Subscribe
eNewsletter
Ready to get certified?
Free CDCES Coach App
Download
Free Med Pocket Cards
eNewsletter
Free CDCES Coach App
Free Med Pocket Cards
A new meta-analysis of clinical trials has concluded that healthy eating can “significantly” reduce symptoms of depression. Many scientists have noted a strong correlation between poor diet and mental health. The origins of mental health issues are quite complex, however some scientists have suggested that “diet is as important to psychiatry as it is to cardiology, endocrinology, and gastroenterology.”
In order to study the link between improving health and easing mental health symptoms, scientists examined data from over 46,000 people. The conclusions were substantial, “the analysis revealed that every kind of dietary improvement “significantly reduced depressive symptoms.” However, the dietary changes did not affect anxiety.”
Another interesting take-away was that highly-specific or specialized diets may be unnecessary for the average individual, that just making simple changes can have a big impact. “In particular, eating more nutrient-dense meals which are high in fiber and vegetables, while cutting back on fast foods and refined sugars appears to be sufficient for avoiding the potentially negative psychological effects of a ‘junk food’ diet,” said Dr. Joseph Firth.
Another study found another strong factor to reducing symptoms of depression is to incorporate exercise. Research revealed that this impacted women more than men.
Eating healthy can help reduce the risk of obesity, inflammation and fatigue all of which are closely linked to poor mental health.
To learn more: A diet rich in fiber and vegetables can relieve depression – Medical News Today
Sign up for Diabetes Blog Bytes – we post one daily Blog Byte from Monday to Friday. And of course, Tuesday is our Question of the Week. It’s Informative and FREE! Sign up below!
[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]
In the past decade, healthier “side” options have made their way on to many fast-food children’s menus. Despite their presence, these options are very rarely promoted as the default option. For example, a burger is often automatically paired with fries while other healthier options, like salad or fruit, are difficult to locate on the menu.
Eating out at fast-food restaurants is part of a typical week for many families. Most restaurants focus on pleasing the consumer’s palate, not nutritional value, which generally means meals higher in fat and calories than a home-cooked meal.
Children consume 150 more calories when they eat fast-food over a home-cooked meal. Simple steps, like replacing a sugary beverage with water or opting for a salad instead of fries, can help to counteract the excess calorie intake.
A study led by author Megan Mueller, a researcher at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health in Los Angeles, analyzed 20 difference fast-food menus over an 11-year period. The study was conducted to help understand the introduction of healthier options over time and if they were “featured” on the menu.
Of the 20 fast-food chains that were studied, 30% offered a healthier side as their default option by 2015. “It was surprising to see how much progress these restaurants made in offering healthier sides and beverages as options in children’s meals, but how much more progress still needs to be made in offering these healthier items by default,” Mueller said.
Offering a healthier choice as the default is crucial because it helps us instinctively choose something, but also takes the title of “normal” away from an unhealthy option, like french fries or soda. By labeling calories and steering away from advertising the unhealthier options, we can help steer kids and adults in the right direction.
To learn more: “U.S. fast food chains offering more healthy options for kids” by Reuters
Our Diabetes Detective Team scans the diabetes news to discover the most relevant info that Diabetes Educators need in their daily practice. We post one daily Blog Byte from Monday to Friday. And of course, Tuesday is our Question of the Week. It’s Informative and FREE! Sign up below!
[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]
| Registered Dietitians are rock stars. MNT interventions provided by RDs, dramatically lower A1cs. The results say it all. Within 3-6 months of meeting with an RD, people with diabetes can expect an: A1c drop of up to 2.0% with Type 2 Diabetes A1c drop of up to 1.9% with Type 1 Diabetes |
Fiber is a BIG deal
Regular fiber intake decreases the risk of death in people with diabetes.
Yet most Americans don’t get enough roughage in their daily diet. Recommended daily intake of fiber is 14 grams per 1000 calories or about 28 grams per day.
Encourage half of fiber intake to come from whole intact grains. Whole grains still have all three of these parts intact: the bran (the nutritious outer layer), the germ (the seed’s nutrient-rich embryo) and the endosperm (the germ’s food supply, which is high in starchy carbs). They’re typically high in iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, selenium, B vitamins and dietary fiber.
50 percent of fiber from whole grains. Examples per 100gm include:
50% of fiber from foods naturally high in fiber. Here are a few examples.
When it comes to finding foods with fiber, the packaging can be misleading. Food labels provide the most accurate information. Foods that are a good source of fiber have 3 grams per serving and foods that are an excellent source of fiber contain 5 grams per serving.
More weight loss improves outcomes
Prediabetes – For overweight people with prediabetes, new evidence supports losing 7-10% of current weight to reduce diabetes incident by 79%. Adding regular physical activity, including both aerobic and resistance exercise, also contributes to the prevention of type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes – If a person is overweight or obese with diabetes, the most effective weight loss target is 15% or greater to improve outcomes. The previous recommendations of a weight loss of 5-7% are based on the threshold for therapeutic effects. When it comes to weight loss, the greater the weight loss, the greater the benefits.
