The South Beach Diet is not just about getting thin
Filed under: Diet, Nutrition, Books
A few years ago I gave the South Beach Diet a trial run. I bought and read the book, went shopping for the ingredients and started preparing the meals. Unfortunately, my attempt was short lived because I felt the recipes were rather complicated and with a newborn child on my hip, I just couldn't commit to the plan. However, after reading a post by Brian White on our sister site, That's Fit, I am thinking about revisiting the South Beach Diet.Dr. Agatston's new book, The South Beach Heart Program: The 4-Step Plan That Can Save Your Life, goes beyond recipes and meal plans. This book takes a comprehensive look at cultivating and maintaining a life-long heart healthy lifestyle. The intent of the book is to teach readers that healthy living is for all people of all ages and all lifestyles.
This approach to healthy living sounds much more palatable than simply following a meal plan. Although I have not yet read the book, I am planning on giving it a read, and I'll let you know how it goes.
82 years with diabetes described in "Longevity" book
Filed under: Type 1, Childhood, Lifestyle, Drugs, Books, Care
Around a year ago I posted the story of two elderly brothers, both of whom have had type 1 diabetes since childhood. It's amazing to read about these guys for two reasons: first, they've lived with diabetes for a reeeaally long time. Secondly, for most of that time, they did not have the medical knowledge or technology on which today's diabetics depend. (Okay, so when it comes to stuff like Avandia, you could argue that's a good thing!)Anyway, one of the brothers - Robert "Bob" Cleveland (87) - will be featured in a new book titled 50 Secrets of the Longest Living People with Diabetes by Sheri R. Colberg and Steven V. Edelman. The book is part of the Marlowe Diabetes Library series. It will be published in November and is available for pre-ordering on Amazon.
Linda von Wartburg, writing for Diabetes Health, has posted an excerpt about Cleveland taken from the book, for those who want an advance taste. According to that post, Bob Cleveland has lived with the disease for an amazing eighty-two years. This makes Cleveland second in line for the title of person in the US who's lived with diabetes the longest. He was five years old when diagnosed in 1925. Bob's brother, Gerald, has not had diabetes for quite so long, but he is the oldest living person with diabetes in the US. The brothers are pictured at right, with Bob on the left and Gerald on the right.
Reading Cleveland's account of his early years with diabetes, before insulin became available, is quite harrowing. He describes being on a "starvation diet," hospital stays, and memories of his mother desperately trying to pull him out of hypoglycemic episodes. Incredible reading.
New book suggests obesity is all in the genes
Filed under: Type 1, Type 2, Childhood, Adult Onset, Diet, Lifestyle, Exercise, Books, Support, Care
This past spring a new book by Gina Kolata, a science reporter for the New York Times, hit the scene -- Rethinking Thin: The New Science of Weight Loss - and the Myths and Realities of Dieting. I came across a mention of the book in the blogosphere and had to check it out. I have personally not read the book yet, but I have poured over newspaper and reader reviews.
In Rethinking Thin, Kolata argues being fat is biological destiny. She says most overweight people are stuck within a relatively narrow weight range set by their genes. But as obesity rates have steadily risen and the phrase 'obesity epidemic' sails across the news waves, the pressure to eat healthy, exercise and lose weight screams in response.
Kolata notes dieters only manage to keep off a little weight, sharing scientific evidence to explain this constant, disappointing phenomenon. Fat people have more fat cells, and while their metabolisms are normal, their appetites are larger. Losing significant weight often triggers a powerful "primal hunger." Furthermore, studies on twins and adopted children show inheritance may account for up to 70 percent of weight variance. Kolata leans heavily on the influence of genetics -- questioning the popular belief 'fat people can become thin if they would only apply themselves.' A similar argument is often applied to overweight people with type 2 diabetes -- 'just lose the weight already and you will be cured!' But if obesity is nearly all genetic, why are we getting fatter and fatter?
Emily Bazelon's book review in the New York Times is a nice overview of Kolata's arguments. Bazelon throws out a few challenges, pointing out Kolata ignores the influence of the 'gazillion-dollar food industry'. She also questions Kolata's speculation that obesity might be a response to modern medical advancements -- that our nation's improved early nutrition, vaccines or antibiotics might somehow change the brain's control over weight. This is an interesting line of thought, very different from the concept that our ancestral caveman's between-the-hunt survival biology simply cannot handle our country's overabundance of cheap, calorie-laden cuisine consumed in a car.
Understanding glycemic goals empowers type 2 diabetics
Filed under: Type 2, Adult Onset, Books
The best part of blogging for The Diabetes Blog is the steep learning curve you embark upon as you research media outlets with an eye on diabetes. I've grown up as a sister and daughter of two brothers and a mom and dad with type 1 diabetes, but the challenges type 2 diabetics face are entirely foreign.
