Q: There is a history of diabetes in my family, and I've been worried about getting it. Now my older sister just got diagnosed, and I feel it's hit my generation for the first time. I'm a little overweight but not too much, and I try to watch what I eat. Is there a specific diet I should try to follow so that I don't end up getting diabetes, too?
— Susan,
A:Congratulations! First, you recognize the predisposition you carry to the disease. Second, you are motivated to beat the odds. The good news is that there is something you can do to prevent diabetes. Two recent large studies have found that healthy habits can stave off diabetes among those who are at risk. These habits include eating a balanced diet, getting regular exercise, and maintaining a healthy weight. Of course, I understand if your eyes are glazing over, since this is the same mantra for everything from improving skin health to reducing the risk of heart disease and certain types of cancer. But seriously, a healthful diet should accomplish several things:
1.Provide an adequate amount of vitamins, minerals, proteins, and essential fatty acids
2.Help you lose weight
3.Be pleasing to your palate
4.Be a plan that you can maintain for the rest of your life.
There are many registered dietitians who can help design a plan for you. The specific composition of a diet that meets your body's needs depends on your age, current health condition, and health risks, including diabetes. But simply put, if you make sure that every meal contains a variety of sources of vitamins and minerals, two of your meals contain one source of protein, and you use olive or canola oil (in lieu of animal fat), you should be able to meet most of your needs.
A quick way to ensure that you are consuming all that your body needs is to make your plate as colorful as you can. The colors of vegetables and fruits are an indication of the different vitamins they contain. You should also think outside the box when it comes to protein sources, which should include not only animal products such as meat, chicken, fish, cheese, milk, and eggs but also plant-based products such as soybeans/tofu, nuts, and legumes. Generally, the more plant-based protein sources you ingest, the fewer calories you consume.
While you concentrate on including vitamins, minerals, and proteins in your diet, you mustn't forget that carbohydrates matter. We need carbohydrates as energy sources, and whole grains as a source of various vitamins and fiber. There are two categories of carbohydrates: simple and complex. If you remember anything, remember this: Avoid simple carbohydrates such as white bread, white-flour pasta, cakes, candy, and table sugar. Instead, focus on fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain products that contain complex carbohydrates and are a great source of energy.
More words to the wise: Don't forget to pay attention to portion sizes and cooking methods, as both are very important in limiting caloric intake. Again, you must determine the amount of energy you need to reach your ideal body weight and adjust your caloric intake accordingly. A registered dietitian can help, but the rule of thumb is that regular exercise is key to maintaining weight loss and reducing sugar levels.
I know I have given you a general guide instead of a specific diet, in the hope that you can craft a plan that meets your particular needs, and one that you can maintain over the course of your life. Diabetes risk is a lifelong risk, and the changes you make in your diet and exercise plan should be long-term behavioral adaptations. Remember — an overall healthy diet, good weight maintenance, and regular exercise are key in reducing the odds of developing diabetes.
Showing posts with label diabetes control. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diabetes control. Show all posts
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Type 1 Diabetes Death Rate is Falling But….
Average rate is still 7 times higher in people with the disease vs. those without it....According to a new study, death rates have dropped significantly in people with Type 1 diabetes. Researchers also found that people diagnosed in the late 1970s have an even lower mortality rate compared with those diagnosed in the 1960s.
The study's senior author, Dr. Trevor J. Orchard, a professor of epidemiology, medicine and pediatrics in the Graduate School of Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, stated that, "The encouraging thing is that, given good diabetes control, you can have a near-normal life expectancy."
But, the research also found that mortality rates for people with Type 1 still remain significantly higher than for the general population -- seven times higher, in fact. And some groups, such as women, continue to have disproportionately higher mortality rates: women with Type 1 diabetes are 13 times more likely to die than are their female counterparts without the disease.
Insulin replacement therapy isn't as effective as naturally-produced insulin. People with Type 1 diabetes often have blood sugar levels that are too high or too low, because it's difficult to predict exactly how much insulin you'll need. When blood sugar levels are too high due to too little insulin, it causes damage that can lead to long term complications, such as an increased risk of kidney failure and heart disease. On the other hand, if you have too much insulin, blood sugar levels can drop dangerously low, potentially leading to coma or death.
These factors are why Type 1 diabetes has long been associated with a significantly increased risk of death, and a shortened life expectancy.
However, numerous improvements have been made in Type 1 diabetes management during the past 30 years, including the advent of blood glucose monitors, insulin pumps, newer insulins, better medications to prevent complications and most recently continuous glucose monitors.
To assess whether or not these advances have had any effect on life expectancy, Orchard, along, with his colleagues, reviewed data from a Type 1 diabetes registry from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. The registry contained information on almost 1,100 people under the age of 18 at the time they were diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
The children were sorted into three groups based on the year of their diagnosis: 1965 to 1969, 1970 to 1974 and 1975 to 1979. As of January 2008, 279 of the study participants had died, a death rate that is 7 times higher than would be expected in the general population.
