Category: Diabetes

Diabetic Retinopathy: Risks

Increasing Risk

The Centers for Disease Control has recently turned its attention to the increasing rates of diabetic retinopathy, a complication of diabetes in which the blood vessels of the eyes are damaged resulting in potential vision loss. The study, published in Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that those with diabetes require more comprehensive eye care. 31.6% men and 25.7% of women over age 40 who have diabetes are estimated to have diabetic retinopathy.

Study authors intend their findings to guide policy makers as they oversee the country’s eye care services and rehabilitation for the estimated 8% of the U.S. population with diabetes.

Source: WebMD.com

Bright Light Before Bedtime

Time spent in bright artificial light before bedtime has been linked to heightened blood pressure and an increased diabetes risk.

Researchers have found that nighttime exposure to light can disrupt melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep cycles as well as blood pressure.  The study shows that being in bright light opposed to dim light caused the body to produce less melatonin.  Participants who were exposed to bright light during typical sleep hours produced an average of 50% less melatonin.

According to a news release from the Endocrine Society: “Given that chronic light suppression of melatonin has been hypothesized to increase relative risk for some types of cancer and that melatonin receptor genes have been linked to type 2 diabetes, our findings could have important health implications for shift workers who are exposed to indoor light at night over the course of many years,” says study author Joshua Gooley.

Source: https://www.healthfinder.gov

Published: Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism

Of course, trying to read or work on the computer in low light situations can contribute to eye disease can harm your vision. Since sleep is important to eye health and health in general and is so key to keeping those dark circles away, maybe it is time to consider becoming a morning person!

Type II Diabetes Patients at Risk for Dry Eye Syndrome

A new study shows that early diagnosis and treatment of dry eye syndrome in diabetic patients may help prevent problems such as scarring and perforation of the cornea and secondary bacterial infection.

Scientists at the Yazd Diabetes Research Center evaluated 199 type 2 diabetic patients for dry eye syndrome and other factors.  Of the 199 subjects, 108 patients (54.3%) were found to suffer from dry eye syndrome.

Although dry eye syndrome was more common in older and female patients, this association was not significant.  However, researchers did find a significant association between dry eye syndrome and duration of diabetes.   Researchers also noted that dry eye syndrome was more frequent in diabetic patients with diabetic retinopathy.

Study authors concluded that dry eye syndrome in diabetic patients may be a contributor for a variety of corneal complications including superficial punctuate keratopathy, trophic ulceration, and persistent epithelial defect.   The authors recommended that examination for dry eye should be an integral part of the assessment of diabetic eye disease.

Learn more about natural relief for dry eyes

Published:  Prevalence of dry eye syndrome and diabetic retinopathy in type 2 diabetic patients, Manaviat, et al, BMC Ophthalmology 2008, 8:10doi:10.1186/1471-2415-8-10.

 

Antioxidants Can Help Protect Against Metabolic Syndrome

A diet enriched with antioxidant nutrients can help to improve insulin resistance in adults with metabolic syndrome.  Individuals with metabolic syndrome exhibit increased some or all of the following: waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting glucose and triglycerides, and a reduction in high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.  They have a reduced ability to utilize insulin, and are at an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Subjects participating in the study were all placed on 1,500 calorie per diets for 3 months, but only a subgroup were provided with fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants.  All lost weight, but only those who received the antioxidant-enriched diet had significant reductions in insulin resistance.  The antioxidants were thought to have helped reduce oxidative stress, which may help protect against a number of conditions, including metabolic syndrome.

Source: https://www.lef.org/newsletter/2010/0629_High-Antioxidant-Diet-Improves-Insulin-Sensitivity-in-Obese-Men-Women.htm

Antioxidants play a vital role in the reduction of eye disease too.  Learn more about antioxidants.

Blood Sugar Control & Exercise Can Slow Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy progresses more slowly when people with type 2 diabetes adhere to intensive blood sugar control rather than standard blood sugar control

Controlling diabetes makes a big difference in controlling or avoiding development of diabetic retinopathy.

