Readers:

I know you may have heard this story before, but it’s
important to keep it in mind.

Halloween is only a week and a half away and for kids
with diabetes this used to mean trouble.

When I was diagnosed at the age of 9, I was devastated
when Halloween came around. It was the only time of year
that I ever ate candy (I wasn’t a big candy person). I
still dressed in costume and went house to house with
my brother to get him more candy, but I got to keep
the pennies and dimes the old ladies would give us.

As I went to a neighbor’s house to trick-or-treat I
discovered they had gone out and bought some sugar free
candy just for me. Diabetes was still new to my family
and I and we had no idea that sugar free candy was
available. It was the greatest feeling to be able to
enjoy Halloween and trick-or-treating like in the past.

Today, kids with diabetes can enjoy candy on Halloween
just the same. I recently went to pick myself up some
sugar free candy and I just can’t believe the variety
of candy specifically for diabetics. You just have to
remember that you can only enjoy a small amount at a
time or else you’ll have to spend the majority of All
Saints’ Day in the bathroom. (I learned the hard way).
I hope that this problem will be corrected in the
future.

Halloween is just as fun as it ever was and I’m glad.
We all know what a little treat can do for your spirits.
Have a Happy Halloween!

Regards,
Steve

Concerned about your health? Evtv1.com has videos for you!
http://www.evtv1.com/Health.aspx

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Can Fish for Dinner Lead to Diabetes?

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Making sure fish ends up on
your dinner plate a couple of times a week may be a good
way to cut your risk for developing heart disease, but it
may not do the same for diabetes, new study findings hint.

In the study, researchers found no evidence of reduced
risk for diabetes among adults who ate more fish, or the
essential omega-3 fatty acids obtained primarily from
seafood.

Rather, their findings suggest that eating 2 or more
servings of fish a week may slightly increase diabetes
risk.

Diet is a key factor in preventing the onset of diabetes
in adults, but how omega-3 fatty acid intake impacts
diabetes risk is still unresolved, Dr. Frank B. Hu, at
Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts,
and colleagues explain in the American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition.

They examined ties between fish and omega-3 fatty acid
intake and the development of diabetes among 152,700
women enrolled in the Nurses’ Health Study and 42,504 men
enrolled in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study.

Overall, 9,380 cases of adult-onset diabetes developed
among these healthcare workers during up to 18 years of
follow up.

After adjusting for lifestyle and other dietary factors,
plus body weight, family history of diabetes, and
menopausal status and hormone use when applicable, Hu’s
team noted increased diabetes risk “in all cohorts”
consuming higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids.

Diabetes was 1.17 times more likely among people who ate
fish 2 to 4 times a week, and 1.22 times more likely
among those who ate fish 5 or more times a week, relative
to those who ate lesser amounts of fish.

Dr. Hu and colleagues emphasize that numerous studies have
demonstrated beneficial effects of fish and omega-3 fatty
acids on multiple risk factors associated with diabetes,
and on heart disease — the major sequelae of diabetes.

They say further study is needed to figure out the
“clinical relevance” of the current findings and
determine the mechanisms behind their observation that
high fish intake may raise diabetes risk.

SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, September
2009

Copyright Reuters Limited.

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Sleepiness from Sleep Apnea Linked to Diabetes

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Daytime sleepiness caused by
the nighttime breathing disorder sleep apnea is nothing
to yawn at.

A new study from Canada hints that the risk of diabetes
may be two to three times higher among people with severe
sleep apnea who also suffer daytime sleepiness.

“This raises the intriguing possibility that sleepiness
(or sleep disruption) may have an independent effect on
the risk for diabetes,” Dr. Willis H. Tsai, of Rockview
General Hospital in Calgary, Alberta, noted in an email
to Reuters Health.

Obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA, is a disorder in which
the tissues at the back of the throat temporarily collapse
during sleep, causing repeated stops and starts in breath-
ing during the night. This leads to poor-quality sleep
and, often, daytime drowsiness.

Tsai’s team looked at associations between diabetes and
OSA among 1,346 men and 803 women assessed for OSA when
they were about 50 years old on average.

Sleep evaluations showed that 25 percent had severe OSA —
that is 30 or more bouts of disturbed breathing per night.
Another 21 percent, without OSA, suffered 5 or fewer of
these bouts nightly. The remaining participants had between
6 and 29 nighttime bouts of disturbed breathing, and were
classified as having mild to moderate OSA.

About 8 percent of the participants in the study also
reported having diabetes. And those with severe OSA
were much more likely to have diabetes even after the
investigators allowed for other OSA risk factors such
as age, body weight, gender, neck circumference, and
smoking status.

Tsai and colleagues note the increased risk for diabetes
was primarily among participants with severe OSA who
reported daytime sleepiness.

Severe OSA has been linked to an increased risk of heart
disease and death. More recently, OSA has been linked to
resistance to the blood-sugar-lowering hormone insulin.
“Insulin resistance” is a precursor to diabetes.

If further research confirms the link between OSA and
diabetes seen in the current study, a history of daytime
sleepiness might help doctors identify OSA patients at
increased risk for developing diabetes, Tsai’s group
suggests.

SOURCE: Thorax, October 2009.

Copyright Reuters Limited.

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Diabetic Recipe

Ghoul’s Breath Dip
(makes about 4 cups, 1 l)

1 pound (450 g) firm-ripe tomatoes, cored, seeded, and cut
into 1/2-inch (1.25 cm) dice

1/4 cup (59 ml) finely chopped red onion

1 serrano chile pepper, seeded and minced

1 garlic clove, minced

3 tablespoons (45 ml) minced fresh cilantro

3 tablespoons (45 ml) fresh lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon (0.625 ml) hot pepper sauce, or to taste

1 cup (236 ml) fat-free sour cream

1. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients except sour
cream. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Fold in
sour cream and let stand for at least 30 minutes before
serving with Raw Vegetables.

Per 1/4-cup (59 ml) serving: 24 calories (4% calories from
fat), 1 g protein, trace
total fat (0.0 g saturated
fat), 5 g carbohydrate, trace
dietary fiber, 0 cholesterol,
14 mg sodium

Exchanges: 1 vegetable

Copyright 1997-2009 Diabetic-Lifestyle.

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