Diabetes - Are You At Risk?

Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic disease where the body is unable to produce insulin or incapable of utilizing the insulin well. Insulin is a substance in the body which helps to regulate the amount of sugar (glucose) in your blood. If insulin does not work well, it will lead to high sugar level in your blood which is detrimental to your health.  Consequently it would result in blindness, kidney failure, cardiovascular diseases, foot and leg disorders.


There are two types of diabetes. 


Type 1 diabetes: Patient's body is unable to produce insulin required to convert excess sugar to glycogen. Insulin injection is needed to control blood sugar level. 


Type 2 diabetes: Patient's body is able to produce insulin. However their insulin does not function as well as normal insulin therefore causing high blood sugar. Type 2 diabetes can be controlled by a low sugar diet, exercise and medication. Insulin is only required in serious cases.


Symptoms of Diabetes

1. Blurred vision
2. Increased thirst or hunger
3. More urine
4. Fatigue
5. Rapid weight loss
6. Dry or itchy skin
7. Loss of feeling in the hands and feet
8. Cuts that takes a long time to heal

If you experience most of the symptoms listed, please do a health screening and consult your doctor to verify if you have diabetes.

You are at risk of diabetes if you belong to the following group:

1. Family history of diabetes
2. Obese
3. More than 40 years old
4. Pregnant

Prevention is better than cure

Moderate exercise daily is recommended as it improves your body metabolism and burns up the sugar you have consumed. Do not over consume as you would unknowingly add a lot of sugar to your body. Therefore you might also want to avoid eating too much chocolate, biscuits and sweets.

Should you have any questions, please email Jin's Health Tips at tanjinlin@gmail.com

Cranberry - The Fruit Everyone Loves

Although very small in size, Cranberry has a lot to give. Not only is cranberry a very delicious fruit or a dish on your dining table, but it also has many health benefits associated with it.

picture taken from uscranberries.com

Heart: Cranberry contains flavanoid and polyphenolic compounds which are proven to be good for the heart. These are antioxidants which prevent the oxidation of low density lipoprotein(LDL), which are your bad cholesterol. This would in turn reduce the risk of getting atherosclerosis, blocked arteries, which is due to the accumulation of the LDLs.

Gastric Ulcer: The presence the bacteria Helicobacter pylori is the main cause of many gastric ulcer. It neutralises the pH of the gastric lining which allows itself to the stomach wall and hence proliferates. However, Cranberry contains proanthocyanidins which undermines the bacteria's ability to stick on our stomach wall and hence preventing gastric ulcer.

Urinary Tract Infection: Similar to that of gastric ulcer, proanthocyanidins prevents the bacteria E. coli from clinging on the lining of the urinary tract. Since the E. coli cannot stay on the urinary tract, it gets flushed away and therefore less chance for an infection to occur.

Anti-inflammatory benefits: An infection on the gum may cause peridontal diseases which might damage the support for the teeth. However cranberry contains phytonutrients which has anti-inflammatory properties that is capable of combating such and infection. It also prevents inflammation along the gastro-intestinal tracts.

Choosing your cranberry is just as important as knowing the benefits of it. Jin's Health Tips suggests that you choose cranberries which are plump, deep red and firm. The firmness indicates the freshness of the fruit. The more red it is, the more nutritious it is.

Live well, Eat Well!

Should you have any questions, please email Jin's Health Tips at tanjinlin@gmail.com

DHA - The Health Formula

Over the past few years, there has been a hype about DHA in terms of its health benefits. It is widely advertised with products such as baby powder and supplements. DHA, Docosahexaenoic acid, is a very important omega-3 fatty acids required by our body. It is essential especially for pregnant women and for the development of the fetal's brain and eye. In addition, research has shown that DHA is also good for people with cardiovascular diseases, depression.

picture taken from www.nu-mega.com

DHA is very important for the development of the brain and retina especially for the fetus. Since the only source of DHA comes from the mother, pregnant women require a higher intake of DHA to meet her body's needs. After birth, the baby still requires a high amount of DHA for brain development. Even in adult hood, a good intake of DHA ensures a good mental health. This means that you are less prone to dementia, depression and other mental diseases.

Studies have also shown that DHA may also benefit your heart and prevent you from getting cardiovascular diseases. However, if you already have a heart disease, DHA reduces the chances of another attack. For patients who have undergone bypass surgery, it prevents the blood vessel from closing up again.

