#diabetes health magazine

[xtruss]

Credit: Dana Smith

Understanding The Sudden Rise of Type 2 Diabetes In Children

The Metabolic Disorder Was Long Known as a Disease of Adulthood. Now, It’s Spiking in Kids and Teens, With Worrisome Consequences.

— By Charlotte Huff | July 31, 2024

The appearance of type 2 diabetes in children and teens puzzled physicians from the start. Fida Bacha recalls working as a pediatric endocrinology fellow in Pittsburgh shortly after 2000 when young, overweight and obese patients began to arrive at the clinic, some describing increased thirst, more frequent trips to the bathroom and other symptoms of what was then called adult-onset diabetes.

“It was a new realization that we are dealing with a disease that used to be only an adult disease that is now becoming a disease of childhood,” says Bacha, who practices at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston.

More than two decades later, physicians and researchers are still trying to unravel what’s driving the emergence and proliferation of youth-onset disease, particularly among marginalized communities including Hispanics/Latinos. The increasing prevalence of obesity among young people is clearly one contributor, but researchers are also scrutinizing the potential influence of other lifestyle and environmental factors — everything from exposure to chronic stress and air pollution to sugar-rich diets. Along with physiological factors, such as where they carry excess fat, youths from lower socioeconomic levels may be vulnerable due to aspects of daily life beyond their control, such as more limited access to healthy food and opportunities to safely exercise in less-polluted neighborhoods.

As researchers try to sort out the interplay among genetics, metabolic factors and environmental influences in Hispanic and other populations, their goal is to answer this key question: Why do some seemingly at-risk adolescents progress to diabetes while others do not?

Long-term, the challenges and health stakes are significant. When type 2 diabetes first emerged in youths, clinicians initially thought its progression would mirror that in adults and thus could be treated accordingly. That hasn’t panned out, says Barbara Linder, a pediatric endocrinologist and senior advisor for childhood diabetes research at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). For instance, researchers have determined that metformin, a commonly prescribed oral antidiabetic medication in adults, doesn’t work as well in young people.

“We know that the disease is very aggressive in youth and very difficult to treat,” Linder says. “So it’s really imperative that we develop effective approaches to prevention. And to do this we obviously need to be able to effectively identify which youth are at the highest risk.”

Even with treatment, young people develop other medical problems related to diabetes faster than adults, according to a study that followed 500 youths, more than one-third of them Hispanic. Sixty percent developed at least one complication within about 15 years after diagnosis, when just in their 20s.

“It’s really alarming,” says Luisa Rodriguez, a pediatric endocrinologist who studies type 2 diabetes and obesity in children at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. For every 10 adolescents with youth-onset diabetes, she points out, “six of them, within a decade span, are going to develop a significant comorbidity that will highly impact their lifespan and quality of life.”

Complications of diabetes appear more quickly in young people than in older adults. Researchers studied 500 overweight adolescents, aged 10 to 17, who had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Within 15 years of their diagnosis, 60 percent of the participants had developed at least one medical complication of diabetes, and 28 percent had developed two or more.

Insulin Resistance

In type 2 diabetes, the body struggles to use insulin effectively. This vital hormone, made by beta cells in the pancreas, helps glucose in the bloodstream enter cells in muscle, fat and the liver, where it’s used for energy. But sometimes those cells gradually lose their ability to respond to insulin, forcing the beta cells to pump out more and more of it. If the beta cells can’t keep up, blood glucose levels will begin to rise, leading to a diagnosis of prediabetes and, eventually, diabetes.

In the past, type 2 diabetes typically didn’t arise until well into adulthood. But now, cases in US youths ages 10 to 19 are rising fast. Since 2002-2003, overall diagnoses have doubled from 9 per 100,000 youths to 17.9 per 100,000 in 2017-2018, particularly among Asians, Pacific Islanders, Blacks and Hispanics. If those rising rates persist, the number of type 2 diabetes cases in young people is projected to skyrocket from 28,000 in 2017 to 220,000 by 2060.

Various factors have been linked to insulin resistance in childhood or adolescence, including obesity, inactivity and genetics, according to a review of the causes of type 2 diabetes in youths published in the 2022 Annual Review of Medicine. The disease tends to run in families regardless of race or ethnicity, which suggests that genes matter. Among US Hispanics, adults of Mexican or Puerto Rican heritage are most likely to be diagnosed, followed by Central and South Americans and Cubans.

Obesity is also a contributing factor: Slightly more than one-fourth of Hispanic youths are obese, a higher percentage than for any other major racial or ethnic group. Children also are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes if their mother has the disease or developed gestational diabetes during pregnancy. One theory is that fetal exposure to maternal diabetes while in the womb can spur metabolic changes following birth.

Puberty is also highly influential — most cases are diagnosed after its onset. During puberty, youths temporarily experience insulin resistance, due in large part to an increase in hormones, Linder says. Most youths offset that transient resistance by secreting more insulin, she says. But for reasons that are still unclear, a subpopulation of adolescents does not. “When they’re faced with this stress test of puberty, they can’t increase their insulin secretion enough to compensate,” Linder says. “And that’s probably why they develop type 2 diabetes.”

One analysis, which looked at type 2 diabetes trends from 2002 to 2018, identified the peak age for diagnosis as 16 years in boys and girls. The sole exception involved Black youths, in whom diagnoses peaked at 13 years, and possibly earlier among Black girls, which may be linked to an earlier start of menstruation.

American Diabetes Association guidelines recommend that clinicians screen overweight or obese youths for the disease starting at age 10 or once puberty starts, whichever is earlier, if they have one or more risk factors. These include a family history of the disease, signs of insulin resistance or affiliation with certain racial/ethnic groups, including Hispanic/Latino.

During checkups, clinicians can look for a visible sign of insulin resistance, an associated skin condition called acanthosis nigricans, says Paulina Cruz Bravo, a physician and diabetes researcher at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The skin changes tend to appear in the neck area or along folds in the skin, including in the armpits and on the elbows and knees, she says. “The top layer of the skin gets thickened. It’s described as a velvety appearance of the skin — it’s darker compared to the skin in other places.”

