Infections A ‘Major Health Hazard’ For People With Diabetes, Large Study Warns

From healthday.com

Key Takeaways

• Risk of infection is underrecognized in people with diabetes, a new article argues

• People with diabetes have a higher risk of infections treated by either their doctor or a hospital

• This higher risk applies for people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and even those with prediabetes

TUESDAY, June 9, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Diabetes wreaks havoc on the body, doing damage to the heart, kidneys, eyes and other major organs.

But one of the most important health risks from diabetes has not gotten the attention it deserves, researchers argue.

Infections should be considered a major health hazard for anyone with diabetes, according to a new study.

People with type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes or even prediabetes have a higher risk of serious infections, researchers reported June 6 in the journal Diabetes.

“Infections are a major health hazard across the diabetes spectrum and are hiding in plain sight. They are common, serious and often preventable, yet they are mostly absent from clinical guidelines,” said lead researcher Julia Critchley, a professor of epidemiology at City St George’s, University of London.

“The number of people living with diabetes across the world is on a dangerously steep rise, and it’s a disservice if we do not treat infection risk as a core part of diabetes care,” Critchley said in a news release. “It cannot be an afterthought.”

For the new study, researchers analysed infection rates of more than 800,000 people with either diabetes or prediabetes, comparing them to more than 1 million healthy people matched based on age, sex and ethnicity.

Results showed that people with diabetes had a substantially higher risk of infections treated by a primary doctor or infections severe enough to put them in the hospital:

• People with type 1 diabetes had an 81% higher risk of doctor-treated infection and more than tripled risk of being hospitalized for infection.

• Those with type 1 diabetes had 51% higher odds of an infection treated by their family doctor and a nearly doubled risk of hospitalization.

• Folks diagnosed as prediabetic had a 35% increased risk of doctor-treated infection and 33% higher risk of hospitalization.

Overall, infections were the third-highest underlying cause of death among people with type 2 diabetes, after heart disease and cancer, researchers found.

Pneumonia and other lower respiratory tract ailments were found to be the most common infections that put patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes in the hospital.

Sepsis and lower respiratory tract infections also were the most common cause of infection-related death among people with type 2 diabetes, researchers found.

Blood sugar levels were found to be tied to increased infection risk:

• For those with type 1 diabetes, higher average blood sugar led to higher risk of infection.

• For those with type 2 diabetes, fluctuating blood sugar levels were linked to severe infections that required hospitalization.

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“Increased infection risk in diabetes should have greater emphasis in U.K., European and U.S. guidance,” Critchley said. “By refreshing guidance on a global scale, it will increase awareness amongst healthcare workers to aid earlier recognition and prompt intervention, which would help reduce avoidable hospital admissions and deaths.”

More information

Yale School of Medicine has more about diabetes and infection risk.

What This Means For You

People with diabetes should be aware that they have an increased risk of infections.

https://www.healthday.com/health-news/diabetes/infections-a-major-health-hazard-for-people-with-diabetes-large-study-warns

Type 2 diabetic says two weeks of going vegan dropped blood sugar from 17 to 5.3: 'I've felt so much better'

From yahoo.com/lifestyle

A Type 2 diabetes patient reported that switching to a vegan diet for about two weeks coincided with a sharp improvement in blood sugar, and the account drew strong encouragement from other users who described comparable experiences.

                                                                                                                      Photo Credit: iStock

What happened?

According to the post on r/PlantBasedDiet, their blood sugar had been running between 15.5 and 17 mmol/L before the diet change. After around 14 days of eating plant-based, they said the number fell as low as 5.3 mmol/L, leading them to think about sticking with it long term.

Describing the change, the poster said they went "full vegan for around a two week period" and that "I've felt so much better" with higher energy. They also reported a drop in blood sugar from persistently elevated readings to levels far closer to normal.

Of course, the results are anecdotal from one person in a sample size of one, but there is some science behind the results, and many hospital diabetes resource centres recommend reducing fat and meat intake. 

At the centre of the discussion was the poster's request for feedback from other people with diabetes on whether going vegan had produced similar changes for them. 

The comment section was overwhelmingly positive, with responses from people dealing with Type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, and Type 1 diabetes. Across those replies, many emphasized that the strongest results were tied not simply to avoiding animal products.