DHA can be obtained from fish oil which also contains EPA, eicosapentaenoic acid, yet another form of omega-3 fatty acids. The combination of DHA and EPA is believed to have a greater health benefit to our body. If you are a vegetarian, do not worry because there are other sources of omega-3 such as soya bean, brussel sprouts, flax seeds etc.

Jin Health tips recommends two servings of fatty fish per week to supplement your body with sufficient DHA.

Shea Butter - Skin Health

Shea butter, although a relatively new cosmetic product in the market, has been widely used by African for hundreds of years. It is the yellowish fats obtained from the Shea tree's nut and contain many vitamins such as Vitamin A, B and F which are excellent for your skin.

Picture taken from bellaearth.net

Vitamin A is essential for the rejuvenation of the skin. It also is a very strong antioxidant which combats the free radicals in your skin which helps improve wrinkles and lines on the skin. In addition, it can prevent acne by reducing sebum production.

Vitamin E is another very strong antioxidant which has similar properties to that of vitamin A. In addition, Vitamin E also contains anti-inflammatory, anti-UV, moisturizing properties. Therefore you tend to find it in many sunscreen lotions, cosmetics, moisturizing products etc.

Vitamin F is basically your omega 3 and 6. Its main role in this context is to repair your skin cells and generate new ones. People with Vitamin F deficiency often find themselves having dry skin or eczema.

For people with Eczema, Jin's Health tips recommend that you try Shea butter as your body wash. It moisturizes your skin well and hence prevents irritation of your skin. It also penetrates deep into your skin to keep your skin moisturized for a longer period of time.

Just a tip on choosing your Shea butter. Generally it comes in two kinds: raw or processed. The raw ones are the best but it has a natural smell which might be unpleasant to some. Most people are actually fine with the smell actually. Otherwise you could still try the processed one which is a tad whitish in color. However the more processed it is, the less vitamins you will get.

If you have any queries, please feel free to email Jin's Health tips at tanjinlin@gmail.com

Pinhole Glasses and Its Magical "Powers"

Whether you are myopic(short-sighted) or hyperopic(long-sighted), there is something new in the market which might just be right for you and that is the pinhole glasses. These glasses are made of plastic and contain hundreds of pin holes which allow light rays to enter and fall accurately on your retina so that you will be able to see without your spectacle. Now you should be wondering how does the pinhole glasses works?

If you are a photographer, you would know that an object will be more focused by reducing the aperture of the lens. People with myopia or hyperopia always have blurred vision because the light which enters their eyes do not fall on their retina. It either ends up before the retina for the myopic or after for the latter. This is the cause of their blurred vision. However, pinhole glasses is able to correct these problems. As light passes through the pinhole, it is not refracted by the lens of your eye and travels straight to the wall of your retina. Therefore, you will be able to have a clearer vision.

Picture taken from natures-energies.com

If you have to use the computer very often, you might want to try using the pinhole glasses. Long usage of computer will often cause Computer Vision Syndrome. Users will hence experience eye strain, headache, blurry vision, double vision, eye fatigue and dry eyes. Wearing pinhole glasses will reduce the glare from your monitor, increase the depth of your vision and most importantly helps your eyes to relax.

Even though there are no medical studies that prove that pinhole glasses can have permanent improvement on the vision, there have been many reports that wearing such glasses daily for at least 15mins can improve your vision. However, do not wear these glasses when driving because your peripherals are being blocked and will therefore be very dangerous.

Lastly, pinhole glasses are very affordable and could be purchased easily over the counter. There are no side effects to this product so if you are interested, there is no harm trying.

If you have any queries, do feel free to email Jin's Health tips at tanjinlin@gmail.com

Are You More Cultured Than a Cup of Yogurt?

If you are a lover of dairy products, you will never want to miss this food called the Yogurt. There are a lot of health benefits associated with yogurt and you would definitely want to add it into your grocery list the next time you are going to the supermarket. It provides a very good source of nutrition such as Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12), probiotics and calcium.

Picture taken from wdexpo.org

Here are some reasons why Yogurt is good for you

1) Good for your bones

An average person would require 1,000mg of calcium a day and a glass of yogurt would easily provides you with 30-40% of calcium required for the day. Calcium is an important mineral as it is required for the development of bones. A high calcium diet would allow you to have strong bones. It also prevents osteoporosis especially for the old people. Choose yogurt which contains Vitamin D because it promotes the absorption of calcium into our body.

