The Health, Diet and Exercise Thread

[fygjam]

1 hour ago, Jambo said:

I ask him about the results of my blood test.

Apparently all good except my sugar level is up higher than he would like. Another appointment with the Practice nurse to discuss this and change my diclofenac medication.

I tell my GP that I have been on a low to zero carb fasting diet (10am to 6pm for food) since the middle of April and have lost 11 kilos. I tell him I am going to stick with this diet for the next 3 months.  He sounds suitably impressed.

I wonder how bad my sugar levels would have been before I started the diet?

Instantaneous or HbA1c?

HbA1c is your average blood glucose (sugar) levels for the last two to three months. If you have diabetes, an ideal HbA1c level is 48mmol/mol (6.5%) or below. If you're at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, your target HbA1c level should be below 42mmol/mol (6%).

 

[lazarus]

3 hours ago, fygjam said:

Instantaneous or HbA1c?

HbA1c is your average blood glucose (sugar) levels for the last two to three months. If you have diabetes, an ideal HbA1c level is 48mmol/mol (6.5%) or below. If you're at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, your target HbA1c level should be below 42mmol/mol (6%).

 

A1c 5.7% - 6.3% = Prediabetes.

. . .

Prediabetes: A window of opportunity
Spot clues your blood sugar may be climbing and take steps to prevent full-blown diabetes.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/prediabetes-a-window-of-opportunity

. . .

Mayo Clinic: Prediabetes doesn't usually have any signs or symptoms. One possible sign of prediabetes is darkened skin on certain parts of the body. Affected areas can include the neck, armpits and groin.

Classic signs and symptoms that suggest you've moved from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes include:

• Increased thirst
• Frequent urination
• Increased hunger
• Fatigue
• Blurred vision
• Numbness or tingling in the feet or hands
• Frequent infections
• Slow-healing sores
• Unintended weight loss

 

Edited June 21, 2023 by lazarus
....

[lazarus]

. . .

New Erectile Dysfunction Treatment Cleared for Over-the-Counter U.S. Sales
Eroxon, a topical gel, “helps men get an erection within 10 minutes,” according to Futura Medical, the manufacturer.

Free link to article: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/21/well/erectile-dysfunction-treatment-eroxon-gel.html?unlocked_article_code=y-XJd-vNsCB1v0uDnT3AHCZNKZvajUMCspHbxAp3DEOsYFLcekGFS5-27TrKmfQUJynhbwOUMqKIygNKH_mIIA26N-tP_9iSuNiqrRPqPUZJHvuw-dQnPcBT3U9Ct8blX305VAtBLyFkwhzxqL5rnLJW5r3TvZjENtycktRb2e569MS7DKECHtY2w-fmOXl-Btt7CAMbnsjMDtcKlFi5HK-4-nOF45xm1_AnFfA1IRM0i9mBkKqaScCNhc-cN53xF1E-Q1VXWM0vVbXTMJjh3hT_3eusl4rdZGBhHWJjrvp57GhC7koKSuvUKeygHt9H917w-7qRL7Siozqhg5ffgov7ugBwj-rQAc01jhAGrcU&smid=url-share

[Jambo]

6 hours ago, fygjam said:

Instantaneous or HbA1c?

HbA1c is your average blood glucose (sugar) levels for the last two to three months. If you have diabetes, an ideal HbA1c level is 48mmol/mol (6.5%) or below. If you're at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, your target HbA1c level should be below 42mmol/mol (6%).

 

My GP told me over the phone today that my somewhat raised blood glucose level places me into the pre-diabetes bracket.

I have a follow up appointment a week on Friday with the practice nurse to discuss. My GP did not give me the impression that he was overly concerned.

[KhunDon]

On 6/17/2023 at 5:20 PM, fforest said:

 

 

Real wild honey has a lot of health benefits......The only problem it's VERY VERY hard to find.....

Any store-bought honey is crap in my opinion and I do mean all of it.....

