Diabetes is a metabolic disorder in which the body does not properly process sugar. While diabetes often runs in families, its onset and course cannot be predicted or prevented. But, with medication, proper nutrition and exercise, diabetics live healthy lives.

Uncontrolled, however, it can cause heart and blood vessel disorders that may lead to blindness, gangrene, kidney disease, and even death.

There are two basic types of diabetes.

• Type I, the more severe, is caused by a deficiency of the hormone insulin.
• With Type II, or noninsulin-dependent diabetes, there may be enough insulin, but the body’s cells have trouble using it.

In either form, excess sugar builds up in the blood because insulin is unable to regulate it. The sugar then “spills” into the urine, where it is excreted from the body. Frequent urination or excessive thirst often signals high blood sugar levels.

Having diabetes means you need to eat foods from each food group. Include breads and cereals, milk products, vegetables, fruits, meat and fish, nuts and legumes, and fats and oils.

Minimize sugars and fats while maximizing starches and proteins. The old standard of avoiding carbohydrates no longer applies. In fact, a diet in which 50 to 60% of total calories is obtained through complex carbohydrates is recommended. Keep fat to 30% of calories.

Control your caloric intake; being overweight makes diabetes worse. Weight management, especially in Type II diabetes, is crucial. Losing even a small amount of weight can improve or even normalize blood sugar levels in older diabetics.

Type I diabetics must eat meals on a regular schedule in order to balance their injections of insulin. All diabetics need to space their meals throughout the day so as to minimize extreme highs and lows of blood sugar levels.

If you haven’t been physically active, start slowly and build the intensity. Consult your doctor before starting your exercise program. Be aware that strenuous exercise can throw you out of balance by lowering blood glucose too much; this could lead to hypoglycemia.

Moderate exercise helps lower blood sugar by “burning” it off, making tissues more responsive to insulin and reducing weight. It also reduces fat and cholesterol in the bloodstream and lowers blood pressure. This is important because diabetics are at high risk for heart and vascular diseases.

Babies born to diabetics have a greater risk of birth defects than others. To minimize the risk:

• Get your body in the best possible condition three to six months before you conceive. If you must lose weight, do it under supervision of your doctor.
• Choose a doctor trained to care for diabetic mothers and their babies.
• Closely monitor your blood glucose before and during your pregnancy.
• Breastfeeding is good for both you and the baby, but it will set up new conditions for controlling blood sugar.

Coffee is one of the popular beverages in the world. Nobody knows where coffee began its journey and probably, it all began in Ethiopia. Strangely enough, the greatest coffee drinking countries are those which do not produce them. The only exception is Brazil which is the leading producer of coffee and the second largest consumer in the world. Colombia is the second largest producer of coffee. The leading consumer is the USA which is believed to consume 25% of the coffee produced in the world. 54% of the Americans over the age of 18 are coffee drinkers. America spends nearly $40 billion in coffee consumption. Coffee is the second commonly traded commodity after oil. Around 53 countries grow coffee and most of them lie along the equator.

Each year around 7 million tons of green beans are produced worldwide. Arabica and Robusta are the most popular varieties. Coffee contains hundreds of chemicals and for decades, scientists have been trying to portray it as a villain. In spite of spending millions of dollars, nobody has succeeded in producing concrete evidence that coffee is bad for health. Instead, good news about the beneficial effects of coffee is pouring in.

Coffee supplies antioxidants

It has been shown that drinking three to four cups of coffee a day can reduce the risk for heart disease by 45%. However, when the consumption is over six cups, the beneficial effects decrease. Chlorogenic acid present in coffee is an antioxidant. In addition, caffeine also has been shown to be an antioxidant. HDL whose levels are elevated by coffee consumption is also an antioxidant. The antioxidants protect by preventing the initiation of inflammatory reactions. The antioxidants prevent the accumulation of dangerous free radicals which are believed to be responsible for the onset of several diseases like diabetes.

Coffee decreases diabetes risk
Diabetes is a metabolic disorder characterized by abnormal body metabolism. Just about every part of the body is affected. Coffee contains significant quantities of magnesium. Magnesium helps to prevent the onset of diabetes because it promotes the actions of insulin. For example, one of the actions of insulin is to promote the utilization of glucose within the cells. The first step in the glucose utilization is catalyzed by an enzyme called hexokinase and this enzyme shows an obligatory requirement for magnesium.

The protein called sex hormone-binding globulin is concerned with the binding of sex hormones and has been implicated in the onset of diabetes. The level of this protein in the circulation falls during diabetes. High circulating levels of this protein is believed to protect against the onset of type 2 diabetes. Drinking four cups of coffee a day has been shown to increase the blood levels of sex hormone-binding globulin. Therefore coffee can reduce the risk for diabetes. Coffee also protects the heart because diabetes increases the risk for coronary heart disease.

If you are diabetic, you need to be particularly careful when you buying shoes to avoid foot injuries. However this is not implying that you can only wear ugly, clunky or large shoes. In the event that you are not really experiencing lack of feeling in your feet, you can just ensure that you are wearing well-designed and the right fitting shoes. The following will highlight some of the things to consider when you are shopping for diabetic shoes.

Here are some of the things to consider:

The shoes should have 3/8-1/2 inch space at the ending of your longest toe and the shoe. This space must be enough so that your finger can fit inside the back of your shoes and you should also have sufficient wiggle room for your toes

Look for shoes with leather upper material and comfortable, cushioned soles and insoles.

Shoes must be comfortable from the moment you put them on, instead of expecting that it will stretch to fit or that your foot can easily break into it afterward.

You should try to avoid the pointed-toe shoes styles.

Shoes must be firm at the back to support your heels without being too tight.

If you are unable to resist high heel shoes, you should ensure that you are only wearing them for a limited time. The poor fitting shoes can easily lead to many foot problems such as sores, bunions, calluses, hammertoes, blisters and wounds, which you might not feel if you have lost all the sensation in your feet. The best protective footwear will have deep boxes for your toes to prevent rubbing and cramping; a soft lining and a lack of seams at vital spots in the shoe.

In case your podiatrist suggests special footwear, you should follow this guidance at all time to prevent foot problems. A recent research was carried with individuals who have foot problems and were at higher risk for amputation, which indicates that those who wore the protective footwear had fewer amputations as a group.

Many people actually wear the wrong size shoes without realizing it. Generally, this will happen if you are unaware that your size has evolved or if you cannot feel your feet and will not know whether the shoe is tight or not. When you are shopping at certain shoes store, you can get help from trained professionals who are knowledgeable about shoes style, function and fit as well as orthotics products like heel inserts or pads. Ultimately, you can get the help to find footwear that will enhance the function and health of your ankle or foot.