HELLO CUPCAKE ITS ME : food

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Risk Of Diabetes May Be Reduced By Up To 25 Percent By Moderate Coffee Consumption

Michael 2:15 AM coffee, coffee prevents diabetes, diabetes, food, Food and Dining, Medical Studies, treatment 1 comment

Drinking three to four cups of coffee per day may help to prevent type 2 diabetes according to research highlighted in a session report published by the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee (ISIC), a not-for-profit organization devoted to the study and disclosure of science related to coffee and health.
Recent scientific evidence has

consistently linked regular, moderate coffee consumption with a possible reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes. An update of this research and key findings presented during a session at the 2012 World Congress on Prevention of Diabetes and Its Complications (WCPD) is summarized in the report.
The report outlines the epidemiological evidence linking coffee consumption to diabetes prevention, highlighting research that shows three to four cups of coffee per day is associated with an approximate 25 per cent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, compared to consuming none or less than two cups per day. Another study also found an inverse dose dependent response effect with each additional cup of coffee reducing the relative risk by 7-8 per cent.
Whilst these epidemiological studies suggest an association between moderate coffee consumption and reduced risk of developing diabetes, they are unable to infer a causal effect. As such, clinical intervention trails are required to study the effect in a controlled setting. One prospective randomized controlled trial, tested glucose and insulin after an oral glucose tolerance test with 12g decaffeinated coffee, 1g chlorogenic acid, 500 mg trigonelline, or placebo. This study demonstrated that chlorogenic acid, and trigonelline reduced early glucose and insulin responses, and contribute to the putative beneficial effect of coffee.
The report notes that the association between coffee consumption a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes could be seen as counter intuitive, as drinking coffee is often linked to unhealthier habits, such as smoking and low levels of physical activity. Furthermore, studies have illustrated that moderate coffee consumption is not associated with an increased risk of hypertension, stroke or coronary heart disease. Research with patients with CVD has also shown that moderate coffee consumption is inversely associated with risk of heart failure, with a J-shaped relationship.
Finally, the report puts forward some of the key mechanistic theories that underlie the possible relationship between coffee consumption and the reduced risk of diabetes. These included the 'Energy Expenditure Hypothesis', which suggests that the caffeine in coffee stimulates metabolism and increases energy expenditure and the 'Carbohydrate Metabolic Hypothesis', whereby it is thought that coffee components play a key role by influencing the glucose balance within the body. There is also a subset of theories that suggest coffee contains components that may improve insulin sensitivity though mechanisms such as modulating inflammatory pathways, mediating the oxidative stress of cells, hormonal effects or by reducing iron stores.
Dr. Pilar Riobó Serván, Associate Chief of Endocrinology and Nutrition, Jiménez Díaz-Capio Hospital of Madrid and a speaker at the WCPD session concludes the report, commenting: "A dose-dependent inverse association between coffee drinking and total mortality has been demonstrated in general population and it persists among diabetics. Although more research on the effect of coffee in health is yet needed, current information suggests that coffee is not as bad as previously considered!"

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Overall Post-Meal Blood Sugar Levels Reduced By Snacking On Raisins

Michael 4:32 AM American Diabetes Association, diabetes, diabetic, food, Food and Dining, fruit, glucose, glucose management, healthy, Medical Studies, raisins No comments

New research debuted at the American Diabetes Association's 72nd Annual Scientific Session suggests eating raisins three times a day may significantly lower postprandial (post-meal) glucose levels when compared to common alternative snacks of equal caloric value. The study was conducted at the Louisville Metabolic and Atherosclerosis Center (L-MARC) by lead researcher, Harold Bays, MD, medical director and president of L-MARC.

The study was conducted among 46 men and women who had not previously been diagnosed with diabetes mellitus, but who had mild elevations in glucose levels. Participants were randomly assigned to snack on raisins or pre-packaged commercial snacks that did not contain raisins or other fruits or vegetables, three times a day for 12 weeks. Findings included:

Compared to control snacks, raisins significantly decreased mean post-meal glucose levels by 16 percent
Compared to baseline within group paired analysis, raisins significantly reduced mean hemoglobin A1c by 0.12 percent
Consumption of the control snacks in the study did not significantly reduce mean post-meal glucose or hemoglobin A1c

The study was funded by the California Raisin Marketing Board through a grant to the L-MARC Research Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

"Raisins have a relatively low glycemic index and contain fiber and antioxidants, all factors which contribute to blood sugar control," said James Painter, Ph.D., R.D., and nutrition research advisor for the California Raisin Marketing Board. "Decreasing blood sugar and maintaining normal hemoglobin A1c levels is important because it can prevent long-term damage to the heart and circulatory system."

