the sugar in foods.(especially in fruits).

Protein intake should be reduced: fish and soy-protein are recommended.

Salt intake should also be limited. American Diabetes and Dietetic Association recommend a balanced meal plan: More calories should be taken from carbohydrates, second comes fat and third protein.

As a general line everyone should serve: two portions of fatty fish., five of fruits and vegetables and six of whole grains. Diet plans are planned with dietitians in order to meet the needs of every person with diabetes type I and type II.

For example during a study the scientists have come to the conclusion that if people stay focused on it any healthy diet (a high-carbohydrate/high-fiber diet, a low-fat diet, and a weight management diet)is good for those with diabetes type II, after one year and a half the results were for the people in the study improved glycolated hemoglobin and cholesterol levels. Other effective methods are on diabetes exchange list: counting carbohydrate grams, using the glycemic index.

Monitoring blood glucose carefully is suggested by doctors, to prevent hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia. Glycemia should have the following values: 80-140mg/dL pre-meal, 100-160 bedtime levels determined four or more times a day. Of course for very young, very old individuals, pregnant women and those with a precare health condition there are different values.

A very easy to use at home test is: glycosylated hemoglobin test which evaluates the severity of the diabetes, normal values are below 7%, high levels are a marker for kidney complications and poor control of carbohydrates. Hypoglycemia occurs when blood sugar is very low and is very dangerous for drivers when it occurs suddenly, it may also occur at night.

Patients with diabetes should always carry sweets or glucose substitutes specially for diabetic individuals to prevent collapse in case of hypoglycemia.

Other recommended tests are: for high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol levels, urine tests which are significant when traces of albumin are found that indicate severe kidney disease.

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Can Diet With Supplements And Exercise Reverse Type 2 Diabetes?

Can Diet With Supplements And Exercise Reverse Type 2 Diabetes? by Ng Peng Hock

It is believed by most people that adult-onset diabetes is irreversible. Once you become diabetic, medication seems to be the only way to help you manage the condition to prevent you from getting into more health complications, for example, becomes a possible candidate of heart disease.

However, some health professionals and experts do believe that a low-glycemic load diet, coupled with multivitamin, chromium and cinnamon, plus moderate amount of exercise usually can reverse this condition.

This strategy does not seem to be accepted by many qualified dietitians. They argue that, for the management of diabetes, there is no clear evidence to support the benefits from vitamin or mineral supplementation in people without any underlying nutrient deficiencies.

So, whom should we listen to?

The diabetes experts, Dr Fedon Lindberg also recommends the aforesaid strategy. His vast experience with Type 2 diabetes patients is that a balanced low-glycemic load diet coupled with a healthy lifestyle can reverse the disease.

His many patients who came for injecting as many as 200 units of insulin daily manage to quit insulin and medication for blood pressure and other conditions. These patients have achieved perfect, non-diabetic, long-term blood sugar values (HBA1c) and normal blood pressure, cholesterol and lipid levels merely through diet and lifestyle improvement.

His book, The Greek Doctor's Diet, give very clear instructions as to how to achieve this.

A diabetic patient weighing 140 kg, whose blood sugar was 19.2 and had to take Metformin, was asked by his doctor to follow Dr Lindberg's recommended diet for 4 weeks. His blood sugar is down to between 5.8 and 6.0 and he had lost 12 kg.

There are research reports that support the use of cinnamon and chromium on better managing of blood sugar, and essential fatty acids for diabetes and cardiovascular protection.

For example, a study conducted in China proved that doses of chromium up to 1000 mcg per day was highly effective in relieving many of the symptoms of type 2 diabetes. Another study on the effect of cinnamon on diabetics showed that 1, 3 or 6 g of cinnamon daily (up to 1 teaspoon daily), lowered the sugar levels by up to 29 percent. Other markers such as triglycerides, LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol also improved.

Nonetheless, what works for others may not be suitable for you! So, diabetics should not take the risk of arbitrarily replacing their medication with supplements or herbs without consulting their doctors. Do your research!

