Despite Diabetes Player Is Star On Diamond

Ron Santo launched his professional career in 1959, 39 years before John Eberhardt swung his first baseball bat at the age of four.

Santo, the Chicago Cubs third baseman and longtime broadcaster, was posthumously inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012.

I know John Eberhardt well - He is my friends son, and recently made his collegiate debut with Kentucky Wesleyan College. My wife and I wish him much success.

Ron Santo and John Eberhardt not only share a love for baseball, they are both diabetics - Read full article here

Diabetes Exercise Plan

If you want to make sure you get some exercise every day, find an activity that you look forward to and enjoy doing as part of your diabetes exercise plan. 

Decide that its finally time to explore the fitness discipline youve always wanted to try, whether that's yoga, ballet, ice skating, swimming, or martial arts.

Source: everydayhealth.com viaCE on Pinterest

You'll learn something new and get fit as youre moving more with diabetes

Why Blacks Are Twice As Likely To Get Alzheimer’s

Researchers have known for a while that African Americans and Hispanics have higher rates of Alzheimer’s disease than whites do, though the reason(s) for this dementia disparity remained elusive. 

Image Credit: http://www.alzcare.org/what-is-alzheimers

Now, for the first time, scientists have pinpointed a genetic mutation that may explain the higher risk for blacks.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, older blacks in the United States are about twice as likely as older whites to have Alzheimer’s and other dementias; older Hispanics have about one-half times more risk.

Continue Reading 

What IS Cholesterol? - Good Cholesterol, Bad Cholesterol

So... what exactly is Cholesterol and how does it affect me or anyone?  

Image Credit: http://www.slo-niacin.com/cholesterol-basics

Cholesterol is a fat like, waxy substance that helps your body to function in its normal way. It is naturally present in the body’s cell walls or membranes everywhere in the body.  

Cholesterol forms part of the outer membrane that surrounds every cell, including the brain, heart, liver, intestines, nerves, muscles and skin.

Our body’s use this cholesterol to produce many hormones which carry chemical signals around the body, vitamin D, and bile, the acids that help to digest fat. Without cholesterol, your body would not work and is vital to ensure the body's normal function.

However, the body only needs small amounts of cholesterol in the blood to meet these needs. If we have too much cholesterol in our bloodstream, the excess can be deposited in our arteries, including the coronary arteries of the heart, the carotid arteries to the brain, and the arteries that supply blood to our legs. 

Cholesterol deposits can cause narrowing and blockage to the arteries, which affects the blood supply to our body.

Many of us thing that foods are laden with cholesterol but in fact, it is foods like eggs, offal and shellfish are the main causes.  We need to be aware of the types of fat that we are putting into our bodies, especially saturated fats, as the liver converts this fat into cholesterol.

Finish reading article at Am I Diabetic

Diabetic Blindness Cause Investigated - Yourwellness Magazine

According to WHO, 80% of all visual impairment can be avoided or cured, but, as it stands, 285 million people are visually impaired worldwide. 

Although the number of people visually impaired from infectious diseases has greatly reduced in the last 20 years, these cases, alongside uncorrected refractive errors – such as cataracts – remain a major concern in developing countries, where 90% of the world’s visually impaired live. 

Currently, 246 million people across the world have low vision, while 39 million are completely blind. 


Therefore, WHO has announced its efforts to reduce visual impairments, such as developing policies and strategies to prevent blindness, giving technical assistance to Member States and partners, monitoring and evaluating programs, and coordinating international partnerships. 

WHO also noted that, in response to the increasing burden of chronic eye disease, the organisation is in the process of developing policies and guidelines for diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration and refractive errors.

With this in mind, Yourwellness Magazine took a look at the important work of researchers at Queen’s University in Belfast, who are developing a new approach that could help to save the sight of diabetes sufferers across the world. 

Yourwellness Magazine explained that diabetics can experience a condition is known as Diabetic Retinopathy, in which high blood sugar causes the eyes’ blood vessels to leak or become blocked, harming the retina and impairing vision or eradicating it altogether.

According to the article, “Scientists are looking at creating treatments via stem cell research in a study known as REDDSTAR, which stands for Repair of Diabetic Damage by Stromal Cell Administration, and consists of taking cells from donors, altering them in a laboratory and then re-introducing them to the patient in order to help repair the eye’s blood vessels.” 

Yourwellness Magazine noted that there are currently no treatments available that treat the complication at and deal with the cause at the same time, and thus this research has gained the involvement of experts from all over the world.


For more information, visit the gateway to living well at http://www.yourwellness.com.

More 

Source: PRWEB News

Pot Smoking Has Little Lasting Metabolic Effect

While marijuana use may spark an increased appetite for everything from chips to dubious leftover takeout, it has little effect on overall metabolism, according to a new study that appeared recently in the American Diabetes Association journal Diabetes Care.

Image Credit: How Stuff Works

The study, led by Dr. Monica C. Skarulis of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases in Bethesda, Md., and colleagues, looked at 30 habitual marijuana smokers along with a control group that featured 30 non-smokers with a similar body mass index and glucose tolerance to establish cause and effect.