"A low-fat, plant-based (WHOLE plant-based, not just "vegan") diet is excellent for blood sugar control in general, and reducing insulin-resistance in most diabetics, both T1 and T2," a commenter said. "It's so cool that you saw concrete evidence of this in yourself!"

Users also repeatedly referenced the New York Times bestseller "Mastering Diabetes." 

Why does it matter?

People in the thread offered specific examples of improvement. One commenter said a low-fat, low-sugar whole-food plant-based diet brought both their A1C and their spouse's back into the normal range, while another said they moved from a prediabetic 5.8 A1C to normal and that their father went from 11.3 A1C to what they called a reversal.

Another recurring point was the role of saturated fat in insulin resistance, with commenters singling out animal products and some processed oils. In their view, the details of a plant-based diet can be as important as whether it carries the vegan label.

The community's success pointed to the health benefits of eating more plant-based food. Just like in the OP's experience, studies show these diets deliver real health results for eaters, and there're ample benefits for the environment, to boot.

What can I do?

The advice that came up most often was to build meals around whole plant foods instead of relying heavily on processed vegan substitutes.

Several commenters stressed that the "low fat aspect is key," and some warned that palm oil and coconut oil are common ingredients in vegan convenience products.

The idea came up again and again that simple, minimally processed plant foods were favoured, while imitation meats high in saturated fat were seen as less useful for managing blood sugar. 

Overall, the conversation drew a line between the quality of the food and the broad category it falls into. In the thread, many people argued that "whole-food plant-based" and "vegan" do not necessarily mean the same thing, and that the distinction may matter for blood sugar.

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/type-2-diabetic-says-two-200500460.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAL9Y6P5dPbH3UhTA_xAHk5VfT68g1Hf12r4Yxc8bOK3rQqFi2tm8TNFPDgNidrH3z68P5qFkLoHaNcIB1KRGIFx1J9L66Mh-eZS5-Z5T7TH-9NI0YPFpGv2si70td-_3e6HYuyRMN33Z7_Jfo-BArw7pQLPYj5477Fkpt_Kzsin2 

When Should Patients With Diabetes Eat?

From medpagetoday.com

By Hana Kahleova, MD, PhD

Meal timing may be an underused tool

For decades, nutrition counselling in diabetes care has focused primarily on one question: What should patients eat? But a growing body of evidence suggests another question may be clinically important as well: When should patients eat?

Human metabolism follows a circadian rhythm that influences insulin sensitivity, glucose tolerance, beta-cell responsiveness, and energy metabolism across the day. In the morning, metabolic efficiency is generally higher. As the day progresses, glucose tolerance declines and postprandial responses often worsen.

Yet, many patients consume their largest meals in the evening or eat across prolonged daily time windows extending from early morning into late night. From a circadian perspective, this pattern may create a mismatch between food intake and underlying metabolic biology.

Accumulating evidence suggests this mismatch matters.

Controlled feeding studies have demonstrated that identical meals consumed earlier in the day often produce lower postprandial glucose excursions compared with evening intake. Late eating has been associated with impaired glycaemic control, increased insulin resistance, and higher cardiometabolic risk.

In a randomized crossover study my colleagues and I conducted in patients with type 2 diabetes, two larger meals consumed earlier in the day -- breakfast and lunch -- produced greater reductions in body weight, hepatic fat content, fasting glucose, and insulin resistance than six smaller meals of identical caloric content distributed throughout the day.

Similarly, Elizabeth Sutton, PhD, and colleagues demonstrated that early time-restricted feeding improved insulin sensitivity, blood pressure, and oxidative stress markers even without weight loss in men with prediabetes.

These findings suggest that meal timing may influence metabolic outcomes independently of caloric intake alone. Yet, meal timing remains largely absent from routine diabetes care.

Current nutrition counselling appropriately emphasizes dietary quality, caloric balance, fibre intake, and reduction of ultra-processed foods. But patients are rarely advised about circadian alignment, eating windows, or the metabolic implications of late-night intake. This may represent a missed clinical opportunity.

Importantly, meal timing interventions are relatively low-cost, scalable, and behaviourally straightforward compared with many other therapeutic approaches. They do not require additional medications, devices, or invasive procedures. In some patients, they may complement pharmacologic therapies by improving underlying metabolic physiology rather than bypassing it.

This is particularly relevant at a time when healthcare systems are confronting rising rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes alongside escalating demand for costly metabolic therapies, including GLP-1 receptor agonists.