Remember, some supplements especially herbal preparations may interact with the medications prescribed by doctors.

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How To Prevent Diabetes

How To Prevent Diabetes by Ann Marier

How to prevent Diabetes has been a concern for many of us since we were kids. In my own family, my baby cousin was born with diabetes, so she had to have shots--injected once a day by my aunt, who just happened to be a Registered Nurse. Of course, while this many years later we have sub-lingual solutions, we have different levels of Diabetes (those not requiring shots included), and we have do-it-yourself daily blood glucose testing, for those with Diabetes or those with a concern for how to prevent Diabetes from going full speed ahead into full blown stages of the disease.

Besides my cousin on my mother's side having the disease, on my biological father's side, my grandfather had it. So my emphasis has always been (as it was taught to me) how to prevent Diabetes from setting in if you are genetically prone to it but don't yet have it.

Is there a surefire solution for how to prevent Diabetes, though? Yes and no. Evidently, we can "delay" such forms of the illness as Type 2 Diabetes. According to such institutions and studies as NIDDK (National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases) and NIH (National Institute of Health), diet and exercise are found to help stave off the onset and symptoms. These findings are only reinforced by the additional smaller studies by organizations and institutes all over the world: from Finland to China, it has been found that at-risk people can slow the onset or fight the disease with rigorous exercise (with a goal of losing 2 to 7 percent body weight) and balanced, low sugar diets (with a goal of avoiding "trigger" foods). The sugars mentioned include, that is, sucrose, fructose, lactose, and other sugar forms found naturally and synthetically present in most foods.

In addition, from what I understand, Diabetes Prevention programs set up a regime that includes, besides diet and exercise, standard care and the drug metformin. According to CDC (Center for Disease Control), the studies applying such treatment/prevention measures found that participants who included a healthy diet, metformin, and moderate physical activity of 30 minutes a day/5 days a week, reduced their risk of getting Type 2 Diabetes by 58%!
I used to go every year but now go every two years to get a glucose tolerance test along with a general physical. And since I have Diabetes in my family history, the doc always admonishes me about "dumping great amounts of sugar" into my system. If I can conquer that, and walk at least five days a week, you can too!

About the Author

Ann Merier writes articles about the home and family health in general. Her latest articles are about diabetes.
Prevent Diabetes
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What is Diabetes and how can you control it?

What is Diabetes and how can you control it? by Darrell Miller

After eating, the food we eat is broken down into sugar (glucose) through the process of digestion. This sugar then enters the bloodstream so that it can be delivered throughout the body, where it is called blood sugar. Insulin, which helps metabolize blood sugar and is made in the pancreas, takes blood sugar from the bloodstream and delivers it into the body's cells. This sugar provides energy to the cells in organs such as our heart, lungs, and kidneys, which help function properly.

Type 1 diabetes, also called insulin-dependant or juvenile diabetes, occurs when the pancreas no longer makes insulin. This is because the immune system becomes confused and begins attacking and destroying the cells in the pancreas that produce the insulin. Instead of going into the cells where it is needed, the sugar stays in the blood. Often beginning in childhood, people with Type 1 diabetes have to take a least one shot of insulin each day in order to stay alive.

The most common kind of diabetes, which often starts in overweight adults with high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels, is Type 2 diabetes. Although the pancreas is usually producing enough insulin in Type 2 diabetes, the body does not use the insulin effectively. In this type of diabetes, the cells do not respond to the insulin's attempt to enter with glucose, so in turn, the pancreas produces more and more insulin. Because the cells do not respond, high levels of glucose build up in the blood, causing Type 2 diabetes. Once the pancreas senses that the insulin isn't needed, it eventually stops making it. People with Type 2 diabetes often need to take prescription drugs to lower there blood sugar levels.

