CVS-Aetna Merger Could Provide Benefits For People With Diabetes

CVS-Aetna Merger Could Provide Benefits for People with Diabetes

The bid to purchase health-insurance giant Aetna by pharmacy super-giant CVS would be more than just a merging of corporate interests. It also would affect consumers in some very palpable ways.
It’s not at all clear whether some of the changes would be positive or negative for consumers overall. But the merger could provide some clear benefits for people with diabetes, who are likely to find more healthcare services at their local CVS that are conveniently close and might save them visits to the doctor or hospital.
That’s because part of the plan is for Aetna to encourage its members to seek out care for minor issues at CVS’ Minute Clinics instead of at traditional doctor’s offices. The clinics are now located at 1,100 of CVS’ nearly 10,000 stores but that number is likely to grow dramatically. The clinics also would offer a larger range of services provided by nurses or physician’s assistants.
For people with chronic health issues such as diabetes that require monitoring and related services, this could be a real help. In fact, a press release from the two companies specifically mentioned the up sides for people with diabetes in their press release.
“Patients with diabetes will receive care in between doctor visits through face-to-face counseling at a store-based health hub and remote monitoring of key indicators such as blood glucose levels,” the press release said. “When needed, patients can receive text messages to let them know when their glucose levels deviate from normal ranges. As a follow up, patients can receive counseling on medication adherence Continue reading

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Maternal obesity and diabetes in pregnancy result in early overgrowth of the baby in the womb

The babies of obese women who develop gestational diabetes are five times as likely to be excessively large by six months of pregnancy, according to new research led by the University of Cambridge. The study, which shows that excessive fetal growth begins weeks before at-risk women are screened for gestational diabetes, suggests that current screening programmes may take place too late during pregnancy to prevent lasting health impacts on the offspring.
Given the risk of complications for both mother and child from gestational diabetes, our findings suggest that screening women earlier on in pregnancy may help improve the short and long term outcomes for these women
Gestational diabetes is a condition that can affect women during pregnancy, with those who are obese at greater risk. As well as affecting the mother’s health, the condition also causes the unborn child to grow larger, putting the mother at risk during childbirth and increasing the likelihood that her offspring will develop obesity and diabetes during later life. The condition can usually be controlled through a combination of diet and exercise, and medication if these measures fail.
Women are screened for the condition through a blood glucose test at around 8-12 weeks into pregnancy. Current guidelines in the UK and the USA recommend that mothers found to be at greatest risk should then be offered a full test at between 24 and 28 weeks into pregnancy; however, in practice the majority of women are screened at the 28 week mark.
Researchers at the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at the University of Camb Continue reading

Eating whey protein every day could help stop diabetes

Nearly three million Britons suffer from Type 2 diabetes, where the body does not produce enough insulin or it fails to work properly.
Researchers discovered that whey protein, often used by athletes and weightlifters to improve fitness, stimulates the production of a gut hormone, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which boosts insulin.
The study, carried out by researchers in Israel and published in the journal Diabetologia, involved 15 people with controlled Type 2 diabetes who were only taking diabetes drugs sulphonylurea or metformin for the condition.
It found that those who ate whey – sold in most health stores – before breakfast saw an instant increase in insulin production.
Professor Daniela Jakubowicz, of Tel Aviv University, said: “Consumption of whey protein shortly before breakfast increased the early and late post-meal insulin secretion, improved GLP-1 responses and reduced post-meal blood sugar levels in Type 2 diabetic patients.
“Whey protein may therefore represent a novel approach for enhancing glucose-lowering strategies in Type 2 diabetes.”
Professor Jakubowicz said that such treatment would be cheap and easy to administer, with patients able to use any brand of whey protein concentrate which has no added sugar or other nutrients.
Charity Diabetes UK gave the research a cautious welcome but warned that carrying out physical exercise and maintaining a healthy diet remained crucial.
Communications manager Dr Richard Elliott said: “While interesting, these results do not provide strong evidence that eating whey protein before meals is an effective Continue reading

People With Diabetes Can Eat Eggs

Many people with diabetes are concerned about eating eggs because they believe they are too high in cholesterol. It was once believed that eating dietary cholesterol could increase cholesterol in the blood, but this logic is no longer thought to be true. In fact, studies have shown that dietary cholesterol, like the cholesterol found in eggs, is not linked to high levels of cholesterol in the blood.
Dietary Cholesterol Not Linked to High Blood Cholesterol
While it is not uncommon for a person with type 2 diabetes to have other conditions like high cholesterol, dietary cholesterol consumption itself has not been linked to elevated blood cholesterol levels.
As for an overall relationship between egg consumption and type 2 diabetes, a June 2010 study published in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition found no such relationship. Some experts recommend limiting eggs to no more than three yolks per week. This recommendation is mainly due to the saturated fat content found in the yolk rather than the cholesterol.
It's the Added Saturated That Will Get You
Excess intake of saturated fat (found in fried foods, process meats like sausage and bacon and sweets such as cookies, cake, and candy) can raise your blood cholesterol. And while two eggs have less saturated fat than a small hamburger, if you cook your eggs in butter, top them with full fat cheese or pair them with bacon or sausage, you are bound to eat too much saturated.
In fact, some study results have shown a link between egg intake and high cholesterol or diabetes may be skewed based on the presence of other high-fat breakfast Continue reading

9 Diabetes-Friendly Grocery Shopping Tips

Walking into a grocery store unprepared can be a challenge for anyone. Throw type 2 diabetes into the mix, and shopping for food can be downright overwhelming. But by following some simple tips, you can master your grocery shopping and learn how to stock your fridge with foods for a healthy diabetes diet.
Your first tip? In general, you want to focus on fresh foods in their original form — fruits, vegetables, fish, and lean protein. “I recommend that people with diabetes eat foods with the shortest lists of ingredients possible,” says Gregory Dodell, MD, an endocrinologist at Mount Sinai St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York City.
Next, use these nine strategies to get the most nutrients for your money every time you go grocery shopping.
Map out your week’s menu in advance. “A must-do before you head to the grocery store is to plan your menu for the week,” says Toby Smithson, RDN, CDE, a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and author of Diabetes Meal Planning and Nutrition for Dummies. “After you plan what you’ll make, take inventory of what you have in stock and write out your grocery list.” She suggests designating one day a week to do your planning and shopping. “Planning ahead makes it less stressful and much easier to follow a healthy eating plan,” she explains.
Don’t shop on an empty stomach. It’s not just an old wives’ tale. “When we’re hungry, we tend to crave the most calorically dense foods as a survival mechanism,” Dr. Dodell says. “And if a person with type 2 diabetes has low blood sugar, he or sh Continue reading