Meal timing is unlikely to replace established pharmacologic treatment. Nor should circadian-based nutrition be oversimplified into rigid dietary rules. Individual variability remains substantial, and more long-term randomized trials are still needed. But the broader principle is increasingly difficult to ignore: metabolism is not static across the day.

As clinicians, we routinely consider timing in other domains of medicine. We time antihypertensives, insulin administration, corticosteroids, chemotherapy, and sleep interventions according to physiologic rhythms and therapeutic response. Nutrition may deserve similar consideration.

Incorporating circadian principles into dietary counselling does not require abandoning existing nutrition recommendations. Rather, it may strengthen them by aligning food intake more closely with human metabolic biology.

For many patients with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, the future of nutrition therapy may involve not only improving food quality -- but improving temporal alignment as well. And that shift may turn out to be clinically meaningful.

https://www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/second-opinions/121600

Scientists discovered something surprising about french fries and diabetes

From sciencedaily.com

French fries may be driving potatoes’ bad reputation, while other potato dishes seem far less risky for type 2 diabetes

Summary:

French fries may be the real potato problem. A large study tracking more than 205,000 people for nearly 40 years found that eating three servings of fries per week was linked to a 20% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, while baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes showed no significant increase in risk. The research also found that swapping potatoes for whole grains lowered diabetes risk, while replacing them with white rice had the opposite effect.

French fries have long been criticized as an unhealthy food choice, and new research suggests they may deserve that reputation more than other potato dishes.

A large study published in The BMJ found that eating three servings of French fries per week was associated with a 20% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. In contrast, consuming the same amount of potatoes prepared in other ways, such as boiled, baked, or mashed, was not linked to a significant increase in diabetes risk.

The research also found that what replaces potatoes in a person's diet matters. Swapping potatoes for whole grains was associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, while replacing them with white rice was linked to a higher risk.

French fries stood out in a massive long-term study, with three weekly servings linked to a 20% higher risk of type 2 diabetes. Credit: Shutterstock

Looking Beyond Potatoes Alone

Potatoes provide important nutrients, including fibre, vitamin C, and magnesium. However, they are also rich in starch and have a relatively high glycaemic index, meaning they can cause blood sugar levels to rise quickly. Because of this, previous studies have often connected potato consumption to a greater risk of type 2 diabetes.

Yet researchers noted that two important factors have often been overlooked. First, potatoes can be prepared in very different ways. Second, the health effects of potatoes may depend on which foods people eat instead.

To explore those questions, scientists examined whether diabetes risk differed between French fries and potatoes prepared by boiling, baking, or mashing. They also evaluated the potential effects of replacing potatoes with other common carbohydrate-rich foods, including whole grains and rice.

Four Decades of Health Data

The study drew on data from more than 205,000 U.S. health professionals who participated in three major long-term studies conducted between 1984 and 2021.

At the start of the research, participants did not have diabetes, heart disease, or cancer. Every four years, they completed detailed dietary questionnaires that allowed researchers to track eating habits over time.

During nearly 40 years of follow-up, 22,299 participants developed type 2 diabetes.

After accounting for lifestyle habits and dietary factors that could influence diabetes risk, researchers found that every three weekly servings of potatoes overall were associated with a 5% increase in the rate of type 2 diabetes.

The strongest association, however, involved French fries. Every three servings per week were linked to a 20% increase in the rate of type 2 diabetes. Similar consumption of baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes was not associated with a statistically significant increase.

Whole Grains Show a Benefit

Researchers also looked at what happened when potatoes were replaced with other foods.

Replacing three weekly servings of potatoes with whole grains was associated with an 8% lower rate of type 2 diabetes. When baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes were replaced with whole grains, the rate was 4% lower. Replacing French fries with whole grains was associated with a 19% lower rate.

The results were different when potatoes were replaced with white rice. Substituting either total potato intake or baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes with white rice was associated with a higher rate of type 2 diabetes.

Important Caveats

Because this was an observational study, it cannot prove that French fries directly cause diabetes. The researchers acknowledge that other factors not measured in the study may have contributed to the results.

The participants were also predominantly health professionals of European ancestry, which means the findings may not apply equally to all populations.

Even so, the researchers wrote: "Our findings underscore that the association between potato intake and type 2 diabetes risk depends on the specific foods used as replacement. The findings also align with current dietary recommendations that promote the inclusion of whole grains as part of a healthy diet for the prevention of type 2 diabetes."

