Compared with non-diabetics in the study, T2s had brain atrophy (shrinkage on MRI scans) and cognitive deficits reminiscent of pre-clinical Alzheimer’s disease.
Click for details at Diabetes Care.
Another Research Report Links Type 2 Diabetes With Dementia
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Alcohol Consumption Linked to Lower Risk of Death and Kidney Disease in Type 2 Diabetics
…according to an article at MedPageToday. Over 6,000 T2 diabetics were followed for over five years.
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Deteriorating Brain Function Linked to High Insulin Levels and Insulin Resistance: Here’s How You Fight Back
Don’t wait to take action until it’s too late
Insulin resistance and high blood insulin levels promote age-related degeneration of the brain, leading to memory loss and dementia according to Robert Krikorian, Ph.D. He’s a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center. He has an article in a recent issue of Current Psychiatry – Online.
Proper insulin signaling in the brain is important for healthy functioning of our brains’ memory centers. This signaling breaks down in the setting of insulin resistance and the associated high insulin levels. Dr. K makes much of the fact that high insulin levels and insulin resistance are closely tied to obesity. He writes that:
“Waist circumference of ≥100 cm (39 inches) is a sensitive, specific, and independent predictor of hyperinsulinemia for men and women and a stronger predictor than body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, and other measures of body fat.”
Take-Home Points
Dr. Krikorian thinks that dietary approaches to the prevention of dementia are effective yet underutilized. He mentions reduction of insulin levels by restricting calories or a ketogenic diet: they’ve been linked with improved memory in middle-aged and older adults.
Dr. Krikorian suggests the following measures to prevent dementia and memory loss:
- eliminate high-glycemic foods like processed carbohydrates and sweets
- replace high-glycemic foods with fruits and vegetables (the higher polyphenol intake may help by itself)
- certain polyphenols, such as those found in berries, may be particularly helpful in improving brain metabolic function
- keep your waist size under 39 inches, or aim for that if you’re overweight
I must mention that many, perhaps most, dementia experts are not as confident as Dr. Krikorian that these dietary changes are effective. I think they probably are, to a degree.
The Mediterranean diet is high in fruits and vegetables and relatively low-glycemic. It’s usually mentioned by experts as the diet that may prevent dementia and slow its progression.
I’ve written before about how blood sugars in the upper normal range are linked to brain degeneration. Dr. Krikorian’s recommendations would tend to keep blood sugar levels in the lower end of the normal range.
PS: Speaking of dementia and ketogenic, have you ever heard of the Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet? (Free condensed version here.)
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Low-Carb Breakfast: Brian’s Berry Breakfast
Brian’s Berry Breakfast
My stepson came up with this one. Thanks, dude! If you think breakfast means eating out of a bowl, this one fits the bill. And talk about easy!
Ingredients:
- 4.5 oz (127 g) fresh strawberries, diced into small pieces
- 2 oz (58 g) walnuts, crumbled by hand
Mix ingredients together in a bowl and enjoy eating with a spoon while your tablemates eat Neolithic Cheerios.
Nutritional analysis:
- 76% fat
- 16% carbohydrate
- 8% protein
- 410 calories
- 17 carb grams
- 6.2 g fiber
- 10.9 g digestible carb
- prominent features: 80% of vitamin C RDA (recommended dietary allowance), 32% of RDA for phosphorus, 27% of RDA for iron, 25% of RDA for magnesium, 21% of RDA for vitamin B6, 19% of RDA for thiamine. It’s also particularly rich in copper and manganese.
—Steve
PS: Nutritional analysis by free software at FitDay.com
Franziska Spritzler Explains Why So Many Dietitians Are Against Low-Carb Diets
Click for details. Briefly:
1. They think it’s dangerous.
2.They believe the diet-heart hypothesis.
3. They think the diet is unbalanced.
4. They think no one will follow it long term.
Franziska debunks these ideas one by one.
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Dr. Georgia Edes Raves About Her Ketogenic Diet Experience
Click for details. Here’s her version of a ketogenic diet:
My diet consists almost entirely of roasted chicken (with skin), duck (with skin), duck fat, turkey, fish, chicken liver, zucchini, spinach, plantain chips, berries, lettuce, small amounts of black coffee, and salt. I’ve been avoiding chocolate entirely. Every once in a while I eat beef, pork, or a very small amount of cheese, or when at a restaurant might order something that includes a cream, wine, or butter-based sauce, but these don’t usually agree with me, so I keep them to a minimum, and most days I completely avoid them. I steer clear of preserved, smoked, cured, aged, fermented, canned, and processed foods whenever possible.
Most folks will enter ketosis when they get their daily digestible carbohydrate consumption below 30-50 grams. My favorite method is the Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet.
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Is Exercise Twice a Week as Good as Six Sessions?
If you’re not familiar with weight training, a personal trainer is an great idea
Weight Maven Beth Mazur found evidence in favor of the fewer days, at least in post-menopausal women.
I don’t like to exercise. Sometimes I find excuses to avoid even my twice weekly 40-minute workouts. I do enjoy hiking; I even hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back out last May. But that’s not exercise, it’s more recreation.
You may well have good reasons to exercise every day. Maybe you’re a competitive athlete or enjoy exercise. If you just want the health benefits of exercise, I’m increasingly convinced that twice a week is enough.
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QOTD: Charlotte Bronte on Immortality
I believe that this life is not all; neither the beginning nor the end. I believe while I tremble; I trust while I weep.
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Amputations in Diabetics Drop By 25% Over Last Decade
Which is great news from DiabetesHealth. I have noticed this in my own practice. One potential contributor to lower amputations not mentioned in the article is improved blood flow through angioplasty and other high-tech options.
A quote from DiabetesHealth:
According to Dr. Bill Releford, founder of the Releford Foot & Ankle Institute in Beverly Hills, as many as 75 percent of all amputations are preventable. He offered the following tips in a recent press release:
* Do not smoke.
* Exercise daily
* Control your cholesterol.
* Dry in between all toes after bathing.
* Always control your diabetes and blood pressure.
* Always wear shoes made from natural sources such as calfskin or soft leathers.
* Never pull or pick skin from your feet.
* Eat at least five colors of fruits and vegetables every day.
* Never cut toenails or trim calluses if you have diabetes or poor circulation. See a podiatrist for routine foot care.
* Never go barefoot if you have diabetes,even at home.
Also important is to inspect your feet for problems daily, or have someone do it for you. See your doctor or podiatrist if something doesn’t look right.
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Exercise Reduces Risk of Prostate Cancer
…according to an article in MedPageToday. For unknown reasons, diabetics are less likely than average to get prostate cancer, but they still do.
In a prospective study, white men suspected of prostate cancer and scheduled for biopsy were less likely to have the disease if they were at least moderately active, according to Lionel Bañez, MD, of the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Durham N.C., and colleagues.
If they did have cancer, they were significantly less likely to have high-grade disease if they had been working out regularly, Bañez and colleagues reported online in Cancer.
Another way to reduce your risk of prostate cancer is to follow the Mediterranean diet. Other cancers reduced by the Mediterranean diet are breast, colorectal, and uterus.
Diabetic Mediterranean Diet 