Diabetes News

Note from Connie: There's great news for overweight and obese people: A very simple tactic can help you to peel off pounds -- just use smaller plates. This is such an obvious, but effective tip, which a new study concludes works quite well. Karen James tells you about this heartening research.

Of course, we all know that you shouldn't eat too much. Well, now a it, a Canadian endocrinologist has found that a special set of “portion control plates” helped dieters lose weight, which we learned about from the Los Angeles Times.

The study -- the first clinical trial on "portion control plates" -- was conducted by Sue Pedersen, M.D., F.R.C.P.C. (seen on the left, thanks to CTV Newsnet) of the University of Calgary and published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

The researchers discovered that after six months, obese, type 2 diabetics who used the special plate lost an average of 1.8% of their weight, compared with 0.1% loss in the control group of another 65 people who didn't use the dishes. A subgroup of subjects who were taking insulin averaged a loss of 2.5 % over the six months.

The special plate, which is made by Diet Plate Limited of England, held about 800 calories, with painted lines marking sections for grains, cheese, sauce and protein, lost an average of 2.5 percent of their weight over six months.

What's more, 26 percent of the plate users versus 11 percent of those in the control group were able to reduce their hyperglycemia medication.

And, despite having no fat or oil restrictions, the plate users saw their triglyceride and cholesterol numbers improve, too.

Marion Nestle (no relation to the corporation), a professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University -- whom Connie interviewed for SUGAR SHOCK! -- wasn’t surprised. She told the L.A. Times that portion size has increased so radically in our era of super-sizing that most people really don’t know how much they’re eating.

Karen James for the SUGAR SHOCK! Blog

Researchers know that low-carb diets could help people with metabolic syndrome, which is a collection of risk factors that put you at risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Now, scientists are getting insights as to why cutting back on carbs works.

Thanks to HealthDay News and Medline, we learned about a new study (albeit small) in the The Journal of Nutrition, which showed that low-carb diets can help reverse metabolic syndrome by improving the hormone signaling involved in obesity and creating a sense of fullness.

University of Pennsylvania researchers, led by postdoctoral fellow Dr. Matthew R. Hayes, Ph.D., are encouraged by their results to improve metabolic syndrome, which is marked by risk factors such as excessive abdominal fat; low levels of HDL (the "good" cholesterol); and insulin resistance or glucose intolerance.

Interestingly, although the 20 participants in the study didn't strictly follow recommendations to consume 10 percent of their calories from carbohydrates during the first two weeks (they took in 25 percent instead) and 27 percent from carbs during the 10-week remainder (they consumed 35 percent), they still reaped benefits.

All subjects had lost weight and body fat and half of the participants no longer had metabolic syndrome at the study’s conclusion.

By the end of phase one of the experiment, people in the study experienced a "a decrease in insulin, a decrease in leptin levels. It was fast," Dr. Hayes said.

"By the end of phase 2, the insulin levels had crept up toward baseline; the leptin levels also rose, but it did not come back to the levels at baseline," he added..

"These alternations in hormone levels acting together help reduce the amount of food consumed," he said. "There's a synergy. Based on the literature already out there, we are speculating that this synergy of hormones may be the mechanism explaining why people are satisfied with less food and [the low-carb diet] results in weight loss."

Dr. Hayes acknowledges that the study is small and preliminary and that more research is needed.

Thanks to Karen James for her help on this entry for the SUGAR SHOCK! Blog.

Note from Connie: One of the most disputed sugar-related theories out there is whether or not high fructose corn syrup is linked to obesity. As I pointed out in SUGAR SHOCK!, a number of studies from respected scientists have concluded that HFCS is processed differently in our bodies and that it can lead to weight gain and even type 2 diabetes or heart disease. But now a new study -- this one funded by the sugar industry -- claims the theory is hogwash. Read Jennifer Moore's take on the subject.

A new study concludes there's not enough proof to support the notion that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is more responsible for obesity than other foods with the same number of calories, like sugar.

So should you stop fretting over food labels trying to weed out stuff with HFCS from your diet? Not so fast.

Surprise, surprise -- Tate & Lyle, a UK food corporation that makes a ton of money selling high fructose corn syrup and a host of other damaging sweeteners, funded this research.

A panel of experts led by Richard Forshee, Ph.D., of the University of Maryland Center for Food, Nutrition, and Agriculture Policy (CFNAP), reveiwed the scientific literature linking HFCS and obesity, dismissing it as "unreliable" and "inconclusive".

In fact, as she mentioned in her introduction, Connie amply documents research in her book SUGAR SHOCK!

One example: in 2004, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study showing that drinks sweetened with HFCS don't raise the body's blood glucose level as much as sucrose-sweetened beverages do. An increase in blood sugar triggers insulin production, which in turn signals to the body that it's had enough to eat or drink. So, anything that interferes with the satiety signal could lead to overeating and hence overweight.

I'm not a scientist, but you'll forgive if I'm skeptical of the conclusions reached by this sugar-industry funded research.

Jennifer Moore for SUGAR SHOCK! Blog

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Note from Connie: Sure enough, another new study arrives at the same conclusion as numerous other studies -- that low-glycemic-load foods are better for weight loss. Karen James gives you the details.

