Defeat Diabetes: December 2003 Articles

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	A Spoonful of Cinnamon Helps Treat Diabetes (12/30/03) In a study, diabetics who incorporated one gram -- equivalent to less than one-quarter teaspoon -- of cinnamon per day for 40 days into their normal diets experienced a decrease in levels of blood sugar, cholesterol and blood fats.
	Need for More Aggressive in-Hospital Glucose Control (12/27/03) Blood glucose is often ignored by nurses and physicians who focus only on the reason for admission, not the underlying disease. Better control can help decrease length of stay and reduce morbidity and mortality, especially in diabetics admitted for cardiovascular conditions, according to the statement, issued at the Consensus Development Conference on Inpatient Diabetes and Metabolic Control.
	Most Effective Exercise to Reduce Insulin Resistance in Type 2 Diabetes (12/27/03) Aerobic exercise alone is not sufficient. Adding resistance training to aerobic training enhanced glucose disposal in postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes.
	Diseases Linked to Obesity and Insulin Resistance: Obesity: Building A Program For Success (12/27/03) Incentives need to be built into each patients program individually and something they can relate to. Part of the challenge in tackling this recidivistic clientele is overcoming boredom. Try doing this by offering varied menu choices when making suggestions.
	Using A Tape Measure to Track Diabetes (12/27/03) Identifying who is at risk of diabetes and a number of other health concerns may be as simple as measuring waist size. If a person's waist is relatively large, you can order an inexpensive blood test to measure the amount of fat circulating in the blood. The threshold value for waist size was about 38 inches ( 95 centimeters) in men and about 35 inches (88 centimeters) in women.
	Right Cooking Oil Key to Avoiding Trans Fats (12/27/03) Many consumers were unaware that food processing can turn many of the most popular cooking oils into ticking time bombs for arteries. Those little bombs are "trans fats," which the government has deemed dangerous enough to require labeling in U.S. food products beginning in 2006.
	Using A Pedometer To Increase Your Walking (12/27/03) Public health recommendations suggest that everyone should accumulate 30-60 minutes or more of moderate physical activity, such as brisk walking, on a daily basis. But how do you know if you are walking enough? The most effective way of ensuring adequate activity following this recommendation is to monitor your daily behavior using a pedometer.
	Early Fitness Protects Middle Age Hearts (12/27/03) Fitness in early adulthood greatly reduces the likelihood of developing high blood pressure and diabetes -- both major risk factors for heart disease and stroke -- in middle age, a new study has found.
	Sugar Consumption on Rise Worldwide, From 74 Calories to 2000 Calories (12/27/03) Our diet keeps getting sweeter, due in large part to the popularity of sugary soft drinks and other sweetened beverages, according to a new study. The average daily consumption of sugar and other calorie-containing sweeteners worldwide jumped 74 calories from 1962 to 2000.
	Study Shows Beta-Blockers Can Increase Patients' Risk of Type 2 Diabetes (12/27/03) A study by researchers at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in New England Journal of Medicine suggests that the use of beta-blockers, a commonly prescribed medication for high blood pressure (hypertension), can increase patients' risk of type 2 diabetes.
	Fat Intake Speeds Age-Related Blindness (12/27/03) AMD is a condition that is the leading cause of blindness from age 65, new research shows. Fat in nuts is the only type that appears to protect against disease progression. Consumption of fats, especially those in processed baked goods, may promote the progression of age-related macular degeneration. (AMD)
	New Test Predicts Which Ulcers Will Heal With Standard Therapy (12/27/03) Foot ulcers are a common problem for diabetics, and now researchers have come up with a simple scoring system that predicts which ulcers will heal with standard therapy. In general, ulcers that are larger, deeper and of longer duration are less likely to heal than others.
	Use of Cod Liver Oil Reduces Diabetes Risk (12/27/03) An association was observed between the use of cod liver oil in the first year of life and a significantly lower risk of type 1 diabetes (adjusted odds ratio = 0.74).
	Lizard Saliva for Diabetes (12/22/03) The Gila monster is a rare lizard with deadly venom in its saliva. That turns out to be a good thing for type 2 diabetics like Bill Caldwell. Researchers have used the saliva to develop a new drug called exenatide. It’s injected twice a day to help type 2 diabetics keep their blood sugar under control. “We think that the effect of the drug has something to do with the fact that this animal eats two, maybe three or four times a year.”
	CKE Restaurants Tout 'Low-Carb' Burger (12/17/03) Hardee's and Carl's Jr. fast-food chains consider it thinking outside the bun — capitalizing on America's low-carbohydrate craze, they're launching a bunless, lettuce-wrapped burger with just a handful of carbs. CKE Restaurants Inc., the chains' parent, has unveiled the new menu item as Americans look to lop off carbs, in everything from beer to ketchup. Not coincidentally, the rollout precedes Americans' traditional New Year effort to lose weight.
