January 31st, 2012
People with PCOS depression have a higher risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes than non-depressed individuals, according to a new study.
The findings, in the Journal of the American Medical Association, indicated that the relationship between Type 2 Diabetes, which is closely linked to obesity and a sedentary lifestyle, may be somewhat like a two-way highway. Not only can Diabetes lead to depression, but the latter can also lead to Diabetes.
U.S. researchers led by Dr. Sherita Hill Golden of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore tracked an ethnically diverse group of about 5,000 men and women between ages 45-84 for three years.
They found that people with symptoms of depression were 42% more likely to develop Diabetes by the end of the study than those without such symptoms. They also found that the more serious the symptoms, the higher the risk of Diabetes.
The researchers statistically accounted for factors including obesity, smoking and lack of physical activity, finding that the risk for Diabetes was still 34% higher in patients with depression.
“When we looked at the people in our study who had elevated symptoms of depression, they were more likely to eat more calories, they exercised less and they were more likely to be current smokers. And as a consequence, they were also more obese,” said Dr. Golden, who added that depression also pushes up the levels of stress hormones such as cortisol.
This latter hormone can impair insulin sensitivity and encourage belly fat – risk factors, in their own right, for the onset of Diabetes.
The study also measured the risk for developing depression among people who already had Type 2 Diabetes. Researchers discovered that people who had been treated for this condition were 54% more likely to develop depression symptoms than non-Diabetics.
Regular exercise combined with a balanced, nutritious PCOS diet can help reverse an underlying cause of depression-linked excess weight and obesity, namely the imbalance of blood glucose and insulin called Insulin Resistance, which decreases insulin sensitivity. By reversing Insulin Resistance, it is possible to facilitate PCOS weight loss and improve mood.
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 23rd, 2012
As if the health benefits that sleep brings were not enough motivation to get plenty of “shut-eye”, a good seven or eight hours every night could also help you avoid Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome weight gain.
Researchers found that people who slept for less than six hours a night – or more than nine – put on more weight than those who slept for seven or eight hours each night.
The study, published, appropriately enough, in the journal Sleep, found those who did not get enough sleep gained almost 4.4lbs compared to those who slept for the recommended number of hours over a period of six years.
Those who had too much sleep gained 3.5lbs more than those who slept for the recommended number of hours. Short-sleepers were 27% more likely to become obese and long sleepers were 21% more likely to take the same path than those who had an average night’s sleep.
The reason that the amount of sleep a person gets can govern their weight is because sleep affects hormone levels, especially those involved in appetite and feeling full after a meal.
Research leader Jean-Philippe Chaput, of Laval University in Quebec, Canada, said: “Our study provides evidence that both short and long-sleeping times predict an increased risk of future body weight and fat gain in adults.”
Sleep experts say the chances of getting a good night’s rest increase if you go to bed and get up at the same time every day, even at weekends, and set a relaxing routine before getting into bed such as having a bath or reading.
Watching television in bed is not recommended and it is best to avoid stimulants such as alcohol, caffeine, chocolate and exercise in the evening. If you have trouble getting to sleep, it is best to get up and do something relaxing like reading until you feel ready for sleep.
A regular exercise regime combined with a balanced, nutritious PCOS diet can improve sleep patterns and 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 20th, 2012
People who have a cat can reduce the risk of heart attacks and stroke by more than a third, researchers have found.
Owning a cat as a pet helps to relieve stress and anxiety, which is known to help protect against heart disease by lowering blood pressure and reducing the heart rate.
Researchers at Minnesota University looked at 4,435 adults aged between 30 and 75, about half of whom owned a cat. The findings, presented at a stroke conference, showed that 3.4% of the cat owners died from a heart attack over 10 years. But among the group who had never owned a cat, the rate was nearly double.
Cat owners still had a much reduced chance of developing a stroke or heart attacks when researchers took account of other factors known to trigger heart disease, including excess weight and obesity, high cholesterol levels, smoking and Diabetes.
Study leader Professor Adnan Qureshi said he was surprised by the strength of the effect that owning a cat appeared to have.
“The logical explanation may be that cat ownership relieves stress and anxiety and subsequently reduces the risk of heart diseases,” he said.
Professor Qureshi believes one reason could be that stroking the pet may cut the level of stress-related hormones in the blood. But he added that the type of person who owned a cat was usually already fairly stress-free and at low risk of heart disease.
A balanced, nutritious PCOS diet combined with regular exercise can help reverse an underlying cause of heart disease, namely the excess weight and obesity-linked imbalance of blood glucose and insulin called Insulin Resistance. By reversing this latter condition, you can facilitate Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome weight loss.
