A lot of people I know avoid foods that list high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as an ingredient. Apart from the calories they add to foods, there's a growing belief that lab-devised products like HFCS are simply unnatural and may be harmful. Wikipedia has an interesting article on the origins and controversy surrounding HFCS, if you want to learn more.

Not surprisingly, the food industry has always defended HFCS against claims that it is harmful. But here's the latest contradiction of that claim: a recent study found that HFCS is "astonishingly" high in reactive carbonyls, which are thought to contribute to the development of diabetes. The study was led by Dr. Chi-tang Ho, head of Rutgers University's Department of Food Science, and colleagues. They concluded that one can of HFCS-sweetened soda contains five times the reactive carbonyls that are normally found in the blood of a person with diabetes.

A news release by the American Chemical Society, announcing Dr. Ho's findings, notes that previous studies have already linked HFCS to cell and tissue damage. They suggest that HFCS consumption may raise the risk of diabetes, not to mention obesity. Say's Dr. Ho: "People consume too much high-fructose corn syrup in this country. It's in way too many food and drink products and there's growing evidence that it's bad for you."

Diabetes-related health complications can cause severe nerve and tissue damage to the lower limbs. In the worst cases (and, unfortunately, this happens all too often), this necessitates amputation. The medical research field is working on ways to prevent or heal such damage before such drastic action is required. But what of those who do lose feet or legs? The next step is learning to use prosthetics. And, as the LA Times reports today, the prosthetic industry is experiencing a boom as diabetes rates soar.

Let's look at some numbers to illustrate just how much demand has grown: there are now 1.9 million amputees in the US, reports the Times article, and approximately sixty percent of those are diabetes-related. Compare this, says reporter Daniel Costello, with the 630 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan who have undergone amputation. A shocker, isn't it? It's also estimated that around five of every one thousand diabetics eventually require amputation of damaged feet and/or legs.

These days, "there's no such thing as a slow day," remarks William Yule, prosthetist and manager of Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics in Downey. "It can be hard because you can't help thinking a lot of these people don't need to be here," says Yule, alluding to the fact that so many of his clients are overweight Type 2 diabetics. Times reporter Costello spoke with Yule and others in the prosthetic industry and found that the upswing in business is an across-the-board phenomenon that some say is unrivaled since the Civil War, when maimed soldiers returning from battle brought about an unprecedented demand for prosthetics.

The Times article also includes a photo gallery that's worth checking out.

Seems a dose of Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is good for more than just fighting off coughs and colds. According to a report from the BBC, a new study has found that - in theory, at least - Vitamin C could reduce diabetes-related health complications. Vitamin C, said the University of Warwick-based researchers, was almost as effective as Telmisartan, a medication used to lower blood pressure.

Vitamin C packs a punch, they said, because it helps to clean up ("scavenge," in the words of lead researcher Antonio Ceriello) free radicals - molecules that cause tissue damage. This is of particular concern for diabetics because diabetics' bodies produce more free radicals than those of non-diabetics. This is why diabetics are especially likely to suffer from heart disease. It is also why diabetics are prone to tissue and nerve damage in the feet and legs - damage that all-too-often necessitates amputation.

The researchers also reported they were able to normalize free radical levels in patients with Type 1 diabetes using a course of insulin therapy followed by long-term treatment with Vitamin C or Telmisartan. And there's the rub: while Telmisartan is considered okay to take long-term, Vitamin C supplementation could in fact be dangerous if continued over time. Actually, the purpose of this study was not to look into treating diabetics with Vitamin C, but rather to investigate the workings of free radicals and methods for controlling free radical production. Sorry, folks. Things are never that easy.