Alarmingly, recent surveys reveal about 60% of type 2 diabetics are not reaching glycemic goals. A new book, Know Your Numbers, Outlive Your Diabetes: Five Essential Health Factors You Can Master to Enjoy a Long and Healthy Life, offers type 2 diabetics tools to better manage their health. Authors Richard A. Jackson, MD, Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School and Amy L. Tenderich, MA, diabetes blogger, journalist and author, hope the book can guide the type 2 diabetic -- who often realizes little face-to-face time with their physician -- get a handle on these five test results for better diabetes control.
The book moves beyond the vague notion many type 2 diabetics have that "they need to eat better and exercise more." Rather, the book teaches the importance and optimal ranges of five tests ... A1C, blood pressure, lipids, microalbumin and eye examinations.
Dr. Jackson explains only about 10% of people are "A1C aware." Blood pressure awareness is a bit better, while hardly anyone has heard of microalbumin and many do not understand their eye examination results. The book stresses the importance of first understanding your baseline test results in these five areas to determine where your health currently stands.
For instance, a type 2 diabetic on oral meds with an 8.5% A1C is 35% more likely to have complications from the disease than someone with a 7.5% A1C on small doses of daily insulin. Knowing your numbers is critical, as it may overcome common reluctance of type 2 diabetics to consider using daily insulin to improve control or instituting basic food and exercise choices to improve the results. Once diabetics start focusing on the numbers and demanding their time-stressed physicians to order these tests regularly, they will be empowered to develop strategies to improve their numbers and, ultimately, their health.
I regularly hear my brothers and parents shouting out their latest A1C results at family pow-wows. Now I understand why.
Top rated diabetes books - what's yours?
Filed under: Type 1, Type 2, Childhood, Adult Onset, Books, Support
TuDiabetes.com is a site for people touched by diabetes. The creator of the site, Manny Hernandez, got the ball rolling on a topic of interest we all take to heart - diabetes book recommendations.
When you ask diabetics to brainstorm on a terribly intrinsic topic you get some pretty good responses. One suggested read was The Diabetes Improvement Program. This book helped a diabetic overcome depression, when the talented team of healthcare professionals could not. Other honorable mentions include: Psyching Out Diabetes, Dr. Bernstein's' Diabetes Solution, Diabesity, and Diabetes for Dummies.
Somebody actually asked something very interesting - where is the book on the evolution of diabetes treatment? Often a topic of discussion, and yet so rarely documented is the sequential events of diabetes treatment, starting with the discovery of insulin. A lull ensued from about 1930 till the boom of genetically modified human insulin, in the early 80s. Any investigative journalist willing to take a stab at it? I guarantee the book will make my must read. And Eli Lilly might actually pay you not to write it.
P.S. One reader pointed out - a chapter of Brent Hoadley's book, Too Profitable to Cure presented a chronology of the evolution of diabetes treatment.
Know Your Numbers
When you are trying to lose weight, focus is usually on the pounds you weigh, the pounds you have already lost, the pounds you have still to lose, your measurements and possibly your body fat percentage. However, your goal should not just be about losing weight and inches, it should be about leading a healthier live.
If you are going to improve your health, then it’s good to know where you are right now. After all, you cannot know where you are heading if you don’t know the starting point. There are some health numbers that everybody should know.
1. Cholesterol levels. Not just the total but the HDL (the good one) and LDL (the bad one) numbers too.
2. Blood Pressure. If untreated, high blood pressure can lead to stroke, heart failure and kidney disease.
3. Homocysteine. A blood test can measure the amount of this amino acid in the blood. Too high and you are at an increased risk of alzheimer’s, arthritis, cancer, heart disease and strokes. This is a very important health (or should it be lack of health) statistic.
If you do not already know these numbers, why not make an appointment with your health practitioner. A good diet and regular exercise can make a big difference. Medication may not be necessary.
As part of my goal setting project earlier this year, I found out my numbers. My cholesterol and blood pressure results were good but my homocysteine level was slightly raised. I made some changes to my diet and took supplements as recommended by “The H Factor” book written by Patrick Holford and Dr James Braly. I can thoroughly recommend this book if you care about your health, and that of your family.
Isobel Whytock 1Stop-Weightloss.com
The Key to Outliving Diabetes
Filed under: Type 1, Type 2, Childhood, Adult Onset, Opinion, Books, Support
Many of us fear what we do not know, which could be why the diagnosis of diabetes is so harrowing. Fear no more. Amy Tenderich has teamed up with Dr. Richard Jackson, MD of the Joslin Diabetes Center to shed some light on the heaps of material we must digest to control our diabetes. Amy and Dr. Jackson have simply explained it all in Know Your Numbers, Outlive Your Diabetes: 5 Essential Health Factors You Can Master to Enjoy a Long and Healthy Life (Marlowe Diabetes Library)
The book is a priceless addition to any diabetic library. It begins by explaining the five tests that are the cornerstones for monitoring your overall health with diabetes. These tests are: A1c, blood pressure, lipids, microalbumin, and an annual eye exam. You may think you know it all because you've been there, done that. But do you really know - what it tests, why it's done, and what your numbers should look like? After you learn what those tests mean to you and your health - Amy and Dr. Jackson help you develop a plan of action. They build a road, paved with easy to understand (and explained remarkably well) information about nutrition, medicine, organic treatments, support, and specialized shopping sites for diabetes.
