Browsing Tag

Highs And Lows

When We Peak

Our blood glucose still tends to peak at about 73 minutes after the first bite of our meal, if we have diabetes. But the peak comes much sooner for other people. And, of course, their peak isn’t nearly as high.

In my article “New Time to Test Glucose Levels” here two and one-half years ago I suggested that on the basis of two studies the peak was generally 72 or 74 minutes after the first bite. So when I saw new reports from a research group headed by Professor Jennie Brand-Miller, I got confused. Dr. Brand-Miller is professor of human nutrition at Australia’s University of Sydney and the world’s leading expert on the glycemic index.
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by David Mendosa

Diabetes Diet

Good News About Non-Caloric Sweeteners

The most comprehensive study ever about those sweeteners that don’t have any calories just appeared as the lead “original research communication” in the January 2009 issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. It is really good news for anyone with diabetes who is trying to lose weight or maintain weight loss.

This study changed my mind about using non-caloric sweeteners. A little more than a year ago I wrote here that, “The classic 1969 experiment by Stylianos Nicolaïdis showed that merely tasting a sweet substance – whether it is sugar or a non-caloric sweetener – causes rats to secrete insulin.” The problem with that is that more circulating insulin can make us hungry so that we will probably eat more.
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by David Mendosa

Diabetes Diet

New Glycemic Tables

Ever since 1995, when the first international tables of glycemic index appeared in print and on my website, they have been the gold standard for determining the glycemic index of as many foods as researchers had tested at that point.

Now, in the third revision of the international tables you can find the glycemic indexes of many more foods.

The 1995 tables listed the glycemic indexes of 565 foods from 79 studies in the professional literature from around the world. Professor Jennie Brand-Miller, PhD, of the school of microbial biosciences at Australia’s University of Sydney was the lead author of those and subsequent updates of those tables.
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by David Mendosa

Diabetes Testing

A Better A1C Test

Even in these difficult times when almost all of us are learning how to become frugal again, money isn’t everything. Especially when it comes to our health.

For those of us who have diabetes the A1C test is the best measure that we have of the state of our health. The A1C is the only commonly available check that we have of our average blood glucose level for the past two or three months.

Those of us who are fortunate enough to have health insurance usually go to the lab at our doctor’s office or local hospital for their A1C. I know that’s what I was doing several times a year ever since my diabetes diagnosis in 1994. My health insurance provides up to two A1C tests annually for a modest $15 co-pay each time for my visit to my primary care physician.

But until now I didn’t take into account how much time getting an A1C test at the lab took out of my busy schedule. And most importantly, I didn’t realize that the lab’s results may not be right.
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by David Mendosa

Diabetes Testing

Selecting a Mail Order Meter

If you get your blood glucose meters and test strips by mail order, you have a new choice that is well worth considering. It’s the OneTouch Select from LifeScan, one of the top two meter manufacturers in terms of volume.

OneTouch Select

While LifeScan pushes its top-of-the-line meters like the OneTouch Ultra2 and UltraSmart, you may never had heard of the OneTouch Select before. I know that I didn’t know anything about it until my friend, Tim Cady, the president of Advanced Diabetes Supply in Carlsbad, California, happened to mention it to my on the phone recently.

by David Mendosa

Diabetes Testing

The Ultimate Meter

The new WaveSense Jazz meter is by far the best blood glucose meter I’ve ever used.

For years I have complained about the lack of accuracy of other meters. All the other meters also make it too difficult to tag our results to correspond with our meals, and most other meters still require that we code them to match a new vial of test strips. This new meter even includes two ways to calculate glycemic variability, which many people see as even more valuable than the A1C test. And much more.
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by David Mendosa

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