This guest blog was written exclusively for

With an estimated 57 million Americans with pre-diabetes, the American Diabetes Association offers an online tool that helps people understand their personal risk for developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

My Health Advisor takes into account a person’s specific risk factors, such as family history and lifestyle choices, as well as other factors like access to health care, to determine their risk for developing diabetes, heart disease and stroke. The online calculator immediately reflects and readjusts a person’s risk outcome based on small changes they make in their lives, such as losing five or ten pounds, quitting smoking or taking a daily aspirin.

Unlike other online health calculators, My Health Advisor uses the powerful and unique health simulation program, Archimedes. Archimedes pulls together large amounts of clinical research data to make highly accurate predictions about a person’s health risks. The software creates a virtual reality in which all relevant factors that can impact a person’s health in the real world match the factors in the simulated world. To further ensure accurate assessments, the results have been compared directly with real-life clinical trial results and have a nearly perfect correlation with the outcomes of actual patients.

Results from a 2008 Omnibus survey conducted by the Association indicate that the majority of adults ages 40 and older are at risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Furthermore, those surveyed do not acknowledge their control over developing these conditions, and see little motivation to lose weight and lead healthier lives.

“Type 2 diabetes is preventable with healthy lifestyle choices. With 1.6 million new cases of diabetes diagnosed each year and heart disease and stroke accounting for two out of three diabetes-related deaths, the need to educate people about and accurately assess their risk of developing these diseases is at an all time high,” said Peter Sheehan, M.D., CheckUp America committee chair. My Health Advisor is an extremely powerful tool that we can use to help people not only understand their risk, but take proactive steps to a healthier life.”

Users of My Health Advisor benefit from a customized risk assessment and personalized prevention tips for living healthier lives and taking action to reduce the risk of developing life-threatening diseases. Clinicians can also use My Health Advisor with their patients to develop prevention plans with their patients. 

For more information on My Health Advisor and to access the online calculator, visit CheckUpAmerica.

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Online Calculator Estimates Diabetes Risk

Manage Stress

Is it me or are most people pre-wired for high anxiety and the go-go-go mentality? Work pressures. The economy. Life drama. No matter what day it is, you can bet there’s something going on that is making your blood boil. You don’t see it, but it’s killing you.

Chronic stress is linked to six of the leading causes of death. The link between stress and diabetes is hormonal. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is a stress hormone that increases with severe or prolonged stress. The main effect of the hormone is increased food intake, increased proportion of energy stored as fat, and decreased physical activity. Uh oh. If you read the post on preventing diabetes, you know that excess fat, especially in the belly area, significantly increases your diabetes risk.

Point well taken. So how the heck do you calm down? My quick tips for stress management are very basic.

1. Say “no.” Don’t put too much on your plate. The overcommitment increases stress levels, eats up valuable free time for nutrition and exercise, and frankly wears you out unnecessarily.
2. Just breath. When you feel the stress piling on, take five minutes and lie on your back in a quiet room only focusing on your breath. The drop in blood pressure also allows your crazed stress hormones to take a reprieve.
3. Sip on herbal tea. Teas like peppermint, ginger, or chamomile are very soothing and help you come down from that stress frazzle.

But there’s one more thing that can weigh down the risk for diabetes. Yes, sleep.

Sleep

Research shows that people who get less than six hours of sleep are 4.5 times more likely to have problems controlling their blood sugar – and that, my friends, leads to insulin resistance and eventually diabetes. What’s more, lack of sleep also throws your hungry/full hormones out of whack so when you don’t get sleep, you’re hormonally hungrier the next day thanks to higher levels of ghrelin (the “grow” hormone).

So, cheat yourself of sleep (maybe due to poor stress management) and now you’re hunger hormone is raging like a teenage boy at cheer camp. Of course you’re going to overeat and gain weight, which takes us back to our “top three” ways of preventing diabetes… eating healthy, exercising, and losing weight.

Behavior change starts with awareness. What can you do today to make yourself more aware of your behaviors?

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Sleep and Relax to Prevent Diabetes

These five tips involve slashing sugar, saturated and trans fats, and cutting back on calories so you can lose weight and better control your blood sugar levels.

1. Swap water for calorie beverages. Water has zero calories, that’s the bottom line. Used to sodas? Try sparkling water with a twist of lime. Need more flavor? Add some mint or unsweetened iced tea. I love using herbal teas! You’ll save 17 teaspoons of sugar for each 20-ounce soda.

2. Swap a coffee beverage with a small skim milk latte. A small pumpkin spice latte made with 2% milk has almost 40 grams of sugar (about 10 teaspoons – a day’s worth of added sugar), whereas a small, fat-free latte has only 16 grams sugar and that comes from the milk! If you would like, you can always “split the difference” and ask for one pump of pumpkin spice. That’s about 10 grams of added sugar – just under three teaspoons. Sure beats 10, doesn’t it?

3. Swap a hamburger with a portobello mushroom burger. If you’ve never had a grilled portobello mushroom you have no idea what you are missing. This large vegetable has a thick “meaty” texture. The saturated fat is no comparison. You’ll save grams of saturated fat.

