DIABETES TYPE 2 (LATE ONSET) IS NOT A MILD DISEASE

Once type 2 diabetes develops, symptoms include unusual thirst, a frequent need to urinate, blurred vision, or extreme fatigue. Talk to your doctor to see if you need to be tested for pre-diabetes. By identifying the signs of pre-diabetes before diabetes occurs, you can prevent type 2 diabetes all together and lower your risk of complications associated with this condition such as heart disease.

Type 2 diabetes is more insidious it creeps up more slowly so the patient might not be aware of an increased thirst or passing more urine but may have noticed they are feeling more tired than usual, or they may notice the development of thrush, as thrush thrives in sugar laden tissues, or skin infections such as boils.

POORLY MANAGED DIABETES AND THAT INCLUDES TYPE 2 CAN RESULT IN GANGRENE LOSS OF LIMBS AND BLINDNESS

GANGRENE CAN OCCUR THROUGH POORLY MANAGED DIABETES

ARTICLE IS FROM THE DAILY MAIL BELOW

Ignorance of diabetes is 'a disaster in waiting': 70% of Brits don't know disease can lead to amputations and blindness

• Only 16% of people know that diabetes is linked to heart attacks and just seven per cent are aware it can trigger strokes
• Just 50% of people know that being overweight is a risk factor for diabetes
• Only 13% realise having a relative with the condition raises their risk

Widespread ignorance about the damaging effects of diabetes is exposed in a poll out today.

Some 70 per cent of Britons said they did not know that the most serious form of the disease can lead to amputations and blindness.

Only 16 per cent knew that heart attacks are linked to type 2 diabetes and just 7 per cent realised it could trigger strokes, according to the survey.

Some 70 per cent of Britons do not know that the most serious form of diabetes can lead to amputations and blindness

The lack of awareness comes despite the fact that those with the illness are 36 per cent more likely to die in any given year than those without it of the same age.

Diabetes UK commissioned the survey as part of a £2million campaign funded in partnership with Tesco to raise awareness of the risk factors.

The charity’s chief executive Barbara Young said the aim is to ‘lay to rest the myth’ that type 2 diabetes is a mild condition.

‘This is a misconception that is wrecking lives and is the reason that as a country we are sleepwalking towards a public health disaster of an almost unimaginable scale,’ she said.

Only 16 per cent know that heart attacks are linked to type 2 diabetes and just seven per cent realise it can trigger strokes, according to the survey

Losing weight, eating more fruit and vegetables and becoming more active are thought to cut the risks of diabetes.

But only half of those who took part in the poll knew being overweight was a risk factor. 

Only 13 per cent realised that having a family member with diabetes raises the danger and one in 100 mentioned being South Asian or black as a risk factor.

Without urgent action, campaigners fear cases of type 2 diabetes will rise by one million to five million by 2025.

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WALNUT~SUPERNUT!

I've always believed nuts to be a healthy source of nutrition providing of course they form part of a balanced diet. Some people of course believe if something is good for you then more must be better, this however is not the case. All nuts are a rich source of protein however they do contain a high percentage of fat however the difference with walnuts as opposed to other nuts, walnuts are composed largely of polyunsaturated fatty acids, so this type of fat is healthier. Of all nuts the humble walnut is the most nutritious. There has been some interesting research that eating walnuts twice a week could slash the risk of type 2 diabetes by a quarter and are also thought to reduce inflammation and protect against cancer, heart disease and arthritis.

