Prevent Colon Cancer and Promote Gastrointestinal Health

Diabetes Mellitus is a disorder where the body cannot regulate glucose levels (blood sugar) normally. There are several different types of diabetes. The most common form is Type 2 Diabetes, which is most often associated with being overweight or obese. Type 2 Diabetes develops from two factors: a defect in beta cells (cells in the pancreas that make insulin) paired with insulin resistance (the insulin that is made does not work as well). Type 1 diabetes (formerly called Juvenile onset) develops when the beta cells are destroyed by the body’s immune system, and therefore do not produce insulin. Over time, if blood sugars remain elevated above the normal range, devastating complications of diabetes can occur, such as blindness, kidney failure, and nerve damage. Diabetes is also linked to an increased incidence of heart disease and stroke. Regardless of the type of diabetes, learning how different foods affect blood sugar is essential to understanding and managing the disease.  read more »

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is an extremely common functional gastrointestinal disorder that affects 10-20% of the general population and accounts for a significant amount of primary care and gastroenterology visits. IBS occurs most often in the third and fourth decades of life and women are two to four more times likely than men to be diagnosed with IBS. The underlying cause of IBS remains to be elucidated, although many possibilities have been proposed. These possible etiologies include hormonal influences, food intolerance or allergy, a post-infectious phenomenon, bacterial growth in the gut, increased sensitivity to pain perception, and a dysfunctional connection between the brain and the gut.  read more »