9 Things Diabetics Must Watch Out For In Summer

9 Things Diabetics Must Watch Out for in Summer

Nerve damage
The typical type 2 diabetes complications—think high blood pressure and increased risk of heart disease—worsen in the heat of summer and mean that your exercise performance may suffer. "The summer season and heat and humidity go hand-in-hand, which can cause complications for people who have diabetes for several reasons," says Maria Subang, MD, a Kaiser Permanente Colorado endocrinologist. For example, 60 to 70 percent of Americans with diabetes have nerve damage that can affect multiple organs in the body, including sweat glands, which help naturally cool our body. "The inability to stay cool can lead to heat exhaustion and heat stroke, which is a medical emergency," says Dr. Subang.
Dehydration
First, people with diabetes should take note of these 10 things to remember about blood sugar and and alcohol, since getting enough fluids period is a huge concern. Now add in hot summer days and you could be looking at higher glucose levels, which can mean more trips to the bathroom to pee, causing dehydration. "High blood sugars increase the risk of dehydration, so it is especially important to keep well-hydrated," says Sarah Rettinger, MD, board-certified endocrinologist at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica. Sipping iced tea, sugary sodas, or booze can give you the false impression you're drinking plenty because you're not thirsty, but beverages with caffeine, alcohol, or sugar can be dehydrating and impact blood sugar levels. "Dehydration can further tax the body and lead to even higher blood sugars, creating a vicious cycle." If your pee is Continue reading

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Eating fruit significantly cuts diabetes risk - but drinking juice INCREASES it, says study

INDYPULSE
Eating fruit significantly cuts diabetes risk - but drinking juice INCREASES it, says study
Eating blueberries, grapes, apples and pears cuts the risk of type 2 diabetes but drinking fruit juice can increase it, a large study has found.
Experts from the UK, Singapore and a team from Harvard School of Public Health in the US have examined whether certain fruits impact on type 2, which affects more than 3,000,000 people in Britain.
The scientists found that blueberries, grapes, raisins, apples and pears were especially protective, while drinking fruit juice could increase the risk of developing the condition by as much as 8 percent.
People who ate three standard servings of blueberries a week had a 26 percent lower chance of developing the condition, they found.
Those who replaced fruit juices with three helpings of particular whole fruits a week, including apples and pears could expect a 7 percent drop in their risk of developing type 2.
Eating different fruits affected an individual's chances of developing the condition in different ways, the research suggests.
Those eating grapes and raisins had a 12 percent reduced risk. Prunes also had a protective effect, giving an 11 percent drop in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Other fruits such as bananas, plums, peaches and apricots had a negligible impact but drinking fruit juice increased the risk by 8 per cent, according to the study.
For individual fruits, replacing three servings a week of fruit juice with blueberries cut the risk by 33 percent while replacing juice with grapes and raisins cut the risk by 19 Continue reading

Is the finger-stick blood test necessary for type 2 diabetes treatment?

Chapel Hill, NC - In a landmark study, UNC School of Medicine researchers have shown that blood glucose testing does not offer a significant advantage in blood sugar control or quality of life for type 2 diabetes patients who are not treated with insulin. The paper, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, details findings from a randomized trial called "The MONITOR Trial." This study is the first large pragmatic study examining glucose monitoring in the United States.
Type 2 diabetes is an epidemic afflicting one in 11 people in the United States. For those treated with insulin, checking blood sugar with a finger stick at home is an accepted practice for monitoring the effects of insulin therapy. However, the majority of type 2 diabetes patients are not treated with insulin. These patients, too, are often recommended glucose monitoring, despite an ongoing debate about its effectiveness in controlling diabetes or improving how patients feel.
"Our study results have the potential to transform current clinical practice for patients and their providers by placing a spotlight on the perennial question, 'to test or not to test?'" said Katrina Donahue, MD, MPH, senior author of the study and Professor and Director of Research at UNC Family Medicine.
During the study, 450 patients were assigned to one of three groups: no blood sugar monitoring, once daily glucose monitoring, or enhanced once-daily glucose monitoring with an internet-delivered tailored message of encouragement or instruction.
The trial lasted one year. By the end:
There were no significant differences in blood glucose Continue reading

Ketogenic Diet for Diabetes and Prediabetes – A Beginner’s Guide

The ketogenic diet is a high-fat low carb diet which can offer you many health benefits.
More than 20 separate studies have proven that this diet can not only help you lose weight but also get healthier.
Its many benefits revolve around cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and epilepsy, to name a few.
This article is perfect for those getting acquainted with this diet, since it tells you everything you need to know.
What is the Ketogenic Diet?
As we mentioned, it is low on carbs and high in fats and rather similar to the Atkins diet (as well as other low carb diets). It is often called keto, for short.
It’s name comes from the fact that your body enters a state of ketosis. It’s a metabolic state which occurs from the reduction of carbs and their replacement with fats.
When this occurs, one’s body becomes very efficient at burning fat for energy.
The keto diet also greatly reduces one’s blood sugar and insulin levels. Those are just some of the many health benefits it offers.
Several Types of Ketogenic Diets
There are a few versions of this diet, including:
SKD (Standard Ketogenic Diet) – this diet is high in fats(75%), moderate in protein(20%) and low in carbs (5%).
CKD (Cyclical Ketogenic Diet) – this diet has periods of high-carbs, such as 5 ketogenic days and 2 high-carb days
TKD – this diet allows one to take carbs around exercises
High-protein ketogenic diet – similar to the standard version, only includes higher amounts of protein. The ratio is about 60% fats, 35% protein and, once again, 5% carbs.
Keep in mind that the CKD and the TKD are usually more adva Continue reading

13 Ways to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

Simple, straightforward steps you can take to ward off a diabetes diagnosis.
By Franziska Spritzler, RD, CDE
Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects millions of people worldwide. Uncontrolled cases can cause blindness, kidney failure, heart disease and other serious conditions. Before diabetes is diagnosed, there is a period where blood sugar levels are high but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. This is known as pre diabetes. It’s estimated that up to 70% of people with prediabetes go on to develop type 2 diabetes. Fortunately, progressing from prediabetes to diabetes isn’t inevitable. Although there are certain factors you can’t change — such as your genes, age or past behaviors — there are many actions you can take to reduce the risk of diabetes.
Here are 13 ways to avoid getting diabetes.
1. Cut Sugar and Refined Carbs From Your Diet
Eating sugary foods and refined carbs can put at-risk individuals on the fast track to developing diabetes. Your body rapidly breaks these foods down into small sugar molecules, which are absorbed into your bloodstream. The resulting rise in blood sugar stimulates your pancreas to produce insulin, a hormone that helps sugar get out of the bloodstream and into your body’s cells. In people with prediabetes, the body’s cells are resistant to insulin’s action, so sugar remains high in the blood. To compensate, the pancreas produces more insulin, attempting to bring blood sugar down to a healthy level.
Over time, this can lead to progressively higher blood sugar and insulin levels, until the condition eventually turn Continue reading