There is nothing quite like the aroma of fresh brewed coffee in the morning. Now there is yet another reason to head to the local coffee shop. Research has shown that drinking coffee can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and may help control the course of type 2 diabetes once a person has been diagnosed with it.
A new crop of studies have revealed strong evidence concerning the link between high habitual coffee drinking, even decaf coffee, and type 2 diabetes. Dr. Frank Hu, a nutrition and epidemiology professor at the Harvard School of Public Health, found that study participants who drank six or seven cups of coffee daily were 35 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Those who drank four to six cups per day experienced a 28 percent decrease in risk.
Much of the research has made it clear that it is not the caffeine contributing to the reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, as decaf coffee has the same effects. Coffee is packed with antioxidants, especially when freshly brewed, which fight molecules called oxygen-free radicals preventing them from damaging tissue. One of the important classes of antioxidants are lignans. Several types of these phytoestrogens are present in coffee and can have a positive impact on glucose metabolism. In addition, the popular drink contains minerals such as magnesium and chromium, which aid the body is using insulin. Coffee has been shown to actually stop the liver from producing excess glucose. This helps to controls blood sugar. The body can no longer use insulin properly or regulate blood sugar effectively in those with type 2 diabetes and coffee appears to have the opposite effect.
Another crucial component of coffee is chlorogenic acid. Chlorogenic acid intake has been found to be substantially higher in coffee drinkers as compared to those who abstain from coffee. Chlorgenic acid has several proposed positive effects on glucose metabolism. It may delay the absorption of glucose in the intestine and stimulate the secretion of the hormone glucagon, which can have a positive effect on the responsiveness of beta-cells to glucose. These properties lead to a decrease in the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes.
Individuals who are already living with type 2 diabetes can benefit from drinking coffee as well. However, caffeine has been shown to raise blood sugar levels in diabetics. Drinking decaffeinated coffee is another story. Research indicates that type 2 diabetics who regularly consume one or two cups of decaf coffee per day have a 20 to 60 percent reduction in the risk of complications related to the disease. The antioxidants in coffee help to protect the beta cells associated with diabetes from being further damaged. They also reduce the risk of insulin resistance. The chlorogenic acid aids the body in processing sugar and helps the cells of those with diabetes respond better to insulin. Decaf coffee can help those suffering with type 2 diabetes in keeping their glucose under control.
A good portion of people with type 2 diabetes also have hypertension or high blood pressure. One of the main reasons for this is all of the salt that we add to our food and already having too much salt added to frozen foods, dressings, condiments and soups.
The American Heart Association says that a healthy person should eat less than a teaspoon of salt per day which is 2,400 mg and the average American is consuming over 3,400 mg per/day.
It is not as hard as one might think to train yourself into becoming less salt dependent. Start by getting rid of your salt shaker and don’t add salt to your foods. It will take about 2 months for your taste buds to adapt to a less salty flavor. Restaurants and food manufacturers are being advised to lower their foods salt content by fifty percent over the next ten years. So you might as well adapt now and you will be a healthier person for it!
Weight training is an effective way to lower your glucose levels in your body. Some people don’t lift weights because they think they don’t have the right equipment. Fortunately you can train with little or no equipment, using your body weight and floor exercises. Of course, if you can, join a gym or invest in some home equipment. This equipment need not be expensive. Many bargains can be had on Amazon or EBay for such equipment.
As with any fitness regimen, it is important that you consult with your physician before beginning. Losing weight is a great way to lower your glucose levels. To have the greatest effect in lowering your glucose, you should exercise regularly, not just once in while. Make exercise a regular part of your routine. Ideally, you should try to do cardio exercises about 4 times per week and weight training about 3 times per week. For the strength training, be sure to take a day of rest between lifting sessions to give your muscles a chance to recover and rebuild.
When you eat, your body transforms the glucose found in the food into energy usable by the body, called glycogen. Glycogen is the main source of energy that is stored in your muscle cells. Glycogen is often called blood sugar. Glycogen is utilized by your body for high intensity exercise and most major body functions. When you weight train, your muscles are predisposed to utilize excess blood sugar. After your body has used all available glycogen, you next use the glucose that is found in your bloodstream. Regular exercise also assists you in using the insulin your body produces to transform your food into energy instead of fat. This helps lower your glucose levels.
Weight training has been proven to alleviate some of the symptoms of diabetes, type 2. An added benefit of weight training is that you will experience increased lean muscle mass. This is important for it increases your base metabolic rate. This increased rate allows you to burn calories more efficiently and at a faster rate. Also, the efficiency of your muscles in their ability to store glucose improves with increased strength. Another benefit is that your muscle to fat body ratio increases. This reduces the level of insulin needed to store energy in your fat cells.
