Readers:
I’ve been diabetic for the last 19 years. In that time I
have become more aware of how almost every facet of my
life has a cause/effect relationship with my diabetes.
From sleeping habits to stress, diabetes can be impacted
by almost anything in your life. As I get older I learn to
recognize and counteract such variables in order to keep
me safe and healthy.
It’s important to take control. Diabetes management is not
only about your health, but about you as a whole. The
better overall care you take the better chance for a long
and health life.
Regards,
Steve
Concerned about your health? Evtv1.com has videos for you!
http://www.evtv1.com/Health.aspx
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Levemir Does Not Increase Risk of Cancer: Studies
VIENNA (Reuters) – Novo Nordisk’s Levemir was not
associated in any increase in incidence of cancer when
compared with human insulin in studies including some
9,000 patients, according to a new analysis released
on Thursday.
The Danish drugmaker has distanced itself from a scare
over diabetes treatment Lantus, pointing out its modern
insulin Levemir had different characteristics to Sanofi-
Aventis’s product.
Scientists analysed data from 21 randomised trials and
concluded Levemir was associated with a statistically
significant lower rate of cancer than human insulin
treatment.
Incidence of cancer was also lower when compared with
Lantus, though the difference was not statistically
significant, according to the analysis, released at a
European Association for the Study of Diabetes meeting
in Vienna.
Studies have highlighted a possible link between Sanofi’s
drug Lantus, or glargine, and cancer and the French group
is investigating further.
Lantus and Levemir are both long-acting insulin analogues
used by diabetics to control their blood sugar, but
Levemir was launched more recently and so was not assessed
in those studies.
Novo Nordisk says Levemir is different from Lantus because
it does not bind any more than human insulin to the insulin-
like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) receptor, which is known to be
involved in promoting tumour growth.
Unlike human insulin, a hormone normally produced by the
pancreas that helps the body use glucose for energy,
Levemir and Lantus have a slightly altered molecular
structure that allows them to last longer in the body.
An estimated 246 million people globally have diabetes.
Most have type 2 diabetes, the kind linked with a poor
diet and lack of exercise.
The Danish group also markets two other insulin analogues,
NovoRapid/NovoLog, a short-acting insulin analogue, and
NovoMix/NovoLog.
Copyright Reuters Limited.
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Poor Math Skills May Worsen Diabetes Control
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – A new study suggests that
diabetic adults’ ability to work with numbers may affect
their management of the disease — and that, in turn, may
help explain racial differences in diabetes control.
A number of studies have found that compared with their
white counterparts, African Americans with diabetes tend
to have poorer blood sugar control — as well as higher
rates of diabetes complications, like heart disease and
kidney failure.
Numbers come into play everyday for people with diabetes
– in counting carbohydrates, adjusting insulin doses and
keeping track of blood sugar readings, for instance.
In the new study, published in the journal Diabetes Care,
researchers looked at whether patients’ diabetes-related
“numeracy” was related to their long-term blood sugar
control.
The study included 383 adults with type 2 diabetes who
took a test that gauged their ability to conquer a range
of number-related tasks — such as interpreting nutrition
labels on packaged foods, calculating calories and
carbohydrates in a meal, and keeping track of medication
doses.
Overall, the researchers found, patients with the strongest
test scores generally had better results on A1C tests,
which estimate a person’s average blood sugar level over
the previous few months.
What’s more, number skills seemed to partly explain why
African-American patients generally had poorer A1C scores
than white patients did.
The current findings suggest that such number skills may
be an unrecognized factor, write Dr. Chandra Y. Osborn
and colleagues at Vanderbilt University in Nashville,
Tennessee. The authors suggest that the poorer skills
could be due in part to less opportunity to take relevant
courses, and lower socioeconomic status.
The implication, they say, is that helping diabetes
patients with their numeracy might also help them with
their blood sugar control. And that, in turn, might
reduce racial disparities in diabetes complications.
Future studies, the researchers conclude, should look at
the effects of numeracy education on patients’ diabetes
control.
SOURCE: Diabetes Care, September 2009.
Copyright Reuters Limited.
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Diabetic Recipe
Breakfast Banana Split
Adapted from our latest book: The Joslin Diabetes Quick &
Easy Cookbook (Fireside)
(makes 1 serving)
1/2 medium ripe banana, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
1/4 cup nonfat cottage cheese
1 small navel orange, peeled and sectioned
1/4 cup fresh raspberries
1. Place banana halves in a shallow soup bowl or banana
split dish. Top with cottage cheese. Arrange orange
sections over and around the cottage cheese.
2. Puree the raspberries in a food processor or blender
until smooth. Drizzle over the fruit and cottage cheese.
Serve at once.
Per serving: 140 calories (3% calories from fat), <1 gram
total fat (0.1 g saturated fat), 9 g protein,
27 g carbohydrates, 4 g dietary fiber,
5 mg cholesterol, 186 g sodium
Diabetic exchanges: 1 very low-fat protein, 2 carbohydrate
(2 fruit)
Copyright Diabetic-Lifestyle.
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