We could all benefit from added fiber in our diets. However, it seems the type of fiber consumed is important too. A new study concludes that vegetable fiber is a good defence against type 2 diabetes. The study comes courtesy of researchers at the University of Sydney, Australia, who found that adults eating five grams of vegetable fiber daily were 24 percent less likely than other adults to develop the disease. People over the age of seventy enjoyed a thirty-one percent risk reduction.

The study tracked the eating habits of more than two thousand people over a ten year period. Wow. The researchers also reported that those whose diets contained fiber from mainly cereal or fruit sources did not fare so well - they had a higher risk for type 2 diabetes than those getting lots of fiber from veggie sources. The reason could be that foods high in vegetable fiber produce smaller fluctuations in blood glucose and insulin levels than would cereal or fruits. Lead researcher, Alan Barclay, says legumes are the best fiber source of all.

The results have been published in the latest Diabetes Care.

A man en route to Sydney, Australia, collapsed mid-flight during a 25-hour trip from Norway to Australia. The man, an engineer whose home is in Sydney, has diabetes and was prevented from bringing his medical supplies on board the plane. Can you believe it? It was all due to new airline security rules requiring that people with diabetes carry documentation along with their medications. The passenger arrived at the airport with a supply of insulin, but was forced to leave it behind because he did not have the required letter from his doctor. He was very sick on arrival in Sydney and had to be rushed to hospital in an ambulance.

Don't risk your life to get from A to B. That's the moral of this story. Okay, maybe the security rules go a bit overboard. Yes, it's a shame we live in an age where such rules are deemed necessary etc etc. Bottom line: if you plan on taking anything even slightly unusual on board a flight, do yourself a favor and find out in advance if there are any applicable restrictions. Assume anything unusual could be a problem. Assume airline/airport security staff don't know about diabetes and don't particularly care about your personal well-being. If you have web access, the info you need is probably just a few clicks away. I don't know what the circumstances were, but if that were me, I would not have boarded the plane.

It's a complicated little world, isn't it? For example, type 2 diabetes is a growing problem in Australia, particularly in rural areas. Recently, however, some good news appeared: immigrants from Mediterranean regions living in Australia who stuck with a traditional Mediterranean diet over long periods of time, enjoyed much better health than other segments of the population. And that includes less diabetes.

But now, there's news that Australia's ethnic minorities suffer from type 2 diabetes at much higher rates than the rest of the population. Hardest hit are Asians, Pacific Islanders and people originally from the Middle East. The finding results from a survey of 11,000 Australians. There are some good reasons why immigrants suffer from diabetes more. First, those affected the worst were not able to maintain their traditional lifestyles in the new country. Fatty foods and lack of exercise are a big problem. Second, there are psychological factors contributing to poor overall health, especially the stress involved in learning to live in a new culture with a different language.

Type 2 diabetes, mate? By crikey. Australia's diabetes epidemic continues to be a problem. News this week indicates the spread of obesity, and with it associated conditions like Type 2 diabetes, in rural areas is far worse than previously realized. A survey of 806 randomly selected adults (okay, not the biggest sample, admittedly) found that a great many are affected by the disease.

Based on their findings from that survey, researchers calculate that almost three-quarters of Aussie men living in rural areas are overweight. They think women in rural areas may be slightly better-off - around two-thirds may be overweight. This puts rural Australians at a very high risk for T2DM. The conclusion, stated in the Medical Journal of Australia: "urgent population-wide action is required to tackle the problem."

As is the case in the US, a big concern is how to treat all those people as they age and their overall health worses. Specifically, what will become of Australia's public healthcare system? "We might get a whole generation, now in their 40s, 50s and 60s, who will do markedly worse than their parents," predicts lead researcher for the study, Professor Edward Janus of Melbourne's Western Hospital.

I was intrigued by a recent Swedish study reporting that people on a so-called "Stone Age" diet had more stable blood sugar levels than those on a Mediterranean diet. An intriguing claim, because it's so often said that Mediterranean-style eating is super-healthful. Let's also admit it is a delicious way to eat: yes, pasta and bread is there, but it's balanced out by tons of fresh fruits, vegetables, fish and olive oil. The Stone Age way is a bit more spare: we're talkin' meat, fish, and lots of whole grains, berries and nuts. Nary a sliver of Parmesan in sight.

However, the results of yet another study, this time from Australia, indicates Mediterranean-style eating is a good choice, especially for diabetics. Researchers from the University of Melbourne say Mediterranean-born immigrants in Australia are less likely to die from heart disease than other Australians. The researchers have concluded it's all down to dietary patterns. More than forty thousand people participated in the study over a period of ten years. The numbers revealed those who ate the most Mediterranean-style foods had a thirty percent lower risk of dying from heart disease. For diabetics, the researchers speculate, the benefits could be even higher, reducing the risk of death due to ischemic heart disease.

