Diabetes
Bites – A quick
synopsis of the latest diabetes discoveries & happenings
(or as we like to say, “If you gotta
have it, you might as well take care of it”)
By Liz
Oakes, RD, LDN
Liz Oakes joined
Integrated Diabetes Services this past summer. She specializes in diabetes
nutrition education (including carb counting)
counseling individuals with disordered eating, and individuals interested in
weight management. Liz has had type 1 diabetes for 21 years and has been on a
pump for the past 5 years. She is now accepting new clients. Send your comments
or questions to:
Aetna, Blue Cross, United Healthcare, now covering continuous glucose monitors!!!
The list of major insurance plans that are covering Continuous Glucose Monitors continue to grow. To see if you qualify for coverage please call your health insurance company for details.
Kellogg Will Adopt Nutrition Standards for Foods Marketed to Children
Kellogg Food Corp. has announced that it will stop advertising foods to children 12 and under if the foods do not meet specific nutritional criteria. This approach is a first of it’s kind, and long overdue! The new nutrition standards require that one serving of food has: less than 200 calories, 0 grams of trans fat, less than 2 grams of saturated fat, less than 230 mg of sodium, and (drumroll please…) less than 12 grams of sugar. Kellogg has also agreed to not advertise in schools that have children under the age of 12 and to restrict its use of licensed media characters.
Healthcare providers and parents should be happy to hear of the recent changes to Kellogg’s marketing approach as childhood obesity has been linked to diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. As a registered dietitian I am happy to hear of the recent changes. I hope that this will serve as a guideline to parents when choosing both breakfast foods and snacks for their children. Do your kids have to eat ultra-healthy food all of the time? No, but a happy medium is definitely preferred. Try to offer fruit, cheese sticks, or peanut butter crackers as alternatives to sweets. Remember to limit the quantity of sugary drinks (like regular soda), serve only 100% fruit juices and encourage physical activity.
A recent study reports a connection between metformin and weight loss for type 1 diabetics. In this study, metformin was used as an adjunct to insulin. It is important to note that the use of metformin for type 1 did not help improve glycemic control, but did lower both body weight and the amount of insulin used on a daily basis. If you are considered “insulin resistant” and weight reduction is a treatment goal, talk with your physician about the use of metformin.
One of the major challenges facing those with Type-2 diabetes is the progressive decline in insulin secretion by the pancreas. In a report from a multicenter study published in The Lancet researchers focused on therapeutic ways to preserve insulin-making capabilities of people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. In comparing insulin injections to oral medications over a one-year period, insulin was found to be more effective at helping people to continue producing their own insulin. The research showed that using insulin; upon diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes can help the body get back to a point where it can make enough insulin so that diabetes could eventually be controlled through diet and exercise.
Medtronic has a number of tutorials aimed at helping clients to better understand the Paradigm insulin pump system with Real Time CGM capabilities, the Guardian continuous glucose monitor, and Care Link website for downloading and analyzing data from both systems. These tutorials are particularly useful if you are coming in for a new pump training or just want a quick update. The tutorials can be found at:
http://www.medtronicdiabetes.com/help/index.html
If you are considering the Dexcom continuous glucose monitor or would like to refresh your knowledge of proper sensor insertion and system utilization, an excellent new tutorial can be found at:
Click on “view the SEVEN tutorials now” and it will take you all the way through a set up and insertions. This would be a great tutorial to use if you are planning on a Dexcom Trial either in-person or over the phone.
Integrated Diabetes Services offers continuous glucose monitoring trials with Dexcom 7 and Real Time Paradigm. Both sensor systems are inserted just below the skin for 1-2 weeks. They wirelessly transmit blood glucose readings, and graph data on display screens. Alerts can be set to notify the user of high and low blood glucose values. There is no commitment to purchase the system. The results can be used to adjust basal and bolus doses, evaluate after- meal blood glucose control, fine-tune nighttime control, read exercise patterns, and determine the insulin actions curves.
The CGM Trial service is available in-office or remotely by phone. The fee of $249 includes and instructional session to set up the system, all necessary equipment, and a follow-up session to analyze the data. Many insurance plans will reimburse for this service. Please call us at (610) 642-6055 to schedule an appointment for a CGM trial.
Turkey 0 grams of CHO
Stuffing 25 grams of CHO per 1 cup serving
Cranberry Sauce 27 grams of CHO per 1/4c or 2.5oz serving
Veggie 5 grams CHO
Apple Pie 43 grams of CHO per 1/8 of a 9” pie
Pumpkin Pie 30 grams CHO per 1/6 of an 8” pie
Managing blood glucose throughout the holidays…priceless
Enjoy Your Turkey Day!!!!!!!
www.integrateddiabetes.com has some great holiday gift ideas (for yourself or someone you care about): cool pump accessories, food scales, exercise videos, books and more!