Insulin not only moves glucose into the cells, but it also escorts Vitamin C. Blood sugar hogs the seats on the bus in most diabetics, therefore reducing the amount of Vitamin C we can absorb. This is the premise of The GAA Theory: high glucose levels hinder vitamin C entry into cells.

Vitamin C is vitally important for many functions throughout the body - a big one being metabolism. Glucose and Vitamin C are similar in the way they enter the cells. Both molecules require help from insulin. The name for the process that brings glucose and Vitamin C through cell membranes is insulin-mediated uptake. The insulin-mediated uptake of glucose and vitamin C uses white blood cells. White blood cells have more insulin pumps and they may contain 20 times the amount of vitamin C as ordinary cells.

So does increasing your Vitamin C help boost your glycemic control? Diabetes Health cited a study that confirms daily doses of 2,000 mg of absorbic acid improved both fasting blood glucose and HbA1c readings in patients with type 2 diabetes. Next time you swing by the store - see if some Emergen-C can help you achieve better glycemic control. With 1,000 mg of Vitamin C per packet - their homepage says: Feel The Good. Little did they know how good it could be for Type 2 diabetics!

Thomas Smith began reviewing scientific literature after conventional medicine failed him in controlling diabetes. Smith found research that shows dietary toxins impair cell membrane function. These toxins include trans fatty acids and refined sugars. Cells begin to have trouble absorbing nutrients, and the blood sugar rises. Over time, this results in chronic elevated blood and urine sugar levels. Sounds like a growing epidemic, doesn't it?

This damage to cell membranes, caused by a poor diet, can be repaired. The diabetic syndrome can be cured by eliminating all processed fats and oils. The protocol calls for supplementing high-dose Omega-3 fatty acids. This protocol normalizes blood sugars because the body is continuously repairing cell membranes by using the fats and oils available in the diet. One caution: the speed of recovery is related to the length of the illness. Some Type 2 diabetics may require up to one year for dramatic reductions in blood sugar.

A gaping hole exists between conventional medicine and diet. Conventional medicine claims that the cause of Type 2 diabetes is unknown. Medical doctors, as practitioners of conventional medicine, are not trained to explain how it happened. They treat symptoms with medicine. The business of medicine is medicine. The business of diabetes would be devasted if the cure was as simple as diet. The explanation Thomas Smith provides in his empirical studies is fascinating and I encourage anybody with competing or supporting evidence to open the debate.

UCLA researchers report Nevada County, California residents have the lowest rate of diabetes in the state -- 2.6 percent. That's about one-third the state-wide average (6.8 percent), and slightly less than one-quarter the prevalence of diabetes in Imperial County (11.2 percent).

Take a few guesses why Nevada County's rate of diabetes is so much lower than Imperial County, and well under the national average of 7 percent. Do families eat less processed food around the dinner table? More jogging trails? Better health insurance coverage? Researcher Theresa Hastert states, "There is no one thing, but higher income is associated with better foods and exercise."

Hastert explained Nevada County is mostly white, affluent, educated and insured. Imperial County has a large population of Latinos and migrant farm workers. Nevada County's numbers support general findings that minorities without affordable, continuous health care are more prone to the disease. Who's got time for the dinner table -- Hastert openly speculates eating more junk food may be a consequence of dodging between three jobs just to get by. Also, Nevada County is a beautiful area -- she wonders if environmental factors play a role.

Is diabetes a socio-economic disease? If so, we're in trouble. The gap is widening between our nation's haves and have nots, and large concentrations of poor minorities may explain the disproportionate rates of diabetes from county to county. Read more in The Union.

Nutrigenetics is the study of the interaction of genes and diet. The Diet Channel has published an article explaining what nutrigenetics is and how it will revolutionize the world of diabetes.

Researchers believe elevated blood sugar can be mapped back to a genetic reaction. Drugs are only overriding the cause of elevated blood sugar and forcing the sugar into the cells, causing damage over time. Nutrigenetics is addressing the cause of the elevated blood sugar and may suggest a better diet to control your diabetes. Genes control how you metabolize certain vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. These genes can vary from one individual to the next. See what happens to Buddy the Elf when he consumes way too much coffee? Yes, I know - that's Hollywood. Nevertheless - a comical example of what nutrigenetics explores.

Consumer-friendly tests are available for these gene and diet interactions. The tests are done with a cheek swab. You send your swab off to a specialized lab, which analyzes DNA from the cheek cells. You receive a report identifying your gene variations. A qualified health professional can explain the test results, and make specific diet and supplement recommendations to optimize your health. If this is a test you're interested in taking, Sciona's Mycellf Program will be happy to prepare your profile. Open up and say Ahhhh.

