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Genetic diversity to survive

Survival and adaptation

Genetic diversity plays an important role in the survival and adaptability of a species.^[6] When a population’s habitat changes, the population may have to adapt to survive; the ability of the population to adapt to the changing environment will determine their ability to cope with an environmental challenge.^[7] Variation in the population’s gene pool provides variable traits among the individuals of that population. These variable traits can be selected for, via natural selection, ultimately leading to an adaptive change in the population, allowing it to survive in the changed environment. If a population of a species has a very diverse gene pool then there will be more variety in the traits of individuals of that population and consequently more traits for natural selection to act upon to select the fittest individuals to survive.

Genetic diversity is essential for a species to evolve. With very little gene variation within the species, healthy reproduction becomes increasingly difficult, and offspring are more likely to have problems resulting from inbreeding.^[8] The vulnerability of a population to certain types of diseases can also increase with reduction in genetic diversity. Concerns about genetic diversity are especially important with large mammals due to their small population size and high levels of human-caused population effects.

Plan

The Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources is an agreed international framework for the management of animal genetic resources for food and agriculture. It was developed under the auspices of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agricultureand adopted in September 2007 by the International Technical Conference on Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, held inInterlaken, Switzerland, along with the Interlaken Declaration on Animal Genetic Resources.^[1] The Global Plan of Action and the Interlaken Declaration were later endorsed by the Thirty-fourth Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which took place in November 2007.

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Education and green cards

In Silicon Valley, most of the jobs require a BS in Computer Science. Half of our children in the valley are not majoring in the high tech field. In Canada, every 3 months in college is allocated to internship and so at the end of the school year, an average of 6 months is spent working as an intern. Many more graduate students in computer science come from India and China.

What is our goal in raising the standard of education in the USA? Can we pay our teachers a decent wage and provide a decent housing program?

We hope that our next president will support the benefits for teachers and provide funding to public school system.

I was blessed to have my children experienced public school using Montessori style of learning during elementary years.

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Reward yourself after exercise or after a habit of healthy living

Source: Reward yourself after exercise or after a habit of healthy living

Reward yourself after exercise or after a habit of healthy living

In 2002, researchers at New Mexico State University studied 266 individuals, most of whom worked out at least three times a week. They found that many of them had started running or lifting weights almost on a whim, or because they suddenly had free time or wanted to deal with unexpected stresses in their lives.

However, the reason they continued exercising — why it became a habit — was because of a specific cue and a specific reward.

If you want to start running each morning, it’s essential that you choose a simple cue (like always lacing up your sneakers before breakfast or always going for a run at the same time of day) and a clear reward (like a sense of accomplishment from recording your miles, or the endorphin rush you get from a jog). But countless studies have shown that, at first, the rewards inherent in exercise aren’t enough.

So to teach your brain to associate exercise with a reward, you need to give yourself something you really enjoy — like a small piece of chocolate — after your workout.

This is counterintuitive, because most people start exercising to lose weight. But the goal here is to train your brain to associate a certain cue (“It’s 5 o’clock”) with a routine (“Three miles down!”) and a reward (“Chocolate!”).

Eventually, your brain will start expecting the reward inherent in exercise (“It’s 5 o’clock. Three miles down! Endorphin rush!”), and you won’t need the chocolate anymore. In fact, you won’t even want it. But until your neurology learns to enjoy those endorphins and the other rewards inherent in exercise, you need to jump-start the process.

And then, over time, it will become automatic to lace up your jogging shoes each morning. You won’t want the chocolate anymore. You’ll just crave the endorphins. The cue, in addition to triggering a routine, will start triggering a craving for the inherent rewards to come.

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More nitrate-reducing bacteria in saliva causes Migraine

Scientists at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine have found an association between the debilitating headaches that afflict 38 million Americans, and the microbes in their mouths.

“There is this idea out there that certain foods trigger migraines — chocolate, wine, and especially foods containing nitrates,” wrote Antonio Gonzalez, the lead author on the study published in the American Society for Microbiology’s journal mSystems. “We thought that perhaps there was a connection between someone’s microbiome [the microorganisms in their body] and what they were eating.”