The thickened, darker, velvety skin shown here, known as acanthosis nigricans, is a potential warning sign of developing type 2 diabetes. The condition is likely to appear on the neck, elbows, knees and other areas where the skin folds. People who notice acanthosis nigricans on themselves or their children should bring it to a doctor’s attention. Credit: S. Dulebohn/Statpearls 2024

Where an adolescent carries any excess pounds also matters, as insulin resistance has been associated with a type of fat called visceral fat, says Alaina Vidmar, a pediatric endocrinologist at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Unlike the more common type of fat, called subcutaneous and felt by pinching around the waistline, visceral fat surrounds the liver and other vital organs, increasing the risk for type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease and other conditions.

“You really need the liver to process glucose to be able to utilize your insulin well,” Vidmar says. “And if it is full of fat, you are unable to do that.” Fatty liver disease, which has been associated both with obesity and type 2 diabetes, is most common in Hispanic adults, followed by white adults and Black adults, according to a meta-analysis looking at 34 studies.

Imaging scans would be the ideal way to identify the extent and location of visceral fat in adolescents, Vidmar says. But given that routine scanning would be costly, clinicians can instead measure an adolescent’s waist circumference, “a great surrogate marker,” she says.

Diabetes risk depends not just on how much fat you carry, but where you carry it. People with an “apple” body shape, with much of their fat in the abdomen, are at higher risk of diabetes than those with a “pear” body shape, who carry their fat under the skin, especially on the hips.

Still, obesity accounts for only a portion of the type 2 risk profile, reflecting the complexities involved in understanding the pathophysiology of youth-onset disease. Roughly one-fourth of youths with type 2 diabetes are not obese, according to a meta-analysis published in 2022 in JAMA Network Open. Asian youths are least likely to be obese; roughly one-third don’t meet the criteria for obesity.

Moreover, while obesity and insulin resistance boost the risk of developing diabetes, those factors alone don’t predict whether an adolescent is eventually diagnosed with the disease, according to the authors of the Annual Review of Medicine overview. Instead, they point to the role of impaired beta cell function.

In one study involving 699 youths with type 2 diabetes, the standard antidiabetic drug metformin controlled blood glucose levels in only about half the participants. (The medication was least effective among Black youths, for reasons that are unclear, according to the researchers.) Another analysis of the same study population identified a 20 percent to 35 percent decline in beta function each year in diabetic youths, compared with prior studies showing about a 7 percent to 11 percent annual decline in diabetic adults.

“What we see in the youth is that beta cell function fails very rapidly,” Linder says, adding that the beta cell decline tends to correlate with the lack of response to metformin.

It’s unknown whether specific racial or ethnic groups are more vulnerable to loss of beta cell function, says Linder, who hopes that a new large-scale NIDDK study launching this summer will identify any such physiological and other differences among populations. The study, called Discovery of Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetes in Youth Consortium, aims to enroll 3,600 overweight or obese adolescent boys and girls, 36 percent of them Hispanic. Bacha and other investigators on the project plan to follow the youths through puberty, looking at genetic and physiological markers such as insulin resistance and beta cell function. Their goal is to track who develops type 2 diabetes and what factors precipitate the disease.

In addition, researchers will learn about the participants’ mental health, lifestyles and social determinants of health, Linder says. To that end, families will be asked to share details about nutrition, physical activity and sleep, as well as food insecurity, exposure to racism and other stressors.

“Stress induces certain hormones that antagonize insulin, so they create more insulin resistance,” Linder says. “Stress also is associated with chronic inflammation in the body, which affects the ability of the body to respond normally.”

Young people experience many of the risk factors that predispose people to type 2 diabetes, such as prenatal exposures, junk food, sedentary lifestyles and high levels of stress.

Zooming in on Risk Factors in Hispanic Kids

Already, researchers who have studied at-risk Hispanic youths and their families have begun to flesh out environmental and other influences rooted in daily life that can boost the likelihood of obesity or diabetes. Michael Goran, a child obesity researcher at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, has led a research project called the Study of Latino Adolescents at Risk (SOLAR), which tracked 328 Hispanic/Latino youths considered at highest risk of youth-onset diabetes based on their body mass index and family history of the disease. The participants, recruited in two waves between 2000 and 2015, completed health questionnaires and underwent annual exams, including imaging scans and other measurements.

One analysis found that Hispanic youths who lived in neighborhoods with higher levels of air pollution were more likely to experience a breakdown in beta cell function. “Which we weren’t necessarily expecting — we don’t know the mechanism of that,” says Goran, who coauthored a close look at pediatric insulin resistance in the 2005 Annual Review of Nutrition.

In more recent years, he’s turned his attention to studying nutrition shortly after birth, with a focus on infant formulas that contain corn syrup. Those formulas are more likely to spike blood sugar than are lactose-based formulas, he says. “If you’re spiking blood glucose with corn syrup in babies,” he says, “you can see how that would be problematic for long-term control of blood sugars.”

In one study, Goran and colleagues looked at obesity trends in 15,246 children who received formula through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Babies who consumed any formula with corn syrup were 10 percent more likely to be obese by age 2 than babies who didn’t. Nearly 90 percent of the study’s participants were Hispanic.

In other research, epidemiologist Carmen Isasi of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York helped lead the Study of Latinos (SOL) Youth study, which delved into the extent to which a child’s family circumstances contribute to obesity and metabolic changes that may boost risk of youth-onset diabetes. Isasi and colleagues found chronic stress to be pervasive. Three-quarters of parents and caregivers reported stress and 29 percent detailed three or more stressors related to health, work or relationships. The higher the number of parental stressors, the more likely the child was to be obese.

Isasi also has looked at the relationship between food insecurity and metabolic health. Hispanic youths raised in households with the highest levels of food insecurity had significantly worse metabolic results, including elevated blood glucose and triglycerides, a type of cholesterol. Families dealing with food insecurity, Isasi says, probably have a lower-quality diet and skimp on costlier protein and fresh produce.

