Vegan Tips to Prevent, Reverse, and Manage Diabetes

From vegnews.com

Spoiler alert: you don’t have to fear fruit or carbs

We all know someone who is affected by diabetes—it could be your aunt with type 2, your brother with type 1, a prediabetic friend, or even yourself. It is commonly accepted that there is no cure—merely management—particularly for type 1. However, the founders of the Mastering Diabetes program (and recently released book by the same name) think differently. Both type 1 diabetics, Robby Barbaro, MPH, and Cyrus Khambatta, PhD, have done the research and the work to help others gain healthy independence from their diagnosis—no matter what form. Khambatta sat down with us to offer their best practices to prevent, reverse, and manage diabetes on a plant-based diet. 

VegNews: What is diabetes?
Cyrus Khambatta: The term “diabetes” is given to a collection of conditions that are all characterized by elevated blood glucose values. There are many types of diabetes including type 1, type 1.5, type 2, prediabetes, and gestational diabetes.

VN: Can you break down these different types?
CK: Both type 1 and 1.5 are autoimmune conditions that can destroy insulin-producing beta cells. This results in the need to inject insulin by way of a needle or pump. The difference is that type 1.5 only occurs in adults over 30, whereas type 1 can be diagnosed regardless of age.
Prediabetes acts as a warning sign for type 2 diabetes—it occurs when your muscles and liver have become resistant to insulin, resulting in a minor “traffic jam” of both glucose and insulin in your blood that slightly elevates your fasting blood glucose. Finally, gestational diabetes is a version of diabetes that affects pregnant women and usually disappears after giving birth. 

VN: Once diagnosed, is diabetes a disease someone has to manage for life?CK: Not necessarily. Prediabetes, type 2, and gestational diabetes can be reversed (or even prevented) using plant-based food as medicine.

VN: Your program advocates for carbohydrate-rich whole foods, but we’ve heard diabetics should avoid carbs. Can you explain? CK: The “controversial” aspect of whole-food nutrition is that carbohydrate-rich foods are actually some of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet and are excellent choices for people with all forms of diabetes. Carbohydrate-rich foods are easy to metabolize when your total fat intake is kept low (especially saturated fat). When you’re consistently eating a maximum of 15 percent of your total calories as fat, your body’s ability to metabolize whole carbohydrate-rich foods will increase over time, allowing you to eat larger quantities of carbohydrate-rich foods while maintaining excellent blood glucose control.

VN: What are a few foods you’d consider essential or highly advantageous for those with diabetes?CK: There are so many! Just off the bat: fruit (bananas, mangoes, oranges), starchy vegetables (potatoes and butternut squash), legumes (beans, lentils, peas), intact whole grains (brown rice, quinoa, farro), non-starchy vegetables (broccoli, cucumbers, tomatoes), leafy greens, fresh or dried herbs and spices, and a variety of mushrooms.

VN: What are a few recipes readers should start with from your new book?CK: I’ll give you a little bit sweet and a little bit savory: Nature’s Candy Bowl, Chickpea Scramble (I promise it’s the best scramble you’ll ever have), and the Hearty Sweet Potato and Squash Soup (it’s so good I crave it even when it’s horribly humid in my home of Costa Rica).

VN: In the age of Vegan Everything, do you think “junk food vegans” are at risk for becoming diabetic? How can we prevent the onset of type 2 or prediabetes and still enjoy a few scoops of our favourite non-dairy ice cream?CK: In today’s world with vegan foods readily available, we believe that many people will actually become unhealthier even though they are trying to eat healthier. While eating processed vegan foods is a step in the right direction, optimal health is attained by eating a whole-food, plant-based diet that focuses on eating from the produce section of the grocery store. However, we also believe in the 80/20 principle. If people simply ate 80 percent of their vegan diet from whole foods and only 20 percent of their diet from processed food, then they would likely become healthier people and also develop a sustainable eating pattern that would last for many years.

