A Soft Drink A Day Raises Risk Of Diabetes, Says Largest Study Yet

A soft drink a day raises risk of diabetes, says largest study yet

Put down the pop! The biggest study of its kind reveals just one to two serves of soft drink a day increases risk of type 2 diabetes by 26 percent.
Daily soft drink consumption is also linked to 35 percent greater risk of heart attack or heart disease.
The study is published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, ranked No.1 worldwide for its scientific impact.
Forget those slanted studies funded by Coke and Big Sugar, this is the REAL DEAL. The most comprehensive review of sugar-sweetened drinks to date reveals that just one to two serves of soft drink daily wreaks havoc with your metabolic health.
The study, published yesterday in the No.1 internationally-ranked Journal of the American College of Cardiology, reviewed data from epidemiological studies and meta-analyses, concluding that one to two serves of soft drink a day is significantly linked to:
as high as a 26 percent greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes,
a 35 percent greater risk of heart attack or fatal heart disease, and
a 16 percent increased risk of stroke
Whelp. We don’t even drink the stuff and this has us rattled, especially since Coke spent around $269 million last year advertising this sweet poison to the masses. However, we can take hope in the fact that such a large study has confirmed what we’ve been saying all along: fructose, compared to other sugars, is uniquely bad for your body.
The science-y bits
So you’re curious to know the full story behind these stats? Good on you! In a nutshell, fructose is metabolised by the liver, converting the sugar into fatty compounds called tr Continue reading

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Harvard Stem Cell Research May Cure Type 1 Diabetes

A substitute for the daily drudgery of measuring glucose levels, sticking fingers, and watching insulin pumps may soon be here. A new study published on October 9, 2014 in the scientific journal Cell illustrates a new way to help diabetes patients: using stem cells.
Research conducted at Harvard University has successfully treated diabetic mice and other animals by using insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells created from embryonic stem cells. This finding is the crowning moment thus far in Dr. Douglas Melton’s 23-year quest for the type 1 diabetes cure.
Melton, a Harvard professor, considers this search close to home, as his son was diagnosed with diabetes as a baby. When reflecting on the progress of the research, he says, “It was gratifying to know that we can do something that we always thought was possible.”
Melton and his colleagues are hoping to eradicate the metabolic swings and possible complications that come with insulin injections and other modes of diabetes treatment by transplanting these beta cells into diabetes patients. These cells can then repair the damaged pancreatic cells at the very source using the very source.
Scientific Breakthroughs
Stem cells are basically chameleons—they have the potential to become any other type of cell including tissue and organ cells. In the past, the process to convert stem cells into other types of cells, such as pancreatic beta cells, was very slow and could only be done in small quantities. Through Melton’s research, they can now grow beta cells much faster and in the hundreds of millions, eventually even billi Continue reading

Divide and conquer: How portion control can help you manage diabetes

When it comes to diabetes, portion control is key for keeping steady blood sugar levels and maintaining a healthy weight.
Using just a standard-size 12-inch dinner plate, you can learn to determine correct portion sizes of a typical meal.
Vegetables
About half of your plate should be filled with non-starchy vegetables, like spinach, cabbage, bok choy, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, or peppers.
When it comes to these types of vegetables, you can't really go overboard, so portion sizes here matter less than with proteins or starches. Just make sure you're careful about your intake of more starchy vegetables, like potatoes or root veggies, as these have a higher glycemic index and will raise your blood sugar more rapidly.
Meat
About one-fourth of your plate can be filled with proteins, preferably lean options like turkey, skinless chicken, salmon, or other cold-water fish. As a general rule, one serving of cooked meat should be about the size of a bar of soap or deck of cards. For fish, aim for a serving that is close to the size of a checkbook.
Starches
Grains are easy to go overboard on, so try to measure things out when you eat rice, breads, oatmeal, or other starches. Recommendations vary, but The American Diabetes Association suggests that your starches fill about one-fourth of your plate. This roughly equals about one slice of bread, one tortilla, 4-6 crackers, 1/3 cup cooked rice, 1/2 cup of potatoes, or 1/2 cup of cereal or pasta.
Dairy
For dairy, it's important to opt for low-fat choices. Portion sizes are roughly equal to one cup - so one cup of low-f Continue reading

Apple Developing Diabetes Treatment Sensors (AAPL)

As more technologies are developed for health and wellness, Apple Inc. (AAPL
) is secretly working on developing glucose sensors to treat diabetes, reports CNBC, citing unidentified sources. (See also, Fitbit, Apple Still Dominate in Wearables.)
The project was originally the vision of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs before his death and involved use of wearable devices, like a smartwatch, that will be capable of tracking and reporting vital heath data including heart rate, oxygen levels, and blood glucose levels. The technology involves using non-invasive sensors capable of regular and continuous body monitoring to help in early detection and timely treatment of diseases, including diabetes which has a large patient population.
Similar attempts have been made several times in the past by many other firms. However, the difficulty of monitoring blood sugar levels without piercing the skin often prevented the success of those initiatives. (See also: Michael Kors Launches New Smartwatches)
The technology giant has confidentially formed a team of biomedical engineers who are working on developing the monitoring sensors. The team is staffed with biomedical experts hired from companies including C8 Medisensors, Masimo Corp, Medtronic PLC (MDT
), Sano, and Vital Connect. According to the sources, the work has been going on for at least five years and the iPhone maker has been performing feasibility trials for the path-breaking concept. Also, consultants have been hired to work through the necessary regulatory requirements, according to the report.
The development is linked to Apple’ Continue reading

This Oil Leads To Heart Disease, Diabetes and Cancer. What You Should Use Instead…

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In a 2010 review at Tufts University, Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian concluded there is a clear benefit from cutting out saturated fats and increasing our intake of PUFAs. However in 2014, the very same scientist reviewed all of the literature again. This meta-analysis, which reviewed 72 studies, found no benefit to reducing saturated fats or increasing PUFAs, except for omega 3 fats.
Is it any wonder we are so confused? If the experts can’t even agree and they change their perspective every few years, what are the rest of us to do?
Let me cut through this confusion. The very idea that vegetable oils are better than saturated fats (like butter and lard) comes from the belief that they lower total and LDL cholesterol, so they presumably reduce our overall risk of heart disease.
Following this type of ad Continue reading