Eating Patterns – What is best?
There is not enough evidence to support one best approach, but for people with diabetes the research supports the following strategies:
Read the Complete Nutrition Therapy for Adults with Diabetes or Prediabetes – A Consensus Report here.
Recent studies have shown that 1 in 4 people living within the United States has fatty liver disease. However, the rate among Latinos is considerably higher at around 45%. Scientists are examining the effects of fatty liver disease and why certain communities are at higher risk than others.
A person is diagnosed with fatty liver disease if more than 5% of their liver weight consists of fat. However, ” it can progress to a more severe condition called nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH, which is linked to cirrhosis, liver cancer and liver failure. This progressive form of fatty liver disease is the fastest-growing cause of liver transplants in young adults.”
A surprising new research finding, is that the sugar in sweetened beverages can be passed from mother to child via breast feeding. When a mother consumes a beverage sweetened with high fructose corn syrup, the fructose level increases in the breast milk and stays elevated for hours. This can contribute to infant obesity and the development of a fatty liver, according to Michael Goran, the director of the Diabetes and Obesity program at University of Southern California and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA).
Goran leads a program called HEROES or Healthy Eating Through Reduction of Excess Sugar. The program helps young people avoid unhealthy habits to help reduce obesity and prevent fatty liver disease.
Many lawmakers are now attempting to decrease the consumption of sugar laden drinks, whether it is through a soda tax or added warning labels. However, many believe this is not enough. Public health agencies need to be more involved in raising awareness and discouraging marketing of sugary drinks to children and adults alike.
A concerning aspect is the amount of Latinos affected by fatty liver disease. A study revealed that a gene called PNPLA3 increases the risk of fatty liver and about 1/2 of the Latino population studied had the gene and a quarter has two copies of the gene.
“Medical researchers consider fatty liver disease a manifestation of metabolic syndrome — a cluster of conditions that include excess visceral adiposity, elevated blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels that increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.”
Low-income neighborhoods, often struggle with lack of resources combined with increased availability of unhealthy and cheaper fast food options, which can be a barrier to healthy eating. In an effort to improve health in these areas, HEROES has implemented farmers markets, community gardens and turned corner stores into markets with healthier options.
Providers and educators are urging people to decrease sugar intake and cut back on refined, low-fiber, carbohydrates to avoid health risks in the future. Let’s help get the word out eating less sugar and increasing fiber and whole food intake.
To learn more: Why are so many Latino children developing fatty liver disease? – PBS
Learn more about sugar intake, ways to avoid sugar and how to spot hidden high sugar offenders with our “The Joy of Six” resource page.
Download the Sugar Rush app from Fooducate to see how much sugar has been added to your food. Just scan the bar-code of any product and instantly see a breakdown of naturally occurring and added sugar.
Sign up for Diabetes Blog Bytes – we post one daily Blog Byte from Monday to Friday. And of course, Tuesday is our Question of the Week. It’s Informative and FREE! Sign up below!
[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]
by Coach Beverly Thomassian RN, MPH, CDCES, BC-ADM
For this newsletter, we highlight some key finding in the newly released consensus report, “Nutrition Therapy for Adults with Diabetes or PreDiabetes.” We also explore the rising incidence of fatty liver disease in youth and provide encouragement to keep active with the “Don’t Sit, Get Fit Campaign.” Nurse Appreciation Week kicks off May 6th. Let’s take a moment to shout out and recognize the contributions of our amazing nursing colleagues.
Click here to read our newsletter!
Energy drinks have grown in popularity over the past few decades. New research suggests a correlation between consuming energy drinks and mental health issues.
“A study, conducted by psychologists at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, followed more than 600 combat soldiers in their first seven months home after deployment.”
Adler’s research team asked soldiers about energy drink consumption and presence of mental health issues like post-traumatic stress, fatigue, aggression and sleep deprivation.
The survey results were startling: the soldiers drinking two energy drinks or more per day were more likely to have mental health issues than those who didn’t consume energy drinks.
Dr. Amy Adler and team set out to investigate the mental health of soldiers returning home. Adler sent out a questionnaire to 600 deployed soldiers, and discovered that 75% of soldiers surveyed drank energy drinks everyday. She quickly noticed that the prevalence of energy drink consumption was associated with increased risk of mental health issues.
“Depression and sleep problems, increased aggression, anxiety, substance abuse, things like that. All of those are risk factors were associated with drinking excessive amounts of energy drinks.”
Senior Psychologist Dr. Amy Adler, hopes that their research will shed light on how energy drinks can affect mental health not only in soldiers but civilians as well. Adler did not state that the energy drinks cause mental health issues, but it is a factor to consider when the soldiers return. Something they can control to help themselves feel better.