Nutritional value of Walnuts

Persian or English walnut, Juglans regia
Nutritional value per serving
Serving size	100 grams
Energy	2,738 kJ (654 kcal)
Carbohydrates	13.71
- Starch	0.06
- Sugars	2.61
- Lactose	0
- Dietary fiber	6.7
Fat	65.21
- saturated	6.126
- monounsaturated	8.933
- polyunsaturated	47.174
Protein	15.23
Water	4.07
Alcohol	0
Caffeine	0
Vitamin A equiv.	1 μg (0%)
Vitamin A	20 IU
- beta-carotene	12 μg (0%)
- lutein and zeaxanthin	9 μg
Thiamine (vit. B1)	0.341 mg (30%)
Riboflavin (vit. B2)	0.15 mg (13%)
Niacin (vit. B3)	1.125 mg (8%)
Pantothenic acid (B5)	0.570 mg (11%)
Vitamin B6	0.537 mg (41%)
Folate (vit. B9)	98 μg (25%)
Vitamin B12	0 μg (0%)
Vitamin C	1.3 mg (2%)
Vitamin D	0 μg (0%)
Vitamin D	0 IU (0%)
Vitamin E	0.7 mg (5%)
Vitamin K	2.7 μg (3%)
Calcium	98 mg (10%)
Iron	2.91 mg (22%)
Magnesium	158 mg (45%)
Manganese	3.414 mg (163%)
Phosphorus	346 mg (49%)
Potassium	441 mg (9%)
Sodium	2 mg (0%)
Zinc	3.09 mg (33%)
Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient Database

Walnuts are a nutrient-dense food: 100 grams of walnuts contain 15.2 grams of protein, 65.2 grams of fat, and 6.7 grams of dietary fiber. The protein in walnuts provides many essential amino acids.

While English walnut is the predominant commercially distributed nut because of the ease of its processing, its nutrient density and profile is significantly different from black walnut. 

The table below compares some of the major nutrients between English and Black walnuts.

Comparison of nutrient profile of English and Black walnuts

Nutrient (per 100 gram)	English walnut seed	Black walnut seed
Carbohydrates (g)	13.7	9.9
Protein (g)	15.2	24.1
Unsaturated fatty acids (g)	56.1	50.1
Poly to mono unsaturated fatty acids ratio	47:9	35:15
Fiber (g)	6.7	6.8
Calcium (mg)	98	61
Iron (mg)	2.9	3.1
Zinc (mg)	3.1	3.4
Vitamin B-6 (mg)	0.54	0.58

Unlike most nuts that are high in monounsaturated fatty acids, walnuts are composed largely of polyunsaturated fatty acids (47.2 grams), particularly alpha-linolenic acid (18:3n - 3; 9.1 gram) and linoleic acid(18:2n - 6; 38.1 gram). The beneficial effects of this unique fatty acid profile have been a subject of many studies and discussions.

Benefits and claims

Raw walnuts contain glycerol triacylates of the n-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which is not as effective in humans as long-chain n-3 fatty acids,and (mostly insoluble)antioxidants. Roasting reduces antioxidant quality.In 2010, a report published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition said that walnuts and walnut oil improve reaction to stress. 

A study has suggested that consumption of walnuts increases fat oxidation and reduces carbohydrate oxidation without affecting total consumption, suggesting that walnut consumption may improve the use of body fat in overweight adults. Walnuts have been shown to decrease the associated with a high-fat meal. Aged rats fed diets containing 2% to 6% walnuts showed reversal of age-associated motor and cognitive function, but a 9% walnut diet impaired performance, 

A 2012 study showed that eating walnuts improved sperm quality in healthy young men. 

Scientists are not yet certain whether walnuts act as a cancer chemopreventive agent, an effect which may be a result of the fruit's high phenolic content, antioxidant activity, and potent in vitro antiproliferative activity. 

Compared to certain other nuts, such as almonds, peanuts and hazelnuts, walnuts (especially in their raw form) contain the highest total level of antioxidants, including both free antioxidants and antioxidants bound to fiber. 

_________________________________

ARTICLE BELOW FROM THE DAILY MAIL

Eating walnuts twice a week could slash the risk of type 2 diabetes by a quarter 

• Women who eat a 28g bag of walnuts twice a week are 24 per cent less likely to develop the condition 
• The nuts  are also thought to reduce inflammation and protect against cancer, heart disease and arthritis

Eating walnuts just two or three times a week can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by almost a quarter, according to new research.

