Updates to Blood Sugar 101

Vitamin D Supplementation Greatly Improves Chronic Kidney Disease Outcome

2008-05-09T05:14:00.001-07:00

Page Changed: Supplements that Work

Added reference to newly published journal study showing a 26% reduction in mortality and a 20% reduction in progression to dialysis in kidney disease patients taking calcitriol, a form of Vitamin D.

Dr. Goldstein Documents Januvia's Connection with Colon and Prostate Cancer iin Annals of Internal Medicine

2008-05-04T11:23:00.001-07:00

Page changed: Januvia

Added citation to the letter from Dr. Mark R. Goldstein published in the September 2007 Annals of Internal Medicine documenting studies showing a connection between colon and prostate cancer and DPP-4 inhibition--the mechanism by which Januvia stimulates insulin release.

If your doctor prescribes Januvia, ask him if he is aware of this research and if not, make him aware of it. With its ability to promote cancer, and the complete ignorance of most doctors of what exactly it is that Januvia does, Januvia may well end up being the Thalidomide of the 2000s.

And if you are taking Januvia and are diagnosed with cancer, insist that your doctor file an aftermarket report with the FDA Medwatch system!

Genetic Study of LADA Finds Genes Associated with Both Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes

2008-05-02T06:19:00.001-07:00

Page Changed: LADA: Slow Onset Type 1 Diabetes with Some Type 2 Features

Added discussion of a new genetic study that found "LADA shares genetic features with both type 1 (HLA, INS VNTR, and PTPN22) and type 2 (TCF7L2) diabetes, which justifies considering LADA as an admixture of the two major types of diabetes."

ADOPT finds doubled incidence of Fractures in Women Taking Avandia Compared to Those Taking Metformin after Four Years

2008-05-02T05:51:00.000-07:00

Page Changed: Actos and Avandia--Dangerous Drugs

The ADOPT study found almost twice as many fractures in women taking Avandia as in those taking metformin and almost three times as many fractures in this group than in those taking glyburide.

Fractures were in the arms and legs mostly. This duplicates a similar finding for Actos in an earlier study.

Folks, please do not take these dangerous TZD drugs, Avandia and Actos, which work by converting bone stem cells to fat cells and hence leaving your body with fewer cells available to repair your bones.

New Blood Sugar Calculator: ADAG A1c to mmol/L or mg/dl

2008-04-23T13:07:00.001-07:00

Page Added: Blood Sugar/A1c Calculator

This handy calculator converts A1c to average blood glucose given either in mmol/L or mg/dl.

The formula used is the new ADAG formula based on CMGS measurements.

Study: FPG 100-110 mg/dl compared to 110-124 mg/dl for cardiovascular markers.

2008-04-16T05:08:00.000-07:00

Page Changed: How Blood Sugar Control Deteriorates

Added discussion of a study which analyzed prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors broken out by sub groups of fasting plasm glucose in a group of 344 people. This study found that people with FPG > 110 mg/dl (6 mmol/L) had the same incidence of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular markers as people with full fledged diabetes. Those with FPG between 100 and 110 mg/dl were far more normal. This suggests that early diabetes complications (i.e. cardiovascular disease) may be more reversible if treated before fasting blood sugar goes over 110 mg/dl (6 mmol/L).

WHI Vitamin D/Calcium Supplementation Doesn't Decrease Diabetes Incidence

2008-03-31T11:04:00.001-07:00

Page Changed: Supplements That Work

Added link to results from Womens Health Initiative Calcium/Vitamin D supplementation arm which found no impact on the development of diabetes from supplementing Vitamin D at 400 IU and Calcium at 1000 IU a day.

Low Birth Weight Associated with Diabetes Independent of Other Factors

2008-03-18T13:12:00.001-07:00

Page Changed: "You Did Not Eat Your Way to Diabetes"

Added link to study finding a correlation between low birth weight and the likelihood of a person developing diabetes or impaired glucose control in a Chinese population that was not dependent on lifestyle factors.

Pre-publication offer for Blood Sugar 101: The Book

2008-03-18T13:03:00.001-07:00

Page Added: Pre-Publication Offer Blood Sugar 101: The Book

Posted the cover, a sample 13 pages of text of the new book version of Blood Sugar 101, and pricing information for U.S. and international purchasers who buy before the official publication date.

More info on prevalence of "diabetic neuropathy" across blood sugar ranges

2008-03-18T13:01:00.001-07:00

Page Changed: Research Connecting Organ Damage with Blood Sugar Level

Added link to new study of 400 people, half of whom were diagnosed with diabetes, that reported the incidence of neuropathy in the entire population sorted by blood sugar status.

DPPT study data links use of SSRIs with Development of Diabetes

2008-03-12T06:39:00.000-07:00

Page Changed: Other Dangerous Drugs for People With Diabetes

Added link to study published in Diabetes Care showing a causal link between using SSRI antidepressants and the development of diabetes. This data showed no link between depression itself (without SSRI drugs) and an enhanced risk of developing diabetes. But people who took these drugs had the enhanced rick.

Factors that may make the A1c not match average blood sugar

2008-02-24T07:15:00.000-08:00

Page changed: A1c and High Post-Meal Blood Sugars Predict Heart Attack

Added note on the bottom of the page listing some factors that may cause your A1c not to correspond to your actual blood sugar control.

