Defeat Diabetes^® E-Lerts™ Newsletter

November  2004
(Volume III, Issue 11)

IT'S IN YOUR HANDS!
You can reduce the risk of getting diabetes!
You can reduce the risk of the complications of diabetes!
If you have diabetes there are many ways to control it. We all know about diet and exercise, but did you know that checking your foot temperature curbs diabetic sores? Did you know that poor sleep increases diabetes risk? In this issue of E-Lerts™ not only will we discuss some of the risks of getting diabetes and at times the life-threatening complications, but what you can do to reduce those risks.

We've divided our Latest News into three sections. Self-Management: Actions totally under your control given the proper tools; Cause and Effect: Things you might do every day which increase risk to health. And finally Major Risks and Complications: New developments regarding further major complications from diabetes.

Mr. Diabetes^®, Andy Mandell, reached Mile 6,000 of 10,000+ Miles in The Mr. Diabetes® WAKE UP AND WALK® TOUR. Andy Mandell's been very busy. Besides walking, he's had great meetings with the Lions Clubs in Wisconsin, thanks to the coordination of Kathy Friske. He also received another proclamation and this time from Tom Barrett, Mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and for some of us good intentions go right out the window.  Now they don't have to. Here are some recipes for a soup, stuffings, maple mashed sweet potatoes and desserts from Jyl Steinback, America's Healthiest Mom, that are so delicious that you will not believe they are healthy too!

Theresa Garnero also knows that Thanksgiving is near. But it is just difficult for diabetics? Look at Islets of Humor™ and find out who else is having a hard time.

In this month's Nutrition News, Barbara Quinn takes a practical approach (and not a difficult one) with Tips To Handle Holiday Meals. These tips are guaranteed to help keep your diabetes under control during the holiday season.

This month, there are four exiting and new Treatments on the Horizon.  A microscopic sensor that will reduce the need for finger pricks, a new possible neuropathy drug, a bioartificial kidney shows promise and a new theory that explains diabetic damage.

Depression is more common among diabetics than the rest of the population. In this month's Readers' Forum we discuss the symptoms and risk factors of clinical depression. We also go over the role of the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) in testing and approving new drugs.

We at Defeat Diabetes Foundation appreciate all of our "old" and loyal readers as well as the new ones who have just subscribed. We wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving and a Happy Holiday Season.

Good Health,
Lisa M. Rasolt
Program Director
lrasolt@DefeatDiabetes.org
Awareness + Action = Prevention®
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Did You Know?
Most Airlines hold the Exit Rows till the morning of the flight, if you want the extra leg room, call before you leave for the airport or ask when you check in.
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Latest News - Self-Management
Making It Through the Holidays While controlling diabetes (or reducing one’s risk) is a yearlong effort, perhaps no other season poses as many temptations as the holidays. So how do you make it through? Here are suggestions, several from the Defeat Diabetes Foundation, to help you keep focus.
Self-Monitoring Blood Glucose Associated With Improved Glucose Control In the 8 studies, SMBG was most effective when done 8 times a week. Interestingly, the increased benefit associated with SMBG was much less when monitoring was conducted 6 days a week.
Checking Foot Temperature Curbs Diabetic Sores Type 2 patients who monitor their foot temperatures at home may be able to ward off developing leg and foot ulcers -- and the infections and amputations that can result.
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Did You Know?
Americans rely excessively on their automobiles for transportation and will spend five years of life just driving.
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Latest News - Cause and Effect Risks
More Than One Cup of Coffee A Day Raises Heart Disease Risk 30% Men consuming more than 200ml of coffee daily had 30% higher levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), their white blood cell counts were 3% higher.
Poor Sleep Increases Diabetes Risk Impaired sleep physiology can have serious long-term health effects and increase the risk of diabetes. Men who have a difficult time falling asleep or staying asleep may be at higher risk of developing diabetes as they get older.
Traffic - Risk of a Heart Attack?  The longer you spend sitting in traffic, the higher your risk of a heart attack. This does not just mean sitting in a traffic jam - it includes cycling in traffic or being a bus passenger, within an hour of your being out there among the cars and other vehicles.
White Bread Increases Diabetes Risk  Eating white bread with each meal increased the risk for diabetes more than 30 percent. Fans of white bread, hear this: it increases your risk of type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the illness, new research shows.
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Did You Know?
An eight-year study of 13,000 people found that those who walked 30 minutes a day had a significantly lower risk of premature death than those who rarely exercised.
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Latest News - Major Risks and Complications
Diabetes Increases Risk of Dementia Diabetes increases the risk of dementia, especially vascular dementia, in the elderly. The hazard ratios for dementia and vascular dementia were even higher in patients taking oral antidiabetic agents.
Diabetes Increases Risk For Liver, Pancreatic Cancers  People with type 2 diabetes have three to four times the risk of developing liver cancer, and more than twice the risk of developing pancreatic cancer than non-diabetic individuals.
Gene Linked To Greater Risk Of Heart Disease In Type 2 Diabetes Joslin Diabetes scientists have found variations in a gene that help explain why people with type 2 diabetes are at much greater risk for coronary artery disease, the leading cause of death for this group.
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Mr. Diabetes^® Says
Eating words has never given me indigestion. Winston Churchill
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Diabetic Recipes recipes
Thanksgiving is just around the corner and for some of us good intentions go right out the window.  Now they don't have to. Here are some recipes for a soup, stuffings, maple mashed sweet potatoes and desserts from Jyl Steinback, America's Healthiest Mom, that are so delicious that you will not believe they are healthy too!
Pumpkin-Cider Soup
Wild Rice and Apricot Stuffing
Shortcut Stuffing
Maple Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Pumpkin Pie
Cranberry Soufflé
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WE NEED YOUR HELP to continue our highly recognized and well received programs, but we would like to do more. Defeat Diabetes Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.  Our web site is secure and all donations are tax-deductible.
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Islets of Humor™ humor
November 2004
By Theresa Garnero, APRN, BC-ADM, MSN, CDE