Although the marijuana users in the study had high levels of visceral fat and insulin resistance in fatty tissue, these abnormalities had little impact on the overall metabolism of glucose or lipids, researchers found.

The study found that while the marijuana smokers had more body fat than their non-smoking peers, they did not have heavier accumulations of hepatic fat, or fat in the liver.

Nor were there differences in glucose intolerance, dyslipidemia, or insulin insensitivity, the researchers reported.

“In healthy young individuals, chronic cannabis smoking was associated with visceral adiposity and adipose tissue insulin resistance but not with hepatic steatosis, insulin insensitivity, impaired pancreatic beta-cell function, or glucose intolerance,” they concluded.

An estimated 17 million Americans are regular marijuana users. The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Article Source: Brenda Neugent via Diabetes Health

Affordable Care Act Can Help Minorities Overcome Health Disparities

Consider these well-known statistics: 

About 18.8% of African-Americans under the age of 65 do not have health insurance, minorities who live and work in low socioeconomic circumstances are at an increased risk for mortality, and Blacks have a higher death rate than Whites for treatable diseases such as diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke, according to federal statistics.

And disparities in the national homicide rate by age, race and ethnicity are evident in the daily headlines, especially among Black males in urban areas, according to the Health Disparities and Inequities report released in 2011 by the Centers for Disease Control, the most recent figures available.

No one can ignore the fact that Blacks bear the most severe burden of HIV of all racial and ethnic groups in the U.S., according to a report released last month by the CDC. Compared with other races and ethnicities, African Americans account for a higher proportion of HIV infections at all stages of disease - from new infections to death.

The Obama administration hopes to address at least some of these issues through the Affordable Care Act, which is being rolled out in increments. 

And with April serving as National Minority Health Month, Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services, seized the moment to reflect on eliminating health disparities.

In a prepared statement released by the White House, Sebelius bolstered the CDC’s grim statistics, saying that while the nation has made significant progress in reducing health disparities over the last 50 years, historically minorities have been less likely to receive preventive care, and more likely to suffer from serious illnesses. She also pointed out that minorities have been less likely to have access to quality health care and insurance coverage.

“Because of the Affordable Care Act, the landmark legislation signed by President Obama, we are making strides in advancing quality, affordable health coverage regardless of race or ethnicity,” she said in the statement. “The health care law addresses the needs of minority populations and other under-served groups by investing in prevention, supporting improvements in primary care and Medicare, and making health care coverage affordable and accessible for all Americans. The theme for National Minority Health Month this year is ‘Advance Health Equity Now: Uniting Our Communities to Bring Health Care Coverage to All’.”

Hilary O. Shelton, director of the NAACP’s Washington Bureau and senior vice president for advocacy and policy, said the group has worked closely with Sebelius to help stamp out disparities and inequities in health care. “It’s important that we don’t address health care with too broad of a brush,” he told NewsOne. “It has to be done surgically–no pun intended–because of disparities and inequities in minority health care. We do know that staying healthy relates to a variety of factors, including affordable health care, the environment and education. We really hope to educate people about the importance of preventive care.”

Shelton praised first lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Campaign for promoting healthy diets and community gardening, among other things. “She is doing great things to educate people about preventative health care. She’s showing people things they can do for themselves.”

Starting Oct. 1, 2013, Americans can enroll through the Marketplaces for health coverage beginning as early as Jan. 1, 2014.

Beyond that, later this year millions of Americans will gain access to health coverage that meets their needs and fits their budget no matter who they are or where they live, Sebelius said in the release. The new Health Insurance Marketplaces should give uninsured Americans or those who buy their own an easier way to shop for insurance coverage. 

“For the first time, Americans will be able to go to one place to learn about their coverage options and be able to make side-by-side comparisons of private insurance plans,” Sebelius said. “With a single application, they will also be able to find out if they qualify for a new kind of tax credit that lowers their monthly premiums. And because the law finally bans discrimination against pre-existing conditions like diabetes or asthma, nobody will be turned away because of their health status.”

Sebelius went on to urge Americans to use this month to seek new ways to evaluate health equity. “Let’s recommit ourselves and our communities to act now to eliminate health disparities and increase access to quality care,” she said. “We cannot afford to wait.”

Source: News One For Black America - By Lynette Holloway

Chocolate-Banana Sipper Recipe

Ingredients

2 cup(s) milk, fat-free 

1 medium banana(s), sliced and frozen
3 tablespoon cocoa powder, unsweetened 

2 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

1. In a blender, combine milk, banana, cocoa powder, honey, and vanilla. Cover and blend until smooth and frothy.

Recipe from Everyday Health 

Simple Diabetic Diet Infographic

Here's a real simple infographic for a Diabetic Diet

Source: media-cache5.pinterest.com viaCE on Pinterest

mySugr Diabetic iPhone App

An iPhone app for us with diabetes, which works differently. It actually turns logging into a game, and makes our data useful!






The app has a number of features ready to help simplify your life and keep your blood glucose under control. A few of them… Log your therapy data Snap a pic Search and find entries Recognize patterns Feel progress

Download app, or get more info here

Walnuts May Reduce Women's Risk for Type 2 Diabetes

Eating walnuts may reduce the risk for Type 2 diabetes in women, a large new study concludes.