So the research team analyzed 172 oral samples and nearly 2,000 fecal samples taken from the American Gut Project, and sequenced which bacteria species were found in participants who suffered migraines versus those who did not. And it turns out, the migraineurs have significantly more nitrate-reducing bacteria in their saliva than those who don’t suffer these headaches.

Having too many nitrates in the body, which can aid cardiovascular health in best case scenarios, has been linked to migraines for unlucky folks. Now this new research suggests that’s because having too much oral nitrate-reducing bacteria, which converts nitrates into nitric oxide in the body, leads to the pounding headaches.

The next step will be looking at more defined groups of patients, separated into different types of migraines, to better understand why some oral microbes could be messing with their heads.

Gonzales suggested that perhaps in the future, “We will have a magical probiotic mouthwash for everyone that helps your cardiovascular health without giving you migraines.”

The presence of nitrates and nitrites in food is associated with an increased risk of gastrointestinal cancer and, in infants, methemoglobinemia.

Despite the physiologic roles for nitrate and nitrite in vascular and immune function, consideration of food sources of nitrates and nitrites as healthful dietary components has received little attention.

Approximately 80% of dietary nitrates are derived from vegetable consumption; sources of nitrites include vegetables, fruit, and processed meats. Nitrites are produced endogenously through the oxidation of nitric oxide and through a reduction of nitrate by commensal bacteria in the mouth and gastrointestinal tract.

As such, the dietary provision of nitrates and nitrites from vegetables and fruit may contribute to the blood pressure–lowering effects of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet. We quantified nitrate and nitrite concentrations by HPLC in a convenience sample of foods. Incorporating these values into 2 hypothetical dietary patterns that emphasize high-nitrate or low-nitrate vegetable and fruit choices based on the DASH diet, we found that nitrate concentrations in these 2 patterns vary from 174 to 1222 mg.

The hypothetical high-nitrate DASH diet pattern exceeds the World Health Organization’s Acceptable Daily Intake for nitrate by 550% for a 60-kg adult. These data call into question the rationale for recommendations to limit nitrate and nitrite consumption from plant foods; a comprehensive reevaluation of the health effects of food sources of nitrates and nitrites is appropriate.

In addition to the provision of nitrate and nitrite by diet or via the oxidation of nitric oxide to nitrite, vascular and gastrointestinal nitric oxide production can be enhanced through various means based on lifestyle and food choices. Physical activity, commensal bacteria, and dietary factors can influence nitric oxide production. Exercise enhances nitric oxide production in vascular endothelium (54) and postexercise plasma nitrite concentrations have been proposed as an index of exercise capacity (55). In fact, aging is associated with an impaired capacity of the vasculature to increase plasma nitrite during exercise (56). Strikingly, it has been found that dietary nitrate supplementation, at concentrations achievable by vegetable consumption, results in more efficient energy production without increasing lactate concentrations during submaximal exercise (57).

Foods can increase the generation of nitric oxide in the gastrointestinal tract via the polyphenolic content of, for example, apples or red wine (58, 59). Pomegranate juice has been shown to protect nitric oxide from oxidation while enhancing its biological activity (60). The metabolic activity of commensal bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract and probiotic bacteria also provide nitric oxide from nitrite, and to a lesser extent, from nitrate (61, 62). Whereas data estimating the contribution of the microbiota, including probiotic bacteria, to the generation of nitric oxide are speculative, they raise the possibility that the gastrointestinal production of nitric oxide and NO_x is biologically plausible. These data add layers of complexity to the estimation of nitrate/nitrite exposure levels in vivo and the determination of whether specific foods or lifestyle choices can significantly affect the production and metabolic disposition of dietary and endogenous NO_x species.

http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/90/1/1.full

Nitrate Reduction to Nitrite, Nitric Oxide and Ammonia by Gut Bacteria under Physiological Conditions

The biological nitrogen cycle involves step-wise reduction of nitrogen oxides to ammonium salts and oxidation of ammonia back to nitrites and nitrates by plants and bacteria. Neither process has been thought to have relevance to mammalian physiology; however in recent years the salivary bacterial reduction of nitrate to nitrite has been recognized as an important metabolic conversion in humans.

