There are Four Types of Diabetes.

The first is called type 1 diabetes which affects some 5 – 10% of the total diabetic population. This condition used to be referred to as either insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) or juvenile-onset diabetes. Its cause is unknown, but it’s an autoimmune disease in which a person’s body attacks the cells that produce insulin in the organ called the pancreas. Insulin is a hormone that is essential in assisting cells in the blood to accept sugar coming from food. When these cells (beta cells) in the pancreas can no longer produce insulin – it causes an inability of cells to accept the sugar which in turn causing the sugar to increase higher and higher. Type 1 diabetes is most commonly diagnosed before age 20. It’s rarely diagnosed later in life, but it can happen. Individuals who have this type of diabetes have to inject insulin via a syringe for the rest of their life. Individuals with this type of diabetes have to monitor their blood sugar closely every day and follow an active physical activity program. There is no cure, but there is some promising research that may heal these patients.

The second type of diabetes is called pre-diabetes. This condition does not mean that a person is diabetic – it means that it increases your chance of developing this disease, unless immediate action takes place. During this condition the blood sugar exceeds (120 mg/dl) the normal fasting number when fasting. Some individuals may take oral hypoglycemic medications (i.e. Glucophage) temporarily to help bring their blood sugar down. Physical activity (exercise) is essential to all diabetics and is one of the best ways along with a healthy diet to keep blood sugar in a healthy range.

The third type of diabetes and most frequent is called type II. This type affects nearly 90 – 95% of all diabetics. This disease begins with the body’s inability to accept insulin which in touch allows the sugar in the blood to be taken in the cell to get burned for energy. This condition is called insulin resistance. Or similar to type I diabetes, the body may not be produce enough insulin from the pancreas. As with each type of this disease, when blood sugar remains higher than 120 mg/dl at a fasting state, diabetes complications will soon follow. The following races seem to be more susceptible to developing this type of diabetes … Blacks, Latinos, Asians, Native Americans and Pacific islanders and Hawaiians.

The fourth and least common type is called Gestational diabetes. This type can occur during pregnancy. Between 40 – 60% of women with this type of diabetes will develop type II diabetes in a span of 10 years post-partum. The numbers are high, yes, but it is not inevitable that women with gestational diabetes will have diabetes for life.

Check back next week when we discuss diagnostic criteria for each type of diabetes.

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Steve J. Roch Jr., RD, LDN, CFT is a registered and licensed dietitian. He is also a certified personal trainer. Steve is the owner and president of BestRD Wellness, LLC, a company that provides nutrition therapy and wellness services to residents and businesses in the areas of New Orleans and South Louisiana. Steve can be contacted by email at steve@bestrdwellness.com.

For the next few weeks – I want to donate some attention toward this disease. I will lay out a detailed presentation of how to live a ‘normal’ life for those affected. Upcoming blogs will include learning about rates and statistics in the U.S. and Louisiana, what types of diabetes exist, diagnosed criteria, specific test to monitor, prevention tips and nutrition basics of managing this disease. I hope you will obtain a better understanding of this disease and enjoy the information presented. I also look forward to reading your posted feedback.

Diabetes rates:

The prevalence of diabetes is quickly soaring to become one of the top preventable diseases and causes of premature death in the United States. Little over 1.5 million Americans over the age of 20 are diagnosed with diabetes every year. Currently, some 24 million people in the U.S. have diabetes. That’s nearly 8% of our entire population. Diabetes rates are increasing rapidly and expected to double in the next 20-30 years. So, we must act quickly to counter this seemingly grim fate. It’s that important!

National Demographics:

This disease does not discriminate between genders. The numbers are nearly split down the center between men (12 million) and women (11.5 million). Considering age brackets 12.2 million or 23.1% of Americans over the age of 60 have the disease. Almost 11% of Americans over age 20 have the disease. A little under 186,000 children and teens under the age of 20 have the disease.

