Number 63; October 1, 2003

This newsletter keeps you up-to-date with new articles,
Web pages—and books—that I have written.

• I list and link most of these on my Diabetes Directory at www.mendosa.com/diabetes.htm and in the site’s menu.

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

My most recent contributions are:

• Hot Tubs
  When one of my doctors told me I needed to soak in hot water, I began an investigation of the literature on hot tubs. While my interest was personal, I am pleased to share it with you, because it has implications for all people with diabetes. My site’s menu lists it under the heading of exercise. That might seem strange until you read the article.

Updates:

• Tagatose
  A couple of years ago I reported that a new sweetener, Tagatose, was coming. It is now finally arriving in commercial products. The first to go on the market with it is 7-Eleven's Diet Pepsi Slurpee.

• Magazines
  There are so many magazines dealing with diabetes that it is hard to keep track of them all. But I try. When I announced my article about them in last month’s Diabetes Update, Barbara Toohey, one of the authors of many book on diabetes, including The Diabeticís Total Health and Happiness Book (which I reviewed in the same issue) wrote me requesting that I include addresses of the magazines so their publicist could offer them review copies. I thought that was such a good idea that I not only ferreted out the addresses but also advised the publicist for my book, What Makes My Blood Glucose Go Up…And Down?, which I announced in the same issue.

  Survey
  In the previous issue of this newsletter I announced a survey to help an innovative manufacturer of products for people with diabetes decide whether and how to proceed with two new products. The products are visual test strips that do not require a monitor. Almost 10 percent of you, about 200 people, responded. That is considered a great response rate, and the manufacturer and I are both pleased.

  When you were asked about adopting no-wipe visual test strips as part of your regimen, 33 percent said you would or may; the remainder said you probably or definitely wouldn’t. Unfortunately, given these results, the manufacturer is not very optimistic about the prospects for their visual strips in the US or other developed countries. I believe, however that there remains a huge market in the underdeveloped world.

  To me, your most interesting responses were to the question asking the top three factors that most influence your choice of blood testing products. Tops was accuracy, 61 percent. Ease of use was second with 38 percent, and convenience and size of blood volume required tied for third with 36 percent each.

  Considering the real lack of standards for meter accuracy (see http://www.mendosa.com/fda.htm), I hope this can serve as a wake-up call.

  As promised, the manufacturer has donated $1 to the American Diabetes Association for each of the 200 respondents.

Research and Regulatory News:

• Saponins and Wine
  I always thought that saponins were something you wanted to get rid of when you ate quinoa. This is a tasty pseudo-grain from the Andes that is high in protein. However, it can be bitter unless you wash away the saponin covering first.

  Now, saponins “are a hot new food ingredient,” according to Andrew Waterhouse, professor of enology (wine chemistry) at the University of California, Davis. He described his findings at the 226th national meeting of the American Chemical Society in September.

  Saponins are linked to the ability to lower cholesterol, something quite important to most people with diabetes. They are glucose-based plant compounds found in many foods. Previously, however, nobody thought that they were wine. Everyone attributed the so-called French Paradox—the association between red wine and less heart disease—to resveratrol, a compound found in grapes that acts as an antioxidant. Now it looks like saponins could be just as important.

  Dr. Waterhouse studied six varieties of California wines—four reds and two whites—and compared their saponin content. He found that the red wines he tested have three to ten times as much saponin as the whites. Red Zinfandel had the highest levels. Syrah had the second highest, followed by Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon, which had about the same amount. The white varieties tested, Sauvignon blanc and Chardonnay, contained much less.

  For some reason Dr. Waterhouse didn’t analyze Merlot for this study. He believes, however, that it is comparable to the reds he tested.

  My friend, Derek Paice, won’t be surprised to hear that. Derek, the author of Diabetes and Diet: A Type 2 Patient’s Successful Efforts at Control, has dramatically increased his good (HDL) cholesterol level by drinking Merlot every evening. He wrote me recently that over a period of years one glass of Merlot per day eventually raised his HDL from 39 to 66 mg/dl. Two glasses per day further raised his HDL to 89 mg/dl. In this ongoing experiment, his bad (LDL) cholesterol and triglyceride levels remained about the same.

  He says that it took a while, “but I now enjoy the taste of my ‘liquid medicine.’”

• FDA Actions
  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a liquid form of the most common diabetes pill, metformin (brand name Glucophage). This alternative form is for patients who find it difficult to swallow the tablet form. On September 11 the FDA approved Riomet, which is manufactured and marketed by Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Princeton, New Jersey. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited in New Delhi, India’s largest pharmaceutical company.