Buying high-priced honey online does not guarantee good raw honey....Sure it can be better than crap store honey but that does not mean it's worth the price....

I thought I had a good Lazada seller last year but this year their honey sucks....

So I bought from 2 new online sellers but was not happy with the honey they sold me.

Then I tried this guy....

 

https://shopee.co.th/(ขายดี)น้ำผึ้งโพรงป่าเดือน5(1ขวด1000g.)เป็นผึ้งป่าตามธรรมชาติแท้100-หาเฉพาะช่วงหน้าแล้งมีนา-เมษา-i.364895216.11105780259

 

This honey kicks ass...... A+++  honey....Very wild and raw honey... and it's only 300 baht a bottle......

I bought 6 of them so I will not run out again for a loooong time....

So if you guys ever wanted to buy the real deal, wild honey....I highly recommend this guy...... He has 147 bottles and when it's gone it's gone......
 

With wild honey, I have learned the batch they are selling is what's important not so much the seller.....

 

 

I’ve a friend who has 6 beehives set on his land out in the middle of nowhere. He normally gives me a couple of jars and some full honey comb which is beautiful spread on homemade bread and butter. 👌

Edited June 22, 2023 by KhunDon

[galenkia]

Just tested this. Pulse is a little high but I’ve just been down and back up two flights of stairs. Not as fit as I was as I sit down all day at work.

Go out walking but my fitness is still way off.

[boydeste]

18 minutes ago, galenkia said:

Just tested this. Pulse is a little high but I’ve just been down and back up two flights of stairs. Not as fit as I was as I sit down all day at work.

Go out walking but my fitness is still way off.

That's spot on mate.

You prompted me to take mine.

Edited June 22, 2023 by boydeste

[KhunDon]

38 minutes ago, galenkia said:

Just tested this. Pulse is a little high but I’ve just been down and back up two flights of stairs. Not as fit as I was as I sit down all day at work.

Go out walking but my fitness is still way off.

Considering you’ve been up and down stairs, I wouldn’t worry about those figures. Mine are 120x70 with BPM of 70 on my monitor and I’ve had 2 MRI’s. 😀

Went to get some bloods taken at my Gp on Monday and they have a Bp Tester in the waiting room that you slip your arm in and it prints out the results. 
 

124-62. Bpm of 67. And I’m 71.  If you wake up in the morning at my age, then all’s fine.🤣

[KhunDon]

On 6/21/2023 at 7:34 PM, Jambo said:

My GP told me over the phone today that my somewhat raised blood glucose level places me into the pre-diabetes bracket.

I have a follow up appointment a week on Friday with the practice nurse to discuss. My GP did not give me the impression that he was overly concerned.

These are mine from Monday and I’m a Type 11. A bit high at 65 because I’m having trouble with Metformin at the moment  😭

 

Edited June 22, 2023 by KhunDon

[fforest]

1 hour ago, KhunDon said:

I’ve a friend who has 6 beehives set on his land out in the middle of nowhere. He normally gives me a couple of jars and some full honey comb which is beautiful spread on homemade bread and butter. 👌

Like I said before most honey bought from a store and even online has had healing life force properties processed right out of it.....Good raw honey is great stuff....But not easy to find.....

[Zambo]

1 hour ago, fforest said:

Like I said before most honey bought from a store and even online has had healing life force properties processed right out of it.....Good raw honey is great stuff....But not easy to find.....

Pasteurization may destroy antioxidants

Some people believe that pasteurization removes some of the healthful antioxidants in honey.

There are no official studies on how pasteurization changes antioxidant levels in honey, but studies show that heating processes decrease the antioxidant level in other foods.

Raw honey contains flavonoids and phenolic acids that have antioxidant properties. Antioxidants reduce oxidative stress in the body. Research has linked oxidative stress to many chronic health conditions, including cancers.

Studies suggest that the antioxidants in honey may have anti-cancer effects against different types of tumors.

The types of antioxidants found in raw honey vary depending on the kind of flowers that the bees pollinated.

