According to an 2013 article in Diabetologia, despite remarkable improvements in life expectancy and a decline in cardiovascular mortality during the last few decades, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is still the leading cause of death in people with diabetes.

Women with diabetes have double the risk of death from heart disease than men with diabetes.

Women’s health has traditionally focused on sexual and reproductive health. Unfortunately, there is lack of awareness of CVD in women, among both clinicians and women themselves.

Yet we know that as many as six in every ten deaths from CVD are related to modifiable risk factors, even among women. See the nine risk factors that predict CV Disease in Women in the “Interheart Study.”

Key Message – As diabetes educators, we can raise awareness and advocate to treat risk factors and encourage women to take an active role in preventing heart disease through daily lifestyle changes.

Learn more via the May Diabetes Ed Newsletter!

Lower Vitamin D levels are more common in people who are overweight.

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin that can be obtained through food and exposure to sunlight. Lack of outdoor activity can be partially blamed for the increase in Vitamin D deficiency which affects 40% of people in the United States. However, a recent study conducted by VU University Medical Center and Leiden University Medical Center recently found a link between Vitamin D deficiency and obesity.

The study assessed men and women from the ages of 45-65 and focused on fat in the liver, fat around the organs, and abdominal fat.

In women, the study concluded that excess abdominal fat had the greatest association with lower Vitamin D levels.

In men, there was a link between lower Vitamin D levels and excess abdominal and liver fat.

It is still unknown whether obesity lowers Vitamin D levels or if Vitamin D deficiency causes excess weight gain. More research is needed to understand the nature of this relationship.

One of the investigators, Rachida Rafiq comments, “Although we did not measure vitamin D deficiency in our study, the strong relationship between increasing amounts of abdominal fat and lower levels of vitamin D suggests that individuals with larger waistlines are at a greater risk of developing deficiency, and should consider having their vitamin D levels checked.”

Take home message for health care professionals?

• Consider evaluating Vitamin D levels in patients who are overweight.
• Encourage people with diabetes to make sure they are getting enough Vitamin D in their diet by having fun in the sun (while keeping hydrated and not getting over exposed) and consuming foods such as: fatty fish like  tuna, mackerel, and salmon, mushrooms, egg yolks, and Vitamin D fortified products!

To learn more about Vitamin D deficiency and its relationship to obesity, enjoy this article published in EurekAlert

Larger waistlines are linked to higher risk of vitamin D deficiency

We consistently hear that eating fresh and local food is best.

What if you could purchase equally nutritious fruits and vegetables that would last longer and were a fraction of the price? Studies now show that frozen food can be just as nutritional beneficial as the fresh fruits and vegetables purchased at the local market. 

When you freeze fruits and vegetables, it actually locks in the nutrients and can even improve the levels of vitamins retained over time. We are more concerned about waste then ever, buy frozen allows you to avoid having your fruits and veggies spoil before you have the change to use them!

“You can store them in the freezer for a year and the nutrient level pretty much stays the same,” says plant scientist Hazel MacTavish-West, who is a food industry consultant.

A study done at the University of California, Davis, revealed the there was not a significant difference between the nutritional value. Because the fruits and vegetables are typically frozen within hours of being harvested, they had higher levels of vitamins over time. 

Helping our community have access to convenient, affordable, but also healthy food is an important part of being diabetes advocates.

To learn more about the nutritional value of frozen food, enjoy this article published in NPR: “Frozen Food Fan? As Sales Rise, Studies Show Frozen Produce Is As Healthy As Fresh”

Women who have a greater diversity of “healthy” gut bacteria may have a lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease. According to research published in the European Hearth Journal, arterial stiffness was discovered in women with a lower diversity of gut bacteria. Women who had greater microbiome diversity, including bacteria from the Ruminococcaceae family which lowers stiffness in the arteries and also the risk of obesity, were at a lower risk of developing symptoms of cardiovascular disease.    

“So, our results reveal the first observation in humans linking the gut microbes and their products to lower arterial stiffness. It is possible that the gut bacteria can be used to detect risk of heart disease and may be altered by diet or drugs to reduce the risk”  said Ana M. Valdes, PhD, of the University of Nottingham’s School of Medicine and NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Center.

Research concluded that studying the gut microbiome could be beneficial in recognizing risk factors outside of the traditional sect. More importantly that by changing the gut microbiome, there is a possibility to influence arterial health by dietary intervention.  

