When Ostracizing Type 2 Diabetes Became an Accepted Lifestyle

When it comes to Diabetes, and the messages being put out there in the media, it is really hard for myself and other folks not to become angry -- if not downright furious. I have to tell you, I generally look through articles, and skim through different headlines, and just tend to "cherry pick" whats going to be real news, and ignore and pass over the fluff. If I were to read it all, I might be en route to a heart attack in less time than you can say "duck fiabetes."

But on Wednesday, just having gotten home from a long, physically and mentally exhausting shift at work, I failed to listen to my own advise. A dear friend of mine shared a news article, in my "Living with Diabetes" Facebook group... and I just lost it. I dont think I have ever been so outraged by an article before. (Well, except maybe for Wendell Fowlers abusive tirade against little Type 1 Diabetic children having ice cream. OMG, how dare they! Thats almost as dangerous as Paula Deen having a cheeseburger! *snark, snark*) I was seeing so many shades of red, and purple, I just could not think straight. I said a bunch of things, in my group, about the article, and to my husband... went and kicked a few things around... flipped off Dr Oz on the TV... and then I felt like my head was going to explode. It was just too much.

Having taken at least, a few days, to calm down... I can probably now tell you what I really think about this piece, with a little more perspective. The piece is called "Curing Diabetes: How Type 2 Became an Accepted Lifestyle" (Yes, you are reading right... That IS the headline for this article), and it was written for The Atlantic, by reporter John-Manuel Andriote, who has supposedly been specializing in HIV/AIDS reporting since 1986. I guess, I would like to think that being exposed to such a world would have given Mr. Andriote some perspective, and a keener sense of tact, and to an extent it has... but, apparently, not enough to have helped him rethink such a terrible headline.

The article itself makes a few key mistakes, which well, to an outsider would not be as self evident. And why would they? Our current government, medical advisory agencies, and medical industry want to do all they can to pass blame onto the Type 2 patient, entirely, and take on NO responsibility themselves. Ive shared on this, before, many times. Especially, the deep denial of how multi-faceted the triggers are for Type 2 Diabetes, and the roles pollution and other medications, etc., have in the development of the disease. It is unfortunate that everyone in the industry quotes such poorly done research studies that do not take these complexities into account, or even consider to do so, to blanket claim that 80% of all Type 2 Diabetes is "largely preventable." These simplistic allegations lead to discrimination, misunderstanding of a very complex disease, denial of health management resources and tools by the insurance industry, and uneducated reporting that often leads to societal abuse, bullying, and further discrimination.

Still, there is some good, among the bad, to be found in this article. I do feel that, had the author taken some time to meet with members of the diabetic online community, this article could have really shed some light more adequately, on a lot of issues that affect our community, without contributing so much to the problems it so tries to address.


The Good in this Article: 

