diabetes » Beyond Prescriptions

Saving Lives With A Soda Tax

Jan 172012

Watching the news this morning I learned that Hostess Brand, a 87 year old company and maker of the infamous Twinkies is going bankrupt again.

This made me very happy considering the fact that the Twinkie, (150 calories and 4.5 gr of fat) is not really a food but a mixture of chemicals and trans fat, filled with an unidentifiable sugary cream filling that never goes bad. Of course when my children were growing up, if they found a Hostess Brand Ding Dong (368 calories, 19.4 gr of fat) or Twinkie in their lunchbox, I was truly “Mom of the Day!” Here are the exact ingredients of that Twinkie:

Apparently, because there has been more demand for healthier options such as yogurt and energy bars, purchase of this gooey snack has diminished. Under its most recent bankruptcy filing, it is looking to restructure into a “strong, competitive” company. I found the following video very enlightening about this subject:

Another sugary issue is our love for sweet drinks. Every year Americans drink 13.8 billion gallons of soda, fruit punch, sweet tea, sports drinks, and other sweetened beverages. According to Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, MD, PhD, an associate professor of medicine and of epidemiology and biostatistics at UCSF (University of California, SF), after analyzing the effect of a nationwide tax on these sugary drinks, estimates of 240,000 cases of diabetes per year, 100,000 cases of heart disease, 8,000 strokes, and 26,000 deaths over the next decade could be realized simply by slapping this penny-per-ounce tax on sweetened beverages.

Even more impressive would be the savings to the public of $17 billion over the next decade in health care related expenses due to the decline of obesity-related diseases (as well as the $13 billion per year in direct tax revenue). The fact that surprised me was that the scientists who generated this first study to generate concrete estimates of the health benefits and cost savings of such a tax are only estimating a reduction of 10 to 15% over a decade!

Some interesting facts about these sugary drinks:

17 teaspoons of sugar in a typical 22-oz soda
45 gallons consumed annually per person of sweet beverages
70,000 calories is average number person consumes per year in sweet drinks
cost per decade of excess coronary artery disease attributable to elevated consumption of sweetened drinks may be as high as $500 billion!

We all know deep down that sugar is toxic. If it takes a tax to stop even 10 to 15% of us to stop consuming so much of it, then it is a worthwhile tax. Just happy to see that Americans are choosing yogurt over twinkies some of the time!

Alzheimer’s Disease.. Can it be “Diabetes 3″?

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Jan 112011

According to the American Diabetes Association, 23.6 million children and adults suffer from diabetes - 7.8% of the total population. This does not include the 5.7 million people undiagnosed, and 57 million people predisposed to diabetes. These figures were compiled in 2007. Diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death listed on U.S. death certificates in 2006. In the U.S. the incidence of diabetes has increased 70% among people in their thirties, in large part because of the obesity pandemic.

What does Alzheimer’s Disease have to do with this? . A study conducted by the American Academy of Neurology concluded that impaired acute insulin response at midlife was associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer disease (AD) up to 35 years later suggesting a causal link between insulin metabolism and the pathogenesis of AD.

So now not only do the diabetes 2 population have to deal with the prospects of kidney disease, nervous system disease (Neuropathy), amputation, blindness, heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure….they have to face the prospect of lost memories, lost cognitive abilities, and eventual death, all coming from the effects of AD.

We often think of adult-onset diabetes as a condition that affects us in the middle years. And of course when most people are prescribed medications to lower their blood pressure, cholesterol, or blood sugar, they are usually told, “You will have to take this for the rest of your life,” often in ever-increasing doses. According to Dr. Oz (You Staying Young), our bodies are designed to run on a relatively low level of glucose, and when we overeat and indulge in a sedentary lifestyle, we are unable to process the extra glucose – thus pickling ourselves in all the excess – and our metabolic system malfunctions. Eventually, our pancreatic beta cells, cells that produce insulin, cannot keep up because of exhaustion after years of working against the relentless insulin resistance. And that’s how we become diabetic.

