Nikon and Verily team up to fight diabetes-related eye disease

From engadget.com

Verily, Google's former Life Sciences division, teamed up with a French pharmaceutical company to help treat diabetes just a few months ago. Now, it has joined forces with Nikon to enhance the screening process for diabetic retinopathy and macular edema -- diabetes-related eye diseases and two of the leading causes of blindness in adults. They want to create machine learning-enabled retinal imaging technologies that can detect the diseases in their early stages. That way, doctors can step in and prevent the patients from going blind whenever possible.

The details of the partnership aren't entirely clear at this point, but Nikon will apparently use its expertise in "optical engineering and precision manufacturing, its proprietary ultra-widefield technology and strong commercial presence among eyecare specialists." Verily, on the other hand, is in charge of the machine learning technology side of things.
Verily has been pretty busy since it became a separate company a year ago. In addition to its diabetes-related projects, it launched its own robot surgery spinoff and created a sensor-laden health-tracking watch. It also developed a wearable microscope that can see inside a person's skin, so doctors can detect cancers and monitor drug delivery in a patient's body.

https://www.engadget.com/2016/12/30/nikon-and-verily-diabetes-eye-disease/

Rob Kardashian's Latest Health Scare Reveals the Truth About Diabetes for Young Americans

By Danielle DeCourcey

Rob Kardashian was released from the hospital Thursday after reportedly receiving treatment for diabetes, and his condition is more common for young people than you might think.
Kardashian was hospitalized with Type 2 diabetes last year, and has been attempting weight loss and a healthier lifestyle to combat it, according to CNN.
Both Type 1 and 2 diabetes — conditions which inhibits the body's ability to process sugar from food — can have serious consequences, including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and amputations. It's the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S.
"When you have diabetes, your body either doesn't make enough insulin or can't use its own insulin as well as it should," according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. "This causes sugars to build up in your blood. This is why many people refer to diabetes as 'sugar.'"
People who have diabetes experience extreme thirst and hunger, weight changes, blurry vision, and extreme fatigue among other symptoms. The CDC estimates that there are 29 million people in the U.S. who have diabetes.

Kardashian, who is only 29 years old and has already been hospitalized for diabetes multiple times, is one of about four million Americans between the ages of 20-44 to suffer from the ailment. Further, about 208,000 children and adults younger than 20 have been diagnosed with diabetes.
Of the 29 million Americans the CDC says have diabetes, 21 million of them are diagnosed and another estimated 8 million don't know they have it. Regular health care visits are key to a diagnosis. Before someone develops full blown diabetes they have a condition called pre-diabetes, which often doesn't present any symptoms, but can be tested for.
"Pre-diabetes is a condition in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as full-blown diabetes," according to the Joslin Diabetes Centre.
If a health care provider doesn't explain the seriousness of pre-diabetes effectively, a patient could fail to embrace the lifestyle changes capable of preventing the full-blown condition. If the person has sporadic health care visits, they could develop diabetes and not realize it.
“The health care provider has to tell the patient that they don’t meet the criteria for diabetes but they aren’t quite out of the woods, which can be a challenging concept to get across,” Dr. Laura Rosella, a public health researcher at the University of Toronto, told the Huffington Post last year. “This challenge could explain the low awareness.”

http://www.attn.com/stories/13912/rob-kardashian-released-from-the-hospital-for-diabetes

Holidays can mean trouble for diabetics

From wwlp.com

NEW YORK (CNN) – For some, the holidays can consist of three food groups: Cookies, cakes, and chocolate.
However, for those with diabetes, all that fun food can be harmful. Here are some things to keep in mind when you’re preparing a holiday meal.
Count your carbohydrates. Carbs raise blood sugar, so look at the total carbohydrates on the label, not just the sugar.
Watch out for fruits, dairy, starchy vegetables and grains. Watch your salt. Soups and broth are usually packed with sodium. Either cut back or use a low-sodium broth in holiday recipes.
Also, cut down on both saturated and trans fats. One tip for recipes calling for soup, you can usually find a healthy version with less fat.
Don’t forget to eat your protein at every meal. Try to choose lean cuts of chicken, fish and pork.
Plus, don’t forget to limit your sugar intake, especially in desserts. Try fresh fruit or frozen fruit with no added sugar or canned fruit in 100% fruit juice.
Finally, be prepared when you’re going to a potluck to take along a healthy option. That way, if everything else there is on the unhealthy side, you will have something to eat.

http://wwlp.com/2016/12/24/diabetes-and-the-holidays/

Preventing Type 2 Diabetes

From niddk.nih.gov

Perhaps you have learned that you have a high chance of developing type 2 diabetes, the most common type of diabetes. You might be overweight or have a parent, brother, or sister with type 2 diabetes. Maybe you had gestational diabetes, which is diabetes that develops during pregnancy. These are just a few examples of factors that can raise your chances of developing type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes can cause serious health problems, such as heart disease, stroke, and eye and foot problems. Prediabetes also can cause health problems. The good news is that type 2 diabetes can be delayed or even prevented. The longer you have diabetes, the more likely you are to develop health problems, so delaying diabetes by even a few years will benefit your health. You can help prevent or delay type 2 diabetes by losing a modest amount of weight by following a reduced-calorie eating plan and being physically active most days of the week. Ask your doctor if you should take the diabetes drug metformin to help prevent or delay type 2 diabetes.

How can I lower my chances of developing type 2 diabetes?
Research such as the Diabetes Prevention Programme shows that you can do a lot to reduce your chances of developing type 2 diabetes. Here are some things you can change to lower your risk:

• Lose weight and keep it off. You may be able to prevent or delay diabetes by losing 5 to 7 percent of your starting weight.¹ For instance, if you weigh 200 pounds, your goal would be to lose about 10 to 14 pounds.
• Move more. Get at least 30 minutes of physical activity 5 days a week. If you have not been active, talk with your health care professional about which activities are best. Start slowly to build up to your goal.
• Eat smaller portions to reduce the amount of calories you eat each day and help you lose weight. Choosing foods with less fat is another way to reduce calories. Drink water instead of sweetened beverages. Eat healthy foods most of the time.

Ask your health care professional about what other changes you can make to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. Most often, your best chance for preventing type 2 diabetes is to make lifestyle changes that work for you long term. Get started with Your Game Plan to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes.

What should I do if my health care professional told me I have prediabetes?

Prediabetes is when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be called diabetes. Having prediabetes is serious because it raises your chance of developing type 2 diabetes. Many of the same factors that raise your chance of developing type 2 diabetes put you at risk for prediabetes.
Other names for prediabetes include impaired fasting glucose or impaired glucose tolerance. Some people call prediabetes “borderline diabetes.”
About 1 in 3 Americans has prediabetes, according to recent diabetes statistics from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. You won’t know if you have prediabetes unless you are tested.
If you have prediabetes, you can lower your chance of developing type 2 diabetes. Lose weight if you need to, become more physically active, and follow a reduced-calorie eating plan.

Get started with Your Game Plan to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes. For more support, you can find a lifestyle change program near you through the National Diabetes Prevention Programme.

If I had gestational diabetes when I was pregnant, how can I lower my chances of developing type 2 diabetes?

Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that develops during pregnancy. Most of the time, gestational diabetes goes away after your baby is born. Even if your gestational diabetes goes away, you still have a greater chance of developing type 2 diabetes within 5 to 10 years. Your child may also be more likely to become obese and develop type 2 diabetes later in life. Making healthy choices helps the whole family and may protect your child from becoming obese or developing diabetes.
Here are steps you should take for yourself and your child if you had gestational diabetes:

• Get tested for diabetes 6 to 12 weeks after your baby is born. If your blood glucose is still high, you may have type 2 diabetes. If your blood glucose is normal, you should get tested every 3 years to see if you have developed type 2 diabetes.
• Be more active and make healthy food choices to get back to a healthy weight.
• Breastfeed your baby. Breastfeeding gives your baby the right balance of nutrients and helps you burn calories.
• Ask your doctor if you should take the diabetes drug metformin to help prevent type 2 diabetes.

https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/preventing-type-2-diabetes

Yoghurt cuts risk of type 2 diabetes, says Cambridge study

From knowridge.com

Published in the journal Diabetologia, the study showed that eating yoghurt in place of a portion of other snacks such as crisps also reduced the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
The study found that higher consumption of yoghurt, compared with no consumption, could reduce the risk of new-onset type 2 diabetes by 28%.
In addition, higher consumption of low-fat fermented dairy products – including all yoghurt varieties and some low-fat cheeses –reduced the relative risk of diabetes by 24% overall.