Louisiana Demographics:

In Louisiana, we fare much worse than other states. Orleans parish has some of the highest rates in the state with 10.6% of its population being diabetic. Following Orleans is Tangipahoa (11.1%); Plaquemines (10.7); St. Charles (10.4%); Jefferson (10.2%); St. Bernard (9.9) and St. Tammany (7.9%) being the home to the lowest prevalence of diabetics in Louisiana. In just ten short years the prevalence of newly diagnosed diabetics in LA has risen from 5.2% in 1997 to 10.1% in 2007. Sadly, our state posts the highest death rate from diabetes in the nation (35.5 per 100,000 population).

Cost of Diabetes (Nationally):

Total costs associated with diabetes have been reported to be a staggering $174 billion (yes that’s with a B) annually. A closer look at the numbers reveals $116 billion goes toward direct medical costs and another $58 billion for indirect costs (disability, work loss, premature mortality). Considering related factors such as gestational diabetes, pre-diabetes and undiagnosed diabetes, the cost rises to an eye twitching $218 billion annually. In 2006, total costs related to diabetes in Louisiana were approximately $2,431,000,000.

Check back next week when we define the various types of diabetes. For more information about diabetes rates in Louisiana, check out the Louisiana Diabetes Control Program (DPCP) Website here .

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Steve J. Roch Jr., RD, LDN, CFT is a registered and licensed dietitian. He is also a certified personal trainer. Steve is the owner and president of BestRD Wellness, LLC, a company that provides nutrition therapy and wellness services to residents and businesses in the areas of New Orleans and South Louisiana. Steve can be contacted by email at steve@bestrdwellness.com.

Nearly 6 million American have diabetes and don’t know it.  Are you one of them??

Symptoms:

Type 1 Diabetes

• Frequent urination
• Unusual thirst
• Extreme hunger
• Unusual weight loss
• Extreme fatigue and Irritability

Type 2 Diabetes*

• Any of the type 1 symptoms
• Frequent infections
• Blurred vision
• Cuts/bruises that are slow to heal
• Tingling/numbness in the hands/feet
• Recurring skin, gum, or bladder infections

*Often people with type 2 diabetes have no symptoms

One in five Americans is at risk for Type 2 Diabetes. You can prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes through a healthy lifestyle. Change your diet, increase your level of physical activity, and maintain a healthy weight.

Diabetes is a very serious disease.  Today is American Association Diabetes Alert Day. Take the self-assessment test below and share it with others. Visit Diabetes.org for more information.

This week is National Sleep Awareness Week®, it’s is an annual public education and awareness campaign to promote the importance of sleep.

Though diet and exercise are critical components of healthy lifestyles, it’s also important to remember that sleep is inherently linked with how we eat (and how much), how we exercise (and whether or not we lose weight), and how we function on a daily basis. Getting the proper amount of sleep each night is necessary to face the world with your best foot forward. Sleep will help you on the road to good fitness, good eating and good health.

Easiest Thing You Can Do for Your Health Is Sleep. Or is it?

An estimated 18 million Americans have sleep apnea, a sleep-related breathing disorder that leads individuals to repeatedly stop breathing during sleep. Not only does sleep apnea seriously affect one’s quality of sleep, but it can also lead to health risks such as stroke, heart attack, congestive heart failure and excessive daytime sleepiness. Sleep apnea is often associated with people who are overweight – weight gain leads to compromised respiratory function when an individual’s trunk and neck area increase from weight gain. These interacting problems of weight gain and sleep apnea make it difficult to help oneself off the slippery slope of health problems. Read More

(Source: National Sleep Foundation)

Related Health Problems From Poor Sleep

Obesity. Women who reported getting five hours of sleep per night were nearly twice as likely to be obese as women who regularly slept about seven hours; those who got four hours were three times more likely to be obese, according to a 2005 study of more than 2,500 women under age 49. Sleep restriction increases your appetite by lowering your levels of leptin, a hormone that suppresses hunger, and raising your levels of ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates it.

