Page 22 - Florida Sentinel 8-21-15 Edition

Health
Prevent, Beat And Treat Stroke
Prediabetes: Stop It Before It Starts
There are 29 million people in the U.S. living with diabetes and most of those people had prediabetes, which is a health condition that affects a whop- ping 79 million Americans. For those who don’t know, predia- betes is when a person’s blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough as someone with diabetes would be.
Prediabetes is also referred to as borderline diabetes. Further- more, here are three other im- portant things you need to know about prediabetes:
1. You can stop it in its tracks. If you catch prediabetes early enough and take the neces- sary precautions, your blood glucose levels can return back to normal.
2. It can be avoided alto- gether. By eating right, exercis- ing regularly and maintaining a healthy weight, you can prevent prediabetes and other serious health conditions, including hy- pertension and heart disease.
3. It can be genetic. Family history plays a strong role in many health risks and predia- betes is certainly no exception. If someone in your family has pre- diabetes, you have a higher risk of developing the disease.
5 Foods That Make You Look Tired
By Jeanmarie Milla
Every 40 seconds, someone in America has a stroke. On aver- age, every four minutes, an American dies from stroke. Ac- cording to a 2015 American Heart Association Circulation statistical report update, African Americans have nearly twice the risk for a first-ever stroke than Caucasians, and a much higher death rate from stroke. In fact, African Americans are more im- pacted by stroke more than any other racial group within the American population.
A recent survey showed that only 8% of people can identify each letter in F.A.S.T., an acronym that stands for the most common stroke warning signs. We want everyone to become a Stroke Hero by learning F.A.S.T. If you or someone near you is ex- periencing Face dropping, Arm weakness or Slurred Speech, then it’s Time to call 911.
When it comes to a stroke, time is brain. Clot busters and/or clot-removal procedures must be administered within a few hours of stroke symptoms, so it’s cru- cial that a stroke victim get to the hospital immediately.
Getting immediate help can minimize the long-term of effects of a stroke and even prevent death.
In the past year, we’ve en- gaged more than 10,000 Tampa Bay area community members with F.A.S.T., and that number will only grow over the next year.
Many Americans don’t see stroke as a major health threat. It is also a common misconception that stroke only affects elderly people. However, stroke can hap- pen to anyone, at any time.
African Americans are more
likely to suffer a stroke at a younger age. Among people ages 20 to 44, African Americans are two to three times more likely to have a stroke compared to Cau- casians.
To reduce your risk of stroke, follow these seven steps:
Don’t smoke - Smoking is the most preventable cause of premature death in the United States.
Maintain a healthy weight - A body mass index (BMI) of less than 25 is optimal for cardio- vascular health.
Engage in regular physi- cal activity - Get moving for at least 30-45 minutes a day.
Eat a healthy diet - Say yes to fruits and vegetables, fiber- rich whole grains, fish, and low- fat dairy products.
Manage blood pressure -
Rates of high blood pressure among African Americans is among the highest of any popu- lation in the world. High blood pressure is often called “the silent killer” because it has no symptoms, so you may not be aware that it’s damaging your ar- teries, heart and other organs.
Take charge of choles- terol - High cholesterol can cause blocked arteries, which can lead to heart attacks, heart dam- age or heart failure.
Keep blood sugar, or glu- cose, at healthy levels - High blood sugar increases your risk for diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Diabetes increases stroke risk at all ages. African-Ameri- cans, Hispanics/Latinos and other ethnic minorities bear a disproportionate burden of dia- betes in the U.S.
To learn more, please visit www.StrokeAssociation.org/To- gethertoEndStroke.
As if we don’t already have enough things wearing us down and making us exhausted, the last thing we need is to have the food we are eating making us look tired and worn out! There is nothing worse than someone say- ing, “Man, you look tired!” Who wants to hear that?
If you’re getting enough rest at night, try staying away from these foods, the culprits of dark circles, puffy eyes and bad skin in general!
1. Candy - It’s sweet, it occu- pies your mouth when you’re bored and it puts a smile on your face, but candy is not worth those tired bags! It has no dietary ben- efit and the concentrated amount of sugar will give your body an in- sulin spike that will peak and then crash just as quickly. This makes you not only look tired, but feel tired as well.
2. Doughnuts - They are both fried and sugar filled. In general, fried foods along with sugar are energy killers! The un-
fortunate part is these doughnuts are often eaten in the morning. This is the worst time of the day to eat such a buzz kill. But, they are good though!
3. Salted Pretzels - While salt is good in small amounts, foods like pretzels and chips have high salt content. This concen- trated amount of salt dehydrates you, making your skin look dull and ultimately making you look like you need a nap time. Try food flavored with herbs and spices versus salt as an alterna- tive.
4. Diet Pop/Soda - The arti- ficial sweetener in these drinks makes you bloat and your eyes get puffy. They contain aspar- tame, which can cause joint pain and induce more sugar cravings. It’s a quick and vicious cycle to get into so stay away! Try fla- vored water or fruit infused water for a healthier, yet sweet option.
5. Processed Cold Cuts - Nothing better than that yummy BLT you love to make for lunch, right? Unfortunately, you may want to double check the meat that you are using. The preserva- tives in cold cut meats are known to cause inflammation in the skin, making you look not like yourself. Fresh meats from the deli may cost more, but hey, they will do your body a bit more jus- tice. They also will probably taste better!
PAGE 10-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, AUGUST 21, 2015