Study Shows Why Insulin Resistance Rises when Blood Sugars are High

2008-02-13T05:30:00.000-08:00

Page Changed: You Did Not Eat Your Way to Diabetes.

Cites a new study published in Cell and reported by Diabetes in Control that finds that high blood sugar impairs the expression of a muscle gene that regulates insulin sensitivity in the muscle cell.

Most importantly, the impairment of this gene is reversible if blood sugars are brought down. Unfortunately, the article is not yet available online and the DiC report does not make clear what the blood sugar level is at which the gene function is restored.

Added Note about Metformin to Low Carb Site "Water Weight" Page

2008-02-05T08:18:00.001-08:00

Page Changed: Water Weight vs. Fat Weight

Added a paragraph describing my anecdotal observation that while taking metformin dropping to a very low carb intake level did not result in the usual water weight loss so common with low carb diets and that metformin also appeared to prevent the water weight gain that occurs when eating at a higher carb level.

Moved & Retitled "You Did Not Eat Your Way to Diabetes"

2008-02-02T07:42:00.001-08:00

Page Changed: http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14046739.php You Did Not Eat Your Way To Diabetes

Because the feedback about this page has been so strong, with so many people reporting that the information they found there stopped them from wasting energy on self-hatred so they could recover their health, I moved it to the front page of the web site.

I also retitled it adding "The REAL Causes of Type 2" so that it is clearer what the page is about--which is a brief summary of the research pointing to genetic causes of Type 2 diabetes and an explanation of how mild changes in Insulin Resistance cause blood sugar rollercoastering which in turn causes relentless hunger which leads to obesity.

Updated "Net Carbs" and Other Marketing Tricks Page on Low Carb Site

2008-01-29T06:39:00.001-08:00

Page Changed: Marketing Tricks: Net Carbs, Sugar Alcohols, Tricky Portion Sizes

Updated and corrected this page to add information about hidden carb calculators, portion sizes and Dreamfields pasta.

Information about Benfotiame updated

2008-01-27T07:50:00.001-08:00

Page changed: Supplements that Work.

Added references to research supporting the usefulness of Benfotiamine (a form of Vitamin B1) in countering neuropathies and neuropathic pain.

Split "Supplements for Diabetes" into Two Pages

2008-01-27T07:46:00.000-08:00

Page Changed: Supplements for Diabetes. Renamed: Bad or Questionable Supplements

Page Added: Supplements that Work

I split the original supplement page into two, to make it easier to find the few supplements whose efficacy is supported by peer reviewed research and reports of reliable people with diabetes.

Incidence of Diabetes Correlates Strongly with PCB and Pesticide Concentration in Blood Serum

2008-01-25T06:56:00.000-08:00

Page Changed "You Did Not Eat Your Way to Diabetes"

Added reference to study of Mohawks in NY State showing four fold heightening of diabetes incidence with high serum levels of PCBs or Pesticides. Thanks to Prairie Mary for flagging this extremely important study which has huge implications for all of us. PCBs and pesticide residues are found in the blood streams of people of all ethnic heritages and are probably a major reason behind the so-called "diabetes epidemic".

ALA may cause Autoimmune Attack in People with Specific Gene

2008-01-23T13:54:00.000-08:00

Page Changed: Supplements for Diabetes

Added reference to study suggesting that for people with a specific gene that causes autoimmune diabetes ALA may provoke autoimmune attack.

2008-01-20T05:33:00.001-08:00

Page Changed: A1c and High Post-Meal Blood Sugars Predict Heart Attack

Added reference to new study published in Journal of Clinical Endocrinlogy linking the growth of carotid artery thickness over 5 years to post-meal blood sugar peaks.

Minor changes to "Am I diabetic" page on how to test blood sugar

2008-01-15T13:55:00.000-08:00

Page changed: Am I diabetic?

Adjusted the definitions of normal and impaired blood sugar to better match recent findings about normal blood sugar.

Zetia/Vytorin Increases Plaque as it Lowers Cholesterol

2008-01-14T10:57:00.001-08:00

Page changed: Dangerous Drugs for People with Diabetes

Added today's NYTimes report of the results of the long-suppressed Vytorin trial that showed that while the drug lowered cholesterol, it also increased the speed with which plaque clogged arteries.

This is another nail in the coffin of the idea that lowering LDL cholesterol prevents heart disease.

Now that we know that it promotes heart disease, no person with diabetes should be taking this drug!

And now we know even more the lengths to which drug companies will go to suppress data showing that their drugs harm people. Merck and Schering-Plough, makers of this dangerous drug, have been sitting on this data for at least six months while they kept promoting Vytorin--a big moneymaker--knowing all the time that it harms people.

Calculate your Protein Need on A Low Carb Diet Automatically

2008-01-11T11:52:00.000-08:00

Page Added: Calculate Your Protein Need

Added a calculator to determine protein need depending on weight, daily carbohydrate intake and length of time on a low carb diet using formulas derived from from Lyle MacDonald's Ketogenic Diet book.

Link added to New UK Online Diabetes Support Forum

2008-01-07T10:22:00.000-08:00

Page Changed: http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/18798688.php

Added link to Diabetes Support Forum UK a new moderated discussion forum geared towards the unique needs of the UK diabetes community.