Happy Mindful Monday! Below we highlight a beautiful poem by Liezel Graham who has a son living with type 1 diabetes.

In my fridge,
in the shelf that is designed
to hold cheese,

there are vials of hope,
and an emergency kit
in bright orange,

remember, remember 
in case you forget
how to breathe,

with pre-filled hormone,

so that when my fingers 
fumble with fear
I have a needle 
ready
to plunge deep into muscle,

to bring you back
if you should ever slip
too far away 
from me.

I keep nocturnal vigils with foxes
and
other moon mothers 
who have to keep on keeping on,

until 
the 
day 
breaks
fresh
hope
over
me,

and how tired can a mother
be and still breathe?

I punch a calculator in my head 
with every meal, 
and
I sing songs of

no, you cannot eat that now
and please, 
you must drink this now, 
or else…

and in this home we know needles, and

we
know
fear,

and we are the ones with 
a yellow sharps container
on our kitchen counter
where 
others 
have no such things, and

we are intimately familiar 
with the fear 
that 
can 
slip 
into 
a word,

hypo
hyper
ketones
coma
death.

but, I also know this hope that lives in delicate glass vials,
where every drop
holds life

yours,

and also my heart, and

I promise you 
that cells might forget
how to keep
you alive,

but I will not forget,
or
give up,

ever.

and
for you, 
and for life,
I am grateful.

— on mothering diabetes.

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Can Coffee Help Our Waistlines?

A new study from the University of Nottingham suggests yes! The study examined the effect coffee on brown fat.

Brown fat is a heat generating form of fat, unlike white fat which simply store the body’s excess calories. The heat generation of brown fat helps burn calories in the process of thermogenesis.

Brown fat normally is triggered in response to cold and helps the body produce heat by burning sugar and fat. In this study, the brown fat actually became hotter after a drink of coffee!

Michael Symonds, the study leader, explained the next step will be testing if caffeine supplements create a similar effect. Read the full report on the study here.

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A study from the University College London, published in Depression & Anxiety showed an association between eating dark chocolate, and lessening symptoms of depression.

The findings indicate a positive relationship between dark chocolate and lessened depression. However, they need to be confirmed in duplicate studies that carefully consider confounding variables.

In another study, researchers highlighted that highly stressed people who ate the equivalent of one average-sized dark chocolate candy bar (1.4 ounces) each day for two weeks experienced reduced levels of cortisol and catecholamine levels compared to highly stressed people who did not eat dark chocolate for 2 weeks.

Researchers also say dark chocolate appeared to have beneficial effects on the participants’ metabolism and microbial activity in the gut.

Bottom line – looks like we all need to eat more dark chocolate!

Read University College London Study on Chocolate Reduces Depression Risk

Read Dark Chocolate Lowers Stress Hormones from Web MD

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The University of Auckland in New Zealand has released a new study showing a positive association between gratitude journaling and A1c levels in adolescents with type 1 diabetes.

For full details of the study, visit Healio Endocrine Today.

Interested in learning more about adolescents and diabetes? Take our tots to teens course, where we cover special issues diabetes educators need to be aware of when working with children and their families.

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When it comes to insulin pumps, sensors and calculation, many of us feel overwhelmed and unsure about diabetes technology management. Plus, with the vast amount of information, it may seem impossible to figure out what to focus on for our clinical practice and to prepare for the diabetes certification exam.

Coach Beverly invites you to enroll in our NEW Technology Toolkit Online Course Bundle, to keep you abreast of the rapidly changing world of Insulin Pump Therapy, Continuous Glucose Monitoring and calculations while preparing for exam success. 

Technology Toolkit Airs August 20 and August 23

If you want cutting edge information on diabetes technology, problem solving and using formulas to determine appropriate insulin dosing, we highly recommend this toolkit.

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While most know there are great benefits to getting out in nature, Medical News Today has released a study showing that simply viewing nature can reduce cravings such as smoking, excessive drinking, and unhealthy eating.

As health care professionals, we can recommend nature viewing as a stress-relieving intervention that can be incorporated daily for extra health benefits. Whether using public green spaces, looking through your bedroom or office window, or visiting a neighborhood garden, all of these have been associated with lessening the frequency and intensity of cravings.

