Defeat Diabetes^® E-Lerts™ Newsletter

August  2003
(Volume II, Issue 7)
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Don't forget to subscribe to Defeat Diabetes^® E-Lerts™
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"One in three U.S. children born in 2000 will become Diabetic unless many more people start eating less and exercising more. The odds are worse for black and Hispanic children: nearly half of them are likely to develop the disease." CDC

Type 2 Diabetes is becoming a Kids' epidemic and this issue of E-Lerts™ our Latest News features not only articles warning of the physical risks of obesity and diabetes, but the emotional toll on overweight teens especially. We will include positive actions to take to fight Diabetes and Pre-diabetes in our kids, such as making sure children have annual body-mass checkups, how to raise an active child, taking candy out of the schools, and behavioral changes necessary to combat child obesity.

Again we have delicious recipes from Jyl Steinback, America's Favorite Mom. Let's not forget our interactive Readers' Forum. Keep those questions coming!

In our Treatments on the Horizon section a new discovery may unravel the Holy Grail of Obesity. New drugs are always being tested: one to look for will improve Type 2 Diabetes control. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson urges Insurance companies to reward healthy behavior.

Mr. Diabetes^® has been walking and is almost at the 4,000 mile mark at Seattle, Washington. To read more...

At Defeat Diabetes Foundation one of our major Public Awareness Campaigns is our Schools Programs. The school year is starting and we are gearing up for another busy one too. So far we have sent over 1,305,000 screening tests to schools in every state. We offer them free of charge to other civic groups as well. If you or your group are interested in obtaining Defeat Diabetes Screening Tests please contact Lisa Rasolt, Program Director.

WE NEED YOUR HELP to continue our highly recognized and well received programs, but we would like to do more. The Defeat Diabetes Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.  Our web site is secure and all donations are tax-deductible.

