Your pancreas serves two purposes, according to the American Diabetes Association. It helps break down the food you eat into energy and regulates how your body uses the energy. The pancreas plays a vital role in regulating your blood chemistry to...
Elevated insulin levels can result from insulin resistance. When the body's cells are resistant to the action of insulin, which occurs with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, the pancreas pumps out extra insulin to compensate for the fact that...
Insulin resistance is diagnosed in a subset of women who have polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS, a common cause of infertility. In this group of women, insulin resistance is believed to play a crucial role in causing hormonal imbalances leading...
Type 2 diabetes is a disorder in which cells become resistant to insulin. Its complications are among the leading causes of death in the United States. And as a result, finding new ways to prevent and treat type 2 diabetes are a priority in...
Breakfast is a must-eat meal, decreasing your tendency to binge on high-sugar and high-fat foods later in the day. Eat foods low in sodium to reduce swelling and water build up in your body. If you have high blood pressure, low-sodium foods help...
Selenium is an essential mineral that your body requires in very small quantities. The recommended daily intake of selenium for adults is 55mcg per day. Selenium is found in both plant and animal foods, with Brazil nuts supplying, by far, the...
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, colorectal cancer originates in the colon or rectum and is sometimes referred to simply as colon cancer. Men and women of all races and ethnic groups are susceptible to colorectal...
Sugars are simple carbohydrates found in many of the foods you eat, including foods that may surprise you, such as milk, bread, ketchup and salad dressing. Simple sugars like table sugar, fruit sugar, corn syrup, molasses, honey and brown sugar...
Rectal cancer may also be referred to as colorectal cancer, which encompasses colon and rectal cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. The rectum is the last six inches of the digestive system where stool is held until it is excreted,...
Canola oil is made from seeds of canola, a yellow flowering plant belonging to the Brassica family. Canola is grown mainly in Canada, Australia and the United States. The seeds of the plant contain 40 percent oil rich in healthy fats and nutrients...
Chemotherapy is normally used in combination with surgery and/or radiation for the treatment of colon cancer. Chemotherapy usually follows surgery as a part of an overall treatment plan to extend colon cancer survival. If found and treated in...
Diabetes mellitus, commonly referred to as diabetes, is a condition that involves unregulated levels of glucose, or sugar, in the blood. According to Medline Plus, a medical information website established by the National Institutes of Health,...
Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition, affecting the way the body uses its main source of fuel--glucose, or sugar as it is better known. The body is either resistant to insulin, a hormone the body produces to help regulate the movement of glucose...
Breast cancer occurs when malignant cancer cells begin to grow and divide in breast tissue. Breast cancer may be detected by clinical examination, mammography or ultrasound and is further confirmed by biopsy. Your doctor determines your breast...
Hyperglycemia occurs when the body has too little insulin or when insulin is not utilized effectively. It is a major cause of complications in people with diabetes. If left untreated hyperglycemia can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis, hyperosmolar...
When your body is unable to use insulin efficiently, you may be suffering from insulin resistance. Cells contain insulin receptors, or locks, that require insulin to unlock them to allow glucose to enter. If cells develop a tolerance to insulin,...
An Indian meal of naan, potatoes and a mango lassi to drink may be delicious and classic Indian fare, but it's not appropriate for a diabetic diet. Fortunately, you can enjoy the spicy flavors of Indian cuisine without paying for it with a high...
Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases in children and adolescents. Childhood diabetes that occurs as a result of poor nutrition is called type 2 diabetes. The obesity epidemic, combined with the decreasing levels of physical activity...
Diabetes is a chronic condition characterized by abnormally high levels of glucose in the blood. Diabetes is classified into types based on which portion of the physiological process to control blood sugar is disrupted. Type 2 diabetes is...
The pituitary gland lies at the base of the brain and contains a number of specialized cells. The gland functions to secrete a number of hormones, which then travel throughout the body in the bloodstream to trigger biological responses in tissues....
It doesn't have to be sunny and warm all year long to produce solar power electricity. In fact, solar panels continue to produce energy even through the cold, cloudy days of winter. Backwoods Home Magazine explains that the installation of solar...
There are many foods that reduce blood sugar. Foods that lower blood sugar are known as low gylcemic, which means they are digested more slowly and stabilize insulin levels. Including these foods in your regular diet can help regulate blood sugar...
Diabetes is a condition that affects the levels of glucose, or sugar, in the blood. In diabetics, insulin, the molecule that controls blood sugar, is not made by the pancreas or does not effectively move glucose, the body's fuel, into cells. Low...
According to Sabiston Textbook of Surgery, 500,000 coronary artery bypass graft--CABG--procedures are done yearly. Fifty to 75 percent of these surgeries have an uncomplicated postoperative course. The risk of suffering a complication is usually...
The American Cancer Society explains that two types of skin cancer exist: non-melanoma and melanoma. Non-melanoma is the most common, and begins in the cells of the outer layer of skin. Melanoma, the more serious, begins in the cells responsible...
A cancer can be described as a group of rapidly growing cells that lose the ability to be controlled by the command center of the cell. The command center of the cell is the nucleus. DNA, a component of the nucleus, provides the cell with the...
According to the American Diabetes Association, 8 percent, or 23.6 million Americans suffer from either type I or type II diabetes. Diabetes is a serious metabolic disease that can affect almost every major organ in your body. It can lead to...
Cardiovascular exercise, also commonly referred to as aerobic exercise, includes any type of physical activity that elevates your heart and breathing rate for a sustained period of time. According to the American Heart Association, about 250,000...
Liver cancer can be primary, meaning it originates in the liver, or secondary, meaning that it's spread to the liver from another area of the body. Primary liver cancer affects around 21,000 people in the United States each year, with twice as...
A UTI or urinary tract infection is any infection of the urinary tract like the bladder. Get expert tips and advice on preventing, diagnosing, and treating a UTI in this video.