“There may be other high-risk groups out there like police, firefighters, emergency responders, or other groups this may apply to – or not,” Dr. Adler explains. “These groups are groups we want to pay attention to because there might be a way to mitigate the mental health problems out there.”
Energy drink consumption in the Iraq war is being compared to tobacco use during the Vietnam war.
“They (energy drinks) were rampant,” Greg Gebhardt, an Iraq veteran living in Raleigh, recalls to ABC11. “It was almost like a lifestyle. The soldiers used to joke as long as we have armed forces in the United States, the tobacco industry and energy drink industry will be just fine.”
Gebhardt managed the dining facilities at a base in Baghdad. He said energy drinks were very popular, not for taste but for caffeine-related effects.
“I think it served a purpose to give it that extra boost, to push them a little further, to keep their cognitive functions about them for that 16th or 18th hour of a long day in 120-degree heat,” said Gebhardt.
The consumption of energy drinks is widely common in the U.S. particularly with teenagers or adults who work long hours.
“The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, reports men between the ages of 18 and 34 years to consume the most energy drinks, and almost one-third of teens between 12 and 17 years drink them regularly.”
Dr. Branson Page, a physician at WakeMed’s Emergency Department believe that people often overlook the risks of consuming too much caffeine. Most people are unaware that too much caffeine can cause health issues.
Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system which increases heart rate and blood flow. If consumed in access, can cause anxiety, heart palpitations, agitation, and other physical symptoms.
Dr. Page believes there are many healthy alternatives if you are looking to be more awake and aware during your day. Exercise and restful sleep are extremely beneficial to mental awareness and overall positive mental health.
To learn more: Research raises concerns about use of energy drinks in military – ABC11
Sign up for Diabetes Blog Bytes – we post one daily Blog Byte from Monday to Friday. And of course, Tuesday is our Question of the Week. It’s Informative and FREE! Sign up below!
[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]
American teenagers who incorrectly perceive their weight are more likely to have unhealthy eating habits and be less active overall. Teenagers who accurately perceive their weight are more likely to make healthy choices and not take part in risky diets.
The study analyzed data from over 12,000 American teens, 32% of which were obese or overweight.
Teens who incorrectly believed they were overweight were less likely to drink fruit juice or milk, eat fruits, or have breakfast on a regular basis.
Teens who were actually overweight or believed they were overweight were least likely to get 60 minutes of physical activity a day, five days a week, the researchers noted.
This misperception of weight strongly correlated with adult obesity later in life. “Early childhood interventions to promote appropriate weight-related perception and weight management could have a lasting impact on chronic disease burden, in addition to preventing unhealthy diet and physical inactivity in youth,” he suggested.
Weight perception has also been linked to eating disorders, which are a leading cause of morbidity in American teens. Schools are now encouraged to provide education on eating disorders, weight misperception and providr examples of healthy behavior.
Researchers also believe that developing a regular exercise routine early can help a child maintain health habits into adulthood.
To learn more: Teens Often Off the Mark About Their Weight, With Unhealthy Results – HealthDay
Sign up for Diabetes Blog Bytes – we post one daily Blog Byte from Monday to Friday. And of course, Tuesday is our Question of the Week. It’s Informative and FREE! Sign up below!
[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]
According to studies published in Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases, adults who follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, may improve their insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function, even when controlling for BMI.
“It has been suggested that vegetarian diet may have a potential protective effect on the prevention and treatment of diabetes and its complications,” Xiuhua Shen, MD, PhD, of the department of nutrition in the School of Public Health at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in Shanghai, and colleagues wrote.
Researchers were trying to answer the question whether vegetarian diets increase insulin sensitivity due to weight loss or is it a result off the plant based diet itself?
279 vegetarians and 279 matched omnivores, were gathered for the study. The group was further divided to include those observing a vegan diet. Fasting blood samples were collected to assess glucose and insulin levels. The vegetarians had a overall lower percentage of obesity and average BMI. “Vegetarians also had a 1.4% proportion of insulin resistance compared with a 4.7% proportion in omnivores (P < .05), the researchers reported.”
“A plant-based diet with a variety of foods rich in phytochemicals and antioxidants, which may have a direct effect on alleviating inflammation and oxidative stress, may account for the higher insulin sensitivity in vegetarians, and especially vegans,” the researchers wrote. “Vegetarians, especially vegans, may be in a healthier insulin sensitivity status than omnivores, which is not completely accounted for by the difference of BMI.” – by Phil Neuffer
Please enjoy other Plant Based Resources here
To learn more: Vegetarian diets show potential for boosting insulin sensitivity – Healio
Sign up for Diabetes Blog Bytes – we post one daily Blog Byte from Monday to Friday. And of course, Tuesday is our Question of the Week. It’s Informative and FREE! Sign up below!
[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]