A study of nearly 140,000 women in the U.S. showed that regular helpings of a small portion of nuts can have a powerful protective effect against a disease that is threatening to become a global epidemic.

Women who consumed a 28 gram packet of walnuts at least twice a week were 24 per cent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who rarely or never ate them.

Eating walnuts just two or three times a week can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by almost a quarter

The latest findings, published in the Journal of Nutrition, are not the first to highlight the anti-diabetic effects of walnuts, with earlier research showing similar benefits.

However, this is thought to be one of the largest studies to find regularly snacking on them can help prevent the condition.

Although the latest research was carried out on female nurses, it's likely that the same benefits apply to men.

 

According to the charity Diabetes UK, at the current rate of increase, the numbers affected by type 2 diabetes in the UK will rise from around 2.5 million currently to four million by 2025 and five million by 2030.

Left untreated, it can raise the risk of heart attacks, blindness and amputation. 

Being overweight, physically inactive and having a poor diet are major risk factors for the disease.

Scientists at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, U.S., tracked 137,893 nurses aged from 35 to 77 over a ten year period to see how many developed type 2 diabetes.

Eating walnuts once a week cut diabetes risk by 13 per cent - and 24 per cent if eaten twice a week

Their dietary habits were closely monitored, including details on how often they ate nuts, particularly walnuts.

After allowing for body fat and weight, the researchers found eating walnuts one to three times a month curbed the risk by four per cent, once a week by 13 per cent and at least twice a week by 24 per cent.

In a report on the findings the researchers said: 'These results suggest higher walnut consumption is associated with a significantly lower risk of type 2 diabetes in women.'

Walnuts are rich in healthy fatty acids which have been shown to reduce inflammation in the body and protect against heart disease, cancer and arthritis.

Last year, experts at the University of California Los Angeles also found young men in their twenties and thirties who ate walnuts every day increased their sperm count and boosted their fertility.

The research comes just after a Louisiana State University study which showed that eating nuts can reduce people’s risk of obesity.

The study found that those who consumed varieties such as almonds, cashews and pistachios demonstrated a lower body weight, body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference compared to non-consumers.

They were also at lower risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome

THE RISKS OF MISMANAGED DIABETES

I've posted this article from the Daily Mail below as a warning to the risks diabetics take if they don't take care to manage their diabetes. It's often a problem with diabetics in their teens who feel isolated and want to be part of the crowd and be able to eat when they like, they just want to be the same as any other teenager. However diabetics aren't like normal teens as much as they would like to be and they think, "It won't happen to me that happens to other diabetics!" Diabetes is a serious condition so hopefully this article will raise awareness to the risks of not taking care.

Diabetic, 30, who skipped insulin jabs to lose weight fears she has been left infertile after having to terminate her pregnancy or risk death

• Jeorgia Wood, from Hampshire, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes aged 11 
  
• Needed several insulin injections a day to control her blood sugar levels
• But they caused her to gain 4stone in weight and she began skipping them
• Is now suffering a series of health problems as a result - including infertility
• Also faces going blind, losing a limb and undergoing a pancreas transplant
• Said she wishes she could turn back the clock as being thin 'wasn't worth it'

A diet-obsessed diabetic who stopped taking her insulin to lose weight has suffered tragic consequences after having to terminate her pregnancy - or risk death.

Jeorgia Wood, 30, spent her teenage years and twenties dieting while battling diabetes because of her obsession to be thin. 

Like a growing number of young women with diabetes, she skipped vital insulin injections because they caused her to gain weight - a condition called diabulemia. 

But she is now suffering a number of serious health problems as a result.  As well as potentially destroying her chances of being a mother, she now faces going blind, losing a limb and undergoing a pancreas transplant.

