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A good night’s sleep is one of the most important factors of keeping healthy and feeling great. Inadequate sleep may lead to many health problems. A recent study reveals that lack of sleep may be a cause of diabetes, report suntimes. According to the report

Researchers have identified a possible new risk factor for diabetes: not getting a good night’s sleep.

In a small study, University of Chicago researchers tested the theory on nine healthy young adults in a sleep lab.

For three nights, researchers prevented volunteers from getting the deepest and most restorative type of sleep.

Afterward, volunteers’ bodies did not use insulin as well as before: they needed more insulin to dispose of the same amount of a sugar solution.

This reduced insulin sensitivity was comparable to the effect of gaining 20 or 30 pounds.

Earlier studies found that not getting enough sleep can increase the risk of obesity and diabetes.

The U. of C. study is the first to suggest that not getting the right kind of sleep also could increase diabetes risk.

Obesity and aging are two big risk factors for diabetes. Obesity and aging also reduce sleep quality, further increasing the risk of diabetes

Most of the children find it quite fascinating to fulfill their tiny stomach with the trendy foods. There has been an alarming increase in the childhood obesity ratio over the last two decades. You need to know that a normal burger gives you 300 calories. Likewise, a regular pizza can pour in 600- 800 calories in your body.

According to reports, 20% of the Indian school going children are overweight. It is estimated that the 15% of the student population is at the risk of being overweight. This is a self inflicted epidemic and has to be dealt with equal vigilance. Various health consequences have come up like :

• §Type 2 Diabetes:It is proved that abdominal obesity is the root cause of Type 2 diabetes and is increasing at an alarming rate among the children in India.
• §Metabolic syndrome:Most of the Indian children have reported to have insulin resistance.
• §Poly-cystic Ovarian Syndrome:Most of the adolescent girls who are obese have been suffering from the PCOS, a hormonal imbalance that upsets the gynecologic balance in the body leading to acne, irregular menstrual cycles and insulin resistance.
• §Sub clinical inflammation:Obesity leads to vascular inflammation and has a high prevalence in India.

Socio Cultural issues that lead to child obesity:

1. 1.A general misconception is prevalent in India that the obese child is a healthy child and the so called “ baby fat” will vanish as the child grows. Since the child is constantly fed it becomes obese and remains the same throughout the life.
2. 2.Burdening the students with the studies and academic activities has left no room for physical activities. This is more prevalent among the girls who live a sedentary lifestyle when compared to the boys.
3. 3.Since most of the parents are working they find it extremely difficult to manage time and so order for “ junk foods.
4. 4.Most of the children are found to be spending more time in front of the computers and the television. So no time for play.

Various community intervention programs have been introduced to induce the students to follow a healthy lifestyle and creating awareness about the importance of physical activities among the children

Summer is the best time to get in shape and shed those extra pounds. According experts during this time of the year it’s easier to lose weight without going on a crazy diet. Ritika Samaddar, chief dietician, Max Healthcare, Delhi, explains that the weather is such that it automatically changes people’s eating habits.

“Drastic weight loss is easily possible in summers as compared to winters because one can exercise more in the season, does not overeat because of the slow body system and at the same time can consume more fluids that fill up the body. All these lead to a major weight loss,” Samaddar told IANS. The first basic step to lose weight is to break meals into various categories – early morning breakfast, breakfast, mid morning snack, lunch, evening snack and dinner.

Diet plan

Nidhi S. Yadav, head, clinical nutrition, Fortis Healthcare, explains how to go about it. ”One should start the day with a glass of lukewarm water and honey. For a tea drinker, it should be a cup of tea with Marie biscuits and two or three walnuts or almonds. This should be followed by a breakfast – one can have muesli, oats, cornflakes with egg white,” she said. ”After an interval of two hours, one can go for salads or fruits. Lunch should consist of two chapatis made of multi-grain flour, a bowl of dal and green vegetables. Evening snacks can comprise a cup of tea with idli or dhokla or roasted channa. ”Dinner should consist of vegetable soup, brown bread or chapatis and veggies. If one feels hungry before going to sleep, one can have a glass of milk,” she said.

