Defeat Diabetes® E-Lerts™ Newsletter

September 2005
(Volume IV, Issue 9)

What is Diabetes Self-Management?
Most of the definitions just stated: learning to manage your diabetes. It goes much further than that in today's world. Individuals want to take part in their own health care and are looking for information in order to do that.

Information on nutrition, exercise, prevention, early warnings, new drugs and new uses for existing drugs is provided here in our E-lerts™ newsletters and all through our website www.DefeatDiabetes.org. This is also the place where you can find out about new research and medical advances. You can be empowered to help take control of your health and your lives. Check our Latest News sections this month. Each one falls under the category of Self-Management: Prevention, Drugs, Heart Health and Early Warnings.

Mr. Diabetes®, Andy Mandell, has had another, not only busy, but exciting and very educational month. In Buffalo, Andy visited the Millard Fillmore Hospital and toured the special wing dedicated to treating diabetic outpatients.

Andy also went to Toronto, Canada, known as "Insulin City" because this is where insulin was discovered by Frederick Banting, MD and Charles Best, PhD. in 1921. Andy met an especially inspirational person, Clarence Haynes, Diabetic Chairman for District A7-11 Lions Clubs (80 clubs), and his friends including Bob Banting. Bob shared a brief history of his Great Uncle Frederick Banting's contribution to the world and gave great insight into Frederick’s character. read more

Aren't there any recipes out there that are low fat, low sodium, easy to prepare, have only a very few ingredients, healthy, taste delicious and the kids will like them too? Well, here are main dish recipes of 5 ingredients or less are for everyone who wants to keep things very simple in the kitchen from Jyl Steinback, America's Healthiest Mom.

For just 3 minutes of your time you can support Defeat Diabetes Foundation by simply activating a registration and placing a bid with eBay. read more

Are you confused by the new food pyramid. What do they mean!?! Theresa Garnero, APRN, BC-ADM, MSN, CDE shows how one person was definitely confused in this month's Islets of Humor™.

Treatments on the Horizon this month are showing advances in understanding retinopathy and neuropathy and how human tissue could be grown from stem cells.

Barbara Quinn, MS, RD, CDE attended the annual meeting of the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) last month. The theme was "Monumental Insights About Diabetes". Read the highlights in this month's Nutrition News.

 Whether you’re diabetic or not, you’re probably aware of the many sweetener options available on the market today.  Sucralose (Splenda), aspartame (Equal) and saccharin (Sweet n Low) are among the increasing number of artificial sweeteners that want your business.   Lisa Jobs, B.A., M.J., author of Sensational Stevia Desserts, has written a very informative article about stevia, Stevia - A “Sweet and Sour” Story of This All-Natural, Glucose-Friendly Sugar Alternative.

Do you know when the best time is to test your blood glucose after a meal? Is it 1 hour, 2 hours, 1½ hours? If your beloved pet is diagnosed with diabetes, how does that affect his/her life span? These are the questions posed in this month's Readers' Forum.

We have a listing of Diabetes Support Groups in the United States. They are listed by state and county. This is a wonderful resource and I would like to thank Dawn Swidorski for all the time and effort she put into this enormous task. If there are any changes or corrections please let us know.

Good Health,
Lisa M. Rasolt
Program Director
lrasolt@DefeatDiabetes.org
www.DefeatDiabetes.org
Awareness + Action = Prevention®
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Did You Know?
Patients treated for a deficiency of iron, B12, or folate can have an inaccurate A1c reading because this can cause a preponderance of red blood cells. Source: Blood 59:1348-1350, 1982
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Latest News - Self-Management - Prevention
Soy Protein Reduces Effects of Diabetes on Liver A diet rich in soy protein may alleviate fatty liver, a disease which often accompanies diabetes.
ASCOT Study Shows that Diabetes, Strokes and Heart Attacks Can be Prevented Results of the study showed that most strokes and heart attacks can be abolished or reduced by 50% by simply combining modern blood pressure lowering drugs as amlodipine and perindopril, plus effective lowering of cholesterol, which also reduced new cases of diabetes by 30%.
PAD Screening Not Being Utilized for People with Diabetes PAD (Peripheral Arterial Disease) screening is essential for diabetics in order to prevent amputation, heart attack and stroke, because one-third have PAD, but most do not present classic symptoms.
L-Carnipure Supplements Helps To Reduce Diabetes During Pregnancy Taking supplements of L-Carnipure tartrate during pregnancy can significantly reduce the increased level of plasma free fatty acids that is considered the main cause of insulin resistance in pregnant women. Insulin resistance during pregnancy can lead to gestational diabetes, which affects about 5-10 per cent of pregnancies.
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Did You Know? ebay
For just 3 minutes of your time you can support Defeat Diabetes Foundation by simply activating a registration and placing a bid with eBay. Note: You do not need to win! For each new signup (sorry, you can't already be an eBay member, but you can find someone new to sign up), Defeat Diabetes Foundation will receive a $5 donation.
You must register through the following link, DefeatDiabetessignup.com so please do so. And when you’re finished, send it to ALL your family and friends and ask them to register also. Go now, register and place a bid with eBay and raise $5 for Defeat Diabetes Foundation.

