Professional Diet

Posted on Monday, 15th February 2010 by admin

A vegan diet consists of no animal products. There are some essential nutrients found only in animal products, and the lack of those nutrients can cause a variety of health problems. The dangers of a vegan diet also include malnutrition and vitamin deficiency.

There are several potential dangers of a vegan diet, though it is generally a healthy choice. A vegan diet excludes all animal products, including meat, eggs, dairy, honey, and gelatin. There are essential nutrients required by the human body which are mostly (or solely) available from animal products. While some vegans use supplements to make up for what they are lacking in their diet, others are simply not aware of the possible pitfalls of their choices.

Myths

Many believe that a vegan diet is dangerous because it is low in calcium and protein, but this is a fallacy. While it is true that a vegan diet excludes the traditional meat and dairy sources of protein and calcium, plant foods do contain sufficient levels of these nutrients. A vegan needs to be more aware of eating a balanced diet that includes green leafy vegetables, legumes, soy, and whole grains. These foods are high in protein and calcium. Various plants contain different amino acid complexes, and a varied diet will ensure that any holes in the protein intake are filled.

Malnutrition

The main danger of a vegan diet is malnutrition, which is an insufficiency or imbalance in nutrient intake. A vegan diet entirely lacks vitamin B12, a nutrient found in meat products. Vegans can supplement this missing vitamin or drink fortified soy milk. Vitamin D deficiency is another common problem with a vegan diet. Vitamin D is necessary for the body to process calcium, and comes from cow milk and from exposure to sunshine. Vitamin D, like B12, can be found in fortified soy milk or supplemented in pill form.

Iron and Omega-3

Iron deficiency and omega-3 deficiency can also occur with an unmonitored vegan diet. Iron is found in green leafy vegetables and beans, so a high intake of these plant foods will ensure sufficient iron intake. Omega-3 is an essential fatty acid found in cold water ocean fish such as salmon. Omega-3 prevents heart disease, memory loss, and vascular problems. Vegans can supplement a lack of omega-3 by consuming flax or hemp seeds which have shorter chain fatty acids. The body can convert them into longer chains upon consumption.

Salt

One of the final dangers of a vegan diet is an increased risk of stroke from high salt intake. Many meat substitute products marketed to vegans contain high levels of soy and sodium, which increases blood pressure and leads to possible strokes. It may seem counterintuitive that a low fat and cholesterol free vegan diet could lead to such a vascular issue, but it is possible if the vegan diet consists of the same amount of processed junk food as a traditional omnivore’s diet.

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Posted on Monday, 15th February 2010 by admin

Pramlintide is sold in the U.S. as Symlin.  It’s only used in patients already taking meal-time rapid-acting insulin.  Pramlintide may have a role in treatment of overweight type 2 diabetics inadequately controlled on insulin, or who experience weight gain refractory to diet and exercise.

Remember that drug names vary by country and manufacturer.  This is a brief review; consult your physician or pharmacist for details.

Class:  amylin analogue

How does it work?

Amylin is a hormone stored in pancreas beta cells and is secreted along with insulin.  It affects glucose levels by several mechanisms, including slowed stomach emptying, regulation of glucagon secretion after meals, and by reducing food intake.  Amylin and insulin levels rise and fall together,working jointly to control blood sugar levels.   Amylin is relatively deficient in many cases of type 2 diabetes.

Pramlintide is a chemical similar in structure to amylin, and causes similar effects.  It allows insulin therapy to more easily match the body’s needs in the after-meal period.  It also promotes modest weight loss in obese patients. 

Pramlintide therapy reduces hemoglobin A1c by 0.5 to 1% (absolute decrease, not relative).

We have no data on long-term outcomes with this drug.

Uses

Pramlintide is FDA-approved for use in both type 1 diabetes and insulin-requiring type 2 diabetes.  It can be used with metformin and/or sulfonylureas as long as insulin is also part of the regimen.  It’s probably best not to use it with exenatide and other GLP-1-based therapies.

