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Diets That Lower CRP Levels May Prevent Chronic Disease | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet
C-reactive protein (CRP) is a bloodstream marker of body-wide inflammation. A prominent theory is that if your CRP is too high, it causes chronic disease states like hypertension, dementia, and cardiovascular disease. A 2024 meta-analysis published in British Journal of Nutrition looked at the effects of various diets on CRP. The implication is that your…
Knee and Hip Osteoarthritis: Does Exercise Help or Hurt? | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet
"Free knee CT scan image"/ CC0 1.0 Therapeutic exercise helps a little. But don't expect a dramatic improvement, according to this 2023 study published at The Lancet Rheumatology. The benefits tend to accrue to patients who are in most pain and most physically impaired at baseline. If you're carrying a lot of excess weight, it…
Ketogenic Diets Reduce Risk of Death | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet
Many physicians and dietitians have been hesitant to suggest ketogenic diets due to 1) possible increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and 2) unknown effects on overall mortality. But a study published at Scientific Reports in October 2024 suggests that ketogenic diets reduce overall mortality by 24% with no effect on cardiovascular-related deaths. Click the link…
Is Ozempic Illegal in Europe??!! | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet
In the video below, JP implies that it is. He's technically correct in that it is banned in some European countries according to a January 2024 article at HealthNews. Ozempic and Wegovy are brand names for the same drug: semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist. Wegovy is FDA-approved for treatment of particular folks with obesity whereas…
Ultra-Processed Foods: Friend or Foe? | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet
Strawberry shortcake in Amarillo, TX. Yeah, I enjoyed the heck out of it. We've heard or suspected for years that whole foods are healthier for us than processed and ultra-processed foods. But is it true? The British Medical Journal earlier this year published a study concluding that: ...a higher intake of ultra-processed foods was associated…
COVID-19: Metformin May Be Helpful | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet
If memory serves, when I started my medical career in 1981 we only had three classes of drugs for treating diabetes: insulin, sulfonylureas, and metformin. We have so many options now, that I have lost track. From Everyday Health earlier this year: Metformin, a decades-old generic drug for type 2 diabetes, may also help treat COVID-19,…
Oh Noooo! PFAS On Our Food and In Our Water | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet
"Strawberry Food" by Suzy Hazelwood/ CC0 1.0 Fruits and veggies are good for us, right. We should eat more more of them, right? UK's Daily Mail published a worrisome article about pesticide residues (PFAS) on many fruits and veggies: strawberries, grapes, cherries, spinach, tomatoes, peaches/nectarines, etc. The tested foods were from UK supermarkets but I…
Can Ozempic and Trulicity Users Ever Quit? | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet
I learned a new word today: deprescription. It apparently refers to the act of stopping a prescribed drug. There's a class of type 2 diabetes drugs called GLP-1 receptor agonists. Popular examples are Ozempic and Trulicity. They help users to lose excess weight. But there's concern about long-term drug side effects regain of lost weight…
How Do Koreans Stay So Slim? | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet
.....South Koreans, specifically. Korea has one of the lowest overweight/obesity rates among OECD countries: 33.7%. Life expectancy at birth is 83.4 years, compared to 80.9 in the U.S., 82.2 in UK, 82 in Ireland, and 72.3 in Russia. Anna Lee in the video below postulates why the Korean numbers look so good. She makes a…
Alternatives to Mainstream Media | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet
I'm increasingly distrustful of the mainstream (aka legacy) media. Ownership of it is in the hands of surprisingly few people. This makes reported news susceptible to manipulation by folks that have an agenda that may be at odds with your desire for "just the facts." In 1976, when the U.S had only three or four…
If You’re Planning on Ketogenic Diet to Control Blood Pressure: Fuggetaboutit | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet
Not bad From an April, 2024, Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases issue: Abstract Aims Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are major causes of mortality around the world. High blood pressure (BP) or hypertension is one of the most significant predisposing factors to CVDs. Ketogenic diets (KDs) have been the center of attention for their possible health benefits.…
Does Collagen Supplementation Help With Knee Arthritis? | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet
A few months ago I heard fitness guru Mark Sisson mention during an interview that he was taking a collagen supplement for a painful hip condition that might need surgery, which he is trying to avoid. At the time, I had never heard of collagen supplementation. I used the google machine to find out it…