According to lead researcher Dr Nita Forouhi, from the Medical Research Council Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge: “This research highlights that specific foods may have an important role in the prevention of type 2 diabetes and are relevant for public health messages.”
The research was based on the large EPIC-Norfolk study, which includes more than 25,000 men and women living in Norfolk, UK.
It compared a detailed daily record of all the food and drink consumed over a week at the time of study entry among 753 people who developed new-onset type 2 diabetes over 11 years of follow-up with 3,502 randomly selected study participants.
This allowed the researchers to examine the risk of diabetes in relation to the consumption of total dairy products as well as individual dairy products.
Total dairy, total high-fat dairy or total low-fat dairy consumption was not associated with new-onset diabetes once important factors like healthier lifestyles, education, obesity levels, other eating habits and total calorie intake were taken into account. Total milk and cheese intakes were also not associated with diabetes risk.
However, those with the highest consumption of low-fat fermented dairy products (such as yoghurt, fromage frais and low-fat cottage cheese) were 24% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes over the 11 years, compared with non-consumers.
Previous studies on the link between dairy product consumption (high fat or low fat) and diabetes have proved inconclusive, prompting this more detailed assessment of diary product consumption.
Type 2 diabetes is common and its incidence is increasing. In 2013, there were 382 million people worldwide with diabetes and by 2035 that number will increase to 592 million, according to the International Diabetes Federation.
While this type of study cannot prove that eating dairy products causes the reduced diabetes risk, dairy products do contain beneficial constituents such as vitamin D, calcium and magnesium.
In addition, fermented dairy products may exert beneficial effects against diabetes through probiotic bacteria and a special form of vitamin K (part of the menaquinone family) associated with fermentation.
“At a time when we have a lot of other evidence that consuming high amounts of certain foods, such as added sugars and sugary drinks, is bad for our health, it is very reassuring to have messages about other foods like yoghurt and low-fat fermented dairy products, that could be good for our health,” said Dr Forouhi.

https://knowridge.com/2016/12/yoghurt-cuts-risk-of-type-2-diabetes-says-cambridge-study/

Can diabetes be reversed? Researchers are testing ways to do so

From knowridge.com

Can Type 2 diabetes be stopped in its tracks, pushed into remission, and perhaps reversed? McMaster University researchers want to find out.
They are leading two national research studies focused on treating diabetes with an intensive diet, physical activity and drug regimen for three months. The drugs are then stopped, and participants are followed to see if the diabetes returns.
“We think this could work for up to 40 per cent of people with diabetes and possibly more,” said Dr. Hertzel Gerstein, senior investigator of the studies. He is a professor of medicine of McMaster University’s Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine and an endocrinologist of Hamilton Health Sciences.

“Some studies have suggested that up to 10 per cent of people with diabetes go into remission with just diet and activity. Other studies say remission is higher with intensive medication therapy. So we had to test both together,” he said.
“The pilot study, completed in 83 people, indicated that this approach is promising,” said Dr. Natalia McInnes, principal investigator for the studies. She is an assistant professor of medicine at McMaster University and an endocrinologist of Hamilton Health Sciences.
“Participants are encouraged to do moderate-intensity physical activity for 30 minutes five to six days a week. They also receive individualized advice on how to improve their diet, and take three diabetes medications for three months, after which the medications are stopped,” she said. “Participants also have frequent visits in the clinic to help with lifestyle modifications.”
“Study participants are certainly finding this to be a positive experience,” McInnes added.
Study participant Mary McCully of Hamilton agrees. After two months she lost 15 pounds and has improved blood sugar readings.
“The comprehensive team approach offered with this trial certainly assisted me in achieving my goals of lowering my blood sugar but also regaining control over my health and my future well-being,” said McCully, who was diagnosed with diabetes six years ago.
“After eight weeks my blood sugars are well under control and I’m feeling healthier in general,” she added.
Besides the Boris Clinic Diabetes Care and Research Program in Hamilton, the studies are getting underway in Calgary, Winnipeg, Montreal, London, and Toronto. They are expected to take about two years. The studies, led through the Population Health Research Institute of McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences, are funded by several pharmaceutical companies.
Patients may be eligible to participate in the studies if they were diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes within the past eight years and not currently taking insulin.

https://knowridge.com/2016/12/can-diabetes-be-reversed-researchers-are-testing-ways-to-do-so/

Study finds UK sugar tax could save thousands from obesity, diabetes

From foxnews.com

LONDON –  A planned levy on sugary drinks due to be introduced in Britain in April 2018 could significantly reduce the number of people who become obese and develop diabetes and tooth decay, scientists said on Thursday.
In a study on the levy's health impacts, researchers found the positive effect would be greatest if the drinks industry responds by reformulating products to cut sugar content, rather than keep the same formulations but raise prices to consumers.
The planned levy is tiered, starting from no tax on diet and low sugar drinks, a low tax on mid-sugar drinks containing 5 to 8 grams (g) of sugar per 100 millilitres (ml), and a high tax on very sugary drinks containing 8g or more per 100 ml.
The government's health department says sugary drinks are the single biggest source of sugar for children, who can have more than their recommended daily intake just by drinking a can of cola, which has nine teaspoons of sugar.
The scientists studied three possible reactions by companies to the levy. They could reformulate drinks to reduce sugar content, pass some of the levy to consumers by raising the price of sugary drinks, or use marketing to encourage consumers to switch to lower sugar drinks.
The Lancet Public Health journal published the results.

For each scenario, the researchers mapped a realistic better and worse case scenario for health by estimating the likely impact on rates of obesity, diabetes and tooth decay.
"The good news is that our study suggests that all of the most likely industry responses ... have the potential to improve health," said Adam Briggs of Oxford University, who led the study. "The extent of the health benefits of the tax will depend on industry's response."
In opting for a sugar tax, Britain joins Belgium, France, Hungary and Mexico, all of which have imposed some form of tax on drinks with added sugar. Scandinavian countries have levied similar taxes for many years.
According to the study's modelling, a 30 percent reduction in sugar content of all high-sugar drinks and a 15 percent reduction in mid-sugar drinks could result in 14,400 fewer adults and children with obesity, 19,000 fewer cases of type 2 diabetes a year, and 26,900 fewer decaying teeth annually.
Passing on half of the cost of the levy to consumers with a price rise for high and mid-sugar drinks of up to 20 percent could reduce the number of adults and children with obesity by 81,600, result in 10,800 fewer diabetes cases and 14,900 fewer decaying teeth a year.
Speaking to reporters at a briefing in London, Briggs and his team said the most likely real-life response from industry would probably involve a combination of the scenarios in the study, which might mean the benefits could increase.
"The direction of the effect is clear," said Susan Jebb, an Oxford professor who co-led the research. "This levy will have a positive impact, especially on children's health."