Dosing

It’s injected subcutaneously just before meals, starting with 60 mcg in type 2 diabetics.  To avoid hypoglycemia at the start of treatment, the pre-meal rapid-acting injected insulin dose is usually reduced by half.  Pramlintide should only be administered before meals that contain at least 30 grams of carbohydrate or 250 calories.  The maximum dose is 120 mcg with each meal. 

Side effects

Nausea is the most common side effect but clears up in a few weeks.  Pramlintide by itself does not cause hypoglycemia, but since it is always used with injectable insulin, hypoglycemia may occur—usually within three hours.

Don’t use if you have . . .

. . . gastroparesis or hypoglycemia unawareness.

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Posted on Sunday, 14th February 2010 by admin

Chances are you have probably heard someone refer to BMI, or Body Mass Index as an indicator of your health and fitness. If you don’t know what that means or you want to find out why this may not be the good indicator it was once thought to be, check this out.

Body Mass Index, otherwise known as BMI, is a calculation of your body fat based on your height and weight. Research has begun to indicate that this may no longer be the accurate assessment of your health it was intended to be before, as these calculations have no way to measure the amount of body fat, and because muscle weighs more than fat, you risk showing up with a higher body mass index than necessary.

This online tool is a great BMI calucator. If you do not want to use a BMI calculator, you may use this formula to manually calculate your BMI. Divide your weight in pounds by your height in inches, squared. Then, multiply your result by 703. Remember though it is the same for both adult men and women. An example of a manual calculation is: if you weigh 120 pounds and are 5’4, you would first convert your height to inches, which would be 64. Now, 64^2 is 4096. Divide 120 by 4096 to get .029296875, multiplied by 703 equals: 20.595 which could then be rounded up 21.

So, what does that number mean? Any BMI under 18.5 classifies you as underweight. If you have a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 means that you are in a normal weight range. If you have a BMI between 25 and 29.9, you are in the overweight range, and anything that is greater than 30 is an indication that you are obese.

All you need to tell you about the accuracy of the Body Mass Index is a mirror, or a measuring tape. If you can see that you have more fat than you probably should, you can guess that the BMI is accurate for you, or if measuring your waist see that it is over 35 inches as a woman or 40 as man, it is accurate for you too. If you know that you are fit and in good shape, you can blame the BMI on the fact that muscle is heavier and makes you appear “fatter” in terms of numbers on the scale.

If you are truly interested in finding out more about your body fat composition, you may want to check out a body fat scale like this one.

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Posted on Saturday, 13th February 2010 by admin

Can weight loss supplements be used to boost your metabolism?

Your metabolism plays a very important role in eating and weight loss. The thyroid gland is your body’s metabolism meter. Although there are many weight loss supplements and metabolism boosters on the market, the only safe way to speed up your metabolism is through exercise.

Unsafe metabolism boosters and weight loss pills

There are several diet supplements and weight loss products sold in health food shops, through the post, and on the Internet that claim to speed up metabolism. Some of these are just plain useless, others are downright dangerous. The trouble with these preparations is that it’s not always clear who is responsible for regulating them. Some fall under the Medicines Control Agency, others the Food Standards Agency, depending on their contents, the claims they make on the outside of the bottle and even their advertising.

For example, weight loss supplements or products that imply or state that a cure is possible are investigated by the MCA. However, provided a product does not make a claim to cure or prevent a disease, such as obesity, the manufacturers of these products can advertise and sell them to gullible customers. From time to time, enough cases of harm come to the attention of authorities for a product to be taken off the market – but weight loss pills and supplements soon take its place.

In the United States, some over-the-counter weight loss supplements even contain thyroid extract from animals or other substances that act like thyroid hormone, which speed up the metabolism. Reported side effects of these products are nervousness and tremor, diarrhea, bulging eyes, racing heartbeat, excessive sweating, and heat intolerance.

Do not swallow anything – not the claim, not the product – that says it will speed up your metabolism. You are wasting your money or worse jeopardizing your health or both!

A Safe Alternative To Weight Loss Supplements And Potions

The only safe and effective way to increase your metabolic rate is with exercise. The harder you work, the faster your metabolic rate. This is nature’s way of responding to increased energy demand. A vigorous exercise session will raise your BMR for many hours. There are so many health and weight-loss benefits to this approach that it’s hard to understand why anyone would try anything else.

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