Barb's Daily Dose

Autism Linked Autoimmune Disorders

 

A recent study in Denmark found that moms autoimmune diseases, such as:

• Celiac Disease,
• Type 1 Diabetes, and
• Rheumatoid Arthritis

have a three times higher risk of having children with autism. The researchers aren't sure of the exact causes and stressed that there's an association, and only a small percentage of people with these autoimmune diseases were affected. Not everyone with Celiac Disease, Type 1 Diabetes, and Rheumatoid Arthritis will have a child with autism, but the findings do help look for possible genetic and environmental triggers.

 

Click here to continue reading the entire Forbes article.

The ABC's of Diabetes

Our Guest Writer Today is: Kimberly Horton-Jones, Certified Family Nurse Practitioner

Kimberly Horton-Jones is a Certified Family Nurse Practitioner, and a graduate of Otterbein College in Westerville Ohio. She has practiced in primary care for the past 8 years with a focus on diabetes and women's health and cardiovascular disease management. She is a primary care provider with Scioto Family Physicians in Dublin, Ohio.

The Topic Today is On Diabetes:  a disease that impacts approximately 15 million Americans. Many of these persons are not aware of the disease state.

• Diabetes is a disease that strikes all of the body's systems if not managed properly.
• When diabetes is found early, there is a huge benefit in achieving and maintaining control.
• The heart, blood vessels, kidney, nerves, eyes, feet, skin, brain are all benefited when the disease is under control. When good management of diabetes is maintained we feel better and our organs last longer, and therefore our lifespan is lengthened.

Weight Loss in Diabetes Patients

A recent clinical trial found that patients who were overweight or obese with type 2 diabetes followed various weight-losss interventions which resulted in lower overall body mass indexes. These patients regular self-weighed themselves, ate breakfast every morning, and decreased their consumption of fast food and sweets.

I'm working on this issue with my mom right now. Her fasting blood sugar was way too high on her last checkup and we're working together to help her make some realistic changes in the way that she eats. Eating breakfast was something she never did and by the time she was ravenous in the afternoon, she overate and became the Oreo Cookie monster. When she started eating a small breakfast with some protein to help even out her blood sugar, she stopped binging on the cookies and started loosing weight. Her blood sugar levels are decreasing too!

She has also been keeping a food diary which study after study has shown to help people more accurately see just how many calories they're getting. I've found with my patients that the approach that works best is small baby steps that people can integrate into their lives so they don't feel that their lives have been turned upside down.

Fruits and Vegetables Reduce Risks of Diabetes

According to a recent study, women who have a high intake of green leafy vegetables and fruit have a lower risk for type 2 diabetes. Those who have a high intake of fruit juice, however, have an increased risk for diabetes. Fruit juice although delicious should not be replaced by natural fruit. Natural fruits and vegetables have great benefits: they can aid in the protection against obesity, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases and they're loaded with fiber which helps decrease blood sugar and cholesterol.

By the way, I'm a subject in the Nurses Health Study, along with about 120,000 other nurses. This on-going study continues to advance our knowledge about what things help women stay healthy and active. Was this finding a surprise? Not really, but it's good evidence that what we eat absolutely affects our health. I used to feel great about getting 3 servings of vegetables each day, but in light of this and other findings, I'm up to 7 servings! That's right, 7 servings. And guess what, when you eat that much veggies and fruits, you're not as hungry for other food, so I've seen some much needed weight loss.

As the summer progresses, I'll talk more about the protective nutrients in fruits and vegetables. M friend, Joanne Donovan, a fantastic nutritionist, explained that vegetables have evolved lots of protective nutrients, for example, think about how delicate the flesh of a tomato is, and how the skin protects that juicy and soft center from the harmful effects of the sun as tomatoes grow in the garden. We know that lycopene found in the skin of tomatoes is a powerful anti-oxidant and also has protective effects in our eyes and our skin.

8% of Americans have Diabetes

According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), 8% of the US population has diabetes, which is an increase of 3 million over the last 2 years. And, what's more frightening, is that over twice that number have pre-diabetes, which means that they're headed in that direction.

A report conducted by the CDC has concluded that there has been a decrease in the number of people who are unaware that they have diabetes. However, there are more and more people developing diabetes, and awareness is just the first step.

Diabetes results from a lack of insulin production causing sugar to build up in the blood. High blood sugar levels lead to very serious problems. Some of these include: heart disease, blindness, kidney failure and amputations.

What can you do?

• Ask to have your blood sugar tested at your next provider visit
• If you can pinch an inch, it's time to cut back on portions and increase your exercise
• Aim for more fresh vegetables, try to get 5-7 servings/day
• Try to eat no more than 3 servings of carbohydrates at each meal
• Avoid snacking on chips, cookies, candy and empty calories between meals
• Snack on carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers instead
• Avoid high sugar sodas and fruit juice and limit these in children - offer water instead

What's a serving of carbohydrate?
It's smaller than you might think. Try using a dry measuring cup and see just how small it really is.

• 1/2 cup of cooked rice, beans or pasta
• 1/2 cup of cooked potatoes, corn or green beans
• 12 French Fries
• 1 corn tortilla
• 1/2 flour tortilla
• 1/2 bagel
• 1 slice of bread

For more information see: The American Diabetes Association