Tanya Flink is a Digital Editor at VegNews as well as a writer and runner living in Orange County, CA.

https://vegnews.com/2020/3/vegan-tips-to-prevent-reverse-and-manage-diabetes

Why is coronavirus more dangerous for people with diabetes?

From sacbee.com

People with diabetes have a higher risk for complications from coronavirus, medical experts say.
Those with serious medical conditions, including diabetes, have an increased risk of getting sicker from COVID-19, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Read more here: https://www.sacbee.com/news/coronavirus/article241276626.html#storylink=cpy

It can be harder to treat a viral infection for people with diabetes because of blood glucose level fluctuations and possible diabetes complications, according to the International Diabetes Federation.

“Firstly, the immune system is compromised, making it harder to fight the virus and likely leading to a longer recovery period,” the group wrote. “Secondly, the virus may thrive in an environment of elevated blood glucose.”
People with Type 1 diabetes, which is when the immune system attacks cells that make insulin, have a higher risk for diabetic ketoacidosis, USA Today reported.

Read more here: https://www.sacbee.com/news/coronavirus/article241276626.html#storylink=cpy

Diabetic ketoacidosis can hinder managing fluid intake and electrolyte levels, which is integral to managing sepsis, according to the American Diabetes Association. Septic shock and sepsis are serious complications experienced by some coronavirus patients, according to the organization.

People who had diabetes and got coronavirus have died at a 7% rate, compared with 0.9% for those who died without an underlying medical condition, according to the CDC. The death rates are based on 44,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in China.

To decrease your chances of getting sick, the CDC recommends keeping space between yourself and others, stocking up on supplies, avoiding crowds and those who are sick, washing hands often, and staying at home as much as possible.

Read more here: https://www.sacbee.com/news/coronavirus/article241276626.html#storylink=cpy

https://www.sacbee.com/news/coronavirus/article241276626.html

Read more here: https://www.sacbee.com/news/coronavirus/article241276626.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: https://www.sacbee.com/news/coronavirus/article241276626.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: https://www.sacbee.com/news/coronavirus/article241276626.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: https://www.sacbee.com/news/coronavirus/article241276626.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: https://www.sacbee.com/news/coronavirus/article241276626.html#storylink=cpy

Type 1 diabetes may be two conditions that need different treatments

From newscientist.com

Diabetes is generally thought to come in two forms: type 1 and type 2. But a study suggests type 1 diabetes could be two separate conditions, meaning there are more forms than we realised.

People with diabetes tend to have high blood sugar levels. This is because they either lack or don’t respond to insulin, a hormone that allows sugar to be taken up by our cells and either converted to energy or stored. Those who have type 1 diabetes develop it because their immune system attacks the cells in the pancreas that make insulin.

The age at which a person is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes seems to be linked to the severity of their symptoms. “A child diagnosed before the age of 5 is likely to have a more severe form of disease than someone over 30,” says Sarah Richardson at the University of Exeter, UK.

To find out why, Richardson and her colleagues looked at 32 pancreas samples from young people with diabetes who died in the 1950s. They found two distinct categories. In one, some pancreases didn’t appear to make insulin properly and experienced a stronger immune system attack.

In the other category, the pancreas samples contained fewer immune cells and there were also signs that they were better at making insulin. The immune attack appears totally different in these two categories, says Richardson.

Different categories

The researchers then looked at blood samples taken from 171 people who had been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes before they turned 30. They found the same pattern: people seemed to fall into one of the two categories, depending on how well their pancreases made insulin.

These categories seem to correspond with age. People whose type 1 diabetes involved poor insulin production and a stronger immune attack tended to be younger, says Richardson. Her team calls this group “endotype 1”. In the study, “pretty much everyone under the age of 7 falls into this category”, says Richardson.

People diagnosed when they were 13 or older tended to fall into the category made up of individuals whose pancreases had fewer immune cells, which the team calls “endotype 2”. Those aged between 7 and 12 when diagnosed could fall in either category.

