0 Southern diet could raise your risk of stroke

Eating Southern-style foods may be linked to a higher risk of stroke, according to research presented at the American Stroke Associations International Stroke Conference 2013.

In the first large-scale study on the relationship between Southern foods and stroke, researchers characterized a Southern diet by a high intake of foods such as fried chicken, fried fish, fried potatoes, bacon, ham, liver and gizzards, and sugary drinks such as sweet tea. In addition to being high in fat, fried foods tend to be heavily salted.

"Weve got three major factors working together in the Southern-style diet to raise risks of cardiovascular disease: fatty foods are high in cholesterol, sugary drinks are linked to diabetes and salty foods lead to high blood pressure," said Suzanne Judd, Ph.D., M.P.H., lead researcher and a nutritional epidemiologist at the University of Alabama Birminghams biostatistics department.

Previous research has shown that Southerners are about 20 percent more likely to have a stroke than the rest of Americans.

Comparing the dietary habits of more than 20,000 black and white adults, researchers found:

- Stroke frequency was directly proportional to how much Southern food participants ate.
- People who ate Southern foods about six times a week had a 41 percent higher stroke risk compared to those who ate it about once a month.
- Eating a Southern diet accounted for 63 percent of the higher risk of stroke among African-Americans above that of their white counterparts.
- Those whose diets were highest in fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains (eaten about five times a week) had a 29 percent lower stroke risk than those whose diets were the lowest in these foods (eaten about three times a week).

The study raises red flags for African-Americans who are five times more likely to eat Southern foods than whites, Judd said. And first-time stroke risk among blacks is almost double that of whites, according to American Stroke Association statistics.

Participants from 48 states answered telephone questionnaires about what foods they eat as part of the ongoing Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study (begun in 2003). Participants were evenly divided between men and women, and the minimum age was 45.

Each person underwent an in-person medical assessment including height, weight and blood pressure measurements; an electrocardiogram; and a blood test. Every six months after, participants answered follow-up telephone questions about their stroke incidence, sleep habits and overall health.

Researchers designed a mathematical model to group foods commonly eaten together into 56 different categories. Each persons eating habits were scored based on the categories. The scores were further analyzed in relation to how often they had a stroke.

About two-thirds of the participants who ate the most Southern-style foods lived in the southeastern United States. But, no matter where they live, people eating a lot of Southern foods should be more aware of their risks of stroke, Judd said.

Healthcare providers should educate patients about nutrition earlier, and ask patients about what theyre eating, how much and how often, she said.

0 Eating lots of carbs sugar may raise risk of cognitive impairment

People 70 and older who eat food high in carbohydrates have nearly four times the risk of developing mild cognitive impairment, and the danger also rises with a diet heavy in sugar, Mayo Clinic researchers have found. Those who consume a lot of protein and fat relative to carbohydrates are less likely to become cognitively impaired, the study found. The findings are published in the Journal of Alzheimers Disease.

The research highlights the importance of a well-rounded diet, says lead author Rosebud Roberts, M.B., Ch.B., a Mayo Clinic epidemiologist.

"We think its important that you eat a healthy balance of protein, carbohydrates and fat, because each of these nutrients has an important role in the body," Dr. Roberts says.

Researchers tracked 1,230 people ages 70 to 89 who provided information on what they ate during the previous year. At that time, their cognitive function was evaluated by an expert panel of physicians, nurses and neuropsychologists. Of those participants, only the roughly 940 who showed no signs of cognitive impairment were asked to return for follow-up evaluations of their cognitive function. About four years into the study, 200 of those 940 were beginning to show mild cognitive impairment, problems with memory, language, thinking and judgment that are greater than normal age-related changes.

Those who reported the highest carbohydrate intake at the beginning of the study were 1.9 times likelier to develop mild cognitive impairment than those with the lowest intake of carbohydrates. Participants with the highest sugar intake were 1.5 times likelier to experience mild cognitive impairment than those with the lowest levels.