Diabetic Jeorgia Wood, 30, withheld her insulin injections for years to avoid weight gain. She is now battling several serious health problems as a result

Dangerous: As well as potentially destroying her chances of being a mother, she now faces going blind, losing a limb and undergoing a pancreas transplant. Pictured here having laser surgery to try and preserve her sight

Jeorgia, a reiki practitioner from Odiham, Hampshire, said: 'I would much rather be fat and have a baby than be skinny, blind and childless. If I could go back to being 16, I'd tell myself that being thin isn't important.

'I've realised the hard way that being thin is just not worth it.'

Jeorgia and her fiance Ross Fowler, 28, were told the devastating news that she would have to terminate her pregnancy at 10 weeks last November.

 

Her battered body had reacted so negatively to being pregnant, she developed a condition called hyperemesis gravidarum, or unrelenting morning sickness. 

Causing her to be sick every 10 to 30 minutes, doctors said she wouldn't survive the pregnancy, nor would her baby. They added that her diabulimia was to blame. 

The condition describes the process of insulin-dependent diabetics skipping injections to make themselves thinner. 

It is usually linked to type 1 diabetes, where the immune system attacks the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, rather than type 2 diabetes, which is associated with obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.

Insulin is a hormone that promotes fat storage, so avoiding taking it, or manipulating doses, can lead to weight loss.

Jeorgia, pictured on her 12th birthday, shortly after being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.  As she began using insulin, she gained four stone in weight and began to worry about her diet 

Worried: By the time she was 17, she was a size 18 and 5ft 6in. She started skipping insulin injections to lose weight

The condition means Jeorgia may never be able to have a baby, but the couple have not completely ruled it out.

She said: 'It was incredibly distressing for us both. It's a risk and my doctors don't know for sure if I can carry a baby.'

Jeorgia, who was always a plump child, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile onset diabetes, when she was 11 after she started losing weight, developed a raging thirst and suffered constant fatigue.

She was told she would have to monitor everything she ate and regularly check her blood sugar levels and needed to inject insulin four to five times a day to mop up excess sugar from her bloodstream. 

WHAT IS DIABULEMIA? 

Diabulemia is not yet officially recognised as a medical condition but it is predicted that it affects as many as one third of young female diabetics. 

It occurs when insulin-dependent type 1 diabetics skip insulin injections as a way of losing weight.

Insulin is a hormone that promotes fat storage, so avoiding taking it, or manipulating doses, can lead to weight loss.

It can cause blood sugar levels to surge causing fatigue, dehydration and the wearing of muscle tissue.

In the longer term, the symptoms are the same as for poorly managed diabetes and include kidney disease and sight problems.

Her diet was controlled as a child by her parents Charlotte, 63, and Peter, 68.

But when her weight ballooned and she gained four stone on insulin, she started to skip her injections and began to obsess over every morsel of food. She also wouldn't eat in front of anyone.

She said: 'From the age of about 13, I felt very unattractive. I hated the way I looked. I hated being different. If I dropped out of PE my classmates would say I was using it as an excuse, but I'd have done anything to be normal.

'By the time I was 17, I was a size 18 and 5ft 6in. If someone walked past me while I was eating a sandwich I would throw it in the nearest bin and pretend I was done with it. I thought people would judge me for my size.

'I started skipping my injections, losing weight very quickly, sometimes half a stone in a few days.'

Jeorgia shrunk to a size 10-12 and started to enjoy her new slimmer frame and relished on the compliments people would give her.

But cutting her insulin injections down to one a day left her constantly teetering on the brink of collapse. 

She had to drink copious amounts of water to combat her unquenchable thirst while trying to hide her problems from her family and friends.

Then, when she was 18, she collapsed on a night out with friends and was rushed to hospital, where she was diagnosed with ketoacidosis, a condition where the body's insulin levels are too low to convert blood glucose into energy. Left untreated, it can cause a coma and even death.