At the moment, “the outcome is the same – they both need insulin – but they may have got there through a different pathway”, says Richardson. In future, she thinks the two types may do best with different treatments. People who have endotype 2 might benefit from treatment that preserves the pancreas cells that make insulin, but we don’t have any treatments like that yet.

At the moment, type 1 diabetes is treated with insulin, although researchers have been trialling new immunotherapies that kill the immune cells that attack the pancreas. So far, clinical trials in adults haven’t been promising. But the treatment might work better in younger children because immune cells seem to play more of a role in their disease, says Richardson.

In 2018, researchers based in Sweden and Finland classified almost 15,000 people with diabetes into one of five categories – not just two – based on their age, body mass index, blood sugar, and insulin production and sensitivity. Richardson and her team say one of the endotypes seems to align with one of these five categories, but the other doesn’t, which she says makes it possible there may be six types of diabetes.

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2237221-type-1-diabetes-may-be-two-conditions-that-need-different-treatments/

Coronavirus (COVID-19) – advice for people living with diabetes (UK)

From diabetes.org.uk

Updated 10th March - A number of you have been in touch looking for advice relating to the global Coronavirus (also known as COVID-19) outbreak. We have developed this detailed advice on coronavirus for people living with diabetes with NHS England and NHS Improvement, and Public Health England.

Specific advice on coronavirus for people living with diabetes

Coronaviruses can cause more severe symptoms and complications in people with diabetes, as well as in older people, and those with other long term conditions such as cancer or chronic lung disease.
If you have diabetes and you have symptoms such as a cough, high temperature and feeling short of breath, you need to continue taking your medication and call the NHS 111 phone service. For those who routinely monitor their blood glucose, on the advice of their clinical team, they should continue to do this more often.

If you have diabetes and have been travelling abroad, and you think you may have been exposed to Coronavirus, follow the most up-to-date advice on what to do which can be found on the NHS or government websites.

If you have diabetes and you become unwell for any reason, it’s important that you follow ‘sick day rules’.

Sick day rules

• Contact your GP, Practice Nurse or Diabetes team, who will help you if you have any queries or if you are unsure about what to do.
• Follow the advice of your GP, Practice Nurse or Diabetes team regarding your medication if you feel unwell.
• If you routinely check your blood sugar at home you'll probably need to do it more often. This will depend on your normal medications and how you use insulin.
• If you don't test your blood sugar levels at home, be aware of the signs of a hyper (hyperglycaemia); which include passing more urine than normal, especially at night; being very thirsty; headaches; tiredness and lethargy. If you have hyper symptoms contact your GP.
• Stay hydrated – have plenty of unsweetened drinks and eat little and often.
• If you have type 1 diabetes, check your blood sugar at least every four hours, including during the night, and check your ketones if your blood sugar level is high (generally 15mmol/l or more, or 13mmol/l if you use an insulin pump, but your team may have given you different targets). If ketones are present, contact your diabetes team.
• Keep eating or drinking – if you can’t keep food down, try snacks or drinks with carbohydrates in to give you energy. Try to sip sugary drinks (such as fruit juice or non-diet cola or lemonade) or suck on glucose tablets or sweets like jelly beans. Letting fizzy drinks go flat may help keep them down. If you're vomiting, or not able to keep fluids down, get medical help as soon as possible.

Attending routine appointments

People with diabetes should continue to attend their routine appointments as normal – unless they hear otherwise from their local GP practice, hospital or diabetes team.

Coronavirus Q&A

People living with diabetes

Question 1: Do I need to do anything differently to the general public living without diabetes in regard to coronavirus?
We recommend everyone follows the NHS advice around reducing the risk of picking up infections including thoroughly washing your hands frequently, practicing good hygiene and avoiding contact with people who are unwell.  
Coronaviruses can cause more severe symptoms and complications in people with diabetes, as well as in older people, and those with other long term conditions such as cancer or chronic lung disease.
If you are worried you might have been in contact with someone with confirmed coronavirus, call 111 (England, Wales and Scotland) or 0300 200 7885 (Northern Ireland). 

