Watching TV Three Hours A Day Linked To Type 2 Diabetes In Children

Watching TV three hours a day linked to type 2 diabetes in children

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Watching TV three hours a day linked to type 2 diabetes in children
Children who spend more than three hours a day in front of the TV or a computer may be at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Increased levels of body fat and insulin resistance in children were linked to regular extended periods of screen time in a new study published in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood.
Diabetes risk factors including blood fat and glucose levels, blood pressure and resistance to insulin were measured in 4,495 children aged nine and ten from primary schools in London, Birmingham and Leicester.
Children who said they spent the most time watching TV or using electronic devices each day were found to be more likely to exhibit physical risk factors for diabetes.
“Our findings suggest that reducing screen time may be beneficial in reducing type 2 diabetes risk factors, in both boys and girls and in different ethnic groups from an early age,” wrote the researchers from St George’s, University of London.
The scientists said their findings were of “considerable potential public health interest” but emphasised further research was needed to prove the link between diabetes risk and screen time.
“This is particularly relevant, given rising levels of type 2 diabetes, the early emergence of type 2 diabetes risk, and recent trends suggesting that screen time related activities are increasing in childhood and may pattern screen-related behaviours in later life,” they said.
Previous research has suggested a link between time spent on screens and heightened type Continue reading

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10 Fiber-Rich Foods for Your Diabetes Diet

Focus on Fiber, Balance Your Blood Sugar
Ready to give your health a clean sweep? Then consider fiber — nature’s broom, says Toby Smithson, RDN, LDN, CDE, spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and author of Diabetes Meal Planning and Nutrition for Dummies.
Found in plant-based foods, fiber is a carbohydrate that the body can’t digest, which helps slow the rise in blood sugar following a meal. There are two types of fiber — soluble and insoluble, and they’ve both got big benefits. “Foods high in soluble fiber become gummy or sticky as they pass through the digestive tract, helping to reduce the absorption of cholesterol,” Smithson explains. Insoluble fiber doesn’t dissolve and promotes bowel regularity.
Other benefits include weight management, because fiber can help you feel more full and satisfied, and better regulation of blood sugar levels. And since people with diabetes are at double the risk for cardiovascular complications, fiber’s ability to lower cholesterol and blood pressure levels is a great way to improve heart health. To get the recommended 20 to 35 grams per day, include these fiber-rich gems in your type 2 diabetes diet. Continue reading

Type 2 diabetes, once considered a disease for adults, is increasingly common in tweens and teens

For years, health experts have bemoaned the rise of childhood obesity in the United States. About 17 percent of kids and teens in the U.S. are now considered obese, a figure that has more than tripled since the 1970s, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A report in the New England Journal of Medicine lays out one of the consequences of all this excess weight: a corresponding increase in childhood cases of Type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes occurs when extra body fat makes it hard for cells to use insulin, a hormone that turns sugar into energy. Over time, blood sugar levels rise and cause blood vessels to become stiff, increasing the risk of life-threatening conditions like heart attacks, strokes and kidney failure, among others. More than 75,000 Americans die of diabetes each year, the CDC says.
Type 2 diabetes used to be called adult-onset diabetes, because it would take years to develop. (That's in contrast to Type 1 diabetes, formerly known as juvenile diabetes, which occurs when the immune system destroys the cells that make insulin.) But these days, doctors are diagnosing Type 2 in school-age kids, and occasionally even in toddlers.
After reviewing data on 10- to 19-year-olds in primarily five states (California, Colorado, Ohio, South Carolina and Washington), researchers determined that 12.5 out of every 100,000 of them had a bona fide case of Type 2 diabetes in 2011 and 2012. That compares with nine cases per 100,000 youth in 2002 and 2003.
After accounting for age, gender, race and ethnicity, the study authors found that the inciden Continue reading

Real Talk With Dave: Sleeping Through The Night

One thing that we as Type 1 Diabetics often worry about is going to sleep. I have experienced myself, as well as heard other Diabetics discuss how sleeping can be one of the most stressful things as a Diabetic because we are always unsure what to expect. What we worry about is not waking up in the morning as a result from a severe low blood sugar, ripping our pump sites out as we toss and turn in bed, then waking up with a high blood sugar due to no insulin going through all night, or just about anything else you can think of relating to Diabetes in the night. But that shouldn’t be the case. Sleeping at the end of the day should be a time to unwind and rest from the busy day prior. Everyone has their days when they are constantly on the go and working so hard that when they come home at night, sleep is an essential to healthy living. There are things that we can do, to the best of our ability, to ensure a peaceful sleep and a restful night.
After living with T1D for so many years and knowing your own unique and individual sleeping pattern and Diabetes routine, going to bed is much more relaxing and you are able to worry less. It just takes time and practice. I can remember countless times in which I would wake up from a low blood sugar at 4 AM and run downstairs, practically eat the whole kitchen as it is a common feeling to be so hungry and in a state of panic, to bring me back up from that horrific low. That is just me, but some others may not be responsive to lows in the middle of the night, as well as highs. In that case, having different ways to ensure you’ll wake Continue reading

6 Tips For Better Sleep With Diabetes

When you have diabetes, poor sleep can disrupt your blood sugar, your mood and your health.
An estimated 40 to 50 percent of people with diabetes say they don't sleep well, according to Dr. Kingman Strohl, director of the Sleep Disorders Program at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center.
Since quality sleep is so important to well-controlled blood sugar, making adjustments to get better shut-eye should be a top priority if you have diabetes.
Here are six ways you can improve your nighttime routine and get better sleep:
1. Lose the extra weight
Carrying too much extra weight can lead to sleep apnea - a condition that causes disruptions in sleep patterns and drowsiness during the day.
One study in 2009 found that 86 percent of people with diabetes experience sleep apnea, yet the condition can usually be quickly reversed once a person loses weight.
Shedding extra pounds will also correspond with better nutrition and exercise habits, which will both help to improve your sleep.
2. Have a routine
Having a routine for your blood sugar management is important for diabetes control, but it's just as important to have a regular sleeping routine.
Humans are habitual creatures that have set biological rhythms. Oversleeping, lack of sleep or an erratic sleep schedule are all factors that can disrupt your biological clock and affect the ongoing quality of your sleep.
3. Get tested for neuropathy
Diabetic neuropathy - a condition characterized by numbness, tingling, or pain in the hands or feet - could also be disrupting your sleep quality.
Restless leg syndrome, which may have simil Continue reading