March 2004 Articles
March 2004 News Article Index
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Obesity Takes 8 Years Off Diabetics' Life Expectancy (03/31/04) Eighty percent of people are overweight when they are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes so this research is very worrying. The researchers found that the average age of death for type 2 subjects with a BMI of 35 or greater was 70 years old, while the average for those with a BMI of 20-24 was 78 years old. |
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How To Impact Your Patients Lifestyles in 20 Minutes! (03/31/04) The program focused on each patient receiving 20 minutes of diabetes education by appointment. In addition each patient learned how to use an alternate site meter, were given a free A1c test and explained reasons for starting type 2 patients on insulin. |
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New Concept In Non Invasive Blood Glucose Monitoring (03/31/04) The GluCath catheter is inserted into a blood vessel and gives a continuous reading. |
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The Relationship Between Diabetic Neuropathy And Nerve Compression (03/31/04) Although the symptoms of diabetic neuropathy are very similar to those of regular nerve compression, diabetic neuropathy arises from the nerve's response to abnormally high glucose levels. Unfortunately, even when good blood sugar levels are maintained, there is a 50% chance that neuropathy will occur. |
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Hepatitis C a Direct Cause of Diabetes (03/31/04) Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection can directly cause insulin resistance, which commonly leads to diabetes. |
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FDA To Decide What Is Low-Carb? (03/31/04) A label that states Low Carb, may not be very accurate. Soon, companies will not find it so easy to make these claims. The FDA is going to decide how many carbs a food product must have before the low-carb claims can be made on the packaging. The FDA will also decide how the food companies must count the grams (of carbs and ingredients). |
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"Healthy" Diet May Increase Risk for CVD (03/31/04) A diet low in total and saturated fat and high in fruits and vegetables caused an increase in LDL and Lp(a) (lipoprotein(a)). This finding was unexpected. |
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Strength Training Increases Insulin Action in Type 2 Diabetes (03/31/04) Strength training improves the effect of insulin in skeletal muscle of patients with type 2 diabetes. Dr. Flemming Dela from the University of Copenhagen stated that "physical inactivity is becoming close to the number-one leading cause of death in the US." |
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New Drug Increases HDL by 91% and Lowers LDL Cholesterol (03/31/04) Torcetrapib, a newly developed inhibitor of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP), increases HDL cholesterol up to 91% while significantly lowering LDL cholesterol, phase I trial results show. |
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A 15 Minute Blood Test Provides Stroke Diagnosis Allowing Rapid Treatment (03/31/04) A quick and cheap blood test could soon help doctors tell if a patient is having a stroke and help them get the right treatment as soon as possible. Future versions might even be able to distinguish between different kinds of strokes. |
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Death Risk 70% Higher in Diabetics with Heart Failure (03/31/04) Diabetes increases the overall risk of death by 70 percent in diabetic women hospitalized with heart failure. |
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Low Carb Options for Travelers (03/31/04) Americans are trying harder than ever to lead a healthier lifestyle; research shows that up to 32 million people are trying to cut down on carbs. But all that hard work is easily undone by travel. Whether on the road for business or pleasure, hotel life doesn't make it easy to stick to diet plans. Sheraton hotels are about to change that -- offering their first low carb menu. |
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Little Known Warning Signs Could Signal Diabetes and Prediabetes (03/18/04) While many people assume they'll know if they develop diabetes, experts caution that the list of warning signs is long and not all the symptoms are well-known. Among other things, the disease can cause changes in vision -- for better or for worse -- and contribute to everything from gum disease to weight loss to darkening of the skin around the eyes. |
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PreDiabetes Is A Strong Predictor Of Mortality (03/18/04) A little bit or a touch of diabetes, now called prediabetes needs to be taken more seriously. A nondiabetic patient admitted with acute myocardial infarction and an elevated fasting glucose level is at high risk of death within a month. |
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Eating Out on a Lower-Carb Diet (03/18/04) It's easy to eat out when you're following a lower-carb meal plan: you simply stop, think and open your mouth! Not in order to feed your face, but to ask for what you want. |