Hurry, the deadline is September 30th!

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Latest News - Self-Management - Drugs
FDA Advisers Recommend Exubera the Inhaled Insulin A government advisory panel backed approval of an insulin inhaler, for the first time potentially offering adult diabetics an alternative to injections for controlling their blood sugar.
Once Weekly Byetta (Exenatide LAR) Drops A1c 2 Percent with 9 lbs Wt. Loss Long acting Byetta preliminary results from Phase 2 Study announced. as a once a week therapy, Byetta can be a blockbuster.
Drug Protects Kidneys of People with Diabetes Researchers report that the addition of a drug, spironolactone, to standard blood pressure-lowering therapy helps reduce both blood pressure and the amount of albumin protein in urine by 33%, a measure of kidney impairment.
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Mr. Diabetes® Says
When you have a taste for exceptional people you always end up meeting them everywhere. Pierre Mac Orlan
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Latest News - Self-Management - Heart Health
Don't Stop Taking Aspirin Before Heart Surgery The in-hospital mortality for the aspirin group (1.7 percent) was significantly less than that for those not receiving aspirin (4.4 percent), and there was no increased risk of reoperation for excessive internal bleeding.
Exercise Cuts Men's Heart Death Risk by 50%, Regardless of Cholesterol Levels "It shouldn't be called metabolic syndrome," It should be called physical inactivity syndrome."
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Did You Know? states
According to a new report Mississippi is the heaviest state, while Colorado is the least heavy. More than 25 percent of adults in 10 states are obese. To see where your state is listed: State Obesity Chart
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Latest News - Self-Management - Early Warnings
Retinopathy Found Prior to Diabetes The incongruous finding, among patients with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or impaired fasting glucose (IFG) suggests that current cutoffs used to diagnose diabetes may need to be revised.
Measuring C-Reactive Protein is Early Indicator of Stiffened Arteries Researchers have expanded the understanding of risk factors for heart disease by showing that high levels of C-reactive protein in the blood are linked to several measures of stiffening of the arteries.
Metabolic Syndrome Patients Need Iron Monitoring The addition of serum ferritin to routine evaluation of metabolic syndrome patients would help identify a subgroup of patients at risk for iron-related tissue damage.
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Did You Know?
The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.
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Mr. Diabetes® Wake Up and Walk® Tour walk

Mr. Diabetes®, Andy Mandell, has had another, not only busy, but exciting and very educational month. In Buffalo, Andy visited the Millard Fillmore Hospital and toured the special wing dedicated to treating diabetic outpatients. This facility, under the direction of Paresh Dandona, M. D., can brag about their emphasis on prevention.

Andy also went to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, known as "Insulin City" because this is where insulin was discovered by Frederick Banting, MD and Charles Best, PhD. in 1921. Andy met an especially inspirational person, Clarence Haynes, Diabetic Chairman for District A7-11 Lions Clubs (80 clubs), and his friends Dexter Waldron, Bob and Trudi Banting. Bob explained a brief history of his Great Uncle Frederick Banting's contribution to the world and gave great insight into Frederick’s character.

The next day Mr. Diabetes® toured the Banting Homestead and learned even more about Frederick Banting, who determined that insulin should belong to the world, and so, did not capitalize on the financial rewards he could have claimed. But his birthplace may be gone soon. read more
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Defeat Diabetes® Public Awareness Programs donate
Defeat Diabetes Foundation needs your financial support for all of our Defeat Diabetes® Public Awareness Programs. Defeat Diabetes Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.  Our web site is secure and all donations are tax-deductible. Please Donate Now
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Healthy and Delicious Recipes - Good for Diabetics, Too
I know someone who is a teacher with two small children and a husband who travels for his work. She asked, "Aren't there any recipes out there that are low fat, low sodium, easy to prepare, have only a very few ingredients, healthy, taste delicious and the kids will like them too? I want everything!" (She's very dramatic, you know.)

