Holidays pose hazards for diabetics

Thanksgiving marks the start of what a U.S. doctor calls "sugar-centric festivities," a hazard for diabetics. Dr. Nicholas Jospe, chief of pediatric endocrinology at the University of Rochester Medical Center's Golisano Children's Hospital in New York finds this especially true for children. However, he counsels his diabetic patients and their parents that it is possible to navigate a safe course through the season's sweet temptations. "This is the time of year where we're assaulted by sugar, but with careful attention, people with diabetes can uphold good habits," Jospe says in a statement. "Most of this can be summarized in a single rule - that is, to be consistent. Don't take a holiday from the healthy practices you've mastered the rest of the year." This means, Jospe says, religiously monitoring insulin levels. Blood sugar needs to be tested consistently, especially when eating at irregular times. The pancreas is naturally tuned to produce and release the right amount of insulin in rhythm with daily meals. Jospe advises his patients to be careful to match their insulin dosage to their intake of carbohydrates. "Especially," he says, "if you indulge a bit." - UPI

An egg a day raises risk of diabetes

"People who eat eggs every day may substantially increase their risk of type 2 diabetes, researchers said. Men with the highest level of egg consumption - at seven or more per week - were 58% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who did not eat eggs, and women were 77% more likely to become diabetic if they ate at least an egg a day, Luc Djoussé, M.D., D.Sc., of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard, and colleagues reported online in Diabetes Care - Medpage Today

Aboriginal LiveWell program celebrates success

"Evelyn Linklater is an Elder in her Saskatoon community, and she has diabetes. 'I am trying to live a healthy lifestyle and teach others to do the same,' says Linklater. 'The LWCC (LiveWell with Chronic Conditions program) is helping me to do this. I want to see my grandchildren grow up healthy and happy.' She is one of Saskatoon's Aboriginal peer leaders who shared their digital stories of living with chronic conditions like diabetes at a luncheon celebrating the group's achievements on October 30. They celebrated with more than 40 family members, friends and Health Region staff involved in the program. Linklater and six other peer leaders recently completed training in the LiveWell program" - Saskatoon Health Region

Garlic chemical tablet treats diabetes 1 and 2

"A drug based on a chemical found in garlic can treat diabetes types I and II when taken as a tablet, a study in the new Royal Society of Chemistry journal Metallomics says. When Hiromu Sakurai and colleagues from the Suzuka University of Medical Science, Japan, gave the drug orally to type I diabetic mice, they found it reduced blood glucose levels. The drug is based on vanadium and allixin, a compound found in garlic, and its action described in an Advance Article from Metallomics available free online. The first issue of the new journal will be published in 2009. In previous work they had discovered the vanadium-allixin compound treated both diabetes types when injected, but this new study shows the drug has promise as an oral treatment for the disease. Type I diabetes (insulin dependent) is currently treated with daily injections of insulin, while type II (non-insulin dependent) is treated with drugs bearing undesirable side-effects - the authors note neither treatment is ideal. The researchers aim to test the drug in humans in future work" - EurekAlert

Diabetes study cuts ulcer deaths

"A ground-breaking system which could halve the number of people dying from a diabetes-related condition has been developed in the Lothians, Scotland. New research shows patients suffering from a diabetic foot ulcer could win their battle if their heart health was also treated at the same time. Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh experts discovered a system of heart monitoring combined with preventative medicine. Dr Matthew Young said the key to their survival was their hearts. A full cardiovascular assessment was carried out on each patient to gauge their blood pressure, cholesterol and heart function before prescribing a range of protective medicines in a unique tailor-made care package" - BBC

Diabetes Motherhood

Studies show eight percent of women develop insulin resistance during pregnancy, leading to gestational diabetes. Watch the video at redOrbit

Screening for Diabetes

The American Diabetes Association recommends people at risk for the disease get screened. Watch the video

Research shows aerobic exercise combined with resistance training improves glucose control in diabetics

Patients with diabetes who participate in a program combining aerobic and high-force eccentric resistance exercise demonstrate improvements in glucose control, physical performance, and body fat composition, according to a study published in the November 2008 issue of Physical Therapy, the scientific journal of the American Physical Therapy Association

News from the November 2008 Journal of the American Dietetic Association

"November is American Diabetes Month and the Journal of the American Dietetic Association takes a closer look at how family income can have an affect on a child's risk for the disease. Other studies in the issue take a closer look at children's health including the effect that counseling and increased physical activity have on children's obesity"

GlaxoSmithKline diabetes drug faces more criticism

"Two prominent consumer groups have warned that diabetes patients should not take GlaxoSmithKline's drug Avandia because of dangerous side effects and the availability of equally effective treatments. Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group, on Thursday called for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to take Avandia off the market, citing several life-threatening risks, including heart and liver damage. That followed updated treatment guidelines issued last week by the American Diabetes Association, a leading patient-advocacy group, which recommended against using Avandia. The group said it was unclear whether Avandia increased heart-attack risks, but it argued that other treatments were available. The association's Web site says it receives funding from pharmaceutical companies, though not currently from GlaxoSmithKline. Another group, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, whose members treat diabetic patients, continues to support using Avandia" - Philly.com

Obesity blamed for doubling rate of diabetes cases

"The rate of new diabetes cases nearly doubled in the United States in the past 10 years, the government said. The highest rates were in the South, according to the first state-by-state review of new diagnoses. The worst was in West Virginia, where about 13 in 1,000 adults were diagnosed with the disease in 2005-07. The lowest was in Minnesota, where the rate was 5 in 1,000. Nationally, the rate of new cases climbed from about 5 per 1,000 in the mid-1990s to 9 per 1,000 in the middle of this decade. Roughly 90 percent of cases are Type 2 diabetes, the form linked to obesity. The findings dovetail with trends seen in obesity and lack of exercise — two health measures where Southern states also rank at the bottom" - CDC