Nutrition in Diseases

Nutrition therapy in diseases is determined according to the status and severity of the disease. The nutrition therapy is applied for diseases such as diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular diseases that are commonly seen among the communities.
The nutrition therapy is determined by taking the age, sex, genetic structure, lifestyle of the person into consideration. Therefore, the nutrition therapy in diseases is personal and it must certainly be prepared under the control of the doctor and dietician/nutritionist.

Alzheimer and Nutrition

Alzheimer is a disorder developing dysmnesia (forgetfulness) with the increasing age and that causes problems like not being able to fulfill what daily life requires as well as memory and speaking problems. Being an irremediable and progressive disease, Alzheimer is conventionally known as dementia. We can support our body to prevent this disorder that develops also with the effect of the genetic factors.

How should we take nourishment?

1. Blueberry: It is good for decreasing memory with its rich antioxidant and vitamin C content.
2. Omega 3 fatty acids: The fish species such as salmon, sardine, mackerel, tuna fish and herring contain animal-based omega 3. On the other hand, walnut, almond, flaxseed, purslane, broccoli are examples for vegetal omega 3 sources. Omega 3 fatty acids play a big role in the brain and nerve development to work regularly.
3. Avocado: It is highly antioxidant since it is rich in vitamin E. It deduces the risk of Alzheimer by protecting the nerve system and neurons.
4. Curry: This spice being used to add flavor to especially meat dishes has a high level of the antioxidant feature with the curcumin in the compounds of turmeric..
5. Green tea: It is a strong antioxidant with the flavonoids in its content. Drinking up to 2 cups a day prevents the plaque formation that might happen in the brain.
6. Citrus fruits: The citrus fruits such as lemon, orange, strawberry, mango which are rich in vitamin C have a scavenger effect for free radicals that might occur in the body and a preventive effect. In summary, nourishing with nutrients with rich content of the antioxidant is a significant step to prevent the diseases. In addition to nutrition, planned life, being social, solving riddles, playing memory games that will work the brain, changing the place of some objects in the house, using different ways to go home or to work must be among the activities to be made to prevent the forgetfulness.

INSULIN RESISTANCE

Being one of the biggest reasons for difficult weight loss and waist circumference lipidosis, insulin resistance has become a chronic disease in all communities recently. Insulin resistance causing many diseases such as, diabetes being in the first place, hyperinsulinemia, hypertension, arteriosclerosis is counted as one of the factors that shortens human life. Insulin helps the glucose (smallest structural unit of carbohydrate) that is secreted from the Langerhans islets of the pancreas and that we get from the nutrients to be carried to the cells and tissues and this way, glucose becomes a fuel source for energy. However, when glucose can’t enter into the cell, the proteins and the fats at the latest instead of it are used as an energy source. And how does insulin resistance develop?
Insulin resistance develops depending on two factors. The most important one of these is genetic factors. The hereditary factors coming from the family affect the hormone balance and are genetically transferred from generation to generation. If someone has a relative (especially 1. Degree relative) who has “Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (IDDM) (Type 1 Diabetes)”, it is highly possible that the person might have Type 1 Diabetes. These people either don’t have the insulin hormone by birth or they have very little. The treatment is directly insulin. If the person has a relative who has “Non-Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM) (Type 2 Diabetes)”, the risk of having Type 2 Diabetes is high. There are also some environmental factors causing the insulin resistance apart from genetics. These are; nutrition style of the person, physical activity status and other factors. If the person is skipping meals, eating high-calorie and highly glycemic-indexed (the nutrients’ speed of increasing the blood sugar) nutrients (flour, sugar and starched foods) in the meals, does not have a regular nutrition style, the possibility of developing insulin resistance is high. Moreover, if the person smokes, takes alcohol (2 times and more than 2 glasses per week) and does not do activities, the risk to develop insulin resistance is high.

How Is Insulin Resistance Diagnosed?

As a result of consuming high glycemic-indexed and high-calorie foods and not being active, the glucose rate in the blood increases and accordingly, the insulin amount secreted from the pancreas increases. Since the insulin secretion is high, the cells and tissues cannot respond to the insulin (they become desensitized). Glucose cannot enter into the cells and cannot be used as an energy source. The high level of glucose in the blood causes insulin to be secreted more. The person starts feeling hunger since glucose cannot be an energy source for the cells (desire to eat frequently) and the person starts inclining to the foods with high level of sugar intensity and calorie content. The increasing insulin in the blood accompanies the high level of glucose and the blood sugar starts becoming unbalanced, a resistance towards insulin starts developing. Muscle cell starts using the protein in its own structure to produce energy and the person loses weight. As the insulin resistance increases, some symptoms like impaired glucose tolerance, hyperinsulinemia, glucose spillage with urine, thamuria, sweet cravings or passion for sweet, frequent hunger, night eating, indulgence for bakery-sugary-starchy foods, fast and quick eating, sweating, nervous temperament, short temper, state of sleep after eating start being experienced. If the person receives treatment at this stage, diabetes develops. Since insulin cannot do its duty, it transforms the sugar into fat and stores it which is its second duty. As a result of this, fat accumulation increases in the liver and omentum (intra-abdominal fatty tissue) and the person’s status goes towards metabolic syndrome.
For the diagnosis of the disease, it is enough to check pre-prandial blood sugar, a postprandial blood sugar of 1 and 2 hours, HbA1c value, pre-prandial and postprandial insulin values of the person.
In order to prevent insulin resistance or break the existing resistance, a healthy nutrition plan must be prepared under the control of the dietician firstly. The person must stay away from the high glycemic-indexed foods (sugar, white flour), drink abundant water. Doing aerobic exercises (walking, running, cycling, swimming, playing tennis) for 30-45 minutes 3-4 days a week helps to break the insulin resistance starting from the muscle tissues. Even walking every other day is enough in this issue. Diet and exercise part is 60% adequate to break the insulin resistance depending on the person’s condition. Medication suitable for the developed insulin resistance treatment supports other treatments; especially medicines containing “metamorphine”. If there is insulin resistance, it is necessary to stick to the mentioned treatment methods in order to prevent this for life.

Who Are Under Risk?

The risk of developing insulin resistance is high in people who have a relative (especially 1. Degree relative) with diabetes disease or insulin resistance, who smoke, who have irregular and unhealthy eating habits, who do not do physical activities and who are negative in terms of psychology (stresses, angry, unhappy).