How To Prevent Diabetes

By Flashpoints

It has long been something approaching gospel within the diabetes community — for people who are obese and at risk for Type 2 diabetes, losing weight is the surest way to prevent or delay the onset of the condition. This advice is backed up by serious research; in one prominent study, overweight people with elevated blood glucose levels who aimed to lose 7% of their body weight through an organized program had a 58% lower risk of developing diabetes over the course of the study.

But studies showing the diabetes-prevention benefits of weight loss also tend to show something else: that very few people manage to sustain their weight loss once the organized program responsible for it has ended. This challenge is recognized by many experts, and some research has specifically examined how weight loss can best be sustained. But one prominent expert believes that in light of the data, health policy makers should give up on the idea of weight loss as a means of diabetes prevention.

In an article published last month in the journal Health Affairs, Richard Kahn, formerly the chief medical officer of the American Diabetes Association, claims that we don’t know enough right now about the biological processes underlying the body’s regulation of weight to develop effective weight-loss programs that can be applied on a large scale. In the meantime, he writes, public health officials and medical groups should concentrate on finding ways to help people control their diabetes once it develops. This, he believes, is a better use of valuable time and research dollars, since effectively controlling blood glucose levels has shown to be sustainable and leads to a greatly reduced risk of diabetes complications.

Not all medical experts and groups, however, are on the same page. As an article published at DiabetesInControl.com notes, several doctors associated with Boston’s Joslin Diabetes Center released a statement indicating strong disagreement with Kahn. Osama Hamdy, medical director of the center’s Obesity Clinical Program, asserted that Kahn was advocating “a surrender in the face of one of the greatest threats to public health the world faces.” Hamdy goes on to say that while maintaining weight loss is “a lifelong battle,” Joslin programs have shown that weight loss can be sustained for long periods of time. One program, he notes, led to a 50% reduction in diabetes medicines taken by participants and a 27% reduction in overall health-care costs.

What do you think — is getting large numbers of people to achieve sustained weight loss an impossible dream? Is it foolish to suppose that programs administered by a leading diabetes research center can be effectively duplicated across the country? Or is Kahn’s approach too pessimistic — or even, as one writer suggests, possibly distorted by ties to diabetes drug manufacturers? Leave a comment below!

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Copyright (C) 2012 R.A. Rapaport Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved. See http://www.DiabetesSelfManagement.com/Terms/ for terms and conditions of reuse.

Source: Diabetes Self-Management

By Jan Chait

There’s an old cartoon of a man walking a tightrope over shark-infested waters. On top of the water on one side is the word “hyperglycemia.” On the other side, “hypoglycemia.”

If that were me on the tightrope, I’d be leaning heavily toward the hyperglycemia side of the water and words beginning to form on the rope would read, “nothing works, so why bother?”

“Beginning to form” is one thing. “Have formed” is quite another and one I need to avoid. But how? And why is this happening? Again.

We all go through slumps relating to…well, everything. I’m sure we’ve all experienced that with our jobs. I’m pretty much on a permanent slump about housework; have been for years.

Diabetes is such an all-encompassing condition that needs constant vigilance. Monitor your glucose, know what you’re eating, get that exercise in, visit doctors, get your lab tests done…

Manage the unmanageable, sick or well, whether you feel like doing it or not. Not doing so can lead to a higher risk of acquiring things you REALLY don’t want to deal with. I have a spot of diabetic retinopathy in each eye: I don’t want that to get any worse. While my amputation was from a bone infection, I need to pay close attention to my other leg and foot so I don’t lose it because of diabetes. My microalbumin levels are at the high end of normal: Gotta do all I can to protect my kidneys.

While I’m generally in good control now, I have no idea how many years I’d had Type 2 diabetes when diagnosed in 1986. Then there were the nine years of denial after the diagnosis. Silently, diabetes was taking a toll on my body. Luckily, I inherited some good genes and I did, finally, start managing my diabetes and slowed down the process.

The weather could have something to do with my ennui. It’s cold and blustery. The trees are bare. The flowers are still sleeping. We haven’t even had much snow to cover the bareness of winter. Last February, I escaped to the Bahamas for a few days. This year, it’s another two months and two days (but who’s counting) until I can step onto that cruise ship and relax. (And I do relax the minute I get on the ship.)

Stress? Sure. Why not? Wanna hear about my weekend?

I got an e-mail from the online service I’d booked flights on. My airline had made a change and I needed to call as soon as possible to discuss options. OK. I declined the first suggestion because the flight left sooner than the one I booked and had two stops. Other suggestions were made and I picked one. The agent had to call the airline. The lines were busy and the wait was long, so she said she’d call me back.

However, she never called back. Finally, I got an e-mail from the online service saying they had accepted a flight change for me. Which turned out to be the itinerary I’d rejected earlier. Seems that its suggestions were only “suggestions.”

Did I protest? Oh, surely you know me better than to think I’d take that. So I called the online service. Oh, they could change it, but it would cost me more plus a penalty fee for making a change.

Excuse me? I didn’t cancel the original flight, I had specifically refused the one they gave me anyway, and should not have to pay a fee to change flights. I was put on hold for hours. (Yes, literally hours when added up!) I was disconnected (hung up on?) many times. Promises to call me back were unfulfilled.

Nothing I could do about it: The airline said so, the agent said. I had to take what was given to me.

Oh, yeah? I called the airline. Within half an hour I had the flight I wanted. No change fees. No additional charge for the flight I chose, which I’m sure was more expensive than the one I had originally booked.

If I ever book through an online service again, shoot me a reminder of this experience.