Stark implications: Even aged 25 (left), Jeorgia was still restricting her insulin injections. The damage she has caused herself meant she had to have part of her foot amputated last year (right)

 

But even then, she did not stop obsessing and instead was even more careful to hide her diabulimia from doctors.

'No one noticed what I was doing for ages,' she said. 'I was missing three or four injections a day and just doing one before bed to tide me over.

'I felt like I had flu every day of the week. But the more compliments I got the more paranoid I became about putting the weight back on.'

By the time she was 20, having noticed her monthly blood sugar tests were extremely high, Jeorgia's doctor warned her she would be blind and in a wheelchair by the time she was 30. But she still didn't start using insulin properly.

'I know it sounds crazy, but being thin mattered more. I told myself I'd only do it for a few more months but I just carried on and on and on,' she continued.

The turning point eventually came when she was 27 when, suffering from a stabbing pain in her hands and feet, she finally decided to seek help.

Warning: Jeorgia, who now weighs 13st and is a size 14, hopes her poor health will be a warning to other diabetics

'I went into rehab and it was there that it hit home how much I was hurting my family,' said Jeorgia. 'I was so wrapped up in my diabulimia that I'd failed to see anything outside myself. I knew I needed help.'

But the damage had been done and Jeorgia needed morphine to manage the pain and has since had to have an operation to remove dead flesh from her heel after catching an infection.

She's also been diagnosed with gastroparesis, paralysis of the stomach, and has had to have two vitrectomies to remove fluid from the inside of her eyeballs. Jeorgia also underwent a round of laser treatment to try to preserve her sight.

Furthermore, she has had to endure injections in her eyes for macular edema caused by protein which has been deposited on the eye and doctors are still not sure they will be able to save what is left of her sight.

The dangerous dieting has left her with permanent problems and Jeorgia now doesn't drive and needs Ross for even the simplest of tasks. 

A condition called autonomic neuropathy causes her heart to race at random and affects her blood pressure.

Now, aged 29 and weighing 13st and a size 14, Jeorgia is finally working to put her life right.

Together with Ross, a businessman, she has decided to delay a pancreas transplant to give her more time to try and start a family and find out what her options would be for an IVF surrogate to help them.

The transplant won't cure Jeorgia's diabetes, but will give her body a rest from the condition for eight to 10 years.

She added: 'After the transplant, my body will have been through a massive trauma and the chances of carrying a baby would be incredibly slim, as well as dangerous. So we want to see what our options are before we go down that road.

'I want to have a baby. I only hope I can hang on to the eyesight I have left in order to do that.

'There have been times where I've tried to push Ross away because I don't think I deserve his love.

'But he's asked me to marry him and all we can do is hope that one day we will have a child of our own.

Looking back, Jeorgia said that her need to feel loved and accepted was a major driving force behind her diabulimia.

'I felt worthless because I was overweight but I wasn't enormous, I should have seen that. Even when I tried to stop, the temptation to do it to lose a few pounds for the weekend was too strong.'

She hopes her experience is a warning to other young diabetes sufferers not to go down the same path she did.

Although not yet an officially recognised medical condition in the UK, diabulimia is a serious emerging problem that experts predict around a third of young female diabetics could be suffering from.

Deepa Khatri, a clinical advisor at Diabetes UK, said: 'People need to know that abusing insulin out of a fear of weight gain is very dangerous.

'Skipping insulin can lead to high blood glucose levels and devastating health complications like blindness, amputations and in some cases strokes.'

OBESITY AND SWEET DRINKS

The following article below is from Yahoo Lifestyle. I am surprised a study was necessary. For years I have observed the trolleys of obese people in supermarkets and have noted their trolleys crammed high with sugary drinks, bags of crisps, biscuits, and other high fat and sweet things. The vast majority of these trolleys contain little or no fruit and vegetables nor wholegrain bread etc. Sugar is highly addictive when ingested it gives a huge buzz and surge of energy and very quickly drops leading to more cravings. This does the pancreas no favours at all for to combat the increase sugar the pancreas has to produce enough insulin to deal with all this sugar in the blood. It is one of the causes of Type 2 Diabetes. But as well as all this sugar these drinks contain additives some are very acidic which damages the enamel of the teeth, some additives such as sunset yellow (colouring) are known to create hyperactivity in children, sadly these sugary drinks are often given to children as a way of keeping them quiet rather than spending time with them.