Good Health,
Lisa M. Rasolt
Program Director
lrasolt@DefeatDiabetes.org

Awareness + Action = Prevention™
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Did you know?
Overall, the food industry spends $30 billion a year on advertising. The federal government, on the other hand, spends about $10 million telling us to eat more fruits and vegetables, get off the couch, walk more and start every day with a sensible breakfast.
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Latest News
CDC Issues Diabetes Warning for Children One in three U.S. children born in 2000 will become diabetic unless many more people start eating less and exercising more. The odds are worse for black and Hispanic children: nearly half of them are likely to develop the disease.
Type II Diabetes Becoming A Kids' Epidemic Once a true medical oddity, children with adult diabetes are becoming commonplace. Doctors blame inactivity and overeating. Virtually all children with Type 2 are overweight. Since the problem is so new, no one knows exactly what will befall those who start the disease in their teens. But many fear the complications will emerge in early adulthood.
Obesity Takes Emotional Toll on Teens Overweight teen-agers may have fewer friends than their normal-weight peers and suffer higher rates of depression and suicide if teased about being fat. The prevalence of obesity among children has reached epidemic proportions in many developed nations, with an estimated 15 percent of U.S. adolescents considered obese. Of particular concern are the alarming rates of suicidal ideation and attempts associated with weight-based teasing, which are two to three times as high among those who were teased compared with those not teased.
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Did you know?
For adolescents, ages 12 to 19, 14% were overweight, up from 5%. CDC
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Risk Syndrome Found In Overweight Teens  Nearly 1 million U.S. teenagers suffer from a syndrome associated with being overweight that makes them unusually prone to diabetes and premature heart disease later in life, researchers reported. In the latest indication of a deepening health crisis because of the nation's obesity epidemic, researchers determined that at least 4 percent of American adolescents have developed "metabolic syndrome," a constellation of risk factors for subsequent health problems.
Report: Kids Need Body-Mass Checkups From the seemingly slim to the truly chubby, all children should have their body-mass index measures evaluated yearly as part of efforts to identify and prevent obesity, the American Academy of Pediatrics says. Prompted by worrisome data on the prevalence of obesity and obesity-related disorders in children, the academy has developed its first-ever policy statement dealing solely with identifying and preventing the problem.
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With no Government funding, Defeat Diabetes Foundation relies on the generosity of "We the People" to help keep our programs going and growing.   We can't do it alone ... We need your financial support!
Make a "Tribute", "Memorial", or "General" donation.
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Raising An Active Child: Ideas For Parents Follow these six steps to raising an active child:  Shut off the television; Get moving yourself; Promote PE in school; Promote activity, not exercise; Start 'em young; and Encourage a lifelong love of activity.
New York School Kids Lose Their Candy Starting in September, candy, soda and sweet snacks will be banned from vending machines in New York City's education system. In addition, sugar, fat and salt will be trimmed from the 800,000 lunches served daily in schools. A U.S. Centers for Disease Control study showed that 20 percent of third graders and 21 percent of sixth graders in New York are obese. In poor neighbourhoods, 15 percent of the total population has diabetes, which can be caused by poor diet.
Behavioral Changes Necessary To Combat Child Obesity  When Matthew Bettine of Milwaukee enrolled in high school, one of his first tastes of teenage freedom was buying lunch at school. Within a year, he had gained 30 pounds. More distressing was an unhealthy rise in his blood sugar, bordering on Type-2 diabetes. "I don't want diabetes," he said. "That was a wake-up call."
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Did you know?
Overweight children are 20 percent to 30 percent heavier than they were 10 years ago. They are increasingly developing Type 2 Diabetes --- once called adult-onset Diabetes --- and risking complications such as blindness, nerve damage, kidney failure and lower-leg amputations.
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Diabetic Recipes recipes
Here are some great, healthy recipes that taste so good even your kids will love them. Have your kids help you prepare them - they are that easy!
Spicy Chicken Fingers
Tortilla Pizza
Hawaiian Coleslaw
Veggie-Macaroni Bake
Crunchy Banana Pops
Cinnamon Peach Crisp
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Treatments On The Horizon
New Discovery May Unravel the Holy Grail of Obesity Researchers have unlocked another door in the complex search for a drug that could treat the growing scourge of obesity. By identifying molecules that affect fat production, researchers believe they would be able to affect weight gain and provide relief to millions of obese people around the world. But Cianflone warned a drug won't completely replace exercise and diet to regulate weight.
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Mr. Diabetes^® Says
Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another. Walter Elliott
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New Type of Drug Improves Type 2 Diabetes Control When a new drug, called exenatide, is added to existing anti-diabetes treatment, it improves blood glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes. Exenatide is a synthetic biological compound that has been found to boost the number of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas in animal tests, and to enhance insulin output as glucose levels rise.
Insurers Urged to Reward Healthy Behavior Insurance companies should give discounts to customers who lose weight and exercise every day and the U.S. government plans to help them do it, said Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson. "Right now most people are insulated from the cost of their behavior," Thompson told a news conference. "When Mr. Smith has an unhealthy habit, his co-workers, his company and the taxpayers pay for the consequences of his choices." He promised HHS would work with the Department of Justice, the Department of Labor and other agencies to try to work out ways insurers can reward healthy behaviors.
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Readers' Forum
Q - Do you have a diet that someone who struggles with high blood pressure can go on to keep from becoming diabetic, help lose weight, lower blood pressure and keep from having hear trouble: I have all the above in my family and I have tried every diet there is and nothing has worked. A friend of mine has just been diagnosed with diabetes and she is on a diet and has lost 30 pounds in 3 months. I am just really struggling! Thanks for your help. - Debbie - for our answer
Q - I am a type 2 diabetic on oral medication. Sometimes I have such a craving for chocolate, it drives me bonkers. I don't like taking artificial sweeteners. Do you have any suggestions? - Janice - for our answer
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Did you know?
Overweight adolescents have a 70% chance of becoming overweight or obese adults. U. S. Surgeon General
There are more immediate dangers as well. For example, Type 2 Diabetes, formerly a plague of flabby, elderly people is showing up in teens and preteens.
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This concludes the Defeat Diabetes^® E-Lerts™ Newsletter.

If there are specific questions you have, you may reach us at info@DefeatDiabetes.org.

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The Defeat Diabetes Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.  Our web site is secure and all donations are tax-deductible.