Fruits
Having fruits is essential to keep calories at bay, but one should avoid banana, mango and grapes as they are high on calories. It is better to go for watermelons, melons and sweet lime. One should either have fruits 40 minutes before a meal or two hours after a meal.
Fruit juices are a big no for a weight loss regime.

Things to avoid

Other avoidable foods are usual things like full fat milk, fried greasy foods, sugar and sugar products, refined cereals like maida and maida products such as samosa, kachori and bhatura, suggests Swati Bhardwaj, head, nutrition and fatty acid research at the National Diabetes, Obesity and Cholesterol Foundation (N-DOC). Even red meats one should avoid, she added.

Things to incorporate
“Skimmed milk, whole grain cereals (porridge), whole pulses, green leafy vegetables, salads and lean meats – chicken or fish (grilled or steamed or roasted) should be included in the diet for a speedy weight loss,” she said.

Hot water is advised when a person is following a weight loss regime. The intake of hot water helps in smooth functioning of the digestive system, but it does not have a direct connection with weight loss, points out dieticians. Slow metabolism is also the cause of excess weight gain. To speed up the weight loss process one should take care of it. ”Hot water with honey and lemon maintains the metabolic cycle and removes toxins from the body which indirectly helps in weight loss. Three teaspoons of Isabgol with a glass of water before dinner not only helps in reducing weight but also reduces the blood sugar levels

Yes indeed indians are more prone to Diabetes than Europeans or africans. The reason perhaps lies in our genes.
The ‘thrifty genes hypothesis’ which has gained considerable popularity mentions that in ancient times human race lived through the alternating times of famine and abundance- specially in our subcontinent. During the times of abundance body would store energy to survive droughts & famines – these stores are by the way of fats.
But in the modern era – food supply is abundant while physical work and more over hardships of famine are completely gone.
Our body still keeps on storing energy ( fat deposits) without subsequent utilizations, this leads to rise in blood lipids ( fats), damage to pancreas due to excessive glucose and fats in blood, excessive insulin requirements- insulin resistance, damage to blood vessels, formation of atheroscler otic plaques and its complications like Heart attack, stroke etc.
Important thing to watch for is Intra Abdominal deposition of fat. This is more harmful than subcutaneous fat deposits. But it can be used as a measure to predict the possiblity of Diabetes and insulin resistance.

• in males the maximum abdominal girth should be less than 100 cms
• in Females less than 87.5 cms

It may be easier to understand pear or apple shaped body, apple shaped body with largest abdominal girth predisposes to higher intra abdominal fat and its complications.

Abdominal girth should be measured as the maximum circumfrence of the abdomen near the umblicus.

If you’ve ever had trouble losing weight, you’ve probably placed at least some of the blame on a slow metabolism. It’s true that your basal metabolic rate — the rate at which your body uses energy — can affect your ability to shed pounds. But there are also a few external, controllable factors that can slow down that metabolic rate, says Michael West, MD, an endocrinologist with Washington Endocrine Clinic in Washington, D.C.

Here are eight triggers that can slow metabolism, some (but not all) of which you can control, to make sure you aren’t sabotaging your weight-loss efforts.

1. Age. As you get older, your ability to quickly use up energy diminishes and your metabolism can slow. “As cells age, they do metabolize less rapidly,” Dr. West says. Older people also tend to have less muscle mass than younger people, which translates to a reduced metabolic rate. While you can’t make yourself younger to speed up your metabolism, West suggests being diligent about getting enough exercise — many people tend to get out of the habit as they age. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that adults 65 and older get two and a half hours of moderate-intensity aerobic activity every week and do strengthening exercises on all the body’s major muscle groups at least twice a week.

2. Stress. When your nerves are frazzled, your body releases cortisol, a hormone produced by the adrenal system that is linked to weight gain. “There are definitely established links between psychological stress and the adrenal system,” West says. To make sure that stress isn’t making it harder to take off pounds, try to calm yourself by reducing the controllable stressors in your life. For example, if heavy traffic makes you nervous, avoid the roadways during rush hour. Regular physical activity, deep breathing, and even professional help from a psychologist or counselor may also be helpful.