High blood pressure. People under age 60 who sleep five or fewer hours a night are twice as likely to develop hypertension as those who log seven to eight hours, according to a 2006 study of almost 5,000 men and women. Not sleeping enough strains the cardiovascular system and “resets” it to operate around the clock at an elevated pressure.

Diabetes. Studies have found an association between lack of sleep and a risk for diabetes as well as a 45 percent increased risk of heart attack and a 15 percent increased risk of death from all causes. Read More

(Source: Ladies Home Journal)

Keys to a Good Night’s Sleep

• Change Your Day to Maximize Sleep
• Wake up and go to bed at the same time every day, even on weekends.
• Limit your intake of alcohol, caffeine, and tobacco products during the day, especially in the hours before sleep.
• Finish eating 2 to 3 hours before bedtime, avoiding big meals.
• Exercise regularly. Finish your exercise a few hours before bedtime.
• Eliminate napping or limit the duration to 20 to 30 minutes.

Create the Best Possible Sleep Environment

• Remove electronics like computers and televisions from your room.
• Keep the room cool, comfortable, quiet, and dark.
• Use a comfortable mattress and pillows.
• Use the bed only for sleep and intimacy.

Prepare for Sleep

• Establish a relaxing bedtime routine: take a bath, read a book, listen to relaxing music before bed.
• Don’t watch the clock—it can cause anxiety about sleep.
• Get out of bed if you can’t fall asleep within 15 to 20 minutes. Only spend time in bed when you are actually sleeping.
• Write down concerns that keep you awake, creating a “to do” list for tomorrow. Also keep a sleep journal to help you see patterns in your sleep.

I did it! I started a Be Fit NOLA Tour de Cure Team!! My grandmother (mom’s side) had diabetes and my aunt also has diabetes – I have to be extra cautious because this is a disease that I’m genetically predisposed to…so I am at risk.  This is a personal quest but obviously it’s also a quest on a much larger level for what we believe-in at Be Fit NOLA. Participating in the American Diabetes Association Tour de Cure is a way for us to encourage you to join us in a 25 miles bike ride to raise money for a fabulous cause.

To prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes.

Now you can make a difference in the lives of more than 23.6 million Americans with diabetes by joining thousands of cyclists around the nation who are riding in Tour de Cure.

Tour de Cure is a series of fundraising cycling events held in 43 states nationwide to benefit the American Diabetes Association. The Tour is a ride, not a race, with routes designed for everyone from the occasional rider to the experienced cyclist.

The event is being held May 23, 2010 at Tammany Trace Trailhead (Koop) Drive in Mandeville.

This is a great opportunity to do something good for yourself and for a good cause…while having fun with us!!

To Register to Ride with Us – On the Be Fit NOLA team click here and for team name put in Be Fit NOLA (we are a Corporate team).  Our goal is to get at least 5 riders together who will raise $150 for a total of $750.  We would of course love to get more!!

If you aren’t interested in riding- please support my fund raising efforts

Aaron and I will start riding and everyone will be invited to join us.

I joined the Pound for Pound Challenge 8 weeks ago because I wanted to lose 20 pounds…I won’t lie that 8 weeks ago when I joined; it was all about losing 20 pounds so I could fit in a size 6 again and look fabulous this summer.  It was quite superficial of me.

I gained the 20 pounds because I stopped focusing on living a healthy lifestyle and got carried away with living like a tourist on an endless vacation in New Orleans…lots of indulging and because of injuries, no exercising.

For the last 8 weeks I’ve also been blogging about health and fitness every day…and had my own awakening moment about my size and health.  During those 8 weeks; I’ve stopped indulging and refocused on living a healthy lifestyle. Although I’ve lost little weight, I can say that I’m living a healthy lifestyle. I eat healthy. I get my daily recommended fruits and vegetables servings, I eat a low sodium diet, I drink a gallon of water a day and I take a multi-vitamin each and every morning.  I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, and I haven’t had chocolate in weeks (that was my vice).  I’m exercising, meditating and getting my 8 hours of sleep a night. I am healthy; low Blood Pressure and Cholesterol and not currently at risk for any kinds of health diseases.