A study reported in the journal Nutrition found obese, diabetic mice whose diet was supplemented with an extract of cacao liquor demonstrated a significant reduction in blood sugar.

Scientists examined if cacao beans might be helpful in preventing Type 2 diabetes. They supplemented the diets of obese, diabetic mice with cacao liquor for 3 weeks. The specific type of cacao liquor, called cacao liquor proanthocyanidins (CLPr), contains 72% polyphenols. They found that blood sugar was reduced in direct correlation with the dosage of CLPr.

This study was funded by confectionary giant Mars, Inc. In case Mars doesn't ring a bell - maybe some of their products might: Snicksers, 3 Musketeers, Milky Way, and M & M's to name a few. With the results of this research, and the deep pockets behind it -- maybe Mars is contemplating coming out with a diabetes-reversing candy bar? I suggest they call it The Sweet Escape (start the music!)

Back in 2000, researchers at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada transplanted islet cells in the livers of people with type 1, known as the Edmonton Protocol. Each islet transplant required several cadaver donors. The transplants worked for awhile, but approximately 80 percent of patients required insulin after a couple years. It was assumed the transplanted cells were rejected, but new research points to a new possible culprit -- fat.

Dr. Roger Unger and colleagues of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas performed the Edmonton Protocol in rats with type 1. Fat built up around the transplanted cells in only a month. The cells stopped producing insulin and the rats died after 15 weeks. Dr. Unger explained the liver creates fatty acids from food, and islet transplants in the liver are surrounded by too much fat. He proved his point by repeating the transplant in a separate group of type 1 rats, but this time the rats were on a strict diet. A third group of rats received leptin, a hormone involved in increasing metabolism and decreasing appetite. These rats had an improved response, although the Reuters story does not provide specifics. Here's the study abstract in Diabetes, but ya gotta pay for the full text article.

Bummer. You get an islet cell transplant, but still have to stay away from the Ben & Jerry's. A next step could be testing this theory in human islet cell transplants via a low-calorie, low-sugar diet following transplantation. Read more in Reuters.

When I read the headline in this Yahoo! news, Obesity rates climb in most states, I took a stab at guessing the leanest and fattest states in America. My favorite state, Colorado, immediately came to mind for the fittest state. Ding, ding, ding ... that is correct! But I had no clue on the fattest state, West Virginia was a shaky guess. I heard the buzzer on that one, Mississippi became the first state to break the 30 percent barrier for obese, adult residents. But hey, I wasn't far off, West Virginia and Alabama are slightly behind the double-letter state.

Colorado has an obesity rate of 17.6. Yikes, this is the leanest state in the nation. Statistics were provided by the Trust for America's Health. They analyzed state health department-generated telephone surveys of height and weight, combining three years of data (2004-2006) for improved projections. No one denies obesity increases the risk for diabetes and chronic diseases. Jeffrey Levi, executive director, stated everyone believes obesity is an epidemic, but political and policymaker attention is lacking. Levi agrees weight is a personal choice and responsibility, but he wants societal improvements to help people make better choices, such as healthier school lunches and safer places to be active across all classes.

The report is not intended to stigmatize fat states, but motivate them to action. Is this honestly a good way to do it? We should be talking about poverty in Mississippi, not scolding them. The five poorest states were in the top 10 when it came to obesity rates. I'm sure the Mississippi fat jokes have already begun. This country loves to categorize, from Money's Best Places to Live to U.S. News & World Report's America's Best Colleges. Now we'll be adding an obesity category to all these reports. I can see it now, some diet rag will announce the Top 100 Thinnest Universities.

A new study by Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research carries both good news and bad news. Bad news first -- research of 9,439 mother-child pairs shows maternal blood sugar is tied to a future risk of obesity in offpsring. Pregnant women with above-normal blood sugar levels were twice as likely to have overweight kids. Across all racial and ethnic groups, the higher the mother's blood sugar during pregnancy, the greater the chance her offspring would develop obesity by 5 to 7 years of age.

Now if you're pregnant and you've been diagnosed with high blood sugar, take a deep breath. The good news is the risk of childhood obesity is reversible if elevated sugars are treated through diet, exercise and insulin (if required). At particular risk are women with sugar levels higher than normal, but not high enough to be deemed gestational diabetes. They were more likely to have obese children than women treated for gestational diabetes or those with normal sugars.