4. Swap “partially hydrogenated” on packaged foods with whole or packaged foods without. If you can avoid packaged and fried foods altogether then you can avoid most of the world’s trans fat. That’s not realistic for a lot of people, so the next best thing is to cut down on the amount and frequency of those kinds of foods. Look at an ingredients list for the words “partially hydrogenated” and rethink your purchase. The good news is that most companies have taken it out of foods.

5. Swap full-fat cheese for lighter. I love cheese, but the saturated fat in that tiny thumb-sized portion is enough to make your arteries clog in sheer terror! OK, not exactly, but even so, just remember full-fat dairy products are mostly saturated fat. I like to use low-fat cottage cheese for a “most of the time” food. I also like the reduced-fat mozzarella and cheddar cheeses in the store. Up to 50% reduced fat of a good brand will slash the saturated fat in half, but you don’t notice a taste difference. I also like goat and feta cheese because they are strong. A little goes a long way and their “softness” means more water and guess what, less saturated fat per serving.

Hopefully you can choose at least one of these tips today to work on!

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Five Easy Food Swaps to Prevent Diabetes

A quarter of those surveyed who were unemployed said they didn’t get enough rest any night in the last 30 days.

The study seems to confirm the anecdotal belief that west coasters are more laid back than the east coast. Twelve of the 14 best-sleeping states were west of the Mississippi.

The report wasn’t very in depth, as they just asked people about their perception of how much sleep they got, not the actual hours.

The Health Consequences

Sleep problems can lead to other health problems, surprisingly maybe even diabetes. Researchers aren’t quite sure if lack of sleep directly causes diabetes or if it’s associated in some other way. But, even a remote piece of evidence should be enough to think twice about watching your favorite late night talk show.

Sleep Aids

Exercise is a great way to help your sleep problems… assuming you aren’t just staying up late by choice. The National Sleep Foundation reports that afternoon exercise can help with deeper sleep, and even cut down the amount of time it takes for you to fall asleep. Evening exercise may have the opposite effect, while morning workouts seem to get the best results.

Keep in mind that there may be occasions when prescribed sleep aids are appropriate, but they shouldn’t be seen as the long-term answer.

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Americans Aren’t Getting Enough Sleep

This guest blog was written exclusively for DietsInReview.com from The American Diabetes Association, an organization that is leading the fight against the deadly consequences of diabetes and fighting for those affected by diabetes. The Association funds research to prevent, cure and manage diabetes; delivers services to hundreds of communities; provides objective and credible information; and gives voice to those denied their rights because of diabetes. Founded in 1940, our mission is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. For more information please call your local American Diabetes Association office at 1-888-DIABETES (1-888-342-2383) or visit The American Diabetes Association

Cider and donuts, Sweetest Day, Halloween: Even highly-disciplined eaters can be distracted by all the autumn treats that begin to appear this month. So life can be especially difficult for people with any need for diet control – especially people newly diagnosed with diabetes.

“October symbolizes the beginning of the holiday festivities that will continue through Superbowl Sunday,” says Judith Pegg, a registered nurse and coordinator of the Outpatient Diabetes Education Program at Beaumont Hospital in Troy, Michigan. “People with diabetes need to remember that controlling blood sugar is what can delay or prevent complications. They should know what they can eat, how timing that food intake affects their body, and the amount of food they should eat.”

More than 23 million children and adults have diabetes in the U.S. While diabetes (the fastest-growing disease in the U.S.) can cause life-threatening complications, it can be controlled.

Through diabetes education programs, Pegg shares crucial information with participants about meal planning and portion size, exercise, medications, the role of stress, blood glucose testing and technology updates. Such classes are important for people newly-diagnosed with the disease and anyone who already has diabetes. Pegg also encourages participants to enroll in one of the many ADA recognized programs throughout the country in order to help them continue to learn about the disease.

“We want to offer individuals real world solutions to this life-changing disease,” says Sean Mahone, president of Warren-based Great Lakes Medical Supply, and ADA volunteer. “Food temptations can be overwhelming this time of year, but a little education about making better choices helps to make meals and diabetes manageable.”

“I believe perhaps the best thing people can do during this time to avoid diet pitfalls and to avoid making mindless mistakes is to have a plan ahead of time to keep control over what and when they eat,” says Pegg. “With that control, they will be able to enjoy the holiday fun with their family and friends and not feel deprived.”

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

The ADA’s Guide to Enjoying Holiday Food

So, wouldn’t it be great if you knew what you could do to control your diabetes, or better yet prevent diabetes, in the first place? Well, you’ve come to the right place. This blog post will describe the top three steps you can take to prevent or reverse type 2 diabetes.

1. Eat healthy

If you already have type 2 diabetes, then you have (hopefully) learned about the importance of keeping carbohydrates consistent throughout the day, meaning enjoying a small amount of healthy carbohydrates with each meal. Well, this also works in preventing type 2 diabetes.

