Diet/Execise needed to curb low HDL/pre-Diabetes patterns?

Hi there,

I am a 26 year old male with very low HDL and signs which
may indicate pre-diabetes, and I am curious what I can do
to curb any trends in this direction.

I have a family history of heart disease, diabetes, and
obesity. When I was 20-21, I was able to reduce my bodyfat
percentage significantly through the use of good diet &
exercise combined with chromium picolinate and pyruvate.
Recently I have been focusing on lifting weights vs.
aerobic exercise and my fat levels have risen
considerably. There is no reason to believe I am eating
significantly more fat, so I am worried that this may be
an indication of something else. I have very low HDL, but
total cholesterol is in the margin of normal. It is very
difficult for me to sustain significant aerobic activity -
i.e. say more than 2-3 miles of running - I don't know if
this is because of poor cardiovascular health or poor
energy transfer/metabolism or some sort of strange
combined effect. Any advice or thoughts on supplements
(niacin, chromium, etc) that can assist this problem and
any insights on my exercise pattern? Would appreciate your
help. Thanks.

"Andrew" <analystresearch2002@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:43cf64b0.0403071424.5200400a@posting.google.com...
> Hi there,
>
<snip>

> Recently I have been focusing on lifting weights vs.
> aerobic exercise and my fat levels have risen
> considerably. There is no reason to believe I am eating
> significantly more fat, so I am worried that this may be
> an indication of something else. I have very low HDL, but
> total cholesterol is in the margin of normal. It is very
> difficult for me to sustain significant aerobic activity -
> i.e. say more than 2-3 miles of running - I don't know if
> this is because of poor cardiovascular health or poor
> energy transfer/metabolism or some sort of strange
> combined effect. Any advice or thoughts on supplements
> (niacin, chromium, etc) that can assist this problem and
> any insights on my exercise pattern? Would appreciate your
> help. Thanks.

Are you certain that you have had an increase in fat and not
just an increase in weight? When people start weight
training they gain muscle and may gain weight initially
simply because of the addition of muscle, which is more
dense than fat.

You're not alone. It's difficult for MOST people to run more
than 2-3 miles, particularly if you do tiring resistance
training before starting to run.

I personally have been doing a 3X weekly weight training
followed by 2-3 mile running program for the past couple of
years, and I'm in my mid-fifties. Your experiences were
similar to mine at the beginning. Now I'm in better shape
than most 20-somethings.

If your doc says you're fit enough to do so, keep up the
good work and watch your body change, your stamina increase
and your overall health improve. Don't try to micro-manage
your physiology after "recently" starting a fitness regimen.

George

Andrew,

What drives up cholesterol and decreases HDL is not high
dietary fat intake, it is high carb intake.

Your problem with exhaustion after intense aerobic effort
suggests you have hypoglycemia which is a warning sign of
developing diabetes. I had that about ten years before I was
diagnosed. What happens is your blood sugar surges after a
meal, but then goes low as your pancreas play's catch up and
pumps out insulin, perhaps too much, to clear the blood
sugar. When you exercise when you have a low blood sugar,
you go a whole lot lower and feel like you have lead in your
legs. If the hypoglycemia "goes away" it is actually a sign
your blood sugars are getting worse, not better, which many
of us here did not understand.

High carb intake leads to very high post meal blood sugars,
and they are thought to be a huge part of what stresses your
pancreas and leads to the death of the cells that produce
insulin. The very worst carb is probably the high fructose
corn syrup that is in sodas and much junk food. It not only
raises blood sugar but also raises triglycerides. There is
some intriguing research that shows that the combination of
high triglycerides and high blood sugar at the same time in
your blood stream leads to destruction of beta cells (via
their effect on causing the growth of amyloid deposits in
the pancreas).

So the best thing you can do to avoid type 2 diabetes now is
to cut way down on carbohydrates, especially white flour,
white sugar, and potatoes. Your goal is to keep your blood
sugar from getting so high that you a) get a reactive low
later, and b) poison your pancreas cells.

I'd suggest starting by eliminating all sugary sodas and
"energy drinks." A lot of "healthy" spritzers are pure
hummingbird food--i.e. sugar. A single health food juice
bottle can contain 50 grams of sugar. This is murder on your
pancreas. Substitute either seltzer or diet sodas. The ones
with Splenda taste a lot better than the older ones did.