• Right off the bat, the article addresses the issue that the medical industry does not like to discuss with patients, or at least seldom does, the idea that they can manage their diabetes without medications, much less what Diabetes even IS. This is, indeed, a struggle we have right now. But it is a deep, and complex problem involving a lot of ethical concerns which affect almost every aspect of the health industry, including the American Diabetes Association itself (its probably not an accident that they recommend diabetics keep their blood glucose levels at or below 180 mg/dL -- a very high, and potentially long term dangerous, blood glucose level), as well as other diabetes medical guideline agencies. The fact is, many medical professionals receive kick backs and incentives from the pharmaceutical industry -- large kickbacks and benefits -- and its in their pocketbooks best interests to keep as many of their patients taking certain medications. This is not something exclusive to the diabetes industry, though. I am sure this is one of the prime reasons why there are now, commercials on mainstream media, for prescription only medications. Its BIG business, and theres no better salesman out there than your doctor. 
• Andriote does some thinking outside the box, which is helpful: Chronic illness, particularly obesity and diabetes, are multi-faceted diseases which do not have just one contributing factor to them (though at times he seems to suggest they do) and thus, will need a multi-sector response. He speaks about our sedentary jobs, and a poor transit system, and the lure of the food industry, and how addicting high fat/high sugar/high salt/food combinations can be... and the supposed "myth" that healthy foods cost more than unhealthy foods. He even quotes an article from someone who supposedly "destroyed" this myth. What is perhaps not understood by people who claim that healthy food is cheaper than fast food is that most dedicated Type 2 diabetics dont consider healthy food what they consider healthy food, and they have to cut back on carbohydrates in order to control blood glucose, and not rely solely on their medications for control. Id like to see Andriote actually trying to live a lower carbohydrate lifestyle, at a grocery store, with a maximum of $350 for 2 people, for a month worth of groceries, and not being able to eat as many starches, grains, and other foods which ARE the cheaper foods, for their value and how far they go. Living on lean proteins, and veggies, and cutting back on all those starches and breads, and grains is NOT cheap. Also, per the fast food cost example he uses, if one assumes poor people buy value meals at fast food joints to feed all of their family members, one might be very, very naive: there is such a thing as a dollar menu, or less, at these places... And people KNOW this. How can you beat $2 for two double cheeseburgers at McDonalds??? It costs me $2.88 a lb alone, for chicken! (And its cheaper in Iowa, than in many places...) 
• Andriote talks about the need for balance in media industry reporting (Surprisingly): On the one hand, you dont want people dismissing diabetes as not serious enough, but on the other, you dont want to create a public backlash for patients. "When the media do focus on type 2 diabetes, said Sarah Gollust, assistant professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, they give twice as much coverage to the behavioral risks for it than any of the other factors that contribute. But this over-emphasis on personal responsibility tends to blame and stigmatize people with type 2 diabetes or who are obese. Those living with the disease may feel its their fault if they cant always maintain the ideal blood sugar level. Worst of all, said Gollust, public support could erode as people are expected to cover the costs, however they can, of a medical condition its believed they brought on themselves ... Public support for addressing diabetes is imperative when you consider the tremendous amount of money it costs to manage the disease." This is a very important reality that we, as Type 2 Diabetes patients face as we strive to manage this disease. We NEED support, and we cant succeed without it. However, many of the undercutting remarks Andriote makes, including his headline, are FAR from being fair and balanced, and certainly not supportive! On page 2, Andriote has a "listing" of facts, and goes on to say that "Although there is a genetic predisposition for type 2 diabetes, the vast number of cases are the outcome of poor diet, obesity, and a sedentary lifestyle." Of course, this is contradictory... because ALL cases are of genetic predisposition. If not, then ALL obese persons would have diabetes -- and this is simply not the case. (I wont even go into his usage of the phrase "people of color" to talk about African-Americans, Latinos, and other minorities...) 

The Bad in this Article: 

• Andriote, sort of, implies that most Type 2 Diabetics could manage their condition without the need for medications, if they just try a little hard, and then they would be cured. There is a BIG disconnect in here: 
• For one -- he fails to realize that by the time the average person is diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, their disease is so advanced, they have lost nearly 40-80% of their beta cell function, making it extremely challenging to near impossible to control blood glucose levels without the assistance of oral medications, or insulin. Again, being the multi-faceted disease that it is, diabetes NEEDS a more aggressive and aware medical community, as well as increasing efforts in continuous education FOR the medical professionals, as well as patients. A medical professional who cannot think diabetes, and catch all the symptoms and markers of diabetes, in an age when its being considered as an "epidemic," is a medical professional who will endanger lives, and contribute to the rising costs of the disease when it comes to complications that are not being caught on time. 
• Secondly -- The kind of lifestyle changes to achieve true remission and euglycemia, are a lot more stringent than what the ADA might tout. You *cannot* reach euglycemia -- true euglycemia -- while thinking that blood glucose numbers below 180 mg/dL are normal. True euglycemia are levels that are below 140 mg/dL or lower, after 2 hours of eating, and in fact, rarely exceed that. In fact, some might even say below 120 mg/dL at 2 hours, or less. Not everyone can achieve those levels -- especially, if they struggle with hypoglycemia, or  have other health related dietary considerations to make that might not allow them to easily cut back on carbohydrates, or increase certain levels of exercise, etc. I, for example, have to consume 80-100 grams of carbohydrate a day, at a MAXIMUM, in order to maintain my euglycemia. This is unrealistic to many people... and its not a character flaw! It is HARD, often unrealistic, work. 
• Thirdly, he goes on to claim that if folks worked hard at it, they could "cure themselves," and he uses an opinion paper, mind you, to try to back up his assertions. He even goes as far as claiming that this is the opinion of the American Diabetes Association (ADA), by claiming that the ADA says that "maintaining normal blood sugar without medication for at least a year could be considered a "complete remission,"" when in fact, the ADA specifically highlights a the end of the second paragraph, in that same opinion paper that "The opinions and recommendations expressed herein are those of the authors and not the official position of the American Diabetes Association." Moreover, the panel of those expressing their opinions recognized that they had clear conflicts of interest in the matter, and also, found it difficult to reach consensus considering the wide arrange of questions to be considered. The group does, though, make a very telling distinction between a cure, and a remission... which the author of this article seems to gloss over, quite nicely, to what he could take out of context, and better fit into his piece: "Medically, cure may be defined as restoration to good health, while remission is defined as abatement or disappearance of the signs and symptoms of a disease (3). Implicit in the latter is the possibility of recurrence of the disease. Many clinicians consider true cure to be limited to acute diseases. Infectious diseases could be seen as a model: acute bacterial pneumonia can be cured with antibiotics, but HIV infection, currently, can at best be stated to be in remission or converted to a chronic disease. The consensus group considered the history of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia, which evolved from a uniformly fatal disease to one that could be put into remission to one that can now often be considered cured (4). Conversely, chronic myelocytic leukemia is now considered to be in prolonged remission, but not cured, with therapies such as imatinib ... For a chronic illness such as diabetes, it may be more accurate to use the term remission than cure. Current or potential future therapies for type 1 or type 2 diabetes will likely always leave patients at risk for relapse, given underlying pathophysiologic abnormalities and/or genetic predisposition. However, terminology such as “prolonged remission” is probably less satisfactory to patients than use of the more hopeful and definitive term “cure” after some period of time has elapsed. Additionally, if cure means remission that lasts for a lifetime, then by definition a patient could never be considered cured while still alive. Hence, it may make sense operationally to consider prolonged remission of diabetes essentially equivalent to cure. This is analogous to certain cancers, where cure is defined as complete remission of sufficient duration that the future risk of recurrence is felt to be very low."

