Diabetes Self-Management

editor’s note

Dear Readers, Summertime is here! If the long, sunny days and warmer weather have you feeling energized and ready to put a renewed focus on some of your health goals, do we have the issue for you! If you smoke, quitting may be a goal that’s high on your list. Smoking affects many aspects of your health, including diabetes management. And while kicking the habit can be very difficult, millions of Americans have quit smoking, so it can be done, and it’s definitely worth the effort. Get strategies for stopping and learn where to find help in “Kicking Butts” (page 42). Hands and feet are often taken for granted, but if you’re dealing with diabetes-related complications in these areas, you know how important they are for day-to-day functioning. Learn about the different conditions…

diabetesselfmanagement.com

Clearing Up Carb Confusion Whether you’ve chosen to go the low-carb route or to incorporate carbohydrate foods in your eating plan, making sense of carbs can sometimes be tricky. Are they all the same when it comes to blood sugar management? And how do you choose “healthy” carbs? Let’s see if we can cut through some of this carb confusion. bit.ly/ClearCarbConfusion Summertime Skin Care Diabetes can affect just about any organ in the body, and the skin is no exception. With the official start of summer right around the corner, it’s more important than ever to take extra steps to keep your skin healthy. bit.ly/SummertimeSkinCare Are Eggs Good for Diabetes? People have been eating eggs for centuries, with chicken eggs the type most commonly consumed in the United States. Are eggs all they’re “cracked” up…

ozempic linked to major weight loss in obesity

A study has found that Ozempic (semaglutide), a drug for type 2 diabetes, may lead to substantial weight loss in obese people even if they don’t have diabetes—potentially offering a new way to help treat obesity. The research, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, was a clinical trial involving 1,961 participants, all of them adults. None of the participants had diabetes, and all of them were obese, with a body-mass index (a measure of weight that takes height into account) of 30 or higher. Participants were randomly assigned to take a once-weekly injection of either Ozempic or a placebo (inactive substance). All of the participants also took part in a lifestyle intervention program aimed at losing weight. After 68 weeks of treatment, members of the Ozempic group lost an average…

diet with high gi tied to cardiovascular disease

Eating foods with a high glycemic index is linked to a higher rate of major cardiovascular events—like heart attacks and strokes—as well as a higher rate of overall death, according to a new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine. A food’s glycemic index is a measure of how much it leads to an increase in blood glucose levels, on a scale of 0 to 100. Avoiding high-glycemic-index foods may be especially important for people with diabetes, who typically can’t produce enough insulin to adequately lower blood glucose in response to spikes caused by these foods. In the latest study, researchers looked at data from 137,851 participants, ages 35 to 70, who lived on five different continents. They were followed for an average of 9.5 years, during which there were…

women with t1d have shorter reproductive window

Women with type 1 diabetes tend to have a shorter span of reproductive years than women without diabetes, according to a small new study published in the journal Menopause. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh looked at a group of 80 women with type 1 diabetes, all of whom were diagnosed as children between 1950 and 1980. Each had reached menopause by the time of the study, and none had received hormone replacement therapy during their menopausal transition. The researchers compared these women with another group of 178 women without diabetes who otherwise fit the same study criteria. Women with diabetes in the study were younger overall and more likely to be white, to have never smoked, and to have a lower body-mass index (BMI, a measure of weight that takes height…

dietary fiber

Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that your body can’t digest, and its intake is linked to many health benefits. There are two types of fiber. Soluble fiber dissolves in water and can help lower your glucose levels and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water and can help food move through your digestive system, thereby promoting bowel regularity. How much do you know about fiber? Take this quiz to find out! (Before changing your diet or considering supplements, consult with your healthcare provider to find out what is safe for you.) 1. True/False: Children and adults need 10 to 15 grams of fiber daily for good health. ○ True○ False 2. To ensure you get enough fiber, you should do which of the following? ○ A. Increase your intake of…