Can Cardio Exercise Make You Too Thin?
Never mind elite marathon runners, cardio exercise will NOT make you too thin.
The question has come up by fitness enthusiasts if a lot of cardio exercise can make a person too thin.
I’m a former personal trainer, and what makes a person too thin is that of taking in fewer calories per day than what one can burn.
Doing a ton of cardio, such as running 10 miles every day, will burn a lot of calories.
A person who does this needs to eat enough to subsidize this kind of training.
If they appear gaunt and too thin, the cardio isn’t to blame; it’s that of not eating enough.
However, if a person who does a lot of cardio appears to be too thin, this doesn’t always mean he or she isn’t eating “enough.”
Winners of the Boston and New York Marathon always look “too thin,” especially the men.
In order to be this skilled at such a strenuous event, these athletes need to be well-fed.
Pounding out 26 miles is extremely grueling on the body; an underfed body won’t last long in a marathon.
In fact, people have been known to drop out early in marathons simply due to dehydration.
A serious long-distance runner consumes quite a bit of food in order to sustain many hours of training week after week. Long-distance events require well-trained slow-twitch muscle fiber.
People who excel in long-distance running are born with a high amount of slow twitch fiber relative to fast twitch fiber.
Slow twitch fiber is designed for endurance, while fast twitch is designed for short bursts of power, strength or speed.
Because slow twitch fiber does not grow in size, the most prolific marathoner will still appear too thin; their muscle mass is small; the slow twitch fiber is highly efficient at duration, not speed or power.
Speed and power athletes do not appear “thin” because their sports require well-trained fast twitch fiber, which does grow in size.
So here’s something that will shock you: The body percentage of an elite sprinter is actually lower than that of an elite marathon runner!
The sprinter, however, is not “thin” because he or she has significantly more muscle development (fast twitch fiber).
As long as one eats appropriately, a lot of cardio will not make him or her too thin.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified through the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained women and men of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
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Top image: Shutterstock/ShotPrime Studio
How to Get Rid of Fat Thighs: Strength Training or Cardio?
Hate your fat thighs?
You’re going to love the solution! Hint: It’s not endless grinding hours on cardio equipment or tricky dance moves in group classes.
If you had to choose between strength training or the same amount of time doing cardio, to lose fat in your thighs, do you know which it should be?
I do. I’m a former certified personal trainer who has witnessed with delight, over and over, the shrinking thighs of my overweight clients.
When it comes to losing fat in the thighs, strength training wins hands down.
This assumes that the strength training program is solid and utilizes proven fat-burning principles, as opposed to a lame approach that consists of little more than going through mere motions.
You will burn tons more thigh fat by performing the deadlift, squat and leg press than you will by using cardio equipment or attending cardio classes.
Shutterstock/kozirsky
Traditional cardio works slow-twitch muscle fibers because these are designed for duration and stamina.
Intense strength training works fast-twitch (and slow-twitch) fibers, but it’s the fast-twitch that burn more calories.
And that’s just the beginning as to why strength training beats cardio out at burning thigh fat.
Intense strength training, unlike standard cardio sessions, causes a significant after-burn: post-exercise elevated resting metabolism.
Freepik..com
So even hours after your strength training session has ended, you are still burning calories at an accelerated rate.
This translates to fat loss in your thighs (and everywhere else: overall fat loss).
To train intensely with weights, use a resistance that’s impossible to complete for more than 12 repetitions, but that allows you to do at least eight reps.
Next, stay away from the inner/outer thigh machines and instead, do the deadlift, squat and leg press.
These work major muscles, while the inner/outer machines tap into only smaller muscles.
Large muscle groups burn more fuel, and require more fuel to recuperate in the hours following an intense workout.
Shutterstock/B-Media
These three exercises work several major muscle groups at the same time, thus creating a huge fat-burning effect during, and after, the session is over.
Intensely working large muscle groups incites hormonal changes in the body that will crush excess fat.
This means a prolonged accelerated resting metabolism for up to 24 hours after the workout.
This hormonal response does not happen with long duration cardio, no matter how many days a week you do it.
Nor will it happen no matter how “hard” you work on the inner or outer thigh machines.