Several enteric bacteria have also shown the ability of catalytic reduction of nitrate to ammonia via nitrite during dissimilatory respiration; however, the importance of this pathway in bacterial species colonizing the human intestine has been little studied. We measured nitrite, nitric oxide (NO) and ammonia formation in cultures of Escherichia coli, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species grown at different sodium nitrate concentrations and oxygen levels.

We found that the presence of 5 mM nitrate provided a growth benefit and induced both nitrite and ammonia generation in E.coli and L.plantarum bacteria grown at oxygen concentrations compatible with the content in the gastrointestinal tract. Nitrite and ammonia accumulated in the growth medium when at least 2.5 mM nitrate was present. Time-course curves suggest that nitrate is first converted to nitrite and subsequently to ammonia. Strains of L.rhamnosus, L.acidophilus andB.longum infantis grown with nitrate produced minor changes in nitrite or ammonia levels in the cultures.

However, when supplied with exogenous nitrite, NO gas was readily produced independently of added nitrate. Bacterial production of lactic acid causes medium acidification that in turn generates NO by non-enzymatic nitrite reduction. In contrast, nitrite was converted to NO by E.coli cultures even at neutral pH. We suggest that the bacterial nitrate reduction to ammonia, as well as the related NO formation in the gut, could be an important aspect of the overall mammalian nitrate/nitrite/NO metabolism and is yet another way in which the microbiome links diet and health.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4372352/

Denitrification is a type of anaerobic respiration that uses nitrate as an electron acceptor.

Denitrification generally proceeds through a stepwise reduction of some combination of the following intermediate forms: NO3− → NO2− → NO + N2O → N2.
Generally, several species of bacteria are involved in the complete reduction of nitrate to molecular nitrogen, and more than one enzymatic pathway has been identified in the reduction process.
Complete denitrification is an environmentally significant process as some intermediates of denitrification (nitric oxide and nitrous oxide) are significant greenhouse gases that react with sunlight and ozone to produce nitric acid, a component of acid rain.

electron acceptor
An electron acceptor is a chemical entity that accepts electrons transferred to it from another compound. It is an oxidizing agent that, by virtue of its accepting electrons, is itself reduced in the process.

eutrophication
The process of becoming eutrophic.

Denitrification may be deliberately used to change the composition of an environment. It’s commonly used to remove nitrogen from sewage and municipal wastewater. Denitrification is instrumental in removing excess nitrate in groundwater, which is a result of excessive fertilizer use.
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In anaerobic respiration, denitrification utilizes nitrate (NO3-) as a terminal electron acceptor in the respiratory electron transport chain. Denitrification is a widely used process; many facultative anaerobes use denitrification because nitrate, like oxygen, has a high reduction potential

Denitrification is a microbially facilitated process involving the stepwise reduction of nitrate to nitrite (NO2-) nitric oxide (NO), nitrous oxide (N2O), and, eventually, to dinitrogen (N2) by the enzymes nitrate reductase, nitrite reductase, nitric oxide reductase, and nitrous oxide reductase. The complete denitrification process can be expressed as a redox reaction: 2 NO3− + 10 e− + 12 H+ → N2 + 6 H2O.

Protons are transported across the membrane by the initial NADH reductase, quinones and nitrous oxide reductase to produce the electrochemical gradient critical for respiration. Some organisms (e.g. E. coli) only produce nitrate reductase and therefore can accomplish only the first reduction leading to the accumulation of nitrite. Others (e.g. Paracoccus denitrificans or Pseudomonas stutzeri) reduce nitrate completely. Complete denitrification is an environmentally significant process because some intermediates of denitrification (nitric oxide and nitrous oxide) are significant greenhouse gases that react with sunlight and ozone to produce nitric acid, a component of acid rain. Denitrification is also important in biological wastewater treatment, where it can be used to reduce the amount of nitrogen released into the environment, thereby reducing eutrophication.