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Study: Parents Don't See Obesity in Their Children (03/18/04) Parents are so accustomed to seeing overweight youngsters that many fail to realize when their own children are obese. A third of the mothers and 57 percent of dads actually saw their obese child as normal. Quite a few parents are not recognizing it as a problem. They are not recognizing the health risks either. |
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New Blood Sugar Sensor Improves Diabetes Control (03/18/04) Blood Glucose monitors strips and finger sticks might all become a thing of the past with an implanted blood glucose monitor that provides a continuous reading. |
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How to Get Diabetes Patients Started with Low Glycemic Index Meal Planning: Eight Easy Steps (03/18/04) Often times I am asked how my patients get started on a low glycemic program. In this article I cover the steps that I use with patients everyday. |
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Increased Risk For Impaired Glucose Tolerance and Metabolic Syndrome For Relatives of Type 2 Diabetics (03/18/04) A high proportion of first-degree relatives of patients with type 2 diabetes will develop impaired or diabetic glucose tolerance in association with multiple other metabolic syndrome characteristics. |
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Changes in Gene May Make People Prone to Diabetes (03/18/04) A gene that helps control pancreatic and liver cells may also make certain people prone to type 2 diabetes. While there are no immediate implications, it may be possible one day to get a genetic screening and learn whether one is susceptible. |
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Diabetes Reduces Pulmonary Function (03/18/04) Reduced lung volumes and airflow limitation are likely to be chronic complications of type 2 diabetes. The lung is a target organ in diabetes and that glycemic exposure is a strong determinant of reduced pulmonary function in type 2 patients. Furthermore, because measures of airflow limitation predict all-cause mortality in type 2 diabetes, intensive glycemic management may reduce the risk of death through improved ventilatory function independent of other beneficial effects. |
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Better Treatment, Goal Attainment Needed for Diabetics in Managed Care Organizations (03/18/04) MCO’s have a lower rate of achieving targeted health goals, due to glycemic index, cholesterol levels and blood pressure being under-treated in patients with diabetes. |
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Statins Are Underused and Underdosed! (03/18/04) The practice of under-dosing statins is just bad medicine and bad economics because low-dose statins do not offer the cardiovascular disease protection of higher-dose statins, so the patients have not reduced their risk of cardiovascular events. |
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Alzheimer's Disease Tied to Increased Risk of Type 2 Diabetes (03/18/04) Using the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer's Disease Patient Registry, the researchers determined that the prevalence of both type 2 diabetes and impaired fasting glucose (IFG) were more prevalent in Alzheimer's disease subjects (n=100) than in non-Alzheimer's disease controls (n=138). |
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Study to Test Best Diabetes Therapy for Kids (03/18/04) A study to identify the best treatment for type 2 diabetes in children is under way at 12 medical centers and affiliated sites in the United States. The five-year TODAY (Treatment Options for type 2 Diabetes in Adolescents and Youth), which will compare three treatments, is sponsored by the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). |
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Women With Type 2 Diabetes Have Increased Risks Of Poor Cognitive Function & Substantial Cognitive Decline (03/10/04) Women with type 2 diabetes had increased odds of poor cognitive function and substantial cognitive decline. Use of oral hypoglycemic therapy, however, may ameliorate risk. Women with diabetes were at 25-35% increased odds of poor cognitive function. |
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New Optimism For Patients Suffering From Numbness And Pain Of Diabetic Neuropathy (03/10/04) Everyday I see patients that complain of only one thing, pain in their hands and feet. Traditionally, these patients with neuropathy are told their numbness and pain will progress, leading to infection and ulceration in one of six people, and then to amputation in one of six of those people. A. Lee Dellon, MD, Professor of Plastic Surgery and Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University has been perfecting a surgical approach that decompresses nerves in the leg, ankle, and foot, relieving pressure upon these nerves. |