The Magic Is in the Deadlift, Squat and Leg Press
The deadlift is best done with a barbell. Squats are usually done with a barbell but can also be done with dumbbells or a single kettlebell.
Freepik
The leg press is done either with floor equipment or a horizontal apparatus.
When strength training is pitted against cardio for losing thigh fat, head for the heavy metal in the free weights area of the gym.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified through the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained women and men of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
Can Elderly Heart Failure Patients Benefit from Cardio Exercise?
An elderly person who’s been diagnosed with chronic heart failure absolutely must do aerobic exercise.
Doctors warn that the absence of cardio exercise is bad for the patient’s body.
If you’re over age 60 and have been diagnosed with heart failure, there is no better time to do aerobic exercise.
There’s NO such thing as a heart failure patient being too old to benefit from cardio exercise.
A study beats down any doctor’s recommendation that aerobic exercise is useless once a heart failure patient reaches a certain age.
The study (Gielen et al) concludes that cardiovascular-type exercise counteracts breakdown of cardiac muscle, reduces inflammation and increases strength—when these problems are caused by heart failure and old age.
Why should heart failure patients be exempt from the amazing benefits of exercise?
The paper points out that many doctors and insurance companies still believe that aerobic-type exercise is of no help in old age.
Though the paper was published in 2012 (Circulation), many cardiologists and primary care physicians continue to feel this way — or at least, barely mention exercise during patient routine visits.
Exercise Benefits
“Formal exercise testing in patients with heart failure is a powerful predictor of outcomes, with higher exercise capacity associated with lower long-term mortality rates,” says Roger Mills, MD, cardiologist and former professor of medicine, University of Florida, and author of “240 Beats per Minute. Life with an Unruly Heart.”
Dr. Mills explains, “Patients with both types of heart failure seem to respond to exercise training, although the data for HFrEF patients are much more extensive.”
How the Study Determined that Elderly Heart Failure Patients Should Do Cardio Exercise
- The study involved taking leg muscle biopsies before and after the four-week study course.
- The exercise involved 20 minute aerobic sessions five days a week, plus an hour-long group session.
- The subjects were both healthy and had heart failure, and some did the aerobics and some did not.
- The heart failure patients who did the aerobic exercise had a 25 to 27 percent improvement in peak oxygen uptake.
Heart failure but never exercised? How to get started.
Freepik.com
“If you have or someone you know has heart failure, how should you start exercising?” says Dr. Mills.
“By far the safest approach is to ask your doctor for a referral to a cardiac rehabilitation program, where patients start to exercise with careful supervision and learn to progress to greater independence over a couple of months.”
If the patient’s doctor has not spent much time talking about exercise, it may be because the medical organization the doctor works for has a separate department and specialists in cardiac rehab. Ask for that referral.
“Learning to warm up and cool down properly is critical to exercising safely,” continues Dr. Mills.
An elderly person who can barely walk for five minutes at a slow pace before tiring out still needs a warm-up.
Such a warm-up could be nonstop walking for just one minute, or marching in place for 30 seconds for a few sets.
“But the days of ‘Oh, you mustn’t do that!’ are over,” says Dr. Mills.
Dr. Mills is the former medical director of the heart failure and heart transplant service at the University of Florida, was a staff cardiologist at The Cleveland Clinic and has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: ©Lorra Garrick
Source: sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120507165341.htm
HOW Parents Can Find out if Their Child Is Being Bullied
Here’s HOW you can find out if your child is being bullied, whether it’s physical, verbal or online, regardless of age.
Don’t assume you can figure this out all on your own; many parents miss the boat with this one.
Sadly, it’s very uncommon for a victim of bullying to report this to their parents.
This is why parents need to be hyper-alert to signs of bullying, says Rona Novick, PhD, who developed the BRAVE bully prevention program.
She is a clinical psychologist, has worked with schools nationally on the issue of bullying, and is director of the Fanya Gottesfeld Heller Doctoral Program at Yeshiva University, NY.
One way a parent can discover clues that their child might be getting bullied is to (without pressure) make the child’s social world a regular area of discussion, says Dr. Novick.