I'm not saying we should ban fizzy drinks but these should be limited and can safely be included in a well balanced diet but certainly not to the excess as some people have become accustomed.

*************************************

Three new studies published in the United States this weekend reaffirm a link between sweet soda and fruit drinks to an epidemic of obesity that is sweeping the US.

Consumption of these drinks has more than doubled since the 1970s, and the rate of obesity among Americans during the same period reached 30% of the adult population, said the authors of a study published online by the New England Journal of Medicine.

The first study, which involved more than 33,000 American men and women, showed that drinking sugary drinks was affecting genes that regulate weight and increased the genetic of a person to gain weight.

The researchers used 32 variations of genes known to affect the weight to establish a genetic profile of the participants. They also determined the participants' eating habits, their consumption of sweetened beverages and exercise practices.

The other two studies showed that giving to children and adolescents calorie-free drinks like mineral water or soft drinks sweetened with artificial sweeteners resulted in weight loss.

The first was conducted at Children's Hospital Boston, which examined 224 overweight adolescents who were encouraged to consume water or light sodas for a year.

These teens gained only 0.68 kilograms of weight during this period compared to 1.5 kilograms in another group that consumed sugary drinks.

Yet another study was conducted by researchers at the VU University Amsterdam (the Netherlands) and involved 641 children aged 4 to 11.

Half of the group drank sweet and fruity drinks while the other half the same drinks with sugarless sweeteners.

After 18 months, children who consumed the low-calorie drinks gained 6.39 kilograms on average compared to 7.36 kilograms in the group that drank sugary fruit drinks.

"Taken together, these three studies suggest that calories from sugar-sweetened beverages do matter," said Doctor Sonia Caprio of Yale University writing in the New England Journal of Medicine.

"These randomized, controlled studies ... provide a strong impetus to develop recommendations and policy decisions to limit consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, especially those served at low cost and in excessive portions, to attempt to reverse the increase in childhood obesity," she added.

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PERFECT A GREAT EXCUSE TO EAT CHOCOLATE

From the Daily Mail. One other fact about dark chocolate you may not know but one ounce of dark chocolate contains enough iron to meet your daily requirements, though remember it must be dark chocolate, milk chocolate does not.

Another excuse to eat chocolate: Dark variety can help heart-risk patients and cut diabetes

Lovers of dark chocolate have known for some time that their favourite treat can help protect them against high blood pressure and cut the risk of diabetes.

But now scientists say that it can even benefit those who are already at high risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Although regular chocolate eating doesn’t work quite as well as drugs, the researchers say it has virtually no side effects and, perhaps not surprisingly ‘high rates of compliance’.

Miracle food: Dark chocolate can benefit people who are already at high risk of heart attacks and strokes

A team of researchers from universities in Melbourne, Australia, used a mathematical model to predict the effects and cost effectiveness of daily dark chocolate consumption in 2,013 individuals at high risk of heart disease over a decade.

They all had metabolic syndrome – a mix of problems including raised blood pressure, obesity, high fat levels in the blood and an inability to control blood sugar levels – but no history of heart disease or diabetes and they were not on blood pressure drugs. 

Daily consumption of 100g of dark chocolate could potentially avert 70 non-fatal and 15 fatal cardiovascular events per 10,000 people treated over ten years, according to the study published on bmj.com.

This could be considered an effective intervention, said the researchers. It would be cost-effective too, costing £25 a year per head of population.

This would cover advertising and possible subsidising of dark chocolate for the less well-off.

