Article Summary:
A recent report on the state of the nation’s health revealed new cases of diabetes caused by an unhealthy diet and lack of exercise are soaring in Britain. So serious has the problem become that the National Health Service is spending a million GB pounds an hour to tackle the diabetes problem, which some writers have called an epidemic.
Full Article:
A recent report on the state of the nation’s health revealed new cases of diabetes caused by an unhealthy diet and lack of exercise are soaring in Britain.
So serious has the problem become that the National Health Service is spending a million GB pounds an hour to tackle the diabetes problem, which some writers have called an epidemic.
The report also found that in 2007 one in four adults in England was classed as obese with children more susceptible than they were ten years earlier. In the same period, 17 per cent of boys and 16 per cent of girls between two and 15 years of age were classed as obese.
It is accepted that obesity increases the risk of suffering from diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, strokes, and a range of other often life-threatening conditions.
Type II diabetes is a disease that is often the result of poor life style choices. Yet, rather than tackle to root causes of type II diabetes, principally poor diet and lack of exercise, many obese Britons are turning to stomach surgery for a quick fix. Stomach surgery to tackle obesity jumped 40 per cent in England in 2007.
Treating the symptoms of diabetes or getting a quick fix is not the answer to the diabetes epidemic. The root causes of diabetes must be tackled in order to stem the epidemic.
Our modern “Western” diet is often deficient in essential vitamins and minerals and contains high levels of salt, saturated fats and highly processed foods but insufficient amounts of whole foods, fruit and fresh vegetables. Rather than eating the correct foods, we are more likely to try to make up any dietary deficiencies by taking vitamin supplements. The serried rows of shelving full of vitamin supplements in your local drug store or pharmacy and the burgeoning health supplement industry are testament to this.
All is not doom and gloom. The good news is that treating the root causes of diabetes only requires making simple changes to our diet by reducing the amounts salt, saturated fats and highly processed foods and increasing the amount whole foods, fresh fruit and vegetables that we eat.
Nor is there any need to go to the expense of joining a gym. Incorporating simple aerobic exercise such as 20 minutes brisk walking into our daily routine has been shown to be of benefit, particularly to diabetes sufferers.
Robert Reddin is a writer with more than 7 years experience and has numerous off-line and on-line articles to his credit. His interest in diabetes arose when a close family member was diagnosed with the condition. There is more information on treating diabetes at http://r2reviews.com/?p=3
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