This may seem like a no-brainer to any responsible parent, but the digital age has made this more difficult to accomplish.
Pre-Facebook and iPads, “When friends called the house phone to ask for your child, you knew who his or her friends were,” says Dr. Novick. “Now, a child can live their social life on their cell phones and computers!”
Parents Should Be Approachable
- Ask yourself if your child feels at ease initiating any topic to you.
- Ask yourself WHY you believe that your child would not be reluctant to share a problem with you: a bullying problem.
- Have you let your kids know they can come to you about anything without fear of judgment? This is exceedingly important, says Novick.
Other Signs of Bullying
“A child who wants to stay home from school on the day of a big test is of less concern (for bullying) than a child who wants to stay home from the field trip, or miss a friend’s party,” says Dr. Novick.
Additional signs that can mean bullying include regressive behavior (such as bedwetting), old habits returning (such as thumb sucking or hair pulling), clinginess and social withdrawal, says Dr. Novick.
Also be on the lookout for skin picking and skin cutting.
Though these can trigger harassment in the school setting, they can also be the result of bullying by peers.
Dr. Novick is recognized for her expertise in behavior management and child behavior therapy. She has published scholarly articles on school applications of behavior management, children and trauma, and bully prevention in schools.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/SpeedKingz
Can You Get Aortic Valve Replacement with NO Surgery?
If you’re worried about “pump head” from the heart lung machine, there is now hope for people who need aortic valve replacement but cannot have open heart surgery.
“TAVR is the replacement of the aortic valve without cutting the chest open for replacing the valve under direct vision of a surgeon,” says Asim Cheema, MD, who’s board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular diseases and interventional cardiology by the American Board of Internal Medicine. Dr. Cheema is with Your Doctors Online, an online doctor chat site.
TAVR is FDA-approved and makes it possible for patients who need an aortic valve replacement to have this done without the major invasion of traditional surgery, which includes the heart lung machine (cardiopulmonary bypass).
In this minimally invasive procedure, the heart remains beating while the damaged aortic valve is replaced.
TAVR stands for transcatheter aortic valve replacement.
No Heart Lung Machine
A team of highly skilled surgeons gain access to the patient’s heart via a small catheter that’s inserted into the skin.
The surgical team may consist of two interventional cardiolotists, a heart surgeon, a cardiothoractic surgeon and a cardiac anesthesiologist.
Replacement of the diseased valve is crucial for long-term survival.
The damaged aortic valve is replaced with a device that is made up of both a steel frame and animal tissue.
It’s fed into the catheter and then threaded to the heart, where it replaces the original, damaged aortic valve. The TAVR procedure takes two hours.
The replacement device is called the Edwards SAPIEN transcatheter and is quite strong.
It actually uses a portion of the patient’s diseased aortic valve to securely anchor in place.
Aortic Stenosis: Reduces Blood Supply
The situation that eventually necessitates surgical intervention is aortic stenosis (stenosis means narrowing), and primarily affects the older population.
This is a serious condition and is linked to a 50 percent increase in the risk of mortality from a heart attack.
Risk Factors for Aortic Valve Disease
- Age 65+
- Calcium deposits on the valve
- Lack of regular exercise
- Congenitally deformed aortic valve
- History of rheumatic fever
An echocardiogram and chest X-ray are among the tests that can detect this condition.
Your Doctors Online offers a free 7 day trial where you can ask a doctor questions online and get answers in minutes from anywhere 24/7. Learn more here. Dr. Cheema teaches and provides supervision to graduate students at the Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
Brain Bleed from Head Trauma: CT Scan vs. MRI
Why are CT scans used so much more than MRI’s for suspected brain bleeds from head trauma when CT scans emit lots of radiation?
MRI vs. CT Scan for Suspected Bleeding in the Brain
The MRI may very well win over the CT scan for people who hit their head or otherwise experience mild brain injury from blunt force, says a study from the University of California, San Francisco and the San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center.
Both my parents have fallen and hit their heads: my mother twice and my father once.
All three times, they got CT scans in the emergency room. The CT scans (in the ER and next day) for my mother’s first fall were normal.
