Diabetes News

Given that it's the holiday weekend preceding July 4, I'm taking advantage of these few days to move. And since I spent some five years on my book SUGAR SHOCK!, I have an awful lot of stuff to toss out or donate.

Anyhow, my wonderful computer guy and friend Craig will be coming over shortly to disconnect my computer system entirely and back up my files so I will be without an Internet connection for a few days (other than my Blackberry).

Right now, getting organized and moved is my highest priority, and the SUGAR SHOCK! Blog has to be put on hiatus for a few days. See you soon, though, and in the meantime, I invite you to get my book SUGAR SHOCK!

Of course, make sure to have a happy 4th. And remember, you don't need sugary foods and drinks to enjoy yourself. Life, as I like to say, is sweeter without all those refined sweets™.

Note from Connie: Oh goodness, here comes the latest in a number of studies suggesting that aspartame could be dangerous. As I mention in my book SUGAR SHOCK!, in spite of the fact that experts insist the artificial sweetener is safe, more than 10,000 complaints flooded the FDA, reporting 92 different symptoms. Now, here's Karen's item on this new, alarming study.

Aspartame caused dose-related increases of lymphomas, leukemias and breast cancer in rats when ingested at levels approaching "acceptable daily intake" for humans, according to a study conducted by the European Ramazzini Foundation (ERF) and recently reported on by NewsTarget.com.

The study, "Lifespan Exposure to Low Doses of Aspartame Beginning During Prenatal Life Increases Cancer Effects in Rats," confirmed earlier findings by the non-profit cancer prevention organization that identified the artificial sweetener as a carcinogen and demonstrated that those effects increased when lifespan exposure began during fetal life.

Groups of male and female rats ingested aspartame with their feed at concentrations of 2,000, 400 or zero parts per million from their twelfth day of fetal life until natural death. Among the results:

• 31.4 percent of female rats and 17.1 percent of male rats that received aspartame at a concentration of 2,000 ppm developed lymphomas or leukemias.
• 12.6 percent of female rats and 9.5 percent of male rats that received no aspartame developed lymphomas or leukemias.
• 15.7 percent of female rats and 2.9 percent of male rats that received aspartame at a concentration of 2,000 ppm developed breast cancer.
• 5.3 percent of female rats and zero male rats that did not receive aspartame developed breast cancer.

The report appeared online earlier this month in the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences journal Environmental Health Perspectives and issued a chilling conclusion:

"On the basis of the present findings, we believe that a review of the current regulations governing the use of aspartame cannot be delayed. This review is particularly urgent with regard to aspartame-containing beverages, heavily consumed by children."

By Karen James for SUGAR SHOCK! Blog

Pre-diabetics should be concerned about heart disease-related death, the Los Angeles Times reported recently, discussing findings just released by Australian researchers.

Those of you who've already read Connie's book SUGAR SHOCK! know about the connection between sugar consumption and heart disease. ( Renowned cardiologist Stephen T. Sinatra, M.D. is the contributing author to her book and his chapter provides valuable insights into this link, as does another chapter on the "big killers.")

Now, a new study offers more validation of the dangers of pre-diabetes and how it can lead to heart disease. Researchers at the International Diabetes Institute in Melbourne studied more than 10,000 Australians ages 25 and up for about five years and found that pre-diabetics (those who had abnormal blood glucose levels after fasting) were 2.5 times more likely to die from heart-related problems than their counterparts with normal blood glucose metabolism. The findings were published in the journal Circulation. (Research shows that eating too many of those "culprit carbs" and sugary foods, as well as gaining weight and not exercising regularly, could help pave the way to pre-diabetes.)

Most type 2 diabetics go through a pre-diabetic stage during which they have trouble metabolizing sugar before their disease progresses to full-blown type 2 diabetes, the Times wrote. According to the American Diabetes Association, approximately 54 million Americans are pre-diabetic.

By Karen James for the SUGAR SHOCK! Blog

University of Michigan(U-M) cancer researchers are studying whether a Mediterranean diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fish, olive oil and nuts can help prevent colon cancer, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently reported.

Over the next three years, the University of Michigan scientists hope to recruit 120 people age 21 and older who have had colon polyps or colon cancer or who have a family history of the disease. Participants will then spend six months either following a so-called Mediterranean diet or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s Healthy People 2010 diet, based upon the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005, which emphasizes fruits, vegetables and whole grains with moderate fat intake and limited saturated fat.