In both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, the sugar stays in the bloodstream rather than going into the cells where it is needed. After it builds up in the blood, it causes the cells to be starved for energy and, after a long time, damage to the blood vessels, nerves, eyes, and kidneys. Type 1 diabetes, which develops very quickly, can be recognized by symptoms including: frequent urination, intense thirst, increased hunger, and weight loss. Type 2 diabetes, on the other hand, develops very gradually without any symptoms at all. Unfortunately, Type 2 diabetes is usually only diagnosed after the occurrence of a complication, such as circulation problems, nerve damage, eye problems, or kidney damage.

All of these complications are caused by high blood sugar levels; however, most of them can be prevented. The longer these blood sugar levels are elevated, the greater the risk for having complications is. Because high blood sugar levels damage blood vessels, they eventually become thicker and less flexible. This causes poor circulation which can complicate healing. These high blood sugar levels also cause higher levels of fat in the bloodstream, which clogs and narrows blood vessels. This partial blockage will deprive the heart of necessary nutrients, resulting in a heart attack, heart pain, or a stroke. Because high blood sugars can cause nerve damage, a person with Type 2 diabetes may lose feeling in parts of their body or have a painful pins-and-needles-like feeling. Diabetes can also damage and weaken blood vessels in the retina, which causes them to leak fluid, resulting in a swelling in the eye, which will blur vision. Since the blood vessels are so fragile, they can break open and bleed into the eye, which will cause scar tissue to form, along with the possibility of the retina to break away from the back of the eye, resulting in visual impairment, or even blindness. The blood vessels in the kidneys can also be damaged, preventing it from filtering out the body's waste. The longer the blood sugar levels are left uncontrolled, the greater the amount of kidney damage that can occur. If the kidney damage isn't stopped, a kidney transplant or dialysis machine may eventually be needed.

All of these complications can be prevented through vitamins, minerals, and herbal supplements, which keep people with diabetes healthy and provide powerful tools that prevent the serious complications from occurring. The most helpful nutritional supplement should contain powerful vitamins, minerals, and herbs in a synergistic formula that can lower blood sugars effectively and provide nutrients which people with diabetes need. The supplement should be taken twice a day in addition to a high quality multivitamin. Because a diabetic formula is complementary, it means it should be taken in addition to your multivitamin, not as a replacement.

Since diabetes is a disease that requires active participation, you must be aware of your problem and be in control of it as much as possible. If you use a home glucose monitor to check your blood sugars, you may feel more comfortable checking your glucose levels more often when you first begin the diabetic formula supplement. However, you should always follow your doctor's recommendation as to how often you should check your blood sugar levels. According to most licensed health care practitioners, a good blood sugar range for most people with diabetes before a meal is from about 70-150, ideally between 70 and 120. By taking a supplement formulated especially for diabetics, your blood sugars should be right where they are recommended. Successful diabetes management means doing lost of positive things, among these include visiting your licensed health care practitioner often, choosing foods wisely and staying active, and taking a diabetic formula supplement, but remember, this diabetic formula supplement is meant to be an addition to a healthy diet, not a substitute.

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Diabetes and Glyconutrients

Diabetes and Glyconutrients By Jason Carriere

Today, most people with diabetes are only treating the symptoms. And many medications given to people with diabetes are actually compounding the underlying cause of the disease.

The best way to manage your diabetic condition is to address the actual cause. Doesn't that make more sense? So let's look at what type 2 diabetes really is.

The Simple Explanation

Other than the genes you inherited, there are two primary causes of diabetes:

1) a long-term diet that has been high in carbohydrates, and

2) nutritional deficiencies.

Your body breaks down carbohydrates into sugar (glucose) which then enters your blood stream. The more carbohydrates consumed, the higher your blood sugar goes. In response, your body produces insulin. Insulin's job is to push the blood sugar into the cells so they can use it for energy.

On the surface of the cells in your body are insulin receptors, which act like little doors that open and close to regulate the inflow of blood sugar.

After many years of consuming a high-carbohydrate diet, your cells have been bombarded with so much insulin that these doors begin to malfunction and shut down.