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2016/12/16/study-finds-uk-sugar-tax-could-save-thousands-from-obesity-diabetes.html

Mealtime insulin administration concerns highlighted by survey

From diabetestimes.co.uk

A third of people with diabetes are risking serious complications by not taking mealtime insulin as recommended by their healthcare professional, a survey has found.
One in five people also regularly miss their insulin dose before lunch, according to the survey of 200 people living with type 1 or type 2 diabetes needing mealtime insulin to control their glucose levels.
The findings also revealed that over a half of people were “frustrated” by management of their diabetes, while a quarter of respondents felt their relationship was negatively impacted due to worries their diabetes before, during or after mealtimes.
People with type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes requiring a mealtime insulin should take it before a meal to effectively control a post-meal spike in their blood sugar levels, according to NICE guidance.
Commenting on the findings, Ponnusamy Saravanan, associate clinical professor and honorary consultant physician at Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick & George Eliot Hospital, said: “We need to get people thinking seriously about the impact of high blood sugar after meals. In addition to immediate and sometimes dangerous symptoms such as blurred vision and extreme tiredness, regular high blood sugar levels could lead to serious long-term complications, including heart disease, blindness, nerve damage and amputation.
“The survey results show a lack of education and awareness of the consequences of poorly controlled blood sugar levels around mealtimes, leaving people at real risk of developing irreversible complications. If we don’t get this message out now then we will continue to spend billions each year on treating these complications on the NHS, in addition to significant social costs to the individuals affected and their families.”
Symptoms
Regular symptoms of hyperglycaemia reported in the survey included tiredness, thirst, needing to urinate frequently, difficulty concentrating, reduced productivity and irritability.
But only a half of people questioned the symptoms as being linked to high blood sugar levels. Only a third said they told their doctor or nurse about the symptoms, despite one in thre having to take a sick day or cancel an engagement as a result.
Dr Lalantha Leelarathna, consultant diabetologist and honorary senior lecturer at Manchester Diabetes Centre, Manchester Royal Infirmary, added: “The fact that many patients don’t discuss their symptoms with their healthcare team suggests that we as clinicians need to be more proactive in asking about hyperglycaemia and better educate our patients on the importance of good mealtime control. In addition, we need to provide our patients with treatment strategies to achieve good post-meal glucose control.
“Missing or delayed meal time insulin will often lead to very high post-meal glucose levels increasing glucose variability and the risk of complications. Greater awareness is our best defence against diabetes-related complications and I welcome these latest survey results as an opportunity to highlight these important issues.”

http://diabetestimes.co.uk/mealtime-insulin-concerns-highlighted-survey/

Three strategies for controlling, possibly reversing, diabetes

By Amy Osmond Cook

Someone you know may be fighting a losing battle for life. As Type 2 diabetes reaches epidemic proportions, the need for alternative treatment methods is urgent. Over 422 million people worldwide suffer from diabetes. So it’s likely you or someone you care about has this disease. Why is it that diabetes continues to grow to seemingly epidemic proportions? Many healthcare professionals believe it is because medication isn’t solving the problem. Instead, it is merely treating the symptoms.

ADVERTISING

inRead invented by Teads

Today’s functional health experts are introducing new ways to look at this disease and offer simple, effective forms of treatment. Moreover, they are offering hope. Many professionals believe diabetes can be controlled -- even reversed –without the need for medications. And it comes down to three strategies.
Acknowledge the need for a lifestyle change
“Diabetes doesn’t have to be a chronic disease,” said Dr. Sarah Hallberg from Indiana University Health Arnett Hospital. “We can intervene here and resolve the problems just by changing one’s nutrition.” Recognizing what you eat and how much you exercise can also influence blood sugar levels in your bloodstream.
When it comes to making lifestyle changes, the experts at Abbott Nutrition have three tips: First, set realistic goals. “Gradual change is more likely to lead to permanent change,” they said. Second, keep a food journal and plan your meals out ahead of time. Finally, exercise regularly. The American Diabetes Association recommends 30 minutes of aerobic exercise at a moderate to vigorous intensity level five days a week.
Change your view on what healing means
Many patients find themselves trapped in a cycle of symptoms and more medications — often with little signs of success. Experts now recognize the advantages of enabling the body to heal itself.
“Food is our best medicine,” said Dr. JoQueta Handy of Handy Wellness Centre. Handy believes that when dispensed in a way similar to antibiotics, by prescribing certain doses, some foods can create impactful healing effects.
Get to the root of the problem
Diabetes doesn’t have to be a chronic disease, if you can get to the root of the problem. For example, a new study featured in the New York Times found that diet is one root cause that can reverse diabetes—even in people who have had diabetes for many years.
“This is a radical change in our understanding of Type 2 diabetes,” said Dr. Roy Taylor, the principal investigator of the study. “If we can get across the message that ‘yes, this is a reversible disease — that you will have no more diabetes medications, no more sitting in doctors’ rooms, no more excess health charges’ — that is enormously motivating.”
The combination of functional and traditional approaches to healing can allow patients to use established therapies while also addressing root causes. This can slow or actually reverse disease progression instead of simply masking symptoms or managing the condition. By adopting a new understanding of medication-free treatment and individualized care, patients are saying goodbye to diabetes and saying hello to a second chance at life.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/diabetes-738553-disease-change.html

Diabetes study affirms long-term benefits of exercise

From post-gazette.com

When it comes to preventing and treating Type 2 diabetes, losing 7 percent of body weight and briskly walking 150 minutes a week can do more than drugs.
But the problem always has been dedication to task — persuading people that weighing less and exercising more now and forever after will help them avoid the health burdens diabetes can impose.
If you lose weight, keep it off. If you exercise, keep it going.
Now a University of Pittsburgh study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine shows that a percentage of people who participated more than a decade ago in the Diabetes Prevention Program continued exercising more than the average person of similar age and health circumstances.
In the study, members of that same group 10 years later were compared with the general population of similar age and health challenges, based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, known as NHANES. It also used ActiGraph accelerometer readings to document exercise levels, rather than the self-report questionnaires that were previously used.
Overall, the study found that “lifestyle intervention was effective at increasing moderate physical activity more than 10 years into the [prevention program] follow-up,” noting that the program succeeded in “achieving long-term improvements in moderate activity levels.”

“What we ended up finding from accelerometer data was some evidence of a lasting effect, as the [prevention program] participants had higher physical activity levels than the general population,” said study author Bonny Rockette-Wagner, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health director of physical activity assessment in its department of epidemiology.
Planted on the couch
The landmark Diabetes Prevention Program study, published in 2002, was important in showing that those who achieved modest weight loss and regularly exercised had a 58 percent higher rate of success in preventing diabetes than the baseline group, which did not participate in a weight loss/​exercise program or use diabetes drugs. Those placed on metformin, the most commonly prescribed Type 2 drug, had a 31 percent success rate as compared with the baseline group.
To the surprise of many, exercise and weight loss did better than drugs in preventing diabetes.
And in the current Pitt study, while original participants did exercise a bit more than the general public, there’s still room for improvement.
For example, participants 10 years later were sedentary for more than 9 hours a day with 4½ hours of light physical activity — such as housework or walking to the mailbox — and slightly more than 15 minutes a day in moderate to vigorous physical activity.
But this study also found that the study group and general population had similar levels of sedentary behaviour — a major research focus these days due to the potential risk factor for chronic disease.
Sedentary behaviour generally increases and exercise declines with age, as might be expected. People with diabetes also were less physically active than those without diabetes, the study showed.
“Our participants we thought would have higher activity and lower sedentary behaviour than people in the general populations,” said Ms. Rockette-Wagner, who holds a Ph.D. in epidemiology. “But there was not much difference in sedentary behavior.”
Limits on downtime
The Pitt study, covering an expanse of time rare for such studies, represents the latest research to support lifestyle changes to avoid known causes of Type 2 diabetes, which include weight gain, poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle.
The Pitt-based team was led by Andrea Kriska, a Pitt Public Health epidemiology professor who also led development of the physical activity component of the Diabetes Prevention Program and analysed its impact. She also was part of the team of prevention-program investigators in Pittsburgh who modified its lifestyle intervention procedures for a more community-friendly program called Group Lifestyle Balance, or GLB.
Her previous study funded through the National Institutes of Health tested the GLB program in high risk adults from three different community settings, including senior centres of varying socioeconomic status, a work site and a military base. The results, she said, were “a resounding success,” with impacts on weight loss and physical activity while also showing that the intervention improved several diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors in the 286 participants from the diverse community sites.
Gaining a better understanding of the health impact of reduced sitting time is the focus of the Kriska/​Rockette-Wagner team, with an NIH-funded study to examine whether the beneficial changes in weight loss, diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors will be seen if the goal is shifted from moderate physical activity to sitting less.
Such results already were suggested in the original Diabetes Prevention Program.
The two researchers also led another study that found that each hour spent watching television daily increases the risk of developing diabetes by 3.4 percent. Reductions in sitting time appear to translate into a positive health effect separate from improvements to moderate-vigorous activity, that study said.
Ultimately, a person may be unable to continue exercising or maintaining weight loss indefinitely, but the longer the better, said Ms. Kriska, who also holds a Ph.D. in epidemiology, noting the many modern-day lifestyle challenges that include television, computers and smartphones.
Next on the agenda, she said, is determining a limit for sedentary behaviour. Until that’s established, it’s a good idea to try breaking up long periods of sitting and reducing total sitting time, with evidence from other studies showing that even reducing sitting time by 30 minutes a day could benefit health.