For the second fall, the ER and next-day scans were also normal.
However, six weeks after the second fall when my mother developed neurological symptoms, the CT scan showed a brain bleed. My father’s ER and next-day CT scans were normal.
At the time of me writing this article, he is still within the “incubation period” for a brain bleed to develop, and I’m on the lookout for neurological symptoms.
MRI?
The UCSF study followed 135 people over two years who had mild traumatic brain injuries.
They had CT scans. The CT scans for 99 were normal. A week later all the patients had an MRI.
Out of those 99, 27 had MRI’s positive for a brain bleed.
I’ve always wondered why MRI was not used for my parents.
I figured this was because MRI’s take longer, but why should this matter if my parents had not exhibited alarming neurological symptoms in the ER? Why isn’t MRI the standard?
Perhaps an emergency room MRI could have shown the brain bleed in my mother that began generating symptoms six weeks later!
“Having a normal CT scan doesn’t, in fact, say you’re normal,” states the research paper.
In-Depth Comparison of MRI vs. CT Scan for Head Trauma
MRI scanner. Mj-bird, CC BY-SA 3.0/creativecommons.org
“When a doctor makes decisions on how to treat a patient, they are always weighing a risk/reward profile to determine what is the best option for the patient,” says Scott Schultz, MD, a board-certified emergency medicine physician.
The answer to, “Why aren’t MRI’s used instead of CT scanners for head imaging in the emergency room?” is multi-factorial.
Dr. Schultz points out the following logistical reasons.
• Some ER’s actually don’t have an MRI machine.
• “Even when a hospital does have a machine, they are quite often not available quickly,” says Dr. Schultz.
• If the patient comes in overnight, there may not be an MRI technician available.
• “The CT scanner is usually placed directly adjacent to the ER for emergency use.
“If there is another routine scan scheduled for the CT scanner, the ER patient will take their spot if it’s an emergency.
• “MRI’s are usually located in locations like the basement,” due to their heaviness, plus “their large magnet can disrupt other machines if not shielded appropriately.
• “If a physician is concerned enough about a patient to get imaging for intracranial hemorrhage, she would most likely consider them unstable, and they will need to be close to us in case something bad happens.
“In the basement, where you cannot have a lot of necessary equipment in the room because of the big magnet, is not a good idea.”
Dr. Schultz also says there are patient and doctor centered reasons for why the CT scanner is the mode of choice, despite its radiation.
A small number of people can’t tolerate the MRI’s enclosure.
“Patients with intracranial hemorrhage are likely not to be completely coherent, and this makes it difficult for them to lay still for the MRI.
“You typically wouldn’t want to medicate a patient before knowing the status of the brain.”
What about radiation risk?
“Radiation risk is real, but very very small,” says Dr. Schultz.
“It’s estimated that it causes cancer in about 0.01% of pediatric patients who get a CT scan.
“This is definitely a horrible risk, and is not taken lightly, but relatively speaking, very rare.
What about a CT scan missing a diagnosis that an MRI might pick up?
“CT scans are very accurate,” says Dr. Schultz.
“If there is a lesion of any significant size, it is almost always going to pick it up.
“But if the physician still is concerned, they will admit the patient to the hospital and monitor their status.
“If the patient continues to have concerning symptoms in the future, the hospitalist will typically order more testing, usually an MRI.
“Remember, in the ER, the No. 1 priority is to determine if there is an issue that needs immediate action to be taken.
“Do I need to call in a neurosurgeon tonight because the patient has a leaking aneurysm?”
No MRI Phobia, No Acute Rapid Symptoms
What if the patient got hit in the head two months ago, rather than two days ago, and thus, the new symptoms would suggest a slow bleed rather than a rapid one?
And what if they don’t have an MRI phobia?
Dr. Schultz explains, “If all other things were equal (speed, resources and financial), an MRI would most likely be preferred, but just marginally.
“But that isn’t how the sausage is made, if you will. The patient who presents like this is going to be elderly.”
A younger person who experiences the same head impact will not acquire an insidious brain bleed because their brain is bigger {less room for veins to get torn).
“The chances of cancer in their [elderly] lifetime from radiation are incredibly small.