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No Association Found Between White Potato Consumption (Baked, Boiled Mashed) And Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes Or Systemic Inflammation

Michael 3:20 AM food, Medical Studies, Obesity, systemic inflammation, type-2 No comments

Preliminary Research presented at The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Conference in San Diego demonstrates that habitual consumption of white potatoes (baked, boiled and mashed) is not associated withobesity, type 2 diabetes or levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of systemic inflammation once potential confounding factors are controlled for (e.g., age, gender, and education). Previous studies examining the association between potato consumption and disease states have failed to consider demographic factors that could potentially confound the relationships such as age, gender, race/ethnicity, and education. "One of the purposes of this study was that we hypothesized demographic factors - particularly socioeconomic status - might be associated with both potato consumption and the prevalence of obesity and diabetes. Therefore we controlled for these factors," said lead researcher Adam Drewnowski, PhD, Professor of Epidemiology and Director of the Nutritional Sciences Program at the University of Washington.
Dr. Drewnowski and colleagues examined dietary intake and health data in a representative sample of 5,800 adults using two cycles (2003-2004 and 2005-2006) of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). After controlling for demographic variables, the researchers found no association between the frequency of potato consumption and obesity, diabetes or C-reactive protein.
Dr. Drewnowski and colleagues further analyzed the NHANES survey data to look at different potato preparations in Americans' diet including French fries, home fries, tater tots, chips, baked, mashed, boiled and salad. They found that although Americans may eat fried potatoes at restaurants, relatively few Americans were preparing fried potatoes at home: only 26% of fried potato servings were sourced from the grocery store.

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Health expert recommends fat tax on unhealthy foods in the UK

Michael 4:26 AM Economics, food, Food and Dining, Obesity, prices, SIN TAX, tax, UK News, unhealthy No comments

The director of the health promotion research group at the University of Oxford has recommended the introduction of a tax on unhealthy foods to help reduce the number of overweight and obese people in the UK.
Mike Rayner has proposed a tax on a range of less healthy foodstuffs, including a 12p ($0.19 4/10) tax on soft drinks to get people to switch to a healthier alternative, as so many people in Britain are obese – which he claims is costing the NHS billions of pounds each year. He argued that since tax increases were already used to deter people from smoking and drinking, a fat tax would improve our health and help raise money for the Treasury.
Rayner commented "There's evidence to show that manipulating food prices can encourage healthy eating. So why are we so reluctant to change the way we tax food?
He added "We need to rethink the way we apply VAT to food. At the moment we have a muddled system: you do pay tax on some relatively-healthy things like smoothies, but you don't pay it on a lot of junk food like chips or doughnuts." He also pointed out that Denmark already has a "fat tax" on foodstuffs that contain saturated fats, which are known to raise cholesterol levels.
However, the idea was been countered by Labour MP Angela Eagle and the Liberal Democrat minister Steve Webb, who would instead prefer improved nutritional education and better packaging.

We here in America have something similar to the UK Fat Tax called a Sin Tax. A sin tax is a kind of sumptuary tax: a tax specifically levied on certain generally socially proscribed goods and services. These goods are usually alcohol and tobacco, but also include candies, soft drinks, fat foods and coffee, while services range from prostitution to gambling.

Sumptuary taxes are ostensibly used for reducing transactions involving something that society considers undesirable, and is thus a kind of sumptuary law. Sin tax is used for taxes on activities that are considered socially undesirable. Common targets of sumptuary taxes are alcohol and tobacco, gambling, and vehicles emitting excessive pollutants. Sumptuary tax on sugar and soft drinks has also been suggested. Some jurisdictions have also levied taxes on illegal drugs such as cocaine and marijuana.

The revenue generated by sin taxes is sometimes used for special projects, but might also be used in the ordinary budget. American cities and countries have used them to pay for stadiums, while in Sweden the tax for gambling is used for helping people with gambling problems. Acceptance of sumptuary taxes may be greater than income tax or sales tax.

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The Holidays a Sweet Treat

Michael 4:17 PM christmas, cooking, food, holiday, Menu, recipes, thanksgiving 2 comments

The holidays are quickly approaching and that means time for eating sweets, and junk…not say that Granny’s Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies aren’t the best this side of Saturn.

But what about the Diabetic in your life? Will there be sweets and treats for them? Many times when we are cooking we forego any variations to the old traditional recipes that were passed down through the generations. But for Diabetics, this time of year can mean high glucose levels. Being Diabetic myself (and a food junkie) I know what a Siren Song a great spread of food can be.

In my house we have begun transforming our favorite dishes into sodium/sugar free culinary creations. We use Wal-Mart’s brand of Spelenda, and salt substitutes which in many cases you can not ever tell the difference.
This allows me to eat what everyone else is eating with out having to take larger dosages of my short acting insulin. Of course this also means that you have to hit the gym harder afterwards but that is another post all together.

Below are some links to some holiday recipes with Diabetics in mind.

Almond Cheesecake Bars
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Double Chocolate Brownies

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