Don't eat bread or pasta as a routine food. Go for small
portions when you do eat them. Read labels and learn how
much carbohydrate is in the various foods you eat. Sometimes
you'll be surprised. Yogurt with fruit is extremely high in
sugar, regular cheese is a lot better for you.

If you catch the problem early and cut down on the carbs,
you can decrease the stress on your beta cells and lower the
high blood sugars that poison them ("glucotoxicity" is the
technical term.)

However, you might want to do some further research to
make sure you aren't actually in the early stages of
diabetes. The fasting glucose test is a very poor
diagnostic criteria as it diagnoses people many years
after their post meal blood sugar levels are in the
diabetic range. Ask your doctor if you can get your blood
sugar tested after a high carbohydrate meal or if you can
have an hba1c test. The latter is also helpful for gauging
how abnormal your blood sugar is, though it is not as good
as a 2 hour post meal value.

I sure wish someone had told me this stuff years ago before
I burnt out my pancreas eating the "healthy" high carb crap
that was exactly not what I needed to eat.

-- Jenny - Low Carbing for 4 years. At goal for weight.
Type 2 diabetes, hba1c 5.2. Cut the carbs to respond to my
email address!

Low carb facts and figures, my weight-loss photos, tips,
recipes, strategies for dealing with diabetes and more at
http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean/

Looking for help controlling your blood sugar? Visit http://www.alt-support-
diabetes.org/Newly%20Diagnosed.htm

"Andrew" <analystresearch2002@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:43cf64b0.0403071424.5200400a@posting.google.com...
> Hi there,
>
> I am a 26 year old male with very low HDL and signs
> which may indicate pre-diabetes, and I am curious what I
> can do to curb any trends in this direction.
>
> I have a family history of heart disease, diabetes, and
> obesity. When I was 20-21, I was able to reduce my
> bodyfat percentage significantly through the use of good
> diet & exercise combined with chromium picolinate and
> pyruvate. Recently I have been focusing on lifting
> weights vs. aerobic exercise and my fat levels have
> risen considerably. There is no reason to believe I am
> eating significantly more fat, so I am worried that this
> may be an indication of something else. I have very low
> HDL, but total cholesterol is in the margin of normal.
> It is very difficult for me to sustain significant
> aerobic activity - i.e. say more than 2-3 miles of
> running - I don't know if this is because of poor
> cardiovascular health or poor energy transfer/metabolism
> or some sort of strange combined effect. Any advice or
> thoughts on supplements (niacin, chromium, etc) that can
> assist this problem and any insights on my exercise
> pattern? Would appreciate your help. Thanks.

"Andrew" <analystresearch2002@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:43cf64b0.0403071424.5200400a@posting.google.com...
> Hi there,
>
> I am a 26 year old male with very low HDL and signs
> which may indicate pre-diabetes, and I am curious what I
> can do to curb any trends in this direction.
>
> I have a family history of heart disease, diabetes, and
> obesity. When I was 20-21, I was able to reduce my
> bodyfat percentage significantly through the use of good
> diet & exercise combined with chromium picolinate and
> pyruvate. Recently I have been focusing on lifting
> weights vs. aerobic exercise and my fat levels have
> risen considerably. There is no reason to believe I am
> eating significantly more fat, so I am worried that this
> may be an indication of something else. I have very low
> HDL, but total cholesterol is in the margin of normal.
> It is very difficult for me to sustain significant
> aerobic activity - i.e. say more than 2-3 miles of
> running - I don't know if this is because of poor
> cardiovascular health or poor energy transfer/metabolism
> or some sort of strange combined effect. Any advice or
> thoughts on supplements (niacin, chromium, etc) that can
> assist this problem and any insights on my exercise
> pattern? Would appreciate your help. Thanks.

Niacin can increase HDL. Running 2-3 miles several times a
week is a reasonable amount. If you want to do more
aerobics, any way you can intersperse the weight training?

Bill

Andrew wrote in message
<43cf64b0.0403071424.5200400a@posting.google.com>...
>Hi there,
>
> I am a 26 year old male with very low HDL and signs which
> may indicate pre-diabetes, and I am curious what I can do
> to curb any trends in this direction.
>
> I have a family history of heart disease, diabetes, and
> obesity. When I was 20-21, I was able to reduce my
> bodyfat percentage significantly through the use of good
> diet & exercise combined with chromium picolinate and
> pyruvate. Recently I have been focusing on lifting
> weights vs. aerobic exercise and my fat levels have risen
> considerably. There is no reason to believe I am eating
> significantly more fat, so I am worried that this may be
> an indication of something else. I have very low HDL, but
> total cholesterol is in the margin of normal. It is very
> difficult for me to sustain significant aerobic activity
> - i.e. say more than 2-3 miles of running - I don't know
> if this is because of poor cardiovascular health or poor
> energy transfer/metabolism or some sort of strange
> combined effect. Any advice or thoughts on supplements
> (niacin, chromium, etc) that can assist this problem and
> any insights on my exercise pattern? Would appreciate
> your help. Thanks.