I was at a networking event a couple of weeks ago and a lady who was sitting next to me (although I had already introduced myself to her) made an announcement to the table about this fabulous diet supplement, which was supposedly all natural, she had heard about.  I simply had to butt-in and talk about how important it is to focus on life changes and living a healthy lifestyle – NOT quick fixes or solutions because losing weight is a result of living a healthy lifestyle.

An estimated 80 million Americans go on diets every year, spending more than $30 billion annually on programs and products. I’d love to take a survey of those 80 million Americans to find out how many of them are actually putting their health has the #1 reason for wanting to lose weight??

Thankfully we are in LA – Louisiana and not L.A. – Los Angeles so we don’t feel or have a huge pressure in our community/city to be stick figures with a perfect tan, but there is still a big stigma attached to being big so there is still societal pressure for wanting to be slim.

What society needs to put pressure on and what we need to focus on in New Orleans are: living healthy lifestyles, having healthy habits and enjoying good health and healthy bodies, minds and spirits.

Being healthy is what prevents:

Diabetes
High Blood Pressure
Hypertension
Obesity
Heart Attacks
Cancer

It’s not being slim or slander.  A skinny person isn’t necessarily healthy – for all you know he or she might be smoker with high cholesterol on the verge of having a heart attack or lung cancer.  We normally don’t think that when looking at a skinny person…but slim does not equal healthy.

No matter what size you are, living a healthy lifestyle will prolong your life and help you enjoy life a lot more.  Make changes and create new routines and habits that support living a healthy lifestyle.  If  you happen to need to lose some weight – living a healthy lifestyle will take care of that along the way!! And Yes, you better believe it that we’re right here with you to help!!

The layers of reasons why people in the U.S. and here in our own city of New Orleans live unhealthy lifestyles are many and rather complex.  I’ve been dwelling on them for a couple of weeks now – you could almost say that I have been losing sleep over it because it’s such an intricate matter.

Billions of dollars are spent on education, research, lobbying, and regulations in order to reverse the current health trends in this country…so what are the major reasons why we still have the same (and increased) problems with obesity, diabetes, heart diseases, etc.

Is it a matter of education, accessibility or poor decision making?

I haven’t found the answers or solutions to explain why…but I narrowed it down to those three components.

Education

There are still plenty of Americans who don’t know the difference between good unsaturated fats and bad saturated fats or appropriate caloric and salt allowance; they still can’t read food labels.  They don’t get the negative effects process foods have on our health. Many folks also still don’t get all the benefits of daily exercise, taking a multi-vitamin, getting adequate sleep and stress management.

To some extent, it’s hard to understand this fact because of how readily available all of this information is…it’s on the news, TV shows, magazines, newspapers, blogs, radio…pretty much everywhere.  But it is a reality that for some people; the concept of living a healthy lifestyle which includes a balanced diet and exercise is completely foreign.

Accessibility

Accessibility is an entirely different issue.  We really don’t have to look very far for an example and the difference accessibility makes.  Let’s for example look at Uptown compared to the Bywater (Upper 9thWard)  and Lower 9thWard.  The comparison of accessible fitness establishments and grocery stores in the Uptown area compared to the Bywater and Lower 9thWard is astounding.

Nationwide, USDA estimates that 23.5 million people, including 6.5 million children, live in low-income areas that are more than a mile from a supermarket. Of the 23.5 million, 11.5 million are low-income individuals in households with incomes at or below 200% of the poverty line. Of the 2.3 million people living in low-income rural areas that are more than 10 miles from a supermarket, 1.1 million are low-income.

