Diabetes Health Talk

From msnbc health:High-normal levels are often overlooked, but can harm your health.

The average American consumes more than a pound of refined sugar a week. It sounds unbelievable until you realize that sugar goes by more than 50 names and is an ingredient in virtually all processed foods, from your morning doughnut to the ketchup on your burger.

Eat it (along with excess fat and calories), sit around, and you’ll gain weight.

It’s the average American way of life, and it deserves a new warning label: Practicing this lifestyle could send another sugar — your blood sugar — into the danger zone.

Your body’s primary source of fuel, blood sugar plays a vital role in physical and mental well-being. But when it rises even slightly above normal — thanks to excess body fat, lack of exercise, and/or genetics — your health, your energy levels, and your weight-loss efforts are jeopardized.

Overlooked by doctors
High-normal blood sugar is anything but normal. Too high to be healthy yet too low to be called diabetes, high-normal blood sugar has long been overlooked by doctors and their patients alike. Yet an estimated 16 million Americans have it — including tens of thousands of children and teens.

High-normal blood sugar can lead to the following conditions:
Overweight
Syndrome X
Pregnancy diabetes
PCOS
Full-blown type 2 diabetes
Heart disease and stroke

It wasn’t until after I had been on immunosuppressants and blood pressure medicines following my renal transplant that I developed diabetes, so it can happen to anyone at anytime.

Check your blood glucose immediately after you get up, before any morning activities, such as showering, shaving, or putting on makeup. The reason for this schedule is that if your blood glucose is low, you can drink some juice or milk. If it is high, you can take your insulin immediately and allow it to work before breakfast. It is important to get into this habit, because if you start the day with a normal blood glucose level before breakfast, managing your blood glucose throughout the day is much easier. Monitoring your glucose immediately on awakening does not take a major change in lifestyle, but it is very effective in improving your blood glucose management.

The frequency at which you should monitor your blood glucose will depend on how you plan to use the information. People who take multiple daily doses of insulin or use insulin pumps need to monitor at least 3 or 4 times daily to stay safe and to adjust insulin doses for high or low glucose levels. Those not on insulin but who are in the process of having their medications adjusted should monitor often enough to guide the medication adjustments, usually 2 or 3 times a day. If you’re on medications that can cause hypoglycemia, like sulfonylureas, you should have a working blood glucose meter and test strips on hand so you can conduct a blood glucose check if you feel low, if you’re planning to engage in physical activity, or if you have to miss or delay a meal.

Even if you’re not on a medication that can cause hypoglycemia, and have achieved your glucose control targets, it may be a good idea to perform spot checks of your glucose at least a few times a week for your own information.

What is a high blood sugar emergency?

From Yahoo Health:

High blood sugar
High blood sugar (hyperglycemia) means that the level of sugar (glucose) in your blood is above your target range. Symptoms of high blood sugar usually develop over a period of hours or days.

You may feel tired and thirsty when your blood sugar is well above your target range. However, some people’s bodies adjust to a high level. They may not have obvious symptoms of high blood sugar until their levels are very high. Therefore, it is important to check your blood sugar often.

If your blood sugar is between 80 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) and 200 mg/dL, you most likely will not have symptoms. If you do have symptoms, they will most likely be very mild (such as fatigue).
If your blood sugar is between 200 mg/dL and 350 mg/dL, you may have mild symptoms of high blood sugar. You may be thirsty and urinate more often than usual. Some people may not notice any symptoms when their blood sugar is in this range.
If your blood sugar rises above 350 mg/dL, you may feel weak and drowsy, have blurred vision, and sometimes you may lose your appetite. You may not have these symptoms if your body gets used to the higher blood sugar levels.
If your blood sugar becomes very high, you can become confused, severely dehydrated, and go into a coma. Very high blood sugar leads to changes in the chemical processes of the body (metabolism), causing an emergency.
What causes high blood sugar?
High blood sugar develops when there is too little insulin or when your body fails to respond properly to the insulin in your blood. High blood sugar emergencies often develop because of some underlying condition that may not be obvious, such as a heart attack, infection, surgery, or pregnancy.

Your blood sugar can rise to an unsafe level when you:

Skip a dose of your pills for diabetes, or you skip a dose of insulin (if you take insulin).
Eat too much food.
Do not get enough exercise.
Feel a lot of stress.
Are sick (such as a severe case of the flu) or have an infection, even if you are not eating a lot of food.

Received my Free OneTouch UltraMini Meter last week, making my grand total of meters at four, and I still forget to test my blood sugar (for Diabetes Type 2) a few mornings a week.