3. Poor sleep habits. Getting too little shut-eye can significantly alter your body’s processes enough to predispose you to gain weight. “There was a recent study where healthy volunteers were subjected to poor sleep,” West says. “Even over one night, the lack of sleep was significant enough to disrupt their metabolic patterns and give them more insulin resistance, which is a risk factor for diabetes.” Insulin resistance has also been associated with obesity. To increase the chances of boosting metabolism, adults should get seven to nine hours of sleep each night.

4. Lack of exercise. Exercise not only helps you expend more calories while you’re physically active, but there’s also some evidence that it may increase your resting metabolic rate. To make sure you get enough exercise for boosting metabolism, set aside a dedicated period of time, rather than trying to accomplish it during the course of your everyday activities. Adults ages 18 to 64 need about two and a half hours of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, as well as strengthening exercises for all muscle groups twice a week.

If digestive health problems like constipation, diarrhea, gas, or heartburn, put a damper on your day-to-day, you may have thought about a colon cleanse, but you don’t have to undergo the procedure to improve your health. Before you sign up, be sure to get the facts and decide whether the benefits really outweigh the risks.

Colon Cleansing: What’s Involved?

The theory behind colon cleansing goes something like this: Poisonous “toxins” get into the body from the foods that you eat, the water you drink, and the environment you live and work in. Some people believe that removing those toxins, as well as normal bacteria and stool via the colon, can help you feel better and improve your body function.

Colon cleansing is also called colonic irrigation or colonic hydrotherapy, and is sometimes referred to as a “high colonic.” As many as 20 gallons of fluids are pumped into the colon through a tube that’s inserted into the rectum. Probiotics, herbs, enzymes, and other additives can be used in the solution, and the whole procedure takes about an hour.

Colon cleansing is nothing new: The ancient civilizations are rumored to have used it, and 19th-century European spas made it a popular health remedy thousands of years later.

Colon Cleansing: A Question of Benefits

Many people may consider colon cleansing because they think that it reduces the risk of colon cancer. However, no studies have shown that colon cleansings have any benefit at all.

Francisco J. Marrero, MD, a gastroenterologist with the Digestive Disease Institute at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, says there are no large, randomized trials that show any benefits of colon cleansing and few studies on the effects of colon cleansing overall.

Dr. Marrero notes that colon cleansing isn’t the true, complete cleansing that many people may think it is because the procedure only flushes out the colon, not the small bowel. “The only way to clean out the small bowel is eating a healthy diet of fruits and veggies,” says Marrero.

But while he’s never recommended it to any of his patients, Marrero says there has been success with some individual cases, and he doesn’t discourage the procedure if it makes a patient feel better.

Colon Cleansing: Factor the Risks

Marrero says there can be complications when instilling a large volume of water into the colon, including worsening any existing hemorrhoids or creating a puncture wound in the rectum.

This excessive amount of fluids could potentially lead to:

• Vomiting and nausea
• Electrolyte (salt) imbalances
• Fluid in the lungs
• Heart problems, including abnormal heart rhythms and death
• Coma

Another big concern is that many colon cleansing practices aren’t regulated or monitored and not all practitioners are knowledgeable or well trained, which may increase risks. Unless all equipment is clean and sterile, colonic irrigation could bring infection into the body.

Unless your doctor tells you otherwise, do not undergo colon cleansing if you have:

• Crohn’s Disease
• Severe or internal hemorrhoids
• Diverticulitis
• Ulcerative colitis
• Colon or rectal tumors
• Heart disease
• Kidney disease

Colon Cleansing: A Healthier Alternative

Eating the right foods and following a healthy lifestyle can probably accomplish the same goal as colon cleansing.

“I think the reason [people] get it is for more of a detoxification,” says Marrero. “But if you don’t ‘toxify,’ you don’t need to detoxify.”

If you want to rid your body of dietary toxins and get a clean start, it might be a better bet to just change your dietary habits. Your body will naturally work out the bad foods, especially with the help of fruits and vegetables to clean out your small bowel. Just be sure that these foods are well washed so that you don’t introduce other types of toxins — chemicals such as pesticides and fertilizer residues — into your body. Focusing on eating healthy foods poses no risks and is proven to aid digestive and overall health.