Defeat Diabetes: January 2004 Articles

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	Revenge of the High-Carb Diet - Ha! It Works, Too (01/28/04) Just when it seemed weight-loss information couldn't get more confusing, a small study suggests that people who shun the popular low-carb diet and eat lots of carbohydrates -- but avoid fats -- can shed pounds. And that's without even cutting calories or exercising.
	Diabetics Are Urged to Check Legs (01/20/04) There's grim news on the diabetes front: Nearly two-thirds of diabetics aren't properly controlling their blood sugar. And one in three older diabetics likely also has a serious leg disease that could cost their limb — or their life. This year, specialists for the first time are urging every diabetic over age 50 to get tested for the leg disease, called peripheral arterial disease or PAD.
	Floss For Your Life (01/20/04) Got floss? If you don't - or if you rarely use the dental aid between your teeth - you might want to rethink your commitment to oral health. Studies increasingly suggest that gum problems may contribute to heart disease and stroke, exacerbate diabetes and spur preterm labor in pregnant women. Unhealthy gums may also be a sign of broader systemic illnesses, such as diabetes. Scientists suspect they've only just begun to discover what health problems might be linked to gum disease.
	When Meds Don't Mix (01/20/04) Each medication, whether it is a prescription medication, over-the-counter remedy or an herbal supplement, contains powerful ingredients that have the potential to interact with each other. These drugs can also interact with certain foods, with medical conditions such as diabetes, and even with sunlight. Such interactions can cause unexpected and sometimes dangerous side effects. They can also worsen an existing side effect, or make a life-saving drug less effective.

	Prevention Of Type 2 Diabetes: Data From Recent Trials (01/20/04) Although the study populations differed by race and ethnicity, the mean BMI, and the intensity of the lifestyle intervention provided, all investigators found substantial diabetes risk reduction with modest weight loss and increased physical activity.
	Sara Lee and Subway Go Low-Carb-More To Follow (01/12/04) You will see more and more companies offering low carb choices as more and more people begin to reduce their daily carbohydrate consumption.
	Eight Tips for Exercising Off the Holiday Season Weight (01/12/04) Should we just concede that gaining weight during the holiday season is inevitable? Well, believe it or not, you can keep the extra weight off and keep your blood glucose under control.
	Root from Peru Holds Hope for Dieters, Diabetics (01/12/04) Imagine a sweet treat that doesn't make you fat -- indeed, is positively good for you -- and that you can indulge in even if you're diabetic. Peru, the land that gave the world potatoes, is home to yacon, a tasty root that scientists say is good for the gut, potentially safeguards against cancer, helps absorption of calcium and vitamins and can lessen the blood sugar peaks from eating sweet food that are a problem for diabetics.
	Reason for Rebound Weight Gain Found (01/12/04) Insulin resistance one of the culprits for weight gain after losing weight. Plasma levels of norepinephrine, insulin, and leptin can help to predict which patients will rebound after a successful weight loss program.

	Disease Management: The New Face Of Managed Care (01/12/04) If you suffer from a chronic problem such as diabetes, heart disease or asthma, chances are your health plan is offering a "disease management program" to prevent your condition from worsening. Disease management is growing in popularity as employers grapple for new tools to control costs and improve the quality of patient care.
	Genetic Link Found For Insulin Resistance (01/12/04) Scientists have found a gene that causes insulin resistance in Mexican-Americans, the ethnic group with the highest prevalence of the condition. The findings, reported in the January issue of Diabetes, may let scientists design therapies that target LPL to prevent insulin resistance, a condition that affects one of four adult Americans.
	Vinegar Improves Insulin Sensitivity in Subjects Type 2 Diabetes (01/12/04) Vinegar can significantly improve postprandialinsulin sensitivity in insulin-resistant subjects. Vinegar may possess physiological effects similarto acarbose or metformin.
	Grape Juice Improves Memory and Neuro-Motor Skills (01/12/04) Grape juice joins blueberries as possible anti-aging "brain food." Consuming Concord grape juice significantly improved laboratory animals' short-term memory in a water maze test as well as their neuro-motor skills in certain of the coordination, balance and strength tests.
	Exercise Capacity and Body Composition Predicts Mortality In Men With Diabetes (01/12/04) Fitness had a strong and independentinverse association with mortality in men with diabetes, andthis result was seen in all BMI and body fatness groups.