Diets rich in low-glycemic-load foods such as beans and whole grains that slowly release glucose into the blood stream may be more effective for weight loss than diets containing high-glycemic-load foods like refined sugars and grains which cause blood sugar levels to quickly spike, according to a new review of scientific literature by Australian researchers and reported on by MedPage Today senior writer Judith Groch.

Diana Thomas, Ph.D., scientific director of the Centre for Evidence Based Paeditric Gastroenterology and Nutrition of the University of Sydney, and her colleagues published their findings in the Cochrane Review after reviewing six trials that looked at the effects of low-glycemic-load diets on weight loss compared to high-glycemic-load and conventional diets on overweight and obese participants. The trials lasted between five weeks and six months and contained a total of 202 participants.

The authors found that overweight and obese participants on low-glycemic-load diets not only lost an average of 1 kilo (2.2 lbs) more than those on the other diets, but their cholesterol levels decreased significantly more as well.

We're not surprised by these findings. In fact, Connie devotes a chapter in her book SUGAR SHOCK! to the role of high-glycemic-load "culprit" carbs in causing not just obesity but type 2 diabetes, cancer and heart disease.

She also cites an interesting study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, which shows that low-glycemic-load diets may be more effective than low-fat diets in preventing and treating obesity, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

Note from Connie: Goodness grief. There is so much sugar news! Thank goodness I have two wonderful part-time blog researchers/writers. This entry comes from Karen James. Incidentally, as Karen explains further, I wrote about this study in my book SUGAR SHOCK!, but the study didn't come out until this month.

Foods low on the glycemic index such as beans and whole grains, which slowly release glucose into the blood stream after consumption and improve insulin sensitivity, may also help clear up acne, according to a newly published study, which Reuters Health discussed.

Robyn N. Smith, Ph.D., a researcher at the RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, was the lead author of the study in which researchers assessed the impact of low-glycemic-load carbohydrates on 43 male acne patients between the ages of 15 and 25.

The young men were assigned either a diet composed of 25 percent protein and 45 percent low-glycemic “quality” carbs or a normal diet consisting of carbohydrate-dense foods without reference to the glycemic index.

The study found that:

• Acne lesions in a group eating a low-glycemic diet group decreased more than in a control group.
• The low-glycemic eaters lost more weight and had a greater improvement in insulin sensitivity than the control group.

As Connie discusses in her book, high-glycemic-load foods such as refined grains and potatoes cause blood sugar levels to quickly spike and then fall and are believed to reduce insulin sensitivity.

Researchers counted and assessed the severity of acne lesions during monthly visits and measured insulin sensitivity at the start and finish of the trial.

Connie talks about this study in her book SUGAR SHOCK! while also discussing the role sugar may play in causing wrinkles. Although the study was published in the July 2007 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, its findings were first announced at the15th Congress of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venerology in Greece in October 2006.

By Karen James for the SUGAR SHOCK! Blog

I just received a hearwarming e-mail from health-and-fitness expert Mark Sisson, alerting me to the fact that his review of SUGAR SHOCK! just went up on his blog, Daily Apple.

Like millions of sugar addicts out there, Mark has his own sugar-induced horror stories, too.

In fact, he's a former professional tri-athlete, and while training, he used to down half a gallon of ice cream every day.

But he's learned the error of his ways, and Mark now recommends -- as I do -- that people eat a simple diet of low-sugar, unprocessed food, including lean protein, essential fats and, as he puts it, "reckless amounts of vegetables."

Like me, Mark is a regular contributor to Low Carb Newsline. It's good to have yet another smart expert help spread the word about how harmful sugar can be to your health and well-being.

Can you go without soda for the summer? Of course you can!

The Nutrition Services and Public Health Department in Alameda County (in northern California) challenges you!

Learn more about this Soda-Free Summer Campaign on my Stop SUGAR SHOCK! Radio show on Tuesday, July 31 at 4 p.m. EST.

That's when I'll interview two folks from Alameda County's Public Health Department about their exciting program, which is made possible by a grant from Kaiser Permanente.

Remember: If you can't make the show live, you can listen afterwards, in the convenience of your own home.

By the way, you may recall that I blogged previously about this exciting Soda Free Summer program, which is designed to educate Alameda County families about the importance of reducing or eliminating products full of sugar and high fructose corn syrup, beginning with sodas.

My guests on the July 31 Stop SUGAR SHOCK! Radio Show -- which you can listen to after the fact -- will be Anthony Iton, M.D., J.D., MPH, the Alameda County Public Health Department Director and Health Officer, and Nutrition Services Director Diane Woloshin.

As I mentioned previously, I became quite entertained when I learned through Google Alerts that the theme of this Soda Free Summer campaign is sugar shock because, as Diane explained, "this information is really shocking to people." How's that for a wild coincidence?

Especially since, at the time fo the Soda Free Summer announcement, Alameda County's Public Health Department had not yet heard of my book SUGAR SHOCK! But they knew a catchy title!

Another thing that entertained me was that in trying to educate people about sugary drinks, the Alameda County officials even provided some stats about soda that they're calling sugar shockers.

I'll be darned! If you look at my book SUGAR SHOCK!, you'll see that I use the exact same phrase, "SUGAR SHOCKERS!," for some of the sidebars!

Anyhow, tune in on July 31, but if you can't make it live, don't free. Just catch the show later.

Go ahead: Listen now to previous Stop SUGAR SHOCK! Radio shows.