Cut the Sugar
No need to overload your cranberry sauce with sugar this holiday season − a food scientist explains how to cook with fewer added sweeteners Above photo: Fall means cranberry season − and sweet seasonal holiday dishes.AP Photo/Sergei Grits By Rosemary Trout, Drexel University The holidays are full of delicious and indulgent food and drinks. It’s […]
Traditional Foods
Trailblazing chef Jessica Walks First is reclaiming healthy Native American culinary traditions Jessica Walks First was feeling tired one day in early November — exhausted actually, but inspired to be doing work she felt called to do. November is Native American Heritage Month, and Walks First, a Menominee chef, had been in high demand. As […]
Preventing Type 2 Diabetes
Making lifestyle changes now can help stop or reverse the disorder It was a few weeks before Christmas 2019, and I was nervous. I had just been to the doctor, who told me I was 50 pounds overweight for my height. I was not looking forward to getting my lab results. My fear: a diabetes […]
Mayo Clinic Q&A: How to Reverse Prediabetes
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I’m a 36-year-old man recently diagnosed with prediabetes. Is there a way to reverse this, or am I destined to eventually get diabetes? My healthcare provider says I’ve likely been in the prediabetes stage for a year or more. ANSWER: There are steps you can take to slow the progression of prediabetes […]
10 Great Habits That Can Help You Manage Diabetes
Managing diabetes doesn’t have to be complicated. While your doctor will help you put together a comprehensive plan to manage your condition, remembering these 10 tips can help you work toward better health every day. 1. Get moving. The American Diabetes Association recommends at least 150 minutes of activity a week, with no more than […]
Spotlight on Supplements: Cinnamon
You undoubtedly know the familiar aroma and flavor of cinnamon. This popular spice is used in cuisines around the world for its warm and distinct flavor. But does cinnamon have therapeutic value? Environmental Nutrition examines this well-known ingredient. Overview Cinnamon is sourced from the inner bark of various species of cinnamon trees. Strips of the […]
Good News for Those with Type 2 Diabetes: Healthy Lifestyle Matters
Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder of insulin resistance — a reduced sensitivity to the action of insulin — which leads to high blood sugar, or hyperglycemia. Approximately 12% of American adults have type 2 diabetes, and more than one-third of Americans have prediabetes, a precursor to type 2 diabetes. This is a major […]
Step Up Your Health by Walking
Spending too much time on your tush can lead to numerous health woes. But here’s an easy fix: After an hour of sitting, walk around for two minutes. It could reduce your risk of early death by 33%, according to a report in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. Here are three […]
Managing the Highs and Lows
Families ride the roller-coaster of type 1 diabetes Managing type 1 diabetes is not easy — especially for kids. With the daily highs and lows of blood sugar and insulin dosing, kids and their parents can feel like they’re riding a roller-coaster. Throw teen diets, growing bodies, hormones, sports and school into the mix and […]
A Stealth Disease
Type 2 diabetes can wreak havoc before you know it Allison Dickson hoped the feeling would pass. As an on-the-go mother of two juggling a regular job and a burgeoning career as an author, 38-year-old Dickson didn’t have time to be sick. Life was calling and, by her own admission, she sent her health to […]
The best diet for managing your diabetes
Many older Americans have type 2 diabetes or prediabetes. In fact, even though many have not been diagnosed, one in four adults aged 65 or older have diabetes and nearly 50 percent have prediabetes. And what they eat matters. More than a blood sugar problem Though healthcare providers use blood sugar levels to diagnose diabetes, […]
Wearable Medicine
New devices tackle heart disease and diabetes Above photo: CardioMEMS pulmonary artery sensor. Courtesy of St. Jude Medical, Inc. A new era in medicine is emerging. Implanted body sensors can monitor critical indicators, dispense therapeutic doses of medication and alert patients and physicians to troubling changes—all in real time. This innovative technology is offering big promise in combating top causes of […]
What is prediabetes and why does it matter?
