Diabetes News

Since quickly posting my item yesterday about sugar-fueled batteries (I was home very sick), a few more mentions have popped up on the Internet about this development such as in a United Press International story and a Times Online in the U.K piece.

To briefly recap, researchers -- headed up by Shelley D. Minteer, Ph.D., an assistant professor of chemistry at Saint Louis University -- have invented the sugar-powered battery, which is made from biodegradable materials.

What's more, Dr. Minteer and her colleagues envision the battery being able to be refuelled from whatever sweet liquids are handy. In fact, they've already tried sugared water, flat soft drinks, glucose, sweetened drink mixes and tree saps.

Just imagine: In the not-too-distant future -- like five years from now -- you'll want to quickly charge up your iPod, laptop or mobile phone. Well, just grab a sugary drink and pour it into the battery.

Scientists contend that these new batteries may be able to operate for three to four times longer than your conventional lithium ion batteries, which are typically used in laptops, cell phones, MP3 palyers and many other charge, and other portable electronic devices.

"By bridging biology and chemistry, we can build a better battery that's also cleaner for the environment," Dr. Minteer said in a prepared statement.

So how does sugar do it? Essentially, Dr. Minteer and her colleagues adapted enzymes from nature that can strip charges from sugar to generate electricity in fuel cells.

Now that I'm learning more about this sugar-fueled battery, it sounds even more attractive. Better to put the sugary stuff in your portable electronic gizmos than your body!

This is about as off topic as you can get for what's supposed to be a blog about sugar news and tidbits.

Did you hear about the Maine man, whose resident mouse "taunted" him and scurried off with his dentures? Seriously, folks.

Thanks to MSNBC, I heard about this news story, which amuses me -- sorry Bill Exner of Waterville, Maine, I mean you no harm. It sure sounds like it must be challenging to hang onto your dentures with that pesky mouse around!

By the way, have you thought of putting these dentures in a case with a lid and then gluing the case to the surface of your nightstand? The rodent won't get to them that way. Or maybe you could just leave the darn dentures in your mouth?

Also, I'm just wondering, did I miss something? Why do you let this rodent stick around? Can't you take it to the nearby zoo if you don't want to hurt it?

Oh wait, incidentally, how can a mouse taunt you?

Now, sugary foods can taunt you and tempt you and torture you, right, sugar addicts out there?

OK, so much for my acting silly this afternoon.

Live in the Northeast? Wanna learn how not to get duped by those often misleading food labels? And have some fun laughing at Connie, the "Ex-Sugar Shrew"-turned-"Sugar Sleuth"?

Watch me on the "Your Morning" show on CN8, The Comcast Network, when anchor and managing editor Connie Colla interviews me out of Philadelphia at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow (Tues., Feb. 6) about foods with hidden sugars. (Cool, I get to chat with another Connie!)

Tune in to get helpful, juicy pointers so you can choose foods that don't contain all those unnecessary sweeteners.

Don't fret if you don't live in Philly. As the CN8 website explains, this network has a tremendous reach.

In fact, more than 9 million Comcast cable homes in 12 states and 20 TV markets from Maine to Virginia to Washington, D.C., will be able to to catch my interview tomorrow.

CN8, as its website explains, offers "a unique brand of live, interactive television delivered over its own fiber-optic network."

To clarify, you'll be able to watch me on CN8 Tuesday morning in any of the following areas:

• Albany
• Baltimore
• Boston
• Burlington
• Charlottesville
• Hartford-New Haven
• Harrisburg
• Harrisonburg
• Johnston-Altoona
• New York
• Philadelphia
• Pittsburgh
• Portland
• Providence
• Richmond
• Roanoke-Lynchburg
• Salisbury
• Springfield
• Washington, D.C.
• Wilkes Barre-Scranton

We're sure to have an eye-opening segment...

But I'll give you a little hint now though.... Why avoid all these hidden sugars? Well, all those sweeteners can really add up when you're unknowingly consuming them all day long, all week long, and all month long.

Indeed, excess sugars you're unwittingly taking into your wonderful body can lead to a whole host of problems. (I reveal the shocking scooop about sugar in my new book SUGAR SHOCK! from Berkley Books.)

You'll see me talk about buying:

• Yogurt
• Cereals
• Crackers
• Marinara sauce
• Salad dressings
• Peanut Butter
• Energy or snack bars
• And a surprise or two

After my TV appearance on CN8, I invite you to join in the discussion here. And, if you'd like some shopping help, you'll be able to get my Sugar-Free Shopper's Guide, too.

Bear in mind that we only have a few minutes for my interview, but you can get all kinds of helpful info on deciphering those food labels and in dispelling food-label misconceptions in my new book SUGAR SHOCK!, which is available at bookstores and online retailers nationwide.

