Diabetes

Bad Reporting, Mediocre Science and the Dangers of Foods

A recent study is being loudly quoted in the press with headlines such as “Processed Red Meat Intake Linked to Type 2 Diabetes Risk”.   Most non-scientists will read the headline and come away with the impression that red meat is somehow bad for them. If people read the true title of the article, “Red meat consumption and …

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Obesity Does Not Cause Heart Disease

The Problem According to the American Heart Association, more than 910,000 Americans still die of heart disease annually.  And more than 70 million Americans live every day with some form of heart disease which can include high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, stroke, angina (chest pain), heart attack and congenital heart defects. The Myth “Being overweight or …

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Children Are Developing Adult Onset Diabetes

Children Are Developing Adult Onset Diabetes When diabetes strikes during childhood, it historically has been type 1 diabetes (also known as juvenile-onset diabetes). However, the number of cases of children and adolescents with type 2 diabetes (formerly known as adult-onset diabetes) has been increasing in frequency over the last 20 years. Children and adolescents diagnosed with type 2 diabetes are generally between …

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Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Increases Chances of Developing Diabetes

A recent study has shown women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) have a three-fold greater chance of having diabetes later in life. This is not surprising since both are the symptoms of a much larger problem, insulin resistance. Just as not so surprising, all three, insulin resistance, diabetes and PCOS have been shown to improve …

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‘Low Carb’ is More Effective than ‘Low Glycemic’ for Diabetes

Brown Rice is Not as Healthy as You Think Many patients will ask me if it’s OK for them to eat more carbs than I recommend (less than 100 grams per day) to control their diabetes as long as they are eating low-glycemic carbs (think whole wheat bread or pasta, brown rice, vegetables and fruit). The answer is no. …

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Why Starting The Atkins Diet Causes You To Feel Tired

Why Starting The Atkins Diet Causes You To Feel Tired Patients who go on the Atkins low carbohydrate diet often experience headaches, ‘brain fog’, lightheadedness or fatigue the first few weeks after reducing their carbohydrate intake. These symptoms will improve after a few weeks but for some individuals they can be quit severe and will …

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What to Do About a Family History of Diabetes, High Blood Pressure or Heart Attacks

What Does A Family History of Diabetes, High Blood Pressure or Heart Attacks Really Mean? I’ve spoken with many patients who worry about their health and that of their children because there seems to be a strong family history of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure or even heart attacks.   Their concerns are obvious but …

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Does Your Abdomen Stick Out Too Far?

If it does, don’t think you’re alone.  Many Americans are dealing with the same thing.  Patients complain about it to me all the time.  What you may be experiencing is an accumulation of fat within the abdominal cavity (called intra abdominal fat).  And your body may be abnormally storing fat there because the carbohydrates (sugar and starches) in your …

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Soda is as Dangerous as Cigarettes

Soda is Dangerous In a recently published study  in the November 2010 issue of Diabetes Care, Dr Vasanti S Malik (Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA)  reported that consumption of just one or two sugar-sweetened beverages per day is associated with a 26% greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes and a 20% increased risk …

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Low Carbohydrate Treats For Halloween

Poisoning Our Children’s Future The diabetes epidemic is growing so rapidly that presently 1 of every 10 adults in the U.S. has diabetes.  That number is anticipated to grow to 1 of every 3 adults by 2050.  That means that 1/3 of all those beautiful little kids in your child’s classroom, 1/3 of their soccer teammates and …

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High Cholesterol Is A Problem for Kids Too!

A federal health report says 20% of U.S. children and teens have abnormal lipid levels, an indication of too much bad cholesterol, too little good cholesterol or high triglycerides.  These abnormal levels can raise the risk for heart disease which is the leading cause of death in the United States. Reseachers have found that children and …

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Decreased Weight = Decreased Insurance Costs

Weight loss can significantly decrease your chances of developing diabetes, and also significantly decrease your health insurance premiums. One of the largest health insurers in the nation, UnitedHealth Group, has developed an approach to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and to increase the health of the American public. This program is predicted to …

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How Much Fish Oil Should I Take And Why?

Many patients I see  in my practice are taking fish oil supplements and don’t really understand why they are beneficial  but just that everyone seems to recommend taking them. Fish and certain plant and nut oils are common natural sources of omega-3 fatty acids.  Fatty acids are special molecules that have a wide array of …

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If I Have Insulin Resistance or Metabolic Syndrome, How Can I Make It Go Away?

What Causes Insulin Resistance and Metabolic Syndrome? The last 20 years has seen an epidemic rise in Obesity, Metabolic Syndrome and Diabetes Mellitus in the United States.  Extensive research has helped us to understand that the combination of high carbohydrate diets, lack of exercise and increased portion sizes has lead to this problem. Prehistoric humans …

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Weight Loss Surgery Reduces Diabetes-related Death Rate

Weight loss (bariatric) surgery has been shown to reduce diabetes-related mortality by 88%. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that weight loss surgery surgery reduced the overall death rate by 34%, disease-related deaths and cardiovascular deaths by 48%, cancer-related deaths by 59%, and diabetes-related deaths by 88% in patients with …

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Do You Have Autonomic Dysfunction?