The Secret Carb That Doesn't Spike Your Blood Sugar

The Secret Carb that Doesn't Spike Your Blood Sugar

The Secret Carb that Doesn't Spike Your Blood Sugar
Wouldnt it be wonderful if we could eat tasty meals that are high in carbohydrates without driving our blood sugar through the roof?
In fact, even those of us who have diabetes can do this.
Anyone who has had diabetes for some time knows that when we chow down on carbs our blood sugar level is sure to go up. But theres an exception. In the United States this food is a little-known secret, but in India its a well-known fact.
Im partly to blame for keeping this special carbohydrate food a secret. I have known about it ever since 1994 when I began to gather information on the Glycemic Index. Im not sure when I first wrote about it on my own website , but it was in 1998 or earlier, and I have eaten it since then even as I otherwise follow a very low-carb diet. I have mentioned this food in passing here at HealthCentral.com , but I just realized that I never previously gave it the attention here that it deserves.
Now the secret is out: Im talking about chana dal, which in India is sometimes also known as Bengal gram dal (or dhal) or chholar dal. Its scientific name is Cicer arietinum Linn, which actually doesnt help us, because this the same scientific name as that of garbanzo beans (chick peas), which have a higher Glycemic Index.
Chana dal and garbanzo are different market classes, according to Dr. Hans-Henning Mndel, research scientist (plant breeder) at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Research Centre in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.Distinguishing between chana dal and garbanzo beans by looking at them either raw or Continue reading

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Topical antimicrobial agents for treating foot ulcers in people with diabetes

Background
People with diabetes are at high risk for developing foot ulcers, which often become infected. These wounds, especially when infected, cause substantial morbidity. Wound treatments should aim to alleviate symptoms, promote healing, and avoid adverse outcomes, especially lower extremity amputation. Topical antimicrobial therapy has been used on diabetic foot ulcers, either as a treatment for clinically infected wounds, or to prevent infection in clinically uninfected wounds.
Objectives
To evaluate the effects of treatment with topical antimicrobial agents on: the resolution of signs and symptoms of infection; the healing of infected diabetic foot ulcers; and preventing infection and improving healing in clinically uninfected diabetic foot ulcers.
Search methods
We searched the Cochrane Wounds Specialised Register, CENTRAL, Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid MEDLINE (In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations), Ovid Embase, and EBSCO CINAHL Plus in August 2016. We also searched clinical trials registries for ongoing and unpublished studies, and checked reference lists to identify additional studies. We used no restrictions with respect to language, date of publication, or study setting.
Selection criteria
We included randomised controlled trials conducted in any setting (inpatient or outpatient) that evaluated topical treatment with any type of solid or liquid (e.g., cream, gel, ointment) antimicrobial agent, including antiseptics, antibiotics, and antimicrobial dressings, in people with diabetes mellitus who were diagnosed with an ulcer or open wound of the foot, whether clinically Continue reading

Immunotherapy, gene editing advances extend to Type 1 Diabetes

Immunotherapy, gene editing advances extend to Type 1 Diabetes
December 13, 2017, Seattle Children's Research Institute
Dr. Jane Buckner of the Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason and Dr. David Rawlings at Seattle Children's Research Institute are leading research to develop an immunotherapy for type 1 diabetes. Credit: Seattle Children's
Advances in engineering T cells to treat cancer are paving the way for new immunotherapies targeted at autoimmune diseases, including type 1 diabetes. Now, researchers are also investigating therapies that reprogram T cells to "turn down" an immune response, which may hold promise for curing type 1 diabetes, as well as a number of diseases where overactive T cells attack a person's healthy cells and organs.
"Instead of stimulating the immune system to seek and destroy cancer cells , treating autoimmune conditions will require programming a patient's own T cells to tell rogue immune cells to calm down," said Dr. David Rawlings, director of the Center for Immunity and Immunotherapies at Seattle Children's Research Institute and chief of the Division of Immunology at Seattle Children's Hospital.
Harnessing gene-editing techniques pioneered by Seattle Children's, Rawlings and colleagues have already made headway in equipping T cells with the instructions needed to potentially reverse type 1 diabetes . In a new $2 million research project funded by The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, researchers will leverage these recent successes using this new form of T-cell immunotherapy into first-in-human clinical trials. Continue reading

What Are the Best Essential Oils for Diabetes? | Everyday Health

Should You Use Essential Oils for Diabetes Treatment?
Just because its a natural remedy commonly used for treating diabetes doesnt guarantee that its safe. Heres what you need to know before trying any oils, and the best types to consider.
Essential oils wont cure diabetes, but adding them to your management routine may help relieve stress and potentially relieve diabetic neuropathy symptoms.
If you follow type 2 diabetes forums, you may have come across users suggesting turning to essential oils often for managing blood sugar, treating symptoms, or even curing the disease. While these oils may be considered a more natural therapy, they also may have side effects, which is why there are many things you need to know before giving them a try in your diabetes management plan.
What Are Essential Oils Made of and Can They Cure Diabetes?
Essential oils are derived from plants, but that doesnt mean they arent potent. For instance, it takes 50 lemons to make a 15-milliliter (mL) essential oil bottle; 3 pounds (lbs) of lavender flowers are used in a 15 mL bottle; and there are 105 lbs of rose petals in a 5mL bottle, according to Doterra, a brand of essential oils .
Theyre powerful, and as lovely as they smell, they need to be taken seriously. First, its important to cut through the chatter you may have heard: Essential oils will not reverse diabetes or treat it in lieu of more traditional approaches. None of the essential oils are significantly potent enough to serve as diabetes medication, says Rasa Kazlauskaite, MD , an associate professor in endocrinology, diabetes, and Continue reading

ADA Issues New Position Statement to Manage Diabetes and Hypertension

With George L. Bakris, MD, Priyathama Vellanki, MD, and Mark E. Molitch, MD
For the first time in nearly 15 years, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) has updated its position statement on the screening and diagnosis of hypertension in patients with diabetes.1 The update to the existing guideline is of vital importance given that patients with diabetes often develop hypertension, and it is a strong risk factor for cardiovascular disease, heart failure, and microvascular complications.
The position statement is authored by nine leading diabetes experts on behalf of the ADA, including George L. Bakris, MD, professor of medicine and director of the ASH Comprehensive Hypertension Center at the University of Chicago Medicine. Dr. Bakris spoke with EndocrineWeb to offer his insight on key changes to the guidelines of particular interest to clinicians. The position statement was made available August 22 online and is scheduled to be published in the September 2017 issue of Diabetes Care. 1
"In terms of blood pressure goals, we did it in two tiers," Dr. Bakris told EndocrineWeb. "We said everyone should be below 140 over 90, regardless.'' Blood pressure should also be measured at every routine clinical care visit.
Furthermore, Dr. Bakris said there is an indication for reducing blood pressure below 130/80. "Most people should be urged to go to 130/80 [or below] because the cardiovascular risk in that subgroup of people is higher than the general population," he stated. "The level of evidence is not as strong, but it's reasonable." He cited the findings from the Action to Continue reading