This is great new for people trying to quit habits such as smoking, excessive drinking, and unhealthy eating. Read more from Medical News Today for full details.

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According to a study presented during the 2019 annual Endocrine Society Meeting, metabolic syndrome in teens may be directly correlated with screen time and eating snacks.

“Metabolic syndrome includes high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess visceral adiposity and abnormal cholesterol levels. The syndrome increases a person’s risk for heart attack and stroke.”

Screen time is often associated with other negative behaviors such as snacking, eating excessively, and lack of movement.

Researchers found the teens spending 6 or more hours of screen time were more likely to develop metabolic syndrome. The odds were even higher for teens who reported snacking during those hours.

“Eating unhealthy snacks in front of screens is a habit that is probably harmful, but the relationship between this and obesity is well-known, but not with metabolic syndrome.” This research demonstrates that there is a relationship between snacking and metabolic syndrome.

A study of Cardiovascular Risks in Adolescents in Brazil analyzed the data from over 34,000 teens between the ages of 12 and 17. The teens were to write down their screen time habits daily and whether or not they were snacking.

“Snacking while watching TV was reported by 85.1% of the study population, and snacking while playing video games or using the computer was reported by 64%.”

“Strategies to assess and address metabolic syndrome in the pediatric population should aim at limiting unhealthy snacks while in front of screens,” Lead researcher Schaan said.

Shift in community and screen culture needed

Researchers recommend making an intervention on unhealthy habits that form during childhood. However, they believe that there may need to be a bigger shift in community culture.

As healthcare professionals we want to prompt a healthy lifestyle particularly at a young age. The habits we set as adolescents often transfer into adulthood.

To learn more: Metabolic Syndrome more likely in teens who snack while watching TV – Endocrine Today

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An Australian study was published linking morning exercise and short walking breaks throughout the day to blood pressure control.

Society today calls for an increase in sitting for longer periods of time. Prolonged sitting can lead to higher blood pressure and increased blood pressure can lead to cardiovascular disease.

Australian scientists believe adding three-minute walking breaks throughout the day can help regulate blood pressure. Although it is known that exercise and short breaks can help lower blood pressure, scientists studied the benefits of combining the two.

“They recruited 67 men and women who were between 60 and 74 years old and overweight or obese. About 4 in 10 participants also had high blood pressure. Every participant completed three different day-long tests in random order, each separated by a minimum of six days. Researchers measured heart rate, blood pressure, blood sugar, and other blood markers during each test condition. “

During one test, participants sat for 8 hours straight and another they sat for an hour then walked for 30 minutes then went back to sitting for 6.5 hours. However, the last test participants sat for an hour then walked for 30 minutes, then sat back down but got up every 30 minutes for a 3-minute walking break.

The participants showed lower blood pressure throughout the day if any exercise was involved. “The biggest reduction was seen when people did the 30-minute treadmill exercise in the morning and took 3-minute walking breaks throughout the day – although the additional benefit of the walking breaks was seen only among women.”

Scientists were surprised that only women showed the benefits of lower blood pressure through the short 3 minute walking breaks. This finding leads researchers to believe there is a difference in blood pressure response and it could be affected by gender and epinephrine levels.

“We recognize that exercise is good, and we now have the awareness that prolonged sitting can increase blood pressure,” Bhammar told Reuters Health in a phone interview. “Now we need to build breaks into our routines as a default so we’re not sitting for four hours at a time.”

To learn more – Morning exercise, short breaks from sitting lower high blood pressure – Reuters

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July Newsletter Now Available!

Most of us aren’t even aware that weight bias is embedded in our everyday medical language, in scientific papers, and in our client interactions.  But with awareness, we start hearing and seeing this bias all around us and realize that change is needed. 

In our July Newsletter, we explore weight bias language and provide some examples and fixes. Plus, we invite you to apply for our diabetes education scholarship and highlight the approval for a GLP-1 RA for pediatrics with type 2 diabetes.

July Newsletter Topics

• What is weight bias and how do we fix it.
• You are invited to apply for our Diabetes Educator Course Scholarship in San Diego, CA – Deadline July 22, 2019.
• Approval for a GLP-1RA for pediatrics with type 2 diabetes.
• Digital PocketCards Updated.
• Bring a Friend – $80 discount on the Diabetes Educator Course.

Click here to read our newsletter

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