Diabetic Blogs

olive oil cooking spray
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, 4 ounces (120 g), chopped
1 28-ounce (793 g) crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons (7.5ml) dried basil
1 teaspoon (5 ml ) fennel, crushed
1 teaspoon (5 ml ) dried orange rind*
1/8 teaspoon (0.6 ml) crushed red pepper flakes
1 15-ounce (425 g) container low fat ricotta cheese
1/2 pound zucchini (240 g), grated and squeezed of excess liquid
2 small carrots, 4 ounces (120 g ), grated
1/2 cup (120 ml) egg substitute
1 cup (120 g) shredded skim milk mozzarella cheese, plus 1/4 cup (30 g) for garnish (optional)
2 tablespoons (15 g) grated Romano cheese, plus 1 teaspoon (2.5 g) for garnish (optional)
6 oven-ready lasagna noodles

There is an association between type 2 diabetes mellitus and colorectal cancer (CRC) among men, but not women, according to a new study in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute.

In 2000, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes was approximately 171 million worldwide, and 366 million people are projected to have the disease by 2030. Obesity, western-style diet and lack of physical activity are established risk factors for CRC. Hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia, which are especially pronounced during the early stages of type 2 diabetes, have been proposed as mediators for the association between CRC and type 2 diabetes. Although it is known that type 2 diabetes is associated with an increased risk of CRC, it is not clear if this association varies by gender or other factors.

“While our study supports an association of type 2 diabetes with colorectal cancer incidence among men, our results also suggest that insulin use is associated with a slight, but not a substantially increased, risk of colorectal cancer among men with type 2 diabetes,” said Peter T. Campbell, PhD, of the American Cancer Society and lead author of this study. “Prevention strategies should emphasize adherence to guidelines intended for the general population such as smoking cessation, weight management, exercise and regular early detection exams.”

In the final study of 73,312 men and 81,663 women, 1,567 men (227 with type 2 diabetes) and 1,242 women (108 with type 2 diabetes) were diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer by 2007. Among men, type 2 diabetes was associated with increased risk of incident CRC compared to not having type 2 diabetes. CRC risk was higher for those participants with type 2 diabetes regardless of whether or not they used insulin.

Among women, type 2 diabetes and insulin use were not associated with CRC risk. These findings support recent observations that the association may be more prominent in men than in women, and raise the possibility of a stronger association among individuals with a family history of CRC. This finding could have clinical relevance if confirmed by other large studies. The authors speculate that the lack of an association between type 2 diabetes and CRC risk among women might relate to improved glucose control among women with type 2 diabetes in recent years.

Participants were selected from the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort, a prospective study of cancer incidence. In 1992 or 1993, 184,194 adult participants completed a detailed, self-administered questionnaire. Follow-up questionnaires were sent in 1997 and every two years thereafter.

Source:
Alissa J. Cruz
American Gastroenterological Association

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, about 4 pounds
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 sprigs fresh rosemary
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Rinse the chicken inside and out with cold running water. Pat it dry with paper towels.

In a small bowl, mince together the rosemary and garlic. Loosen the chicken skin from the flesh, and rub the flesh with olive oil and then the herb mixture. Sprinkle with black pepper. Put 2 rosemary sprigs into the cavity of the chicken. Truss the chicken.

Place the chicken into a roasting pan and roast for 20 to 25 minutes per pound, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Whole chicken should cook to an internal temperature of 180 F. Baste frequently with pan juices. When browned and juices run clear, transfer the chicken to a serving platter.

In a small saucepan, combine the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar. Heat until warmed but don’t boil.

Carve the chicken and remove the skin. Top the pieces with the vinegar mixture. Garnish with the remaining rosemary sprigs and serve immediately.

MASON CITY, IA – Diabetes sufferers can help get rid of some of that worry at this year’s “Fall Festival.”  The Diabetes Clinic at Mercy Medical Center North Iowa is holding its 11 festival.

There will be seminars on how to manage the different aspects of diabetes.

A featured keynote speaker will be a chef who creates delicious-diabetic friendly recipes. Shannon Johnson, the coordinator for the Diabetes Clinic says it’s also a great way for folks to see all the diabetic center can provide, like insulin pumps and glucose therapy.

“We do a lot of that stuff here so if they don’t know that we exist then they can come and get to know what our services are.”

The festival is out at NIACC on Wednesday September 22nd. The sessions will begin around 5:30 p.m.

Maintaining your diet when you’ve been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes can be a real challenge, but it can also mean the difference between life and death. Those afflicted with type 2 diabetes either don’t produce enough insulin, or the white blood cells in the body ignore the insulin, affecting the body’s glucose levels. Stabilizing glucose is key to remaining healthy, and the more you can do this naturally through diet, the better.

 Regular monitoring of the blood glucose is required to maintain healthy insulin productions, and part of this process includes paying close attention to the food you eat, and how it affects your glucose. While this sounds like a lot of work, many of the health and diet recommendations for people with type 2 diabetes are literally no different than those advised by health professionals for a normal, healthy lifestyle. An ideal diet for most individuals, diabetic or otherwise, typically consists of fiber rich plant based foods, lean proteins, and slow-digesting carbohydrates.

