Drinking more than three cups of tea a day cuts the risk of diabetes, say researchers.

Studies show that regular tea drinkers have a 25 per cent lower chance of developing Type 2 diabetes compared to those drinking tea occasionally or not at all.

Read the rest of this entry »

• 0 Comments

Stevia has a no-calorie zip that’s popping up in natural health products, but the risks have left a bitter taste.

Forget sugar. And aspartame. And sucralose. Although it’s not yet authorized for use as an additive in food, a low-calorie, all-natural sweetener is making its way into Canadian products, with environmentally-themed marketing strategies that could change the way consumers view alternatives to sugar.

Read the rest of this entry »

• 1 Comment

A period of careful eating and regular exercise can stave off diabetes for a decade, a study suggests.

US researchers followed up nearly 3,000 overweight people who had taken part in a three year diabetes prevention programme.

The group had initially been divided into three – assigned either to a diet and exercise programme, the diabetes drug metformin or a placebo.

The Lancet report notes it was the dieters who reaped the most benefit.

All three groups were given access to ongoing lifestyle coaching once the initial three year trial had ended.

That trial, carried out by the US-based Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group, had shown a diet aimed at achieving 7% weight loss, combined with half an hour of exercise five days a week, reduced the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 58% compared with the placebo group.

Read the rest of this entry »

• 0 Comments

The humble grapefruit could prove to be a mighty – if bitter tasting – weapon in the fight against diabetes, scientists say.

A study found naringenin, a flavonoid found in citrus fruit, makes the liver burn fat instead of storing it after a meal.

Researchers believe the chemical would also help obesity sufferers and even fight diabetes, because it also helped balance insulin and glucose levels.

Read the rest of this entry »

• 0 Comments

The number of people diagnosed with diabetes has jumped more than 60% in just 10 years.

In a 10-year period the number of new diabetes cases soared 63%

Newly-released figures found that an increase in obesity was fuelling the soaring rates of Type 2 diabetes.

The findings suggest the number of sufferers in the UK is increasing faster than in the US, where prevalence of the disease is one of the highest in the world.

In the six-year period between 1997 and 2003 the number of new cases soared 74%, and rose 63% across the entire decade.

Read the rest of this entry »

• 0 Comments

A study has found that those who did not enjoy the optimum level of seven to eight hours sleep a night were two and a half times more likely to develop a blood sugar abnormality linked to type 2 diabetes.

Researchers who studied the habits of 276 volunteers over a six-year period said they did not know the cause.

The findings, published in the journal Sleep Medicine, suggest seven to eight hours’ sleep a night seems to be the ideal amount for adults to protect against common diseases and premature death.

Scientists say they do not know the cause, but previous studies have shown a link between sleep patterns and obesity, cardiovascular disease and overall mortality.

Read the rest of this entry »

• 0 Comments

Eating just one egg every day can substantially raise the risk of developing diabetes, according to researchers.

For those who already have type 2 diabetes  -  also known as adult onset diabetes  -  eating more than a couple of eggs a week can make the condition worse.

American scientists reached the conclusions after tracking almost 57,000 men and women over a period of up to 20 years.

They found that eating an egg every day increased the overall risk of type 2 diabetes by about 60 per cent. For women the risk increased by 77 per cent.

Eating just one egg a week carried no increased risk, said the report in the online journal Diabetes Care.

Read the rest of this entry »

• 0 Comments

There has been an alarming rise in the number of diabetes cases in the UK – prompting a stark warning from health experts.

The number of people suffering from the condition rose by 167,000 since last year, bringing the total number to 2.5 million.

Diabetes UK chief executive Douglas Smallwood described the figures as “truly alarming”.

“The NHS already spends one million pounds an hour on diabetes,” he explained.

Read the rest of this entry »

• 0 Comments

Aspirin should not routinely be used to prevent heart attacks in people with diabetes, Scottish research suggests.

The British Medical Journal reported that in 1,300 adults with no symptoms of heart disease the drug, which can cause stomach bleeds, had no benefit.

The findings contradict many guidelines which advocate people with diabetes use aspirin to counter the underlying high risk of heart attack and stroke.

But there are key high-risk groups who still need the drug, experts said.

Read the rest of this entry »

• 0 Comments

A Mediterranean-style diet may be the answer in protecting against diabetes, even for those who are in the higher-risk category.

The diet – rich in olive oil, fruit, vegetables and fish and low in meat and dairy products – provides “substantial protection” against the illness, a study has revealed.

Eating such meals helps keep people healthy and wards off type 2 diabetes, which is linked to lifestyle factors like diet and obesity.

People who stuck strictly to a Mediterranean diet had an 83% lower chance of developing diabetes than those who did not, the study found.

Read the rest of this entry »

• 0 Comments