Back to my lousy blood glucose numbers, perhaps it would help if I dusted off and charged up my continuous glucose monitor. I haven’t been wearing it lately, but being fed a steady stream of numbers may be just what I need to get my act back in gear.

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Copyright (C) 2012 R.A. Rapaport Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved. See http://www.DiabetesSelfManagement.com/Terms/ for terms and conditions of reuse.

Source: Diabetes Self-Management

By Amy Campbell

Love him or hate him, you have to admit that Dr. Oz really knows how to get people talking about health and nutrition, which is a good thing, I guess. He’s definitely increased awareness. But it does seem, at times, that he maybe goes overboard a little in his promotion of certain foods and supplements.

To be fair, though, it’s not just Dr. Oz: Other health-care professionals and researchers have jumped onto the supplement bandwagon in the past, and lo and behold, you suddenly see the supplement of choice plastered all over the Internet and hear it mentioned in water cooler chat at the office. This week, I’m highlighting two such supplements that everyone’s currently buzzing about.

Raspberry Ketones
A couple of weeks ago, Dr. Oz hosted Lisa Lynn, a weight-loss “expert,” on his show to discuss (and promote) raspberry ketone supplement. No, raspberry ketones are not the same as blood or urine ketones (end-products of fat-burning). Raspberry ketones are natural substances found in raspberries (in very small amounts, by the way) that give raspberries their delicious aroma. The food industry uses them for flavoring and scenting foods. It was mentioned on The Dr. Oz Show that it would take 90 pounds of fresh raspberries to get the amount of ketone that’s in a supplement form. So, because of this, the raspberry ketone that comes in supplement form is actually concocted in a lab.

The hype. Google “raspberry ketones” and you’ll be amazed at the number of Web sites and advertisements that pop up on your screen. What’s the big deal? Raspberry ketones apparently can promote weight loss by revving up metabolism. How? By boosting levels of two different hormones, norepinephrine and adiponectin.

Norepinephrine is a cousin of epinephrine (also known as adrenaline). Both of these hormones are involved in the “fight-or-flight” response (imagine being chased by, say, a saber-toothed tiger). They speed up your heart rate, stimulate glucose release, boost blood pressure, and raise body temperature. These effects can increase metabolism, or the rate at which you burn calories.

Raspberry ketones supposedly also increase levels of adiponectin. This is another hormone that’s made by fat cells and interestingly, increases insulin sensitivity. The thinking behind higher levels of adiponectin is that glucose levels in the blood are lowered, thereby decreasing the chances of glucose being stored as fat.

The reality. Raspberry ketones are on the FDA’s GRAS (generally recognized as safe) list. But in terms of their fat-burning ability, the only research to support this claim dates back years…and that study was done with mice. Not humans. So we really don’t know if this supplement works. And it’s not without some possible serious side effects: increased heart rate and blood pressure, difficulty sleeping, agitation, and maybe hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid). Avoid taking this supplement if you have high blood pressure or thyroid issues. We don’t know enough about it how it affects diabetes control, either.

The verdict. Basing weight loss claims on years-old mice studies is not much to go by. The side effects may not be pleasant, let alone safe. And the raspberry ketones don’t exactly come cheap. I suggest waiting this one out until we learn more and see if it’s truly a fat-burning miracle.

Glucocil
Another supplement that’s getting a lot of attention lately is Glucocil. This supplement is targeted to people with Type 2 diabetes, and its claim to fame is that it can reputedly stabilize postmeal blood glucose levels, decrease carbohydrate absorption, decrease appetite, and promote weight management. Pretty hefty claims for a supplement whose key active ingredient is mulberry leaf extract.

The hype. Glucocil consists of a blend of ingredients. Besides mulberry leaf extract, this supplement contains alpha lipoic acid, banaba leaf extract, chromium picolinate, cinnamon bark powder, gymnema sylvestre extract, fish oil, and a few other things thrown in for good measure. Glucocil’s Web site clearly lists the research — but only for each separate ingredient. Nowhere on the site could I find research citing the effectiveness of the actual supplement. Maybe it’s available by contacting the company, but you’d think this would be on the Web site. As far as mulberry leaf extract goes, a few small studies (mostly done with rats) show some reduction in glucose after ingesting it, but not enough to boast about.

The reality. At this time, it’s hard to recommend taking this supplement because we just don’t know enough about it. We don’t know if the blend of these ingredients actually live up to Glucocil’s claims of glucose and weight control, nor do we know if the amount of ingredients in this supplement are in the right proportions to be effective. The Web site states that people under the age of 18, pregnant women, and people with liver and kidney problems should not take Glucocil. Also, they state that if you take insulin and don’t have cardiovascular, liver, or kidney problems, you can “consider” taking Glucocil. Side effects include “minor GI discomfort,” such as gas and loose stools.

The verdict. My advice is to hold off on taking Glucocil. The science behind this supplement seems a little weak. Certainly, if you have heart, liver, or kidney disease, avoid taking it. And keep in mind that a one-month supply will set you back between $35 and $50. Let’s wait for more information to support its effectiveness.

As with any dietary supplement, always check with your health-care provider before taking it. Supplements can interact with medicines and may not be safe if you have certain chronic conditions (including diabetes!). Tell your provider about all the supplements that you take, keep close tabs on how your supplements affect your blood glucose, and report any adverse effects.

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Copyright (C) 2012 R.A. Rapaport Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved. See http://www.DiabetesSelfManagement.com/Terms/ for terms and conditions of reuse.

Source: Diabetes Self-Management