Within the medical community, we often use the terms “good cholesterol” and “bad cholesterol.” HDL, or high density lipoprotein cholesterol, is most often viewed as “protective from cardiovascular disease and death,” or the “good cholesterol” However, a recent study by the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta found that high levels HDL may actually be considered harmful.

The study assessed 60,000 men and women and tracked their cholesterol levels and risk for heart disease over the course of four years. HDL levels ranged, “from a low, less than 30 mg/dL to a high, greater than 60 mg/dL of blood.” Over the duration of the study, about 13% of test subjects either suffered from a heart attack or died.

“Specifically, patients with HDL levels exceeding 60 were found to have a 50 percent greater risk of heart disease death or heart attack, compared with those in the middle-range, the investigators reported.” 

At the study’s end, the researchers concluded that patients with HDL levels in the middle-range of the spectrum — meaning between 41 to 60 mg/dL of blood — fared the best, having the lowest risk for heart attack or death from heart disease.

Allard-Ratick, head researcher on this study says concerned patients with high HDL cholesterol, “should continue to address other modifiable risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, and obesity to reduce cardiovascular disease”.

To read more about this study, visit Could too much HDL cholesterol be bad for your heart?

To learn more about cholesterol management, visit Cholesterol 101: An introduction.

Appetite control is often associated with risk of obesity and Type 2 Diabetes. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego have found that leptin resistance may have a significant impact on hunger and satisfaction. In animal studies, a high-fat diet increases the amount of an enzyme named MMP-2, which damages leptin receptors that signal your brain when you’re full. When the hormone leptin’s receptor sites are damaged, the neurons do not send a satiety signal to the stomach to stop eating. This may explain why obese individuals often eat past the point of fullness. 

Leptin is released from white fat tissue, the most predominant form of fat, when a person is eating a meal. “Leptin travels through the bloodstream to the brain, specifically the hypothalamus, where it stimulates neural receptors to signal that the stomach is full.” Individuals who are overweight or obese typically have plenty of leptin in the blood, but due to the abundance of the MPP-2 enzyme, the system fails to send the signal of satiety to the hypothalamus.

This study found the enzyme MMP-2 is responsible for the damage to leptin receptors. Subjects who did not produce the MMP-2 enzyme gained less weight overall. Their leptin receptors still remained in tact. Researchers of this study, believe that, “other membrane receptors may be destroyed in the same way.” Further research must be conducted to determine if this is the case for other receptors as well. 

This research team is calling for a large-scale clinical trial to investigate whether MMP-2 inhibitors might help people lose weight

For more information on leptin resistance, check out at the study Leptin Resistance and Appetite Control.

Contributed By: Sofia Sepulveda

 Today we celebrate International Day of the Girl!

An important mission of Diabetes Education Services is to inspire girls to feel emboldened to chase their dreams! 

Established by the United Nations in 2012, International Day of the Girl, was created to address the challenges girls face all over the world!

“International Day of the Girl promotes empowerment, education, and employment skills, alongside the attainment of basic human rights.

The 2018 theme is “With Her: A Skilled GirlForce”, and it focuses on properly equipping and training the 600 million adolescent girls who will enter the workforce within the next decade.

How can people work now to help these girls obtain secure, safe, and gainful employment within the next few years?”

At Diabetes Education Services we believe in supporting girls and women to realize their potential.  We are dedicated to supporting the growth and well-being of our future generations. Today, we continue to celebrate our amazing sister organization, Just One Person.

Just One Person, is a model sustainable program that prepares girls in rural Kenya for post secondary opportunities, helping them develop economic independence that will guide them on the path out of poverty.

Diabetes Education Services partners with Just One Person to manufacture our Pancreas Partner. All profits from Pancreas sales are donated to Just One Person to help the girls pursue ongoing education and gainful employment.

Want to get inspired? – Enjoy these “11 Inspiring Quotes For International Day Of The Girl 2018, Because You Could Really Use A Boost Right Now” – Romper

A study conducted by the Canadian Medical Association has found that common household disinfectants may increase the risk of obesity in children. The chemicals present in cleaning products we use every single day may alter the gut flora of children in their first few months of life.  However, the children in households that used eco-friendly cleaners were less likely to be overweight.

Researchers from across Canada looked at data on microbes in infant fecal matter among children enrolled in the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) birth cohort. The study assessed 757 infants from the ages of three-four months. Their gut flora and BMI were recorded for the purpose of this research. Researchers found that, “infants living in households with disinfectants being used at least weekly were twice as likely to have higher levels of the gut microbes Lachnospiraceae at age three to four months.” said principal investigator Anita Kozyrskyj, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Alberta.

Lachnospiraceae is a common bacteria in the gut that is non-pathogenic. The children who were not exposed to disinfectants at an early age had lower BMIs than those  with frequent exposure. 

“When they were three years old, their body mass index was higher than children not exposed to heavy home use of disinfectants as an infant,” she added.

In contrast, the study found that babies living in households that used eco-friendly cleaners had different microbiota and were less likely to be overweight as toddlers.

No exact evidence has been found that changes of the microbiome may actually be linked to obesity. However, they call for further studies “to explore the intriguing possibility that use of household disinfectants might contribute to the complex causes of obesity through microbially mediated mechanisms.”

“Cleaning products have the capacity to change the environmental microbiome and alter risk for child overweight,” write the authors.This is particularly important during the developmental stages of life. 