It's great that they’re taking a closer look at the benefits of a healthier diet. But I wish they would also look into the sugar connection as it's a good bet that healthier eaters consume far fewer refined sugars and carbs than the average American.

As Connie points out in SUGAR SHOCK!, one study of 1,500 Chinese Americans found that the 500 men and women who eventually developed colon cancer ate the most refined foods and sweets. In another study of more than 38,000 women, which was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, researchers found that those female participants with higher-glycemic-load diets were nearly three times more likely to develop colon cancer. Pretty compelling evidence.

By Karen James for SUGAR SHOCK! Blog

Thanks to Cheryl and Living Lean for Life for her very kind words about my book SUGAR SHOCK! What a wonderful surprise to find this glowing recommendation for my book!

Evidently, Cheryl heard about my book from blogger Jimmy Moore, the low-carb lifestyle proponent, who's been quite supportive of me, even after my recent appearance on CBS News Sunday Morning.

Wasn't that sweet of Jimmy to send Cheryl a copy of my book without my even being aware of this? How cool!

So, thanks both Cheryl and Jimmy! Feel free to continue to spread the word about SUGAR SHOCK! LOL!

Are you a Pittsburgh-area resident suffering from reactive hypoglycemia (not related to diabetes)? If you have this condition of low blood sugar, a writer wants you!

She's researching and writing an article for a Pittsburgh magazine and would like some real-life stories about your challenges with this condition. So if you're eligible, please write to me on this blog ASAP with your contact info.

By the way, I'm always really pleased when attention is drawn to the subject of hypoglycemia, which I discuss in detail in my book SUGAR SHOCK! (Chapter 13: It Might Not Be "All In Your Head": What Your Doctor Doesn't Know or Believe about Hypoglycemia).

The rampant hypoglycemia (as one expert put it) is striking millions, but most of them don't have any idea why they're suffering from all these confusing ailments. It may be as simple as low blood sugar or reactive hypoglycemia.

As I discovered when a doctor ordered me to change my diet back in 1998, the "cure" may be as simple as cutting out sugar and refined carbs.

Please, if you know any Pittsburgh-area hypoglycemics, write to me ASAP.

As you may have noticed, there is so much sugar news that this SUGAR SHOCK! Blog now has another talented researcher/contributor, Karen James. Here are Karen's thoughts about sugary cereals.

I just have to respond to The Wall Street Journal’s editorial “Cereal Killer” (subscription required) that ran soon after the Kellogg Co. announced that it would stop marketing its cereals to children under 12 if they did not—or could not be reformulated to—contain 12 grams (3 tsp.) or less of sugar per serving.

I’m not sure whether the following statement is the ultimate expression of naïveté or denial:

"Sugared breakfast cereals aren't the cause of obesity among children. They've been around for decades and are a source of nutrition for children who will find a way to sweeten plain corn flakes in any case."

Chock full of empty-calories, the refined sugars and culprit carbs in these products don’t belong in the same sentence with the word “nutrition.” Perhaps sugared cereals and other processed foods have been around for decades, but the fact that Americans have subsequently experienced epidemic rates of obesity and diabetes gives me pause to seriously question the Journal’s logic.

By Karen James for the SUGAR SHOCK! Blog

Regardless of whether a pregnant woman is diabetic, the higher her blood sugar the more at risk her newborn is for complications, the Associated Press reported last week.

The results of a study of more than 23,000 pregnant women in nine countries, including the U.S. and Canada, found a strong relationship between mothers’ blood sugar levels, big babies and first time C-sections. The results were recently announced at the annual scientific meeting of the American Diabetes Association (ADA).

Big babies (defined as larger than 90 percent of babies in the local population) are at risk of shoulder damage and other birth injuries during normal deliveries. Thus, there is a higher likelihood that a C-section will be performed, bringing with it the possibility of corresponding complications. Additionally, the higher the mother's blood sugar level, the more likely the baby was to have low blood sugar and high insulin levels.

The study indicated that maternal blood sugar levels previously considered acceptable were being rethought. As a result of the findings, more pregnant women may be diagnosed with diabetes and prescribed stricter diets or medication in the future. To learn more, visit the ADA Web site.

By Karen James for the SUGAR SHOCK! Blog