From

"50 Ways to Lower Your Cholesterol", McGowan, Mary P., M.D.
(cardiologist)

1. "In large part, a person's HDL cholesterol level is
genetically predetermined. . . ."

2. "Quitting smoking can increase HDL"

3. "Exercise is known to improve HDL"

4. "Weight loss can lead to a significant improvement. . ."

5. A high intake of trans fat is known to dramatically
reduce HDL. Switching from a high trans fat diet to one
rich in monounsaturated fats such as the ones found in
canola, olive and peanut oil can improve HDL levels.

6. Maybe, a bit of alcohol taken after dinner can
help. . .maybe.

If you have all that T2 in your family, be very alert to
your triglycerides levels. High triglycerides is a marker
for Insulin Resistance which usually accompanies T2 in
Western Countries.

Insulin Resistance is thought to encourage fat deposition.
If present, the attack on this very undesireable conditon
would be a low carb diet and possibly the use of an anti-
Insulin Resistance med such as metformin. (and lots of
exercise but you're already handling that)

Mysterious bouts of temporary fatique could be a symptom of
Reactive Hypoglycemia. That's another marker of developing
T2. You might invest in a home blood sugar testing meter
and take a look at your blood sugar when you feel unwell or
odd. Normal folks spend most of their time in the 70 - 110
mg/dL range.

If you detect any Insulin Resistance or T2 markers, find a
good doc and start attacking the conditions early. You'll be
very happy you did when you get to Old F*rt status.

Regards
Old Al

"Jenny" <lottadatacarbs@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:404bbff9$0$3078$61fed72c@news.rcn.com...
> Andrew,
>
> What drives up cholesterol and decreases HDL is not high
> dietary fat
intake,
> it is high carb intake.
>
> Your problem with exhaustion after intense aerobic effort
> suggests ...

... that you're like almost everyone else who tends to feel
exhausted after intense aerobic workout!

George

Andrew:
oldal4865 said:
> 5. A high intake of trans fat is known to dramatically
> reduce HDL. Switching from a high trans fat diet to
> one rich in monounsaturated fats such as the ones
> found in canola, olive and peanut oil can improve HDL
> levels.

Until the FDA regulation takes effect on labeling, trans
fats are hidden in food labels. They are shown as partially
hydrogenated soy, corn oil, or other kinds of Omega 6 fatty
acids. Trans fats are not essential to your diet and
function similar to saturated fat. Trans fats also interfere
with the metabolism of essential fatty acids.

Saturated fat if not offset by adequate monounsaturated fats
can be toxic to your pancreas. Cerimide is formed which
kills pancreatic beta cells.

The triglyceride to HDL ratio is considered a good indicator
of cardiovascular risk. A ratio of 3 or less is desireable.

Frank

Very interesting post; thankyou.