I was impressed beyond my expectations. Knowing the award winning caliber of work Amy produces, and the integrity of Dr. Jackson's work with Joslin Diabetes Center and Harvard Medical - I was looking for a good guidebook on diabetes care. No ma'am. This book is AWESOME! I knew it would be good, Amy. You've outdone yourself, once again. I hope this book motivates everyone who reads it to know their numbers and outlive their diabetes. And when it does - remember us little people, ok? Thanks a million, Amy!
Fat Land Makes A Shocking Read
I’m just finished reading ‘Fat Land’ by Greg Critser which chronicles how Americans have become the fattest people in the world. He pulls no punches explaining how it is that more than 25% of teenagers are now overweight or obese.
The books charts the changes to food consumption. From the introduction of extremely unhealthy fats such as palm oil to supersize portions being regarded as normal. It looks at the introduction of commercialism to schools from such things as vending machines and food carts Scools were no longer responsible for the pupil’s nutrition. Physical fitness of children was downgraded in priority at both local and national level.
At times I was quite appalled even angry by the way government and business manipulated, even misled the population. It’s certainly made me look very closely at food labels.
I would encourage you to read this book, particularly if you have a family. I think it will inspire you to take care of yourself and those around you.
Isobel Whytock 1Stop-Weightloss.com
Ignoring the elephant in the room: the Western diet
Filed under: Type 2, Diet, Opinion
Here's a question for you to ponder: we know that obesity/overeating is harmful to the body, right? It leads to Type 2 diabetes, among a myriad of other harmful effects. So why do we continue to eat the way we do? Author and academic (at the University of California, Berkeley) Michael Pollan has taken a valiant stab at answering that question. Pollan is the author of the well-received book The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals. I have not read the book (though I'm adding it to my list of books to read in 2007), but I did read Pollan's fab article "Unhappy Meals" in this weekend's New York Times. Our obesity problem, says Pollan, is all tied up with a national hangup about eating and nutrition.The "elephant in the room," writes Pollan, is the Western way of eating. To be healthier and to avoid diseases like Type 2 diabetes, we should cut consumption of meat and carbs, avoid processed foods, and eat lots more fruits and vegetables. In the case of Type 2 diabetes, the nation needs to stop, in the word's of a scientist quoted by Pollan, "mainlining glucose." And yet...it doesn't happen. Instead, Americans subscribe to fad diets, they invest in expensive exercise equipment and gym memberships. Moreover, says Pollan, Americans are beset by "nutritionism." That is, we try to prevent obesity and diet-related diseases like diabetes by identifying and eliminating the harmful substances in our foods - like salt, fat or carbs - when what we need is to totally modify our diets. He (politely) places a lot of the blame for this on scientists and the media for supplying us with a constant stream of nutrition-related advice that's so confusing and contradictory and seemingly-important that we keep forgetting about that big old "elephant" - the Western diet as a whole. This focus, he says, "has diminished our pleasure in eating it while doing little or nothing to improve our health." It's a conundrum alright.
The Honeymoon Period
Filed under: Type 1, Type 2, Childhood, Adult Onset, Diet, Lifestyle, Research, Support
Not exactly romantic like a honeymoon, but definitely a significant event preceding a life long commitment -- the Honeymoon Period is a period of time when a patient is first diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
During this time, patients sometimes seem as though their diabetes appears to go away. The patient's insulin needs are minimal and some patients may actually find they can maintain normal or near normal blood glucose taking little or no insulin. This can last between a few months to as long as a year.
Dr. Richard Bernstein, the best-selling author of "The Diabetes Solution" answered the following question from a mother regarding her child's diabetes and the influence of diet. He said:
If every newly diagnosed child with diabetes were put on our program at the time of diagnosis, we would rarely encounter the horror stories that we hear from nearly every parent. These include the roller coaster blood sugars with frequent and severe hypos, the need for snacks, the fear of delayed meals, personality changes and growth retardation. Furthermore, we find that the "honeymoon period" can be prolonged indefinitely if blood sugars remain within the normal range (about 90 mg/dl). Prolongation of the honeymoon period not only makes diabetes control much easier, but also preserves the pancreatic beta cells.
If Dr. Bernstein's idea about controlling the length of the Honeymoon Period through diet is possible - is it possible to ward off the onset of autoimmune diabetes (type 1 diabetes) through diet. The belief may be heavily supported by contrarians, who traditionally contest conventional medical wisdom. I'll admit - I could be one of them. I own Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution and I have to hand it to him - at first glance I thought I voluntarily entered a diabetic Twilight Zone. Then I reminded myself why I bought the book in the first place.