Eating For Health

So many Americans have diabetes.   The National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2020 , which is published by the Centers for Disease Control, provides information on the prevalence and incidence of diabetes and prediabetes, and the risk factors for this disease and complications and costs.   Here are some facts from this report. Diabetes Facts: 34.2 million Americans have diabetes. This equates to 10.5% of the U.S. population Diagnosed – 26.9 million Americans have been diagnosed with diabetes Undiagnosed – 7.3 million have diabetes but are not yet diagnosed.   Prediabetes Facts: 88 million Americans aged 18 and older have prediabetes.   This is 34.5% of the U.S. population. Of those who are 65 and older:   24.2 million have prediabetes.   What is the best diet for those with diabetes? As noted in the past few weeks’ blog posts, the U.S. News & World Report ranks diets best for overall health, best weight-loss diets but also the Best Diabetes Diets...

We all know vitamin D is important for bone health.   Yet, in the last few years, researchers have found the many roles vitamin D plays in our overall health.   A study in Diabetes Care those with the highest levels of vitamin D were less likely to develop type 2 diabetes.   Dr. Pittas of Tufts School of Medicine studied 2,039 participants in the Diabetes Prevention Program.   This program looks at ways to prevent full blown diabetes in those diagnosed as pre-diabetic.   After following these study participants for 2.7 years and periodically testing their vitamin D levels, they found those in the top one third in terms of vitamin D levels were much less likely to develop full blown diabetes. What role would vitamin D play in diabetes prevention?   One theory is that vitamin D might improve how the pancreas works.   The pancreas is an organ in our bodies that produces insulin which is needed to get blood sugar into our cells.   A stud...