You see, it is one thing to call something a "cure," because it is more hopeful, and more satisfactory to a patient... than for that to be, actually, a cure. The likelihood might be low, but it is, in fact, not a cure. As a comparison to HIV made above, for example, people like Magic Johnson have had their HIV infection in remission for years, but would would we say that hes cured? Not in a million years. Just because I cant "infect you" with diabetes does not mean Im cured. This debate among colleagues does not equate to something actually being "officially" considered a cure. Obviously, operationally, we cannot treat presently uncontrolled diabetes in the same way as diabetes in tight control, or in remission... So DUH, it can be "operationally" a cure, but not in truth. Remission is remission. A cure, is a cure. This is truly, irresponsible journaling at its best. 

I would add that the amount of mental focus that is required in maintaining diet, food carbohydrate counts, exercise, and meal planning often borders on obsessive and unhealthy, and ends in many an eating disorder for many diabetes patients. The psychological ramifications of attaining euglycemia, at all costs, for many... have NOT been assessed, and yet, they are just as much a part of the disease as hyperglycemia and other markers. Diabetes is NOT just a disease of high blood glucose!  

• The author uses statistical scare tactics to put the fear of God in you: But he does not put them in perspective. Its one thing to discuss how the rate of diabetes will triple, or double, or whatever. Its quite another to not discuss the rate of population growth, right along with that. Obviously, people ARE reproducing, and diabetes isnt just happening in a vacuum where the rate is growing by leaps and bounds larger than what it is. Its hard to say, because what will the population be in 2050? Our population is EXPLODING to what are potentially unsustainable levels, and of course, thats going to make numbers for any disease seem scary high, without some perspective. What would the rate be in RELATION to total population at that time? THAT is what the question should truly be... In addition, the author wrongly states that the prevalence of obesity has been increasing, year after year, when the prevalence of obesity has remained STEADY for the last 12 years.  Could it change, tomorrow? Sure... but for now, I think we can say many folks are starting to be more conscious of obesity, and their health, even if they might not see themselves as overweight. Andriote fails to keep balance in the picture hes trying to paint.
• While Andriote wants to instill a sense of seriousness to diabetes, while claiming we need support, he attacks commercials with friendly faces and role models, claiming that persons who are fit, or joggers, or younger folks -- are not what most Type 2 Diabetics are like. Perhaps not (some) newly diagnosed Type 2 Diabetics, but is it wrong to have positive role models to aspire to? Is it wrong to see that some of us HAVE made changes, and CAN live a healthful life? Is it wrong for me to see another 35 year old I can relate to, on the tv? I fail to see just what he wants to accomplish, here. Does he want a fat, old Joe, sitting on a sofa, not able to move, and popping pills, or doing leg exercises from a chair, because he cant move? Would THAT be more appropriate? Or perhaps, he wants people with their limbs amputated, like the city of New Yorks shocking diabetes ad campaign? Im not sure whats the alternative hes looking for, here, and whats running through his mind. 