http://www.post-gazette.com/news/health/2016/12/13/Diabetes-study-affirms-long-term-benefits-of-exercise/stories/201612060005

The new treatment that could change the way you manage your diabetes

From startsat60.com

It seems everyday you read about something new that scientists are working on to benefit our help, whether it’s a cure for cancer or a treatment for an everyday disease.
This time it’s diabetes making the news – and if you’re a diabetic the latest development could spell the end of having to inject yourself with insulin.

ADVERTISING

inRead invented by Teads

The Guardian reports scientists have developed a cell-based treatment, and it’s currently being tested on mice.
So, how does it work?
Well, the cells would be implant under your skin – and whenever you need insulin, the cells will release in your body.
Diabetics would need to be given the implant three times per year to stop them from having to inject themselves with insulin.
No needles, no pain- how great does that sound?
The diabetic mice used in the trials ended up having normal blood sugar levels that lasted for a few weeks.
Apparently, the treatment will be beneficial for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
The scientist leading the research, Martin Fussenegger, believes we can do “a lot better” than just allowing diabetics to measure their glucose levels.
But any treatment could still be several years away, with scientists still up to two years away from testing the treatment on people.
That’s very interesting!

https://startsat60.com/health/the-new-treatment-that-could-change-the-way-you-manage-your-diabetes

The connection between diabetes, heart disease

By Cami Wells

Diabetes is a serious condition that happens when your body can’t make enough of a hormone called insulin or can’t properly use the insulin it has. Insulin helps your body digest sugars that come from what you eat and drink. Without enough insulin, sugar builds up in your blood. Over time, that sugar buildup damages your nerves, blood vessels, heart, and kidneys.

More than 29 million Americans have diabetes, or about 1 of every 11 people. About 8 million of them don’t know they have diabetes. Another 86 million — more than 1 in 3 Americans older than 20 — have prediabetes, a condition in which a person’s blood sugar is high, but not yet high enough to trigger diabetes. Most people with diabetes have type 2 diabetes. Adults with type 2 diabetes are about twice as likely to die from heart disease as adults who do not have diabetes. Here are a few more surprising facts about diabetes:
-- Women with diabetes have a 40 percent greater risk of developing heart disease and a 25 percent greater risk of stroke than men with diabetes do. Experts aren’t sure why the risk is so much greater in women with diabetes than in men with diabetes. Women’s biology may play a role: Women usually have more body fat, which can put them at greater risk for heart disease and stroke.

-- Diabetes is the seventh leading killer of Americans. In 2014, more than 76,000 people in the United States died from diabetes. But diabetes often contributes to deaths from other causes, including heart disease, the leading killer of Americans.

-- Type 2 diabetes among young people is on the rise. So is obesity. Type 2 diabetes was once thought to be a condition that developed only in older adults. Now, because obesity is common at all ages, type 2 diabetes is becoming a problem for people of all ages.
Making healthy lifestyle changes can help you prevent or control diabetes and lower your chances of getting heart disease and stroke. Take the following steps to lower your risk of diabetes:

-- Stay physically active. Physical activity helps keeps your blood vessels healthy and your weight under control.

-- Choose healthy foods. Choose fiber-rich foods, such as fresh vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.

-- Reach a healthy weight. Research shows that losing even a small amount of weight by exercising and making healthy eating choices can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes in people with high risk. Talk to your doctor about what a healthy weight is for you.

-- Quit smoking. If you have diabetes and use tobacco, your risk of heart and blood vessel problems is even greater. Smoking raises your blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure.

-- Take your medicine as directed. It is important that you take any medicine you have been prescribed for your diabetes, such as medicine to control your blood sugar, as directed. You may also need to take medicine for related conditions, such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

http://www.theindependent.com/life/food/the-connection-between-diabetes-heart-disease/article_045abb4a-bd91-11e6-9eb7-2f561e81831f.html

How to lose excess weight – diet, exercise or both?

By Jill Barker

There are more reasons to lose weight than trying to fit into those skinny jeans relegated to the back of your closet. Being overweight raises the risk of various chronic health conditions that, over the long haul, reduce not just quality of life but longevity. For every five-point increase in BMI (body mass index), mortality from diabetes surges by 116 per cent, mortality from renal disease by 60 per cent and mortality from vascular disease by 30 per cent.
With stats so dramatic, it’s no wonder health care professionals recommend losing excess weight before it starts to affect health. And unlike the amount you might need to drop to get into those skinny jeans, losing even small amounts of weight can have a positive effect.
But weight loss isn’t the only way to ward off chronic disease. Exercise has a proven track record for boosting health and longevity, even if the numbers on the scale refuse to move. Given the efficacy of both approaches, could the combination of eating less and exercising more offer double the health benefits when compared to exercise or dieting alone?
A U.S. research team, who already reported that weight loss — through diet or exercise — resulted in similar improvements in reducing cardiovascular risk factors, decided to test the theory on a group of 52 overweight men and women. Dividing the group into three, the goal was a six to eight per cent weight loss over 12-14 weeks by diet, exercise or a combination of the two.
All three approaches to weight loss were designed to create an energy deficit of 20 per cent. Those in the diet-only group were expected to reduce their portion sizes and to replace high calorie foods and snacks with fruit, vegetables and whole grains. The exercise-only group was encouraged to engage in moderate to high intensity cardiovascular exercise daily. The diet-and-exercise group used both methods. All subjects were monitored throughout the study and their diet and exercise prescriptions adjusted so that everyone could realize the same degree of weight loss.
As per the study’s design, all three groups lost the same amount of weight, about seven per cent, which resulted in a similar decrease in fat mass (15 per cent) and waist circumference. And surprisingly, despite differences in how they lost the weight, all experienced the same 10 per cent decreased risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
“We hypothesized that calorie restriction and exercise would yield greater improvements in risk factors for cardiovascular disease than would similar weight loss from calorie restriction or exercise alone. However, the results did not support this hypothesis,” said the researchers. “A straightforward interpretation of the findings from the present study is that weight loss itself provides the major cardioprotective effect of calorie restriction and exercise and that the benefits do not depend on which approach to weight loss is used.”
But that doesn’t mean exercise is without its added benefits. The exercise-only group lost the weight without losing valuable muscle, compared to a 2.5 per cent and 1.6 per cent decrease in fat free mass in the diet-only and diet-and-exercise groups, respectively.
Also of interest is the difference in the amount of exercise and calorie restriction needed to realize the same weight loss in all three groups. The diet-only group decreased the number of calories they consumed by 32 per cent, compared to 27 per cent fewer calories consumed by the diet and exercise group. Meanwhile the exercise-only group realized their weight loss by burning 412 calories daily (about 7.5 hours of exercise a week) through exercise, almost double that of the diet-and-exercise group, who sweated off 217 calories a day (roughly 4.5 hours a week).
Worthy of consideration, too, is the short duration of the study and the fact that the results were measured only in terms of their ability reduce cardiovascular risk, offering a very narrow view of the potential health benefits of all three weight loss strategies. Extending the study over a longer period of time or until a more significant weight loss is achieved may indeed show that eating less and exercising more results in more significant health gains than exercising or dieting alone.
In addition, the diet-and-exercise group actually exercised less and ate more than the diet-only and exercise-only crowd, which could be why the results didn’t have more of an impact on cardiovascular risk. It may be that the necessary threshold needed for exercise to significantly influence health wasn’t reached in those who combined diet and exercise.
So what’s the best way to lose weight so that it has the maximum impact on health? The answer is: any way you think you can be the most successful. As for exercise, consider it a value-added opportunity in that it helps preserve valuable fat-free mass (muscle) and requires you cut back fewer calories to achieve the same results as dieting alone. Then of course there’s exercise’s ability to help you have more energy in the day, sleep better at night and improve your overall mood, something this study wasn’t designed to capture but makes life just that much better no matter what your weight.