Borderline blood sugars are nothing to ignore. I shared in a previous post that moderately elevated glucose during pregnancy is associated with other problems such as cesarean section and heavier babies. Gestational diabetes criteria may widen. Also, Deanna reported earlier this month that gestational diabetes is linked to pancreatic cancer.

How come type 2 diabetes does not affect all obese people? A study recently published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation may explain why. Adiponectin is a hormone that controls insulin sensitivity. Leptin is a hormone which lessens appetite. Too much adiponectin allows mice to store excess calories in fat tissue instead of in more dangerous areas -- the liver, heart or muscle tissue -- where extra fat may lead to inflammation, diabetes and heart disease. Unfortunately adiponectin levels decline as people get fatter. So researchers wondered "what if overeating mice had high levels of adiponectin?"

Researchers genetically engineered mice to produce lots of adiponectin and a lack of leptin. The mice overate and became obese, but their high levels of adiponectin enabled them to dump their fat into fat tissue, which has antidiabetic effects. Dr. Philipp Scherer, senior author, stated the inability to appropriately expand fat mass while overeating may be an underlying cause of insulin resistance, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Low adiponectin levels don't allow fat cells to accept fat, so the fat builds up in inflammatory locations.

Considering 66 percent of American adults are overweight or obese, Dr. Scherer stated researchers need to find way to deposit extra calories in the least harmful places. He plans to investigate how to maximize good fat areas and shrink bad ones. This solution is disturbing to me -- don't we need to get rid of the fat in the first place? Read more in Health News Digest and check out Diane's recent post on upper body fat's link to insulin resistance.

You've probably heard it in the news lately. The number of overweight children and teenagers aged 6-19 has nearly tripled over the last 40 years. Type 2 diabetes is not an adult-only disease anymore, adolescents are developing it. If we don't turn this trend around, many kids will have heart trouble by the age of 30 or 40. Healthier school fare is a part of the solution, but I believe parental influence on meal and snacking habits is most crucial. As your children head off to school in the coming days, do not forget about packing a healthy school snack (if required) ... I'll write later on healthy school lunches.

My little guy will step on the bus today for his first day of kindergarten. He is thrilled. He is ready. We walked the school hallways during an orientation earlier this week, and yesterday we had a kindergarten briefing where we learned all about school policies. The policy-chat was briefly interrupted by a tornado warning, where the entire school hit the deck in the hallways for 20 minutes, but luckily, no twisters!

As the policy-talk ensued, the teacher announced daily snacks must be healthy. Juice boxes were not allowed. A water bottle was fine, but the drinking fountain even better. Geez, I was starting to really like this school. Fruit and vegetables were strongly suggested, but no cookies, mile-high frosted cupcakes or sugary fruit snacks. I nearly stood up and clapped, but I didn't want to freak out a roomful of mommy strangers. After reading Allie's recent post on water, I will definitely pack a water bottle.

Yesterday afternoon we headed to the store and Frank picked out his snack -- he searched and searched until he found a perfectly shaped green apple. It's in his backpack, ready and waiting for his first day of big kid school. If you're shopping for school snacks, here is a helpful list of ideas to bring. Think fruits and vegetables. Don't throw those sugary graham crackers in your shopping cart. Stay away from the processed carbohydrates. This is your chance to develop healthier habits for a lifetime. Hey, you might not even need to be the fall guy -- hopefully it's "school policy."

It's free, it covers 70% of the Earth's surface, and it's a remedy for all living things. So why do physicians rarely promote the curative properties of water?

Every plant needs it to survive. Every living thing on Earth requires water - even the cacti of the Sahara Desert. We are no different. Mike Adams, of News Target, was one of the last people to interview the late Dr. Batmanghelidj. The things he learned about "The Healing Power of Water" left him in awe. The conversation revealed which ailments and "diseases" are actually caused by dehydration, why the general population is chronically dehydrated and henceforth labeled diseased, what ingredients deplete the body's water reserves, why thirst is not a reliable indicator of dehydration, the dynamics of cholesterol and how water keeps it in balance, how dehydration impairs mental functioning and potentially causes depression, in addition to recognizing signs that your body is starting to dehydrate.

It's a world of answers to an often overlooked question. The premise of the interview is this one thing: the human body manifests dehydration by producing pain, and pain is a sign of water shortage in the body, and water shortage is actually the background to most of the health problems in our society. If the aforementioned interests you in the least - I strongly encourage you to follow the river of curiosity to its source. Who knows? Maybe we're all dying of thirst.