see more of Theresa's cartoons
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Did You Know?
Think Before You Eat: If you eat two cookies, about 150 calories, and you weigh about 140 pounds, you’ll have to walk more than an hour at a pace of 2 miles an hour to burn off those cookies. Speed up the walk to 3.5 mph, and you still have to walk 45 minutes. (Eating the cookies probably took less than a minute.) What if you ate a peach, with about 40 calories, instead? It would take just 10 minutes of brisk walking to work it off.
The November issue of Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource
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Nutrition News nutrition
November 2004
By Barbara Quinn, MS, RD, CDE

Tips To Handle Holiday Meals

Cranberry sauce. Mashed potatoes and dressing with gravy. Pumpkin pie and Christmas fudge. Welcome to the carbohydrate- and fat-packed holiday season. Before you are tempted to drop your diet plan like a hot roll with butter, consider these ideas to glide through the holidays with your diabetes under control:

Adjust recipes. Instead of butter, try whipping the potatoes with fat-free half and half. Make your favorite holiday desserts with one of the new “sugar-plus-sugar-substitute“products. Made for baking, these products contain half the carbs and calories of regular sugar. read more holiday tips
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Did You Know?
Sales of Rolaids, Alka-Seltzer, and Tums jump 20% in December.
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Treatments on the Horizon
New Theory Explains Diabetic Damage To Eyes, Heart, Nerves, and Kidneys  The primary cause of such tissue damage is a key compound in energy production, which other scientists long ago rejected as a contributor to diabetic side effects.
Microscopic Sensor Monitors Glucose Levels Scientists at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio have developed a fully functional, minimally invasive microscopic sensor that can be placed just under the skin and be seen with the naked eye for accurate, continuous examination of glucose and other body-fluid levels with the help of simple color changes.
New Possible Neuropathy Drug An experimental drug has been shown to combat the underlying cause of nerve damage that occurs in people with diabetes. Compared with the placebo treatment, AS-3201 reduced average nerve sorbitol concentrations by 65 percent to 84 percent depending on the dosage given, the researchers report.
First Human Trial of Bioartificial Kidney Shows Promise  The first test in humans offers hope of the device’s potential to save the lives of people with acute renal failure. While the phase I/II study was designed primarily to look at the safety of using this device on humans, the results also suggest improvement in kidney function.
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Did You Know?
November is Diabetes Awareness Month. If you would like some of our Defeat Diabetes® Screening Test brochures (now available in Spanish) to distribute to friends and family, please contact us at ScreeningTest@DefeatDiabeates.org with your request.
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Readers' Forum forum
Q - I've been having trouble coping with my diabetes. I'm depressed and moody all the time and I feel like it's too much to deal with. Is that unusual and what do you suggest? - Sarah - for our response
Q - Does FDA (Food and Drug Administration) develop or test new medicines or other treatments for diabetes? How are new drugs approved by FDA? - Ernie - for our response
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Did You Know?
If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days, you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee.
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This concludes the Defeat Diabetes^® E-Lerts™ Newsletter.

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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.

Important Notice: The opinions and statements expressed in the Defeat Diabetes^® E-Lertsä Newsletter are directed at a general audience. Its intent is solely for informational, educational, and entertainment purposes and is not to be construed as medical advice or instruction. Please consult a health professional on any matters regarding your health and well-being, or if you are interested in anything mentioned in the Defeat Diabetes^® E-Lertsä Newsletter. The information presented here is believed to be accurate, based on the best judgment of the Program Director, but the reader is responsible for consulting with his/her own health professional on any matters raised within.