“There is considerable interest in finding ways to increase the diversity of gut microbes for other conditions such as obesity and diabetes,” study author Cristina Menni, PhD, of the Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology at King’s College London, said in the press release.

Research continues to support the importance of a healthy diet and how these trillions of bacterial hitchhikers profoundly influence our health. Learn more: “Gut microbiome linked to artery health” – Healio Gatroenterology 

Join us to learn about the exciting advances in our understanding of the pathology of diabetes and novel approaches to prevention with our New Horizons – Gut Bacteria webinar. We will discuss trends in diabetes diagnosis and classification.  The role and importance of gut bacteria in the pathology of type 1 and type 2 will explored. A detailed discussion on emerging research and clinical trial on interventions to delay or prevent diabetes is also included.

Level 4 – New Horizons – Getting to the Gut 1.0 CE – $29

This section is dedicated to celebrating Women Business Leaders in Northern California

Interview with Beverly Thomassian

“I think what I’m most proud of is supporting women in pursuing their professional and personal goals,” says Beverly Thomassian, the CEO, President and Founder of Diabetes Education Services. A registered nurse with a master’s degree in public health, Thomassian trains healthcare professionals about the ins and outs of diabetes to help them achieve certification. 

Thomassian started Diabetes Education Services 20 years ago when she and her husband first moved to Chico. Though she started out teaching live courses based out of a room in her home office while raising her two children, the diabetes coach has since grown her business to include a female-only team of employees (girl power!), a newsletter that goes out to over 20,000 online subscribers and a two-story office space with a webinar recording studio.

Over the course of the thousands of online courses, live seminars and conferences she has given, Thomassian has gained a reputation for her fun and lively presentation style, including her famous diabetes flash mob. “In all of my classes, we stand up and we dance,” she says, smiling. “But I’m not going it just for fun. I’m doing it to teach them moves to share with their patients.” Serving as a professor at both Chico State and UCSF, Thomassian somehow also find time to keep current on what is going on with people living with diabetes by working one day a week at Feather River Hospital’s inpatient and outpatient diabetes education program. 

To those just starting out in business, Thomassian urges, “Give yourself permission to be your authentic self. Because I think so much in business, when we start, we’re nervous, and we want to project a certain image. But I think people don’t really care about that. They want to know who you are and your personality. So, let your authentic self shine.”

See the Upgraded Living May, 2018 Issue here

Story of our Teaching tool, Pancreas Partner

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 are celebrating 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. 

Mwanaidi, pictures here, helped create some of our beautiful Pancreas Partners, read her amazing story below:

“While Mwanaidi was waiting for admission to college she earned money by sewing the “pancreas pillows” that Diabetes Education Services sells in the US. She used a donated treadle sewing machine, a pattern designed by Just One Person (JOP) executive director, Emma Sisia and traditional “leso” cloth. After paying Mwanaidi for her labor, Diabetes Education Services donates the profit from the sale of the Pancreas Pillow to help fund school scholarships and seminars for other deserving girls in rural Kenya.   Other alumnae of JOP have followed suit and are continuing to produce these wonderful pillows to help ensure the sustainability of our program.”

Eating breakfast may help your waistline, a preliminary study suggests. Based on preliminary findings, breakfast eaters over their lifespan, gained 1/3 the amount of weight as breakfast skippers! 

Of course, the quality of the breakfast foods are important too. Based on research, breakfast fans tend to eat more fresh fruit, whole grains, veggies, beans and nuts through out their day. 

For all of us, and especially those living with diabetes, this is a great reminder to kick off your day with the most important meal of all!  

To learn more: Breakfast Fans Gain less Weight Over Time – Health Day

Scientists from New York University School of Medicine have discovered an association between areas with an abundance of fast food swaps and type 1 diabetes in children and adults. This finding is interesting because typically type 1 is not associated with cultural influences. 

“Our research suggests that an adverse food environment has an important influence in type 1 diabetes, and a more thorough investigation of genetics, health behaviours and cultural influences should be considered for type 1 and type 2 diabetes.”

As we continue to research the link between diabetes and culture, it is important to consider what factors may have an influence on a patients lifestyle and what may put them at risk.

Learn more: Fast food availability linked to increase type 1 diabetes prevalence in New York – Journal of Endocrine Society