Preventing diabetes has proved challenging. A review paper looking at diet-related and other lifestyle initiatives targeting Hispanic youths found few studies to date that have shown improvements in body mass index or blood glucose levels.

Adolescents of lower socioeconomic status may also shoulder responsibilities that can undercut efforts to stay healthy, says Erica Soltero, a behavioral scientist at Houston’s Baylor College of Medicine, who works with Hispanic youths. For instance, older teens may struggle to attend an exercise class if they have an after-school job or must pick up younger siblings or start dinner. Technology, Soltero says, may be a better way to reach busy Hispanic teens; she’s piloting a study that will provide text-based lifestyle guidance to Hispanic teens with obesity.

Approved medication options remain limited for children and teens. If metformin doesn’t work, the alternative is insulin, and parents may resist giving injections because of the difficulties involved, Rodriguez says. She’s involved with an ongoing study in youths with type 2 diabetes to study the effectiveness of oral semaglutide, one of the newer diabetes drugs that also has achieved notable weight loss. Rodriguez estimates the results will be available by 2026.

The new NIDDK study won’t assess medication treatments, as it’s an observational study. But researchers involved are bullish that study-related insights could lead to better prevention and treatment approaches. “If someone is predisposed to beta cell dysfunction, should we be much more aggressive in treating their overweight/obesity,” Bacha says, “so that this beta cell function is preserved for a longer period of time?” Doctors could, for example, decide to start treatment earlier, she says.

Neither are researchers like Soltero deterred by the long-standing difficulties involved with revamping lifestyle habits. Soltero, who has worked with overweight and obese Hispanic adolescents to improve exercise and make dietary changes, describes them as often highly motivated given the damage they’ve seen the disease inflict on their own families.

“A lot of times they’ll have a touch point with a relative who’s on dialysis and maybe had a digit amputated,” Soltero says. Or “they’ll say, ‘I don’t want to prick myself every day like my Uncle So-and-So.’ Or ‘I don’t want to be on medicine for the rest of my life like my grandma.’ ”

[femininsante24]

Diabète : Les signaux d'alerte méconnus à ne pas ignorer

Cette vidéo dévoile 10 symptômes méconnus qui pourraient vous alerter d'un diabète naissant. Vous serez surpris d'apprendre que des démangeaisons génitales récurrentes, une cicatrisation lente ou encore une fatigue inhabituelle peuvent être des indices d'un excès de sucre dans le sang.

Regarder la vidéo sur YouTube

[mr-divabetic]

Clarence Waldron shares his experience of having a stroke, his recovery, working as Senior Editor and Writer of Jet Magazine, and his memories of Luther Vandross and Aretha Franklin.

[nhaneh]

Anyway it really cannot be exaggerated how much the current situation with the shortage of certain types of diabetes medications is very directly the fault of fatphobia and the weight loss industry.

There are doctors out there - particularly in the US is my understanding - actively prescribing those very same medicines purely for weight loss, while plenty of us actual diabetics who kind of need those medicines to actually, you know, physically function and possibly not die, end up unable to get them because of the subsequent shortage.

This situation also, more than anything, clearly demonstrates how the claim that "concerns" about overweight are not and never were about health - that when it comes down to it, those concerns run contrary to health, if not life.

Fatphobia kills people. The weight loss industry, the tabloids, the beauty magazines, the TV celebrities - they all have blood on their hands. I need you to understand that.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Anthropocene Magazine:

People who follow a diet rich in plants cut their mortality risk by almost a third, while simultaneously slashing the climate impact of their food by a similar amount. These results come from the largest study ever to analyze the health and environmental impacts of the widely-publicized EAT-Lancet Planetary Health Diet. 

Launched in 2019, the EAT-Lancet Commission brought together reams of research to determine what would be the best way for us to eat on a global scale, to limit the environmental impacts of farming and food. The Commission came up with a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grain and plant-sourced proteins, and lower in—but crucially not excluding—animal-sourced products like meat and dairy milk. That became known as the Planetary Health Diet. 

Until now, however, the benefits of this diet have been explored mainly on a small scale. The new study takes it up a notch. “This is by far the longest term, large study in actual people to look at both the human and planetary health benefits of the Planetary Health Diet,” says Walter Willett, the Fredrick John Stare professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, and lead author on the research.

His new paper, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, relied on three pre-existing datasets that drew dietary information from over 200,000 American nurses over a 34-year period between 1986 to 2019. All participants were disease-free when the surveying started, and were required to complete a questionnaire every four years on the makeup of their diets. 

To evaluate this vast trove of data, Willett and colleagues first selected 15 indicator foods that captured the span of dietary impacts, including whole fruits, vegetables, and nuts on the lower-impact end; and red meat, processed meat, and dairy on the higher-impact end. Then, they used these foods to develop an index that allowed them to score the nurses’ dietary surveys by how closely they aligned with the EAT-Lancet suggested Planetary Health Diet. Using a lifecycle-analysis, they estimated the environmental impacts of each reported diet according to those 15 indicator foods.

Because the study also recorded a varied set of health outcomes for the participants—everything ranging from cancer to diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, and neurodegenerative problems—this allowed Willett and team to correlate participants’ dietary trends with their health over the 34-year period. 

Their analysis left little doubt that those who eat diets richer in plants are also healthier, as well as having a lower environmental footprint. In fact, in the top 10% of participants, whose plant-heavy diets most closely matched the Planetary Health Diet, the risk of premature death due to disease was 23% lower than those in the bottom 10% of the survey. These plant-keen participants showed a 14% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, a 10% lower risk of death from cancer, a 28% reduced risk of death from neurodegenerative conditions, and strikingly, a 47% lower death risk from respiratory disease.