"Jenny" <lottadatacarbs@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:404bbff9$0$3078$61fed72c@news.rcn.com...
> Andrew,
>
> What drives up cholesterol and decreases HDL is not high
> dietary fat
intake,
> it is high carb intake.
>
> Your problem with exhaustion after intense aerobic effort
> suggests you
have
> hypoglycemia which is a warning sign of developing
> diabetes. I had that about ten years before I was
> diagnosed. What happens is your blood sugar surges after a
> meal, but then goes low as your pancreas play's catch up
and
> pumps out insulin, perhaps too much, to clear the blood
> sugar. When you exercise when you have a low blood sugar,
> you go a whole lot lower and
feel
> like you have lead in your legs. If the hypoglycemia "goes
> away" it is actually a sign your blood sugars are getting
> worse, not better, which
many
> of us here did not understand.
>
> High carb intake leads to very high post meal blood
> sugars, and they are thought to be a huge part of what
> stresses your pancreas and leads to the death of the cells
> that produce insulin. The very worst carb is probably
the
> high fructose corn syrup that is in sodas and much junk
> food. It not only raises blood sugar but also raises
> triglycerides. There is some intriguing research that
> shows that the combination of high triglycerides and high
> blood sugar at the same time in your blood stream leads to
> destruction of beta cells (via their effect on causing the
> growth of amyloid deposits in the pancreas).
>
> So the best thing you can do to avoid type 2 diabetes now
> is to cut way
down
> on carbohydrates, especially white flour, white sugar, and
> potatoes. Your goal is to keep your blood sugar from
> getting so high that you a) get a reactive low later, and
> b) poison your pancreas cells.
>
> I'd suggest starting by eliminating all sugary sodas and
> "energy drinks." A lot of "healthy" spritzers are pure
> hummingbird food--i.e. sugar. A
single
> health food juice bottle can contain 50 grams of sugar.
> This is murder on your pancreas. Substitute either seltzer
> or diet sodas. The ones with Splenda taste a lot better
> than the older ones did.
>
> Don't eat bread or pasta as a routine food. Go for small
> portions when
you
> do eat them. Read labels and learn how much carbohydrate
> is in the
various
> foods you eat. Sometimes you'll be surprised. Yogurt with
> fruit is extremely high in sugar, regular cheese is a lot
> better for you.
>
> If you catch the problem early and cut down on the carbs,
> you can decrease the stress on your beta cells and lower
> the high blood sugars that poison them ("glucotoxicity" is
> the technical term.)
>
> However, you might want to do some further research to
> make sure you
aren't
> actually in the early stages of diabetes. The fasting
> glucose test is a
very
> poor diagnostic criteria as it diagnoses people many years
> after their
post
> meal blood sugar levels are in the diabetic range. Ask
> your doctor if you can get your blood sugar tested after a
> high carbohydrate meal or if you
can
> have an hba1c test. The latter is also helpful for gauging
> how abnormal
your
> blood sugar is, though it is not as good as a 2 hour post
> meal value.
>
> I sure wish someone had told me this stuff years ago
> before I burnt out my pancreas eating the "healthy" high
> carb crap that was exactly not what I needed to eat.
>
> -- Jenny - Low Carbing for 4 years. At goal for weight.
> Type 2 diabetes, hba1c 5.2. Cut the carbs to respond to my
> email address!
>
> Low carb facts and figures, my weight-loss photos, tips,
> recipes, strategies for dealing with diabetes and more at
> http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean/
>
> Looking for help controlling your blood sugar? Visit http://www.alt-support-
> diabetes.org/Newly%20Diagnosed.htm
>
>
>
> "Andrew" <analystresearch2002@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:43cf64b0.0403071424.5200400a@posting.google.com...
> > Hi there,
> >
> > I am a 26 year old male with very low HDL and signs
> > which may indicate pre-diabetes, and I am curious what
> > I can do to curb any trends in this direction.
> >
> > I have a family history of heart disease, diabetes,
> > and obesity. When I was 20-21, I was able to reduce my
> > bodyfat percentage significantly through the use of
> > good diet & exercise combined with chromium picolinate
> > and pyruvate. Recently I have been focusing on lifting
> > weights vs. aerobic exercise and my fat levels have
> > risen considerably. There is no reason to believe I am
> > eating significantly more fat, so I am worried that
> > this may be an indication of something else. I have
> > very low HDL, but total cholesterol is in the margin
> > of normal. It is very difficult for me to sustain
> > significant aerobic activity - i.e. say more than 2-3
> > miles of running - I don't know if this is because of
> > poor cardiovascular health or poor energy
> > transfer/metabolism or some sort of strange combined
> > effect. Any advice or thoughts on supplements (niacin,
> > chromium, etc) that can assist this problem and any
> > insights on my exercise pattern? Would appreciate your
> > help. Thanks.

On 7 Mar 2004 14:24:39 -0800, analystresearch2002@yahoo.com (Andrew)
wrote:

>It is very difficult for me to sustain significant aerobic
>activity - i.e. say more than 2-3 miles of running

Andrew -

1. Any idea about what your VO2max was when you were running
and now? If you have a best 5K, 10K, 1.5 mile, or 12
minute, it would be possible to estimate the VO2max.

2. Did you stop aerobic training while weightlifting?
Aerobic capacity decays quickly without training. If
you've been off running for 2 months, there's no way that
you can go out and do a 5K workout at the same pace you
did before you quit.

3. How much training are you doing overall? Is there a
possibility that you are overtraining? Realize that it's
hard for most athletes to catch overtraining on their own
until it becomes severe.