Regular honey may contain sugars or additives

Some regular honey products contain added sweeteners, such as high fructose corn syrup.

Studies show that some products labeled as “honey” may not be 100 percent real honey, but contain sweeteners, such as brown rice syrup.

Raw honey does not contain any ingredients other than the honey from the beehive.

Is raw honey organic?

Not all raw honey is organic. Organic honey may still have undergone processing and pasteurization.

Some types of organic honey have labels with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) organic seal. This means that the farm that produced the honey follows the USDA’s organic guidelines.

Therefore, if a person is looking for honey that contains bee pollen and other beneficial ingredients, they will need to make sure that the label states “raw.”

[forcebwithu]

2 hours ago, KhunDon said:

I’ve a friend who has 6 beehives set on his land out in the middle of nowhere. He normally gives me a couple of jars and some full honey comb which is beautiful spread on homemade bread and butter. 👌

My brother's neighbor in Wisconsin has about a dozen beehives on his land. Picture from earlier this week. 

[Horizondave]

Well I am half way to my goal of 13 stone 8. Haven't been that since my heart operation in 2019. Heaviest I have been is 15 stones 11 and it was then that I said 'bollocks to this'. I was 14 stones 8 today.

I am now walking at least twice a week up the ridge behind my house and I have walked 125 miles in the last month, Ok, only average 4 miles a day but it is working and I can see the weight coming off.

Wife away for weekend with my daughter, so good opportunity to do two walks up the ridge and back, it's about 6 miles roundtrip.

Greece in a month and I hope to be nearer 14 stones or lighter.

I am not drinking alcohol till my holiday. It's all non fat Greek yoghurt, blueberries, strawberries, bananas, fish, chicken, liver, baked potatoes, low fat cottage cheese, guacamole, veg stir fries, broccoli, muffins, muesli, chia seeds, protein drinks, sardines, mackerel, tuna, kiwi, easy peeler oranges, avocados, sweetcorn, peas, lentils, boiled potatoes, eggs, vinegar with the mother, skimmed milk and olive oil. (and I do consume every one of the above)

The answer to weight loss is all about starting, that is the difficult part, once you see definitive results, even a small change, you become a bit OCD and I have really got the bug, even not afraid to look in the mirror anymore lol

Edited June 23, 2023 by Horizondave

[Krapow]

2 hours ago, Horizondave said:

The answer to weight loss is all about starting, that is the difficult part, once you see definitive results, even a small change, you become a bit OCD and I have really got the bug, even not afraid to look in the mirror anymore lol

Yea, same with the gym.

Once you get started and start the see and feel the results, both mentally and physically, you get 'in the zone' so to speak, where is annoys you if you miss a session. It's then a good frame of mind to be in IMO. 

If you haven't been, or haven't been for a while, it takes about 3 or 4 weeks to get into that frame of mind, for me anyway. But i know to stick at it and i'll get there.

[Krapow]

On 2/25/2023 at 12:34 PM, galenkia said:

I buy these, buy one get one half price at Holland and Barrett.

Two capsules contain 870mg of 100% pure Montmorency cherry powder.

Just bought and collected 4 boxes of the above, though 60 in a box, for £50.

So 240, 2 a night, 4 months amount for £50, well happy, buy 1 get 1 half price, and also another money off offer when bought from the H&B website. Well happy.

The other ones i bought were from Amazon, seem okay, them and 100mg Allopurinol per day have kept gout away, but i always had in the back of my mind that i'd rather buy from H&B as more trustworthy. Not saying the ones i bought from Amazon didn't contain what they said they did, but more confident of that with buying direct from H&B.

[galenkia]

2 hours ago, Krapow said:

Just bought and collected 4 boxes of the above, though 60 in a box, for £50.

So 240, 2 a night, 4 months amount for £50, well happy, buy 1 get 1 half price, and also another money off offer when bought from the H&B website. Well happy.