Meanwhile, the environmental gains of eating more plants were striking too: their diets produced 29% less in the way of greenhouse gas emissions, required 21% less fertilizer, and 51% less cropland area compared to those whose diets scored lowest in the index. The reduced land use could bring significant further climate gains, if it is turned over to wild habitat again, which would lock in more carbon via new vegetation and undisturbed soils. 

[darkmaga-retard]

Got diabetes, cancer, heart disease or obesity problems anyone? Don’t you go worrying about all that junk food you’ve been eating for years, cause the Big Food shills at TIME are now reassuring you that junk-science food stuff ain’t so bad after all. Sure.

Let’s face it, junk food is addictive and harmful like a cheap drug, and we all know drugs lead a person down a path of miserable health ills and early death. Everyone knows that junk food contains the worst of the worst ingredients for your health, including loads of sugar, highly processed oils, gluten, chemical-based additives and preservatives, and most of all these adulterated ingredients are genetically modified in laboratories.

[tatsy007]

Refined Consequences: A bitter truth about refined sugar

Refined Consequences: The Bitter Truth About Refined Sugar

Refined sugar has become a staple in our diets, hidden in everything from beverages and chocolates to cereals, protein bars, and countless processed foods. Its presence in almost all packaged and canned products makes it difficult to avoid (Snow, 1948). While sugar may make food taste better, its impact on public health is far from sweet. The overconsumption of refined sugar has become a serious societal issue that demands effective solutions.

Excessive sugar intake can lead to chronic health problems such as obesity, high blood pressure, tooth decay, fatigue, and even skin conditions. Children are especially vulnerable. High sugar consumption in childhood often leads to lifelong health problems, including early-onset obesity, which is closely linked to type 2 diabetes (Snow, 1948). Sugar can harm brain health, impairing memory and cognitive function, and potentially increasing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease (Moreira, 2013).

It’s important to note that not all sugars are created equal. Natural sugars found in fruits, honey, and molasses are easier for the body to process when consumed in moderation. These natural options often come with added benefits like fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants. In contrast, refined sugar provides empty calories, with none of the nutrients that the body needs.

Addressing this sugar crisis requires both personal action and broader societal changes.

First, better nutrition education is crucial. Many people don’t realize just how much sugar they consume because it’s often hidden in processed foods under different names. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that sugar make up no more than 10% of your daily energy intake, which is around 12 teaspoons (or 50 grams) for adults (World Health Organization, 2024). Reading nutrition labels more carefully can help people cut back on their sugar intake.

The food industry also has a role to play. In response to growing health concerns, many companies are replacing sugar with healthier alternatives, like stevia or monk fruit, which don’t spike blood sugar or lead to weight gain. This makes it easier for consumers to choose healthier products without feeling deprived.

Governments can also introduce sugar taxes, which have been shown to reduce sugar consumption in countries like Mexico and the UK (Lean, Garcia & Gill, 2018). Research reveals that by making sugary products more expensive, people tend to choose healthier alternatives, leading to better long-term health outcomes, such as lower obesity rates and fewer cases of type 2 diabetes (Lean, Garcia & Gill, 2018).

Promoting whole foods is another key strategy. A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains naturally lowers sugar intake, while also providing essential vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants. Governments can encourage this by promoting policies that limit the availability of overly processed foods and make healthier options more accessible.

The overconsumption of refined sugar is a public health crisis with serious consequences. By combining better nutrition education, food reformulation, policy interventions, and promoting whole foods, we can reduce sugar intake and improve the health of future generations. Tackling this issue will require both individual action and broader societal shifts, but the benefits are clear: a healthier, longer life for all.

Bibliography

Lean, M.E., Garcia, A.L. and Gill, T., 2018. Sugar taxation: a good start but not the place to finish. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 108(3), pp.435-436.

Moreira, P.I., 2013. High-sugar diets, type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer's disease. Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition & Metabolic Care, 16(4), pp.440-445.

Snow, H.L., 1948. Refined sugar: its use and misuse. The Improvement Era Magazine, 51

World Health Organization, 2024. Use of non-sugar sweeteners: WHO guideline summary. World Health Organization.

[itsawritblr]

Stop buying this bullshit.

I'm gonna get damn real here.

This is an utter and complete lie:

Obesity is second only to smoking as the leading cause of preventable deaths in the U.S.

We know this. This is not up for debate.

Obesity leads to Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea and breathing problems.

Oh, and the really fun ones: several types of cancer.

This I have personal experience with. I was "borderline" obese, and supposedly fit. I walked a lot and weight trained. But I developed pre-diabetes and hypertension. Then last June I was rushed to the hospital to have an emergency hysterectomy to remove a cancerous tumor the size of a softball, which had been causing me to bleed non-stop so profusely I came this fucking close to dying from organ failure.

The cancer is the kind that develops in the uterus because an unhealthy amount of estrogen builds up in female body fat, triggering uterine and cervical cancers. The more fat, the more likely you are to develop cancer. (Luckily mine was fully contained, hadn't spread, and they got it all. *knock wood* But I still have to wait a year to be certain it's completely gone.)

Obese, active women in their 20s - 30s and even in their 40s think that because they haven't developed any of these diseases they're healthy and will remain so. What y'all don't want to hear is something you may have heard from older family members: once you get into your mid-40s it's like a switch is turned off. Your metabolism slows and you have to work extra hard to keep weight off, and even harder to lose it. Hence the "middle-age spread." Your 40s is when Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and all the other shit begin to manifest. And you are no longer healthy. In fact, you better fucking pray you have good health insurance.

Greedy assholes and deniers like Lizzo are selling this empty dream that you can be 200+ pounds and it will never lead to illness or joint pain. Getting people to eat healthy food is hard; self-denial ain't fun. So what do we do? We tell girls and women that they can eat whatever they want! No more sacrifice or self-denial! Convince them so they make TikToks that just show them proudly cramming fast food! Convince females that being fit is Oppression and Racism!

Fetishize obesity! Make Obesity fanart a thing!

Sell them XXXL clothes and tell them they're hot at 300 pounds! And when they're in their 40s and start getting ill -- or even before that; Type 2 is showing up in fucking middle-schoolers -- you've already made your money off them, and who the hell cares what damage has been done?

