Diabetes
Think Zinc for Better Blood Sugar Control
Zinc is not one of the sexy minerals. Doctors and patients are far more interested in calcium, potassium and magnesium. But we think zinc is an unrecognized hero that often gets short shrift. This min…
How to Grill Safely This Summer
In the summer, the great American pastime is the cookout. From burgers and corn on the cob to s'mores, cooking food over the fire or on a grill has enormous appeal. But public health experts have iden…
Statins, Low LDL Cholesterol and Nerve Damage in…
A new study from Germany reports that there is a connection between low total cholesterol and low LDL cholesterol and nerve damage in patients with type 2 diabetes (JAMA Network Open, May 31, 2019). T…
Will Canela Cinnamon Help Control Blood Sugar?
Many people struggle with insulin resistance and some may not even realize it. In this condition, the pancreas produces insulin, sometimes lots of insulin, but the cells stop responding well to this c…
Diabetes Risk No Lower with Vitamin D Supplement…
People with very low levels of vitamin D are known to be at higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes. A study demonstrates that vitamin D supplements don’t alter diabetes risk (New England Journal…
Can Blueberries Combat Metabolic Syndrome?
A cup of blueberries a day could be a tasty way to combat metabolic syndrome. In this condition, extra fat in the abdomen makes the waist larger. Elevated blood pressure, high cholesterol and insulin …
Will a Mediterranean Diet Benefit Your Brain?
The Mediterranean diet has earned a reputation for promoting heart health, as we discuss below. Now a Harvard study suggests it can also be good for the brain, especially for people with type 2 diabet…
Metformin Side Effects | Diarrhea and Other Seri…
Metformin (Glucophage) is a great drug. It is the most popular medicine for treating type 2 diabetes. At last count nearly 17 million Americans take metformin daily. That’s impressive for a drug tha…
Prostate Drug Dutasteride Shrinks Prostate and P…
Dutasterice (Avodart) has a powerful effect on the prostate gland. The history of this medication and its chemical cousin finasteride (Proscar) is a medical mystery. It all started in the Dominican Re…
How Can You Overcome the Harms of Sitting Too Mu…
How many hours a day do you sit? Be honest, please. If you work in front of a computer, we’ll bet you spend more than eight hours a day sitting. And that doesn’t count time sitting in your car, si…
What to Make of Contradictory Results from Diabe…
What is the best way to diagnose diabetes? For decades it was the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). But it’s time consuming and inconvenient for patients. They have to consume a sugary drink that …
Will Statins Protect the Brain and Lower Blood S…
We have written on several occasions that statins are linked to diabetes. The most recent article was this one: “Statins Cause Diabetes: The Link Just Got Stronger!” Before that we wrote: "Statins…
What Is the Best Test to Diagnose Diabetes | HbA…
Most physicians have embraced the hemoglobin A1c blood test to diagnose diabetes or track treatment success. It is also known as HbA1c (A1C for short), glycosylated hemoglobin or glycated hemoglobin. …
Statins Cause Diabetes: The Link Just Got Strong…
There is no nice way to say this. Cholesterol-lowering drugs like statins cause diabetes. This is not new news, but it is unwelcome. When lovastatin (Mevacor) was approved by the FDA more than 30 year…
Nuts Have Heart-Healthy Benefits for Type 2 Diab…
People with type 2 diabetes are usually cautioned to avoid fat in their diets. Nuts may be high in fat, but they seem to be heart-healthy for those with this condition. People with type 2 diabetes are…
Which Cinnamon Lowers Blood Sugar Safely?
Over the past 15 years, researchers have reported that cinnamon can amplify the effects of insulin and help cells respond more appropriately (Khan et al, Diabetes Care, Dec. 2003; Mang et al, European…
Does Fructose Raise Your Risk for Diabetes?
Do people who often indulge in sugary soft drinks sweetened with fructose have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes? Previous studies have suggested a link. Processed Foods and Diabetes: An ana…
Low-Carb Diet Research Arouses Reader Outrage
Last week we sent out a People's Pharmacy Special Health Alert. It was titled "Low-Carb Diet Wins Diet Wars...Again!" We knew that there would be a lot of health reports on this latest research. We wa…
The Low-Carb Diet Wins Diet Wars…Again!
