Fighting Diabetes, Proactively!

Since most fruit juices contain a lot of sugar, it is not advisable for a diabetic to drink fruit juice. I still haven’t stopped taking fruits, but I have started avoiding sweeter fruits. I have also started taking tomato juice and carrot juice in place my usual orange. I also drink Apply juice is surprisingly good, but avoid too sweet apple.

An increase in whole fruit consumption of three servings a day was associated with an 18 percent reduced risk of diabetes.

An increase in green vegetable consumption of one serving a day was associated with a 9 percent reduced risk of diabetes.

An increase in fruit juice consumption of one serving a day was associated with an 18 percent INCREASED risk of diabetes.

Read this interesting article.

A shocking report that says that use of Insulin Pump has been linked to injury and even death of diabetic teen. The instruments are at no fault, but the study has linked it to lack of training and incorrect use of the pumps.

Teens with Type 1 Diabetes often use Insulin pumps as part of treating the disease but an FDA study shows the device has been linked to injuries and a few deaths.

Some of the problems with the pumps and teenagers is simply lack of education when a teen wasn’t sure on the correct use. Another problem observed was not taking care of the pump or dropping them.source

Lesson to learn is that people, whether teen or not should be properly trained in the use of the insulin pump. And also, the manufacturers should take proper care to train new user, like providing interesting training materials, and workshops. They can even set up awareness centres in malls or clinics.

Wait! I am referring to good Fat. Not the fat that you have around your belly and hips for the past 1 years. You have seen those healthy person, who don’t look thin nor never muscular but thickset? Guys you must have seen in some Boxing matches, those with what we call hard fat. And those voluptuous women, with fat at just the right places, but a flat tummy. Those kind of fat, lets call it good fat, or subcutaneous fat may actually be good for glucose metabolism says a report by Harvard Researchers.

Harvard researchers say that a little extra fat around the body in locations other than the abdomen area may reduce the insulin resistance and improve insulin sensitivity. This was an unexpected finding because belly-fat has long been associated with an increased risk for type-2 diabetes.

Not all fat is the same, according to Dr. C. Ronald Kahn, Head of the Joslin Research Section on Obesity and Hormone Action and the Mary K. Iacocca Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. “This points to a new opportunity to find substances made by subcutaneous fat that may actually be good for glucose metabolism,’’ Kahn said.

These doesn’t mean you stop your exercises. The report still says that belly fat is bad for you, and in fact belly fats have been known to be associated with diabetes. This just means that you should eat right and burn away those abdominal fat, and let the good fat at your arms and shoulder remain. And harden them with yoga and some weight training.

Bad news!

People with diagnosed diabetes are nearly twice as likely to have arthritis, and the inactivity caused by arthritis hinders the successful management of both diseases, according to a new Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) study released May 8 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).[Via]

This is all over the internet, and spells quite a bad news for me. We have a family history of diabetes, and since the past few years my mom has been complaining about Arthritis as well.

The above correlation between diabetes and Arthritis is because of the fact that you need some physical activity to burn sugar, and with arthritis, you are advised not even climb a flight of stairs. I never thought of this, but this study is quite an eye-opener. gives me a head start since Ma doesn’t have diabetes yet, though we take lots of preventive care.

An excerpt of the report:

The report finds that arthritis appears to be a barrier to being physically active for people with diabetes. Despite the fact that physical activity helps control blood glucose levels and reduces joint pain, people with both diseases are more likely to be physically inactive (29.8%) compared to those with diabetes alone (20.1%).

“Arthritis is a frequent co morbid condition for adults with diabetes,” said John H. Klippel, M.D., president and CEO, Arthritis Foundation. “But for both diseases, physical activity is key to effective management. A lack of physical activity actually results in undesirable consequences including increased pain, stiffness, inflammation, physical limitation and potential disability.”

The reports also tells some good things, about some safe and effective self-management programs are available. People living with arthritis and diabetes can benefit from participating in one of the Arthritis Foundation’s exercise or self-management programs, such as the Arthritis Foundation Aquatic Program, the Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program and the Arthritis Foundation Self-Help Program,” said Klippel.

I would think that slow Tai Chi and Yoga should be good. But it is better to first consult a doctor. And one should eat a lot of cool boiled vegetables.

An Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report into diabetes shows that in the 16 years to 2005 the proportion of people diagnosed with the disease more than doubled.

Diabetes also caused or contributed to more than 10 per cent of deaths in Australia in 2005.

“It’s likely that a substantial number of cases of diabetes go undiagnosed,” said report author Lynelle Moon.

One expert estimated as many as 1.4 million Australians could be affected. Source