With fewer of these doors open, your body needs to produce even more insulin to push the glucose into the cells. More insulin causes even more doors to close and as this vicious cycle continues a condition called "insulin resistance" sets in.

When your body can no longer produce enough insulin to push the blood sugar into the cells, type 2 diabetes develops. It is simply an extreme case of insulin resistance.

The key point for you to understand is that your energy, wellness and longevity are primarily dependent on improving the sensitivity of your cells to insulin -- how well your cells open and close the doors and clear sugar from the blood.

What's the Bottom Line?

Since type 2 diabetes is really a severe case of insulin resistance, the solution to your condition is to find a way to increase the sensitivity of your cells to insulin and help your body get the sugar out of the blood and into the cells so it can be metabolized and turned into energy. (This inability to metabolize sugar is one of the reasons why most diabetics often feel tired and fatigued.)

The Deadly Effects of Excess Insulin

Your "metabolism" is the food processing and energy production system of your body. It is made up of many extremely fine-tuned internal processes, and can be thrown off by even the tiniest of imbalances.

Insulin is the master hormone of your metabolism. When it is out of balance and your insulin levels are consistently elevated, a long list of deadly complications are created:

* Heart Disease
* Hardening of the Arteries
* Damage to Artery Wallsv
* Increased Cholesterol Levels
* Vitamin & Mineral Deficiencies
* Kidney Disease
* Fat Burning Mechanism Shutdown
* Accumulation & Storage of Fat
* Weight Gain

In his best-selling book, "Protein Power," Dr. Michael Eades wrote, "When insulin levels become too high... metabolic havoc ensues with elevated blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and triglycerides, diabetes, and obesity all trailing in its wake. These disorders are merely symptoms of a single more basic disturbance in metabolism, excess insulin and insulin resistance."

Nutritional Deficiencies from Excess Insulin

Science has shown that excess insulin also causes your body to become deficient in many vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. It's a proven fact that being deficient in these nutrients is directly linked to and a cause of high blood sugar levels.

Chromium

Chromium is essential to proper metabolism and maintaining safe sugar levels. Excess insulin depletes your body's chromium. In "Protein Power," Dr. Eades further states, "The insulin receptor, the structure on the surfaces of your cells that actually become resistant to insulin, requires chromium to function properly. Deficiency of chromium is rampant - it affects 90% of the American population - because a diet high in starch and sugar puts a heavy demand on the insulin system to handle the incoming carbohydrate load, and that demand depletes chromium."

Chromium is critical to blood sugar metabolism and, and as a diabetic you can be pretty sure that you are severely deficient in this nutrient. If you ever wondered where your "sweet tooth" and sugar cravings come from, now you know - chromium deficiency!

Calcium and Magnesium are also depleted by excess insulin, which can cause many problems, as they are critical to over 200 biochemical processes in your body.

Other very important nutrients that excess insulin causes deficiencies in are Zinc, Selenium, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Vanadium, B Complex vitamins, essential fatty acids, and many more.

Now that you know how and why people develop type 2 diabetes and know some of the consequences of not controlling your blood sugar level, here are your choices:

You can continue on with what you've been doing...

Or you can research the science and testimonials surrounding Glyconutrients.

Fortunately, your body has miraculous healing powers, is very resilient and operates in a very intelligent manner. If you give it the right fuel and the right nutrients, it will respond very quickly. Some exercise and the right attitude also help!

The first step is to switch your body from an out-of-control, nutrient-depleting and fat-storing machine into a clean, nutrient-rich, fat-burning machine!

To do this you must:

1) Restrict the carbohydrates in your diet, and
2) Take the right nutritional supplements.

These two actions are not optional or negotiable! Your body will only burn fat (and properly utilize nutrients) if its metabolism is balanced. Doing 1 and 2 above on a regular basis is the only way to address the root cause of your diabetic problem and balance your body's metabolism for the long-term.

Jason Carriere is an alternative health advocate and wellness crusader, specializing in glyconutrient education.

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