Diabetic Digest - September 16, 2015

Readers:

I've been fighting a bad cold for the last week or so. I haven't felt this bad in a long time.

Even with this cold I've still got things under control. My blood sugar has been great, I'm eating regularly, but I've been having trouble sleeping. Hopefully I can combat this cold and get back to an undisturbed eight hours a night. What am I talking about, I have two kids under 4.

Don't worry. I'm not giving up. I'm sure I'll be better by the end of the week. Keep your fingers crossed and be sure to enjoy today's issue. And then unwind with a Peach-Banana Smoothie courtesy of today's recipe.

Regards,
Steve

P.S. Did you miss an issue? You can read every issue from the Gophercentral library of newsletters on our exhaustive archives page. Thousands of issues, all of your favorite publications in chronological order. You can read AND comment. Just click GopherArchives

Comments? Questions? Email Steve


*-- Diabetic News --*
Pancreatic cancer stem cells 'suffocated' by anti-diabetic drug

LONDON - Pancreatic cancer is one of the most difficult forms of the disease to treat because its symptoms are often not seen until the cancer is at too late a stage.

Researchers have found, however, that they can target stem cells in the cancer using an anti-diabetic drug because it cuts off their ability to power themselves using oxygen. This is different than most cancers, which rely on glycolysis, generating energy with sugar rather than oxygen.

"We might be able to exploit this reliance on oxygen by targeting the stem cells with drugs that are already available, killing the cancer by cutting off its energy supply," said Dr. Patricia Santo, a researcher at Queen Mary University, in a press release. "In the long term, this could mean that pancreatic cancer patients have more treatment options available to them, including a reduced risk of recurrence following surgery and other treatments."

Pancreatic stem cells create energy using a process called oxidative phosphorylation, in which mitochondria use oxygen to power cells. The anti-diabetic drug metformin was found in lab studies to cut off this ability to convert oxygen to energy, effectively "suffocating" the stem cells.

While researchers found the cells could alter their dependence on oxygen, they also found a way to force stem cells to continue using oxygen -- keeping them susceptible to the treatment.

The researchers note that metformin will not cure pancreatic cancer, but think metformin could be used as part of conventional cancer treatment to prevent stem cells in the pancreas from coming back or metastisizing elsewhere in the body.

The study is published in Cell Metabolism.


*- Diabetic Recipe -*
Peach-Banana Smoothie
(makes 2 servings)
Ingredients
1/2 cup (56 g) peeled, chopped fresh peaches
1 ripe banana, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 cup (120 ml) unsweetened pineapple juice
1/4 cup (35 g) fat-free, no sugar added vanilla ice cream

1. In a food processor or blender, combine all ingredients. Blend until smooth.

2. Pour into 2 tall glasses and serve.

Per Serving: 128 calories (2% calories from fat), 2 g protein, trace total fat (0.1 g saturated fat), 32 g carbohydrate, 2 g dietary fiber, 0 cholesterol, 18 mg sodium

Diabetic Exchanges: 2 carbohydrate (2 fruit)

***
Missed an Issue? Visit the Diabetic Digest Archives