2) Boost immune system

Yogurt contains probiotics, good bacteria which are good for the immune system. Probiotics such as Lactobacillus casei has been proven to increase the number immune cells, such as T-lymphocytes,which kill unwanted substances in the body. As the number of these cells increase, the body will have a better immune system. It also prevents cancer.

3) Prevents yeast infection

Women, especially those with diabetes are more prone to Candida infection, commonly known as vaginal or yeast infection. Patients with Candida infection have vaginal pH around 6.0. Research has shown that active culture in yogurt helps to reduce vaginal pH to around 4.0 (normal range), hence, discouraging yeast growth.

4) A healthy gastrointestinal system

For people who exhibits diarrhea due to lactose(milk sugar) intolerance. The high lactase (enzyme which breaks down lactose), low lactose yogurt would reduce this problem.

Healthy bacteria such as Acidophilus prevents the conversion of bile into carcinogenic bile. Hence, preventing diseases such as colon cancer and H pylori infection.

Just a tip on how to choose your yogurt. Choose those with active probiotics, low fat and light sweetener.

Ever heard of the phrase "You are what you eat?" If you want to stay healthy, then eat well.

If you have any queries, do feel free to email Jin's Health tips at tanjinlin@gmail.com

Red Wine & the French Paradox

Heard of the French paradox? Wondering why albeit their high fat diet, the French still maintains a low mortality for heart diseases. This arouses the attention of scientists and they discovered that Red Wine is the answer.

Picture taken from telegraph.co.uk

Red wine contains many antioxidants which prevent the free radicals from attacking the healthy cells. The most studied antioxidant Resveratol, a derivation of grape skin and seeds, has been scientifically proven for the prevention of heart disease and cancer. On the contrary, white wine contains less Resveratol than red wine because the skins of the grapes are removed during the wine making process.

Resveratol prevents the blood clots from forming. This would allow a good flow of blood, supplying oxygen efficiently to all parts of the body. When blood clots are formed, ischemia(lack of oxygen) would occur. If ischemia occurs in vessels near the brain or heart, it might cause a stroke or a heart attack.

If you have read my article on Cholesterol, you would know that Low-density lipoprotein(LDL) are the bad cholesterol that you would not want too much of them in the body. These LDL cause plaque in the arteries which results in atherosclerosis. What Resveratol does is that it prevents the oxidation of LDL and thus preventing the formation of plaques.

Resveratol also has anti-cancer properties as it has the ability to neutralize the free radicals. Research has shown that Resveratol can cause the apoptosis(self destruction) of certain cancer cells. It can also suppress the formation of tumor by preventing the formation of new blood vessels around the tumor. Hence, cutting of the supply of nutrients to the tumor.

If alcohol is part of your daily diet, Jin's Health tips suggests that you make red wine your choice. Recommended consumption is a glass of red wine daily for women and two glasses for the men. It's important to note that over consumption of alcohol has detrimental effects to the body, especially the liver.

For people who don't drink, please do not start drinking red wine because grape is definitely the better choice as does not contain alcohol at all.

If you have any queries, do feel free to email Jin's Health tips at tanjinlin@gmail.com

Cut down your Cholesterol - Jin's Health Tips

Everyone knows that high cholesterol causes cardiovascular diseases and stroke. These diseases are life threatening and if you belong to a high risk group, a good understanding of cholesterol will definitely help you with your health. Are all cholesterol bad? Are there good cholesterol? In this article, Jin's Health tips will share with you what are the different types of cholesterol and tell you the kind of diet and lifestyle you can adopt to keep your cholesterol within acceptable levels.

If you go for health screening often, you would notice HDL counts and LDL counts on your results.

• HDL(The GOOD) is called High Density Lipoproteins. These are good cholesterols which removes cholesterol from the arterial walls. It also helps to reduce blood clots and constriction of blood vessels. Target Level: >1mmol/L
• LDL(The BAD) is called Low Density Lipoproteins. These are the sticky cholesterols which likes to stick onto the arterial walls. This is the cause for blockage(atherosclerosis) and heart attack. Target Level: <2mmol/l

Figure showing actions of HDL and LDL

Diet

Maintaining good cholesterol level requires a healthy diet. Jin's Health tips recommends a low fat, low cholesterol and high fibres diet.

• Eat plenty of fish, fruit, dark green and leafy vegetable, beans (sources of HDL)
• Avoid high fat food, fried food, pastries, sugared drinks (sources of LDL)

Lifestyle

In addition to a good diet, a healthy diet is required to combat High cholesterol levels.

