

Luo Juan

About me
Associate Chief Physician, Department of Endocrinology, Hunan People's Hospital, Master's degree. Youth Committee Member of the Hunan Diabetes Professional Committee. Member of the Women's Endocrine Disease Prevention and Treatment Professional Committee of the Hunan Female Physician Association.
Proficient in diseases
Diagnosis and treatment of diabetes, thyroid disease, and adrenal gland diseases.

Voices

Obesity.
Obesity is a metabolic disease that occurs when the caloric intake of the human body exceeds the calories burned. The surplus calories are stored in the body as fat. When the amount of accumulated fat exceeds the normal physiological needs and reaches a certain level, it develops into obesity. Therefore, obesity is the manifestation of excess calories stored as fat in the body. There are many methods to assess obesity, with the Body Mass Index (BMI) being one of the most common. The formula for calculating BMI is weight divided by height squared. In China, a BMI of 28 or greater is generally considered obese.

Can pregnant women with gestational diabetes eat dragon fruit?
For patients with gestational diabetes, it is permissible to eat dragon fruit. Since dragon fruit contains relatively low sugar levels, it can be consumed. However, it should not be eaten in excess, as excessive consumption can still lead to fluctuations in blood sugar levels. In the treatment of gestational diabetes, we should not cause the pregnant woman's weight to decrease, hence a low-calorie treatment is not advocated. Generally, the total calories are calculated based on standard weight, approximately 30 to 35 kcal per kilogram of body weight per day. Sugars should make up about 50%, proteins 20%-25%, and fats 25%-30%. It is best to divide these into three main meals and three snacks, adjusting the proportion and calorie content of the diet according to body type. Therefore, patients with gestational diabetes can eat dragon fruit, and it can be consumed as a snack between main meals.

How to treat thyroid cystic tumors?
Thyroid cysts refer to fluid-filled sac-like formations or lumps found in the thyroid, generally round in shape, typically painless or only mildly painful, and move up and down with swallowing. Most are solitary nodules, with multiple nodules being less common. Most thyroid cysts do not exhibit obvious clinical symptoms unless the cyst is large or there is bleeding within the cyst, which may lead to symptoms of compression such as pain, difficulty swallowing, difficulty breathing, and hoarseness. Therefore, the treatment of thyroid cysts primarily involves understanding their nature. If a thyroid cyst is malignant, prompt surgical removal should be undertaken; if benign, generally it is sufficient to monitor the cyst through follow-up observations.

Can thyroid cysts become cancerous?
Thyroid cysts can potentially become cancerous. Initially, thyroid cysts may arise from various thyroid diseases such as nodular goiter, Hashimoto's disease, thyroid adenoma, and thyroid follicular cancer, which form through degeneration, liquefaction, and hemorrhage. They are one of the common diseases of the thyroid. In the population, at least 4% of people can feel thyroid nodules larger than one centimeter. Among these nodules, about 5% to 20% are cystic. Statistics show that even benign lesions causing cysts have a 4%-5% chance of becoming cancerous when the diameter of the individual exceeds 4 centimeters. Therefore, thyroid cysts can potentially become cancerous.

Is Hashimoto's thyroiditis easy to treat?
Regarding whether Hashimoto's thyroiditis is easy to treat, it needs to be analyzed based on specific circumstances. Generally, after diagnosing Hashimoto's thyroiditis, the treatment decision depends on the size of the thyroid and whether there are any symptoms. For patients with a smaller thyroid who do not have noticeable compression symptoms, follow-up observation without immediate treatment is possible. However, for patients with significant thyroid enlargement and compression symptoms, treatment with levothyroxine can be adopted to reduce thyroid size. In some patients who develop hypothyroidism, thyroid hormone replacement therapy is used. Moreover, some patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis may also develop thyroid nodules. It is necessary to dynamically track changes in the morphology of the thyroid nodules. Patients with obvious compression symptoms, significant local pain, progressive enlargement of the nodules, or suspected malignant changes should undergo surgical treatment.

