January 27th, 2012
The excess weight that some people with PCOS carry around their middles could be making them fatter than ever, researchers have discovered.
A Canadian team found abdominal fat tissue produces a hormone called NPY, which also prompts the development of cells that turn into fat. High levels of NPY in the brain produce constant feelings of hunger.
Abdominal fat is known to be the most dangerous form of excess weight because it increases the risk of Pre- and Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.
The researchers, from Lawson Health Research Institute linked to the University of Western Ontario, carried out tests on rats which showed that abdominal fat, as well as the brain, produces NPY – also called Neuropeptide Y. It is thought that excessive production of NPY in the brain is one of the main reasons why overweight people eat more food than they should.
But the scientists found NPY in abdominal tissues increases fat cell numbers by stimulating the replication of fat cell precursor cells, which then change into fat cells.
Lead researcher Dr Kaiping Yang said: “This may lead to a vicious cycle where NPY produced in the brain causes you to eat more and therefore gain more fat around your middle – and then that fat produces more NPY hormone which leads to even more fat cells.”
The team will now look at whether NPY produced in the abdomen is released into the body’s circulatory system and therefore affects hunger messages in the brain.
January 26th, 2012
A cup of enriched cocoa may help improve the working of blood vessels in people with Pre- and Type 2 Diabetes, new research suggests.
Doctors prescribed three mugs of specially formulated cocoa a day for a month to a group of Diabetics and found “severely impaired” arteries regained normal function. The German study, featured in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, suggests chemicals called “flavanols” may be responsible.
People with Pre- and Type 2 Diabetes are at greater risk of cardiovascular problems such as heart disease and strokes, partly due to the effects of high blood sugar on the linings of blood vessels, which stops them being able to expand as much when needed by the body. This can result in higher blood pressure, which can then cause cardiovascular disease.
Cocoa naturally contains flavanols – antioxidant chemicals which also exist in some fruit and vegetables, green tea and red wine.The type of cocoa used in the study cannot presently be found in the shops and is a version enriched with far higher concentrations of the chemicals. Other studies are looking at whether flavanol-enriched chocolate could benefit patients.
Ten Diabetic patients were asked to drink the cocoa three times daily for 30 days, and a special test was used to measure the function of their blood vessels.
The ability of the vessels to expand in response to a demand for extra blood from the body appeared to increase almost immediately.
On average, a healthy person’s arteries could expand by just over 5%, while the average of the 10 Diabetic patients was just 3.3% prior to drinking their first mug of cocoa. Two hours after drinking the cocoa, however, their response averaged 4.8%. Over the 30 days, this improved, to 4.1% even before cocoa, and 5.7% two hours after a mugful.
Excess weight and obesity often uderlie Diabetes. Regular exercise combined with a balanced nutritious diet can help reverse an underlying cause of excess weight and obesity, namely the imbalance of blood glucose and insulin called Insulin Resistance. By reversing this latter condition, you can facilitate PCOS weight loss.
January 25th, 2012
Motivation is second to none when it comes to being determined to adopt a healthy lifestyle by losing PCOS weight. But remembering a few golden rules can provide extra help when the going gets rough.
Keep things simple, like “getting rid of the white stuff,” i.e. remove flour and sugar from your Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome diet.
Eat something healthy but filling on the way home from work. Many people swear that an apple helps them avoid gorging themselves when they arrive home.
Schedule your snacks so you have an alternative handy to the fattening items on offer in the vending machine where you work. Make a space in your desk drawer for a box of raisins, a handful of almonds or an energy bar.
Find a “trainer” in the shape of a family member or a friend. Youngsters or your spouse can motivate you by running, swimming and biking with you. So can a friend, who might need your companionship to motivate him or her, too, with the end result that you both get fit.
Be ready for disappointment. It will happen from time to time, like sometimes not losing weight as regularly as you would like. But being prepared in advance will help you bounce back right away and then succeed.
Regular exercise combined with a balanced nutritious PCOS diet can help reverse an underlying cause of excess weight and obesity, namely the imbalance of blood glucose and insulin called Insulin Resistance. By reversing this latter condition, you can facilitate weight loss.
January 24th, 2012
A study claims to have cracked the mystery of why eating garlic can help keep the heart healthy and improve your Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome health.
The key ingredient is allicin, which is broken down into the foul-smelling sulfur compounds which, unfortunately, taint breath. These compounds react with red blood cells and produce hydrogen sulphide which relaxes the blood vessels and keeps blood flowing easily.
Hydrogen sulphide generates a smell of rotten eggs and is used to make stink bombs. But in low concentrations it plays a vital role in helping cells to communicate with each other.
And within the blood vessels it stimulates the cells that form the lining to relax, causing the vessels to dilate. This, in turn, reduces blood pressure, allowing the blood to carry more oxygen to essential organs and reducing pressure on the heart.
A research team from Birmingham’s University of Alabama bathed rat blood vessels in a bath containing juice from crushed garlic. They soon saw striking results, with tension within the vessels reduced by 72%.
The researchers also found that red blood cells exposed to minute amounts of juice extracted from supermarket garlic immediately began emitting hydrogen sulphide.
Lead researcher Dr David Kraus said: “Our results suggest garlic in the diet is a very good thing. Certainly in areas where garlic consumption is high, such as the Mediterranean and the Far East, there is a low incidence of cardiovascular disease.”
A balanced, nutritious PCOS diet, which includes a modicum of garlic, combined with a regular exercise regime can help reverse an underlying cause of excess weight and obesity, namely the imbalance of blood glucose and insulin called Insulin Resistance. By reversing this latter condition, you can facilitate weight loss.