The protective effects have been shown only for dark chocolate which is at least 60-70 per cent cocoa. Milk or white chocolate does have not provide the same benefits.

It is rich in flavonoids which are known to have heart protecting effects.

Sceptics say the high calorie content of chocolate tends to offset the benefits.

Previous research shows eating chocolate reduces blood pressure and improves insulin sensitivity, reducing the risk of diabetes.

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PREVENTION IS THE BEST CURE

 LADIES DON'T LET THIS BE YOU!

The festive season is upon us, Christmas parties, office parties, chocolates and sweets being passed around. There's more opportunities to smoke and drink and taking weight off is a lot harder than putting it on. Gym membership always increases in January as the excesses of the festive season takes its toll. But after a few weeks of junk food, over indulgence and excess alcohol, bad habits set in and you start to think to yourself, "What harm will another chocolate, drink or ciggie do?" You slouch on the sofa watching Christmas TV munching and puffing away. But before you know it you find yourself feeling sluggish, your skin has lost its lustre, your spotty and you're developing bulges you'd rather not have, this in turn makes you depressed, so you tend to comfort eat and before you know it you approach the summer holiday season weighing two stone more rather than just two pounds. 

There's no harm in having the odd few chocolates or an extra glass of wine as long as you know when to stop. Fill up on the abundance of seasonal fruit, tangerines and oranges are in abundance at this time of year, the added vitamin C will go a long way to preventing colds and will give your skin a boost.

Which leads me to today's news item below, this isn't new really, most of us should know this by know, but how many take heed of it. When we are young and fit, we think we are invincible, cancer is something old people get, alas not so. With the increase of obesity the incidence of cancer is rising in younger people along with of course the rate of type 2 Diabetes. It's a well known fact, smoking doesn't just lead to lung cancer but other cancers too, not to mention cardivascular diseases often leading to amputation. Increased alcohol consumption is related to throat and mouth cancers as well as Pancreatic cancers and liver disease all of these diseases are affecting young people more than ever.

I have nursed lung cancer sufferers and amputees as a direct result of smoking and I cannot begin to tell you how distressing this is for the patient and their families, young families and the small children left without a parent. It's a particularly painful and distressing end to a life and the sad thing about it, it is preventable.

New year will be upon us soon and its almost time to make new year resolutions, let 2012 be the year when you can take stock of your health before it's too late PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE

Many cancers could be prevented
Press Association – 8 hours ago
Almost half (45%) of all cancers in men and 40% in women could be prevented, according to a major study.
The Cancer Research UK report found more than 100,000 cancers each year in the UK are caused by four lifestyle factors - smoking, unhealthy diets, alcohol and people being too fat.
This rises to around 134,000 cases a year when 14 lifestyle and environmental factors are taken into account.
Smoking is by far the biggest lifestyle contributor to a person's risk of developing cancer, accounting for 23% of all cancers in men and 15.6% in women.
As well as lung cancer, it is implicated in other forms of the disease including bladder, kidney, pancreatic and cervical cancer.
The charity said the review, which is published in the British Journal of Cancer, is the most comprehensive to date.
One in 25 cancers is linked to a person's job, such as being exposed to chemicals or asbestos, while one in 33 is linked to infections, such as the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes most cases of cervical cancer.
Overall, 34% of cancers in 2010 (106,845) were linked to smoking, diet, drinking alcohol and excess weight.
In men, 6.1% (9,600) of cancer cases were linked to a lack of fruit and vegetables, 4.9% (7,800) to occupation, 4.6% (7,300) to alcohol, 4.1% (6,500) to overweight and obesity and 3.5% (5,500) to excessive sun exposure and sunbeds.
In women, 6.9% (10,800) were linked to overweight and obesity, 3.7% (5,800) to infections such as HPV, 3.6% (5,600) to excessive sun exposure and sunbeds, 3.4% (5,300) to lack of fruit and vegetables and 3.3% (5,100) to alcohol.
Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2011, All Rights Reserved.

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