Are Potatoes Back on the Menu?

In an accompanying editorial, researchers argued that potatoes should not be viewed as a single category when considering health effects.

They emphasized that both preparation methods and replacement foods are important factors when making dietary recommendations or shaping public policy.

According to the editorial, baked, boiled, and mashed potatoes can fit into a healthy and environmentally sustainable diet because of their relatively low environmental impact and overall nutritional value. However, the authors noted that whole grains should remain a priority food choice for reducing diabetes risk.

They also called for future studies involving more diverse populations and analyses that continue to examine both cooking methods and food substitutions.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/06/260603015218.htm

9 Tips for Camping and Hiking With Type 1 Diabetes

From everydayhealth.com

By Jessica Freeborn

If you have type 1 diabetes (T1D), hiking and camping can be a little more complicated. When you’re off in the wilderness, miles from doctors and roads, you’ll need to take special care of your insulin and medical equipment, and complications like low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) can be especially dangerous. 

“Hiking can bring in so many extra factors to the mix that you might not be expecting when you're doing other types of exercising,” says the certified diabetes care and education specialist Jen Hanson, the executive director of Connected in Motion, a non-profit that organizes wilderness adventures for adults with type 1 diabetes. 

With a little extra planning, says Hanson, who has type 1 diabetes herself, you can have an enjoyable and safe time in the great outdoors.  

                                                                                                                                                                                             iStock

1. Bring Backups for All Your Diabetes Supplies

It’s often recommended to double the amount of diabetes supplies you carry when traveling, and hiking and camping trips are no exception. For people with T1D who have an insulin pump, it may also be a good idea to bring a backup way to deliver insulin.

“Bring both long- and short-acting insulin, syringes or pen needles, and a backup glucagon kit,” says Rekha Kumar, MD, an endocrinologist at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine. She also notes that people who use an insulin pump should bring backup insulin in case of pump malfunctions. 

“Some of the things that I see most commonly when hiking with people with diabetes are [CGM or pump] sites that get ripped out when backpacks are taken off or put on, [and] a lot of sweat that can lead to sites falling off,” Hanson says. 

2. Bring More Sugar Than You Think You’ll Need

Physical activity like hiking increases the risk of low blood sugar, and there are no grocery stores in the wilderness.

“It's probably a good idea to pack more [sugar] than you're going to need,” says Hanson, explaining that hikes can take longer than you expect. She encourages people to think about “the maximum duration of time that you might possibly be out there and pack accordingly.” 

Dr. Kumar adds that it can be a good idea to pack multiple forms of sugar, and you should also consider the environment where you’re hiking. Fruit gummies can freeze in cold weather, and glucose tablets can degrade or clump because of sweat and heat. “Bring gel packets because they’re more reliable in outdoor temperatures,” she says.

3. Inform Friends About Your Condition

Hiking partners play an important role in recognizing and responding to low blood sugar. “The companions that somebody is hiking or camping with should know what low blood sugar or hypoglycaemia looks like,” says Kumar. 

Visible symptoms of hypoglycaemia include:

• Shakiness
• Sweating
• Confusion
• Weakness
• Vision changes
• Slurred speech

Kumar says very low blood sugar may look like intoxication or altitude sickness, and just knowing there's a range of symptoms can be crucial in remote settings where quick recognition matters. 

It’s equally important your camping and hiking partners know how to respond during a low-blood-sugar event. Hanson says friends should understand in advance how you want them to help, including where your low blood sugar supplies are stored. Your friends should be prepared to find your sugar source and help you eat or drink it.

4. Pack Glucagon 

Glucagon is a medication used to treat low blood sugar levels so severe that you can no longer treat them yourself by simply eating or drinking something sugary. It works by signalling the liver to release stored glucose into the bloodstream. 

There are different forms of glucagon available, including a nasal spray or a pen that’s similar to an EpiPen, which Kumar says are preferable in outdoor settings, because they’re faster and easier to administer.

Ideally, you’d have someone on your trip that knows how to properly administer glucagon. “If the person is unable to swallow or loses consciousness, administering glucagon and contacting emergency services can be lifesaving. Clear, simple instructions shared in advance can support a quick and effective response,” says Barbara Eichorst, RD, CDCES, the vice president of healthcare programs at the American Diabetes Association.  