Denitrification takes place under special conditions in both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. In general, it occurs where oxygen is depleted and bacteria respire nitrate as a substitute terminal electron acceptor. Due to the high concentration of oxygen in our atmosphere, denitrification only takes place in anaerobic environments where oxygen consumption exceeds the oxygen supply and where sufficient quantities of nitrate are present. These environments may include certain soils and groundwater, wetlands, oil reservoirs, poorly ventilated corners of the ocean, and in sea floor sediments.

The role of soil bacteria in the Nitrogen cycle

Denitrification is an important process in maintaining ecosystems. Generally, denitrification takes place in environments depleted of oxygen.
Denitrification is performed primarily by heterotrophic bacteria (e.g. Paracoccus denitrificans), although autotrophic denitrifiers have also been identified (e.g., Thiobacillus denitrificans). Generally, several species of bacteria are involved in the complete reduction of nitrate to molecular nitrogen, and more than one enzymatic pathway have been identified in the reduction process.

Rhizobia are soil bacteria with the unique ability to establish a N2-fixing symbiosis on legume roots. When faced with a shortage of oxygen, some rhizobia species are able to switch from O2-respiration to using nitrates to support respiration.

The direct reduction of nitrate to ammonium (dissimilatory nitrate reduction) can be performed by organisms with the nrf-gene. This is a less common method of nitrate reduction than denitrification in most ecosystems. Other genes involved in denitrification include nir (nitrite reductase) and nos (nitrous oxide reductase), which are possessed by such organisms as Alcaligenes faecalis, Alcaligenes xylosoxidans, Pseudomonas spp, Bradyrhizobium japonicum, and Blastobacter denitrificans.

Source: Boundless. “Nitrate Reduction and Denitrification.” Boundless Microbiology. Boundless, 26 May. 2016. Retrieved 19 Oct. 2016 from

https://www.boundless.com/microbiology/textbooks/boundless-microbiology-textbook/microbial-metabolism-5/anaerobic-respiration-49/nitrate-reduction-and-denitrification-314-7650/

Monitoring Type 2 diabetes

Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT and Accenture Federal Services to demonstrate how patient-generated health data (PGHD) can best be delivered to clinicians and researchers to improve patient care and outcomes.

The federal pilot, which began in September 2016 and continues through August 2017, is a collaboration with Sutter Health, a 24-hospital health system in Northern California with over 11 million outpatient visits per year.

The pilot will focus on providing remote care and interventions using digital health devices to better manage and engage a population suffering from Type 2 Diabetes.

Genetics of Adipose Fat

The thrifty gene hypothesis (also called the famine hypothesis) states that in some populations the body would be more efficient at retaining fat in times of plenty, thereby endowing greater resistance to starvation in times of food scarcity. This hypothesis, originally advanced in the context of glucose metabolism and insulin resistance, has been discredited by physical anthropologists, physiologists, and the original proponent of the idea himself with respect to that context, although according to its developer it remains “as viable as when [it was] first advanced” in other contexts.^[42]^[43]

In 1995, Jeffrey Friedman, in his residency at the Rockefeller University, together with Rudolph Leibel, Douglas Coleman et al. discovered the protein leptin that the genetically obese mouse lacked.^[44]^[45]^[46] Leptin is produced in the white adipose tissue and signals to the hypothalamus. When leptin levels drop, the body interprets this as a loss of energy, and hunger increases. Mice lacking this protein eat until they are four times their normal size.

Leptin, however, plays a different role in diet-induced obesity in rodents and humans. Because adipocytes produce leptin, leptin levels are elevated in the obese. However, hunger remains, and – when leptin levels drop due to weight loss – hunger increases. The drop of leptin is better viewed as a starvation signal than the rise of leptin as a satiety signal.^[47] However, elevated leptin in obesity is known as leptin resistance. The changes that occur in the hypothalamus to result in leptin resistance in obesity are currently the focus of obesity research.^[48]

Gene defects in the leptin gene (ob) are rare in human obesity.^[49] As of July, 2010, only 14 individuals from five families have been identified worldwide who carry a mutated ob gene (one of which was the first ever identified cause of genetic obesity in humans)—two families of Pakistani origin living in the UK, one family living in Turkey, one in Egypt, and one in Austria^[50]^[51]^[52]^[53]^[54]—and two other families have been found that carry a mutated ob receptor.^[55]^[56] Others have been identified as genetically partially deficient in leptin, and, in these individuals, leptin levels on the low end of the normal range can predict obesity.^[57]