Prior to the advent of insulin, in the 1920's, diabetes was treated with a low-carbohydrate diet. These diets were aimed at controlling sugar in the urine, a stark contrast to the current ADA suggested diet of low-fat and high-carbohydrate. In fact the diet recommended by Dr. Elliot Joslin consisted of approximately 20% protein, 75% fat and 5% from carbohydrates.

Well in the early century - this diet seemed to hold most diabetics on course just fine without the magic pills available today. It is also remarkable that the secondary complications and epidemic growth of diabetes was not a hot topic, either. Researchers decided to give Dr. Joslin's diet another go in a modern environment. The results of this low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet (LCKD) improved glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes such that diabetes medications were discontinued or reduced in most participants - 17 out of 21 completing the study. The original study had 28 participants, with 8 dropouts. The LCKD can be very effective at lowering blood glucose. Participants also experienced reductions in body weight, waist circumference, and body fat.

It's funny how this study, conducted in 2005, produced results seen almost 100 years prior. LCKD appears to be a reasonable cure for type 2 diabetes. If most diabetes was adequately treated back in days of 1923 without the assistance of pills and insulin - why is it such a mess nowadays? Where did we go wrong?

Next month, 67-year-old Gary Stenlund is heading to the World Masters Championships in Riccione, Italy. He will compete against other senior javelin throwers for the World Masters crown. He's throwing with an arthritic knee and type 2 diabetes.

No stranger to the javelin, Stenlund set the world junior record in high school and was a two-time NCAA runner-up at Oregon State University. In 2003, he nailed the 60-to-64 World Masters top spot with a record throw of 191 feet. Here's one good reason to age, Stenlund topped the world record in the 65-to-69 age division three times last summer.

A sober alcoholic since 1984, he is no stranger to facing life challenges. I shouldn't complain about my sore knee, Stenlund competes with a bone growth on his right knee big enough to fit in the palm of your hand. The article does not mention much about his type 2 diabetes, but he keeps his 6' 1", 185-pound frame healthy through calisthentics, stretching and throwing that skinny metal rod. Go get 'em Gary! Read more in The Portland Tribune.

Do not miss this recent NY Times article by Gina Kolata, Looking Past Blood Sugar to Survive With Diabetes. It is a must read for anyone associated with type 2 diabetes, including patients, family caregivers and doctors. I am very encouraged to see a feature on type 2 diabetes in such a well-read newspaper. Many doctors are uninformed on the best ways to treat a person with type 2 diabetes, they spend much more time with type 1 patients. Furthermore, type 1 and type 2 are very different diseases, but since they both end in 'diabetes' there is deep confusion -- see Diane's previous post on this topic. Undoubtedly, we need Big Media to provide greater coverage on the differences and unique treatments for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

First off, type 2 diabetes is a form of the disease that usually appears in adulthood where the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells are resistant to insulin. Kolata's article focuses on one man's battle with type 2 diabetes, as well as the importance of other treatments beyond blood sugar control that can markedly prevent heart disease -- the number one threat to a person with type 2. Dave Smith, a pastor from Fairmont, Minnesota, has dealt with type 2 diabetes for nine years. From the start, his doctor advised him to control his blood sugar, so he was a faithful carbohydrate counter, finger pricker, type 2 pill taker. Nothing worked, so he added insulin.

Unfortunately, his fixation on controlling blood sugar ignored the most crucial treatment of all -- lowering cholesterol. According to Kolata's article, heart disease kills nearly everyone with diabetes. The second treatment Smith did not consider was the importance of controlling blood pressure. The third treatment is taking aspirin to control blood clots. Last October, Smith had a major heart attack and nearly died. He had never thought about heart disease, and his doctor never advised him to take a cholesterol-lowering statin or a blood pressure drug. The American Diabetes Association reports only 18 percent of people with diabetes know their increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Grrrr! This lack of awareness among patients and doctors must change for lives to be saved. It took a near-fatal heart attack for Smith to receive the combination of drugs he should have been prescribed at diagnosis: a statin, two drugs to lower blood pressure, aspirin, insulin and two drugs to reduce his blood sugar level.

The article also points out the myth of obesity and type 2 diabetes. While obesity does increase the risk for type 2, only 5 to 10 percent of obese people have the disease, and many people with type 2 are not obese. Genetics is a big determiner. Losing weight can definitely improve type 2 control, but most are not cured. Smith lost 40 pounds and still has type 2.

