Diabetic Digest - March 16, 2016

Readers:

Spring is upon us. Well, almost. Now that the weather is beginning to improve, I'm looking forward to expanding my exercise activities to the outdoor arena.

I'm looking forward to long, brisk walks, biking, swimming, tennis; the list goes on.

I know that some of you out there are just as excited as I am about taking advantage of the beautiful weather that is headed our way. Don't try and deny it. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

Regards,
Steve

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Comments? Questions? Email Steve


*-- Diabetic News --*
New drug outperforms standard diabetic vision loss treatments

BETHESDA, Md. - For diabetic macular edema patients with worse eyesight, the drug Eylea offered greater gains in vision than Avastin during the first year of treatment, researchers found in a two-year clinical trial.

For patients with mild vision loss, Eylea performed about as well as other drugs already used for DME, but offers doctors another option when considering potential side effects.

DME is blurring in the macula, the part of the retina used for central vision, caused by fluid leaking from blood vessels into the retina as a side effect of diabetes. The progressive condition is treated by injecting one of several drugs into the eye, which inhibits a substance called vascular endothelial growth factor that increases abnormal blood vessel growth and leakage.

About 750,000 of the 7.7 million people in the United States with diabetic retinopathy also have DME. Eylea was approved for use with DME patients last year by the Food and Drug Administration.

"The study suggests there is little advantage of choosing Eylea or Lucentis over Avastin when a patient's loss of visual acuity from macular edema is mild, meaning a visual acuity of 20/40 or better," Dr. John Wells, a retinal specialist at the Palmetto Retina Center, said in a press release. "However, patients with 20/50 or worse vision loss may benefit from Eylea, which over the course of the two-year study outperformed Lucentis and Avastin."

For the trial, the results of which are published in the journal Opthamology, researchers at the National Institutes of Health recruited 660 DME patients at 89 sites in the United States who were an average of 61 years old and diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes for at least a year. Each was randomly treated with Eylea, Avastin or Lucentis for two years.

Among patients with 20/40 vision or better at the outset of the trial, patients saw about the same improvement of vision, from 20/40 to 20/25 on average. For patients with 20/50 vision or worse, vision improved significantly over the course of two years: Eylea patients read about 3.5 additional lines on a chart, Lucentis patients read about three more lines, and Avastin improved by about 2.5 lines.

Researchers note that Eylea patients had better results after a one-year study of the three drugs' effects, but their similar results over the long term suggest doctors can opt for the one best fit for a patient's condition.

"This rigorous trial confirms that Eylea, Avastin, and Lucentis are all effective treatments for diabetic macular edema," said Dr. Paul Sieving, director of the National Eye Institute. "Eye care providers and patients can have confidence in all three drugs."


*-- Diabetic News --*
CAULIFLOWER SOUFFLE
INGREDIENTS:
1 medium cauliflower, cut into florets
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup milk
salt & pepper
ground nutmeg
4 eggs, separated
1 cup strong cheddar cheese, grated

DIRECTIONS:
Cook cauliflower in boiling, salted water until tender, drain well and mash. Melt butter in medium saucepan, blend in flour and cook, stirring over medium heat until bubbly; do not let mixture brown. Meanwhile, bring milk to a boil in another saucepan. Add hot milk to butter-flour mixture and cook, stirring over medium heat until sauce thickens and is smooth. Season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Remove from heat. Lightly beat egg yolks and stir into sauce. Stir in cheese and cauliflower until smooth. In a large bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold cauliflower mixture gently but thoroughly into beaten egg whites. Pour into a buttered 2 quart souffle dish. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or till puffed, firm and lightly browned. Serve at once.

Category: Vegetables, Side Dishes

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