Please, for fuck's sake, don't buy this.

What about someone like Lizzo, who's so active and is vegan? Huh, girl, please. I've seen the TikToks of the vegan food she eats. Vegan fast food. Which still is packed with calories and poisonous levels of sodium.

You have to burn 2500 calories to lose 1 pound. So, if her diet is truly plant-based, Lizzo should be losing a lot of weight. But that girl is still over 250 pounds. This doesn't add up. To maintain her size with her level of activity she has to be eating a shit-ton of food. Probably all that fast food. She's in her 30s now. If she doesn't get that weight off she still faces the probability of any or all of the obesity-related illnesses, no matter how much she works out.

What have I done for my own health? I'm 99% vegan (except for holiday meals). I walk, if not outside then in place at home. I lift weights at home, inexpensive dumbbells and a barbell and a weight bench from a used exercise equipment store. I read Forks Over Knives magazine for recipes and inspiration. My blood pressure is dropping and so is my weight. And I feel better than I have in decades.

Getting weight off when you're younger than 40 is a hell of a lot easier than after. So do it now. You'll live longer and be happier and healthier in your later years. Because unless you die you're going to get older.

This woman is one of my inspirations.

[anotherfauxredhead]

30 Reasons Why I'm Childfree: #4

FUCK PARENTGANDA

TV shows and movies glorifying pregnancy & parents and having former childfree characters have babies. Stories involving the tired trope of a baby coming into the life of the protagonist. (It's doubly ridic when kids come into a storyline that involves a fucked-up situation.) The absurdity is amplified when you look at media marketed to women. Women's magazines/websites raving about the "mom life" of some female celebrity and how she "got her body back" after her third kid. (Spoiler alert: she's rich.) Cover stories dedicated to pregnant celebs (bonus points when the celeb does her best Demi Moore impression on the cover) or celebs with their newborn. (By the way: has there ever been a magazine cover with a guy and his newborn? Or a men's mag raving about "dad life"?) At the same time, you got trash tabloids wondering when will Jen Aniston finally have a kid. (Spoiler alert: NEVER.)

It's very telling of American mainstream media and the messages they tell the public in regards to parenthood, especially to women. I get the impression that if you choose not to be a mom and go childfree, you're not a complete, successful woman in the eyes of the media. (Let's see 'em tell that trash to Dolly Parton.) It's also very telling of the media when they'd rather hype up the "nice" side about parenting/pregnancy, but stay quiet over the harsh realities and health issues surrounding the latter. I didn't even know pregnant women could get a form of diabetes until I met an expecting mother a couple years ago who had that condition. She was suffering on top of having to carry twins (!!) at the same time. But, hey, the bEauTy and mAjeStY of motherhood according to Vogue, CNN, and the rest of the media outlets, right?

[eaglesnick]

Double Whammy

According to Diabetes UK 4.3 million people in Britain have diabetes, 90% of these having the avoidable type 2 diabetes. Diabetes costs the NHS £10 billion a year, and in some hospitals over a quarter of beds are taken up by  people with diabetes. The number of people with diabetes has doubled in the last 15 years and is continuing to rise.

The great tragedy of type 2 diabetes is that it is largely avoidable. 

“Research shows that living with obesity is the single greatest risk factor, and accounts for 80-85% of someone's risk of developing the condition, and our previous data revealed that the number of people living with obesity in England has almost doubled in the last 20 years from 6.9 to 13 million."  (Diabetes UK: 05/04/21)

One of the major causes of obesity is the consumption of ultra-processed foods such as mass produced bread, pre-packaged meals, breakfast cereals, sausages and other reconstituted meat products, yoghurts with sweeteners or stabilizers, chicken nuggets, frozen meals, crisps, soft drinks, biscuits, etc.

We may think we can avoid ultra-processed foods but the evidence suggests otherwise. According to the Guardian (02/02/18):

“Half of all the food bought by families in the UK is now “ultra-processed”, made in a factory with industrial ingredients and additives invented by food technologists and bearing little resemblance to the fruit, vegetables, meat or fish used to cook a fresh meal at home."

As bad as ultra-processed foods are for adult health, think how much worse they must be for the heath of developing children, yet

“Almost a third of baby and toddler foods sold in the UK are ultra-processed, risking children’s long-term health and development."  (Guardian: 08/05/23)

This Tory government has known about the links between ultra-processed foods and the rise in diabetes for years.

“MPs have criticised the Department of Health and the NHS in England for being "too slow" to act in preventing and treating diabetes… Being overweight is the main risk factor for type 2 diabetes, and 90% of adults with type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese.” (BBC: 22/01/16)

Despite this knowledge, the government, rather than introducing policies to wean people off ultra-processed food, is actively promoting its consumption. As recently as February this year Sunak’s Tory government was recommending ultra-processed food as part of a healthy diet.

“An app launched by the UK government, supposed to encourage healthy eating, has been found to be promoting ultra-processed foods.” (www.schoolfoodmatters.org:01/02/23)

The Grocer magazine (25/05.21) asked this question:

“Why is government incapable of saying ‘avoid ultra-processed food’?”

The answer is provided in Great British Life (18/05/23) when it reported:

“The Soil Association said it was “deeply concerned” about the influence of the food and drink industry on UK health policy as the NHS Food Scanner app continued to recommend biscuits, cakes, crisps, chocolate puddings and fizzy pop as “good” options for a healthy diet.”

The sad truth is, this Tory government puts corporate profit before public health. Our health,  and especially that of our children's, is being put at serious risk so that the giant food companies can continue to reap massive profits.

“Millions of people in UK facing food poverty as supermarkets announce record profits.” (Sustain: 22/05/22)

But this isn’t just a UK problem.