Question 2: The NHS website says the symptoms and complications of coronavirus can be worse in people with diabetes. Would I be more likely to die? 
Coronaviruses can cause more severe symptoms and complications in people with diabetes, as well as in older people, and those with other long term conditions such as cancer or chronic lung disease. The risk of death from coronavirus is quite low, and the majority of people with coronavirus will have a comparatively mild illness.
It is important that people with diabetes follow the sick day rules should they become ill from any illness. If you routinely check your blood sugar at home, you'll probably need to do it more often – at least every four hours, including during the night.

Question 3: What will happen to my diabetes appointments? Will they be postponed? Should I still go to hospital and GP appointments?
The NHS will continue to provide diabetes appointments as normal, therefore people with diabetes should continue to attend appointments as normal. In the event of any disruption you will be informed ahead of your appointment by your local GP practice or hospital.

Question 4: What are the symptoms likely to be?
The NHS outlines the common symptoms of coronavirus on its website. These symptoms are the same for people living with diabetes. Coronavirus can have serious effects on anyone who has a long term health condition or a weakened immune system. Follow advice on avoiding catching or spreading germs as above.
Get advice straight away if you are in contact with someone with confirmed coronavirus, or if you need medical help.

Question 5: What should I do if my clinician is diagnosed with coronavirus?
If your clinician is diagnosed with coronavirus and you have not seen them recently, then you are unlikely to have been exposed to coronavirus. The risk associated with any healthcare workers who become infected with coronavirus is assessed on a case by case basis and appropriate action taken. You should follow the advice given to you if you are contacted because you have been exposed to coronavirus in this way.

Question 6: Should I go to work / not see friends / not see friends who’ve travelled from affected areas?
We recommend everyone follows the NHS and government advice around reducing the risk of picking up infections, including following the latest guidance on avoiding crowded places if this becomes necessary, or coming into contact with the condition.
We recommend everyone follows the NHS and government advice about what to do if they are concerned they have come into contact with someone with the coronavirus.
The Foreign Office has the most up-to-date information about how different countries are affected.

Question 7: What if I have travel planned or a holiday booked to one of the affected areas – am I more at risk if I do travel?
The Foreign Office has the most up-to-date information about how different countries are affected.

Family, friends or carers of people living with diabetes

Question 8: I have been exposed to the virus and am a carer for someone with diabetes. What should I do?
We recommend everyone follows the NHS advice around reducing the risk of picking up infections including thoroughly washing your hands frequently, practicing good hygiene and avoiding contact with people who are unwell.
If you have been in close contact with someone with confirmed coronavirus, call 111 (England, Scotland and Wales) or 0300 200 7885 (Northern Ireland).
If you are advised by 111 staff or other medical professionals to self-isolate then this would include minimising close contact with others. 

Question 9: I am a carer to someone with diabetes. Should I be doing anything differently?
We recommend everyone follows the NHS advice on reducing the risk of picking up infections including thoroughly washing your hands frequently, practicing good hygiene and avoiding contact with people who are unwell.

The future

Question 10: If the pressure on the NHS grows, will my appointments be delayed, or will I have problems accessing my medication?
The NHS is continuing to provide diabetes appointments as normal. In the event of any disruption, clinicians will always make decisions to prioritise treatment for those most in need and in consultation with patients. Local health systems will also put in place contingency arrangements to best support patients. The NHS has conducted extensive work on supply chains to ensure a secure supply of necessary drugs.

