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Diabetes
ABC
HEALTH REPORT - The latest in Diabetes
Research from the Baker Institute 2006
Advanced Glycation End Products or AGEs.
These are formed when excess glucose
in the blood reacts with protein forming
byproducts that have been linked to diabetes
complications like kidney disease, blindness,
amputation and heart disease. However, it
is also possible to consume AGEs from foods
that have been cooked at high temperatures
(grilled,roasted,fried foods), fermented
foods (soy sauce), coffee and caramelised/browned
foods (cola drinks). Having a high intake
of AGEs could potentially increase one's
risk of developing diabetes-like complications
even in the absence of diabetes (especially
in people with reduced liver or kidney function).
Eating more raw/boiled/casseroled foods
and less grilled/fried foods will reduce
your intake of AGEs.
New
Nutrition Guidelines for Diabetes
The
American Diabetes Association issued new
nutrition guidelines for the treatment and
prevention of diabetes and its complications
in January 2002.
Full
report (50 pages): http://care.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/content/full/25/1/148
Summary (10 pages) : http://care.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/content/full/25/1/202
New
evidence regarding magnesium
and diabetes more....
Preventing
Diabetes complications
Diabetes
complications include an increased risk
of developing heart disease, hypertension,
kidney disease, and neuropathy. Controlling
blood sugar levels reduces the risk of developing
such complications.
The
new guidelines outline strategies for controlling
blood sugar levels, for example they state
that:
carbohydrate
from whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and
low-fat milk should be included in a healthy
diet
the
total amount of carbohydrate is just as
important as the source or type i.e improve
the quality of carbohydrates consumed (prefer
wholegrains) and keep portions small
the
glycemic index may reduce post-meal blood
glucose, but studies do not show sufficient
evidence of long-term benefit for it to
be recommended (for example, even though
pasta has a low glycaemic index it is not
advisable for people with diabetes or impaired
glucose tolerance to have a large serve
because the total amount of carbohydrate
will be too high)
fructose is not recommended as a replacement
for sucrose, even though it produces a smaller
effect on blood sugar than sucrose, because
fructose may adversely affect blood lipids.
But, there is no evidence of this problem
for naturally occurring fruit sugar.
sucrose need not be restricted by diabetics,
but total carbohydrate should not increase
if sugar is added (sucrose does not increase
glycaemia more than equal calories from
starch)
nonnutritive
sweeteners are safe (saccharin, aspartame,
acesulfame K, sucralose) and can be consumed
by all to acceptable limits established
by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
to
help keep blood lipids in the healthy range,
the primary dietary fat goal for people
with diabetes is to limit saturated fat
to <10% of energy intake (i.e <20g
per day) and if blood cholesterol levels
are high intake should be reduced to <7%
of energy intake. Dietary cholesterol also
needs to be kept below 300mg per day and
less than 200mg is receommended if blood
cholesterol levels are high. Persons with
diabetes appear to be more sensitive to
dietary cholesterol than the general public.
the
use of monounsaturated fats as partial replacement
for carbohydrates within the diet, has been
shown to improve blood sugar and lipid levels.
It is recommended that up to 60% of energy
comes from a combination of carbohydrate
and monounsaturated fat.
there
is no evidence to suggest protein intake
should be modified if kidney function is
normal.
reduced
energy intake and modest weight loss improve
insulin resistance and blood sugar levels.
routine
supplementation with antioxidants is not
advised.
increase
physical activity levels
Preventing
diabetes
The
guidelines recommend the following for preventing
diabetes, especially if there is a family
history of the disorder:
increase physical activity - all types,
and it does not have to be strenuous to
be beneficial
weight loss, especially from the abdomen
reduce fat intake, especially saturated
fat, irrespective of weight
increase
fibre intake, especially from vegetables
and fruits
Limitations of
these recommendations
The fifty-one scientific statements made
were ranked based on how much supporting
evidence there was: 16 had an A rating because
of evidence from multiple, well-conducted
studies, 17 received a B, 3 got a C, and
15 an E representing recommendations based
on expert opinion. This shows that about
one-third of the recommendations are not
necessarily based on strong evidence.
See
also: Glycemic
index
Last
Updated: Junel, 2006.
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