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The previous guidelines for acceptable and safe blood sugar levels during pregnancy have been lowered, meaning that more women will be determined to have gestational diabetes than ever before.

The current standards identify women who may be at higher risk of becoming diabetic later in life, but don’t take into account the risks posed to both mother and baby by higher blood sugar levels, such as high birth weight babies, increased incidence of cesarean section, premature birth and preeclampsia, a dangerous condition causing dangerously high blood pressure in pregnant women.

More than 23,000 women from nine different countries were included in a study, with the following levels recommended as the cut-off for diagnosing gestational diabetes:

• Fasting glucose of 92 or greater
• Fasting glucose test of 180 or more after one hour
• Fasting glucose tolerance of 153 after two hours

The study, which appears in the March issue of Diabetes Care, suggests that as a result of the new recommendations, 2 to 3 times as many women will be diagnosed with gestational diabetes. It is hoped that the new recommendations will decrease the number of premature births, cesarean sections, high birth weight babies, and incidence of preeclampsia.

Source: Twice as Many Women May Soon Be Diagnosed With Gestational Diabetes

A study presented at the American Stroke Association’s Annual Stroke Conference revealed that women in the age group 45 to 54 were three times as likely as men in the same age group to have suffered a stroke. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, conducted on 2,136 adults aged 35 to 64, found that although men were more likely to have traditional stroke risk factors, women suffered from stroke three times as often as men.

The culprit? Researchers controlled for other factors responsible for causing stroke, such as hypertension, smoking and high cholesterol and discovered that the main difference among men and women of this age group was in waist circumference: 62% of women versus 50% of men had abdominal obesity, which is defined as a waist circumference of more than 35 inches in women and more than 40 inches in men.

It was once thought that women had little chance of suffering a stroke before menopause, but this research seems to negate this theory. Although the relative risk of women suffering a stroke in this age group is still small (3%), the risk is real and women can decrease their risk of suffering a stroke by watching their weight (decreasing their abdominal girth), quitting smoking and eating a healthy diet.

Source: Belly Fat Is Culprit in Stroke Gender Gap

A large study of 1.3 million Swedish women over the age of 50 yielded some startling results: women who gave birth to two children had the lowest risk of developing heart disease or having a stroke later in life, while women who had no children or had one or three children had a 10% higher risk of heart disease or stroke. The risk tripled to 30% for women who had four children and rose to an astonishing 60% higher risk for mothers who had five or more children. Some of the women in the study were followed for as long as 23 years, and existing risk factors for heart disease and stroke were taken into account.

Does the study mean that women should limit the size of their family in order to decrease their future risk of heart disease and stroke? Obviously, this was not the goal of the research project. What the research shows is that there is a correlation between pregnancy and the changes that occur in circulation and blood vessels during pregnancy and the risk of future blood vessel disease, pointing the way to further studies in this area. It may also point to the need for more stringent screening for blood vessel disease in women who have given birth multiple times.

Source: Heart disease risk tied to mom’s number of births

Janice is 48 years old, and for the past year she has been feeling persistently tired and has had difficulty sleeping at times. Her periods have become less regular and are often heavier than they used to be. She often feels irritable and “not herself” and states she sometimes feels depressed. Over the past year, she has experienced some difficulty with frequent urinary tract infections and complains that relations with her husband are less enjoyable for her due to vaginal dryness. Intercourse is sometimes painful; as a consequence, she rarely feels like being intimate with her husband. She says that her libido is “almost non-existent”.

If you find that you are experiencing many or all of Janice’s symptoms, you are likely in perimenopause, the period of time which can last months or years and precedes menopause, when ovulation ceases to occur monthly. These symptoms can be attributed to fluctuations in hormone levels, and are commonly experienced by many women.

PreMenora is a botanical formula made up of 10 different natural ingredients that help to ease the transition to menopause. Every woman is different, and PreMenora is designed to alleviate symptoms of perimenopause without the serious risks associated with pharmaceutical hormone replacement therapies, such as breast cancer and heart disease. If you are interested in learning more about Premenora, visit http://premenora.predisease.com/product_information.php.

Mary has suffered from arthritis for years. The disease affects her hips, knees and hands, making the most mundane of tasks difficult to perform. She lives alone and finds it difficult to do many of the activities that many of us take for granted. Mary has tried various anti-inflammatory drugs over the years and eventually developed a bleeding ulcer. Now she only takes something for pain when she absolutely must and lives in fear of experiencing another episode of bleeding.

One of Mary’s friends, who also suffers from arthritis, tells Mary that her doctor advised her to try an herbal product called Pre-Arthros, an all-natural botanical product. Mary’s friend has high blood pressure and cannot take anti-inflammatory medications because they raise her blood pressure. She raves about the pain relief she gets from taking Pre-Arthros and urges Mary to try it.

Mary begins taking Pre-Arthros and is delighted to discover that her friend was right- her pain eases significantly and she is able to resume most of her usual activities. Best of all, Pre-Arthros does not bother her stomach, and the cost of Pre-Arthros is less than she was paying for expensive drug therapies. She couldn’t be happier!

Interested in learning more about Pre-Arthros? Visit http://prearthos.predisease.com/.

Sylvia is a busy stay-at-home mother to three active boys. Although slim as a teenager, Sylvia has found that her weight has crept up since giving birth to her sons, and her busy lifestyle means that she doesn’t have as much time to devote to exercise as she would like. On a recent visit to her doctor, she was told that blood tests indicate that her fasting blood sugar is 120 and her HbA1c is 5.5. She was informed that these levels indicate that she is at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

Sylvia is startled by this news. Several people in her family have diabetes, and she herself has had gestational diabetes with her last two pregnancies. Frantic to find some way to avoid the same fate as many of her family members, Sylvia begins to do some research into natural methods to lose weight and, in the process, lower her blood sugar levels.