Several mutations of genes involving the melanocortins (used in brain signaling associated with appetite) and their receptorshave also been identified as causing obesity in a larger portion of the population than leptin mutations.^[58]

In 2007, researchers isolated the adipose gene, which those researchers hypothesize serves to keep animals lean during times of plenty. In that study, increased adipose gene activity was associated with slimmer animals.^[59] Although its discoverers dubbed this gene the adipose gene, it is not a gene responsible for creating adipose tissue.

Pre-adipocytes are undifferentiated fibroblasts that can be stimulated to form adipocytes. Recent studies shed light into potential molecular mechanisms in the fate determination of pre-adipocytes although the exact lineage of adipocyte is still unclear.

Ectopic Fat

Ectopic fat is defined by the deposition of triglycerides within cells of non-adipose tissue that normally contain only small amounts of fat. Over the past decade, magnetic resonance spectroscopy has been used extensively for noninvasive quantification of intramyocellular, intrahepatocellular, and more recently myocardial and pancreatic lipids. In liver and muscle, triglyceride content usually correlates with whole-body and tissue-specific insulin sensitivity. However, fat mass and oxidative capacity influence this relationship, indicating that ectopic lipid content is not the only factor that explains insulin resistance. Ectopic lipids may rather serve as biomarkers of the balance between metabolic supply and demand in different states of insulin sensitivity. Consequently, ectopic lipid concentrations, particularly in the liver, decrease with lifestyle- or drug-induced improvement of insulin sensitivity.

These foods supply important nutrients that are often low in diabetics and pre-diabetics, and linked to conditions like stroke, heart disease, hypertension, gastrointestinal ailments and obesity
About half of all American adults are either pre-diabetic or diabetic. Even one-third of normal-weight adults may also be pre-diabetic without knowing it
Diabetes is rooted in insulin resistance and malfunctioning leptin signaling, caused by chronically elevated insulin and leptin levels. This is why treating type 2 diabetes with insulin does not resolve the problem
Dietary recommendations for diabetics include a diet high in healthy fats, moderate protein and low in net carbs.

Genes

Most cases of diabetes mellitus type 2 involved many genes contributing small amount to the overall condition.^[1] As of 2011 more than 36 genes have been found that contribute to the risk of type 2 diabetes.^[2] All of these genes together still only account for 10% of the total genetic component of the disease.^[2]

There are a number of rare cases of diabetes that arise due to an abnormality in a single gene (known as monogenic forms of diabetes).^[1] These include maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY), Donohue syndrome, and Rabson-Mendenhall syndrome, among others.^[1] Maturity onset diabetes of the young constitute 1–5% of all cases of diabetes in young people.^[3]

Polygenic

Genetic cause and mechanism of type 2 diabetes is largely unknown. However, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) is one of many mechanisms that leads to increased risk for type 2 diabetes. To locate genes and loci that are responsible for the risk of type 2 diabetes, genome wide association studies (GWAS) was utilized to compare the genomes of diabetic patient group and the non-diabetic control group.^[4] The diabetic patients’ genome sequences differ from the controls’ genome in specific loci along and around numerous genes, and these differences in the nucleotide sequences alter phenotypic traits that exhibit increased susceptibility to the diabetes. GWAS has revealed 65 different loci (where single nucleotide sequences differ from the patient and control group’s genomes), and genes associated with type 2 diabetes, including TCF7L2, PPARG, FTO,KCNJ11,NOTCH2, WFS1, IGF2BP2, SLC30A8, JAZF1, HHEX, DGKB, CDKN2A, CDKN2B, KCNQ1, HNF1A, HNF1B MC4R,GIPR, HNF4A, MTNR1B, PARG6, ZBED3, SLC30A8, CDKAL1, GLIS3, GCKR, among others.^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]KCNJ11 (potassium inwardly rectifying channel, subfamily J, member 11), encodes the islet ATP-sensitive potassium channel Kir6.2, and TCF7L2(transcription factor 7–like 2) regulates proglucagon gene expression and thus the production of glucagon-like peptide-1.^[8] In addition, there is also a mutation to the Islet Amyloid Polypeptide gene that results in an earlier onset, more severe, form of diabetes.^[9]^[10] However, this is not a comprehensive list of genes that affects the proneness to the diabetes.