Results have been published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Visit Reuters for a discussion of the study.

It's often said that grass-roots level initiatives are what will turn the tide on the spread of type 2 diabetes. Here's an example of a grass-roots success story: Catholic News reports that Australian Aborigines from the Mowanjum community of Western Australia are benefiting from the introduction of a type 2 prevention and management program.

Titled "Indigenous communities beat diabetes," (that could be a bit of an overstatement), the article describes the impact of the program in Mowanjum community in Western Australia. Successes include the introduction of a comprehensive diabetes education program aimed at young people with diabetes. The program, which is organized by Aboriginal development group Unity of First Peoples Australia, also reported improved quality of care for diabetics. Next task on the list is trying to get all adolescents in the community to achieve normal or near-normal blood sugar levels.

Says a member of the review panel responsible for assessing the program, it's success "is testament to the fact that Indigenous communities have the capabilities and are able to implement life changing programs in a manner that is sustainable and community owned."

In 1996 a 41 year old male (a type 1 diabetic for 18 years) was injected with biocapsules containing pig islets to regulate his blood sugar level. The transplanted cells helped reduce the patient's insulin requirement by 34% for over a year, which provided better control. By 2005 the patient's glycated hemoglobin levels (HbA1c) remained lower than the pre-transplant levels.

Ten years later, the patent contacted Living Cell Technologies to inform them that he believed the transplanted pig islets were still alive and well. After tests were conducted, it was concluded that the pig cells were (as he reported) still functioning. This proved that the LCT patented technology for xenotransplantation was effective. It allows the islets to survive at least ten years in a micro-capsule coating and continue to release insulin into the patient's bloodstream without immune suppression. After tests we conducted on the type of insulin present in the patients blood - it was with 100% certainty that it was pig and not human insulin.

LCT has significantly advanced the encapsulation process since the 1996 clinical trial and there is an even greater understanding and control over the longevity and robustness of the encapsulation process, as well as the porcine islet cells. LCT will be trialing the DiabeCell pig islet cell transplant in patients in a phase I/IIa clinical trial, expected to begin in Quarter 2, 2007. In addition, LCT is awaiting approval to conduct an additional trial in New Zealand this year with a different treatment protocol. Subsequent trials in the US or Europe are intended following initial results from these studies.

If overseas trials are coming through with flying colors - why aren't we doing this yet? C'mon USA - where's your competitive spirit? All these pigs up in Spring Point might be put to good use, after all. Oink Oink.

And now for the best headline of the week, courtesy of The Australian: STATE OF MAN: FAT AND DEPRESSED. Ouch. I see the the stereotypical image of Australian men starting to crumble. In the 80s we had Mel Gibson in his heyday. In the 90s we got Russell Crowe. And now, this??

Yes, according to a new study, the "disease burden" in Australia is behind the decline of the Australian man. The study found that half of Aussie men aged between thirty-five and eighty years of age have officially tipped the scales into that dreaded category called Overweight. A further thirty percent are even worse off - in the Obese category. That leaves just a minority, twenty percent, of a normal weight. Yikes, that is bad!

The culprit, as is so often the case here in the US, is the unhealthy lifestyle led by so many. Lack of exercise and poor eating habits lead to weight gain and further inactivity. Not to mention diabetes. Sixteen percent of the Australian men in this study have Type 2 diabetes. Other big problems are depression, anxiety, and asthma. All evidence of a trend that researcher Gary Wittert characterizes as "alarming" and links to social causes like lack of social standing, low earning potential and relationship dissatisfaction.

Mel, you're having problems, that's true. But take heart! Looks like you have plenty of company...or would if you would only return to your homeland. (Just a suggestion...)

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) says a pilot's diabetes may have been a factor in a fatal plane crash in south-west Queensland just over two years ago.

The 49-year-old man was flying to New South Wales in October 2004 when he reported feeling unwell near St George. A short time later, the two-seater Canard plane crashed in a rugged area on the town's outskirts, killing the pilot. The ATSB found the plane was in working order at the time of the incident and the bureau says it is unable to pinpoint what caused the man to become disoriented before the crash. However, it says dehydration and the man's diabetes, which was diagnosed a year earlier, may have contributed to the crash.

