Taking you back to the post I wrote last Saturday about the diabetes explosion occurring in Australia, I happened to come across a program on the Discovery Health channel about diabetes. Guess what the subject matter was? You guessed it- diabetes and the Aborigine people.
The series is called Discovery Health- CME and it is running on Saturday and Sunday mornings at 9AM, at least the last few weeks it has around my neck of the woods (East coast). Last weekend they discussed the “thrifty gene”and how it is contributing to a huge increase in diabetes among the Aborigine …read more

Here’s to promoting weight loss, improving insulin resistance and reversing diabetes? A chemical identified as Pro3(GIP), gastric inhibitory polypeptide receptor blockade was found to accomplish the before mentioned… in animals.
GIP is a hormone that is secreted in response to your food intake . It inhibits the secretion of acids that stimulate the release of insulin as part of the digestive process thus Pro3(GIP) combating this.
While the significance of its action is largely unknown, its potent and prolonged stimulation after a high-fat diet has led researchers to speculate it may play a key role in metabolizing fat. Research has shown that …read more

How many times before have I mentioned the importance of sleep and your bodies ability to regulate glucose? A few at least. There is yet further proof to this theory and I have been holding off writing about it due to it being somewhat repetitive, but I have seen it so frequently that I think it is worth another mention.
The US team discovered that volunteers who were roused whenever they were about to fall into the deepest sleep developed insulin resistance. This inability of the body to recognize normal insulin signals leads to high blood sugar levels, weight gain …read more

“There’s a fair amount of evidence that starch-based foods don’t cause weight gain like sugar-based foods and don’t cause the metabolic syndrome like sugar-based foods,” said Dr. Richard Johnson, the senior author of the report, which reviewed several recent studies on fructose and obesity. “Potatoes, pasta, rice may be relatively safe compared to table sugar. A fructose index may be a better way to assess the risk of carbohydrates related to obesity.”
Ok, so this is not the answer to your holiday munchies given that most cakes, pies and cookies are loaded full of fructose, but it does offer up the …read more

Researchers out of University of Ottawa have discovered a mutation in a gene that is considered to be a major controller in the way that energy levels are used in our bodies. This is a big discovery for endurance athletes as well as diabetics.
What gene is being examined and how does this pertain specifically to diabetics? The gene adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase, AMPK, which controls the amount of energy in our cells by becoming active when fuel stores start to deplete such as in extreme exercise. The mutation showed a doubling of the energy use in the cells. In …read more

Have you heard of biofeedback? Biofeedback is a technique in which patients improve their health by using signals from their own bodies, ie. heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate and sweating, Now have you heard of using biofeedback to help treat your diabetes? I am referring to mainly type 2 diabetics.
There is research that shows after just 10 sessions of biofeedback and relaxation therapy, diabetics blood sugars and A1c were lowered and stayed that way for up to 3 months. And a bonus… depression and anxiety among these patients also decreased. Here would be my hunch why …read more

How long have we been hearing that the spare tire around your mid-section is to blame for developing metabolic syndrome? The same metabolic syndrome that leads to heart disease, prediabetes, diabetes, high blood pressure and hyperlipidemia can be defined as this…
Insulin resistance is a condition in which the body’s cells become resistant to insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas that plays an essential role in regulating the carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins obtained from food.
Yes, I am talking about your belly fat. Now, before you go and get all offended, listen up. We all have it, …read more

I worked night-shift this past weekend at the hospital, 7PM till 7AM. Halfway through Saturday night, as things calmed down I got to thinking. I wondered if nurses, or any other type of shift worker, with diabetes have a more difficult time in controlling their blood sugars.
When you think about it, our bodies are just not wired to be up at night and sleep during the day. I know that personally, when I work night shift, I am up for at least 24 hours before getting sleep. My meals are not at the “normal” times and …read more

Do people have different types of fat in their body? Is one better than the other? Well, yes and yes. You see, we are all born with brown fat, the good guy, and white fat, his enemy. Brown fat is used by the body to generate energy and produce heat. As we get older, the amount of brown fat in our bodies decrease. The white fat, you can picture a container of Crisco, is stored primarily under the skin in the buttocks and belly and stores energy for future use. …read more