                                                                                                                                                              Everyday Health

5. Wear a Medical ID Bracelet

Medical ID bracelets or necklaces alert emergency personnel to conditions such as type 1 diabetes. An ID bracelet could help in a situation where you become unresponsive, such as with extremely low blood sugar.

“Wearing a medical identification bracelet or necklace that indicates type 1 diabetes and insulin use is strongly recommended,” says Eichorst. “In the event of an emergency, this can help others, including first responders, quickly understand the situation and provide appropriate care.” 

6. Adjust Insulin for Activity 

If you’re going to be walking, hiking, kayaking, or skiing for most of the day, you might need to dial down the amount of insulin you’re using, both before and after your workout.

“Aerobic exercise like hiking lowers blood sugar, and that can persist for 12 to 24 hours post exercise. Even the night after you hike, you're at risk of low blood sugar,” says Kumar. For people using insulin pumps, this may involve temporarily reducing basal insulin delivery, while those on injections may need to adjust both long-acting and mealtime doses, she says. 

Hanson says it may be helpful to “think about putting your basal rates back to normal about 30 minutes before you're about to end your hike to avoid a really big blood sugar spike at the end of the day.”

If you’re not familiar with making such adjustments on your own, it’s a good idea to discuss your plans with your doctor. 

7. Stay Hydrated and Fuelled

Consuming enough water is important when exercising and in hot and humid conditions. “Hydration is often overlooked, but is really key, and that's whether you have diabetes or not,” Hanson says. “So don't miss those opportunities to fill your water bottle.”

Don’t neglect proper nutrition either. “During the day, your body is using all the food you're eating for energy, but it's also breaking down energy that's been stored in your muscles for emergencies or just for long days like this,” says Hanson. “And those stores need to be replenished.”

It can be tricky to decide what to eat during a long day of exercise, because you have to contend with more blood sugar variables than normal. “Combining fast-acting carbohydrates for immediate needs with more sustained sources of energy, such as snacks that include carbohydrates and protein, can support stability,” says Eichorst, noting that “eating small amounts at regular intervals during longer hikes can also help maintain more consistent glucose levels.”

8. Take Care of Your Feet

A long hike can lead to foot problems for anyone, and it’s especially important to be proactive about foot health when you have diabetes, since nerve damage (peripheral neuropathy) can occur in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. This nerve dysfunction can put people at a greater risk for injury and foot infections.

You can prevent blisters by choosing the right shoes and aggressively treating your feet as soon as you feel irritation. “If you're planning on buying a new pair of hiking boots, make sure you give yourself a lot of time to work them in, because a new boot on a long trail on a hot day is a recipe for blisters,” says Hanson. “Stop as soon as you feel rubbing or something feeling off, because fixing it immediately is a great way to stop blisters from happening.” 

When blisters do happen, prompt treatment is critical. “If a blister develops, keeping it clean and covered and monitoring for signs of infection can help support healing,” says Eichorst. 

9. Know When to Call It Quits

In some circumstances, it might be safest to cut a camping or hiking trip short. Kumar says the following scenarios may warrant ending a trip early. 

• Low blood sugar that isn’t responding to treatment
• Consistent high blood sugar with ketones, which would be an emergency like diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA)
• Nausea, vomiting, or being unable to keep food down
• Diabetes equipment failure
• Severe dehydration or symptoms of heat illness

It may also be important to consider your supplies. With repeated episodes of low blood sugar, “you may have consumed all or most of the treatments that you've brought along with you,” says Hanson. “And you still need emergency treatment for the way out.” 

With higher blood sugars, she says it’s possible to “get to a point where you might have used all of your pump sites, or your insulin has gone bad,” in which case ending a trip is the wisest choice. 

The Takeaway

• Hiking and camping with type 1 diabetes requires extra preparation: packing backup insulin, glucose sources, and diabetes supplies in case of emergencies or equipment failure.
• Physical activity, heat, altitude, and changing meal schedules can all affect blood sugar levels, making it important to monitor glucose closely and adjust insulin, hydration, and nutrition as needed.
• Let hiking companions know how to recognize and respond to low blood sugar, and don’t hesitate to end a trip early if blood sugar becomes unsafe or supplies run low.

https://www.everydayhealth.com/diabetes/tips-for-camping-and-hiking-with-type-1-diabetes/