One of the safest, affordable and sure ways to kick start
your diet; so are you ready to achieve your beach bod?
http://pd.gophercentral.com/u/3292/c/186/a/8695
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Diabetic Digest - Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Readers:

Wow, a little bit of exercise goes a long way. It really
does. For the last two weeks my wife and I have been going
for walks after dinner. We started out with ten minute
walks and then after three to four days we would increase
the time between two to five minutes. I know that doesn't
sound like much in the way of exercise, but I will say
that, it is making all the difference.

Since we started our evening walks I have noticed great
improvements both mentally and physically. I've been
sleeping much better and it's nice to wake up feeling
refreshed and not as if I just took a twenty minute nap.

Over the weekend we did quite a bit of yard work and it
usually beats me to a pulp, but this time I was able to
cut the grass, weed-whack, spread some weed and feed,
mulch, plant flowers, and put down some grass seed, with-
out feeling like I had just run a marathon while some
rabid dogs were nipping at my heels. I haven't felt this
good in a long while.

I'm up and around more, eating less and I've been cutting
back on my insulin. Now I just need to keep this up. I
can't get lazy. I can't get content with feeling better.
I want to feel great... and maybe lose some weight. So on
with the exercise!

Regards,
Steve

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Low vitamin D levels linked to diabetes risk
By: Leigh Krietsch Boerner

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Lower levels of vitamin D
circulating in the bloodstream are tied to a higher risk
of developing diabetes in a new study of Australian
adults.

After following more than 5,000 people for 5 years, the
researchers found those with lower than average vitamin
D levels had a 57 percent increased risk of developing
type 2 diabetes compared to people with levels in the
recommended range.

"Studies like ours have suggested that blood levels of
vitamin D higher than what is recommended for bone health
may be necessary to reduce the risk of developing type 2
diabetes," said lead author Dr. Claudia Gagnon, a fellow
at the Western Hospital at the University of Melbourne in
Australia when the study was done.

Vitamin D is manufactured by the body in response to sun-
light and also occurs naturally in some foods, like eggs,
cod and salmon. The vitamin is best known for its role in
working with calcium to build bones.

The Institute of Medicine recommends that adults get about
600 IU of vitamin D a day to maintain circulating levels in
the desirable range.

Past studies have shown that vitamin D may also help keep
blood sugar levels under control.

In type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease,
the body can't use insulin it produces efficiently to
control blood sugar levels. Vitamin D may play a role by
increasing the release of insulin, Gagnon said.

To see whether circulating D levels and calcium consumption
influenced insulin sensitivity and diabetes risk, Gagnon's
team measured the vitamin D blood levels of 5,200 people
without diabetes. After 5 years, about 200 of them had
developed diabetes, and the researchers measured everyone's
vitamin D levels again.

The researchers found that twice as many people (6 in 100)
with low blood levels of vitamin D later developed diabetes,
compared to those with blood levels in the normal range
(3 in 100).

When the researchers took into consideration risk factors
for diabetes such as age, waist circumference, and a family
history of the disease, the increased risk from low D
levels translated to 57 percent, relative to those with
higher levels.

Calcium is also thought to participate in insulin release,
but the researchers found no link between the mineral and
risk of developing diabetes later.

"Lower levels of vitamin D in the blood were associated
with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes,"
Gagnon told Reuters Health by e-mail. "However, our find-
ings do not prove cause and effect."

Further studies are needed, Gagnon's group writes in the
journal Diabetes Care, both to directly test whether
vitamin D supplements make a difference in diabetes risk,
and if so, to determine the optimal circulating D levels
to minimize that risk.

It's hard to know what exactly the link between vitamin D
and diabetes is, Dr. Ian de Boer, assistant professor of
medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle, told
Reuters Health.

But obesity and inactivity, the highest risk factors for
type 2 diabetes, may be the cause of low vitamin D levels,
said de Boer, who did not work on the Australian study.

Vitamin D has also been linked to lower risks of asthma,
heart disease, and certain cancers. However, there hasn't
been much evidence showing that taking supplements helps
these conditions.

Vitamin D is widely available for less than $10 for a
2-month supply.

The sun is the major vitamin D source for most people,
but salmon and fortified dairy products also contain a
lot, de Boer added.

The best ways to reduce diabetes risk are still to
exercise and eat a healthy diet, he said.

"I don't think there's conclusive information that
supplementing with vitamin D reduces diabetes risk,"
de Boer said.

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-------------------- Diabetic Recipe --------------------

Baked Sweet Potato Chips

Servings: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

- cooking spray
- 2 8-ounce sweet potatoes, peeled and very thinly sliced
(1/8 of an inch)
- freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a non-stick cookie
sheet with cooking spray, or you can use parchment paper.

2. Place the thin potato slices (sliced 1/8" thick) in a
single layer on the sheet and spray with the cooking spray.

3. Sprinkle with pepper to taste.

4. Bake, turning once if necessary, until the potatoes are
cooked through (about 15 minutes, but you can leave them
in longer if you want them crispier).

Nutrition Information:

Per serving: 71 calories (0% calories from fat)1 g protein,
0 total fat (0 saturated fat), 17 g carbohydrate, 2 g
dietary fiber, 0 cholesterol, 7 mg sodium

Diabetic exchanges: 1 carbohydrate (bread/starch)

(1997 - 2011 Vertical Health LLC)

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