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McDonald's Salad Has More Fat Than Cheeseburger (03/10/04) Global hamburger giant McDonald's latest line in healthy looking salads may contain more fat than its hamburgers, according to the company's Web Site. For example, on the new menu to be launched at the end of this month, a "Caesar salad with Chicken Premiere" contains 18.4 grams of fat compared with 11.5 grams of fat in a standard cheeseburger. |
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Obesity Gains on Smoking as Top Cause of U.S. Death (03/10/04) Obesity is quickly catching up to smoking as the No. 1 cause of death in the United States. A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed tobacco use was still the leading cause of death in 2000, killing 435,000 people, or 18.1 percent of everyone who died. But poor diet and physical inactivity caused 400,000 deaths, or 16.6 percent of the total, the report showed -- up from 300,000, or 14 percent of deaths, in 1990. |
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It’s Not The Caffeine In Coffee (03/10/04) According to a new study, it is not the caffeine that is responsible for the addiction to it’s aromatic drink nor other benefits of coffee, it’s the chlorogenic acids, that produce many of the health benefits. |
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Waist Circumference, Not BMI, Explains Obesity-Related Health Risk (03/10/04) When WC and BMI (Body Mass Index) were used as continuous variables in the same regression model, WC alone was a significant predictor of comorbidity. |
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Racial Differences Evident in Development of Insulin Resistance (03/10/04) Results of a study confirm the existence of intrinsic racial differences in insulin sensitivity that are independent of obesity and pubertal progression, and may influence the development of glucose intolerance. |
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Implantable, Continuous Sensor Reduced Glucose Fluctuations in Type 1 Diabetes (03/10/04) Adults with type 1 diabetes experienced decreased periods of high or low blood sugar when using a long-term implantable, continuous glucose sensor. |
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New Research Suggests Lower Chromium Levels Linked to Increase Risk of Diabetes and CVD (03/10/04) New data was announced, suggesting that high levels of chromium in the body are associated with a lower prevalence of diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in men. |
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Low-Carb Diets Likely to Lead to High Calories (03/10/04) Looking at published studies, it is clear that calories do count, but in the short-term, studies indicate that low-carb dieters lose more weight than low-fat dieters when eating the same calories. Moreover, claims by Atkins and South Beach proponents that the diets eliminate hunger may have some validity. But the long-term attrition rate among low-carb dieters is probably the same as among low-fat dieters. We eat too much because there are too many calories available. |
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Parents' Example Vital in Children's Eating Habits (03/08/04) The parents of children who aren't eating the recommended five portions of fruits and vegetables a day may not be setting them a good example. Parental consumption was the strongest predictor of children's consumption. Setting an example is tremendously influential. |
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Sweet White Potato Extract May Help Curb Diabetes (03/08/04) The results of a clinical trial confirm the beneficial effects of Caiapo, an extract of white sweet potatoes, on blood sugar and cholesterol levels in type 2 diabetic subjects. Caiapo is commercialized in Japan as a dietary supplement used to help prevent and control type 2 diabetes. It is derived from a variety of sweet white potato that grows in mountainous regions. |
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Study: Obese Women Earn 30 Percent Less (03/08/04) Being fat may hurt your income — if you're a highly educated woman. Obese women who are highly educated earn about 30 percent less — a difference of at least $5,000 a year — than normal-weight or even plump women, the study found. Obesity had little or no effect on pay if women were poorly educated, manual workers or self-employed — and no statistically significant effect on men's pay, the study found. |
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Study Looks at Dairy Foods, Obese Kids (03/08/04) A study finds that despite the calories, youngsters who have dairy food regularly seem to lower their risk of becoming overweight. Researchers found that those children who consumed less than two servings a day averaged about an extra inch of fat in a fold of skin, a surprisingly large amount. |
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Americans Eating More Fat, Risking Health - Experts (03/08/04) Americans are eating more fat and cholesterol as "low-carb" diets grow in popularity, but people do not seem to be losing weight and they are putting their health at risk, U.S. researchers said. If the trend continues toward more fat and fewer vegetables and grains, Americans could suffer more heart disease, already the No. 1 killer in the country, they warned. |