Well, Amy, these main dish recipes of 5 ingredients or less are for you and for everyone else who wants to keep things very simple in the kitchen from Jyl Steinback, America's Healthiest Mom.

Italian Chicken Pasta
Hot 'n' Spicy Barbecue Shrimp
Mac 'n' Cheese in Minutes
Three Ingredient Meat Loaf
Salsa Style Fish Fillets
Easy Cheesy Barbecue Beef Fries
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Did You Know?
For many people, mainly women, fat on legs, hips, and buttocks may actually help ward off heart disease and diabetes. Source: The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Aug 12, 2005
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Islets of Humor™ humor
By Theresa Garnero, APRN, BC-ADM, MSN, CDE
September 2005

see more of Theresa's cartoons
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Did You Know?
All polar bears are left handed.
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Treatments on the Horizon
Stem Cell Project Could Lead to Human Tissue Grown from Stem Cells in Four Years Scientists at the University of Liverpool are leading a major European clinical engineering project that should see human tissue grown from stem cells available for transplant in the next four years. They will develop the technology to target heart failure, diabetes, chronic ulcers and neurodegenerative diseases in particular.
Molecule Linked to Vision Loss in Diabetics Researchers have found that a long-suspected molecule helps cause diabetic retinopathy, one of the leading causes of vision loss in the United States and the world. The molecule is erythropoietin, a protein hormone whose main function is to stimulate formation of red blood cells.
Malfunctioning Bone Marrow Cells Cause Neuropathy in People with Diabetes Bone marrow cells that produced insulin adversely affected nerve cells or neurons. The finding not only provides a basis for understanding the dangerous nerve condition in diabetics, but could eventually lead to a treatment for this problem.
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Did You Know?
Blacks and Hispanics with diabetes are more likely than whites to require repeat hospitalization for complications related to their condition. At the initial admission, blacks had the highest rates of acute complications and high blood pressure, Hispanics had the highest rate for kidney disease, and whites had the highest percentages of heart disease and depression. Source: Diabetes In Control.com: American Journal of Public Health
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Nutrition News nutrition
By Barbara Quinn, MS, RD, CDE
September 2005

Monumental Insights About Diabetes
Under the watchful eye of Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson, I joined several thousand colleagues in Washington, DC last month for our annual meeting of the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE). Our theme: “Monumental opportunities…Diabetes Educators in Action.” Here are some highlights:

• "Inside the Beltway, outside the Beltway" is said to be a popular weight loss phrase in Washington, according to "President Bush" (or someone who looked a lot like him);

• We live in an "obesigenic" society---our excess weight a result of our bodies doing exactly what they are programmed to do when food is plentiful and physical activity is limited; read more

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Did You Know?
Bullet proof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers and laser printers all invented by women.
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Stevia - A “Sweet and Sour” Story of This All-Natural, Glucose-Friendly Sugar Alternative
By Lisa Jobs, B.A., M.J.

Whether you’re diabetic or not, you’re probably aware of the many sweetener options available on the market today.  Sucralose (Splenda), aspartame (Equal) and saccharin (Sweet n Low) are among the increasing number of artificial sweeteners that want your business.  You may feel overwhelmed or confused about which one you should use and is right for you.  On the other hand, you may know all too well which sweeteners you need to eliminate from your diet because of undesirable side effects you’ve suffered while using it or perhaps you simply don’t like their aftertaste.

If there were an all-natural sweetener alternative with no side effects, no affect on your glucose, no calories, no carbohydrates, no aftertaste when measured properly and that’s been safely consumed in other parts of the world for decades, would you want to know about it?  This article briefly discusses this wonderful herbal extract called stevia. read more
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Did You Know?
Noodles were actually the culinary creation of the Chinese, not Italians, dating back to 100 B. C. Source: Supermarket Gourmet, Jyl Steinback
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Readers' Forum forum
Q - Half of everything I read says to take a BG (blood glucose) reading 1 hour after meals, to see how high it goes. The other half says to take it 2 hours after meals, to make sure it returns to normal. I know that both pieces of information are important, but I also know that few, if any, people with diabetes take a BG reading both 1 and 2 hours after meals. So which is more important? - George - for our answer
Q - My cat has just been diagnosed with diabetes. What is the expected life span for a diabetic pet? - Marilyn - for our answer
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Did You Know?
In children age six to 13 years, the strongest predictors of insulin resistance are waist circumference (WC) and systolic blood pressure (BP) and the investigators suggest that measuring children's WC should be incorporated into routine clinical practice. Archives Pediatric Adolescent Medicine 2005;159:740-744
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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.