Diabetes Self-Management November - December 2016

Holiday parties and impromptu gatherings can throw off even the most disciplined eater. Dear Readers, THE HOLIDAY SEASON—a joyful time of counting one’s blessings—also can be a mixed blessing. Hectic schedules of planning, shopping, cooking and entertaining can leave little time for exercise. Parties and impromptu gatherings can throw off even the most disciplined eater. Add to that the mounds of junk food all over the office—from Halloween candy to Christmas cookies to treats arriving daily—and everywhere you turn, there’s another threat to the best of intentions. All that can wreak havoc on anyone’s routine, but for those with diabetes, it can be particularly dangerous. For example, according to CalorieKing.com, 1/8 of a 9-inch homemade pumpkin pie has 316 calories, with almost 41 grams of carbs, and a typical gingerbread…

When a person’s blood sugar is higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as Type 2 diabetes, that person is said to have prediabetes. Prediabetes is viewed as a warning sign that you could develop Type 2 if you don’t make some lifestyle changes. But a new study from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine indicates prediabetes might be more damaging to motor nerves than once believed. The study also suggests the conventional view of how nerves deteriorate might need to be revised. The study, which was conducted over a three-year period, assessed 62 participants; 52 of them had small fiber neuropathy, a disorder that affects the small nerves that terminate at the skin’s surface. People with this condition commonly experience tingling sensations that begin in…

For most people, the holiday season is filled with friends, family, fun and, of course, food. The endless array of elaborate once-a-year entrees, delectable desserts and eggnog can be difficult to avoid—and can wreak havoc on your eating regimen, particularly if you have diabetes. But there’s hope. Take this quiz to see how much you know about how to have your holiday cake—and eat it, too. 1. How can getting enough sleep help you control eating habits during the holiday season? More than one answer may apply. A. It helps your taste buds respond to excess sugar. B. It helps keep you from overeating. C. It keeps your body from going to into crisis mode and mimicking symptoms of insulin resistance. D. It makes you more irritable, so you eat…

PREDIABETES is a condition in which a person’s blood sugar level is higher than normal but not high enough to be considered actual diabetes. Yet despite what the word might suggest, developing diabetes is not inevitable for people who have prediabetes. A prediabetes diagnosis should serve as a wake-up call. If a person does nothing, according to Mayo Clinic, he or she likely will develop diabetes within 10 years. A new study has delivered some encouraging information—adults who lose weight and decrease their waist size within one year of a prediabetes diagnosis are twice as likely to return to normal glucose tolerance as people with prediabetes who do not. Scientists with the Diabetes Research Center at the University of Leicester in Great Britain analyzed data collected from 817 adults (mean…

BRONZE DIABETES A potentially reversible form of diabetes caused by abnormally high levels of iron in the blood. One out of every 200 to 300 people has a disorder called hemochromatosis, in which the body is unable to adequately excrete enough of the iron it takes in, causing iron to build up in the body’s tissues such as the liver, heart and pancreas. Depending on which organs are affected, hemochromatosis may cause cirrhosis, cardiac arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats), weakness of the heart muscle, erectile dysfunction or diabetes. Iron overload is believed to cause diabetes by decreasing the ability of the pancreas to make and secrete insulin, increasing insulin resistance in the body’s tissues and disrupting glucose regulation by the liver. In some patients, the accumulation of iron causes the skin to…

Menopause can cause changes, including increased body fat, a larger appetite, lower estrogen levels and higher blood sugar. Now, an important new study has reported that women who begin menopause before age 46 or after age 55 have an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. The study, conducted by researchers at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, included more than 124,000 women who were part of the Women’s Health Initiative, a large national trial created in 1991 by the U.S. National Institutes of Health to develop strategies to improve the health of older women. According to the North American Menopause Society, the average age of menopause (a woman’s final menstrual period) is 51. The study found women who experience menopause before age 46 were 25% more likely to…