Obesity is considered a type of disease.
Obesity is an endocrine and metabolic disease, also known as obesity disorder, mainly caused by excessive accumulation or abnormal distribution of body fat, leading to a chronic metabolic disease. It can result from various factors including genetic and environmental interactions, often characterized by excessive abdominal fat accumulation. Additionally, obesity is closely related to the occurrence of hypertension, coronary heart disease, type II diabetes, dyslipidemia, sleep apnea, cholecystitis, gallstones, osteoarthritis, and more. Therefore, obesity is classified as an endocrine and metabolic disease.

Can thyroid cysts drink soy milk?
Patients with thyroid cysts can generally drink soy milk. First, let's understand what a thyroid cyst is. A thyroid cyst is a fluid-containing sac found in the thyroid gland. The lump is usually round, with a diameter of 2-5 cm, smooth, and generally painless or slightly painful. Most are solitary nodules, with multiple nodules being rare. Thyroid cysts usually do not display symptoms unless the cyst is large or there is some bleeding inside the cyst, which may cause symptoms of compression such as pain, difficulty swallowing, difficulty breathing, and hoarseness. Therefore, for thyroid cysts, if malignant, surgical removal is required; if benign, they are typically observed with follow-up. Thus, patients with thyroid cysts can drink soy milk.

Can you eat oranges if you have gestational diabetes?
Pregnant women with gestational diabetes can eat oranges, but they should limit the quantity. Since oranges are high in sugar, they should not be consumed in large amounts. In fact, just like mothers with diabetes or those who are pregnant, they need nutrients such as calories, protein, calcium, iron, folic acid, vitamin B, etc. However, attention should be paid to meal frequency. Under a constant total caloric intake, it is advisable to eat small and frequent meals, focusing on the quality and quantity of the diet to maintain stable blood sugar levels. It is necessary to limit the quantity of fruit consumed and avoid fruits that are high in sugar as they should not be consumed in large amounts. Therefore, pregnant women with gestational diabetes can eat oranges, but should not consume them in large quantities and should maintain proper portion control.

The causes of hyperlipidemia
Regarding the causes of hyperlipidemia, it is generally categorized into primary and secondary types based on the causes. Primary hyperlipidemia is mainly due to genetic defects, such as certain familial hypercholesterolemia and familial mixed dyslipidemia, which are often caused by genetic defects. Secondary hyperlipidemia generally involves some acquired factors, including, for example, high fat content in the diet, which is a common cause of lipid abnormalities. Additionally, obesity can lead to increased plasma cholesterol. Long-term heavy drinking can also increase triglycerides in the blood. Smoking can also cause some drugs, such as estrogen, to raise blood triglycerides. Some glucocorticoids can also increase the synthesis of low-density lipoproteins, and so on. Other causes include diseases such as diabetes, kidney disease, estrogen deficiency, hypothyroidism, systemic lupus erythematosus, glycogen storage diseases, and certain types of malnutrition, which can also lead to secondary lipid abnormalities. Therefore, the causes of hyperlipidemia are multifaceted.

Can people with hyperlipidemia drink alcohol?
If hyperlipidemia can exclude some secondary causes or diseases, moderate alcohol consumption is permissible, because alcohol can increase the level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in the plasma. However, research has confirmed that long-term excessive drinking can inhibit the oxidation of fatty acids in the liver and increase the synthesis of fatty acids, leading to excessive production of triglycerides and raising the level of triglycerides in the plasma. Therefore, it is recommended that alcohol intake be generally less than 30 grams per day, and for spirits, not exceed 50 grams per day. Moderate drinking is acceptable, but of course, this excludes cases where alcohol consumption is not permissible, such as in patients with liver or kidney failure or acute complications of diabetes. If the overall physical function is stable and it is merely a case of hyperlipidemia, moderate alcohol intake is permissible.