This is so off topic, but you'll see why I just had to post this...

Since I'm a journalist, I often get approached by PR firms or people who want me to write an article. From time to time, a story idea really catches my fancy. One recent pitch did just that.

If you're a hectic, fast-paced and super-busy woman, you may enjoy entering an off-beat, fun Wife in the Fast Lane Contest.

This contest basically is a very clever marketing gimmick -- I'm impressed! -- to promote the upcoming novel, Wife in the Fast Lane, from bestselling author Karen Quinn.

Anyhow, if you're a time-strapped, hurried wife, you're invited to submit a sassy, clever one-liner, essay or video all about what your life in the fast lane is like. If you win, you could get one of dozens of prizes, including a $2,000 gift certificate to Canyon Ranch Spa and a 14K gold charm bracelet. (Nice!)

Enter the contest here. Your deadline is February 16, 2007.

Now here comes the fun part. You get to hear how some busy women have been describing their fast-lane lives. Here's what they say:

I knew I was living in the fast lane when:

* "My husband asked me what my favorite sexual fantasy was and I told him, `You making love to me without waking me up.'"

* "My three-year-old daughter insisted on calling her playroom her `office.'"

* "I was talking on the phone and forgot whom I was talking to and why we were talking."

* "I returned from one too many business trips and my three-year-old greeted me as `Aunt Mom.'"

* "I surprised my son by picking him up at school and his first question was, `Did my nanny die?'"

Read more funny quips and one-liners.

Karen Quinn's new book, Wife in the Fast Lane, will be published on March 13, 2007 by Simon &
Schuster. This newest novel is the follow-up to her national bestseller, The Ivy Chronicles (soon to be released as a major motion picture).

In Wife in the Fast Lane, Karen revisits the harried and often unintentionally hilarious world of the working woman extraordinaire who struggles to manage a career, husband, kids, school, business and more, all while keeping her sanity in check.

Publisher's Weekly called Wife in the Fast Lane "a delightful story" that's "good fun up to its happy ending!"

OK, I'm getting really inspired. Check back here for the upcoming..... drum roll, please.... SUGAR SHOCK! One-Liner Contest! Thanks, Karen, for the fabulous idea!

Phew! Just in the nick of time. I've been so swamped with book marketing that I neglected to wish you all a happy holiday season! Oops! Anyhow, have a really sweet holiday season! Yes, I said sweet. Because I contend that you can enjoy a sweeter without those refined sweets. In other words, I recommend that you Be Sweet Naturallyâ„¢. On another subject -- my favorite one of late! -- if you're impatient to get my book SUGAR SHOCK!, you can pre-order it on Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Either that or you can call a store and special order...

Mark your calendars for next Thursday, Dec. 14, 8 p.m. EST. Read on... You see, time and time again, around this time of the year, people approach me or write to my free, online KickSugar group with a tremendous sense of urgency. They plead for information about how to survive the holiday season without sugar sneaking back into their lives, without gaining weight, and without becoming a super-stressed person, especially around all those tempting treats. Before Christmas and Chanukah, folks inevitably get worried about those holiday celebrations. They ask me something like this: Connie, how do I deal with those...

A few weeks ago, my online colleague Mike Adams, editor of the innovative NewsTarget.com, told me about a terribly innovative idea he'd developed. He thought it would be eye-opening to Americans to concoct a fabulous, fictional scenario where Santa has to face the same health dilemma now troubling millions of Americans: Type 2 diabetes. So, lately, we've been e-mailing back and forth ideas and rewrites, etc. Anyhow, here's the press release that Mike--the Health Ranger--wrote and that we both have now posted on our respective sites. As you'll note, I'm one of the experts now helping out poor Santa. Here's...

Over this Thanksgiving weekend, I encourage you to focus less on the food and rather enjoy the people you're around. Seize this occasion to do lots of laughing. Without further ado, I'm pleased to present a compelling, well-researched article about this topic from Amanda Lerner, a fellow graduate from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Guest column: A Laughing Matter by Amanda Lerner “You don't stop laughing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop laughing.” --Michael Pritcha It had been a bad week. I’ll spare you the gruesome details. I’m sure you’ve got enough troubles of your own....

Today, I'm absolutely thrilled to unveil a new feature, which I'm dubbing SUGAR SHOCK! Snapshot. Here's what it's about. You know how you go places and you witness the most amazing events and scenarios related to people's consumption of sugar and refined carbs? Well, this is where you get to be a vital part of this SUGAR SHOCK! Blog. You, dear reader, are invited to tell us about the remarkable things you've seen or experienced while going about your daily live. You are encouraged to send in your SUGAR SHOCK! observations, comments, rants, and raves. Our first SUGAR SHOCK! Snapshot...