According to a RAND Corporation study, fewer and fewer diabetics are going undiagnosed these days. Specifically, the gap has closed dramatically over the last twenty-five years. So much so that Hispanics and African Americans are now no more likely than whites to be undiagnosed. Good news, to be sure.

And the news is especially good for men. James P. Smith, who authored the study, says that twenty-five years ago about fifty percent of men with diabetes did not even know they had the disease. Jump forward to 1999-2002, however, and the number drops to about twenty percent.

Smith concludes that even though ethnic and gender disparities remain, we are certainly doing a lot better at getting people diagnosed and into treatment. Diabetes programs that target minorities can take a lot of the credit for this shift, Smith believes.

On the down side, the less-educated people among us are much more likely to go undiagnosed and, when diagnosed, are less likely to successfully incorporate lifestyle changes required to manage the disease. Also of concern, Smith says, is the fact that even though obese people are at a high risk for diabetes, they nevertheless are more likely to have undiagnosed diabetes than are slimmer people.

Unless public health takes urgent measures, the Institute of Medicine warned in a report one in five children in the United States will be obese by the year 2010.

In response to this alarming message, Just Different Specialty Tea Company now offers Captain Teao's organic Tea for Kids - a calorie and caffeine free kid-friendly beverage. The tea is a refreshing drink that provides a healthy beverage option in the fight against childhood obesity, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. It is made with organic rooibos and is available in several flavors, such as: Very Vanilla, Orangie Orange, Lip Licking Lemon, Mango Madness and Peachy Keen Peach.

Captain Teao is the first character of his kind. He is a fictional, fun loving superhero who's on a mission to help kids fight the effects of childhood obesity, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. While on his mission Captain Teao invented Tea for Kids as a great tasting, healthy and refreshing alternative to high calorie sodas and fruit juices. Unlike sodas and juices -- Tea for Kids contains no sugar or caffeine and is loaded with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Cheers to Captain Teao for brewing such a socially responsible message. Here here!

A study published in the online edition of the journal Nature, found a sensor in the liver (LXR) activated by glucose that controls the body's metabolism of cholesterol and fat.

Scientists fed synthetic LXR to mice eating a diet of mostly simple sugars. They discovered that the mice metabolized glucose more effectively and that activation suppressed new production of glucose in the liver. That prompted the scientists to study glucose levels as the LXR activating mechanism in the liver. By controlling glucose sensing and fat synthesis by LXR, scientists may explain and correct why low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets can lead to an elevated level of triglycerides in the blood. LXR can sense surplus glucose, induce fatty acid synthesis, and prompt the liver's export of triglycerides into the bloodstream rather than being stored as fat.

LXR could resolve the problem of hyperglycemia and atherosclerosis by binding to glucose and cholesterol buildup in the body. LXR induced regression of atherosclerosis, the clogging, narrowing, and hardening of the body's large arteries and blood vessels that can lead to stroke, heart attack, and eye and kidney problems. Contrary to conventional wisdom, this experiment led to the discovery that glucose binds directly to LXR, representing the first signaling pathway of this kind.

Being overweight, if not obese, is an issue that has long been associated with type 2 diabetes. That's not to say that carrying an excessive amount of weight should not be of concern to those with type 1, but the risk factors associated with obesity were never as clearly defined as they now may be.

According to a study, conducted by researchers at the University of Washington and published in the January Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, obesity may be a risk factor for the development of diabetic kidney disease in people living with type 1.

After analyzing data collected from the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) on almost 1,300 patients with type 1, the researchers involved in this new study were able to determine that central obesity -- measured in terms waist circumference -- had an affect on he risk of kidney disease. Specifically, the researchers found that those individuals with type 1 and central obesity had greater chances of developing microalbuminuria (small amounts of the protein albumin) in their urine, which is the first sign of diabetic kidney failure. Further, it seems as though the larger the person's waist, the greater the risk of running into kidney problems. In fact, this risk was quantified by the researchers; for each 4 inches above what is considered a healthy waistline, a person's risk of developing microalbuminuria is increased by 34%. This association remained constant after other risk factors were controlled for, including intense insulin therapy.

More from the world of lab coats and Bunsen burners: a new Harvard University study (published in Science) suggests that Type 2 diabetics who are overweight could benefit from taking a couple of different drugs. The interesting thing is, these drugs were actually designed to treat other troubles - liver disease and a blood disorder. The former, ursodiol (usually used for liver and gallbladder issues), and the latter, Buphenyl (used to treat a serious yet rare blood disorder), were tested on obese, insulin-resistant mice. The result? The drugs had a normalizing effect on the mice's blood sugar levels.