The government action plan, issued on 3 March, says that if transmission of the virus becomes established in the UK population, the nature and scale of the response will change: “The chief focus will be to provide essential services, helping those most at risk to access the right treatment. This means that treatment and the requirement for medicines and other clinical countermeasures might start to increase, with the need to draw down on existing stockpiles of the most important medicines, medical devices and clinical consumables.”

https://www.diabetes.org.uk/about_us/news/coronavirus?utm_source=bronto&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Find+out+more&utm_content=Find+out+more&utm_campaign=Enewsletter+March+2020

For those with diabetes, vaccines are a must

From galvnews.com
By DRS. MEGAN BERMAN AND RICHARD RUPP

Chances are that you know someone with diabetes mellitus. It affects almost 10 percent of the population, and odds of having diabetes increase with age, with 1 in 4 people having diabetes after age 65. Diabetes mellitus, often referred to as “sugar diabetes” because of the inability to regulate blood sugar levels, results from the body not making enough insulin or not being able to use insulin properly.

Insulin is necessary to move sugar from the blood into cells to be used for energy. Without working insulin, blood sugar rises and damages the blood vessels and other body tissues leading to blindness, nerve disease, kidney failure, heart attacks and strokes.

What does this all have to do with vaccines? It turns out vaccines can play a major role in helping keep individuals with diabetes well.

Diabetes impairs the immune system and interferes with the ability of cells in the body to release chemicals that defend against germs. Additionally, the immune cells that gobble up bacteria or kill infected cells don’t work as well. Researchers have found that some of these issues result from high sugar levels but others don’t. Put another way, even a diabetic with excellent blood sugar control is still at increased risk of infection.

Besides the weakened immune system, diabetics have other problems leading to infection. Nerve damage keeps diabetics from sensing when they may become injured or develop pressure sores. Resulting cuts and ulcers heal slowly due to poor circulation. The open wounds provide easy entry for bacteria and fungi.

Bacteria grow faster in body tissues with elevated sugar levels and this may be the reason diabetics are at risk of infections of the lung (pneumonia), blood (septicemia), spinal cord and brain (meningitis) and urinary tract.

Serious complications are four times more likely to develop in diabetics with these infections compared to otherwise healthy individuals. The stress from fighting an infection can send a diabetic’s blood sugars spiralling dangerously out of control further complicating the course.

Given the additional difficulties, diabetics are much more likely to die than healthy individuals with similar infections. Vaccines, however, can provided needed protection.

Pneumovax, a pneumonia vaccine, is a must. Diabetics should receive it once younger than the age of 65 and again in the senior years. Due to diabetics’ increased risk of skin infections and the fact that tetanus bacteria are just about everywhere in the environment, a tetanus shot is essential every 10 years. A flu shot is needed every year as the flu strikes diabetics particularly hard. Diabetics are at increased risk of shingles and should receive Shingrix once they turn 50.

Diabetics have twice the risk of catching hepatitis B compared to healthy individuals. Many adults have never been vaccinated. Luckily, there’s a new hepatitis B vaccine, Heplisav-B, which requires two shots instead of three and better stimulates the immune system.

Diabetics, who track their blood sugars, follow diet guidelines, take their prescribed medications and are vaccinated, have the best chance at a long, healthy life.

https://www.galvnews.com/health/free/article_12378c48-8272-5a43-aa98-6fc7b8fd0fcb.html

Coronavirus and Diabetes: What You Need to Know

From frontporchnewstexas.com
By Johanna Hicks

Unless you’ve been living under a rock the past few weeks, you have heard of a new and deadly virus that has quickly been spreading around the world: Coronavirus, or COVID-19, which is a highly infectious, acute respiratory disease.  This disease only affects mammals and birds, and seems to have originated from a seafood market in the Wuhan Province of China.  The numbers are changing daily, but the most recent numbers show that over 76,000 people have been infected with the virus, with 99% of them occurring within mainland China.

Because diabetes education is my passion, I wanted to share some information from author Christine Fallabel, Diabetes Daily.  So how dangerous is the Coronavirus, and what do you need to know as a person living with diabetes?  Many people who are infected with the virus never seek treatment.  According to the World Health Organization, signs of the infection include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and difficulty breathing. If you suspect you may be infected, see your doctor right away.