The other ones i bought were from Amazon, seem okay, them and 100mg Allopurinol per day have kept gout away, but i always had in the back of my mind that i'd rather buy from H&B as more trustworthy. Not saying the ones i bought from Amazon didn't contain what they said they did, but more confident of that with buying direct from H&B.

Same with me, proper reputable company. Buy all my supplements from them, and they have a great loyalty program.

[Horizondave]

3 hours ago, Krapow said:

Yea, same with the gym.

Once you get started and start the see and feel the results, both mentally and physically, you get 'in the zone' so to speak, where is annoys you if you miss a session. It's then a good frame of mind to be in IMO. 

If you haven't been, or haven't been for a while, it takes about 3 or 4 weeks to get into that frame of mind, for me anyway. But i know to stick at it and i'll get there.

When I did my walks previously I sometimes forgot to take my heart tablets before and I ate maybe 30 mins before (if at all) I started walking, on those occasions I sometimes struggled.

I now take my heart tablets 2 hours before leaving the house and I make sure I have a bowl of muesli, Greek yoghurt with banana, strawberries and chia seeds, again 2 hours before I start walking. It's amazing the difference that getting into that regime makes, The walking is easier with less rest stops. Another thing is I am drinking more water than ever. Feeling good.

[boydeste]

1 hour ago, Horizondave said:

When I did my walks previously I sometimes forgot to take my heart tablets before and I ate maybe 30 mins before (if at all) I started walking, on those occasions I sometimes struggled.

I now take my heart tablets 2 hours before leaving the house and I make sure I have a bowl of muesli, Greek yoghurt with banana, strawberries and chia seeds, again 2 hours before I start walking. It's amazing the difference that getting into that regime makes, The walking is easier with less rest stops. Another thing is I am drinking more water than ever. Feeling good.

Feeding the body is important, food and water.

If I did a walk in Thailand without eating, the heat would get to me real quick. Surprising how little I needed to eat to be OK as long as I took on fluids too!

Here in the UK it isn't so bad, but I still make sure I have eaten before my walks.

[fygjam]

Lack of effect of tart cherry concentrate dose on serum urate in people with gout

 

Results

Cherry concentrate dose had no significant effect on reduction in SU area under the curve, urine urate excretion, change in urinary anthocyanin between day 0 and day 28, or frequency of gout flares over the 28-day study period (P = 0.76). There were 24 reported adverse events, with only one (hyperglycaemia) considered possibly to be related to cherry concentrate. Allopurinol use did not modify the effect of cherry on SU or urine urate excretion.

Conclusion

Tart cherry concentrate had no effect on SU or urine urate excretion. If there is an effect of cherry concentrate on gout flares over a longer time period, it is not likely to be mediated by reduction in SU.

https://academic.oup.com/rheumatology/article/59/9/2374/5692268

 

[Krapow]

7 hours ago, fygjam said:

Lack of effect of tart cherry concentrate dose on serum urate in people with gout

 

Results

Cherry concentrate dose had no significant effect on reduction in SU area under the curve, urine urate excretion, change in urinary anthocyanin between day 0 and day 28, or frequency of gout flares over the 28-day study period (P = 0.76). There were 24 reported adverse events, with only one (hyperglycaemia) considered possibly to be related to cherry concentrate. Allopurinol use did not modify the effect of cherry on SU or urine urate excretion.

Conclusion

Tart cherry concentrate had no effect on SU or urine urate excretion. If there is an effect of cherry concentrate on gout flares over a longer time period, it is not likely to be mediated by reduction in SU.

https://academic.oup.com/rheumatology/article/59/9/2374/5692268

 

You can google and find something to say anything you want/are looking for TBH

This search took me approximately 2 seconds, and i'll go by my own personal experience, it's working for me -

In a large case-crossover study using an online gout survey (n = 633), cherry intake over a 2-day period was associated with a 35% lower risk of gout attack/flare, and any cherry extract use lowered the risk by 45%.¹⁶ In combination with allopurinol, cherry intake was associated with a 75% risk reduction in gout flares. Cherry effects were independent of sex and race, as well as purine intake and alcohol consumption, which are risk factors for gout flares. The antigout benefits of cherries peaked around three servings over a 2-day period.¹⁶