In her research, Sylvia stumbles upon a product called PreCrea, an herbal product from plant-based sources that naturally promotes reduction in blood sugar levels and weight loss. She begins the twice-daily formulation and also begins exercising more regularly and watching her diet more carefully. Soon, her entire family is on board- they begin pursuing exercise as a family and planning their meals together. Sylvia is thrilled to discover that within six months she has shed the extra weight from pregnancy and, best of all, her doctor informs her that her blood sugar levels are now in the normal range.

If you would like to learn more about PreCrea, please visit http://precrea.predisease.com/product.php.

John S. went for his yearly physical and was surprised to find out that his cholesterol was high. The doctor explained to John that high cholesterol was a risk factor for developing heart disease. John is also overweight and has borderline high blood pressure. The doctor counseled John that he needed to address these issues or risk having a heart attack or stroke someday, especially given the fact that his father and one brother had already suffered heart attacks at a relatively young age. John’s doctor wanted John to start taking Lipitor to combat his high cholesterol, but John was reluctant to use drugs and preferred to try natural methods first.

John began exercising and attempting to lose weight by watching his diet more carefully and including healthier food choices. A friend told him about PreLipid, an all-natural plant-based product that he had used successfully to lower his own cholesterol. John was a little skeptical but decided to try it for three months. He asked his doctor, who could think of no reason why John should not try it.

John returned to see his doctor in three months and was ecstatic to discover that not only had his cholesterol dropped 25 points, but his weight was down substantially. John’s doctor was astounded that John had been able to accomplish so much in so little time without the use of drugs. John continued to take PreLipid in combination with a healthy diet and exercise and his cholesterol is now within normal limits.

If you want to learn more about lowering your cholesterol using a proven natural product, please visit http://prelipid.predisease.com/.

Many people are well aware of arthritis and its symptoms, but may be less well informed about ankylosing spondylitis, a condition that causes inflammation in the joints of the spine and pelvis. The condition causes considerable pain and can lead to deformity. Ankylosing spondylitis can also cause inflammation in other parts of the body, including the eyes and intestines.

Ankylosing spondylitis often affects younger people, with onset of disease generally occurring from the late teens to 40 years of age; more males are affected than females. Heredity plays a role, with most affected individuals having the HLA-B27 gene, which increases susceptibility to the condition. Symptoms include:

• Back pain and stiffness, often worse upon arising
• Fatigue, weight loss, lack of appetite
• Flares, where the disease becomes worse and then subsides somewhat
• Pain in other joints, such as the knees, hips and shoulders
• Eye inflammation
• Breathing problems related to stiffness in the joints between the ribs and spine
• Progressive deformity of the spine

Diagnosis is made by history, physical examination, imaging studies, and blood tests to detect inflammation. There is no cure for ankylosing spondylitis. Treatment is geared towards reducing inflammation, controlling pain and maintaining mobility.

Source: Ankylosing Spondylitis

Research which included 90,000 subjects from 13 different studies has shown that there is an increased risk of developing diabetes in people who use statins to combat high cholesterol. Although the risk is low (a 9% increase in the four-year risk of developing the disease), researchers also looked at the risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke and concluded that the benefits of taking statins outweigh the risk of developing diabetes. The risk of developing diabetes was highest in the studies that included older people. There was no difference in risk among the statins tested, which included Zocor, Crestor, Lipitor, Mevacor, and Pravachol.

The researchers concluded that physicians should be aware of this risk and, in addition to monitoring liver function and CK (creatinine kinase, which might indicate muscle damage if elevated), doctors should also check glucose levels periodically in their patients taking statins to reduce cholesterol. They also recommended that physicians should weigh the risk of developing diabetes in patients who have a lower risk of heart disease before prescribing statins. The study appears in The Lancet.

Pre-Lipid is an all-natural product designed to safely and effectively lower cholesterol using plant-based ingredients, without the side effects associated with the use of statins.

Source: Diabetes Risk of Statins Outweighed by Heart Benefit

The current guidelines for HRT (hormone replacement therapy) are that women take HRT for the shortest time and in the smallest dose possible to treat symptoms of menopause. Studies in the past suggested that taking HRT early on in menopause protected women from heart disease, but new data does not support this idea.

The Women’s Health Initiative was a huge study of 16,000 women, half of whom received HRT while the other half received placebos. The study was halted in 2002 when it was discovered that the women taking HRT had higher rates of blood clots, heart disease and breast cancer. It was this study that ignited the fierce debate about HRT therapy and its safety that has raged ever since.

Researchers recently turned their focus to the women in the study who began HRT early in menopause and discovered that there was a slight increase in risk of heart disease, although the numbers were not considered significant. The researchers debunked the theory that HRT taken early in menopause has a protective effect against heart disease. It should be noted that the women in the WHI study took higher doses of hormones than women typically use today.

Women should consider the risks and benefits of HRT and should discuss these factors with their personal physician. Many women are choosing to use lifestyle and natural remedies to cope with menopause symptoms.

PreMenora is a twice-daily all-natural formulation that decreases menopausal symptoms by 80% and provides immediate and long-term results. It is easily affordable and offers a safe alternative to HRT.

Source: Early HRT Doesn’t Reduce Heart Risk