For more information on household cleaners and gut flora, visit Household cleaners may alter kid’s gut flora and contribute to being overweight.

Contributed By: Sofia Sepulveda

Diabetes Blog Bytes – Sign up now to receive the latest Blog Bytes in your inbox.

Resources and Further Reading

Self-Care and Compassion for Diabetes Educators – August Newsletter, 2018. Features article by Heather Nielsen

Can Mindfulness Help Stop Health Worker Burnout? – highlights the benefits and limitations of formal mindfulness training for Health Care professionals’ stress.

Getting Started with Mindfulness – a popular and accessible magazine, Mindful, provides tips and tools for getting started on mindfulness practice.

Best Meditation Apps for 2018 – an article reviewing the best apps for meditation/happiness.

Mindfulness Self Compassion, Dr. Kristen Neff website which provides an abundance of resources and information on self-compassion.

Emindful.com – an online mindfulness teaching center.

Quincy the Queensland Koala was lethargic and kept drinking lots of water. The veterinary staff at the Los Angeles Zoo diagnosed diabetes and then asked a team of experts for help.

Thanks to the expertise of Dr. Athena Philis-Tsimikas, of the Scripps Whittier Diabetes Institute, Quincy is now sporting his very own CGM. His blood sugars are carefully tracked by Dr. Philis-Tsimikas and the medical team.

Quincy doesn’t weight enough to comfortably wear an insulin pump, so daily injections are required. And, since he is so tiny, insulin doses are minuscule to avoid hypoglycemia.

The good news is the Quincy is keeping a healthy weight and continues to be active.

Great job team!

Read more about Quincy in A SweetLife News

To learn more, enjoy: What do you call a koala who is too sweet for its own good? Diabetic – Clinical Endocrinology Today

Nearly 40% of adults in the United States are now considered obese and another 30% are overweight.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have stated that, “the average American man now stands at 5’9 and weighs 196 pounds which is 15 pounds higher from 20 years ago.

The average female today stands 5-feet-3 3/4 inches and weighs 169 pounds, a 20 pound increase over the past 20 years.

Rates of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and metabolic disease have mirrored the rise of obesity.

According to the CDC, the United States as a whole is consuming more energy than they are burning. The more complex answer however relates to the food environment of this country and how it influences what we eat and how much we eat.

The biggest concern according to Scott Kahan, the director of the National Center for Weight and Wellness, is that, “the unhealthiest foods are the tastiest foods, the cheapest foods, the largest-portion foods, the most available foods, the most fun foods.”

An article published by Vox magazine demonstrates just how exactly our food environment is affecting the health outcomes of the United States:

1. Americans tend to eat out a lot. Convenience foods are an everyday part of our fast paced society. Americans are cooking less and spending more money eating out. Researchers have found that individuals usually eat 20-40% more calories when eating out.
2.  Portion sizes increased by four fold over the past decades. According to the Center for Disease Control, the average caloric intake of American citizens has risen by nearly 500 calories in just forty years. The average restaurant meal today is more than four times the size of typical 1950s fare.
3. Easy access and consumption of sugary beverages, which increases likelihood of obesity and other chronic diseases.
4. Under consumption of high fiber foods. The recommendation by the FDA is 1.5-2 cups of fruit and 2-3 cups of vegetables per day. However, only about 10% of Americans are consuming enough vegetables and 15% are meeting the guidelines for fruit.
5. Many meals, especially breakfast, are often a “disguised dessert.” The added sugars and lack of fiber reduce nutrient density in our diets while simultaneously increasing calorie consumption.

In order to improve the health of our country, action to improve our food environment is critical.  This means implementing public health initiatives to provide our communities with healthier choices through out their day and lives.

For more CDC Stats – See CDC Info Page on current U.S. Weight Trends

For more information on how our food environment is affecting health outcomes, visit “It’s easy to become obese in America.”

Sign up here to receive our Diabetes Blog Bytes in your inbox! 

In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we want to help raise awareness and encourage action toward prevention

In the first of a two blog series, we highlight the relationship between diabetes and breast cancer. 

A meta-analysis published in the British Journal of Cancer in 2012 that found “the risk of breast cancer in women with Type 2 diabetes is increased by 27 percent, a figure that decreased to 16 percent after adjustment for BMI.” This means that even when researchers controlled for overweight and obesity, there was still a 16% increased risk of getting breast cancer if diabetes was present.

This elevated risk of breast cancer is observed in Type 2 diabetes and among post-menopausal women.

If we dig a little deeper, it seems that both breast cancer and diabetes share risk factors associated with insulin resistance, including overweight or obesity, physical inactivity and genetics.

There also seems to be a relationship between the duration and severity of diabetes and the occurrence of breast cancer.  It seems as diabetes progresses and affects the health of the body systems, the risk of breast cancer also increases.

Is there anything women can do to prevent diabetes and breast cancer?

The good news is yes. Women can reduce their risk of getting breast cancer by 15% by getting active, losing weight, and improving the nutritional quality of the foods consumed.

And, according to the Diabetes Prevention Program, people can reduce their risk of getting diabetes by up to 58% by losing 5-7% of their body weight and exercising for 150 minutes a week.

By investing in health on a daily basis the risk of breast cancer and diabetes decrease. It’s worth the work!

For more info:

• See article published in US News Health here
• Register for our Level 4 Online Course – Cancer and Diabetes