You can see that there are many benefits to weight training. You will be stronger, feel better and be less prone to injury. You will also decrease your glucose levels and help ward off the onset of diabetes.
Cardiovascular exercise is probably the most important factor in determining the direction of a diabetic person’s health because it decreases insulin resistance and burns up extra glucose in the body. To get the most benefits from an aerobic exercise a person must find a routine that they will not loose interest in so that it will be easier for them to get their body moving.
The treadmill has been around for a long time and most people dread the thought of having to use one. The relative new comer to the cardiovascular machine block is the elliptical trainer. With an elliptical machine the user can forgo a lot of pain and discomfort that is required of the treadmill because there is much less impact on the lower body. The movement of an elliptical is a mix between riding a stationary bicycle and running on a treadmill.
Studies suggest that people get that same amount of calories burned with both treadmills and elliptical machines. It is much easier to increase the intensity of ones workout with the elliptical trainer because there are more muscle groups trained simultaneously and you can set resistance levels and incline height easily from the keypad.
I judge a cardio workout by how sweaty and wet my t-shirt is after a workout session. If this is the test to what works the elliptical machine is leagues ahead of the treadmill because I can get much sweatier with a less intense session.
Get yourself an MP3 player with earphones and download some songs that will motivate you to jump on that elliptical trainer and push yourself hard. You will not see your weight automatically just drop but the health benefits that you do not see are endless. You will get back what you put in to your workout.
Remember you must check with your doctor before any exercise program is attempted.
Well known is the fact that an exercise/workout regime is usually helpful in many ways for persons afflicted by some diseases and physical impediments. What may not be well known is how such efforts are helpful, particularly in the case of one with Diabetes type 2.
Obviously, working out can assist the impeded with weight loss and an increase in metabolism. But for those with blood sugar and insulin issues, exercise can really be helpful as it lowers your blood sugar acts as an enzyme for cells that will become more proficient by accepting insulin.
If you realize how important exercise can be for one with type 2 diabetes and want to begin working out, you can easily find an activity that you can be comfortable with. And if you think that you cannot work out for a lack of motivation, then you can use any reasonable thing to keep you motivated. When the complements start piling in from your friends and family, believe me it will be a great motivator.
Place images around your work or living area that have your face on top of the body that you would like to have. Schedule your workout in your planner and listen to Nike when they tell you to “Just do it!”
Riding a bicycle has been a great exercise to keep people healthy for a long time. Biking is an easy activity on someone who is newly diagnosed with type II diabetes and is just starting an exercise regimen. It not only tones the muscles and sheds fat but it lowers blood sugar levels while increasing serotonin in the brain. A 30-60 minute ride 3 times a week will use up glucose in the muscles and keep the body from having insulin resistance. So get out on that bicycle.
So you have visited the doctor to find out that you are diabetic or prediabetic and now the Doc insists that you start being physically active. You first need to ask the doctor what level of activity that you can perform and if you are told that you can start using a treadmill, join a local gym unless you would like to purchase the equipment for home use.
Beginner Treadmill Workout:
- Start at a brisk walk from 3.0 mph – 3.5 mph depending on your comfort level (you can control the speed on the treadmill)
- Keep this walk going for about 15-20 min
- Wear headphones and listen to music that motivates you and keeps your mind off of how much you don’t like the treadmill
- After a few weeks of getting used to the treadmill it is time to increase the duration of the workouts and the speed at which you perform them until you are comfortable enough to run. For now the walking is literally the first step to the path of healthiness.
People in the United States are falling victim to type 2 diabetes at an alarming rate. Over 24 million people have diabetes and over 60 million of us are pre diabetic. Having the proper lifestyle choices and an exercise program we can prevent this disease and in some cases reverse the problem.
With type 2 diabetes the body either does not produce enough insulin or your cells ignore the insulin. Your body breaks down food into glucose and when the glucose builds up in the blood instead of being used by your cells it can lead to diabetes complications. If you become active and eat right your muscles will build and your cells will use the glucose for energy lowering your blood sugar levels.
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Even for the person who has been going to the gym everyday for the last 10 years it is tough to put down the remote and get off of the couch to go put your body through strenuous activity.
In order to make this process easier for yourself you need to trick your mind into wanting to go and workout because you know that it will help you in the long run and your life will be much more enjoyable because you did.
It’s good to set goals with whatever exercise that you are performing in order to make you push yourself.