Blood Sugar Control

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine asserts that retinopathy progresses at a slower rate when people with type 2 diabetes adhere to intensive blood sugar control rather than standard blood sugar control. There can be risks associated with intensive blood sugar control regimes that bring glucose levels to near-normal levels including increased the risk of death and severe low blood sugar, so patients should work closely with their doctors when considering a new treatment plan.

Source: LA Times

 Exercise

Researchers out of Old Dominion University recommend that people with type 2 diabetics should get 150 minutes of moderate to strenuous aerobic exercise to control their condition.

They remind people that medications are the second line of treatment of diabetes; exercise and a healthy lifestyle are the first line of defense.  It is possible to reduce one’s medication intake if other healthy changes are made.

Source: https://www.lef.org

 

 

White rice tied to higher risk of diabetes

A US-based study on Monday linked eating white rice to higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and backed long-held claims that brown rice is healthier than the white variety.

A 2010 study connected including white rice (as opposed to brown rice) to a greater likelihood of developing adult-onset diabetes.  It substantiated long-time reports that brown rice is more healthy than white.  The study investigated patients who ate a minimum of 5 white rice servings per week and found that they had a 17% higher risk of developing the conditions – compared to those who eat less than one serving per month.

Researchers: Harvard School of Public Health

Editor’s Note:  All refined foods – white rice rather than brown, white flour rather than whole wheat, highly refined sugars, grits rather than corn – would likely generate similar results because the outer husk contained the bulk of the nutrients has been removed.

Learn  more  about diabetes and diabetic retinopathy and guidelines for supplementing your diet with juicing to combat diabetic retinopathy.

Promising Therapies for Diabetic Macular Edema

Laser therapy, also called laser photocoagulation, is more effective and produces fewer side effects than corticosteroids injected into the eye for the treatment of diabetic macular edema according to a large, two-year multicenter study reported in the journal Ophthalmology (Volume 115, page 1447).

A new technique called photocoagulation is a form a therapy using a laser light.  It has been effective in treating diabetic macular edema – swelling – a condition that develops from untreated diabetes.  It is more effective and injecting corticosteroids in the eyes and has fewer side effects.

This was reported by researchers after a large two-year study of more than 600 people.

Published: Journal of Ophthalmology, vol. 115, p. 1447

Editor’s Note: Learn  more about nutrition and diabetes and diabetic retinopathy.

Zinc, inflammation & oxidative stress

An article published in the June, 2010 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition describes a clinical trial involving older men and women which found reductions in markers of oxidative stress and inflammation among those who supplemented with zinc.

A 2010  clinical trial looked at indicators of oxidative stress and inflammation in elders which found reductions among the subjects who supplemented with zinc.  These two factors – oxidative stress caused by free radicals and inflammation – are considered risk factors for coronary artery disease.  Zinc deficiencies have been noted for this condition as well as for rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, and various cancers.

Editor’s note: There are a range of essential nutrients that reduce oxidative stress in the body and can help reduce inflammation including glutathione, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and alpha lipoic acid for example. Green leafy vegetables contain a great range of antioxidants that have excellent anti-inflammatory properties. as well.

When supplementing with zinc, copper should also be taken. The proper ratio of zinc:copper is 15:1.

Published: June, 2010,  American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

 

Tricor doesn’t reduce diabetics’ heart risk

A drug taken for decades by millions of people with type 2 diabetes to prevent heart attacks, strokes and deaths offered no benefit in a broad group of patients, a study released Sunday shows.

A 2010 study reports that Tricor (Fenofibrate) which has been taken by adult-onset diabetics in order to prevent heart attacks, strokes and deaths offers no benefit.  The product lowers triglycerides and raises good cholesterol, apparently lowering heart risk. But it failed to reduce  a combination of strokes, heart attacks  and deaths in patients with adult-onset diabetes.

Researchers: Henry Ginsberg, and associates, Columbia University.

Editor’s Note: Diabetic sufferers are at high risk of onset of diabetic retinopathy which can lead to permanent vision loss. Learn about information on nutrients (such as alpha lipoic acid, taurine, bilberry, lutein, omega-3 fatty acids) related to helping preserve vision for those with diabetes.

Killer Carbohydrates & Diabetes

According to 2007 data from the National Institutes of Health, 25% of Americans 20 years and older had abnormally high levels of glucose in the blood—a pre-diabetic state. That number leapt to 35% in individuals 60 and older.