Previous studies have suggested an inverse relationship between tree nut consumption and diabetes. 

Though the findings are correlational, walnuts are uniquely high in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which may be of particular value in Type 2 diabetes prevention.

The scientists, writing in the April issue of The Journal of Nutrition, used dietary and health data on 138,000 women participating in a large continuing study of women’s health. 

Beginning in 1999 they collected data on walnut consumption, and followed the women for the next 10 years. They found 5,930 cases of Type 2 diabetes.

Women who ate walnuts tended to weigh less, consume more fish and exercise more than those who did not. But researchers controlled for these and many other factors, and found that compared with women who ate no walnuts, those who consumed 8 ounces of walnuts or more a month reduced their risk for Type 2 diabetes by 24 percent.

“There’s been a lot of research on nuts in general in relation to cardiovascular health,” said the senior author, Dr. Frank B. Hu, a professor of medicine at Harvard. “This is the first on walnuts and diabetes. Walnuts may have some unique benefits.”

The study was supported with grants from the National Institutes of Health and the California Walnut Commission.

Source: NY Times Health & Science

African American Diabetes Care Can Be Improved

For African-Americans with type 2 diabetes, health care-promoted interventions targeting patients, the health care system, or both, can improve the quality of care, according to a review and meta-analysis published in the March issue of Diabetes Care.


Researchers found that 22 interventions targeted patients, five targeted the health care system, and four addressed both patients and the health care system. 

Interventions that targeted patients, which mainly included culturally-adapted diabetes self-management education, correlated with a 0.8 percent decrease in the percentage of hemoglobin A1c. 

Available evidence suggested that interventions targeting the health care system and multifaceted interventions may be effective and can potentially improve diabetes care and health outcomes. 

Source Medical Express

How To Become Salad Bar Savvy

Salad bars make it easy and tasty to meet your vegetable quota, but even a salad can ruin your diabetes meal plan. 


Here's a few tips that will help you fill your salad plate the smart way.

Source: diabeticlivingonline.com viaLinda on Pinterest

Size Up Salad Bar Serving Spoons

Most spoons and tongs on the salad bar hold 2 tablespoons, so you can count as you dish them up. Smaller spoons found in toppings such as nuts and sunflower seeds hold about 1-1/2 teaspoons, which is enough to add crunch without excess calories.

Head over to Diabetic Living Online for all the savvy salad bar tips and info

Infographic - Type 1 & 2 Diabetes Difference

Source: Terry Helton- on Pinterest

Santa Fe Stuffed Peppers

Oh this looks so tasty - going to forward this to my wife :)

A healthy dinner with lots of flavor - made with ground turkey.

Source: shugarysweets.com viaBeth on Pinterest

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Yield: 8

A healthier version of stuffed peppers, filled with flavor!

Ingredients

3/4 lb ground turkey breast
1 1/2 Tbsp cumin
1 tsp kosher salt
1 can (28oz) Classico Crushed Tomatoes
1 can (15.25oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15.25oz) sweet corn, drained
3 cup Jasmine Rice (cooked)
8 fresh Sweet Red peppers
1 cup reduced fat Colby Jack cheese
2 green onions, sliced

Instructions

Wash red peppers and slice the tops off each pepper. Remove the seeds. Stand each pepper up next to each other in a large baking dish (13x9).

In a large skillet, brown ground turkey until fully cooked. Drain. Return to skillet. Add cumin, salt, tomatoes, black bean and sweet corn. Simmer about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook Jasmine rice according to package.

Add cooked rice to skillet, combining completely. Remove from heat. Fill each red pepper with turkey mixture.Cover dish with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 40-45 minutes. Remove foil and to with cheese. 

Bake an additional 5 minutes, until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and sprinkle with green onion pieces. Serve and enjoy!

While surfing the Net for healthy recipes, I ran across this blog - which posted this particular recipe - http://www.shugarysweets.com/

Here's 63 Diabetic Recipes

Best of Diabetic Connect Low-Carb Recipes


63 great recipes all in one place!

Source: diabeticconnect.com viaLisa on Pinterest

http://www.diabeticconnect.com/slideshows/56

Skinny Berry Parfait Sugar Free Dessert

Source: skinnyms.com viaCE on Pinterest

Ingredients: 

1 cup old-fashioned oats 
1/2 cup almonds with skins sliced 
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 
3 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil 
1/2 cup fresh raspberries 
1/2 cup fresh blueberries 
1/2 cup fresh blackberries 
 2 cups raspberry or strawberry yogurt 

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine oats, almonds and cinnamon. Stir in melted coconut oil to combine with other ingredients. Line a cookie sheet with parchment, spread oats evenly and bake approximately 20 minutes or until golden. Stir after 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely. 

Try adding raisins or other dried fruit without added sweeteners. 

 Orginally pinned via Pinterest from http://skinnyms.com/ 

 More Diabetic Deserrts via Pinterest 
http://pinterest.com/CEThompkins/diabetic-deserts/