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More Than 200 Million Chinese Overweight (03/08/04) Among the overweight Chinese, 30 million are directly obese. Beijing, one of the country's wealthiest cities, had particularly severe problems. More than 18 percent of the capital's primary and middle school students are characterized as obese, nearly a doubling from a decade ago. |
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Stomach Size Alone Affects Food Intake (03/08/04) Although bigger people tend to have bigger appetites, the size of the stomach--and not just the size of the body--appears to affect the feeling of fullness, or satiation, during and after a meal, new research shows. The findings suggest that factors that control stomach volume, independent of body size, are potential targets in fighting obesity. |
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Working Poor Face Higher Obesity Rates (03/08/04) Farm worker Iris Caballero often has a hard time keeping the refrigerator and cupboard stocked with food. Yet, she's overweight and diabetic. She is a classic example of a modern-day paradox: as reliable access to healthy food declines, the likelihood of being overweight goes up. |
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Web Program Helps Kids With Diet, Exercise (03/08/04) An interactive Internet program helps children reduce dietary fat and increase exercise, researchers report. Recent research shows that restrictive feeding practices by parents concerned about their children's weight backfire. In contrast, this approach, which appears to empower the kids to take action on their own behalf, had positive effects. |
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Net Carbs (03/04/04) Can You Really Exclude Sugar Alcohols, Glycerin, Polydextrose, and Fiber?The concept sounds simple — only carbohydrates have more than minimal effect on blood glucose. The problem with understanding it is, however, that different carbohydrates affect blood glucose to different degrees. That’s the basis of the glycemic index, which is having more and more influence on low-carb diets like that of the late Dr. Robert C. Atkins. |
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Blood Glucose Testing Guidelines (03/04/04) The American Academy of Family Physicians has just issued a new physician guide for blood glucose testing. Testing times are based on the kind of medicine you take and on how well your blood glucose levels are controlled. |
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Unique Plants To Treat Diabetes (03/04/04) Clinical trials may be done with three indigenous plants to South Africa which, have been shown to have diabetes-treating properties. Research has provisionally found the plants - prescribed by traditional healers to their patients - to be effective and non-toxic. If successful, a drug developed from the research would be much cheaper than existing commercial medicine for type 2 diabetes. |
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Too Much Sodium and Too Little Potassium (03/04/04) The typical Western diet is high in salt and low in potassium — just the opposite of what evidence shows is best for good health and reducing the risks of chronic disease. Some people are especially sensitive to the harmful effects of salt. This includes people with diabetes and kidney disease, the elderly, and African-Americans. |
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Mortality in Critically Ill Patients Reduced 29% With Target Glucose of <140 mg/dL (03/04/04) Controlling glucose to a goal of 110 mg/dL or less reduced in-hospital mortality by 34%, reduced blood stream infections by 46%, cut dialysis days by 41%, cut the red-cell transfusion rate in half, and reduced the time on mechanical ventilation. |
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Gestational Diabetes Increased 35% And Is More Prevalent In Younger Women (03/04/04) Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) appears in pregnant women, particularly those who are overweight or obese or members of certain races and ethnic groups. It can triple the risk that their children will have diabetes, and increase the risk that their daughters will have gestational diabetes as well. Children born to women with GDM can be abnormally large, and require birth by Cesarean section. |
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Fruit, Cereal Fiber May Reduce Cardiovascular Risk (03/04/04) Fiber from fruits and cereal, but not from vegetables, may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Dietary fiber may reduce the risk of CHD through a variety of mechanisms, such as improving blood lipid profiles, lowering blood pressure and improving insulin sensitivity and fibrinolytic activity. |
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ECG Signs Identify Diabetics with High Death Risk (03/04/04) Diabetes increases the odds of developing heart disease, and more and more people are becoming diabetic. In light of this, researchers looked at signs on the ECG that are associated with mortality risk in the general population to see if they would be of use in diabetics. |
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