But those whose diets were highest in fat -- compared to the lowest -- were 42 percent less likely to face cognitive impairment, and those who had the highest intake of protein had a reduced risk of 21 percent.

When total fat and protein intake were taken into account, people with the highest carbohydrate intake were 3.6 times likelier to develop mild cognitive impairment.

"A high carbohydrate intake could be bad for you because carbohydrates impact your glucose and insulin metabolism," Dr. Roberts says. "Sugar fuels the brain -- so moderate intake is good. However, high levels of sugar may actually prevent the brain from using the sugar -- similar to what we see with type 2 diabetes."

0 Cymbalta Found to Raise Blood Glucose

Question: What is the most common complication of diabetes in the US?

If youve had diabetes for a number of years and you experience the characteristic burning, tingling, or numbness in your feet, legs, or arms, youll probably guess this right off. Those are symptoms of peripheral neuropathy or diabetic nerve pain, which, according to the FDA affects up to 62% of Americans with diabetes ... making it the most common diabetic complication.

The FDA approved Cymbalta (duloxetine HCl) in August, 2004 for the treatment of depression. A month later they approved it for the treatment of pain associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy. This month, a study in Diabetes Care asked the question "Does Treatment With Duloxetine for Neuropathic Pain Impact Glycemic Control?" Their answer was yes:

"Duloxetine treatment resulted in modest increases in fasting plasma glucose in short- and long-term studies (0.50 and 0.67 mmol/l, respectively)." [Approximately 0.9 and 12.1 mg/dl respectively]

The increase was modest. If youre taking Cymbalta and it is effective at easing your symptoms, your doctor may decide not to make changes. Although, its helpful to be aware of the medications effect on blood glucose.

________
For the January, 2007 Diabetes Care article:
Does Treatment With Duloxetine for Neuropathic Pain Impact Glycemic Control?

For FDAs press release:
FDA Approves Drug for Neuropathic Pain Associated With Diabetes

For Cymbaltas site:
Cymbalta

0 Diet Low Fat Low Karbo and Raise Diabetes Risk

Among the three following a diet that is low carb, low fat diet and low-glycemic diet that most people make is to reduce carbohydrates and fat as fast to make thin.

Unfortunately, despite a diet low in carbohydrate and low fat rapid weight loss that actually raises risk of diabetes.

Researchers found that a diet method to lose weight quickly may have bad side effects for long-term health.
Researchers fear that a particular diet method can increase the risk of diabetes,

The team of researchers from the New Balance Foundations Obesity Prevention Center Boston Childrens Hospital to investigate the effects of diet selection method by 21 people in a period of 3 months.

Study participants were asked to lose weight by 10 to 15 percent before the study began, so that participants have a new weight is stable when the study began.

Every three months, study participants were asked to choose a different diet methods, namely low-fat diet, low glycemic diet and low carb diet. Each diet due regard to the intake of protein to keep the body healthy and energized.

The result is:
1. Low-carbohydrate diet showed the most change to weight loss, but also shows the level of weakness and fatigue are pretty great as well. But the type of diet is the most widely chosen because it can lose weight faster.

But the low-carbohydrate diet may result in increased levels of cortisol, which has been associated with loss of insulin sensitivity and cardiovascular disease. The loss of sensitivity to insulin may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.

2. Low-fat diet, which is often recommended by the American Heart Association, resulting in insulin resistance that increases the risk of type 2 diabetes and lower energy levels.

3. The best response is to those who choose low-glycemic diet did not lose the nutrients from foods and do not cause weakness in the body. Glycemic diets done by limiting the blood sugar by eating less of foods containing simple carbohydrates and sugars.



The glycemic index (GI) is a scale or number given to certain foods based on how much of these foods increase blood sugar levels, the scale used is 0-100.

Called low-glycemic index if you are in scale of less than 50, the glycemic index if the value is 50-70 and a high glycemic index if the number is above 70.