Why Portion Control Avantrx?

The Question: Why would a company focused on nutrients and eye disease launch a portion control formula into the eye care market?

The Answer: An increased risk of developing type-2 diabetes and a host of other degenerative disease is directly linked to the amount of excess subcutaneous and visceral fat we carry on our bodies. Visceral fat surrounds vital organs and is metabolized by the liver, which turns it into blood cholesterol. It also increases Il-6 and C-reactive protein, the inflammatory markers associated with disease and metabolic syndrome that precedes development of type-2 diabetes and most all degenerative disease, including the four major eye diseases, cataract, macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released data this past Thursday that suggests the rate of new type-2 diabetes cases nearly doubled in the United States in the past 10 years.

The study, led by Karen Kirtland, provides an up-to-date picture of where the disease is exploding. The information should be a big help as the government and health insurance companies decide where to focus prevention campaigns, Petersen said.

Diabetes was the nation's seventh-leading cause of death in 2006, according to the CDC. More than 23 million Americans have diabetes, and the number is rapidly growing. About 1.6 million new cases were diagnosed among adults last year.

In Type 2 diabetes, cells do not properly use insulin, a hormone needed to convert sugar into energy. The illness can lead to complications such as heart disease, blindness, kidney failure and poor circulation that leads to amputations.

The study involved a random-digit-dialed survey of more than 260,000 adults. Participants were asked if they had ever been told by a doctor that they have diabetes, and when the diagnosis was made.

The researchers had data for 40 states for the years 2005-07. West Virginia, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Texas and Tennessee had the highest rates. Puerto Rico was about as high as West Virginia. Minnesota, Hawaii and Wyoming had the lowest rates.

It is not entirely clear why some states were worse than others. Older people, blacks and Hispanics tend to have higher rates of Type 2 diabetes, and the South has large concentrations of all three groups. However, West Virginia is overwhelmingly white.

The report asked about diagnosed diabetes only. Because an estimated one in four diabetics have not been diagnosed, the findings probably underestimate the problem, said Angela Liese, a diabetes researcher at the University of South Carolina.

Lifestyle changes that include portion control of nutrient-dense diets and daily exercise can dramatically lower the risk of developing type-2 diabetes and the other degenerative diseases.