http://news.nationalpost.com/health/how-to-lose-excess-weight-diet-exercise-or-both?__lsa=f487-d536

How Fasting Reverses Type 2 Diabetes

By Dr Jason Fung

While many consider type 2 diabetes (T2D) irreversible, fasting has been long known to cure diabetes. In our previous post, we considered bariatric surgery. While extreme, these surgeries have proven the point that the metabolic abnormalities that underlie T2D (hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance) can be fully reversible even after a few short weeks.
Many early studies were done with the heavy-duty Roux-en-Y surgery, which is the heavyweight champions of surgeries. The best weight loss. The most complications. This is the surgery that has ‘Go Big or Go Home’ tattooed on its massive bicep.
But even milder forms of bariatric surgery show the same reversibility of T2D. A gastric band is essentially a belt implanted around your stomach. The surgeon keeps tightening the belt so that you can’t eat. If you try to eat too much, you’ll puke it all back up. Lovely. It ain’t pretty, but it sure does work. Again, long term results are kind of iffy, but short term results are pretty good.

The results of gastric banding versus medical treatment showed a significant and pretty damn good drop in their fasting blood sugars. In other words, their T2D was reversing in a b-i-g way. Those given medicines alone basically stayed the same. They were no better than before.
Gastric banding a 500 pound patient will still reverse 20 years of diabesity within weeks. One of the main questions is why? There are many hypotheses, but essentially, it is the sudden severe restriction of all calories that causes this beneficial effect. This is the same thing as the time tested, ancient healing tradition of fasting. Fasting is the voluntary restriction of food for religious, health or other purposes (eg. hunger strikes). Is bariatrics simply a surgically enforced fast? The short answer is yes.

It’s not a progressive disease

The success of both bariatrics and fasting proves that T2D is not progressive and chronic. It’s in fact a fully reversible disease. Consider this real life example. A lady in her mid 60’s was injecting 120 units of insulin daily along with 2 grams/day of metformin (a type of medication used for T2D). She had T2D for 27 years and had been progressively using higher and higher doses of insulin in an effort to control her blood sugars. However, things were getting worse.
In desperation, she was referred to the Intensive Dietary Management Program. We started her on a regimen that included fasting under strict medical supervision. We started with a full week of fasting and immediately reduced her medications. When she was feeling well, she continued for a second week, then a third. By that time she was off her insulin. We then switched to a LCHF diet along with alternate daily fasting. It’s been over a year now, and she continues to be off all insulin and medications with a HbA1C of 5.9%. Technically, she is no longer diabetic (defined by an A1C of less than 6%).
She feels terrific – with more energy now than she has had for over a decade. Her husband was so impressed that he also started our program and has recently come off all his insulin, too.
But wait! The diabetes ‘experts’ insist that T2D was a chronic and progressive disease! How can this lady, with her 27 year history of T2D, suddenly reverse all her disease and become non-diabetic? How can this possibly happen?

The answer is fasting

The answer is quite simple. The statement that T2D is chronic and progressive is just a lie. The ‘experts’ were being economical with the truth. Spinning a yarn. Pulling a ‘Bill Clinton’. But any lie, repeated often enough with enough authority, gains the semblance of truth.
But the fact that fasting cures diabetes has been known for close to 100 years! One of the most famous diabetologists in the history of the world – Dr. Elliot Joslin wrote about it in the Canadian Medical Association Journal in 1916! In fact, he thought that it was so obvious that fasting was helpful that studies would not even be necessary. This, from the guy that Harvard University used to name its world famous Joslin Centre for Diabetes.
What happened to Joslin and fasting for diabetes? Well, back then, medical science had not yet distinguished Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Fasting is not useful for type 1, and type 2 was still quite unusual back then. After the discovery of insulin in the early 1920’s, all the focus turned to it as the ‘cure’ for diabetes. While it was a major advance for type 1, it was not quite the panacea for type 2s. However, most of the interest in fasting disappeared as doctors focused on what would be their mantra for the next century – drugs, drugs, drugs. All types of dietary therapy fell into disrepute, since they were really not useful in type 1 diabetes, and have stayed there ever since.
The effect of wartime starvation on T2D also obviously highlights the effect of reducing food consumption on diabetes. During both world wars, the mortality from diabetes dropped precipitously. In the interwar period, as people went back to their accustomed eating habits, it went back up. This, of course is quite easy to understand. Since T2D is essentially a disease of excessive sugar in the body, reducing intake of sugars and carbohydrates should cause less disease.

Bariatrics or fasting?

Returning to the point that bariatrics is simply a surgically enforced fast, you can directly compare the effects of fasting and bariatrics. One fascinating study assessed patients waiting for bariatric surgery who were given a period of fasting beforehand. The reasoning was that many morbidly obese patients had enormous fatty livers. If you could somehow reduce this fatty liver and reduce their weight somewhat, the risk of surgical complications would be reduced since there is now more room to work within the surgical field.
The reduction in liver size would make working in the abdominal cavity much easier, with better vision. Since many of these procedures are done laparascopically, being able to see better is a huge benefit. Also, with less abdominal distention, abdominal wound healing was significantly improved. Therefore, fasting before surgery makes total sense.
In the meantime, you could compare both sugar control and weight loss during the fasting period and also during the post surgical period. Since bariatrics is considered the heavy weight champ, this was a real David vs Goliath battle (Fasting vs Surgery).
In the graph below, you can see the results. In the first graph, fasting caused 7.3 kg weight loss compared to only 4 kg for surgery. The second graph shows the overall ‘glycemia’ or the total amount of sugar in the blood over the day. During fasting, there was far less sugar in the blood (1293 vs 1478). On both counts you can see that the fasting was actually significantly better than the surgery! Blood sugars came down faster, as did weight. David (fasting) did not simply beat Goliath (bariatrics), he beat him like a rented mule
If all the benefits of bariatric surgery accrue because of fasting, why not simply do the fasting and skip the surgery? The standard answer is that people cannot do the fasting without the surgical enforcement. But have they ever tried? How do you know that you cannot fast for an extended period of time if you have never tried it? Shouldn’t you at least give it a shot before giving up?
But my main point is again, not to criticize or praise surgery. Rather my point is this. Fasting cures diabetes. Rather than the chronic and progressive disease that we have been promised, instead T2D turns out to be a treatable and reversible condition. Both practices of fasting and bariatric surgery prove the point. This is a curable disease. Type 2 diabetes is entirely reversible. This changes everything. A New Hope arises.

https://www.dietdoctor.com/fasting-reverses-diabetes

New diabetes treatment could eliminate need for insulin injections

By Hannah Devlin

A cell-based diabetes treatment has been developed by scientists who say it could eliminate the need for those with the condition to inject insulin.
The therapy involves a capsule of genetically engineered cells implanted under the skin that automatically release insulin as required. Diabetic mice that were treated with the cells were found to have normal blood sugar levels for several weeks.
Scientists said they hope to obtain a clinical trial licence to test the technology in patients within two years. If successful, the treatment would be relevant for all type 1 diabetes patients, as well as those cases of type 2 diabetes that require insulin injections.
Martin Fussenegger, who led the research at the ETH university in Basel, said: “By 2040, every tenth human on the planet will suffer from some kind of diabetes, that’s dramatic. We should be able to do a lot better than people measuring their glucose.”
Fussenegger said that, if confirmed as safe and effective in humans, diabetes patients could be given an implant that would need to be replaced three times a year rather than injections, which do not perfectly control blood sugar levels, leading to long-term complications including eye, nerve and heart damage.
In Britain, about 400,000 people have type 1 diabetes and three million have type 2 diabetes, about 10% of whom need to inject insulin to control the condition.
Type 1 diabetes normally begins in childhood and is an autoimmune disease in which the body kills off all its pancreatic beta cells. The cells respond to the body’s fluctuating glucose levels by releasing insulin, which regulates blood sugar. Without beta cells, patients need to monitor glucose and inject insulin as required – typically several times each day.