Of course, I cant end without discussing... that headline. "Curing Diabetes: How Type 2 Became an Accepted Lifestyle" ... Im guessing hes trying to say most people just "accept" and take the diagnosis as a given, that they will need to live with this disease, forever... and take pills forever. But boy, is it an uneducated headline. Yes, people can live pill free, for a while... and depending WHEN they were diagnosed, if it was late in life -- maybe they might never have to take any meds, ever. But no, its not a cure. Type 2 Diabetes IS a progressive illness, and the likelihood of a need for medications increases with the LENGTH of time weve had this disease -- and not exactly with how well weve taken care of it. Time goes by, and not in vain... our bodies DO age. Things break down. My father was in remission for years, yet he was never cured; diabetes still progressed, and still took his life. It happens.

Diabetes is not an "accepted lifestyle" anyone chose, anymore than people who got AIDS or HIV (by whatever method), CHOSE that as their lifestyle. I bet you $1,000,000 that this author would NEVER dream of writing "Curing HIV: How HIV Became an Accepted Lifestyle," merely because he read an opinion piece on how one can keep HIV in remission for YEARS. The headline even seems to sort of imply that we "coddle" people into being lazy about their care, and lazy about "curing themselves," so that we dont need to support them. Its not a disease, if you would, its a "lifestyle." Yes, because Type 2 Diabetes is sooooooo glamorous. Its the lifestyle of the fat, and sloppy, and just give me my Metformin, over here. Ill take it with a side of that value meal, please. 

Sadly, Andriote could have done SO MUCH to advocate and help our community, but instead he chose the low road of blame, and veiled vitriol in between his lines. How someone who has written for the AIDS community can be so close minded about the needs of another equally ostracized community is BEYOND me. 

Lifestyle Changes That Motivate Weight Loss

(Article first published as How to Motivate Your Weight Loss Lifestyle on Technorati.)

It’s a fact that nearly three-quarters of adults and an alarming number of children fall into the overweight or obese category with potentially devastating effects to their health and psychological well being. The vast majority of these people have tried valiantly to lose weight but have failed despite their best efforts. A big part of the problem is that sustainable weight loss must become a seamless part of your lifestyle, with proper planning and food portion control central to your success.

Planning to Lose Weight

You’ve tried to lose weight before and came close to hitting your ideal weight, but just couldn’t seem to maintain your diet and exercise routine for long term results. This happens because you haven’t properly planned to lose weight, and your powerful survival instinct takes charge causing you to eat all the bad foods that caused your weight gain initially. The only way you can overcome this is to develop a plan you can live with for the remainder of your life and incorporate it into your permanent lifestyle.

Don’t Estimate Serving Sizes

When we’re hungry, we tend to make very poor decisions on the proper foods to eat as well as the serving sizes we consume. According to a study published in the Journal of Consumer Research, participants were less likely to correctly identify the number of calories in a food item if they were presented with a high calorie choice before a lower calorie option. The results show that estimated calories were 38% lower, a significant discrepancy which can sabotage your weight loss plans.

Make Healthy Weight Loss a Lifestyle Priority

Making even the smallest lifestyle change will be a difficult task and require much discipline and effort. Altering your diet to promote weight loss may be one of the most difficult tasks you will undertake, but the results are so rewarding and worthwhile. 

Before beginning, you must make a commitment to yourself to see your actions through to the end. Before completing your goal, you’ll need to incorporate these changes as part of a new lifestyle and never look back. You’re in this for the long term, so speed is not an issue, and an occasional dietary slip is inevitable and won’t knock you off course.

Get a Food Scale, Accurate Measuring Cup and Progress Journal

You should attack weight loss in the same way you would take on any critical project – assemble all the right tools to ensure your success. Purchase an accurate food scale and assemble all your measuring cups, tablespoons and teaspoons. These will be your keys to success, as you cannot accurately estimate food portions and weights. 

Start a food journal where you chart every food item eaten, portion size and calories. Be sure to include any between meal snacks, as these can really drive up your daily calorie totals. Also keep track of your weight, exercise and any other pertinent activities.

The sobering fact is that only 1 out of 20 people is able to lose more than 10% of their body weight and keep it off for at least a year. This is because many people don’t begin their weight loss journey with the commitment to make permanent lifestyle changes. Once you have made the decision to drop those excess pounds for good, incorporate the proper tools which will lead to sustainable weight loss.

