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 18th, 2012
Last week, we focused on how the push-up is still the ultimate and simplest barometer of fitness and strength training. This is because it tests the whole body by engaging muscle groups in the arms, chest, abdomen, hips and legs.
One advantage for older people of being being able to perform a modest number of push-ups is that they provide the strength and muscle memory for a person to prevent injury during a fall because push-up action is similar to the natural defensive response to falling.
But push-ups have benefits for all ages and both sexes. Natural aging causes nerves to die off and muscles to weaken. But regular exercise enlarges muscle fibers and can stave off the decline by increasing the strength of the muscle you have left.
Women are at a particular disadvantage because they start off with about 20% less muscle than men. Based on national averages, a 40-year-old woman should be able to do 16 push-ups and a man of the same age be capable of 27. By the age of 60, the figures drop to 6 and 17 respectively.
Tip for push-up starters: if the floor-based push-up in too difficult at first, begin by leaning against a counter-top at a 45-degree angle and pressing up and down. Once you handle this activity comfortably, try the move on some stairs. Before you know it, you’ll be able to do the same push-up on the floor, though don’t overdo it, even if push-ups eventually become second nature.
A regular exercise regime, which includes push-ups, 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 Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome weight loss.
January 17th, 2012
Drinking black tea may help prevent the onset of Diabetes, according to a study.
Researchers at Dundee University in Scotland say black tea could have the potential to combat Type 2 Diabetes – the most common form of the disease – because certain constituents of the drink may act as an insulin substitute and prevent an imbalance between insulin and blood glucose.
Several black tea constituents, known as theaflavins and thearubigins, were found to duplicate insulin action on proteins known as foxos, which underlie associations between diet and health in mice.
“The task now is to see whether we can translate these findings into something useful for human health,” said team leader Dr. Graham Rena.
“People shouldn’t be rushing to drink masses of black tea thinking it will cure them of Diabetes. We are still some way from this leading to new treatments or dietary advice.”
“However, there is definitely something interesting in the way these naturally occurring components of black tea may have a beneficial effect, both in terms of Diabetes and our wider health,” added Dr. Rena.
A regular exercise regime and a balanced nutritious PCOS diet that includes tea for refreshment instead of sugary soft drinks 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 Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome weight loss.