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9 Super foods

From Dr Mercola:
The following are nine “superfoods” for diabetics⁷ that you’d be wise to add to your diet on a regular basis.

1.Fatty Fish Low in Mercury

One of the most important foods for diabetes is seafood, as it provides the essential animal-based omega-3 fat docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) from a food source.

DHA is vitally important as it is the only fat we know of that allows your body to take advantage of the photoelectric effect, the one that Einstein received his Noble Prize for. It converts the photons from the sun into DC electric current (electrons), which help fuel your mitochondria.

Optimal levels of DHA are one of the most important nutritional interventions that you can choose to make. If you haven’t already checked your omega-3 index test to confirm your levels are adequate, I would strongly encourage you to do so.

That said, as levels of pollution have increased, you have to be very choosy about which types of seafood you eat. Most major waterways in the world are contaminated with mercury, heavy metals and chemicals like dioxins, PCBs and other agricultural chemicals. If you’re not careful, the toxic effects from the pollutants in the fish will outweigh the benefits of the omega-3 fats. Here are some important factors to consider:

•Choose fatty fish from cold-water locations, as not all seafood is a good source of omega-3. Good choices include wild-caught Alaskan sockeye salmon, sardines, anchovies, herring and fish roe.

•Avoid farm-raised fish, as they can actually be more hazardous than wild in terms of their toxic content. For example, researchers warn that farmed salmon may be one of the most toxic foods in the world, thanks to toxins found in the feed. Levels of omega-3 fats may also be reduced by as much as 50 percent in farmed salmon, compared to wild salmon, due to the grains they’re fed.

•To evaluate your mercury exposure from various seafood sources, check out the online mercury calculator at GotMercury.org.⁸ The Environmental Working Group (EWG) also has a seafood calculator⁹ that can help you identify fish that are high in omega-3 and low in pollutants.

2.Avocado

Avocado (which is actually a fruit, not a vegetable) is a great source of healthy fat, fiber and about 20 different vitamins and minerals, including magnesium. As noted by Medical News Today:

“Eating foods that contain healthy fats may help increase fullness. Eating fat slows the digestion of carbohydrates, which helps to keep blood sugar levels more stable. Avocado is high in fiber too, with half a fruit containing 6 to 7 grams … Eating high-fiber foods can … improve weight loss, and make insulin more efficient. Spread avocado on toast in the morning instead of butter. Use avocado instead of mayonnaise in chicken or egg salad.”

3.Seeds (Sunflower, Black Sesame, Black Cumin, Pumpkin and Chia)

Magnesium is a very important nutrient that many are deficient in. Lack of magnesium may raise your risk of insulin resistance, as it plays an important role in carbohydrate and glucose metabolism. Besides that, your body needs magnesium for more than 300 other biological and chemical processes, so make sure you’re getting enough. As noted by Medical News Today:¹⁰

“For every 100 [milligram per day] mg/day increase in magnesium intake (up to a point), the risk of developing type 2 diabetes decreases by approximately 15 percent.¹¹ Most magnesium intake in these studies was from dietary sources, not supplements.

Clinical studies have shown improvement in insulin sensitivity with magnesium intake between 300 and 365 mg/day.Researchers were also able to show that low magnesium levels resulted in impaired insulin secretion and lower insulin sensitivity.”

Some of the most magnesium-rich foods are seeds. Additionally, although most of us are overloaded on unhealthy industrially processed omega 6 oils, we clearly need some, and unprocessed seeds are a terrific source:

•Sunflower: One-quarter cup of sunflower seeds gives you 128 mg of magnesium.

•Black sesame: One ounce of sesame seeds contains about 101 mg of magnesium.