Many nutrition experts have maintained that a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. In other words, all calories are created equal. The more calories you consume the fatter you get. Put another way, thes…
Show 1143: Can You Control Your Blood Sugar by F…
Type 2 diabetes has reached epidemic levels in the US and around the world. Although endocrinologists consider it a chronic, progressive disorder, some experts have seen that it is potentially reversi…
Cinnamon Can Help Control Blood Sugar
Cinnamon was once highly prized as an exotic spice. The ancient Egyptians used cinnamon along with thyme and cumin to embalm their pharaohs. A far more practical use was for preserving meat during med…
Januvia Joint Pain | A Disabling Side Effect
Sitagliptin (Januvia) is a type 2 diabetes drug that has been on the market for more than a decade. It belongs in a class of drugs called gliptins or DPP-4 inhibitors. These meds enable the body to ma…
Do People Who Eat Fish Grow Old More Healthfully…
Does eating fish or taking fish oil make any difference for your health? For decades, researchers have touted the anti-inflammatory benefits of the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil. They have sug…
Can Curcumin Control Your Blood Sugar?
Most people experience a bump in blood sugar after they eat a meal containing carbohydrates. The body responds by secreting insulin to clear the blood sugar. Australian researchers wanted to see whe…
Helping Your Heart Means Boosting Your Brain
We have long suspected that taking care of your heart health with exercise, a diet rich in vegetables, fruits and whole grains, stress management and social interaction could also benefit your brain. …
What Are the Health Benefits of Cinnamon in Coff…
Have you been hearing that cinnamon is good for you? Or maybe you're worried about the potential health hazards of cinnamon but unsure of what they could be. Perhaps you have been wondering how you mi…
Rosuvastatin Linked to High Blood Sugar
Statin medications are used to lower cholesterol because that is considered a pillar of lowering the risk for a heart attack. While people likely to suffer a heart attack generally welcome the protect…
Will Diabetes Drug Metformin Also Help Your Lung…
Metformin is a very old drug that is used to treat type 2 diabetes. It was developed from the French lilac plant, Galega officinalis. Healers in the 17th century used extracts from this plant to treat…
Better Diet for Poor Americans Is Not a SNAP
Poor diet may underly a wide range of undesirable health problems, from obesity to diabetes and heart disease. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was designed to help very low-income…
Make Sure Your Vegetarian Diet Is High Quality
A vegetarian diet can be beneficial, but even vegetarians need to pay attention to the quality of the food they eat. Harvard researchers who have tracked the dietary habits and health of more than 125…
Statins and Diabetes | What Happens When Blood S…
A few years ago three pillars of modern medicine recommended that virtually all adults with diabetes should take statin-type cholesterol-lowering drugs. This is what the American Diabetes Association …
Can You Improve Blood Sugar Control by Cutting C…
A century ago, before insulin was discovered in 1921, the way people with diabetes controlled their blood sugar was by not eating carbohydrate-rich foods. Could cutting carbs help improve your blood s…
Diabetes Diet Smackdown | Richard Bernstein, MD …
Dr. Richard Bernstein has had type 1 diabetes since he was a kid. That was a long time ago. He will soon be 84. Because people with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) can’t make insulin they have to in…
Can People with Diabetes Really Eat Eggs?
For decades, Americans were warned not to eat eggs for fear that their blood cholesterol levels would rise. After all, egg yolks are high in cholesterol. Even after data showed that there was no link …
How to Control Your Blood Sugar Without Drugs
How is your blood sugar? According to the CDC, 84 million American adults have prediabetes, a condition in which blood sugar is elevated but doesn't reach the threshold for a diagnosis of diabetes (12…
Can You Manage the Side Effects of Metformin?
Metformin is an old drug that doctors use as a first-line treatment for type 2 diabetes. While it helps millions of people keep their blood glucose under control, some individuals find that they canno…
How to Time Your Meals to Control Blood Sugar
Does it matter how you time your meals? Nutrition experts often urge obese people with diabetes to eat six small meals evenly spaced throughout the day. The idea is that this pattern will even out blo…
Will Prediabetes Put Your Heart and Kidneys at R…
The high blood sugar of diabetes is associated with damage to the heart and kidneys. Just how much does slightly elevated blood sugar, termed prediabetes, affect health? Doctors define prediabetes as …
How Should You Treat Type 2 Diabetes? Doctors Di…
The prestigious American College of Physicians (ACP) has challenged the American Diabetes Association (ADA) when it comes to how to treat type 2 diabetes. It's the internists against the endocrinologi…
Avoiding Low Blood Sugar Episodes with Technolog…
People who use insulin to control their diabetes must walk a tightrope. On the one hand, they need to keep blood sugar from soaring, since that type of hyperglycemia can damage their kidneys, retinas …