To protect yourself from getting any type of seasonal virus, it’s best to avoid contact with other sick people, wash your hands frequently (especially and always after using the restroom and before preparing food!), wear a protective mask when traveling through airports or busy bus/train stations, get your flu vaccination, maintain a healthy sleep schedule, and eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.  According to the CDC, Coronavirus is spread by respiratory droplets in the air when an infected person sneezes or coughs. The virus can also be spread when an uninfected person touches a surface where the virus is (bathroom countertops or door handles), and then touches their face or mouth.  Carrying antimicrobial hand sanitizer with you can help to eliminate this threat.

Sometimes your diabetes gives clues when you’re starting to get sick, and one of those clues is higher-than-normal blood sugars. If you’re starting to see your numbers creep up for no reason, it could be a sign that you’re coming down with something.  Stay on top of your diabetes when you get ill.  This will include more frequent blood glucose testing, staying hydrated, checking ketones, and if on insulin, might require extra dosages.

Even though most cases are mild, having a chronic illness and a virus at the same time can cause major trouble.  Seek help from a physician if you suspect something is beyond your control.  Even though we are not in crisis mode concerning the Coronavirus in the United States, always be prepared with extra diabetes supplies – lancets, test strips, medications.  The main goal is to be proactive in protecting yourself and being aware of how your body responds.

http://frontporchnewstexas.com/2020/03/06/coronavirus-and-diabetes-what-you-need-to-know-by-johanna-hicks-family-community-health-agent/

Walking more steps daily lowers risk for diabetes, hypertension

From healio.com

A higher volume of steps per day in middle-aged adults lowered the risk for type 2 diabetes and stage 2 hypertension, according to data presented at the American Heart Association Epidemiology, Prevention, Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health Scientific Sessions.

“Steps are a simple metric to communicate with patients,” Amanda E. Paluch, PhD, assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, told Healio. “Furthermore, it does not require a large increase in your steps/day to see benefits. Even an increase in 1,000 steps could have meaningful benefits to your cardiometabolic health. Steps can be accumulated however works best for the patients vs. in one single 'exercise' bout. Clinicians can encourage their patients to find opportunities to walk more throughout their typical day such as parking further away or taking the stairs more often.”

Researchers analysed data from 1,923 participants (mean age, 45 years; 58% women) from the CARDIA study with available accelerometer data for at least 4 days and at least 10 hours per day in 2005-2006. Patients also attended at least one follow-up visit 5 or 10 years later.

During a mean follow-up of 9.7 years, every increase of 1,000 steps per day was linked to a 5% lower risk for hypertension and a 10% lower risk for diabetes after adjusting for lifestyle characteristics and demographics. Adding comorbidities to the model slightly attenuated this relationship, although it remained significant for diabetes (HR = 0.93; 95% CI, 0.87-0.99).

Patients in the highest quartile had a 43% lower risk for diabetes and a 31% lower risk for hypertension compared with those in the lowest quartile.

Researchers observed a significant interaction between sex and obesity when testing for interactions by sex or race. The number of steps was associated with obesity in women. Every 1,000-step increase per day was linked to a 13% lower risk for obesity. Patients in the highest quartile were 61% less likely to have obesity compared with the lowest quartile.

“More studies using device-based measures of steps looking at long-term health outcomes is needed to further advance our understanding on the importance of steps with health,” Paluch said in an interview. “Adding pedometers to new or existing trials is relatively affordable and easy to implement and can provide valuable data and is of high relevance given the booming wearable technology industry.” – by Darlene Dobkowski

https://www.healio.com/cardiology/diabetes/news/online/%7B2156680f-068f-41ff-8ef1-1dfb1c05af73%7D/walking-more-steps-daily-lowers-risk-for-diabetes-hypertension