Jin Health tips advices:

• Mild to moderate exercises at least 30mins a day
• No smoking
• Be more health conscious

Go for your health screening regularly and ensure that your cholesterol is within acceptable level. If you belong to the high risk group, it is time you start to change your diet and lifestyle as these two are the key to recovery.

If you do have any queries, do feel free to email Jin's Health Tips at tanjinlin@gmail.com

Water VS Sport Drinks - Jin's Health Tips

I'm sure that you have definitely walked past the beverage section of a supermarket and saw a lot sports drinks on the shelf and wondered if they are really better than plain water. In addition, there are so many types of sports drinks in the market that you might not be buying the one suitable for you.

The main reason why we drink when we exercise is to rehydrate ourselves from all the water loss through our perspiration. In addition to losing water, electrolytes and carbohydrates are lost when we exercise all well. That is the very reason why sports drinks existed.

How do you choose your sports drinks?

Primarily, there are three types of Sports Drinks. They are namely hypotonic, isotonic and hypertonic.

• Hypotonic: "Hypo-", meaning less, suggests that the liquid is less concentrated as compared to the body. Therefore, it promotes a better uptake of water into our body.

• Isotonic: "Iso-", meaning same, suggests that the beverage has the same concentration as body fluids. It not only hydrates the body but also replenish the electrolytes and carbohydrates in the body. Jin's Health Tips feels that this is the most suitable if your exercise duration is more than 60mins.

• Hypertonic: "Hyper-", meaning more, suggests that liquid is more concentrated than the the body. Jin's Health Tips suggests that you only use hypertonic drinks as a post exercise drink to replenish your energy and replenish lost as it doesn't serve the purpose of hydration.

Water, being Hypotonic to body fluids, are being well absorbed into the body during exercise. It is certainly a very good choice for almost any exercises. Moreover, it is cheap and most readily available.

Which ever drink that you choose, Jin's Health Tips urges you to have proper hydration during exercise to prevent yourself from heat injuries.

If you do have any queries, do feel free to email Jin's Health Tips at tanjinlin@gmail.com

Above picure taken from nextgenerationfood.com

Know Your Vitamins - Jin's Health tips

Vitamin A (Retinol)

Functions: Important for the eyes(visual pigments), skin, bones and teeth
Sources: Green and yellow vegetables, dairy products

Deficiency: Night Blindness and flaking skin

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)

Functions: Good for the muscles, heart and nerves

Sources: Grains, meat

Deficiency: Beri Beri (nerve problems), heart muscle weakness and edema

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)

Functions: Antioxidants

Sources: Green vegetables, organ meats, egg, dairy products

Deficiency: Inflammation of skin and eyes

Vitamin B3 (Niacin)

Functions: Good for the skin, nerve system and gastrointestinal tracts

Sources: Meat and grains

Deficiency: Pellagra (scaly dermatitis and mental disturbances) and nervous disorder

Vitamin B5 (Pentothenic Acid)

Functions: Aids fat and carbohydrate metabolism

Sources: Organ meat, eggs and grains

Deficiency: loss of coordination (rare)

Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)

Functions: Important for the production of red blood cells, helps break down amino acids

Sources: Vegetable, meats and grains

Deficiency: Convulsions, irritability and anemia

Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid)

Functions: Important for the production of red blood cells, helps break down amino acids

Sources: Vegetable

Deficiency: Digestive Disorders and anemia

Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin)

Functions: Involved in blood production

Sources: Meat and dairy products

Deficiency: Pernicious Anemia

Biotin (Vitamin H)

Functions: needed for healthy skin hair and nails

Sources: Vegetable, Meat and eggs

Deficiency: Mental and muscle problem (rare)

Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)

Functions: Antioxidant, manufacture of collegen fibers

Sources: Fruit and Green vegetable

Deficiency: Scurvy, degeneration of the skin, bone and blood vessels

Vitamin D (Calciferol)

Functions: Aids in calcium absorption

Sources: Dairy products and fish liver oil

Deficiency: Rickets and skeletal deformity

Vitamin E (Tocopherol)

Functions: Antioxidant and protect cells from being destroyed

Sources: Green vegetables and seeds

Deficiency: Muscle and reproductive disorders (rare)

If you do have any queries, do feel free to email Jin's health tips at tanjinlin@gmail.com

Preventing Hypertension - Jin's Health Tips

Hypertension, also know as High Blood Pressure has become one of the most pressing health issues especially in developed countries. Although there are several forms of treatment available, hypertension cannot be totally cured. As the old saying goes "Prevention is better than cure", therefore, Jin's Health tips would like to share with you ways on preventing high blood pressure.

