Risk factors differed between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetic patients, with diet nonadherence more prominent in Type 1 diabetes and….
The purpose of this study was to assess factors associated with patient frequency of intentionally skipping insulin injections, according to researcher Mark Peyrot, PhD.
Data were obtained through an internet survey of 502 U.S. adults self-identified as taking insulin by injection to treat Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. Multiple regression analysis assessed independent associations of various demographic, disease, and injection-specific factors with insulin omission.
Intentional insulin omission was reported by more than half of respondents; regular omission was reported by 20%. Risk factors differed between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetic patients, with diet nonadherence more prominent in Type 1 diabetes and age, education, income, pain, and embarrassment more prominent in Type 2 diabetes. It is not surprising that non-compliance in Type 1 diabetes patients was associated with poor eating habits. The researchers found that younger age, lower income, and embarrassment were the most important factors for poor compliance in people with Type 2 diabetes.
Whereas most patients did not report regular intentional omission of insulin injections, a substantial number did. The findings suggest that it is important to identify patients who intentionally omit insulin and be aware of the potential risk factors identified here. For patients who report injection-related problems (interference with daily activities, injection pain, and embarrassment), providers should consider recommending strategies and tools for addressing these problems to increase adherence to prescribed insulin regimens. This could improve clinical outcomes. Although the results address the needed educational intervention, especially when it comes to embarrassment, pain, and interference with activities, it also points to the fact that healthcare teams need to talk with patients before this becomes a common practice, rather than a single occurrence.
Diabetes Care, Feb. 2011
Showing posts with label insulin sensitivity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label insulin sensitivity. Show all posts
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Flaxseed and Diabetes
Q: Is flaxseed beneficial for people with type 2 diabetes? Does it help my prostate gland as well?
– Desiree, Kansas
A:
Yes, flaxseed may help lower your sugar levels, and it plays a role in the prevention of prostate cancer as well. However, the strength of the evidence is too weak to permit definitive recommendations. Nonetheless, flaxseed is rich in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an essential fatty acid that appears to be beneficial in preventing heart disease and related illnesses. Flaxseed contains the right ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids, is high in fiber, and provides a phytoestrogen called lignan, which may have antioxidant properties that protect against certain cancers.
There is some evidence that eating flaxseed reduces blood sugar levels after a meal and increases insulin levels because of its high content of soluble fiber. (It is 28 percent fiber, of which two-thirds is soluble.) Indeed, flaxseed carbohydrate (what remains after the oil is removed) was used in a study that showed a beneficial effect. Although this result was not duplicated in other studies, flaxseed has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity. An interesting, yet unproven, potential benefit may be the prevention of type 1 and type 2 diabetes; in animal models, flaxseed has been shown to delay the onset of the disease.
Flaxseed might help your prostatic health as well. In fact, the American National Cancer Institute has singled out flaxseed as one of six foods that deserve extensive research. Why? Because flaxseed contains a large amount of phytonutrients that serve as antioxidants, as well as those omega-3 fatty acids, which seem to play a role in preventing the formation of abnormal cells in the body. In terms of your specific question, flaxseed may reduce the prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a protein produced by the cells of the prostate gland that is often used as a marker for cancer. Also, men whose prostatic fluids contain high levels of lignan (the phytoestrogen found in flaxseed) seem to have a low risk of prostate cancer, though study results of this were not conclusive.
One word of warning: Flaxseed is high in calories. Here's an idea of how much you might need to consume to obtain its beneficial effects — 1 tablespoon of flaxseed has 5 grams of fat and weighs 12 grams. You need to take 40 to 50 grams of flaxseed, which is equal to about 4 tablespoons and has a total of 20 grams of fat. Milled flax has 36 calories per tablespoon; flax oil has 124 calories per tablespoon. (Flaxseeds are more nutritious than their oil.) These caloric considerations are important in the control of your glucose level.
Stay tuned, as I am sure there will be more studies that will guide us better in using flaxseed to stay healthy.
– Desiree, Kansas
A:
Yes, flaxseed may help lower your sugar levels, and it plays a role in the prevention of prostate cancer as well. However, the strength of the evidence is too weak to permit definitive recommendations. Nonetheless, flaxseed is rich in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an essential fatty acid that appears to be beneficial in preventing heart disease and related illnesses. Flaxseed contains the right ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids, is high in fiber, and provides a phytoestrogen called lignan, which may have antioxidant properties that protect against certain cancers.
There is some evidence that eating flaxseed reduces blood sugar levels after a meal and increases insulin levels because of its high content of soluble fiber. (It is 28 percent fiber, of which two-thirds is soluble.) Indeed, flaxseed carbohydrate (what remains after the oil is removed) was used in a study that showed a beneficial effect. Although this result was not duplicated in other studies, flaxseed has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity. An interesting, yet unproven, potential benefit may be the prevention of type 1 and type 2 diabetes; in animal models, flaxseed has been shown to delay the onset of the disease.
Flaxseed might help your prostatic health as well. In fact, the American National Cancer Institute has singled out flaxseed as one of six foods that deserve extensive research. Why? Because flaxseed contains a large amount of phytonutrients that serve as antioxidants, as well as those omega-3 fatty acids, which seem to play a role in preventing the formation of abnormal cells in the body. In terms of your specific question, flaxseed may reduce the prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a protein produced by the cells of the prostate gland that is often used as a marker for cancer. Also, men whose prostatic fluids contain high levels of lignan (the phytoestrogen found in flaxseed) seem to have a low risk of prostate cancer, though study results of this were not conclusive.
One word of warning: Flaxseed is high in calories. Here's an idea of how much you might need to consume to obtain its beneficial effects — 1 tablespoon of flaxseed has 5 grams of fat and weighs 12 grams. You need to take 40 to 50 grams of flaxseed, which is equal to about 4 tablespoons and has a total of 20 grams of fat. Milled flax has 36 calories per tablespoon; flax oil has 124 calories per tablespoon. (Flaxseeds are more nutritious than their oil.) These caloric considerations are important in the control of your glucose level.
Stay tuned, as I am sure there will be more studies that will guide us better in using flaxseed to stay healthy.
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