•Black cumin: Black cumin has a long history of medicinal use. Packed with antioxidants and immune-boosting components, black cumin has even been shown to have potent anti-cancer activity.¹² Studies have also shown black cumin can help prevent both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. In one study, black cumin (nigella sativa) improved glucose tolerance as efficiently as metformin.¹³

•Pumpkin: Two tablespoons of pumpkin seeds will provide you with 74 mg of magnesium (about 25 percent of your recommended daily intake). Pumpkin seed butter can be made at home; simply blend whole, raw pumpkin seeds in a food processor until smooth.

•Chia: Besides magnesium, chia seeds are also a good source of healthy fats, fiber and antioxidants. Just 1 ounce of chia seeds provides 10 grams of fiber. Add them to smoothies and salads

Other foods high in magnesium¹⁴ include nuts (especially almonds and cashews) and dark leafy greens (especially boiled spinach, which provides 78 mg of magnesium per cup). Avocados also contain magnesium.

4.Fiber and Digestive-Resistant Carbs

Diabetics also need to mind their fiber intake. Research¹⁵ shows that people with high intakes of dietary fiber not only have a significantly lower risk of obesity and diabetes, but also a lower risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension and gastrointestinal ailments.

Importantly, higher fiber intake has been shown to improve glycemia, leptin and insulin sensitivity in non-diabetic and diabetic individuals alike. The best sources of fiber in your diet come from whole foods and include the following. Aim for about 50 grams of fiber per 1,000 calories consumed.

Chia seeds	Berries	Almonds
Cauliflower	Root vegetables and tubers, such as onions and sweet potatoes	Green beans
Peas	Vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts	Organic psyllium seed husk
Artichokes	Freshly ground flaxseed meal. Never use pre-ground as it is oxidized and damaged	Black beans

Digestive-resistant starches also help maintain a steady blood sugar level. This refers to low-viscous dietary fibers that resist digestion in the small intestine and slowly ferment in your large intestine.¹⁶ Here, resistant starches act as prebiotics, feeding healthy bacteria. Since they’re indigestible, resistant starches do not result in blood sugar spikes. In fact, research suggests resistant starches help improve insulin regulation, reducing your risk of insulin resistance.^17,^18,^19,²⁰

Foods high in digestive-resistant starch include certain underripe fruits, specifically banana, papaya and mango, as well as white beans, lentils, seeds and products like potato starch, tapioca starch and brown rice flour. Interestingly, cooking a normally digestible starch such as potato or pasta and then cooling it in the refrigerator will alter the chemistry of the food, transforming more of it into resistant-type starch.²¹

5.Walnuts

Research shows higher nut consumption is associated with lower body weight, which is helpful for maintaining normal blood sugar levels.²² Walnuts, in particular, are a healthy choice for diabetics as they’re high in fiber and healthy fats.

In one recent study,²³ participants at increased risk of developing diabetes who added 2 ounces of walnuts to their daily diet for six months showed improvements in blood vessel wall (epithelial) function, and lower levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.

Walnuts are great for snacking when you might otherwise be tempted to reach for chips or crackers. You can easily make your own trail mix, combining walnuts, pumpkin seeds and raw cacao nibs, for example. They’re also a great addition to salads.

6.Spinach

Besides magnesium, spinach is also a superb source of potassium, low levels of which have been linked to an increased risk of diabetes and diabetes complications. Cooked spinach provides 839 mg of potassium per cup. For comparison, 1 cup of banana — well-known as a potassium-rich food — contains 539 mg of potassium. One way to dramatically increase your spinach intake is to juice it. You can also add it to salad along with other mixed greens.

7.Strawberries

Fisetin, a substance found in strawberries, has been shown to prevent kidney and brain complications in diabetic mice.²⁴Human studies have also demonstrated that people who eat plenty of berries, such as strawberries and blueberries, have a lower risk of both diabetes, heart attacks and dementia — outcomes thought to be related to the anthocyanins (a class of flavonoids) found in red, blue and purple-colored berries.²⁵

Studies have also linked the high vitamin C content of strawberries to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. One cup of fresh strawberries provides 160 percent of your daily need of vitamin C. They’re a delicious addition to salad (spinach, walnut and strawberries make a tasty combination). You can also blend fresh or frozen strawberries into your smoothies. According to one such study:²⁶

“Though diabetes is not traditionally considered a risk factor for vitamin C deficiency, patients with diabetes should all receive dietary advice about healthy eating and vitamin C dietary sources, including fresh fruits and vegetables. The recommended dietary intake of vitamin C is 45 mg per day for adults.