  

Previously, scientists have attempted to artificially cultivate pancreatic cells from patients’ stem cells. However, scientists have struggled to manufacture the cells at the scale necessary for clinical use, and the cells are naturally prone to dying off once introduced into the body, according to Fussenegger. “They are prima donnas in the cellular context,” he said.
His team took a different approach, choosing to re-engineer human kidney cells, known as HEK cells, to perform the function normally carried out by the pancreas. Two genes were introduced into the cells – one to make them sensitive to glucose levels and a second to instruct the cell to pump out insulin when glucose levels exceeded a threshold.
“We believed we needed a more robust cell type if you go for cell-based therapies,” he said.
In the study, published in Science, the engineered HEK cells were found to outperform normal pancreatic cells in terms of their ability to regulate blood sugar in mice. They were healthy three weeks after the implant and performed normally on various tests designed to measure their ability to control blood sugar.
“It’s hard to understand why ours should be better than something that evolved for millions of years,” said . “It shows that as engineers, thinking rationally, we can also do a very good job.”
In the study, mice were treated such that they lost all their insulin-producing pancreatic cells. The cells were then implanted into the mice, enclosed in a teabag-like porous capsule that protected the human cells from the mouse immune system, but allowed insulin to diffuse out.
In humans, the same approach would mean cells would not need to be genetically matched to the patient, and frozen capsules could be manufactured on an industrial scale.
The team behind the work have created a start-up to commercialise the technique and hope it could reach the market within a decade.

Emily Burns, research communications manager at Diabetes UK, said: “We can already replace the cells in the pancreas that are damaged in type 1 diabetes by using cells taken from donated pancreases, but one of the issues with this approach is that there aren’t enough donors. That’s why research like this is so important: finding ways to produce an unlimited supply of pancreatic cells, or cells that act like them, in the lab.”

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/dec/08/new-diabetes-treatment-could-eliminate-need-for-insulin-injections

New study indicates weekly consumption of chocolate lowers the risk for diabetes

By Margaret Nagle

New research from the Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Study (MSLS) confirms that persons who eat chocolate at least once a week have a lower prevalence of diabetes and are at lower risk for a diagnosis of diabetes four to five years later.
The study also indicates that the relation between the frequency of chocolate consumption may be due to an active choice on the part of diabetics. For example, diabetics may choose to reduce their frequency of chocolate consumption in an effort to reduce sweets, noted the researchers, who published their findings in the journal Appetite.
The research team is led by nutritionist and psychologist Georgina Crichton of the University of South Australia, and University of Maine psychology researchers Merrill "Pete" Elias, Peter Dearborn and Michael Robbins. The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the National Health and Medical Research Council, Australia.
The MSLS study of 908 community-dwelling nondiabetic and 45 diabetic participants found that persons who ate chocolate less than once a week were at twice the risk of diabetes mellitus compared to those who ate chocolate more than once a week. Consumption more than once a week did not decrease risk further.

Persons who never or rarely ate chocolate had almost twice the risk of having diabetes five years later, compared to those who ate chocolate more than once per week.
Cause and effect relations between chocolate consumption and diabetes have not been established in any study in the literature, but in their research, the MSLS investigators concluded that a bidirectional relationship couldn't be ruled out, modest amounts of chocolate protect against diabetes, but some diabetic individuals chose to eat modest amounts of chocolate.
After 2000, when the health benefits of chocolate became more widely known, persons who ate moderate amounts of chocolate had less incidence of developing diabetes. Indeed, the study shows that the number of new cases of diabetes mellitus did not rise significantly for the next four to five years.
The MSLS investigators emphasize that their data do not argue against a causal relation between eating chocolate and developing diabetes. But they point out that the direction of the association may be reversed in some individuals.
"Regardless of the direction of the relation between chocolate consumption and diabetes mellitus, consuming chocolate at least once a week very much appears to be a win-win with regard to health benefits and cognitive performance for those who do not have special health restrictions on chocolate," says Elias, who directs MSLS.
In the MSLS study, specific quantities of chocolate eaten were not measured. However, findings from a number of studies would suggest that a moderate consumption of approximately one ounce (or 25 grams) of chocolate once a week, i.e. about a third of a typical chocolate bar, may be associated with health benefits, such as reduced arterial stiffness and better cognitive performance.
It is unclear if the benefits of chocolate are limited to dark chocolate. It is widely hypothesized that the cocoa flavanols, found in larger amounts in dark chocolate, are responsible for its health and cognitive benefits. Elias points out that clinical trials are necessary to establish whether only dark chocolate is beneficial.
This is the latest collaborative study involving the University of Maine and University of South Australia researchers using MSLS to examine the health benefits of chocolate, including increased cognitive function.

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-12-weekly-consumption-chocolate-lowers-diabetes.html

Diabetes and stress are strongly linked with each other

From knowridge.com

A Rice University study has found a link between emotional stress and diabetes, with roots in the brain’s ability to control anxiety.
That control lies with the brain’s executive functions, which handle attention, inhibition, working memory and cognitive flexibility and are also involved in reasoning, problem-solving and planning.
The study is published in Psychoneuroendocrinology.

It establishes a metabolic chain reaction that starts with low attention control, which leaves a person vulnerable to tempting or distracting information, objects, thoughts or activities.
Previous studies have shown that such vulnerability can lead to more frequent anxiety, and anxiety is known to activate a metabolic pathway responsible for the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, signalling proteins that include interleukin-6 (IL-6).
Along with cognitive tests that measured attention control, the Rice study measured levels of both blood glucose and IL-6 in more than 800 adults.
IL-6 is a protein the body produces to stimulate immune response and healing.
It is a biomarker of acute and chronic stress that also has been associated with a greater likelihood of diabetes and high blood glucose.
The research showed individuals with low inhibition were more likely to have diabetes than those with high inhibition due to the pathway from high anxiety to IL-6.
The results were the same no matter how subjects performed on other cognitive tests, like those for memory and problem-solving.
Researchers have suspected a link between anxiety and poor health, including diabetes, for many years but none have detailed the biological pathway responsible, said lead author Kyle Murdock, a postdoctoral research fellow in psychology.
He said the Rice study takes a deeper look at how inflammation bridges the two.
“Plenty of research shows that when individuals are stressed or anxious or depressed, inflammation goes up,” he said.
“The novel part of our study was establishing the pathway from inhibition to anxiety to inflammation to diabetes.”

https://knowridge.com/2016/12/diabetes-and-stress-are-strongly-linked-with-each-other/