Next step, of course, is to test this treatment out on humans and see if it has the same result. Shouldn't be too hard finding subjects, what with around twenty million Americans having Type 2 diabetes. Apparently, around ninety percent of that number are overweight or obese. Maybe this is a dumb question, but shouldn't we put at least as much effort into getting Type 2 diabetics to adopt healthier lifestyles and, er, drop some of that weight? In the meantime, I'm sure the manufacturers of these particular drugs are jumping for joy at this news...

The results of some medical studies, ones that track patient behavior, can be really disturbing. I'm thinking of the ones where patients either don't know or don't seem to care that following the treatment prescribed by their doctors could make a huge difference to their health - now and in the future. An example: a new study has shown that women who develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy are not well-motivated to take good care of themselves. In a nutshell, the study reports that these women are more likely to smoke and less likely to eat healthfully after diagnosis than other pregnant women.

If it's possible to change these womens' behavior through education (and those who conducted this study say yes, it is), then let's do it. Having gestational diabetes is not just a risk during pregnancy; it actually raises your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes down the road. (Women who develop gestational diabetes are more likely to be obese and to have diets low in fruit and vegetable content.) For this reason, it's crucial that women take it seriously. I have to wonder if these women realize gestational diabetes puts them at greater risk for Type 2 diabetes, but most of all I wonder if they really understand the very serious health consequences of having Type 2 diabetes.

The results of this study have been published in Diabetes Care.

Those delicious late night snackies may be bad for you. Researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle say that diabetics who eat lots of food in the evening are upping their risk of health complications. These experts sat down and interviewed 714 diabetes patients about their eating habits. Ten percent said they ate more than one-quarter of their daily food intake not at dinnertime, but after dinnertime. That means snacking after dinner, and getting up at night (even multiple times in the night) to sneak some late-night food treats - and we're not talking apples and oranges here. No, we're talking about snacks of the fatty and highly processed variety - the kinds of foods that give nutrition experts the night frights.

Seems that this little habit catches up with these patients in their declining health - they were two to three times more likely than the other patients in the study to be obese, to have poor blood sugar control or to have multiple diabetes-related complications, including the "biggies" - heart disease, and kidney and nerve problems. The cause? It seems that these patients are more likely than others to be suffering from depression. It appears that the late night eating is a coping mechanism. Researchers hope that access to therapy and antidepressants could help these people out.

The results of the study have been published in Diabetes Care (August 2006).

Black women need an attitude adjustment when it comes to weight and self-image, says Chicago Tribune writer Kayce T. Ataiyero. In an opinion piece published in the Trib a few days ago, Ataiyero lets loose in a spirited fashion on this topic. The idea that "big is beautiful" is widely accepted amongst black women, writes Ataiyero, but it is to their detriment. Yes, it's good to have a healthy self-image. The problem is that many black women are seriously overweight or obese, yet cling to the "big is beautiful" notion.

According to the latest statistics, eighty percent of black women over the age of forty are overweight or obese. Because they tend not to see overweight as a major health issue, black women put themselves at particular risk for illness, especially heart disease, high blood pressure, hypertension, and diabetes.

Ataiyero takes a few good pot shots at the comedian Mo'Nique (pictured), who advances the view that big girls are beautiful and sexy. "Ain't nothing sexy about a stroke," writes Ataiyero. This article is a great read and makes some valid points - check it out.

An article published in The New York Times a couple of days ago has gotten a lot of attention. It's all about how obesity surgery is associated with a very high risk of complications. This is a story that may be of interest to Type 2 diabetics who are overweight or obese and seeking ways to reduce their weight.

On the one hand, it is true that weight reduction by any means, including surgery, will also reduce the risk of health complications for Type 2 diabetics. However, on the other hand, as this story emphasizes, surgery is no easy way to reach that goal. The Times reports that four of every ten weight reduction surgery patients experience complications within six months. Common complications include vomiting, diarrhea, hernia, infection, pneumonia and respiratory failure, reports The Times. If that's not off-putting enough for you, another problem is the leaking of gastric juices "caused by imperfect surgical connections" - also known as Not Being Sewn Up Tight Enough, I guess.

The article profiles Joanne Kayser of New Hampshire. Kayser weighed 320 pounds before undergoing weight reduction surgery in 2003. As a result of the weight loss that followed the surgery, she no longer needed to take diabetes medication. However, her incision was slow to heal and then became infected, so she could not exercise...leading her to stop losing weight. She also developed a hernia at the operation site. The question is: was it worth it?

This news comes from statistics gathered by the federal government - courtesy of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, which is part of the Public Health Service.