Number 27; December 14, 2001

This newsletter keeps you up-to-date with new articles, columns, and Web pages that I have written. I list and link most of these on my Diabetes Directory at www.mendosa.com/diabetes.htm

From time to time Diabetes Update may also include links to other Web pages of special interest.

My most recent contributions are:

on December 14, 2001
• Drug Interactions
  My current "About the Internet" column for the American Diabetes Association's Web site focuses on the four drug interaction databases and the interactions that the newest one has with other programs. The URL is
  http://www.diabetes.org/main/community/info_news/web/default.jsp

Updates include:

• Glycemic Index Testing
  It takes a lot of time and effort to determine the glycemic index of a food. Two of the world's leading researchers now do that testing for commercial firms that want to promote how low glycemic their foods are. They are Jennie Brand-Miller of the University of Sydney in Australia and Tom Wolever of the University of Toronto in Canada. The updated information is in the "Other Resources" section of
  http://www.mendosa.com/gi.htm

  
  

• Insulin Index
  I have to admit that I never got around to uploading anything about the insulin index until now. The main study was "An Insulin Index of Foods: The Insulin Demand Generated by 1000-kJ Portions of Common Foods" in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1997, Vol. 66: pages 1264-1276 by Susanne HA Holt, Janette C. Brand Miller, and Peter Petocz. They tested only 38 foods and found that glycemic index and insulin index scores were highly correlated. There most interesting finding was that "protein-rich foods and bakery products (rich in fat and refined carbohydrate) elicited insulin responses that were disproportionately higher than their glycemic responses."

  Because Dr. Holt was the lead author of the insulin index study, I naturally thought of her when I started receiving questions about artificial sweeteners producing an insulin release. Some "authority" has apparently been making noises to that effect. Dr. Holt has also been researching the effects of sugar-free drinks on the satiety index, something that I reported here in the most recent issue of this newsletter.

  "There hasn't been a lot of research on the effects of most common foods on blood insulin levels, let alone artificial sweeteners and other common food ingredients," Dr. Holt replied to my message. "There have been a few papers published to show that nutrasweet (Aspartame) in the small doses typically ingested in diet sodas etc. do not raise blood glucose or insulin levels much at all. You are likely to get a bigger stimulus for insulin secretion from the other components in the foods, like sugar, fat, and protein."

Announcement:

Mark your calendars for the next edition of Diabetes Forecast - Live! "Save Your Sight" Tuesday, December 18, at http://www.diabetesforecastlive.com.

Diabetes Forecast - Live! is a monthly webcast brought to you by the American Diabetes Association and the HealthTalk Diabetes Education Network. Hear top experts discuss the advantages of tight blood sugar control, warning signs for retinopathy, and who you can call on to help with diabetic eye disease.

Boilerplate:

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This newsletter is free and will never include advertising. Nor will I ever sell, rent, or trade your e-mail address to anyone without your permission.

Archives:

I send out Diabetes Update about once every two weeks. Previous issues are online:

• Diabetes Update Number 1 of December 10, 2000

• Diabetes Update Number 2 of December 18, 2000

• Diabetes Update Number 3 of January 3, 2001

• Diabetes Update Number 4 of January 17, 2001

• Diabetes Update Number 5 of January 31, 2001

• Diabetes Update Number 6 of February 15, 2001

• Diabetes Update Number 7 of March 1, 2001

• Diabetes Update Number 8 of March 15, 2001

• Diabetes Update Number 9 of March 30, 2001

• Diabetes Update Number 10 of April 2, 2001

• Diabetes Update Number 11 of April 16, 2001

• Diabetes Update Number 12 of May 2, 2001

• Diabetes Update Number 13 of May 15, 2001

• Diabetes Update Number 14 of May 31, 2001

• Diabetes Update Number 15 of June 21, 2001

• Diabetes Update Number 16 of July 2, 2001

• Diabetes Update Number 17 of July 15, 2001

• Diabetes Update Number 18 of August 2, 2001

• Diabetes Update Number 19 of August 15, 2001

• Diabetes Update Number 20 of August 30, 2001

• Diabetes Update Number 21 of September 14, 2001

• Diabetes Update Number 22 of October 1, 2001

• Diabetes Update Number 23 of October 15, 2001

• Diabetes Update Number 24 of October 31, 2001

• Diabetes Update Number 25 of November 15, 2001

• Diabetes Update Number 26 of December 1, 2001

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David Mendosa:
A Writer on the Web: www.mendosa.com
E-mail: mendosa@mendosa.com

Office: 993 E. Moorhead Circle Suite 2F, Boulder, CO 80305