Regular Exercise and Active Lifestyle Lower Risk of Developing Alzheimer’s Disease

Scientific studies have previously demonstrated that many lifestyle factors as well as diet can have a major impact on genetic expression that either promotes of inhibits the development of Alzheimer’s dementia. Recent studies have demonstrated that insulin signaling and resistance in the brain result in the formation of amyloid protein tangles that are a hallmark of disease progression.

A new study by neurological researchers from Rush University Medical Center that will be published in the online journalof Neurology demonstrates that daily physical activity may reduce the risk of Alzheimers disease and cognitive decline, even in people over the age of 80. Integrating a healthy diet including foods known to suppress sharp insulin and glucose spikes along with sensible supplementation (curcumin, resveratrol, grape seed extract and omega-3 fatty acids) and regular physical activity may be sufficient to halt Alzheimer’s progression as we age.

All Types of Physical Activity Found to Dramatically Lower Alzheimer’s Disease Risk

Lead author of the study, Dr. Aron S. Buchman noted “The results of our study indicate that all physical activities including exercise as well as other activities such as cooking, washing the dishes, and cleaning are associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimers disease.” The study reinforced the concept of remaining physically active each day to ward off this devastating form of dementia.

Strenuous exercise is not essential and may hold potential health risks for the aging population. The key is to avoid becoming confined to a chair: keeping the muscles and brain active can dramatically alter brain chemistry and metabolism to prevent Alzheimer’s.

Lack of Physical Activity Nearly Triples the Risk of Developing Alzheimer’s Disease

To determine daily physical activity levels, researchers asked 716 older individuals without dementia and an average age of 82 to wear a device called an actigraph, a device attached to the wrist that monitors activity levels, for a period of ten days. Additionally, participants were given annual cognitive tests during this ongoing study to measure memory and thinking abilities. All types of physical activity from structured exercise sessions to common everyday tasks were recorded for analysis.

Over a three and a half year follow up period, 71 participants developed Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers determined that those individuals in the bottom ten percent of daily physical activity were more than twice as likely to develop Alzheimers disease compared to those in the top ten percent. Further, the scientists found that those in the top ten percent as rated by physical intensity were nearly three times as likely to develop Alzheimer’s dementia, as compared to the lowest intensity group.

Dr. Buchman concluded“Our study shows that physical activity, which is an easily modifiable risk factor, is associated with cognitive decline and Alzheimers disease.” This study adds to the mounting evidence that Alzheimer’s disease can be prevented by adopting a lifestyle of healthy eating, stress-reduction, minimized exposure to pesticides and toxins and engaging in daily physical activity.

Seven Lifestyle Habits that Significantly Lower Both Cancer and Heart Disease Risk

The incidence and etiology of many forms of cancer and the development of cardiovascular disease run on a parallel course as they are both the result of lifestyle habits that are well within our control. It comes as no big surprise that scientists have created a list of seven healthy practices that can dramatically lower the risk of developing either one of these illnesses that account for more than half of all deaths in the US each year. Many of these identified lifestyle habits fall within the realm of common sense, yet millions of men, women and children fail to regularly follow more than one or two habits, placing them at considerable risk for future disease and early mortality.

Lifestyle modifications slash chronic disease risk by lowering inflammation and improving health biometrics

A group of researchers from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago have published the results of a study in the American Heart Association journal, Circulation that explains how following the American Heart Associations Lifes Simple 7 steps to reduce your risk for heart disease can also help prevent cancer. Lead study author, Dr. Laura J. Rasmussen-Torvik said “We were gratified to know adherence to the Lifes Simple 7 goals was also associated with reduced incidence of cancer… this can provide a clear, consistent message about the most important things people can do to protect their health and lower their overall risk for chronic diseases.”

The team identified the seven critical lifestyle habits that promote a healthy heart as: being physically active, keeping a healthy weight, eating a healthy diet, maintaining healthy cholesterol levels, keeping blood pressure down, regulating blood sugar levels and not smoking. To assess the impact of these habits on cancer risk, the researchers analyzed the health records of 13,253 men and women who were involvedin the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, which tracked the seven risk factors and the participants’ health outcomes since 1987.

Dramatically Lower Your Risk for Developing Chronic Life-Threatening Diseases

The participants were interviewed at the outset of the study to establish how closely they followed the established heart disease lifestyle risk factors. After a period of twenty years, researchers reviewed hospital records and cancer registries and discovered that 2,880 of the participants were diagnosed with cancer of the lung, colon, rectum, prostate or breast. Scientists found that the incidence of cancer closely paralleled following fewer lifestyle habits, as compared to participants that did not develop the illness.

