Posted on October 4, 2011 by Joel Shpigel R.Ph.

Eat Slower to Avoid Diabetes

 

 

Being a  pharmacist for many years means that I've been "trained" to eat quickly,  before a patient walked into the store. Furthermore, a long time pharmacy "myth" is "if you want people to walk into the store, order a hot meal."  Other than causing a little indigestion, eating fast hasn't bothered me. But now, a new study suggests that fast eaters have a higher risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes.

According to the Japanese study, people who eat food quickly  are twice as likely to develop impaired glucose tolerance, known as pre-diabetes. In impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), blood glucose levels are higher than usual,  but not high enough to cause diabetes. However, without proper treatment, 40 to 50 per cent of people with IGT will develop Type 2 Diabetes within ten years. One theory is that eating quickly increases postprandial blood glucose, the amount of sugar in the blood soon after eating.

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Posted on August 12, 2011 by Joel Shpigel R.Ph.

Prevent Diabetes With These Lifestyle Changes

 

 

 

As seen in the latest issue of UPDATE from Independence Blue Cross, here are 7 changes that you can make in your life  that may help prevent diabetes:

  1. Understand your risk factors. These include obesity, family history of diabetes, hypertension, a low HDL cholesterol level, being over the age of 45, etc
  2. Take a diagnosis of pre-diabetes seriously .
  3. Get at least 7 hours of sleep .
  4. Lose weight. This is THE most important lifestyle change to reduce your risk.
  5. Eat Right.
  6. Stay Active.
  7. Stop Smoking.

 

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Posted on May 14, 2009 by Joel Shpigel R.Ph.

Exercising to Reduce Diabetes Risk? Don't Take Vitamins C & E!

 

 

In a new study, Dr. C. Ronald Kahn of the Joslin Diabetes Center and Harvard Medical School in Boston says,"If you are exercising, in part, to reduce diabetes risk, you shouldn't take anti-oxidant vitamins C and E."

Kahn says that part of the reason that exercise improves insulin sensitivity is that it causes oxidative stress on the muscles but when you block the oxidative stress response (with Vitamins C and E), you also block the beneficial effects of exercise on insulin sensitivity.

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Posted on March 12, 2009 by Joel Shpigel R.Ph.

Diabetes Risk Decreased by Fruits and Vegetables in Diet

 The risk of developing type 2 diabetes may be reduced by consuming more whole fruits and green leafy vegetables on a daily basis.
 Researchers at the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and the Harvard School of Public Health have discovered that eating three more servings of whole fruits each day was associated with a lower risk of developing diabetes. And, with an additional serving of green leafy vegetables daily, the risk for diabetes was further decreased. 

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Posted on May 28, 2008 by Joel Shpigel R.Ph.

Sleep Deprivation is a New Risk Factor for Diabetes

During a CBS 60 Minutes® report entitled The Science of Sleep, research endocrinologist Dr. Eve Van Cauter of the University of Chicago Medical Center said, "Sleep deprivation is a new risk factor for diabetes. We have an epidemic of diabetes and Type 2 diabetes is now occurring in children and in adolescents.

And you know, adolescents and children are sleep deprived. High schoolers are among the most sleep-deprived individuals in our society, because they have enormous sleep need - nine to ten hours. Yet they sleep less than seven hours per night."
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Posted on May 22, 2008 by Joel Shpigel R.Ph.

Children Getting Diabetes Complications Earlier

A study published last year in the medical journal called The Lancet confirmed that children with type 2 diabetes are developing further health problems at early ages.  According to the study, many kids already have some of the hallmark side effects of diabetes such as high blood pressure, kidney problems, or early eye damage when they are first diagnosed with the diabetes.
Dr,Julie K. Silver, M.D., Harvard Medical School has some great advice on what a parent can do.
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Posted on April 28, 2008 by Joel Shpigel R.Ph.

Get Diabetes in Check BEFORE Getting Pregnant

According to U.S.News and World Report, having poorly controlled diabetes while pregnant can cause all sorts of harm, from stillbirths and miscarriages to birth defects. So experts are concerned that the number of women who already have diabetes by the time they conceive is rising rapidly: Between 1999 and 2005, the group doubled in size, growing significantly across all age, racial, and ethnic groups.
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Posted on January 23, 2008 by Joel Shpigel R.Ph.

First Consumer Test to Evaluate Diabetes Risk Coming Soon

The first  FDA approved consumer test to evaluate diabetes risk will be marketed exclusively in the United States by Glycemion, Inc. The BIOSAFE Diabetes Risk Assessment is a two-part process comprised of an immediate fasting glucose reading and a mail-in laboratory analysis for hemoglobin A1c, a blood glucose marker for the previous ninety-day period. More......
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