In a fast-food designed world where few people have time to eat healthy meals, much less actively exercise, getting your diet on-track can feel overwhelming. One of the most important places to start is with your carbohydrate intake. Carbohydrates have the most direct effect on your blood glucose levels because they immediately break down into sugar in your bloodstream. Foods high in fiber tend to also be high in carbohydrates, and depending on your doctor’s specific recommendations, you will be required to count and achieve a certain number of carbohydrates for every meal and snack time.

 Counting carbohydrates may sound complicated, but with proper food labeling and accurate serving measures, you can easily prepare and consume the recommended number of carbohydrates without much hassle. When counting carbohydrates, one serving is equal to 15 grams of carbohydrates, and eating 30 to 45 grams of carbohydrates is recommended at each meal.

 Fiber is another important part of a healthy diet, especially for people with type 2 diabetes. Fiber helps control blood sugar levels by slowing down the body’s absorption of sugar. It speeds up digestion, makes you feel fuller, and promotes healthy weight-loss, which is often recommended for obese patients with type 2 diabetes.

 Between 25 and 30 grams of fiber are recommended each day. Fiber is found in foods like whole grain breads and cereals, fresh fruits and vegetables and cooked dried beans. Label reading is just as important in gauging fiber intake as it is with carbohydrate intake, and a carefully planned balance between the two are essential to maintaining a proper diet.

 Heart disease is a major risk factor for people with type 2 diabetes, which means you also need to take inventory of the number of saturated fats you consume each day. Properly prepared, low-fat dairy products, lean cuts of meat, fish and vegetable oils containing monounsaturated fats not only help contribute to healthy weight loss, but combined with fiber, can help reduce cholesterol and lower your risk of heart disease.

 Conscious eating combined with blood glucose monitoring are essential in getting your diet and your type 2 diabetes under control. When first diagnosed, it may feel overwhelming and even impossible to stick to the diet recommendations presented to you by your doctor. Over time these changes will become second nature, making it easy and even a little exciting for you to experiment with new recipes and foods you might not have tried otherwise.

Note: This fantastic loaf freezes well. You can top it with frozen fat-free, sugar-free vanilla yogurt, if desired.

(HealthDay News) — Although it’s long been thought that people with type 1 diabetes cease to produce any insulin after they’ve had the disease for a while, new research suggests that the insulin-producing beta cells destroyed by type 1 diabetes may actually be in a constant state of turnover, even in people who’ve had diabetes for decades.

This new research stems from a study of people who’ve had type 1 diabetes for at least 50 years and have been awarded the Joslin Diabetes Center’s “50-Year Medal.” In fact, the impetus for the study came from one of the medalists who mentioned to her doctor that she believed her body was still making some insulin.

“I knew I still produced insulin. I don’t do it all the time, but sometimes I need a lot less insulin, and the doctors proved on one test that I still did make some insulin,” said medalist Elizabeth Saalfeld from Springfield, Va., who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1945 at age 9.

“In our study, we made the unexpected finding that about two-thirds of the medalists still retained the ability to have positive C-peptide results, which is an indication that they could still be making insulin,” said the study’s senior author, Dr. George L. King, chief scientific officer at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston. “It was a surprise because they’ve had diabetes for so long.”

Results of the study were released online Aug. 10 in advance of publication in an upcoming print issue of the journal Diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes is believed to be an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the beta cells in the pancreas. When enough beta cells have been destroyed, the body is no longer able to produce sufficient enough amounts of insulin to properly metabolize the carbohydrates in food. Someone with type 1 diabetes must replace that lost insulin through daily injections.

The current study included 411 living diabetes medalists, and a post-mortem pancreas analysis from another nine medalists.

The average age of the medalists was 67, and they’d had diabetes an average of 56 years, according to the study. Half of the study participants were male, and the average body mass index (BMI) was 26, which is considered slightly overweight.

The researchers found that 67.4 percent of the medalists had minimal or sustained C-peptide levels, suggesting that they were still producing some insulin.

Some of the study participants also had their C-peptide levels measured before and after a meal. The researchers also measured C-peptide levels before and after a meal in age-matched non-diabetic people. They found that C-peptide levels increased about fivefold in those without diabetes. In people with type 1 diabetes, the C-peptide levels in those whose bodies responded to the meal rose about threefold.

The people with diabetes who had sustained C-peptide levels saw about a 36 percent response to the meal compared to those with minimal levels who had response levels of 15 percent.

When the researchers examined the donor pancreases, King said they were able to confirm that there were still insulin-producing beta cells present.

“In most, there weren’t that many, but at least two had substantial amounts of insulin-producing cells,” said King. “The data is quite exciting, indicating that there can be a turnover of beta cells even after such a long time with diabetes.”

“This study shows that in this unique cohort of people surviving 50 years or more that some still have a nice balance of beta cells; it’s not just a progressive death,” said Dr. Joel Zonszein, director of the Clinical Diabetes Center at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City.

But, Zonszein added, this may not apply to everyone with type 1 diabetes. “Some people have a very rapid decay in beta cell function, but many continue to make insulin and their beta cells try to survive. The take-home message is that not all patients with type 1 have no insulin of their own, although they still need [outside] insulin to survive,” he said.

Zonszein also noted that good control of blood sugar levels in type 1 diabetes may help preserve beta cell function.

To others living with type 1 diabetes, Saalfeld said, “You can manage diabetes. You definitely have to take care of yourself — eat what you’re supposed to, exercise and take your insulin correctly — but you can live a normal, or close to normal, life, and a full life, too.”