If you have no accessibility to healthy options…or your neighborhood isn’t safe for walking or sports and there are no fitness facilities or you can’t afford a membership to a gym – what are you suppose to do?  This is definitely the type of initiatives and problems that the Tulane Prevention Research Center is tackling with support of the Federal Government and the local Government.  Hopefully, they will get  more support from the local Government once our new Mayor, Mitch Landrieu,  is sworn in.

As New Orleans continues with her re-building efforts, we have an opportunity to make sure every neighborhood; no matter the level of income of the residents, has accessibility to a proper grocery store and health and fitness facility.

Poor Decision Making

Although tackling the accessibility issue is a major undertaking – I somewhat believe this particularly issue of constant and repeated poor decision making is more disheartening.  The culprits of this issue normally have both the education and access but choose to make the wrong choices.

We’re sadly talking about people who don’t take care about themselves and therefore choose to live unhealthy lifestyles.  People who either work too much, “are too busy”, don’t care, party too much, and are full of excuses as to why they can’t take care of their health.

In reality, these are the people who have no excuses but choose to kill themselves instead of prolonging their lives by making healthy decisions.  How do you get someone to care about their health who knows about all the risks they are putting themselves in…but still don’t want to change?

I don’t necessarily have any answers or solutions…I just wanted to share what is starting to keep me up at night. What are your thoughts on the matter?

I’m not that old and I didn’t grow up on a farm…yet I remember the saying “If you don’t have your health; you don’t have nothing at all.”  I remember my dad telling me that. He wasn’t or isn’t a sick man but he is a self-employed man; he owns a construction company. His health is very important to him because without his health/ability to put in a hard day’s work – he doesn’t make money.

The saying also definitely applied more in the old days – when most people did some sort of physical labor as the primary way to earn a living. If people were sick or injured, they couldn’t perform their work duties and they didn’t get paid.  The incentives to be healthy were far greater (survival) and by default of performing physical/manual labor people were more active.  Times have changed.  Technology has changed the way we earn a living and most people in developed countries can perform their job while being overweight, out-of-shape, and plagued with chronic diseases, etc. Most people don’t care about their health.  It’s obvious when looking at the results of studies. Louisiana ranked 41 out 50 on the 2009 Well Being State Ranking. #1 being the best – 50 the worst. From Gallup and Healthways Well Being Index (Click on the image for larger image)

Merging decades of social and clinical research, development expertise, health leadership and behavioral economics, Gallup and Healthways collaborated to develop the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index (WBI) – the first and largest survey of its kind, aggregating data from 1,000 calls a day, 350 days a year. The Well-Being Index is already the largest behavioral economic database ever created and, over the next quarter century, will generate more than nine million individual responses.

The Well-Being Index and associated City, State and Congressional District Reports provide the only measurement today for total well-being. Beyond medical condition and access to healthcare coverage and services, the Index also questions respondents about economic, professional, emotional and social circumstances. With Well-Being Index data, it’s possible to quantify and establish a correlation between the places where people work and the communities in which they live and their well-being.

Some more results were released today.

The County Health Rankings—the first set of reports to rank the overall health of every county in all 50 states—were released today by the University of Wisconsin’s Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation at a briefing in Washington, D.C.  The 50 state reports help public health and community leaders, policy-makers, consumers and others to see how healthy their county is, compare it with others within their state and find ways to improve the health of their community.

Each county is ranked within the state on how healthy people are and how long they live. They also are ranked on key factors that affect health such as: smoking, obesity, binge drinking, access to primary care providers, rates of high school graduation, rates of violent crime, air pollution levels, liquor store density, unemployment rates and number of children living in poverty.

Poorly ranked counties often had multiple challenges to overcome, including:

• Two- and three-fold higher rates of premature death, often from preventable conditions.
• High smoking rates that lead to cancer, heart disease, bronchitis and emphysema.
• High rates of obesity which can put people at risk for diabetes, disability and heart disease.
• High unemployment and poverty rates.
• High numbers of liquor stores and fast-food outlets but few places to buy fresh fruits and vegetables.