“So even with no logistical issues, the choice could be a coin flip in my mind.
“In reality, all the previous limitations of MRI’s are real and a huge pressure on ER physicians.”
UPDATE: My father was discharged in a timely fashion as his neurological symptoms faded, and he never developed any delayed new neurological symptoms.
The MRI vs. CT scan report is in Annals of Neurology (Dec. 2012), led by Esther Yuh, MD.
Dr. Schultz worked for 5+ years at a level 1 trauma center at the University of Missouri. After witnessing deaths from overheating in the ER, he’s been devoting his life to the prevention of heat related illness. His app, Zelus WBGT, alerts users when it gets too hot outside to continue their physical activity.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/Tero Vesalainen
Source: sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121218153217.htm
Is Pure Maple Syrup Okay For Diabetics?
If you’re diabetic, you need not fear eating pure maple syrup, but that doesn’t mean you should not be very mindful of just how much of it you’re eating, either.
“Maple syrup is sugar, just like honey and agave syrup,” says Alison Massey, MS, RD, LDN, registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator with over 10 years of experience in various community and clinical settings.
Massey explains, “One tbsp. of maple syrup contains about 13 grams of carbohydrate. If individuals with diabetes choose to include maple syrup as part of their diet they need to count this towards the total carbohydrate amount at that particular meal.
“Generally, it is a good rule for individuals with and without diabetes to limit added sugars.”
Diabetes, either type 1 or 2, is a disorder that can result in dangerously high levels of sugar in the blood (glucose).
Maple syrup, even “pure” or organic, is a very quick-acting source of carbohydrates, meaning, it causes a rapid rise in glucose. This rapid rise is not good for anybody, diabetic or not.
If you love pancakes, waffles and/or French toast, let’s face it, these foods just aren’t the same without maple syrup drenched over them, though some people prefer jam on these foods.
My nephew once plowed through a big stack of pancakes without anything on them. I don’t know how he could have done this.
I’m not diabetic, but even then, I carefully plan and time my intake of maple syrup (which I eat only with pancakes, waffles or French toast).
This is because I eat a lot more than one tablespoon worth, and that significant blood sugar spike does NO body good.
So if you’re diabetic (or not), it would be best to plan your intake of maple syrup during a time that your glucose metabolism is most efficient: soon after rigorous exercise.
After intense exercise, your body desperately wants carbs to recover.
Carb intake at that time will be effectively used for recovery energy.
Alison Massey has been working in the field of nutrition since 2010 helping individuals make sustainable changes to improve their health.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: ©Lorra Garrick
Must Diabetics Use a Sugar Free Coffee Creamer?
Do you love your coffee but have been recently diagnosed with diabetes?
Are you wondering if the sugar-added coffee creamer needs to go and that from now on, you’re stuck with sugar-free creamer?
“Individuals with diabetes don’t have to use a sugar-free coffee creamer,” says Alison Massey, MS, RD, LDN, registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator with over 10 years of experience in various community and clinical settings.
“They should be aware, however, that creamers do have varying amounts of added sugar, especially if they are flavored, and they should read the labels,” continues Massey.
“Plain half & half contain very little carbohydrates and is primarily fat, which is another option for individuals.
“I always encourage my clients to monitor the portions of both added fat and sugar to coffee beverages.”
Stevia As an Alternative to Coffee Creamers for Diabetics
Shutterstock/Michelle Lee Photography
As a diabetic, you may want to consider adding Stevia to your coffee rather than a coffee creamer.
Coffee creamers aren’t exactly an all-natural health food. Read the ingredients. Coffee creamers are highly processed products.
If the experience of sipping coffee with a creamer is something that you know for a fact that you cannot live without, then okay, fair enough.
But if you’re not hooked on creamer-added coffee, then Stevia may be the perfect solution. Give it a try.
After all, it makes super homemade lemonade — so it just very well may make a great cup of coffee with just the right amount of zingy sweetness. Stevia has no known side effects.
The sweetener Stevia is derived from the leaves of the Stevia plant, and the only ingredient in packets or bottles of this powdery or liquid substance is this herb.