Dr. Irl B. Hirsch, a professor of medicine and director of the diabetes clinic at the University of Washington, stated it plainly. The first priority for a typical middle-age person with type 2 diabetes is to take a statin and lower the LDL cholesterol level. FYI, a person with diabetes should keep LDL cholesterol below 100 milligrams per deciliter, ideally 70 to 80. Keep in mind, this is even lower than the recommended LDL levels of 100 to 139 for a healthy person. Dr. Michael Brownlee, director of the JDRF International Center for Diabetic Complications Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, stated beyond a statin, blood pressure control and taking an aspirin to prevent blood clots are two other important measures.

The title of Kraft Foods' press release this morning was Good Eating, Good Living Radio Show and Website Aim to Clear Up Confusion and Isolation Often Associated with Diabetes. The radio show and Website will provide diet and exercise tips for people with diabetes. Recipes, a meal and fitness planner, product nutrition info, logs/journals, articles, etc ... will be offered. Amy Hendel, a registered physician assistant and Edye Wagner, a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator, will host the 22 episode radio show beginning August 25 in 30 cities across the country.

Seems like Kraft is spinning a public relations campaign to help pardon the junk food they're hawking to kids and adults. They also are boldly advertising Kraft Foods products in the name of helping people with diabetes. This new program is more about food sales and rationalization against potential future litigation by showing Kraft stands by healthy eating. The press release even included a quote from Amy Hendel, "The good news for the millions with this disease is that by choosing Kraft products they don't have to deprive themselves of their favorite foods or sacrifice flavor."

If Kraft Foods truly wanted to help the millions of people in the United States with diabetes they should stop selling the junk such as Oreos, Fruity Pebbles and Chips Ahoy cookies. Although I do applaud many of their healthier products -- Triscuits, Post Shredded Wheat and Breakstone's Cottage Cheese. Also, in 2005, Kraft did stop advertising some junk food products to kids under age 12. But how about kids over 11? Kraft should also stop being a player in the Big Food lobbying games. The last Bush/Cheney campaign reaped thousands of dollars in donations from a lobbyist for Altria (the company formerly known as Philip Morris), which formerly owned 85 percent of Kraft Foods. (Kraft became a fully independent company March 30, 2007.) Altria also handed the Bush inauguration $250,000 in 2005. It's time for our government to stop taking Big Food's money and start regulating the junk out of Big Food's product lines. But Kraft is smart, if they appear like they're regulating themselves, the government and litigators are less likely to step in. Philip Morris executives know all about tobacco litigation.

This is not to say the radio show or Website will not be decent sources of information for people with diabetes. But as you tune in, keep in mind Kraft's intention may not be that altruistic. Don't miss this informative article on the deceptive tactics of Big Food, Kraft included.

Drug companies are very good at making it seem like taking a certain medication or supplement will be a panacea for just about everything that ails you. Even at the end of their commercials, when they're rattling off a whole host of possible unwanted side effects, the person on-screen is still smiling, riding or a horse, swinging on a swing in slow-motion, or something just as cheery. And while there are many amazing drugs out there that do help people a great deal, there are also many out there that are no more than snake oils.

Case in point, I just came across this supposed interview (it looks kind of staged to me) on YouTube, featuring a doctor who claims that type 2 and type 1 diabetes can be miraculously cured by drinking alkaline water. A bunch of B.S.? Honestly, I hope it's not! But, it probably is. So, instead of relying on miracle drugs and supplements, here are two very easy ways to address issues commonly faced by many people living with diabetes:

1 - Weight Loss. Very often, doctors will recommend that their patients with type 2 lose weight, hoping that this may lead to a lower A1C and improved overall health. So, instead of trying out Alli or any other popular weight loss drug on the market, try this little weight loss tip. Whenever you go out to dinner, eat a cup of broth-based soup (i.e. chicken, tomato) as an appetizer. New research into people's restaurant eating habits shows that people who consume a cup of soup as an appetizer tend to eat 20-percent less of their entree. The key is to stay away from cream soups of any kind, and to opt for a cup rather than a bowl. You may also want to add a little chili powder, especially since capsaicin, the compound found in chili pepper, has been shown in lab tests to actually kill fat cells.

2 - Lower Blood Pressure. People with diabetes must stay on top of their blood pressure, as an elevated level is rather common among those with both type 1 and type 2. While there are many trusted medications available to treat high blood pressure, you may also want to consider eating pistachio nuts. Penn State nutritionists discovered that eating one and a half ounces of pistachios daily for one month helped keep test subjects' blood pressure down. What's more, eating three ounces per day also showed signs of arterial relaxation, allowing better blood flow and making the heart's job that much easier.