4. Do you check your morning pulse when you wake up? How has
it changed? (This could indicate overtraining.)

5. Are you using supplements to help with your weight
training? If you have been using supplements to help with
weight training, there's the possibility that you may
have made use of supplements that have been adulterated
with "performance enhancing compounds." If you've
followed the Olympic athletes, you know that this can be
a problem with supplements pitched to athletes.

Zooty

"Andrew" <analystresearch2002@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:43cf64b0.0403071424.5200400a@posting.google.com...
> Hi there,
>
> I am a 26 year old male with very low HDL and signs
> which may indicate pre-diabetes, and I am curious what I
> can do to curb any trends in this direction.
>
> I have a family history of heart disease, diabetes, and
> obesity. When I was 20-21, I was able to reduce my
> bodyfat percentage significantly through the use of good
> diet & exercise

Very good
> combined with chromium picolinate and pyruvate.

Ouch. I would stay away from these. No evidence they help.

> Recently I have been focusing on lifting weights vs.
> aerobic exercise and my fat levels have risen
> considerably. There is no reason to believe I am eating
> significantly more fat, so I am worried that this may be
> an indication of something else. I have very low HDL, but
> total cholesterol is in the margin of normal. It is very
> difficult for me to sustain significant aerobic activity -
> i.e. say more than 2-3 miles of running - I don't know if
> this is because of poor cardiovascular health or poor
> energy transfer/metabolism or some sort of strange
> combined effect. Any advice or thoughts on supplements
> (niacin, chromium, etc) that can assist this problem and
> any insights on my exercise pattern? Would appreciate your
> help. Thanks.

It sounds like you need to work with your doctor on this
one. You should ask to speak to a nutritionist to review
your diet. I would stay away from supplements. Most of
them don't work; they are poorly studied. And remember,
the people selling them are doing it to make money, not
help people.

It sounds like you should also talk to your doctor about a
personal trainer.

Jeff

George,

The kind of exhaustion you get after exercise when you are
hypoglycemic is of a completely different order than the
exhaustion a normal person experiences.

For many years I'd go to the gym and work out for an hour,
come home and be completely unable to function for the rest
of the day because I'd be about five minutes away from sleep
the whole time. When I say, "my legs feel like they are full
of lead" this is not an exaggeration. I could barely walk. I
could never understand the enthusiasm people had for
exercise and how they said it made them feel great, because
it made me feel so rotten.

When I started exercising this year, I corrected with 2
grams of glucose every half hour while on the treadmill and
it made a huge difference. Instead of dropping into the 70s
an then bouncing up and down for the rest of the day, I'd
even out. It was only when I started doing this that I
realized just how rotten I had felt before.

-- Jenny - Low Carbing for 4 years. At goal for weight.
Type 2 diabetes, hba1c 5.2. Cut the carbs to respond to my
email address!

Low carb facts and figures, my weight-loss photos, tips,
recipes, strategies for dealing with diabetes and more at
http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean/

Looking for help controlling your blood sugar? Visit http://www.alt-support-
diabetes.org/Newly%20Diagnosed.htm

"George" <look@signature_to.reply> wrote in message news:y7-
Q2c.8732$%06.5223@newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net...
> "Jenny" <lottadatacarbs@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:404bbff9$0$3078$61fed72c@news.rcn.com...
> > Andrew,
> >
> > What drives up cholesterol and decreases HDL is not high
> > dietary fat
> intake,
> > it is high carb intake.
> >
> > Your problem with exhaustion after intense aerobic
> > effort suggests ...
>
> ... that you're like almost everyone else who tends to
> feel exhausted
after
> intense aerobic workout!
>
>
> George
>

"Andrew" <analystresearch2002@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:43cf64b0.0403071424.5200400a@posting.google.com...
> Hi there,
>
> I am a 26 year old male with very low HDL and signs
> which may indicate pre-diabetes, and I am curious what I
> can do to curb any trends in this direction.
>
> I have a family history of heart disease, diabetes, and
> obesity. When I was 20-21, I was able to reduce my
> bodyfat percentage significantly through the use of good
> diet & exercise combined with chromium picolinate and
> pyruvate. Recently I have been focusing on lifting
> weights vs. aerobic exercise and my fat levels have
> risen considerably. There is no reason to believe I am
> eating significantly more fat, so I am worried that this
> may be an indication of something else. I have very low
> HDL, but total cholesterol is in the margin of normal.
> It is very difficult for me to sustain significant
> aerobic activity - i.e. say more than 2-3 miles of
> running - I don't know if this is because of poor
> cardiovascular health or poor energy transfer/metabolism
> or some sort of strange combined effect. Any advice or
> thoughts on supplements (niacin, chromium, etc) that can
> assist this problem and any insights on my exercise
> pattern? Would appreciate your help. Thanks.