When the researchers broke the mortality rate down by the time of diagnosis, they found that those diagnosed later had a much improved mortality rate. The group diagnosed in the 1960s had a 9.3 times higher mortality rate than the general population, while the early 1970s group had a 7.5 times higher mortality than the general population. For the late 1970s group, mortality had dropped to 5.6 times higher than the general population.
The mortality rate in women with Type 1 diabetes remained significantly higher, however, at 13 times the rate expected in women in the general population.
In addition, blacks with diabetes had a significantly lower 30-year survival rate than their white counterparts -- 57 percent versus 83 percent, according to the study.
Although Orchard said it isn't clear why women and blacks have higher-than-expected mortality, Barbara Araneo, director of complications therapies at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, said that both discrepancies have been found in other research, and that one theory is that blacks may have a greater genetic susceptibility to heart disease or high blood pressure. And, for women, she said previous research has shown that, "women with diabetes lose their innate protection against [heart disease], similar to the loss sustained in postmenopausal phases of life." But, she said, it's not clear how diabetes causes this loss.
The overall message of the study, however, is a positive one.
"The outcome of this study shows that diabetes care has improved in many ways over the last couple of decades, and as a result people with diabetes are living longer now," said Araneo, adding, "Managing and taking good care of your diabetes is the surest way to reduce the risk of developing complications later in life."
"What we're seeing now is incredibly encouraging, but it's not necessarily the full story yet," said Orchard, who noted that improvements in diabetes care should continue to lower mortality rates in people with Type 1 diabetes.
The study's senior author, Dr. Trevor J. Orchard, a professor of epidemiology, medicine and pediatrics in the Graduate School of Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, stated that, "The encouraging thing is that, given good diabetes control, you can have a near-normal life expectancy."
But, the research also found that mortality rates for people with Type 1 still remain significantly higher than for the general population -- seven times higher, in fact. And some groups, such as women, continue to have disproportionately higher mortality rates: women with Type 1 diabetes are 13 times more likely to die than are their female counterparts without the disease.
Insulin replacement therapy isn't as effective as naturally-produced insulin. People with Type 1 diabetes often have blood sugar levels that are too high or too low, because it's difficult to predict exactly how much insulin you'll need. When blood sugar levels are too high due to too little insulin, it causes damage that can lead to long term complications, such as an increased risk of kidney failure and heart disease. On the other hand, if you have too much insulin, blood sugar levels can drop dangerously low, potentially leading to coma or death.
These factors are why Type 1 diabetes has long been associated with a significantly increased risk of death, and a shortened life expectancy.
However, numerous improvements have been made in Type 1 diabetes management during the past 30 years, including the advent of blood glucose monitors, insulin pumps, newer insulins, better medications to prevent complications and most recently continuous glucose monitors.
To assess whether or not these advances have had any effect on life expectancy, Orchard, along, with his colleagues, reviewed data from a Type 1 diabetes registry from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. The registry contained information on almost 1,100 people under the age of 18 at the time they were diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
The children were sorted into three groups based on the year of their diagnosis: 1965 to 1969, 1970 to 1974 and 1975 to 1979. As of January 2008, 279 of the study participants had died, a death rate that is 7 times higher than would be expected in the general population.
When the researchers broke the mortality rate down by the time of diagnosis, they found that those diagnosed later had a much improved mortality rate. The group diagnosed in the 1960s had a 9.3 times higher mortality rate than the general population, while the early 1970s group had a 7.5 times higher mortality than the general population. For the late 1970s group, mortality had dropped to 5.6 times higher than the general population.
The mortality rate in women with Type 1 diabetes remained significantly higher, however, at 13 times the rate expected in women in the general population.
In addition, blacks with diabetes had a significantly lower 30-year survival rate than their white counterparts -- 57 percent versus 83 percent, according to the study.
Although Orchard said it isn't clear why women and blacks have higher-than-expected mortality, Barbara Araneo, director of complications therapies at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, said that both discrepancies have been found in other research, and that one theory is that blacks may have a greater genetic susceptibility to heart disease or high blood pressure. And, for women, she said previous research has shown that, "women with diabetes lose their innate protection against [heart disease], similar to the loss sustained in postmenopausal phases of life." But, she said, it's not clear how diabetes causes this loss.
The overall message of the study, however, is a positive one.
"The outcome of this study shows that diabetes care has improved in many ways over the last couple of decades, and as a result people with diabetes are living longer now," said Araneo, adding, "Managing and taking good care of your diabetes is the surest way to reduce the risk of developing complications later in life."
"What we're seeing now is incredibly encouraging, but it's not necessarily the full story yet," said Orchard, who noted that improvements in diabetes care should continue to lower mortality rates in people with Type 1 diabetes.
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