Vitamin D Linked to Cancer and Autoimmune Diseases. Vitamin D deficiency is a known risk factor for rickets. Now evidence suggests vitamin D deficiency may increase one's susceptibility to autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes, as well as cancer and dementia. Vitamin D effects our DNA through the vitamin D receptor (VDR), which binds to specific locations of the human genome. In this study, the team mapped out these specific locations and identified more than 200 genes that vitamin D directly influences.

Read more: Research: Vitamin D Linked to Cancer and Autoimmune Diseases

Green Leafy Vegetables Cuts Risk of Diabetes.A review, published in the British Medical Journal, looked at six studies on links between diabetes and the consumption of fruits and vegetables and found eating an extra serving a day of vegetables like spinach, cabbage, and broccoli reduced adults' risk of type 2 diabetes by 14 percent. These studies covered over 200,000 adults in the United States, China and Finland.

Read more: Research: Green Leafy Vegetables Cuts Risk of Diabetes

The majority of cases of type 2 diabetes can be prevented by the adoption of a healthier lifestyle, as demonstrated by Walter Willett, MD, PhD, and his colleagues from the Harvard School of Public Health. In their study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, 91 percent of all Type 2 diabetes cases could have been prevented through improvements in lifestyle and diet.  

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When should you check to see if your child has a sugar imbalance? Diabetes is called "the silent killer", because often there is no warning sign, left undiagnosed until it's too late. In addtion to death, complications from diabetes include heart attack, stroke, amputations, blindness, kidney failure, and nerve damage. Since insulin resistance precedes diabetes (high blood sugar), high insulin level is our warning sign that diabetes may follow decades later. Don't ignore this for yourself or your child!

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Diabetes. We have all heard the word before, but what exactly is diabetes (mellitus)? Diabetes is a catch all name for several diseases with abnormal carbohydrate metabolism, resulting in hyperglycemia (too much sugar in the blood). Our blood sugar is regulated by a hormone called insulin. After eating, our blood sugar rises.  Rising blood sugar tells our body to secrete insulin from our pancreas. Insulin brings glucose (sugar) into our cells for energy, keeping our blood sugar controlled in a narrow range. So how does too much sugar end up in the blood in a person with diabetes? Either there isn't enough insulin (insulin deficiency) and/or the cell becomes resistant to the insulin (insulin resistance).

Read more: About Diabetes