The CDiabetes News Brief: September 22 to 28, 2014

The Longer You Have Diabetes, The More Likely You Are To Have Heart Problems

You may know that people with diabetes face higher risks of many different complications, including heart and blood vessel problems. A new study from the University of Sydney in Australia has found that your risk for these conditions goes up even more if you have had diabetes for many years, or were diagnosed after about age 60. This shows how important it is to get your blood glucose levels under control as soon as you are diagnosed with diabetes. And, one of the best ways to prevent complications like heart and blood vessel diseases is to get regular check-ups with your healthcare providers.
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If You’re Obese, Mangos May Help You Control Your Blood Glucose Levels

A small study published in Nutrition and Metabolic Insights has found that obese men and women may see better blood glucose readings if they regularly eat mangos. While this was only a 12-week study with 20 participants, the researchers believe that eating mangos did help with blood glucose control. More research is needed to know for sure, but for now, this juicy tropical fruit could make a great addition to your diabetes meal plan if it doesn’t raise your blood glucose levels.
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Health Information Sent To Your Phone Might Help You Keep Calories In Check

It can be difficult to keep up with health and nutrition news, and to know which foods you should be eating. That’s why researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health think that getting regular text messages about healthy eating can help you stay on track. In the study, a group of 246 adults were sent texts with information about the number of calories in different foods once a week. It was found that, compared to people who did not get these texts, they were able to keep better control of how many calories they were eating.
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Dairy Fat May Be Connected With Lower Diabetes Risk

For many years, people with diabetes were told to replace all the whole milk products in their meal plans with low-fat or fat-free versions. But now, many scientists are re-thinking that idea. A new study, presented to the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Austria, showed that having 8 or more servings of high-fat milk products each day (including cream, butter and whole milk) can lower diabetes risk by 23%. The study participants who ate only low-fat or fat-free milk products did not show any improvement in diabetes risk.
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Accredited Weight Loss Surgery Centers Are Safer

If your healthcare provider has suggested that you get weight loss surgery to improve your health, you might be wondering where to have the operation done. A new study from the University of California at Irvine looked at the outcomes of over 775,000 weight loss surgeries, and found that accredited centers had fewer deaths than those that were non-accredited. Their patients also had fewer complications after surgery. This means that if you’re thinking about having weight loss surgery, it’s a good idea to find an accredited bariatric center.
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Sugar-Free Sweeteners May Raise Your Risk For Diabetes

Many people with diabetes use sugar-free sweeteners to help them lower their blood glucose levels. But a new study by researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel has shown that these products may actually change the bacteria in your gut and make it harder for your body to process glucose. This means that sweeteners like aspartame and saccharin, which are found in many diet drinks and sugar-free desserts, could make it more likely that you will develop diabetes. If you already have diabetes, these sweeteners may make it more difficult for you to control your blood glucose levels and lose weight. However, more research is needed to know for sure.
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Insulin Pumps Might Lower Heart Disease Risk

If you have diabetes and need insulin to control your blood glucose levels, you have a few different choices for how to take it. Some people use insulin pens or syringes, and others–especially people with type 1 diabetes–use insulin pumps. One benefit of pumps is that they deliver small doses of insulin throughout the day, to keep your blood glucose steady. Another benefit, recently found at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, is that people who use pumps instead of insulin shots have a lower risk for coronary heart disease.
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Milk Products Can Improve Metabolic Health

If you enjoy milk, cheese, cream and butter, a recent study published in Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism should come as great news. Researchers at CHU de Québec Research Center and Laval University found that healthy French-Canadians who ate at least 2 servings of dairy every day had lower blood pressure, lower blood glucose levels, and lower body weight. This might be because of trans-palmitoleic acid, a substance found in milk and meat fat. This study is part of a bigger trend in recent research showing that milk products do not harm health.
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Losing Weight Can Help You Save Money If You Have Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes care can be expensive. Luckily, a new study from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center has shown that all the hard work it takes to get more physical activity and change your eating habits can actually save you money. The researchers looked at over 5,000 people with type 2 diabetes between the ages of 45 and 76. They found that those who lost weight through exercise went to the hospital and used other healthcare services less. This saved them an average of $600 a year, compared to people who did not work to lose weight.
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Sitting Too Much Can Hurt Your Brain, Even If You Get Enough Exercise

Healthcare providers know that getting enough physical activity is very important for the health of your brain, especially in older adults. But a new study has shown that, for people over 65, exercise is not enough to protect brain function if they spend most of their time sitting or lying down. This shows that getting light to moderate physical activity throughout the day, instead of all at once, is more likely to keep your brain healthy and strong.
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