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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