Diabetes Nutrition

Diabetes nutrition is important to understand for any health professional that is looking to care for individuals with either type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes. The medical health professionals at Paper Masters will custom write research on diabetic nutrition.

For patients who are pre-diabetic or have been diagnosed with diabetes, maintaining a healthy diet is vital to controlling one's blood sugar and reducing the likelihood of diabetes-related complications, such as high blood pressure or other cardiovascular problems. Consuming more calories or fat than one needs forces the body to produce more blood glucose; this rise can cause hyperglycemia, which can lead to kidney, nerve, or heart damage. However, in addition to using insulin and other necessary medications, maintaining a healthy diet can help alleviate many of the potential complications that can arise from diabetes and improve one's overall quality of life.

Diabetes-related nutrition should include a number of things.

1. Healthy carbohydrates, such as whole grains, legumes, and natural fruits and vegetables, are an essential element of this diet;
2. Ensuring the choices one makes are also representative of those items that are high in fiber is also beneficial.
3. Physicians and dieticians recommend that individuals with diabetes consume certain types of fish at least twice a week. Salmon, tuna, and bluefish, for example, are excellent replacements for other meals that are high in fat; these same fish also provide omega-3 fatty acids, known to aid in a healthy heart.
4. Finally, one should focus on eating "good" fats as opposed to harmful ones; these include monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which can be found in everything from almonds and walnuts to olives and avocados.

Studies show that certain diseases, including type-2 diabetes, as well as cardiovascular disease and hypertension, may lead to cognitive impairment. Additionally, ingestion of certain foods, or the elimination of foods, may contribute to cognitive impairment. These issues are especially true in the elderly population. Heightened nutrition, in the form of macronutrients, may improve performance on cognitive tasks.

First, it is important to understand the relationship between cognitive performance, diet, and disease. Once the disease is treated, patients can benefit from specific attention to diet. This is especially true in elderly patients. Second, ingestion of macronutrients immediately affects cognition. This seems counterintuitive, as vitamins and minerals benefit the body over time. However, scientists theorize that many of these nutrients improve cognition through mechanisms connected to the gut-brain axis. Glucose is particularly beneficial in terms of cognitive functioning. Professionals can use this information to help their patients. Particular attention to frequent meals packed with nutrition should be given. Macronutrient carbohydrates may be particularly useful in helping patients improve their cognitive function. Last, patients who are concerned about diminished cognitive skills should be made aware that they may improve with diet.