Let me first give you a brief description on what is hypertension. Hypertension is the increase in blood pressure of the arteries. This increase in blood pressure opens up the Pandora's box of many other health problems such as atherosclerosis, heart attack, stroke, dementia, ischemic attack, kidney failure and even loss of vision.

Classification	Systolic pressure		Diastolic pressure
	mmHg	kPa	mmHg	kPa
Normal	90–119	12–15.9	60–79	8.0–10.5
Prehypertension	120–139	16.0–18.5	80–89	10.7–11.9
Stage 1	140–159	18.7–21.2	90–99	12.0–13.2
Stage 2	≥160	≥21.3	≥100	≥13.3
Isolated systolic hypertension	≥140	≥18.7	<90	<12.0
Source: American Heart Association (2003).[5]

This is a guide as to which category does your blood pressure falls under.

Symptoms

If you exhibit the following symptoms, please consult your doctor to check if you have hypertension:

1. Chest pain
2. Breathing problems
3. Dizziness
4. Irregular heartbeat
5. Blood in urine
6. Problems with vision
7. vomiting

How to Prevent Hypertension

1. Regular exercise
2. Reduce dietary sugar
3. Reduce dietary salt
4. Refrain from smoking
5. Reduce stress
6. Abstain from alcohol

Modern medication such as ACE inhibitors, ARB drugs, alpha blockers, beta blockers and diuretics works to reduce the blood pressure which lowers the risk of suffering from the effects of hypertension. However, Jin's Health tips strongly recommends that a healthy lifestyle with regular exercise and healthy diet to achieve the best result.

If you do have any queries, do feel free to email Jin's health tips at tanjinlin@gmail.com

When is the best to exercise? - Jin's Health tips

There are so many benefits about exercising that you can't possibly say no it. Exercising improves your cardio, reduces stress, burns calories, makes you stronger, improves your digestion... Simply, exercise makes you healthy!

However, do you when is the best time of the day to exercise? Make a guess, it is in morning, afternoon or night?

Recently "What's good for you?", an Australian health television program, conducted an experiment which measures the fat burn and strength increase percentage of people who exercise at dawn, noon and dusk.

Results:

Morning: Burns the most fats

Afternoon: Increases the most in strength

Night: Moderate increase in fats and strength

If you want to burn fats, you would definitely like to exercise in the morning. After a night of fast, your glucose level is lowest in the morning. Therefore, you will tend to burn more fats compared to other part of the days.

For those who do weights, late afternoon would be a better choice. This is because your body temperature is higher during this part of the day. Your muscles will be more relaxed and thus work better. If you usually hit the gym early in the morning, Jin's health tips suggests that you warm up your body thoroughly to prevent any injury.

People who exercise at night do show an increase in strength and burn fats. However, some have complains of sleeping problem. This is because the increase in body temperature and adrenaline level due the exercise. Hence, you might find it harder to get to sleep.

Choosing when to exercise is definitely a personal preference. Jin's Health tips seeks to give you tips as to when is the best time to exercise if you want to burn fats or gain strength. Most importantly, Jin's Health tips recommends a regular exercise regime to keep yourself healthy.

If you do have any queries, do feel free to email Jin's health tips at tanjinlin@gmail.com

Sleep - Jin's Health tips

Sleeping is undoubtedly the most important part of your day.

Jin's Health tips suggest that you should have at least 7 hours of sleep a day.

A good sleep requires at least two sleeping cycles where the sleep waves ranges from Rapid Eye Movement(REM) to delta waves(stage 4) as shown in the figure below.

Figure taken from nutrization.com

Benefits of good sleep

• Reduces stress
• Decreases the chances of getting cancer
• Better memory
• Makes you feel energetic
• Better immune system
• Better detoxification of unwanted substances within the body

How do you know if you have a sleeping problem?

• If you take more than 30mins to get to sleep, you are most likely to have a sleeping problem.

So How?

• Exercise regularly
• Try to improve your sleeping habits in terms of posture and the time you sleep
• Keep a sleep diary to see if there is any improvement
• Get a posturepedic mattress
• Consult a doctor if this issue persists

If you do have any queries, do feel free to email Jin's health tips at tanjinlin@gmail.com

Jin's Health tips

Welcome to Jin's Health tips. This blog promises to give you valuable health tips which allow you stay healthy and fit. As long as you follow my health tips, you will definitely enjoy your life with a healthy body. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at tanjinlin@gmail.com.