2 easy ways people with diabetes can get better blood sugar control

From cbsnews.com

For people with type 2 diabetes, better blood sugar control may be as easy as getting up off the couch and standing every so often, or taking a leisurely walk, a new study shows.
Dutch researchers noted that “moderate to vigorous” exercise is often recommended for people with diabetes -- but most patients don’t comply with that advice.
This small new study suggests that even sitting a bit less might be of real benefit.
One diabetes expert in the United States agreed with that advice.
“For years, I would suggest an exercise regimen to my patients that I knew was doomed to failure,” said Dr. Robert Courgi, an endocrinologist at Northwell Health’s Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, N.Y.
However, “by tweaking the message a bit, the odds of success increase significantly,” he said. “Ultimately, any activity helps lower glucose [blood sugar]. The message of ‘sitting less’ will have a higher success rate than exercise regimens of the past.”
Current physical activity guidelines call for a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise a week to help prevent type 2 diabetes. But the study authors pointed out that nine out of 10 people fail to meet this guideline.
The new study was led by Bernard Duvivier of the department of human biology and movement science at Maastricht University Medical Centre in the Netherlands. His team wanted to see if a program to reduce sitting time -- by encouraging patients to simply stand and do light-intensity walking -- could offer an alternative to a standard exercise regimen.
The study included 19 adults, average age 63, with type 2 diabetes who did three programs, each lasting four days. In the first program, the participants sat for 14 hours a day and did only one hour a day of walking and one hour a day of standing.
In the second program (the “sit less” program), the participants did a total of two hours a day of walking and three hours a day of standing by breaking up their sitting time every 30 minutes.
In the third program (exercise), the participants replaced an hour a day of sitting time with indoor cycling.
The sit less and exercise programs were designed to burn similar amounts of energy, the researchers said.
Significant improvements in blood sugar control occurred when the patients did the sit less program or the exercise program, but the improvements were generally stronger during the sit less phase, according to the study.
Courgi said the new trial has helped him “rethink the way I treat diabetes with exercise.”
He said that, although it would be nice to see the results replicated in a larger trial, the study findings remain “very interesting.”
The study was published Nov. 30 in the journal Diabetologia

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/type-2-diabetes-blood-sugar-control-sitting-less-standing-walking-moving/

Coping with type 2 diabetes around the holidays

From localnews8.com

IDAHO FALLS, (KIFI/KIDK) - You see all sorts of sugary delectable foods around the holidays. It is exciting for some but not so much for people who are diabetic, specifically ones with type 2.
People with diabetes know the risks but if you are someone without diabetes, you can sometimes forget about accommodating those that have it.
Here is some good news, a local registered dietician certified diabetes educator said it is a common myth that people with diabetes cannot eat those treats.
"Think about what their plan is, watch the portion sizes and the frequency that they do that," Becky Sulick, RD said.

ADVERTISING

inRead invented by Teads

According to the American Diabetes Association, nearly 30 million Americans have diabetes. Of that 30 million, about 130,000 are people in Idaho.
Jacqueline Baray is one of them. She said she has had type two diabetes for about 20 years. She tries to change recipes and said her routine did not come easy when she first started. It takes time.
"You don't always want to say 'Oh, I can't have this.' 'I don't want that.' I'm going to eat it! If people give me stuff and I can't eat it right then, I'll freeze it if it's freezable. Otherwise I'll just nibble at it, so I don't get it all at once," Baray said.
"I have seen several of my friends, acquaintances that have had it and ate until they got sick and had to go to the hospital and I don't want to do that," she said.
Bill Ayzin is the owner of Wealth of Health Natural Market. He said for a diabetic around the holidays, it can be tough, but a solution is substitutes. He is not talking about your usual Splenda sweeteners.
"Almond flower and using a sweetener like Stevia or Xylotol, would produce a total carb count or sugar count much lower than using regular white flower," Ayzin said.
Ayzin said fat is a diabetic's best friend. That is one way to accommodate a person who is diabetic over the holidays, Ayzin said.
"If you ever have a baked potato, always put butter, sour cream or bacon, because those fats and protein blend how quickly that potato converts to sugar," he said.
Alternative sugars are Stevia, Xylotol and Coconut Palm Sugar.

http://www.localnews8.com/news/coping-with-type-2-diabetes-around-the-holidays/191713235

Diabetes, Heart Disease, and You

From cdc.gov

Diabetes is a common disease that is on the rise in America. Having diabetes raises your risk for developing other dangerous conditions, especially heart disease and stroke. November is National Diabetes Month, a time to raise awareness about preventing and managing diabetes and protecting yourself from its complications.
Diabetes is a serious condition that happens when your body can't make enough of a hormone called insulin or can't properly use the insulin it has. Insulin helps your body digest sugars that come from what you eat and drink. Without enough insulin, sugar builds up in your blood. Over time, that sugar build-up damages your nerves, blood vessels, heart, and kidneys.
More than 29 million Americans have diabetes, or about 1 of every 11 people. 1 About 8 million of them don't know they have diabetes. Another 86 million—more than 1 in 3 Americans older than 20 years—have prediabetes, a condition in which a person's blood sugar is high, but not yet high enough to trigger diabetes.
Most people with diabetes have type 2 diabetes. Adults with type 2 diabetes are about twice as likely to die from heart disease as adults who do not have diabetes.

Surprising Facts About Diabetes

• Women with diabetes have a 40% greater risk of developing heart disease and a 25% greater risk of stroke than men with diabetes do.⁵ Experts aren't sure why the risk is so much greater in women with diabetes than in men with diabetes. Women's biology may play a role: Women usually have more body fat, which can put them at greater risk for heart disease and stroke. If you are a woman with diabetes, you can take steps to control your condition and improve your chances for avoiding heart disease and stroke (see below).
• Almost 7 in 10 people with diabetes over age 65 will die of some type of heart disease. About 1 in 6 will die of stroke.⁶ People with diabetes have very high blood sugar, which causes damage to nerves and blood vessels. Over time, this can lead to heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and even blindness. People with diabetes are more likely to develop and die from heart disease or stroke.⁷
• Diabetes is the seventh leading killer of Americans. In 2014, more than 76,000 people in the United States died from diabetes.⁶ But diabetes often contributes to deaths from other causes, including heart disease, the leading killer of Americans. On average, a 50-year-old with diabetes will die six years earlier than someone without diabetes.¹
• Type 2 diabetes among young people is on the rise. So is obesity.¹ Type 2 diabetes was once thought to be a condition that developed only in older adults. Now, because obesity is common at all ages, type 2 diabetes is becoming a problem for people of all ages. This includes children and especially children of certain racial and ethnic groups, such as blacks and Hispanics. Young people with diabetes are typically overweight or obese and have a family history of diabetes. Young people who have prediabetes or diabetes are more likely to develop other disorders, including high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

You Can Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

Take the following steps to lower your risk of diabetes:
Reach a healthy weight. Research shows that losing even a small amount of weight by exercising and making healthy eating choices can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes in people with high risk.⁷ Talk to your doctor about what a healthy weight is for you.
Stay physically active. Physical activity helps keeps your blood vessels healthy and your weight under control. Adults should aim for at least 2 hours and 30 minutes each week (or about 30 minutes per day on most days) of moderate-intensity physical activity, such as brisk walking or cycling. Children should get at least an hour of physical activity each day. Remember: Any physical activity is better than none.
Choose healthy foods. Choose fibre-rich foods, such as fresh vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Avoid foods that are high in sugar, salt, and fat. You can also find a diabetes educator who can help you create a meal plan.
Quit smoking. If you have diabetes and use tobacco, your risk of heart and blood vessel problems is even greater. Smoking raises your blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure. Quitting smoking will lower your risk for heart attack, stroke, nerve damage, and kidney disease.
Take your medicine as directed. It is important that you take any medicine you have been prescribed for your diabetes, such as medicine to control your blood sugar, as directed. You may also need to take medicine for related conditions, such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

http://www.cdc.gov/features/diabetes-heart-disease/index.html

Type 2 Diabetes - Physical Activity Fights Diabetes

By Beverleigh H Piepers

Exercise dramatically lowers your risk for cardiovascular disease, the number-one killer of people with Type 2 diabetes. Sometimes it pays to take small steps. Although there is nothing wrong with having an ambitious goal, the execution may be daunting if it requires significant changes in your life. One must know how to walk before he can run. Just like a toddler starts with crawling before walking, you too need to take small steps when making changes to your lifestyle.
Like many people with Type 2 diabetes, you probably have the most to gain from being active. If you are currently physically inactive, adding exercise to your regular life on five days a week could be overwhelming. Unless you trust your willpower or you are remarkably disciplined, it is going to be difficult to maintain an exercise program if you are starting from scratch.