My problem is, i’m not fully awake before my coffee (YAH Folgers Black Silk Coffee!). By then, it’s too late for the morning fasting blood sugar test. Normally, I put a meter on top of either the coffee maker or the coffee can, but forgot.

Lately, my blood sugar has been in the 110’s, down from the 120’s a few weeks ago. This has been since I’ve started taking Apple Cider Vinegar and Cinnamon tablets. It’s so gratifying to see something working on lowering that blood sugar. Still watching the sugar, fat, sodium, starchs & carbs.

This new meter, the ultramini, has different colors for you to order. The one I ordered was the green, but they have others, as in the one above. Some info from the site?

Take the dull out of diabetes testing with OneTouch® UltraMini™.
Pink Glow. Silver Moon. Limelight. Jet Black. With the OneTouch® UltraMini™ Meter, blood glucose testing will never be dull again.

Free diabetes education with every meter.
Your OneTouch® UltraMini™ Meter comes complete with Simple Start™ Diabetes+Food — an educational booklet that can help you manage your diabetes around food.

It comes with everything you need.
OneTouch® Lancing Device
OneTouch® Ultra® Control Solution
10 OneTouch® UltraSoft® Lancets
OneTouch® AST™ Clear Cap for testing on forearm or palm*
Mini carrying case, batteries, and logbook
Owner’s Booklet, Quick Reference Guide, and Quick Start Guide
Compatible with OneTouch® Diabetes Management Software
Covered by insurance.
The OneTouch® UltraMini™ uses OneTouch® Ultra® Test Strips, covered at the lowest co-pay by more health plans than any other test strip.

Extreme high blood sugar can lead to two life-threatening conditions:

Hyperosmolar Hyperglycemic Nonketotic Syndrome (HHNS) is most often seen in elderly people. It is usually caused by an illness, infection, or by missing doses of your medicine. HHNS may take days or even weeks to develop. If it continues, the severe dehydration will lead to seizures, coma and eventually death.

In HHNS, blood sugar levels rise, and the body tries to get rid of the excess sugar by passing it into your urine. You will make a lot of urine at first. Later you may not have to go to the bathroom as often, and your urine becomes very dark. You may get very thirsty. Even if you are not thirsty, drink liquids. This will help keep you from getting dehydrated.

Know the warning signs:

Very high blood sugar level (over 600 mg/dL)
Extreme thirst (although this may gradually disappear)
Dry mouth
Warm, dry skin that does not sweat
High fever
Sleepiness or confusion
Loss of vision
Hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not there)
Weakness on one side of the body

Ketoacidosis is a serious condition that can lead to diabetic coma or even death. Ketoacidosis means dangerously high levels of ketones, which are acids that build up in the blood. They appear in the urine when your body doesn’t have enough insulin, and are a warning that your diabetes is out of control or that you are getting sick.

When to check for ketones
When your blood glucose is more than 240 mg/dL, check every 4-6 hours
When you are ill, check every 4-6 hours
When you have any symptoms of ketoacidosis
Know the warning signs:
Thirst or a very dry mouth
Frequent urination
High blood glucose (sugar) levels
Constantly feeling tired
Dry or flushed skin
Nausea, vomiting, or abdominal pain (Vomiting can be caused by many illnesses, not just ketoacidosis. If vomiting continues for more than two hours, contact your healthcare provider.)
A hard time breathing (short, deep breaths)
Fruity odor on breath
A hard time paying attention, or confusion

Your feelings are common.

Your diabetes is your business and it should not be anyone else’s unless you want it to be. However, finding a private place to check your glucose can be difficult. Look for a quiet corner, or even a restroom stall if that is the only private place you can find. However, you may be surprised how few people even notice when you check your blood in public. Some of the new blood glucose monitors are smaller, quicker, and quieter, and that can help make the process less stressful. Finally, if there is no place at all where you would be comfortable checking your glucose while you are out, check just before you leave the house, and check again as soon as you get home. That way you’ll have at least some information for making decisions while you are out. But remember, having diabetes is nothing to be ashamed of, and you have the right to take care of yourself when and where you need to.

Rarely do I leave the house without one of my blood glucose monitors. If you’re out and about and you suddenly feel light headed, nauseaus or jittery, what would you do? Eat some sugar and hope you got the dosage right? No, you check your glucose and then take some OJ, sugar water or medication, wait ten minutes and check again.

The public doesn’t generally care when, how or where you check your blood glucose. I normally do it on my lap or right in front of me. It’s nota big production and hardly anyone notices.

Taking steps to stave off diabetes and heart disease may improve a person’s chances of staying mentally sharp later in life, several research teams said on Monday.

