"diabetes" news and stories

If New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has his way, nearly 2 million food-stamp recipients in the five boroughs will be prohibited from using their benefits to buy soda or similar sugary soft drinks, according to The New York Times.

The move marks the latest attempt by the mayor to curb rates of obesity and diabetes in the city, which, as in the rest of the country, are on the rise. It's also part of Bloomberg's broader and much publicized public health campaign, which has included an expanded ban on public smoking, an effort to reduce sodium content in restaurant food, and an unsuccessful attempt to impose a state tax on sugary drinks. And like many of those proposals, this one has elicited strong opinions, both pro and con.

A joint op-ed piece by both the city and state heath commissioners, also published in the Times, lays out a number of compelling arguments to support the mayor's proposal, one of these being that recipients are already barred from using their stamps to buy other demonstrably unhealthy items, such as cigarettes, liquor, and prepared foods.

The whisky world has been chattering like mad about designer and researcher James Gilpin's student project -- showcased at London's Royal College of Art's Show 2010, Design Interactions -- which turns the sugar-rich urine of diabetics into a high-end single malt whisky.

The inspiration for Gilpin Family Whisky came from his own life as a type 1 diabetic. His type 2 diabetic grandmother was his first candidate. His project states, "Old people's urine becomes an exportable whisky of high economic value." Large amounts of sugar are excreted on a daily basis by type 2 diabetic patients, especially among older people, and Gilpin thinks we should consider using that sugar creatively.

Chard. Photo: La Grande Farmers' Market, Flickr

• Delighting in chard with history, love and recipes.
• Texas State prof James E. McWilliams discusses the flaws of locavore living in his new book, "Just Food: Where Locavores Get It Wrong and How We Can Truly Eat Responsibly."
• New York chef Tom Valenti, diabetes and his new book, "You Don't Have to Be Diabetic to Love This Cookbook."
• One more tome to ponder: Martha Stewart's new book, "Cupcakes."
• Food Matters in Austin: the Hot Sauce Festival, new restaurants on the horizon, Hudson's Sausage Co., outdoor movies, wine and food fests, free kids' meals at IHOP, 24-7 food at Twenty Four, June-Ann Rodil's title as Texas's Top Sommelier and Chisholm Trail Longhorn Beef co-op.

It makes sense that NYC would follow LA's desire to ban fast-food. Just this past March, a report from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene revealed that in just two years obesity and diagnosed diabetes increased by 17 percent while the rest of the nation experienced just a six percent increase. An article from New York magazine reports that, according to the Sun, NYC Councilman Eric Gioia wants to impose a one-year ban on new fast-food restaurants. Considering the gravity of this health crisis, this desired measure hardly seems as puritanical as New York magazine describes.

The BBC explains that local policians in LA want to implement laws that would ban fast-food businesses from opening up in South LA where 32 percent of adults are overweight. In cities with high rates of obesity, these measures seem crucial. Personally, I think these bans would encourage businesses to offer affordable healthy food. At the same time, it would bring back the traditional ways of enjoying and cooking food.

What do you think?

A study that was recently released by Tulane University has found a link between the consumption of fruit juices and the development of type 2 diabetes. Ironically, the study also showed that one of the best ways to prevent the development of the disease is to consume a diet that is rich in whole fruits and vegetables!

Over the past eighteen years, the Nurse's Health Study has been carefully tracking the diets of over 71,346 women. Of those participants, 4,529 developed type 2 diabetes during the course of the study. In their analysis of the factors leading to diabetes, researchers at Tulane University discovered that fruits and vegetables were among the most effective ways to prevent development of the disease.

According to the study, eating an additional three servings of fruit per day can reduce the risk of developing diabetes by up to 18%. Similarly, a single serving of green, leafy vegetables can reduce the risk by 9%. However, just one daily serving of fruit juice can increase the risk of developing diabetes by 18%. This is highly significant; as the study's analysts note, earlier suggestions that women can drink juice instead of eating fresh fruit may be dangerously incorrect. Similarly, substituting fruit juice for other beverages in an attempt to become more healthy may also seriously backfire.

While the study will need to be replicated, and research hasn't been done to see if the findings are applicable to men, I will definitely be reconsidering my orange juice consumption!