Battling Diabetes

The results of the Shanghai Women’s Health Study conducted by Vanderbilt University Medical Center and published in the January 2008 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, were that consumption of legumes ( peanuts, soybeans, and other legumes) reduced the risk of diabetes by over 40 percent.

Those who consumed more soy beans had the greatest reduction in risk–up to 47 percent.

What is a legume?

High in protein, iron and B vitamins legumes or Leguminosae, have seed pods that, when ripe, split along both sides.

Types of legumes:

• lentils
• peas
• soybeans
• peanuts
• beans

And oh those wonderful beans, pinto, lima, kidney, butter, garbanzo, string beans, snap beans, green and yellow wax beans!

While high in starch beans can be incorporated into your diabetic meal plan.

Try tossing some into your salad or an omelet. Need inspiration? Here are a few legume recipes to get you started.

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Ever wonder if diabetics can safely donate blood?

General Guidelines of the American Red Cross updated 5/5/2008:

To give blood for transfusion to another person, you must be healthy, be at least 17 years old or 16 years old if allowed by state law. You must weigh at least 110 pounds, and not have donated whole blood in the last 8 weeks (56 days) or double red cells in the last 16 weeks (112 days).

“Healthy” means that you feel well and can perform normal activities. If you have a chronic condition such as diabetes or high blood pressure, “healthy” also means that you are being treated and the condition is under control.

Additionally information:

Donors with diabetes who since 1980, ever used bovine (beef) insulin made from cattle from the United Kingdom are not eligible to donate. This requirement is related to concerns about variant CJD, or ‘mad cow’ disease

More information on eligibility requirements are available at the American Red Cross site or check your local blood donation facility.

Ready to Donate?

Here’s a Little Info on the Donation Process:

Individuals can donate blood every eight weeks. It’s an ongoing need as red blood cells can only be stored for 42 days and platelets for 5 days.

From 1995-1999 the U.S. government put into place regulations to increase the safety of donated blood including testing to identify genetic viruses such as HIV and HCV.

Blood donating is considered a safe process. Bags and needles are used once and then disposed of. The FDA regulates all blood banks.

Do you have concerns about donation safety? The American Red Cross provides a presentation to answer all your questions about donating and giving the gift of life.

What do you know about blood? Take the quiz.

Test your knowledge here.

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Being a teenager is tough enough–tryng to fit in, yet be an individual… A diagnosis of diabetes adds a whole new meaning to the words teenage angst.

When it comes to coping with a diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes, Nick Jonas understands first hand exactly how a teen’s life can be turned upside down.

A Little Bit Longer is the newly released hit song, written by 15 year-old, pop star Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers, about his own diabetic journey that began with his 2005 diagnosis of Type I Diabetes. In fact it was a blood sugar of over 700 that sent Nick to the emergency room and began his particular challenge of dealing with diabetes on a road tour.

A Little Bit Longer

Got the news today
But they said I had to stay
A little bit longer
And I’ll be fine
When I thought it’d all been done
When I thought it’d all been said
A little bit longer
And I’ll be fine

But you don’t know what you got
‘Till it’s gone
And you don’t know what it’s like
To feel so low
Everytime you smile or laugh you glow
You don’t even know
No no
You don’t even know

Check out the YouTube Video of the Jonas Brothers and a discussion of A Little Bit Longer.

You can see Nick on the cover of the July issue of Diabetes Forecast, the consumer publication of the American Diabetes Association. If you don’t subscribe (why don’t you?) then you can check out the highlights of the story here.

Attention fans of the band: Nick Jonas is also giving away concert tickets to lucky fans in every American Diabetes Association affiliate branch city in which the band performs. You can read about the winners of a recent Phoenix, Arizona concert, on Friday July 11th.

The concert schedule is available on http://www.myspace.com/jonasbrothers

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Time for an update on what’s new in the area of diabetic clinical trials.

A clinical trial is scientific research involving people that studies the effects of a new medication, therapy or device to determine if it is safe and effective.

For more information on what a clinical trial is, see the Battling Diabetes archives on clinical trials.

Currently enrolling clinical trials of interest to diabetics:

The University of California at San Francisco, Diabetes Center is currently enrolling patients in five studies of people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and three related studies of non-diabetics. Two of particular interest are:

Non-Diabetics: Alpha Lipoic Acid and Insulin Resistance — In this study, which is seeking volunteers 20 to 60 years of age, researchers wish to see if the antioxidant Alpha Lipoic Acid (LA) will improve insulin sensitivity in healthy, non-diabetic volunteers. See the Battling Diabetes article on ALA in the archives.

Non-Diabetics: Chromium and Insulin Resistance — This study is seeking volunteers 20 to 50 years of age with normal body weight who are not exercising regularly. Researchers want to find out the effect of chromium therapy on insulin resistance and will test all study subjects to determine if they are insulin-resistant or insulin-sensitive. See the Battling Diabetes article on chromium in the archives.

Currently the New Mexico ACT Trials (Albuquerque Clinical Trials) are recruiting Type Two Diabetics. Two of particular interest are sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline and are intended to study and compare the effects of two medications, one new and one already approved, in lowering high blood sugars, lowering lipids, and lowering body weight in patients who use diet and exercise only to control their type II diabetes.

A third of interest is sponsored by Bristol Myers Squibb and involves a new compound combination with Metformin and/or TZD and/or Insulin therapy. Now enrolling patients ages 18-77 with the intention of assessing the effects of lowering blood sugars by management of diabetic medications.

In the News!

Forbes.com, July 3, 2008. The Great Drug Debate. A panel of FDA experts voted 14-2 on Wednesday that diabetes drugs should face far more scrutiny to be sure they don’t cause heart attacks. The doctors present agreed the drugs should be tested for several years in 2,000 diabetics without heart disease before being approved.

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Who Are Those People Anyhow??

Failing to plan is planning to fail.

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According to a report released in January by the American Diabetes Association the” total annual economic cost of diabetes in 2007 was estimated to be $174 billion. This is an increase of $42 billion since 2002. This 32% increase means the dollar amount has risen over $8 billion more each year.”

A study by the CDC states that for every $1 spent on diabetes training and education, $8.76 is saved on health care costs. Forty six states now have passed diabetes bills and the states of Ohio, Alabama, Idaho and North Dakota have not. We should be asking WHY NOT?

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