In one study, U.S. researchers found the same cluster of metabolic disorders that raise a woman’s risk for heart disease and diabetes also increase her chances of memory declines later in life.

A second study found that a history of diabetes and high cholesterol hasten the rate of mental declines in people with Alzheimer’s disease.

“Preventing heart disease, stroke and diabetes - or making sure these conditions are well managed in patients diagnosed with them - can potentially slow the disease progression of Alzheimer’s,” said Yaakov Stern of Columbia University Medical Center, whose study was one of several on metabolic diseases and dementia published in the Archives of Neurology.

The findings build on recent studies that suggest people who take cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins have a lower risk of developing all forms of dementia. And diabetics who take pills that help their bodies use insulin better have a lower risk of Alzheimer’s.

Now many teams are trying to get a better understanding of how these disorders affect Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

Researchers at the University of California San Francisco and the San Francisco Veterans’ Affairs Medical Center studied the effects of heart risk factors such as abdominal fat, high blood pressure and low levels of good cholesterol, known collectively as the metabolic syndrome.

Dr. Kristine Yaffe and colleagues followed 4,895 women with an average age of 66 who had no memory problems or other cognitive impairment at the beginning of the study.

Of the nearly 500 women in the group who had metabolic syndrome, 36 percent developed cognitive impairment during the four-year study period, compared with just 4 percent of the 4,400 women who did not have metabolic syndrome.

A new animal study may help explain why diets high in the sugar fructose have been linked to insulin resistance, a precursor to type 2 diabetes.

Scientists found that a particular gene, known as PGC-1 beta, appears to play a key role in the development of insulin resistance in response to a high-fructose diet. Rats that had the gene’s activity blocked were protected from insulin resistance despite feasting on a diet loaded with fructose.

A sweetener known as high-fructose corn syrup has been widely used in sodas and processed foods since the 1980s, and some researchers have blamed this trend at least in part for the concurrent rise in obesity and diabetes.

The authors of the current report, in the journal Cell Metabolism, explain that some studies have shown that fructose is metabolized differently than glucose is, being more readily converted into fat.

Other studies have linked diets heavy in high-fructose corn syrup to elevated risks of high triglycerides (a type of blood fat), fat buildup in the liver, and insulin resistance, note Dr. Gerald Shulman and colleagues at Yale University School of Medicine.

For their study on the genetic underpinnings of fructose-induce insulin resistance, they zeroed in on PGC-1 beta because it activates another gene that governs the production of fat by the liver.

When the researchers blocked the gene’s activity in rats fed a high-fructose diet, the animals did not develop insulin resistance and elevated triglycerides.

The implication, according to Shulman’s team, is that inhibiting PGC-1 beta could help treat some cases of high triglycerides, fatty liver disease and insulin resistance. Much more research remains to be done, however..

Great list from the American Diabetes Association:

1. Improve blood glucose management. Activity makes your body more sensitive to the insulin you make. Activity also burns glucose (calories). Both actions lower blood glucose.

2. Lower blood pressure. Activity helps your heart pump stronger and slower.

3. Improve blood fats. Exercise can raise good cholesterol (HDL) and lower bad cholesterol (LDL) and triglycerides. These changes are heart healthy.

4. Take less insulin or diabetes pills. Activity can lower blood glucose and weight. Both of these may lower how much insulin or diabetes pills you need to take.

5. Lose weight and keep it off. Activity burns calories. If you burn enough calories, you’ll trim a few pounds. Stay active and you’ll keep the weight off.

6. Lower risk for other health problems. Reduce your risk of a heart attack or stroke, some cancers, and bone loss.

7. Gain more energy and sleep better. You’ll get better sleep in less time and have more energy, too.

8. Relieve stress. Work out or walk off daily stress.

9. Build stronger bones and muscles. Weight-bearing activities, such as walking, make bones stronger. Strength-training activities, such as lifting light weights (or even cans of beans), make muscles strong.

10. Be more flexible. Move easier when you are active.

These tips aren’t just for Diabetics, though, if Diabetics needed motivation, show them this list, or take them to heart yourself.

As always, ask your health care provider what level of exercise you can do, safely. Walking is a great way to start. When I got back into walking after gaining significant weight, I could only walk a few yards, at most. Now I can walk for hours! Good Luck.

You’ve heard that you will eat more during meals if you watch TV. But could it cause you to eat more later on, too?

Yep, that’s the sneaky little result of a recent study. People who ate lunch while glued to the tube did a whole lotta extra snacking later on — long after the meal, which adds unwanted pounds and raises blood glucose levels.