As a person with diabetes, you owe it to yourself to try this alternative to a creamer in your coffee.
Alison Massey has been working in the field of nutrition since 2010 helping individuals make sustainable changes to improve their health.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: ©Lorra Garrick
How Do Infected Foot Sores Creep Up on a Diabetic?
Why don’t more diabetics pay attention to their feet so that sores don’t become infected before they know it?
Many diabetics must have portions of their limbs removed due to infections that have spread and killed tissue, having originated from an unchecked sore on their foot. How does this happen?
It’s not enough to explain this by saying diabetics can’t feel the sore, and hence, have no idea it’s brewing with infection.
Looking at your feet regularly means you’ll readily see developing sores that are on the top surface of your foot.
As for the bottom, holding a mirror beneath a foot will allow the diabetic to see the underside.
Though some people can’t position themselves like this and live by themselves, many others are perfectly capable of regularly checking their feet for sores, cuts and other wounds that they can’t feel.
But many just don’t do this and let things slide, so I put this question before Alison Massey, MS, RD, LDN, registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator with over 10 years of experience in various community and clinical settings.
“Individuals with uncontrolled diabetes can get infected sores on their feet,” affirms Massey.
“When blood glucose levels are elevated, cuts and sores heal more slowly.
“Keeping blood glucose levels in a healthy range is one way to ensure that individuals with diabetes heal in a healthy manner just like someone without diabetes.
“Proper foot care is part of diabetes self-management which includes looking at the bottom of the feet.
“Unfortunately, some individuals who are elderly and/or overweight/obese do have some trouble examining their feet.
“It is important for individuals with diabetes to visit with a podiatrist at least once a year.”
A condition called diabetic neuropathy numbs sensation, which is why diabetics need to look at their feet frequently, including with a mirror, and if they live with someone, that person could assist.
Not all diabetics, who end up with an amputation caused by an infected foot, are elderly, obese or otherwise mobility impaired.
Alison Massey has been working in the field of nutrition since 2010 helping individuals make sustainable changes to improve their health.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/cunaplus
Hot Flashes, Menopause and Diabetes: Connection?
Are hot flashes and night sweats from menopause related to diabetes in any way?
This is the question I posed to Alison Massey, MS, RD, LDN, registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator with over 10 years of experience in various community and clinical settings.
Here is what Massey says: “No. I’m not aware of a connection here. Sweating can be a sign of hypoglycemia (low blood glucose).
“If a woman has diabetes she may want to monitor her blood glucose to make sure it is not too low.
“It would be important to distinguish between a hot flash and hypoglycemia symptoms.”
A woman may have diabetes and not know it, and by coincidence may be experiencing hot flashes due to either being in menopause, or postmenopausal hot flashes.
Diabetes does not cause hot flashes or a feeling of being overheated, but the classic signs of either type 1 or type 2 are that of excessive thirst, more urination than usual, unexplained weight loss and problems with vision.
The presence of hot flashes does not indicate a disease process no matter how fierce or drenching they are.
Both conditions — hot flashes and diabetes — can easily coexist in the same woman.
Other Symptoms of Diabetes
- Intense hunger with no explanation (e.g., new heavy workouts).
- Fatigue that cannot be explained (e.g., no increase in activity levels necessitating more rest)
- Irritability despite no change in circumstances
- Frequent infections of the skin, gum or vagina
- Slow healing of minor wounds
Though being overweight is strongly associated with type 2 diabetes, it is not a factor in type 1.
Besides hot flashes, menopause is associated with
- Vaginal dryness and atrophy
- Sleep problems
- Mood changes
- Gain of fat without eating more
- Thinning hair, loss of hair and dry skin
- Loss of breast fullness
Menopause occurs to nearly every woman. Hot flashes are extremely common.
Diabetes affects millions. The first two conditions are not connected to the third.
Many people don’t know they have diabetes because early symptoms are mild or mistaken for normal fatigue, aging or stress.
Type 2 diabetes develops slowly, so changes in thirst, vision or weight may go unnoticed.
Alison Massey has been working in the field of nutrition since 2010 helping individuals make sustainable changes to improve their health.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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