It is ideal to learn how to walk before you run which is why there is no harm in easing into a regular exercise program. While going to the gym or working out in some shape or form four to five times a week is the intended goal, you could start with just two days a week. Building up gradually is particularly useful for those who have little to no exercise experience. It is not a large commitment, and even the busiest individuals can find time to exercise on two days a week.
For Type 2 diabetics who are just getting started, it is beneficial to establish a two-month exercise plan. Consider the first month a transition phase, from physically inactive to physically active...

• two days a week for the first two weeks is fine,
• you can increase the volume to three days a week for the last two weeks of the month.

Gradually increasing your volume of physical activity is an excellent way to establish the habit while avoiding physical and mental burnout.
Experiment with different exercises during your first month. Running, cycling, walking on an incline, weight training, and fitness classes are all great ways to get fit provided you are consistent.

For month two, aim to exercise four times a week. Now exercising is a habit in your life; it should be relatively easy to make time for your choice of exercise. And since you know it is worth it; you are more likely to maintain your commitment, especially when you see benefits almost immediately. Alternate between your favourite workouts to avoid monotony, challenge yourself in different ways and track your progress. As long as you are eating healthy food, you should start to lose weight as well as become fit.
Once your eating plan is taken care of, there are no limits to what you can achieve. It is never too late to begin a fitness program even if you have never exercised before.

Although managing your disease can be very challenging, Type 2 diabetes is not a condition you must just live with. You can make simple changes to your daily routine and lower both your weight and your blood sugar levels. Hang in there, the longer you do it, the easier it gets.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Type-2-Diabetes---Physical-Activity-Fights-Diabetes&id=9579306

Managing diabetes – It is not easy but it is worth it

From hoodrivernews.com

November is national diabetes month. It is not easy to manage diabetes, but it is worth it. Managing your diabetes will help reduce health problems such as:

• Heart attacks
• Strokes
• Loss of vision
• Kidney disease

#•

#Here are some ideas to help you manage your diabetes. They are from the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney diseases.

#Learn about your diabetes

#Many people say they have “a touch of diabetes” or they do not have the “serious kind” of diabetes. Whether you are on insulin shots or are controlling your diabetes with diet and exercise, diabetes is something to take seriously. Learn more about your diabetes. Talk to your doctor, consider taking diabetes education classes or call your hospital’s local diabetes educators to learn more.

#Learn how to live well with diabetes

#Make healthier choices at meal times. Eating foods such as whole grains and fresh fruit and veggies will provide a good source of fibre.

#Fibre can slow the rise in your blood sugar. Try to fill half your plate at meal time with veggies.

#Look for ways to be more active every day. Park your car farther away from the store entrance, take a flight of stairs instead of an elevator, or walk around the block on your lunch break with a co-worker.

It is common to feel sad or overwhelmed at times, especially when you have diabetes. Seek out help from a counsellor, clergy member, family or support group. This can often help you feel better.

#Know your A-B-C’s of Diabetes

#A is for A1C. This test measures your blood sugar control over a three-month period. Most doctors will want your A1c to be 7 percent or below. Talk to your doctor about your A1c goal.

#B is for blood pressure. For most people with diabetes, your blood pressure goal will be 140/90 or less. Ask your doctor about your blood pressure goal.

#C is for cholesterol. There are two types. The good is called HDL and the bad is LDL. Your doctor may have a specific goal for you.

#Many people over 40 with diabetes may need a medication called a statin to help reach their cholesterol goal.

#Get routine care to keep you healthy

#Someone with diabetes should see their doctor two to four times a year. At these visits, your doctor may check your A1c, cholesterol, blood pressure, weight or look at your feet. This is a good time to ask questions about your diabetes. You also want to make sure you visit the dentist to have your teeth cleaned two times a year. Also, visit the eye doctor for a complete eye exam once a year.

#It takes work every day to manage diabetes. It can be overwhelming at times. Learn as much as you can about your diabetes so you can make the best choices for you.

http://www.hoodrivernews.com/news/2016/nov/19/managing-diabetes-it-not-easy-it-worth-it/

Proper nutrition can help manage diabetes

From airforcemedicine.af.mil

FALLS CHURCH, Va. -- Good nutrition is important for any healthy lifestyle, but for diabetics balancing nutrition, activity and medication is vital. Carbohydrates, for example, are nutrients found in bread, milk, starchy vegetables and fruit that turn to sugar in the blood. Other simple carbohydrates found in sweets and sugared drinks are the first to limit when monitoring weight and blood sugar. A person diagnosed with diabetes is lacking insulin or is insulin resistant so that the body can’t process these sugars normally.

  The Air Force Medical Service has Registered Dietitian Nutritionists who can serve as a resource to Airmen and their families when they want or need to make a change to their diet.
“It’s paramount to change nutrition to manage diabetes,” said 1st Lt. Abigail Schutz, the Chief of Clinical Dietetics at Joint-Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. “The body responds well to decreasing total carbohydrates intake for blood sugar management.  We also talk about pairing carbs with nutrients such as fibre or protein to control the rate of sugar going into the blood.”
Schutz said while she handles a lot of patients dealing with an initial diagnosis of diabetes, she also handles cases where people were initially diagnosed, and did not make the appropriate changes or need a review of the most current recommendations for diabetes management.
“There’s still a stigma against diabetes. It’s super common but people still want to hide it or feel ashamed by it,” Schutz said. “It can be managed very easily with some education, and I do think it’s important to encourage folks to seek help.”
Schutz said people tend not to know how the disease works and they go into denial about the need for behaviour change. Her role, and the role of other dietitians, is to help clarify all of that.
For example, reading food labels is pretty important to diabetics and there are changes coming from the Food and Drug Administration to highlight different aspects of the food label. They’re adding a new section for “added sugars” so consumers will know how much of their calorie intake is being taken up by sugar.  This specific label change will help eliminate confusion.  In addition Vitamin D and Potassium will be listed. Vitamins A and C will no longer be required on the nutrition label. She said Vitamin D is something many people are deficient in and the identification of potassium on labelling is helpful for people that experience renal issues; which 40% of diabetics suffer from.
Some of the other changes include more realistic serving sizes based on what people are actually eating.  Larger and bolder fonts for the more important parts of the label like the calorie label and serving size will make it easier for clients to read.
“Label reading is huge in terms of education, especially for somebody dosing insulin,” Schutz said. “Insulin is dosed based on the carbohydrate load, and the ratio is crucial for Type 1 Diabetics. They don’t produce insulin, so they have to count their carbs.”  Folks with Type 2 Diabetes also can learn to carbohydrate count for better blood sugar control along with adequate activity and lifestyle changes such a stress management techniques.
She said behaviour changes might take an appointment or two, but eventually a healthier lifestyle becomes second nature for people.
“Carbs are essential for the body to function. It’s a very common misconception that with diabetes you have to avoid carbohydrates, but actually our goal is just to make it consistent throughout the day. There are no “bad” foods or nutrients.  Many times, if you want a food, you can have it. Just reduce the portion size.”
Schutz said behaviour change can be hard in any circumstance but seeing a dietitian is the right call.
“People get diagnosed with diabetes and think their life is over. But that education piece of what this looks like and how it can be managed is really important for quality of life,” she said. “Work with goals that are reasonable and doable or the disease never gets managed. Design behaviour around those things.”

http://www.airforcemedicine.af.mil/News/Article/1008834/proper-nutrition-can-help-manage-diabetes/