Memory Meltdown
The reason? Recall may have something to do with it. When women who lunched while watching a comedy show were later asked what they had for their midday meal, their recollection was fuzzy. And they also snacked on more cookies afterward, which will raise blood sugars.

The lesson? Take time to focus on what you put into your mouth so that you can remember every bite. Your memory of your most recent meal helps shape your snacking choices.

Saying Bye-Bye to Extra Bites

Try these other tips and tricks for keeping between-meal bites to a lminimum:
Rev up your heart. Regular aerobic workouts appear to dull your appetite.
Eat mini meals. That’s right: Multiple mini meals do a better job of controlling hunger throughout the day.
Choose the right fat. Some fats turn hunger on, others turn it off.

Need some choices for a great snack if you’re diabetic? You’re in luck! David Edelman of Diabetes Daily posted these good-for-you snacks (and not just for diabetics! For the complete list, see his website.

1. Peanut butter
2. Cheddar cheese
3. String cheese
4. Cottage cheese
5. Broccoli with melted cheese
6. Salad with free veggies and low-carb dressing
7. Tomato and mozzarella salad
8. Celery with peanut butter
9. Fresh strawberries or blueberries with low-fat plain yogurt
10. Veggies with hummus

Picking up a few extra pounds (and raising blood sugar) in cold weather — that dreaded “winter weight gain” — is maddening. Even though your metabolism speeds up a bit to keep you warm, you can’t eat much more than you did in summer without gaining weight and those dreaded side effects from diabetes. But those oh-so-chilly temperatures make steamy comfort foods and creamy hot drinks more tempting than ever. Here’s how to satisfy your natural warming instincts and stay slim.

1. Know what really keeps you full and warm.
In a word: protein. Your body creates more heat when digesting protein than it does when digesting fats or carbohydrates. Chow down on lean chicken and turkey breast, canned tuna, fish, and shellfish. Not a meat eater? Fill up a warmed low carb wrap with sauteed low starch veggies like peppers, spinach and add some tomatoes and a sliver or two of avocado.

2. Say no to foods that make you say “brrr.”
Follow your instincts . . . they’re right. Swap cold cereal for hot oatmeal at breakfast. Have a hearty soup instead of a sandwich at lunch. Even cook your salad ingredients: At the last minute, stir “winter greens” — spinach, kale, swiss chard, collards — into stews, soups, casseroles, and scrambled eggs. Why heat before you eat? Warm foods keep the shivers away because your body doesn’t waste energy heating them up for digestion.

3. Don’t count on hot spices.
Ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, pepper, and cayenne pepper are considered “warming spices” because they tend to draw body heat to the surface of your skin. But when that warmth hits the surface, it quickly dissipates.

4. Switch to decaf after your first morning cup.
Ok, this may not work for me, but Real Age says Coffee may feel warm going down, but swilling cup after cup may just make you colder. That’s because caffeine has a dehydrating effect, which makes symptoms of a drop in body temperature even worse.

Craving something comforting at the coffee shop? Instead of a gingerbread latte topped with whipped cream, order a nonfat chai tea latte. It’ll warm you down to your toes, and you’ll save 130 calories and some goose bumps. At home, I’ma big saver on making my own mochas. Use strong coffee (instant is fine) a packet of sugar-free cocoa, with nonfat milk, add a drop of vanilla for extra richness, and top it with fat-free Cool Whip. You’ll feel like a kid again. A warm one, whose jeans fit.

Sprints May Be Best for Diabetes Prevention

Though I prefer walking to running or sprinting, this may catch on. Researchers say a few minutes of intense exercise a week is just as good as a half-hour of moderate physical activity a day for reducing a person’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes — and may actually be even more effective, new research hints.

“It is possible to gain significant health benefits from only 7.5 minutes of exercise each week — if that is all that you find the time to do,” Dr. James A. Timmons of Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, one of the researchers on the study, told Reuters Health.

“This is a dramatically different view from current thinking,” he admitted.

Timmons and his team found that young sedentary men who did just 15 minutes of all-out sprinting on an exercise bike spread out over two weeks substantially improved their ability to metabolize glucose (sugar). Traditional aerobic exercise programs can boost sensitivity to the key blood-sugar-regulating hormone insulin. The high-intensity program did this too, but it also directly reduced the men’s blood sugar levels — something that standard exercise programs have not been shown to do.

To investigate, they had 16 men in their early 20s do six sessions of exercise, each including four to six 30-second sprints interspersed with four-minute rest periods. The time commitment for each session ranged from 17 to 26 minutes.