You're received several helpful and informative responses.
I'll offer another option you might not have considered,
training the combination of strength and endurance (usually
referred to as strength/endurance). This sort of strength is
typically valued highly by martial artists and soldiers
because it is "functional" - it means being able to
demonstrate strength but also being able to do this, at a
fairly low level, for a high level of repetitions. Soldiers
and martial artists often are in great shape from just about
all perspectives - healthy hearts, strong bodies that have
some muscle but not too much, and low body fat. I train like
a soldier or martial artist even though I'm currently
neither and I have a resting pulse in the mid-40's, a lean
but strong physique, and good blood numbers. I'm 48 years
old and in the best shape of my entire life.

The tradition in the American military is doing a lot of
pushups and situps, as it is many traditional martial arts.
Those traditions, however, are starting to change, in part
due to the recent popularity of the kettlebell, a
strength/endurance implement that was used for testing
fitness in the Soviet military. I've got a web site that
introduces kettlebells and kettlebell training to those
unfamiliar with it. My site has links to the site from which
I learned and from which I buy my own kettlebells and
instructional materials. I think you might find it
interesting to read about this sort of training.

In addition, you might consider taking up the study of a
martial art, either a relatively gentle one like Tai Chi, a
more overtly physical one like Tae Kwon Do or karate in
some other form, or an internal martial art like Pa Gua
Chang or similar that combines both the internal and
external aspects into one.

Another bit of reading you might find interesting is the
book "The Warrior Diet" which discusses how the body uses
food and how to make the body less dependant on a regular
supply of food while still maintaining good blood sugar
levels. It basically advocates under-eating during the day
and over-eating at night and has been very effective for me
and my wife. Its theories are supported by an increasing
amount of science, in particular animal studies that have
shown alternating periods of restricted and unrestricted
eating to produce many health benefits including lower body
fat and increased life span.

-S- About Kettlebells: http://www.kbnj.com The Warrior Diet:
http://www.kbnj.com/wd.htm

14:24:39 Sun, 7 Mar 2004sci.med.nutrition
Andrew at Andrew <analystresearch2002@yahoo.com> writes:
>Hi there,
>
> I am a 26 year old male with very low HDL and signs which
> may indicate pre-diabetes, and I am curious what I can do
> to curb any trends in this direction.
>
> I have a family history of heart disease, diabetes, and
> obesity. When I was 20-21, I was able to reduce my
> bodyfat percentage significantly through the use of good
> diet & exercise combined with chromium picolinate and
> pyruvate. Recently I have been focusing on lifting
> weights vs. aerobic exercise and my fat levels have risen
> considerably. There is no reason to believe I am eating
> significantly more fat, so I am worried that this may be
> an indication of something else. I have very low HDL, but
> total cholesterol is in the margin of normal. It is very
> difficult for me to sustain significant aerobic activity
> - i.e. say more than 2-3 miles of running - I don't know
> if this is because of poor cardiovascular health or poor
> energy transfer/metabolism or some sort of strange
> combined effect. Any advice or thoughts on supplements
> (niacin, chromium, etc) that can assist this problem and
> any insights on my exercise pattern? Would appreciate
> your help. Thanks.

This lecture/slide show might help you and your doctor
determine an early diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, if that is
what it is. It includes a handy table of normal, impaired
glucose tolerance and full diabetes levels for HDL, LDL,
Triglycerides and so on. I recommend you study the lecture
closely. You will need to join Medscape, but it is free:

http://www.medscape.com/viewprogram/145

Click on The Diabetes Epidemic and continue from there.

By the way, I second what was said by Jenny about fat-eating
not causing fat deposition: latest research indicates that
serum lipid levels correlate to carbohydrate intake, and
this is what stresses the pancreas.

It seems likely that with proper diet and exercise, you may
be able to prevent the disease altogether, or at least slow
its progression dramatically. At this stage, given that you
are fairly fit, you may well still have plenty of beta cells
left. Keep them!
--
Martin Thompson bin@tucana.demon.co.uk (use "martin" not
"bin") London, UK Home Page: http://www.tucana.demon.co.uk
Web Shop: http://buy.at/tucana Mobile Phone Ring Tones:
http://www.ringamoby.com

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