I recommend people choose carbohydrates in the form of fresh or minimally processed starchy vegetables (like potatoes), fruits, beans (like lentils), and whole grains (like brown rice, quinoa, and corn) for their meals. Non-starchy veggies have such low carbs for the calories and they are almost 100% water that you don’t need to limit those.

Just watch how they are prepared. Steamed or broiled with herbs, spices or a little olive oil is best. Refined sources of carbohydrates should be limited as much as possible: sugar, white bread, white rice, etc. You don’t need to eliminate all foods with these ingredients, but try to make a healthier swap whenever possible and limit your portion sizes of these foods.

2. Exercise more

Exercise can help slow or prevent the progression of diabetes a number of ways. Exercise helps to maintain a healthy weight, lose weight, manage stress, and improve sleep (more on that next). Exercise also helps people manage a healthy blood sugar level whether you have diabetes or not.

When you exercise, you burn sugar for energy. Regular exercise also helps keep blood vessels healthy to prevent heart disease, which diabetics often get from damage to blood vessels. You don’t have to be a marathoner either. As little as 1,000 calories worth of activity spread throughout the week (walking 30 minutes and 20 minutes of strength training three times a week) causes your muscles to utilize sugar more effectively and keep it from floating around in your blood, which leads to diabetes.

3. Lose weight

Get a tape measure and take a waist measurement. Men, if you’ve got 40 or more inches around the waist you have 12 times the risk of developing diabetes than a male with 35 inches. Women, if you have 37 or more inches around the waist you are 12 times more likely to get diabetes than a female with 32.5 inches.

Eating healthy and exercising more are the best steps to losing weight. Get a trainer, dietitian, join a class, or buy a book/dvd… but do something to help yourself lose weight sensibly.

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Top Three Ways to Prevent Diabetes

November is American Diabetes Month, so DietsInReview.com has partnered with the American Diabetes Association to feature articles, stories and resources all month long on this disease. During November, you will learn how to enjoy the season’s favorite foods while also sticking to a healthy eating plan. You will also be informed just how widespread diabetes is and what you can do to reduce your risk and those around you.

With 24 million American children and adults living with diabetes, and another 57 million at risk for type 2 diabetes, the prevalence of this condition clearly necessitates action from everyone, including families, individuals, public health professionals and policy makers.

We are glad to share with you this month the expertise of the American Diabetes Association, a national organization whose sole mission is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes.

In addition to the information we will share with you, check with your local chapter of the American Diabetes Association to join their Stop Diabetes movement, get screened and volunteer your time and resources to fight diabetes.

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

November is Diabetes Awareness Month

Is it easier for you to avoid over-eating by avoiding a food entirely or to indulge in a very small portion? Do you have more will power to avoid or more won’t power to stop? I think the key component to my uncle’s thinking was maintaining a positive self-image. He felt more in control in this situation with total avoidance. He applied his will power to remaining in control rather than applying won’t power against over-indulgence. Such quips are used for entertainment and to make one think. In this case, it may be an easy phrase to keep in mind to empower you to sticking with your food plan.

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Will Power vs. Won’t Power

Canadian researchers have now found that “biotransformed” blueberries with bacteria from the berry’s skin may help people fight obesity and diabetes.

In an animal study, diabetic and pre-diabetic mice saw a reduction in hyperglycemia (high blood sugar).

The key is the bacteria Serratia vaccinii. It’s a new strain isolated from blueberries that appears to enhance the natural antioxidant effects. Blood glucose levels of the mice fell by 35 percent after three days of drinking the biotransformed juice.

“Results of this study clearly show that biotransformed blueberry juice has strong anti-obesity and anti-diabetic potential,” says senior author Pierre S. Haddad, a pharmacology professor at the University of Montreal’s Faculty of Medicine. “Biotransformed blueberry juice may represent a novel therapeutic agent.”

The study appeared online in the International Journal of Obesity.

(via: Yahoo)

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Secret Weight Loss Power of Blueberries

A Mediterranean diet is rich in vegetables and whole grains. In a new Italian study the subjects ate the Mediterranean way, with 30 percent of their calories from fat (mostly olive oil). They were better able to manage their disease without diabetes medications than those people who ate a low-fat diet with no more than 30 percent of calories from fat (with less than 10 percent coming from saturated fat choices).

The study was thorough. After four years, researchers found that only 44 percent of people who were on the Mediterranean diet required diabetes medications to control their blood sugars, while 70 percent of those who followed the low-fat diet needed medications.

Katherine Esposito, MD, of the Second University of Naples, says the results “reinforce the message that benefits of lifestyle interventions should not be overlooked.” Which is a fancy way of saying your diet is a factor in managing your diabetes.

It’s not that the low-fat diet was unhealthy. In fact, it was based on the American Heart Association guidelines, which is rich in whole grains, limited sweets, with no more than 30 percent of calories from fat and 10 percent from saturated fats. The weight loss between the two groups was pretty much the same. But, the Mediterranean diet not only was more beneficial with diabetes issues, the people also experienced an improvement in additional heart disease risk factors.

(via: WebMD)

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Mediterranean Diet Helps Diabetics