	Obesity Blamed As Disability Rates Soar For Those Under 60 (01/12/04) Disability rates rose sharply between 1984 and 2000 among Americans younger than 60, probably because of a rise in obesity, while they declined among elderly Americans, according to a new study.
	Depression Symptoms Tied To Type 2 Diabetes Risk (01/12/04) Symptoms of depression are associated with a modest increase in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, the results of a large study of female nurses suggest. This finding identifies individuals "who may benefit from increased screening and/or interventional strategies."
	Device Improves Nerve Sensation In Diabetics (01/12/04) Poor nerve sensation is a common problem for patients with diabetes, but a new device that uses near-infrared light may provide dramatic improvements, new research suggests. However, the benefits seem to be limited to patients without severe impairment of sensation.
	Fitness Lowers Overweight Diabetics' Death Risk (01/12/04) Investigators found that diabetic men who were physically fit were less likely than their less-fit peers to die of any cause over about 15 years. What's more, men who were heavy yet fit had death risks similar to those of fit normal-weight men.
	Overweight Hispanic Kids Headed For Health Problems (01/12/04) Hispanic children who are overweight and have a family history of diabetes may already be moving toward diabetes or heart disease, two studies published suggest.
	Physician Attitudes Toward Foot Care Education and Foot Examination – Rated Poor (01/12/04) 1/3 of patients with diabetes do not check their feet. Foot complications are one of the most serious causes of morbidity,disability, poor quality of life, and resource use among diabeticpeople.
	Strict Blood Sugar Control Key For Diabetic Heart Patients (01/12/04) Heart patients with diabetes are likely to fare better after having procedures to open blocked vessels if they maintain strict control of their blood sugar levels, a new study finds.
	Johns Hopkins University Study Shows Type II Diabetics Lost Twice As Much Weight Using Medifast As Those On AN ADA Diet (01/12/04) Study results show that those on the Medifast Diet for Diabetics program lost an average of 16 pounds versus the ADA diet group that lost an average of 8 pounds. Additionally, two-thirds of those on the Medifast program lost at least 5% of their weight, which is a standard measure of the Federal Drug Administration's (FDA) threshold to indicate clinically significant weight loss, versus one-quarter of those on the ADA diet.
	Study: Coffee May Lower Diabetes Risk (01/12/04) Compared to non-coffee drinkers, men who drank more than six eight-ounce cups of caffeinated coffee per day lowered their risk of type 2 diabetes by about half, and women reduced their risk by nearly 30 percent, according to the study in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
	Inhaled Insulin Safe and Effective For Diabetes (01/12/04) When given with a special device, inhaled insulin controls blood sugar levels just as well as the injectable form in people with type 2 diabetes, Danish researchers report.
	Health Insurance Plans Discourage People From Taking Their Meds (01/12/04) Researchers found that when patients were forced to pay more for their medications under "three-tiered" prescription drug plans, they were more likely to stop taking the drugs -- including needed ones for chronic illnesses like heart disease.
	Erectile Dysfunction: Three New Drugs (01/09/04) ED is the consistent or recurrent inability of a man to attain and/or maintain a penile erection sufficient for sexual performance. ED is three times more prevalent among men who have diabetes than in the general population. More than half of men with diabetes notice the onset of ED within 10 years of their diagnosis.
	Weight Loss with Xenical Reduces Threat of Developing Type 2 Diabetes (01/09/04) Patients who achieve weight loss with Xenical® (orlistat) have a significantly reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
	Hyperglycemia As A Cardiovascular Risk Factor (01/09/04) The presence of CHD (coronary heart disease) before the onset of clinical diabetes provides strong evidence for a strategy of diabetes prevention in at-risk patients. Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus have a 2- to 4-fold increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and a 4-fold increase in mortality from CHD.
	Diabetes Limits Seniors' Abilities (01/07/04) Diabetes may impair older people's ability to carry out activities of their daily lives, such as getting up out of a chair and climbing stairs, according to the results of a new study.
	US Health Quality, Access Show Need for Improvement (01/07/04) Only 20.7% of diabetes patients said they had received all five major tests in the past 1 or 2 years (annual retinal eye exam, influenza exam, Hba1c, foot exams, and bi-annual lipid profiles).
	Type 2 Diabetes Glycemic Control From 1988 to 2000, Better But Worse? (01/06/04) Diabetes is controlled in only 36% ofthe participants, despite recommendationsfor early diagnosis and aggressive treatment in recent years.
	Staying In Shape Staves Off Diabetes (01/06/04) High-fit women were 70 percent less likely to develop diabetes than low-fit women. For every additional minute on the treadmill, there was a 14-percent reduction in the risk of developing diabetes.
	Surgical Treatment May Cure Type 2 Diabetes (01/06/04) Gastric bypass surgery, a well-established treatment for morbid obesity, may also cure Type 2 diabetes, even in individuals who are not overweight, according to a groundbreaking new study.
	Magnesium May Help Prevent Development of Type 2 Diabetes (01/06/04) Magnesium-containing foods can prevent development of type 2 diabetes in both men and women, according to the results of a large cohort trial. A second cohort study showed a similar benefit, especially for overweight women.
	Short Moms and Fat Dads Equals Diabetes for a Generation (01/06/04) A short mom and a fat dad are more likely to produce underweight babies who turn in to overweight adults with increased risk for diabetes.