There are some data suggesting that people with diabetes may have increased cellular uptake and turnover of vitamin C that would necessitate increased intake, and they also have an increased risk of deficiency.”

8.Ginger

Research suggests ginger may help reduce fasting blood sugar in diabetics.²⁷ Part of this effect relates to its anti-inflammatory capacity. Indeed, anti-inflammatory diets in general are helpful for the prevention of diabetes. Ginger is often used in cooking. For example, you can add fresh, grated ginger to sauces, marinades and dressing. Alternatively, drink a cup or two of ginger tea each day. Simply steep a slice of fresh ginger in boiling water for a few minutes.

9.Cinnamon

Cinnamon is another common cooking spice that has garnered attention for its anti-diabetes benefits. Besides sprinkling it onsweet potatoes or carrots, you can add it to tea for a flavorful kick in lieu of sugar, which is best avoided anyway. As noted in Medical News Today:²⁸

“Participants in one study²⁹ who took a high dose of cinnamon reduced their average blood sugar levels from 8.9 percent to 8.0 percent. Participants who took a low dose of cinnamon reduced their average blood sugar levels from 8.9 to 8.2 percent. Participants who did not take cinnamon saw no change.”

Connie’s notes: Avoid over-ripe fruits, fruit juices (not freshly squeeze), eat in moderation with high-fiber whole foods, avoid charred meat, trans fat, and add lemon in your drinking water.

Cancer types varies in Latinos

If you’re Latino, you could be at risk for colorectal cancer. But the degree of that risk could depend on whether your ancestry traces to Puerto Rico or to Mexico or another Latin American country.

A paper published in the September issue of Current Epidemiology Reports discusses the health implications of classifying Latinos as a homogeneous entity while analyzing existing research about their cancer risks and outcomes and those of various subpopulations.

“For Latinos, we’ve been studying them as one group,” said co-author Mariana Stern, an associate professor of preventive medicine and urology at the University of Southern California. “Now the idea is, let’s acknowledge the fact that we’re not all the same.”

Compared with whites and blacks, Latinos generally have a higher incidence of cervical, penile and gastrointestinal cancers, including those of the gallbladder and liver, according to the report. But they have lower rates of some of the most common forms of the disease, such as breast, lung, colorectal and prostate cancers.

A different picture emerges, however, when researchers examined Latinos based on their family’s place of origin. For example, in Florida, Puerto Ricans and Cubans have higher rates of breast cancer than do Mexicans. And with colorectal cancer there, rates for Cuban and Puerto Rican men were twice that for Mexican men, according to the report. The opposite was true with prostate cancer, with Mexican men having a lower incidence than Cubans and Puerto Ricans.

There are reasons for the variations. Puerto Ricans and Cubans are more likely to have African ancestry, while Mexicans have more Native American roots. These genealogical differences, as well as differences in diet and lifestyle, influence cancer risks, Stern said.

“Because of the diversity within Latinos, we have to understand the diversity so that we can really provide precision medicine to Latinos, as well as other racial groups,” Stern said.

Stern said that doctors have been cautioned in recent years about profiling their patients, which may make many hesitant to ask questions about Latinos’ place of origin during their medical appointments. Yet that information might be very important in determining a patient’s risk factors for certain cancers, she said.

The nation’s 55 million Latinos are the largest and fastest-growing minority group, comprising 17 percent of the population as of 2014. That percentage is expected to double by 2050, according to the report.

“A better understanding of the heterogeneity that exists within Latinos may give important clues regarding the key cancer determinants and cancer characteristics in this population and help achieve the goal of personalized medicine in this fast growing minority group,” according to the report.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2016/08/29/for-latinos-cancer-risks-can-depend-on-heritage/

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