One quarter of Americans over 20 years old have abnormally high glucose levels – which is considered to be pre-diabetic. By the time Americans are 60 or older the percentage rises to 35%.  Considering the US population data, as of 2009, about 60,000,000 citizens are pre-diabetic and at very high risk of developing diabetes.

  • Due to excess carbohydrates in the diet, about 20% of Americans are pre-diabetic.
  • Carbohydrates are absorbed into the blood primarily due to the digestive enzymes amylase, sucrase, and glucosidase.
  • However, L-arabinose – a natural, mostly indigestible sugar – blocks sucrase activity, preventing sugar sucrose from moving into the bloodstream.
  • Similarly, extracts of seaweed, white beans, and Irvingia block starch breakdown  in the intestine, preventing these calories from being absorbed into the bloodstream.
  • Green tea extract helps your body metabolize additional calories while you are not active.
  • All together these are  natural compounds that have the potential to dramatically slow total carbohydrate intake, limit blood sugar and insulin spikes after meals, and help support weight loss.

Editor’s Note: See more information on nutrition, diabetes and diabetic retinopathy.

Sources: National Institutes of Health, 2007, 2009

 

Avoiding fast food burgers and fried chicken may reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes

A new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that black women who ate fast food burgers or fried chicken at least twice a week were 40 to 70% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes over 10 years than women who never ate these high calorie foods.

Using data from the 44,072 participants in the Black Women’s Health Study, 2873 cases of type 2 diabetes occurred during 10 years of follow-up.  

Researchers believe that the weight gain associated with eating too much high calorie fast food explains most of these diabetes cases; previous studies have shown that becoming overweight or obese greatly increases a person’s chance of developing type 2 diabetes.

Women who ate restaurant meals of hamburgers, fried chicken, fried fish, and Chinese food more than once a week had a higher body mass index (BMI) on average than women who claimed to never eat fast foods.

Study authors point out that this risk factor for type 2 diabetes may be readily modifiable by dietary changes.

SOURCE:  Consumption of Restaurant Foods and Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes in African American Women, Krishnan, et al, Am J Clin Nutr, December 16, 2009, doi:10.3945/ajcn.2009.28682.

Two foods to completely avoid

Avoid trans fats, found largely in commercially prepared baked and fried foods, These fats not only raise “bad” LDL cholesterol, but also lower levels of heart-healthy HDL cholesterol. High trans-fat intake has been linked to coronary heart disease, in which fatty plaques build up in the heart arteries, sometimes leading to a heart attack.

The food industry has been widely replacing trans fats with interesterified fat, another unnatural fat to completely avoid.

The interesterification process hardens fat, similar to the hydrogenation process, but without producing oils that contain trans fats. The end product, like trans fat, is less likely to go rancid and is stable enough to use to fry foods.

Avoid trans fats, found largely in commercially prepared baked and fried foods, These fats not only raise “bad” LDL cholesterol, but also lower levels of heart-healthy HDL cholesterol.  High trans-fat intake has been linked to coronary heart disease, in which fatty plaques build up in the heart arteries, sometimes leading to a heart attack.

The food industry has been widely replacing trans fats with interesterified fat, another unnatural fat to completely avoid.

The interesterification process hardens fat, similar to the hydrogenation process, but without producing oils that contain trans fats. The end product, like trans fat, is less likely to go rancid and is stable enough to use to fry foods.

However, like hydrogenation which generates unnatural trans fats, interesterification also produces molecules that do not exist in nature.

Studies show that interesterified fat raises your blood glucose and depresses insulin production. These conditions are common precursors to diabetes, and can present an even more immediate danger if you already have the disease (Nutrition & Metabolism 2007, 4:3doi:10.1186/1743-7075-4-3)

Editor’s Note: Stay with healthy fats such as olive oil, and even saturated fats in moderation such as butter or coconut oil.

To round out your healthy fat intake, be sure to eat raw fats, such as those from avocados, raw dairy products, and olive oil, and also take a high-quality source of animal-based omega-3 fat, or if vegetarian, supplement with Krill oil.