“Top 100 Food and Beverage Companies for 2022: A Year of Succulent Profits. 2021 could be called the year of meat and soft drinks. All of the top companies in those two categories had blowout years, adding billions of dollars to their top lines and similarly handsome increases to their bottom lines.”  (Food Processing: 05.08.22)

The food-processing companies and the big British supermarkets are both powerful and influential when it comes to determining government food policies. They are motivated by one thing only: profit. If the largest profit to be made is by promoting and selling ultra-processed food then so be it. To the supporters of neo-liberal free market economics the only duty of corporate management is to maximise profits for their shareholders. Any concern for the health or social consequences of their actions is in the words of Milton Friedman ”pure and unadulterated socialism” and no Tory government wants that.

But where is the “double whammy” of the title? It is in the insane situation whereby the government is now offering a “cure” for obesity by making a drug, costing millions of pounds, available on the NHS.

“THE UK should be "front of the pack" in dishing out weight loss drugs to obese Brits, Steve Barclay said today.

The Health Secretary last night announced a £40million two-year pilot that will look at ways to make obesity medicine accessible to patients outside of hospitals.” (Sun: 07/06/23)

Rather than curing obesity at source, by reducing the amount of ultra-processed foods we are being sold, the government is giving taxpayers money to the big pharmaceutical companies to produce weight-reducing drugs. The message is clear, people are to be to encouraged to go on eating ultra-processed food, and then be supplied with a drug to reduce the excess weight gain that results. It’s a win-win situation. The food-processing companies and super markets  go on making massive profits, and the pharmaceutical companies go on making massive profits. The only losers are our children and the 28% of England’s population who are already grossly over-weight, but who cares about them? Clearly not Steve Barclay or Rishi Sunak.

[mr-divabetic]

Enjoy highlights from Divabetic’s World Menopause Day Panel discussion on Wednesday, October 18, 2023. Our panel was moderated by Divabetic Image & Style Advisor Catherine Schuller and featured Donna Rice, Amparo, and Dr. Julianne Arena. Dr Julianne Arena is a double board-certified physician, a board-certified OBGYN who applies traditional, integrative methods and a multi-layered approach to helping women with sexual health and intimacy issues. She’s also a practitioner of Cliovana, the only treatment available that improves long-term clitoral stimulation with proven sound wave technology. Her goal is to help women create optimal and vibrant lives. Catherine Schuller is the go-to person in the image industry for all things style and fashion for the plus-size woman. She began as a former Ford Model and became a spokesperson for the industry, a retail editor for Mode magazine, and wrote the highly acclaimed how-to guide The Ultimate Plus Size Modeling Guide, which has helped thousands of young women who want to enter the plus size modeling field. She is a frequently quoted media expert on the puls-size market and has appeared five times on The View, The Today Show, The Early Show, eight times on Neal Cavuto's Your World, and many television and radio shows across the United States Donna Rice is a registered nurse and a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist. She is a national and international thought leader and author of four books, including Divabetic's ebook Sweet Romance: A Woman's Guide To Love And Intimacy With Diabetes. She is a Past President of the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists and the Past President of the Diabetes Health and Wellness Institute for Baylor Health Care Systems in Dallas, Texas. Donna is the Chief Operating Officer for DiabetesSisters and The Chief Evangelist for Call-ai, working on voice-driven AI for diabetes care and education. According to research, hormone levels (most notably estrogen and progesterone) fall dramatically during menopause. Changes to our hormones can affect our blood sugar levels and make managing diabetes more difficult.

[innonurse]

Babylon Health puts two divisions into administration

- By InnoNurse Staff -

Babylon, the troubled health-tech company, has placed two divisions into administration but has secured a buyer for its clinical services unit.

Read more at UKTN

///

Other recent news and insights

What happens next when a DIY 'bionic pancreas' changes diabetes care? (Nature)

How the behavioral health app BeMe intends to interact with teenagers (Fierce Healthcare)

Fitbit is the object of three data transfer complaints in Europe (TechCrunch)

QR Codes: A double-edged sword for patient care? (HealthTech Magazine)

Nomi Health is fighting allegations that it plagiarized COVID testing app (Fierce Healthcare)

MiyaHealth, a Singaporean SaaS HealthTech firm, has raised $7.7 million in Pre-Series A funding for worldwide expansion (TNGlobal)

Collective Minds Radiology, a cloud-based collaboration platform, has raised $7.6 million (Radiology Business)

Neurowyzr receives an additional $2.1 million to improve brain health technology (Longevity.technology)

[lakotasummermoon2007]

The audacity; when an idiot cannot read, comprehend or relate-due to his racist views….

About a week ago, I submitted an article to an online magazine that I am a contributing writer to; the article was on black women, pregnancy and their mortality rate, an issue that is impacting black women regardless of socio-economic status. There are were many points made that spoke to the need of recognizing that black women are either dealing with a slew of serious health issues or even death as it relates to pregnancy. I felt that the article was informative and a call to action; however upon reader feedback (which a majority was very positive) there was one; that one left my blood BOILING because clearly he did not read the article thoroughly to have at least a third of an understanding…

Here is the article, his comment and my response:

Mortality Rate on Black Women and Pregnancy: A Troubling Trend

Tennis legend Serena Williams and U.S. Olympic sprinter Tori Bowie have several things in common; first, the obvious is that both women are world-class and black athletes. Serena experienced a difficult pregnancy; she underwent a c-section, endured blot clots, and struggled with a pulmonary embolism; despite informing her medical practitioners, no one believed her; she almost lost her life.

Tori was eight months pregnant when on May 2nd, the police were called to conduct a wellness check at her home when she was not heard from for some days. When authorities reported to Tori's home, she was found dead; an autopsy revealed she was in active labor, possibly experiencing respiratory issues and eclampsia. Both were in high-risk pregnancies, yet one (fortunately, was able to have her baby).

In this day and age, it should not be this way…

Pregnancy and childbirth should be a joyful experience, but unfortunately, it can be life-threatening for black women in the United States. Despite advances in medical technology and healthcare access, black women have higher mortality rates than their white counterparts. Black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women. This disparity is particularly alarming regarding maternal mortality, where black women are six times more likely to die than white women.