The team determined that people who followed six of the seven health metrics had a 51 percent lower cancer risk than the participants who did not meet any of the steps. When smoking was removed as a factor, participants who followed five to six of the health steps had a 25 percent lower cancer risk. Dr. Rasmussen-Torvik concluded“This adds to the strong body of research suggesting that it is never late to change, and that if you make changes like quitting smoking and improving your diet, you can reduce your risk for both cardiovascular disease and cancer.” Health-conscious individuals already follow the identified healthy lifestyle practices, but it certainly makes sense to ensure that each of these habits is at the core of your daily regimen to dramatically lower risk of heart disease and cancer.

How Lifestyle and Natural Supplements Can Improve Health

Billions of people across the world rely on modern medicine to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Over the past 200 years, significant technological advances have increased the average human lifespan from 40 years to 70 years. While many people are able to enjoy a longer life, there are signs that this process may be in reverse. While medicine has improved significantly, many people are choosing to lead sedentary and unhealthy lifestyles.

The leading cause of death in the United States used to be an infectious disease. With modern medicine, many of these diseases have been eliminated from the continent. However, the leading cause of death in many areas is now heart disease. These diseases are often caused by obesity, unhealthy diets, diabetes, and other metabolic disorders. While its important to consult a doctor for any serious health problem, there are many steps that individuals can take to improve their overall health and reduce the risk of disease.

Its essential to eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and lean meats. Foods that are rich in carbohydrates should be avoided. This includes milkshakes, candy, cola, white bread, pasta, and foods containing sugar. In addition, its a good idea to foods that have been overly processed. Processed meats like hot dogs and sausage contain nitrates and nitrites. These have been shown to increase the risk of some types of colon cancer. In addition, processed foods containing partially hydrogenated oil have been shown to increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes. While the resources at a stem cell bank can be used to treat some diseases, its essential to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

There are many natural supplements that can be beneficial to ones health. High blood pressure can be treated using a combination of fish oil, magnesium, and hawthorn extract. Its possible to lose weight by taking a combination of green tea extract, resveratrol, and yohmibe. Many people who are experiencing depression take a drug like Prozac. Nature offers a healthier alternative: St. Johns Wort can act as an effective SSRI at alleviating the symptoms of depression.

Sedatives are the most addictive class of drugs. Sedatives include benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and z-drugs. All sedatives work by modulating the action of GABA, a neurotransmitter, in the human brain. Its often possible to replace these drugs with a natural alternative. There are several herbal extracts that have been shown to improve sleep and reduce anxiety. These include natural herbal remedies like lemon balm, relora, theanine, and magnesium.

Contact a doctor before taking any supplement or medication.

4 Unhealthy Lifestyle for Pregnant Women

4 Unhealthy Lifestyle for Pregnant Women - Unhealthy lifestyles have a negative effect on health. Starting from a decline in health, premature aging to the difficulty of getting offspring may be caused by poor lifestyle.

The Following, 4 Unhealthy Lifestyle for Pregnant Women:

1. Smoking is one example of an unhealthy lifestyle
Luke Peppone research conducted at the University of Rochester in New York and Dr. Kenneth Piazza of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York to prove it. They studied 4800 women who become patients at Roswell Park. Four out of five respondents admitted women exposed to cigarette throughout their lives. After investigation found, 11% of women claimed to have difficulty conceiving. 1/3 of women experience one or more miscarriages.

While the woman whose parents smoked, 26% more difficulty conceiving. Women who become passive smokers, 39% risk of miscarriage.

2. Unhealthy lifestyle is like drinking alcohol. A study in Denmark, involving 430 couples who want children to prove how much alcohol can make it difficult to have offspring. Results were expressed ability of women to have children decreases with increasing frequency of alcohol he consumed.

3. Caffeine is also responsible for the low level of fertility.
Coffee that often make you drowsy awake when it makes the blood vessels and blood flow to the uterus tense, making it difficult for fertilization. Coffee is not the only drinks that contain caffeine. Tea and cola drinks also contain caffeine, although there were not many.

4. White rice can be the culprit turns out you have difficulty conceiving.
Carbohydrates are easily digested such as rice, potatoes and sugar can make blood sugar rise that increased insulin production. Types of carbohydrates can interfere with the performance of hormones needed for pregnancy. So you should replace your carbohydrate intake with brown rice and whole wheat bread. Expand also eat vegetables and fruit.