in the News ...

Can peanuts prevent diabetes?

Background: The role of insulin is to change carbohydrate (the sugar in food) into the energy our body needs every day to function. When people have diabetes, either their pancreas can't make enough insulin, or they can't use the insulin their pancreas does make. To work properly, insulin needs the help of magnesium, a mineral found in food.

People with type 2 diabetes often have low magnesium levels in their blood. It is hard to tell if a low level of magnesium is the cause of type 2 diabetes or a result of type 2 diabetes. It is the old question of, "Which came first? The chicken or the egg."

Some studies have shown that people who ate more foods high in magnesium were less likely to develop type 2 diabetes. This led scientists to wonder if people who have type 2 diabetes, and low levels of magnesium in their blood, would have better control of their diabetes if they ate more foods high in magnesium. Some studies say the answer is "yes," but others say the answer is "no."

If scientists aren't sure about magnesium, should I care about getting enough magnesium? Besides being an assistant to insulin, magnesium is needed to maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keep heart rhythm steady, support a healthy immune system, keep bones strong, and promote normal blood pressure. It is important to eat enough magnesium so that your body can carry out these important functions whether you have diabetes or not. For people age 50+, men need 420 mg magnesium per day and women need 320 mg magnesium per day.

Where do peanuts fit in? Peanuts, and other nuts, are a good source of magnesium. Every ounce of peanuts provides 50 mg of magnesium. Eating peanuts several times per week can be a great way to help meet your magnesium needs.

Type 2 diabetes, peanuts, and fiber. Magnesium is not the only reason peanuts are good for people with type 2 diabetes. They are also a good source of fiber. Each ounce of peanuts packs 2.3 g fiber. Fiber has been shown to help prevent and manage type 2 diabetes.

How many peanuts should you eat? Each ounce of peanuts, a small handful, has about 165 calories and 6.7 g protein. Think of peanuts as a high-fat meat alternate and choose 2 ounces in place of a meat serving several times per week.

What can I do if I am trying to manage my weight and peanuts have too many calories for my meal plan? Magnesium can be found in many low-calorie, low-fat foods. Try these foods several times a week also.

Food	Mg of Magnesium
Halibut, cooked, 3 ounces	90
Spinach, frozen, cooked, ½ cup	75
Cereal, shredded wheat, 2 rectangular biscuits	55
Oatmeal, instant, fortified, prepared w/ water, 1 cup	55
Potato, baked w/ skin, 1 medium	50

SOURCES:

• Magnesium. Office of Dietary Supplements. NIH Clinical Center. National Institutes of Health.
• USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 17.

If I have diabetes how can I tell?

For a complete explanation of lab tests used to diagnose diabetes, click here.

Be active. Prevent type 2 diabetes.

Can exercise prevent diabetes? YES.

The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) was a major research study that asked if either diet and exercise or the oral diabetes drug metformin (Glucophage) could prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes in people with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT).

People from all over the U.S. were given instruction on how to eat less fat and fewer calories. They also exercised 150 minutes per week.

The answer was an obvious yes. The results of the study showed that diet and exercise "sharply reduced the chances that a person with IGT would develop diabetes." The drug, Metformin also reduced risk, but not as well as well as diet and exercise.

Read the full report by clicking here.

Read more about diabetes and exercise by clicking here.

Smoking. Dangerous for diabetics.

Smoking is a bad idea for anyone, but for diabetics the risks are even greater.

Smoking damages and constricts the blood vessels. This damage can worsen foot ulcers and lead to blood vessel disease and leg and foot infections.

Smokers with diabetes are more likely to get nerve damage and kidney disease.

People with diabetes who smoke are three times as likely to die of cardiovascular disease as are other people with diabetes.

Smoking raises your blood sugar level, making it harder to control your diabetes.

Read MORE: Action on Smoking and Health

Source: The American Diabetes Association. Smoking. http://www.diabetes.org/type-1-diabetes/smoking.jsp

Coping with diabetes.

Diabetes is a condition that affects all aspects of your life. It is a demanding disease that asks a great deal from the people it chooses. Your best defense is to take positive steps to manage diabetes. One step is to learn healthy coping skills.

Control Your Diabetes for Life. Coping for Diabetes.

Take Charge Tips

Eat Healthy

Eating healthy does not mean you have to eat dull, drab meals. A little creativity and recipe modification goes a long for health and taste.

Visit the American Heart Associations Online Cookbook to find heart healthy recipes for 100's of dishes. You can even find some special chocolate recipes!

Be Active

You know it's good for you. All the experts tell you to do it. The question is how much exercise should you do? Here are the answers.

• Participate in regular physical activity to reduce functional declines associated with aging and to achieve the other benefits of physical activity identified for all adults.
• Engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity, above usual activity, at work or home on most days of the week. Walking is great exercise.
• To help manage body weight and prevent gradual, unhealthy body weight gain in adulthood: Engage in approximately 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity activity on most days of the week while not exceeding caloric intake requirements.
• To sustain weight loss in adulthood: Participate in at least 60 to 90 minutes of daily moderate-intensity physical activity while not exceeding caloric intake requirements. Some people may need to consult with a healthcare provider before participating in this level of activity.
• Achieve physical fitness by including cardiovascular conditioning, stretching exercises for flexibility, and resistance exercises or calisthenics for muscle strength and endurance.

Adapted from: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005

Get Checked

Often, the best treatment for a disease like heart disease, cancer or diabetes, is early detection. Routine screening tests can help you find a health problem while it is still easy to treat. To help you remember to schedule your regular screening tests, the College of American Pathologists encourages you to sign up for an e-mail reminder at MyHealthTestReminder.com. You can choose any date you like, and a message will be sent to the e-mail address you specify reminding you to schedule your screening test.

You can be reminded to do the following:

• Cholesterol test reminder
• Colon cancer screening reminder
• Diabetes test reminder
• Mammogram reminder
• Pap test reminder

Click here to find out more about this service!

Be Smoke Free

If you made the decision to Be Smoke Free in 2006, congratulations! Every minute you don't smoke, your health gets closer to normal and your risk of heart disease grows smaller.

Keep these health benefits in mind as you regain health every day you don't smoke.

Within 20 minutes after you smoke that last cigarette, your body begins a series of changes that continue for years.

20 Minutes After Quitting
Your heart rate drops.

12 hours After Quitting
Carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.

2 Weeks to 3 Months After Quitting
Your heart attack risk begins to drop.
Your lung function begins to improve.

1 to 9 Months After Quitting
Your coughing and shortness of breath decrease.

1 Year After Quitting
Your added risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker's.

5 Years After Quitting
Your stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker's 5-15 years after quitting.

10 Years After Quitting
Your lung cancer death rate is about half that of a smoker's. Your risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas decreases.

15 Years After Quitting
Your risk of coronary heart disease is back to that of a nonsmoker's.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Tobacco Information and Prevention Source (TIPS)

Be Positive

They say that laughter is the best medicine. In fact, it has been shown that people who have a greater sense of humor have lower levels of depression and higher levels of purpose than those who score low in humor.

How is your sense of humor? Take Dr. Thorson's Humor Scale to find out how you rank.

Humor Survey: How Well Does Your Sense of Humor Protect You From Heart Disease?
Take a few minutes to see just how protective your sense of humor is.