With the prospect of “Diabetes 3″ facing those with diabetes and all of those not yet diagnosed , it certainly seems appropriate to consider what changes we can make to avoid all of this. Just a small of amount of weight loss can make the difference between elevated blood sugar and normal blood sugar. So keeping our waist thin, exercising (30 minutes daily) and keeping our blood pressure under control are positive changes we can make. I have found that by drinking a “smoothie” each morning for breakfast is a great way to start the day. I have even made it “green” by adding organic kale and frozen organic fruit with it. It has been a great way for me to eat less calories and start the day out healthier.

Instead of investing our monies into surgical procedures and drugs, let’s concentrate on making different choices in what we eat and how we live. Our bodies have the remarkable ability to heal themselves with proper diet, exercise and less stress.

The Nutrient of the Day-Vitamin D

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May 192010

The other day while visiting a family member she told me that the doctor had told her that one of her tests he had taken showed that her vitamin D levels were extremely low. I had just recently been reading about how important a role this nutrient plays in our health so was very concerned.

This deficiency can lead to not only bone loss, but other serious health conditions such as heart disease, certain cancers, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, depression, and some autoimmune disorders. Even MS has been linked to a lack of Vitamin D.

It takes about 15 minutes of exposure to sunlight on your hands and face for your body to make enough vitamin D under normal circumstances. Pulling ourselves away from the computer, workplace, tv, etc. to get that brief exposure can make a tremendous difference. Sunscreens that we apply daily to protect ourselves from the sun’s rays can also prevent enough exposure as well as protective clothing. If we reside up north or way down south we may need to spend a little more time outside.

Foods which contain vitamin D include salmon, sardines, shrimp, milk, cod, and eggs. Among salmon, wild-caught fish have been shown to average significantly more vitamin D than non-organically farmed fish. Supplements can also be taken. It is the overwhelming consensus of researchers that D3 is our best bet when supplementing with vitamin D. (For more information about how to obtain such a supplement, contact me here).

For an excellent discussion about what this valuable nutrient can do for you, check out this site. I was amazed to learn how linked this vitamin is to so many of the health issues we are dealing with today. Have you had your vitamin D levels checked recently?

We All Need To Be Worried About Dementia

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Mar 132010

I often catch myself pondering about the subject of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease whenever I misplace my keys again, or so often find myself walking into a room and then wondering for what purpose was I there. I know I am not alone with this fear.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association’s report, “2010 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures”, 5.3 million people are living with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. The data examined covered the years 2000 to 2006 and found that deaths from Alzheimer’s increased by 46% compared with heart disease, breast cancer and prostate cancer deaths, all which have decreased in their numbers.

Another disturbing fact from this report discovered that African Americans are almost twice as likely as whites to have Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, and Hispanics are about one and a half times more likely to be stricken with it.

So what do we do with this new information? Alzheimer’s expert, Steven DeKosky, Senior Vice President and Dean of the University of Virginia School of Medicine, gives us the following preventative tips to reduce the risk of developing dementia:

Exercise…I am working on developing that habit now!
Watch our lipids (cholesterol), blood pressure and abdominal girth…hopefully my success with CINCH is helping with that abdominal girth!
Exercise our brain by staying active (challenge yourself with puzzles, etc.) Just being on the internet daily seems to be exercising my brain quite a bit!

Another good reason to watch our weight is the connection between diabetes and Alzheimer’s, two diseases that are increasing at an alarming rate within the U.S. Diabetic patients have a 30% to 65% higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease compared to the non-diabetic individual.

So, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, if we are forgetting recently learned material, have problems staying organized (that one scares me!) losing track of steps in making a call or playing a game, forgetting simple words more often, putting a watch in the sugar bowl (??) and paying bills twice or not at all…..perhaps we need to realize these are not normal behaviors and may be a cause for concern. But not to worry if we are just misplacing the keys. (Well, that’s a relief!)