The reasons for this disparity are complex and multifaceted. One contributing factor is the prevalence of chronic conditions such as hypertension, obesity, and diabetes among black women. These conditions can make pregnancy more difficult and increase the risk of complications. Additionally, black women are more likely to experience stress and discrimination, which can also negatively impact their health.

Another factor is the quality of care black women receive during pregnancy and childbirth. Studies have shown that black women are more likely to receive substandard care, including delays in appropriate medical treatment and inadequate pain management; this can lead to complications and even death. Serena was an anomaly; though considered "privileged" because of her notoriety and financial access, she had "quality" care, yet she was not believed when she voiced her concern about what was going on with her body.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), black women are three to four times more die from pregnancy-related complications than their white counterparts. Furthermore, black women are more likely to experience difficulties during pregnancy and childbirth, such as preeclampsia, postpartum hemorrhage, and blood clots. These conditions require swift and effective medical treatment, but black women may not always receive the necessary care.

The consequences of this disparity are devastating. Black women who survive pregnancy-related complications may experience long-term health effects, such as chronic pain, infertility, and depression. Children who lose their mothers are also at higher risk of poor health outcomes.

Urgent action is needed to address this troubling trend. Healthcare providers must be educated on black women's unique needs and experiences and provide culturally sensitive care; this includes addressing implicit bias and providing adequate pain management, delving into the issue of "weathering" when black women's bodies tend to age faster as a result of the chronic stress linked to racism, which over a life course can contribute to a problematic pregnancy. Additionally, policies must be implemented to address systemic racism and improve social determinants of health, such as access to healthy food and safe housing.

Policymakers, healthcare professionals, and community leaders are positioned to improve the healthcare quality for black women. The mortality rate of black women and pregnancy is a serious issue that requires immediate attention. The health and well-being of black women and their families are at stake, and we must work together to ensure that every woman has access to safe and high-quality care during pregnancy and childbirth.

The reader's feedback on the comment thread:

"More racism from either racists or ignorance. I’m not even sure anymore. My white former wife had three traumatic pregnancies. Here’s what I would recommend based on we learned having survived some real scares…pick hospitals and doctors that are at level 4 hospitals. It ain’t about racism, it’s about going to the best place for care. That starts with knowing what that is, not blaming white people. “To standardize a complete and integrated system of perinatal regionalization and risk-appropriate maternal care, this classification system establishes levels of maternal care that pertain to basic care (level I), specialty care (level II), subspecialty care (level III), and regional perinatal health care centers (level IV). “

My response:

Thank you for your comment, as I am open to dialogue; I have had two miscarriages and fibroid surgery, all this from care at "level 4 hospitals" I am a black woman, educated and economically stable. Yet, my care at the hospitals was subpar, and it was not until I had to make "noise" that I was heard. I feel for your ex-wife; pregnancy is not easy, as risks are involved regardless of race. However, there does exist a racial disparity between black and white women as well as an economic disparity. Historically black women have been underserved concerning health care; The history of Black women's access to health care and treatment by the U.S. medical establishment, particularly in gynecology, contributes to the present-day health disadvantages of Black women. Health inequality among Black women is rooted in slavery. White slaveholders viewed enslaved Black women as a means of economic gain, resulting in the abuse of Black women's bodies and disregarding their reproductive health. Black women were forced to procreate, with little or no self-agency and limited access to medical care; the development of gynecology as a medical specialty in the 1850s brought in a particularly dark period for the health of Black women. Before citing ignorance, know our historical background, leading to this current narrative because CLEARLY there are a number of factors at play here that feeds into YOUR ignorance and racism: More than likely you are a white man of privilege who has no concept of the real world, in addition to having NO CLUE on women’s health, let alone that of black women….

Stay in your lane….your audacity would be laughable had it not been such a heavy topic and you were capable of reading the article coherently.

As I said, the audacity….

[delifoodsmanufacturer]