Read More from the Press Release

Now, if only Gov. Bobby Jindal would have a look at this study and stop his plans for cuts to health care…

Here’s a look at the results for Health Outcomes.  For the Greater New Orleans area St. Tammany Parish was #1, Jefferson #16 and Orleans and St Bernard 59 and 62 respectively.  Interesting disparity between those…any thoughts of why? (Click on the map for larger image)

And the results for Health Factors: For the Greater New Orleans area St. Tammany Parish was #1, Jefferson #5 and Orleans and St Bernard 47 and 59 respectively. (Click on the map for larger image)

For greater details of the overall rankings and finer details check this out.

I normally don’t write posts this long…but this is serious – we have to start going to back to the mentality: If you don’t have your health; you don’t have anything at all.

The State of Louisiana has some great sites, resources, and information available for Louisianans to live healthy lifestyles.  Frankly, once you start digging around – it’s quite impressive.  The majority of those sites are government funded and non-profits (many are rooted out of the Louisiana Public Health Institute). This differs from us, Be Fit NOLA, but ultimately our goals are the same…to raise awareness, gather and disseminate information and encourage/teach people how to live healthier lifestyles.

But even with that being said – Louisianans and New Orleanians face serious health issues.

(The following excerpts are sourced from Stay Healthy Louisiana)

Heart Disease

Even Young People Need to Monitor Their Cholesterol

High cholesterol greatly increases the risk for heart disease and heart attacks. Following simple nutrition and fitness guidelines and getting a cholesterol blood test every five years beginning at age 20 can help manage cholesterol build up in the body and prevent a heart attack. Learn about what you can do to manage your own cholesterol levels.

Heart attack warning signs include:

Chest discomfort, usually in the center of the chest that lasts for more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back. This can can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain. Discomfort in other areas of the upper body, including pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or stomach. Shortness of breath and other symptoms, such as breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea, or light-headedness are also early warning signs.

Obesity

The percentage of overweight and/or obese adults in Louisiana has become an emergent health concern, rising in the past 10 years from 49 percent in 1991 to 63 percent in 2004, as noted by the Louisiana Health Report Card. The percentage of overweight or obese 18-to-24 year olds increased the most.

Understanding what is considered as “average weight,” “overweight” and “obese” is essential to knowing where the danger lies. An individuals body mass index (BMI), an index of weight relative to height, is used to estimate the percentage of fat a person has on his or her body. A person is defined as overweight if his or her BMI is between 25.0 and 29.9 and obese if their BMI is greater than 30.0.

Read more and instantly calculate your Body Mass Index click here.

Diabetes

Reduce Your Child’s Risk of Developing Diabetes

The number of children diagnosed with type-2 diabetes is gradually increasing, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Medical experts advise that Hispanic, African American, and American Indian adolescents are particularly at risk. While some critics blame changes in the healthcare system, many healthcare officials testify that these outcomes are the result of an unhealthy culture. Children who consume high calorie foods and rarely exercise are increasing their likelihood of developing type-2 diabetes. Learn more about helping educate children on the benefits of healthy lifestyles.

Cancer

Louisiana’s High Cancer Rates

Home to  ”Cancer Alley,” a strip of land between New Orleans and Baton Rouge that houses many industrial and petrochemical plants, Louisiana is found to have cancer rates that outpace the national average. For Louisiana residents, the most frequently diagnosed cancers are lung at 16 percent, prostate, 16 percent, breast, 14 percent, colon and rectum, 12 percent, and urinary bladder, 4 percent.  The five-year period between 2000 and 2004 brought 105,082 diagnoses of invasive primary in Louisiana residents, or an average of 21,016 cases per year. Specifically, Louisiana’s incidence rates for tobacco- related cancers such as lung, oral cavity, kidney, and pancreas are also higher than U.S. rates, which are preventable.

We’ve added Stay Healthy Louisiana to our blogroll because we think it’s a site well worth visiting often – you can also Fan Stay Healthy Louisiana on Facebook.