“As long as I cut my calories, does it otherwise matter WHAT I eat?” “Do I need vitamins and minerals?” “Do nutritional supplements really work?” “Is there a nutritional option to my prescription medications?” “If I simply take a ‘one a day’ multivitamin, isn’t that enough?” “My friends are getting cancer and heart disease, can I improve my chances with nutrition?” These are examples of the types of questions I address with patients every day.
As a physician, my mission is your Optimum Health. Then, as I consider the best health-care approaches for you and others, I ask two questions: 1) How healthy are you now? And 2) If there are concerning trends among individuals, what can I do about it? These compelling questions had me research the top causes of death in America. Here is what I found… There are 4 diseases, frequently driven by poor nutrition, that kill more people than all other causes combined! I call these the “Deadly 4”…
By Dr. Rick Tague
Glycemic Index (GI) is an effective way to measure a carbohydrate-containing food’s effect on blood sugar. Some foods produce a higher blood sugar level than others. Low glycemic index foods generally have less of an impact on blood sugar levels because their carbohydrates break down more slowly, releasing glucose more gradually into the bloodstream.
By Dr. Rick Tague
A Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index survey found that 11.3% of adults in America (26 million people) have diabetes as of Oct. 2009, up from just 10.4% in Jan. 2008. The rate of type 2 diabetes mellitus could climb to 15% by 2015 if current trends continue. The report contributes this rise to increases in obesity rates, noting that people who are obese are 3x more likely to receive a diagnosis of diabetes compared to their non-obese counterparts. Kansas ranked among the states with with the lowest increases.