Harvard Health Blog By Monique Tello, M.D., M.P.H. When I’m seeing a new patient, I am especially alert to certain pieces of their history. Do they have a strong family history of diabetes? Are they of Latino, Asian, Native-American or African-American ethnicity? Did they have diabetes in pregnancy? Are they overweight or obese? Do they […]
Plant defense against diabetes
Environmental Nutrition By Jill Weisenberger, M.S., R.D.N., C.D.E. As if you need another reason to fill your plate with more plants! But new research suggests that diets rich in polyphenols, a large class of compounds found in foods of plant origin, may fend off type 2 diabetes, and help those who already have diabetes better […]
Finding the cause of peripheral neuropathy helps guide treatment
The Medicine Cabinet: Ask the Harvard Experts Q: I have persistent numbness and tingling in my feet. I think it might be peripheral neuropathy. It’s tolerable now, but I worry about it getting worse. What can I do? A: Peripheral neuropathy is nerve disease involving branches of nerves that are farthest away from their origins […]
Safe drug lowers diabetes risk in women with PCOS
The Medicine Cabinet: Ask the Harvard Experts By Howard LeWine, M.D. Q: My daughter has polycystic ovary syndrome. Her new doctor prescribed metformin. But she doesn’t have diabetes. How is metformin helpful? A: A little background on polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) first. Normally the ovaries produce estrogen, progesterone and only a small amount of testosterone. […]
Metabolic Syndrome and Diabetes Related, But Not the Same
Mayo Clinic Q&A DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My mother is in her 70s and was just diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. Is this just another name for diabetes? What will she need for treatment? ANSWER: Metabolic syndrome and diabetes are not the same, but the two are related. When a person is diagnosed with metabolic syndrome, it […]
Prevent a slightly high blood sugar from progressing to diabetes
The Medicine Cabinet: Ask the Harvard Experts By Howard LeWine, M.D. Q: I recently had a blood sugar test. The level was slightly higher than normal. Does this mean I have diabetes? A: No, it more likely means you have prediabetes. It’s a condition in which the blood sugar is higher than normal, but not […]
Type 2 Diabetes in Youth: Is Your Family at Risk?
According to the American Diabetes Association, someone in the United States is diagnosed with diabetes every 19 seconds. Now, imagine that person being diagnosed is your child. And now imagine that your child’s condition could have been prevented. Childhood diabetes is typically associated with type 1 diabetes—previously known as juvenile diabetes—where the body loses its […]
The Medicine Cabinet-Ask the Harvard Experts: Metformin may lower risk of glaucoma in people with diabetes
By Howard LeWine, M.D., Tribune Content Agency Q: I just read that the drug metformin might help prevent glaucoma. I have pre-diabetes and am working on lowering my blood sugar. My last eye exam indicated my eye pressures were in the high normal range. Should I start metformin now? A: Metformin is the best medicine […]
Diabesity: Giving a name to the abusive relationship between obesity and diabetes
By Dr. Gena Vennikandam Ever hear the biblical proverb, “If you find honey, eat just enough.”? These words to the wise warn of overindulgence and gluttony, which can lead to illness. Unfortunately, for many, this warning goes without heed, and obesity that leads to diabetes is becoming commonplace. Diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death […]
A Healthy Night’s Sleep
Sleep deprivation contributes to obesity and diabetes A multidisciplinary team at the University of Chicago Medicine (UCM) has shown the first link at the cell level connecting sleep deprivation with a disruption of energy regulation in humans. This finding has important implications relative to two major health risks in modern society, obesity and diabetes. It […]
Common Diabetes Drug Linked to Better Ovarian Cancer Outcomes
Researchers at Mayo Clinic recently released the results of a new study linking the diabetes drug metformin to better outcomes for patients with ovarian cancer. This study, published online in the journal Cancer, found that diabetic ovarian cancer patients who took this drug had a better survival rate than those who did not take it. […]
Sweet Technology
Living with and managing type 1 diabetes November is National Diabetes Awareness Month, and with over 8 percent of the population living with diabetes (according to the American Diabetes Association), it makes sense to stress the education of this disease. And this year, Illinois will amp up its awareness by making November 14 Illinois Diabetes […]
New Age of Diabetes
Rare form of diabetes being treated with new approach November is Diabetes Awareness Month, and unfortunately, the need for heightened vigilance has never been greater. More than 25 million Americans have diabetes, according to the latest statistics from the American Diabetes Association (ADA). Those numbers continue to climb, and the cost of treating so many […]
The Diabetic Misconception
Being young and thin is not a free pass from diabetes There’s an assumption that diabetes is only for the old and overweight. It’s not true. Today, the young and thin are being diagnosed with more convoluted versions of the disease. November is American Diabetes Month. Designed by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) to bring […]