This is the kind of news that leaves me wondering what the pilot's blood sugar was at the time of the crash. If it was in range or even considerably high I'm not so sure the cause of the crash was diabetes related. So if the pilot was dehydrated - it is possible his numbers were a little on the high side. If that's the case, I'm skeptical that his diabetes was fairly contributed to the crash. I know I'd rather drive my car with my sugar a little higher than lower. What do you think?

Horizon Science has developed an all natural sugar with less effect on raising blood sugar. The discovery was made over a three-year period at a sugar mill in Australia.

The glycemic index is based on how much blood glucose rises after consuming a particular food over a 2-hour period. This is compared to a "reference" food. White sugar has a GI rating of 65, whereas the GI rating of this sugar is 51, nearly 25 percent lower. In essence, this means that the lower GI sugar will raise your blood sugar 25 percent less than white sugar. The low GI sugar has higher amounts of polyphenols, which have been shown to reduce body fat and increase lean muscle mass. A number of studies suggest that a low GI and slowly digestible carbohydrates can contribute to the prevention of obesity and diabetes.

The new ingredient can be used in cooking and baking like ordinary sugar, whereas artificial sweeteners can become carcinogenic when heated. Don't preheat the oven just yet -- you'll have to wait a little while for the sweet victory of lower GI sugar. The product will not be on the market until 2008.

It's a g'day for children prone to developing diabetes in New Zealand. A revolutionary treatment to prevent the development of type 1 diabetes was slated to begin in 10 years. The 10 year waiting period was due to a ban created to prevent animal-to-human diseases. Thankfully, in light of this proposed vaccine-it has been lifted and trials may soon be underway.

Living Cell Technologies was granted the license to manufacture its pig cell products for humans. The license is the first in a three-step process towards obtaining approval for human clinical trials in New Zealand, beginning as early as next year. The groundbreaking vaccine involves an injection of cells from a newborn pig. The cells are coated with a gel to protect them from the human immune system. The cells then secrete protective proteins responsible for the repair and protection of cells.

Australia is known for breathtaking landscapes, playful kangaroos and the narcoleptic koala. With the expected results of this discovery, it will someday soon be a land free of type 1 diabetes. That's another natural beauty to add to the list.

Australian doctors have proposed that the nation introduce a junk food tax. They argue that such a tax would force people to eat more fruits and vegetables, thereby making a dent in the epidemic obesity levels now seen in Australia (as is also the case here in the US). The proposal appeared in the form of an editorial published in the latest Medical Journal of Australia. The doctors say that only direct government intervention can slow the obesity "juggernaut" that is fueling the rapid rise of all sorts of nasty health problems including - surprise! - diabetes. The editorial says that more than one million Australians are suffering from diabetes caused by obesity (Type 2 diabetes).

"Career suicide" is the term I think would spring to most politicians' minds at this suggestion. So it was not surprising to me when I read that the Australian government's response has been tepid. The Health Minister stated his belief that people are responsible for their own eating habits and that the government cannot and should not legislate on the issue. The minister also said the Australian government already spends millions of dollars a year on programs that encourage healthy lifestyles. However, others disagree. For example, the Health Minister for the state of Queensland remarked that it is hypocritical for governments to put restrictions on alcohol and tobacco, but not on junk foods. According to some estimates, junk foods cause at least as many health problems as do smoking and alcohol consumption.

Another sad sign of diabetes' extensive reach: an Australian study has confirmed that diabetes is having a terrible impact on that country's Indigenous people, sometimes referred to as Australian Aborigines. Diabetic retinopathy, or blindness caused by diabetes, is on its way to becoming the number one health problem for the Indigenous people of Australia.

The study looked at the health records of more than 1,500 people from twenty-two different communities in the Australian outback. The study found that nearly forty-seven percent of South Australian Indigenous people are suffering from impaired sight that is diabetes-related. According to researcher Dr. Henry Newland, blindness is occurring in these communities at a rate four times that of the general population. The tragedy, of course, is that these horrific rates could be reduced if people could be persuaded to adopt healthier lifestyles and had access to improved healthcare.

(Pictured: an Indigenous Australian woman puts traditional basket-making skills to use.)

I was just reading about a dietitian in Australia who is offering supermarket shopping tours for diabetics. What a great idea! I wonder how common that is in the US?

The tour leader's name is Helen Taylor. Taylor takes the tours, organized by a local branch of Diabetes Australia, every two months. She basically takes small groups of diabetics around the supermarket and provides a little hands-on guidance on selecting healthy foods and deciphering food labels. She also tries to dispel popular food-related myths along the way - such as the idea that foods labeled "sugar-free" are healthier for you. Taylor says the tours are empowering for people who find themselves confused by all the (often conflicting) information out there.