 

[Krapow]

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6535740/

Summary and conclusions

Despite the availability of effective ULT and anti-inflammatory drugs for the treatment of gout, there is considerable interest in novel treatments and approaches to the management of gout. In a patient-centered approach, given the common use of cherries and related products by patients with gout, we provide a focused review examining the current evidence. Data indicate that cherries and their products have antioxidant properties, the capacity to inhibit several processes involved in the acute inflammatory response to the urate crystals, and the ability to decrease bone resorption that is characteristic of gouty bone erosions. Phenolics, and more specifically, the anthocyanins found abundantly in cherries, have been linked to the inhibition of IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-8, COX-I and COX-II, as well as the downregulation of NFkB-mediated osteoclastogenesis, suggesting that cherries may have the ability to reduce both acute and chronic inflammation that play a role in recurrent gout flares and chronic destructive arthropathy. Additionally, cyanidin-3-glucoside enhanced genes related to osteoblast differentiation, suggesting that anthocyanins may also play a role in bone formation. The flavonol quercetin has also emerged as yet another beneficial component found in cherries, not only in its capacity as an antioxidant, but also through inhibition of XO and inflammatory cytokines. Though there is evidence that cherries may lower SU and inhibit XO, possibly mediated by anthocyanins or quercetin, the data comparing cherries with traditional ULT are lacking, and it is likely through inhibition of acute and chronic inflammation that cherries may have a future as a nonpharmacologic option in the management of gout. There are data, however, suggesting that cherries may have complementary effects on SU when combined with allopurinol, indicating yet another area in need of further examination.

Given the potential beneficial effects of cherries, this powerful fruit is becoming a more attractive option, and clearly has a role in the management of gout. Unfortunately, there are no large RCTs on the use of cherries in the treatment of gout. It would seem that this is long overdue and may provide additional evidence as to the role cherries could play in the future management of a burdensome disease. Additionally, a number of questions still remain when it comes to using cherries in the management of gout, and the answers to these questions may provide substantial insight into the future role cherries may best fit into. Based on the data presented here and new data generated with rigorous RCTs and other translational studies, one potential future option might be to manage gout using ULT with ‘a cherry on the top.’

[KhunDon]

On 6/23/2023 at 1:06 AM, forcebwithu said:

My brother's neighbor in Wisconsin has about a dozen beehives on his land. Picture from earlier this week. 

Very few bears in Dorset now, but I still set traps just in case. 🤣

[KhunDon]

On 6/22/2023 at 11:44 PM, fforest said:

Like I said before most honey bought from a store and even online has had healing life force properties processed right out of it.....Good raw honey is great stuff....But not easy to find.....

Most of what’s on sale in supermarkets has been sat in barrels for 2-3 years in a warehouse somewhere. It’s usually crystallised after a few months and has to be heated up to process it and to get it into a jar, which doesn’t do it any good at all. 

[KhunDon]

On 6/22/2023 at 11:13 PM, KhunDon said:

Considering you’ve been up and down stairs, I wouldn’t worry about those figures. Mine are 120x70 with BPM of 70 on my monitor and I’ve had 2 MRI’s. 😀

Went to get some bloods taken at my Gp on Monday and they have a Bp Tester in the waiting room that you slip your arm in and it prints out the results. 
 

124-62. Bpm of 67. And I’m 71.  If you wake up in the morning at my age, then all’s fine.🤣

Sorry, I meant to write MI’s. Myocardial Infarctions (heart attacks). 🙃

[Stillearly]

Was at a market earlier, and bought these two ... never seen pollen sold before .. they also had honeycomb, but it's a week until I go home so left it for now 

Had no idea honey was a big thing in the Algave 

https://www.algarvefoodexperience.com/blog/what-makes-honey-from-algarve-so-special