	Study Finds Diabetes Increase Among College-Age People (12/16/03) While diabetes was once rare for people less than 50 years old, a recent study has found the disease affects more young people. Researchers have found a 70 percent increase in obesity of people ages 18 to 29 over the last decade, a major factor in the diabetes increase among young people. Tuncer says college students are at risk because alcohol use, weight gain and physical inactivity all contribute to obesity and diabetes.
	Report: More Than 10 Percent Of Georgia Adults Have Diabetes (12/16/03) About 410,000 adults in the state are being treated for the chronic disease. Another 205,000 residents probably have diabetes but don't know it, according to the report, the state's first snapshot on the disease in four years. While the report estimated that about 205,000 residents are unaware they are diabetic, Mbadugha said that number could be as high as 400,000 Georgians.
	U.N. Launches Fight Against Obesity, Poor Diets (12/10/03) In a draft plan to be put to member states at the spring 2004 session of the World Health Assembly, its governing body, the WHO, called for governments, food firms and non-governmental organizations to work together to change eating habits. The World Health Organization, alarmed at mounting deaths linked to high sugar and fatty diets, presented its recipe for a world of fitter and more health-conscious eaters.
	Cinnamon Improves Glucose, Lipid Control in Type 2 Diabetics (12/10/03) Patients with Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes may benefit from the regular inclusion of cinnamon in their daily diet to prevent and control elevated glucose and blood lipid levels.
	Incidence of Hypoglycemia in Insulin-treated Type 2 Diabetes Higher than Previously Recognized (12/10/03) The prevalence of hypoglycemia is generally considered to be lower in patients with insulin-treated type 2 diabetes compared with type 1 diabetes. However, increasing emphasis on strict glycaemic control has led to earlier introduction of insulin and more intensive regimens for type 2 diabetics in recent years, which may increase the risk of hypoglycemia.
	Heart Benefits of Aspirin May Be Lacking in Diabetics (12/10/03) New research reveals that, low-dose aspirin may be less effective in preventing heart disease in patients with type 2 diabetes than in other high-risk individuals.
	Renal Disease Progresses in Slowly Type 2 Diabetics (12/10/03) Type 2 diabetic patients without overt nephropathy have a significant, but slow, course of renal insufficiency. In patients with type 2 diabetes with overt nephropathy, the risk for progressive renal failure is high. The risk is less well established for those with type 2 diabetes and microalbuminuria or normalbuminuria.
	Beta-Blockers Improve Survival Outcomes In Diabetics With Heart Failure (12/10/03) Beta-blockers provide substantial benefits to heart failure patients when given with other drugs called ACE inhibitors, the authors explain. However, many doctors are reluctant to give beta-blockers to diabetics out of concern for possible side effects on blood sugar levels. Still, based on the present analysis, it is possible to conclude that heart failure patients, with or without diabetes, should probably receive a beta-blocker unless they have strict reason not to, the researchers state.
	Triple Therapy Better Than Insulin Alone for Type 2 Diabetics (12/10/03) Combining rosiglitazone, metformin, and insulin improved glucose metabolism in obese type 2 diabetic patients compared with mixed insulin alone.
	New Insole Helps Diabetics with Foot Problems (12/10/03) Investigators at the University of Michigan have designed a shoe insole that is customized to help diabetic patients decrease the friction and pressure placed on foot sores. As a result, the researchers argue, the insole helps prevent foot ulcers and calluses from progressing to limb-threatening infections.
	New Study Backs Low-Carb Diets (12/10/03) A study by doctors at Christiana Care Health System shows that patients with medical problems lost weight safely on a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet, similar to the popular Atkins plan. Patients lost 5 percent of body weight in six weeks safely. "The really surprising thing to me is that this very high fat intake appears not only to reduce weight but to control risk factors for heart disease and diabetes," Hays said.
	Pancreas Transplant in Diabetics Can Be Risky (12/10/03) Diabetics who receive a pancreas transplant are about 50 percent more likely to die in the next few years than their peers who are awaiting transplantation and receive standard therapy, new research indicates. In contrast, simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation may lower the risk of death.
	Physical Fitness Predicts Survival in Men with Type 2 Diabetes (12/10/03) Exercise helps to control blood sugar, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and prevent weight gain. Men with Type 2 diabetes are two times more likely to die then those that are considered fit.
	Daily Aspirin A Cure-All For The Over-60s: Not Just For Those With Diabetes (12/10/03) EVERYONE over the age of 60 may soon be advised to take a regular dose of aspirin to try to stave off cancer, heart disease and even senile dementia, and prevent breast, prostate or bowel cancers, which kill 17,000 people a year.