The Rise of Honey as a Healthy Sweetener

The excessive consumption of sucrose and its strong association with health issues such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease have become critical topics of concern in today’s society. With growing awareness about the detrimental effects of high sugar intake, consumers are increasingly exploring healthier alternatives. Honey has emerged as a popular choice, offering a natural and nutritious substitute for traditional sugar. David Sprinkle, Research Director of Packaged Facts magazine, emphasizes this trend, noting, “The current heightened interest in honey presents an excellent opportunity for it to capture new market segments. Honey is poised to lead the latest trend in healthy sweeteners.” The Growing Demand for Honey in the Global Market The shift towards healthier eating habits has spurred a surge in demand for honey across various global markets. As consumers become more health-conscious, they are seeking out natural sweeteners that not only satisfy their cravings but also offer additional health benefits. Honey, with its rich nutrient profile and natural sweetness, fits this demand perfectly. In response to this growing demand, numerous suppliers have entered the market, each offering a variety of honey and honey-related products. Among these suppliers, Wuhu Deli Foods Co., Ltd. has distinguished itself as a leader in the industry. The company’s diverse product range includes honey products, syrups, dried syrups, and plant-based proteins. These products are exported to numerous countries and regions, including the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Southeast Asia, and Japan. Wuhu Deli Foods has built a strong reputation for its professional sales team and exceptional customer service, which have enabled the company to earn and maintain the trust of its clients, fostering long-term business relationships. With an impressive annual sales revenue of $16 million, Wuhu Deli Foods has established itself as one of the world’s leading honey suppliers. The Diversity of Honey Types and Their Applications Honey comes in a wide array of types, each with unique characteristics that make it suitable for different applications in the food industry. The variety of honey available on the market is largely determined by the types of flowers from which the bees collect nectar. This diversity results in honey that varies in color, flavor, and consistency. Honey's color can range from a light, almost clear shade to a deep amber hue. Typically, lighter-colored honey has a milder flavor, while darker honey tends to have a more robust and intense taste. Liquid honey is the most commonly used form, extracted from the honeycomb using centrifugal force, gravity, or strain. In addition to liquid honey, dried honey is another popular product. Dried honey is created by drying liquid honey into a powder, flakes, or granules with a low moisture content. This form of honey typically contains at least 50% pure honey and is often combined with other ingredients and processing aids to achieve the desired consistency. In food formulations, both liquid and dried honey serve as natural sweeteners, but liquid honey also functions as a binder and humectant, adding moisture and texture to various products. Another type of honey that has gained popularity is creamed or whipped honey, which is sold in a crystallized form. This type of honey can be spread like butter or jelly at room temperature, making it a versatile ingredient for various culinary uses. Honey’s Versatility in Food Applications One of the most significant advantages of honey is its versatility. It can be used in almost any food product imaginable, adding natural sweetness, flavor, and moisture while also offering functional benefits. Honey’s use in food products is often highlighted on product labels or in product names, emphasizing its natural and healthy appeal. In the bakery sector, for instance, honey is an ideal ingredient for balancing the bitterness and firm texture of breads made with whole grains, sprouted grains, or ancient grains. Honey also serves as a natural preservative, helping to inhibit the growth of mold in baked goods by retaining moisture. This makes it particularly valuable in gluten-free baking, where it acts as an effective humectant. In spicy foods, the moderate sweetness of honey can help to temper the heat and add floral and fruity notes to the product. In high-protein foods, especially those containing plant proteins, honey can mask undesirable grassy or beany flavors, enhancing the overall taste profile. However, it is essential to note that honey should not be used as a 1:1 substitute for sucrose in food formulations. This is because honey is 1.5 times sweeter than sucrose on a dry basis, and its enzymes may interact with other ingredients, potentially affecting the final product. According to industry experts, the amino acids in honey can intensify the flavors of spices and herbs, making it a popular choice for seasoning blends and coatings. Honey also accelerates the Maillard reaction in baked goods, which is the chemical reaction that gives browned foods their characteristic flavor. However, this requires careful adjustment of baking times and temperatures to avoid over-browning. In beer brewing, honey is a crucial ingredient due to its fermentable sugars, which contribute to the alcohol content and flavor of the final product. In most food products, honey pairs well with other sweeteners and is often used in combination with one or more additional sweeteners. However, care must be taken not to use too much honey, as its strong flavor can overpower the original taste of the food, as seen in products like yogurt and ice cream. Honey’s Role in Various Food and Beverage Categories Honey’s unique properties make it a valuable ingredient across a wide range of food and beverage categories, each benefiting from its distinct attributes. In the beverage industry, honey is used in everything from handcrafted sodas to ready-to-drink teas. Beverage formulators can leverage honey’s natural sweetness, color, flavor, and viscosity to create products that stand out in a competitive market. For example, some products are marketed with claims such as: “Enjoy healthy, natural energy without the side effects of other functional drinks.” Honey is increasingly being positioned as a natural and sustainable source of energy, catering to consumers who are looking for healthier alternatives to traditional energy drinks. In the bread category, especially with the growing popularity of bread made from ancient grains, sprouted grains, and whole grains, honey is used to balance flavors and improve texture. It also adds a touch of natural sweetness and helps to position the bread as a healthy and wholesome option. In dairy products such as ice cream and yogurt, honey is used not only as a natural sweetener but also to create unique flavor profiles. For instance, honey pairs exceptionally well with nuts like pistachios, creating a rich and indulgent treat that also offers a balanced taste experience. In baklava, a traditional dessert made with layers of phyllo dough and nuts, honey adds floral and fruity notes that complement the richness of the nuts. In the prepared foods category, honey is often used to balance and enhance the flavors of savory and spicy dishes. It can also elevate the appeal of frozen and processed foods by improving taste and adding a touch of natural sweetness. In cereals and snacks, honey meets consumer demand for healthier snack options, offering a natural way to sweeten products while also acting as a binder and humectant. This makes it a popular choice for granola bars, breakfast cereals, and cookies. The Nutritional Benefits of Honey Beyond its culinary applications, honey is valued for its nutritional benefits. Rich in carbohydrates, particularly monosaccharides like glucose and fructose, honey is an immediate source of energy. It also contains a variety of vitamins, trace minerals, free amino acids, and enzymes, all of which contribute to its health benefits. The high viscosity, hygroscopic nature, acidity, and unique color, flavor, and aroma of honey make it an ideal ingredient for functional foods. Honey is particularly suitable for athletes, children, and the elderly, who can benefit from its energy-boosting properties and nutrient density. Honey is also used in the production of a variety of other food and beverage products, each with its unique preparation methods and health benefits. These include honey wine, honey vinegar, honey champagne, aloe honey, and honey garlic milk, all of which offer distinct flavors and potential health benefits. Honey’s Role in Promoting a Healthy Lifestyle As consumers continue to prioritize health and wellness, honey’s role in promoting a healthy lifestyle cannot be overstated. Honey’s natural sweetness and nutritional profile make it an excellent alternative to refined sugar, which is often associated with negative health outcomes. By incorporating honey into their diets, consumers can enjoy the sweet taste they crave while also reaping the benefits of a more natural and nutritious ingredient. Moreover, honey’s versatility means it can be easily integrated into a wide range of diets and lifestyles. Whether it’s used in baking, cooking, or as a sweetener for beverages, honey offers a natural way to enhance the flavor and nutritional value of food. This makes it an attractive option for consumers who are looking to make healthier choices without sacrificing taste. The Future of Honey in the Global Market Looking ahead, the future of honey in the global market appears bright. As more consumers become aware of the benefits of honey and its potential as a healthy sweetener, demand is likely to continue growing. This presents a significant opportunity for companies like Wuhu Deli Foods to expand their market reach and introduce new and innovative honey-based products. Wuhu Deli Foods, with its diverse product offerings and commitment to quality, is well-positioned to capitalize on this growing trend. The company’s extensive experience in the honey industry, combined with its strong customer relationships, will enable it to continue leading the market and meeting the evolving needs of consumers. Read the full article