Study: Countries That Use More High Fructose Corn Syrup Have More Diabetes

The 20 percent increase in type 2 diabetes is independent of total sugar consumption and obesity.
PROBLEM: Is high fructose corn syrup the harbinger of the health apocalypse? A review of the debate in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition rejects HFCS as a causative factor of obesity, arguing that the processed stuff, though scary-sounding, "is not meaningfully different in composition or metabolism from other fructose-glucose sweeteners like sucrose, honey, and fruit juice concentrates." But those in the anti-HFCS camp aren't convinced, and would insist there's still plenty to be wary of -- they point to diabetes as another public health concern whose rise parallels the increased prevalence of HFCS in foods and beverages.
METHODOLOGY: "It's very hard to study the effects of high fructose corn syrup on overall health," explained lead author Michael Goran, Professor of Preventive Medicine, Physiology and Biophysics, and Pediatrics at USC, "Because we simply don't know how much we're consuming, even in the U.S." So he and fellow researchers at USC and Oxford took a broader, population-based approach, looking at estimates for the prevalence of type 2 diabetes -- culled from two independent sources -- as related to the availability of HFCS in 43 countries. They also looked at the total availability of sugar and calories, along with estimated rates of obesity and impaired glucose tolerance, and each country's GDP.
RESULTS: "All indicators of diabetes were higher in countries that use HFCS as compared to those that do not," with type 2 diabetes occurring in 8 percent of the Continue reading

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Diabetes’ JDRF Tries Shock Ad to Push the FDA

This is not a story about statistics, yet I have to start there. It is not a story about a shocking ad that ran in the New York Times and Washington Post, yet the uproar started there.
This is the story of how approximately 150,000 people with type 1 diabetes will die, and one among them, a vibrant, healthy and lovely 17-year-old girl who did die, due to a side effect of insulin.
Insulin, which many think is a cure for type 1 diabetes, is not a cure but a medicine that lowers blood sugar. Sometimes so much, that you die. Did you know that?
This ad ran on Nov. 2 and touched off seismic aftershocks among diabetes bloggers and online advocates.
Most who read the ad were stunned. Parents who have a child with diabetes were terrified or angered. The emotional-hit prompted many to question such an unbelievable figure: 1 in 20 people (an estimated 2-4 percent and 6 percent in patients younger than 40 years old) will perish from severe hypoglycemia.
Of the estimated 3 million people in the U.S. with type 1 diabetes, that’s approximately 150,000 people. That’s like wiping out Chattanooga, Tenn. or Rockford, Ill. — wiping them right off the map.
Aaron Kowalski, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) vice president, who’s been in charge of hypoglycemia research funding and helped launch, and still oversees, the Artificial Pancreas Project immediately responded to the uproar online.
He said JDRF ran the ad because they want the FDA to understand that tools and technologies, such as artificial pancreas technologies, exist to minimize dangerous low blood sugar; that researc Continue reading

NHS to give free Fitbits and one-to-one weight loss coaching to thousands of obese Brits in bid to slash diabetes

THOUSANDS of tubby Brits will be given free fitness trackers and one-to-one weight loss coaching on the NHS at a cost of £1.2million.
Health chiefs hope the pilot project will help 5,000 at risk of type 2 diabetes keep the disease at bay.
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Patients will be given a mix of wristbands, phone apps, weighing scales, and podcasts and be monitored for up to a year.
The gadgets will work with nutrition and health advice, stress counselling, and personal coaching sessions. The exact combination an individual receives depends on which of five schemes they are enrolled on.
The wristbands will monitor exercise, sleep quality and eating frequency, while the apps will deliver motivational messages and track users’ progress. Support staff will deliver most sessions via phone or video calls.
NHS England, Public Health England and Diabetes UK will launch the project in eight areas this month.
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Interventions that prove most successful could be rolled out nationwide. Simon Stevens, of NHS England, said “This is the latest example of the NHS getting practical and serious about new ways to support people staying healthy.”
Diabetes can lead to amputations or early death and accounts for ten per cent of NHS spending. Type 2 diabetes is linked to being overweight and is largely preventable.
Kid friendly TV ads for sugary cereals blamed for child obesity crisis Continue reading

Good Food List for Diabetes

The American Diabetes Association published extensive dietary recommendations for adults with diabetes in the November 2013 issue of “Diabetes Care.” In this report, the association does not recommend any 1 specific diet that all people with diabetes should follow. Instead, the ADA provides a framework for healthy eating that can be tailored to personal preferences and individual needs. Generally, the ADA recommends a diet composed mostly of nutrient-dense whole foods. This means eating natural, unprocessed foods whenever possible and avoiding fast food. Aim to eat a variety of nutritious foods, including nonstarchy vegetables, lean meats, low-fat dairy products and healthy fats and oils.
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The ADA recommends that you fill half your plate with nonstarchy vegetables. Such vegetables are nutrient powerhouses but low in calories and carbohydrates, so filling up on veggies can help with portion control. The list of nonstarchy vegetables includes leafy greens such as spinach, kale, collards, turnips, mustard and lettuce. Broccoli, cauliflower and brussels sprouts are perfect for roasting or steaming. Celery, carrots, radishes and bell pepper strips make good snacks and salad toppers. Mushrooms, onions and garlic are easily added to soups, stews and omelets. So put vegetables on the shopping list and load up on your favorites.
Lean Meats and Fatty Fish
Protein is an important part of a healthy diet. In people with type 2 diabetes, protein may improve the body's ability to respond to insulin. Good sources of protein include chicken, turkey, lean cuts of beef and Continue reading

Type 2 diabetes: Study explains link to sleep hormone melatonin

Researchers have discovered that increasing levels of the sleep hormone melatonin reduces the ability of insulin-producing cells to release insulin. Also, they found the effect is stronger in people who carry a particular gene variant that is linked to higher risk for type 2 diabetes.
The study, led by Lund University in Sweden, is published in the journal Cell Metabolism.
The findings mark the culmination of work that goes back to 2009, when Lund researchers showed that a variant of the gene that codes for the protein known as melatonin receptor 1B (MTNR1B) increases the risk for type 2 diabetes.
Melatonin is a hormone that helps to maintain our day-night cycle, or circadian rhythm, by regulating other hormones. The amount of melatonin in our blood varies through the day. It is affected by light and peaks during the darkest time, at night.
Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood sugar levels. It is produced and released by the beta cells of the pancreas, in response to spikes in blood sugar, such as during digestion.
In type 2 diabetes, which accounts for nearly 90 percent of diabetes, the body either does not produce enough insulin, or cells become less effective at responding to it, which increases demand on the beta cells to produce more. Both of these result in increased levels of blood sugar, which eventually causes serious damage to organs.
In the new study, the researchers worked with lab-cultured beta cells and mice to show that insulin-producing cells respond to increased levels of melatonin by reducing the amount of insulin they release. These signals are conve Continue reading