After two weeks, the amount of time the men’s blood sugar and blood insulin levels were above normal after they drank a solution containing 75 grams of glucose was reduced by 12 percent and 37 percent, respectively. When people eat, Timmons explained, their blood sugar levels rise, but in very fit people levels speedily return to normal. In less-active people, high blood sugar levels are more prolonged, which over time can damage the body and lead to cardiovascular disease.

Study: Diabetics who tightly control their blood sugar — even if only for the first decade after they are diagnosed — have lower risks of heart attack, death and other complications 10 or more years later, a large follow-up study has found.

File this under “NO Sugar Sherlock!”

Apparantly, scientists were still unsure if diabetics who tightly controlled their blood sugar, led healthier and better lives. Who dreams up this stuff? And they think by letting Diabetics have their blood sugar spin out of control will make them healthy?

Although, I do applaud them for bringing to light the vast importance Diabetics have on controlling their blood sugar. It is SO imperative to get a handle on it. Discover what foods raise your blood sugar, how to take your meds, when to test, etc. By mastering your Diabetes, you can have a great life.

The discovery of this “legacy effect” may put new emphasis on rigorous treatment when people first learn they have Type 2 diabetes, the most common form and the type linked to obesity.

Doctors warn that people should not let their blood sugar spin out of control — that could have serious health consequences.

The follow-up study was on 3,277 participants who were tracked for an average of 10 more years — first in clinics, where blood sugar could be measured, and through questionnaires in the later years.

Within one year of the original study ending, differences in blood sugar control between the groups disappeared.

Despite that, the sulfonylurea group had a 15 percent lower risk of heart attack and a 13 percent lower risk of death compared with the diet group.

A cardiologist in Houston has come up with a special diet that reverses diabetes and heart disease, myfoxhouston.com reported.

Under the diet, Dr. Baxter Montgomery encourages patients to eat plant-based foods, minimally processed foods (that means all those foods that come prepared in a box or package), and to eat whole foods, as close to their natural state as possible.

For instance, you could shuck a corn on the cob and just eat it uncooked. He says it’s actually delicious that way, plus you get all the nutrients from it.

Dr. Montgomery also steers his patients away from meat, which he calls “animal flesh”. He says our digestive systems aren’t actually meant to digest meats and it puts an extra burden on the body.

More and more Doctors, Dieticians and Nutritionists are seeing the benefits of a low-carb, low-calorie, low-starch diet for Diabetics. Mostly plant-based, these meal plans for life (because ‘diets don’t work’) reduce and remove the underlying cause for diabetes and insulin resistance.

In my life, i’ve cut out most carbohydrates and starches, certainly no process foods and increased my vegetables and lean meats and fish. The old saying is true: Do most of your shopping on the outside perimeter of the store! All the processed, unhealthy foods are in the aisles. There is a noticible difference in my energy level. And my skin looks healthier, younger and more natural.

Make vegetables a main course or the big filler on your plate instead of meats, carbohydrates or starches. You will feel better, less likely to drowse off after eating and your blood sugar will thank you for it.

Higher average blood glucose (sugar) levels in people with type 2 diabetes are linked to lower cognitive functioning, according to a study published online today in the journal Diabetes Care.

The ongoing Memory in Diabetes (MIND) study, a sub-study of the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) trial, found that higher levels of hemoglobin A1C levels (a measure of the average blood glucose levels over a 2-3 month period) are significantly associated with poorer performance on three cognitive tasks, which require memory, speed and the ability to manage multiple tasks at the same time. A higher A1C level was also associated with a lower score on a test of global cognitive function

Previous studies have shown that people with diabetes are 1.5 times more likely to experience cognitive decline and dementia than people without diabetes. The MIND results suggest diabetes may be associated with mild cognitive impairment.

“Even a mild impairment in cognitive function is of concern for people with type 2 diabetes,” said lead researcher Dr. Tali Cukierman-Yaffe, of the Gertner Institute for Epidemiology & Health Policy Research, Endocrinology Institute at Sheba Medical Center & Sackler School of Medicine at Tel-Aviv University in Israel. However, these results are cross-sectional so it is not yet known whether higher levels of blood sugar increase the risk for cognitive impairment or whether impairment decreases the ability to control blood sugar levels. This will be answered in the ongoing ACCORD-MIND study, in which study patients are followed over time and are tested three times during the trial. One aim of this ACCORD-MIND follow-up is to test the hypothesis that lowering A1C could result in improved cognitive function.

Thankfully, I lowered my A1C from 7.2 to 6.5 last year, through eating healthier and exercising. You can too!