SOMETHING NEW Recipe of the Month
SOMETHING NEW Recipe of the Month
Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States ! One in three Americans is obese . Obesity is also increasing rapidly throughout the world , and the incidence of obesity has nearly doubled form 1991 to 1998 . Obesity is not just a cosmetic consideration ; it is a dire health dilemma directly harmful to one ’ s health . In theUnited States , roughly 300,000 deaths per year are directly related to obesity , and more than 80 % of these deaths are in patients with a BMI ( body mass index ) over 30 . Obesity also increases the risk of developing a number of chronic diseases including :
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Insulin Resistance . Insulin is necessary for the transport of blood glucose ( sugar ) into the cells of muscle and fat ( which is then used for energy ). By transporting glucose into cells , insulin keeps the blood glucose levels in the normal range . Insulin resistance ( IR ) is the condition whereby the effectiveness of insulin in transporting glucose ( sugar ) into cells is diminished . Fat cells are more insulin resistant than muscle cells ; therefore , one important cause of IR is obesity . The pancreas initially responds to IR by producing more insulin . As long as the pancreas can produce enough insulin to overcome this resistance , blood glucose levels remain normal . This IR state ( characterized by normal blood glucose levels and high insulin levels ) can last years . Once the pancreas can no longer keep up with producing high levels of insulin , blood glucose levels begin to rise , resulting in type 2 diabetes , thus IR is a pre-diabetes condition . In fact scientists now believe that the atherosclerosis ( hardening of the arteries ) associated with diabetes likely develops during this IR period .
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