COVID-19: FDA Gets Bitch-Slapped By Appeals Court for Statements on Ivermectin | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet
Artist conception of the dreaded virus From The Tennessee Star: Dr. Mary Talley Bowden, Dr. Paul E. Marik and Dr. Robert L. Apter sued the FDA in June of 2022, asking the court to: “Hold unlawful and set aside any FDA actions directing or opining on whether ivermectin should be used for certain off-label purposes, including treatment…
New Drug Resmetirom for Non-Alcholic SteatoHepatitis | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet
Stages of liver damage. Healthy, fatty, liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. Vector illustration DiabetesDaily informed me of a new drug available for treatment of a liver disease that affects "up to 20% of people with diabetes. The disease is MASH: metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, something else I'd never heard of. (Shouldn't the acronym be MDASH?) The drug…
Does a Ketogenic Diet Prevent Cardiovascular Disease? | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet
In July, 2023, the journal Nutrients published a review of literature on the effect of ketogenic diets on cardiovascular disease. The abstract mentions potentially beneficial changes blood lipids, inflammation, blood pressure, etc., without going where the rubber meets the road: the effect on mortality and incidence of cardiovascular events in live humans. Click the link…
What About Ketogenic Diet for Kids? | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet
Diabetes Daily has in interesting article that addresses that question. A snippet: In October 2023, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published a report examining low-carbohydrate diets like keto in children and adolescents. You probably won’t be surprised that the authors are concerned. Despite the increasing popularity of carbohydrate restriction, evidence to support the benefits of…
I Was Right! Mediterranean Diet Prevents Cardiovascular Disease | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet
Branzino, aka European Bass, live in Mediterranean waters Yet another epidemiologic study supports the contention that the Mediterranean diet reduces cardiovascular disease. The higher the adherence to the Medi diet, the less cardiovascular disease over the next 20 years. I scanned the report down to the Discussion section and, surprisingly, didn't catch their definition of…
Does Vitamin D Prevent Dementia? | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet
Dr. John Campbell is "totally convinced" that high-dose vitamin D supplementation would prevent many cases of dementia, particularly Alzheimer dementia, which is 75% of all dementia cases. He takes 4,000 IU of vitamin D/day plus 100 mcg of vitamin K2. Unclear to me if that's year-round or only in fall and winter, when there's less…
Male Versus Female Longevity | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet
Working on powerlines is dangerous and it's mostly men who do it. Photo by Ana-Maria Antonenco on Pexels.com Jim Goad is one of my favorite living cultural commentators. On par with a young P. J. O'Rourke, who died in 2022 at age 74. Last year Goad wrote a thoughtful and thought-provoking article on why women…
Red Meat and Diabetes Risk | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet
Photo by Malidate Van on Pexels.com Red meat consumption -- whether processed or not -- was linked to onset of type 2 diabetes in the U.S. according to a 2023 article in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The research was a long-term observational study by mostly Harvard-based scientists. Among the authors that might be familiar…
Faster Walking Speed is Linked to Lower Risk of Type 2 Diabetes | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet
Photo by James Wheeler on Pexels.com You probably want to shoot for a speed of 3 miles per hour or higher. Or 4.8 kilometers/hr or faster. The British Journal of Sports Medicine published an article by researchers based in Iran. They analyzed 10 cohort studies that looked at average habitual walking speed and the incidence…
10,000 Steps a Day: C’mon, Man! Is That Really Necessary? | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com For perhaps 15-20 years, many health experts have recommended you walk 10,000 steps/day as important for maximizing your health and longevity. Depending on your stride length, that's roughly 5 miles (8 km). When I walk my dogs 4 miles, it takes about 90 minutes, which is a big time commitment.…
What Really Matters? | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMNxxM2Csow Only one thing really matters. That's your relationship with Jesus Christ/God. Who was Jesus? Did he exist? Was he crucified for your eternal salvation? Jesus is my Lord and Savior. He died for my sins. After my death, I'll be with him in heaven forever. Steve Parker, M.D.
19 Expert Weight-Loss Tips and Tricks | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet
1. Record-keeping is often the key to success. 2. Accountability is another key to success. Consider documenting your program and progress on a free website such as FitDay, SparkPeople, 3FatChicks, or others. Consider blogging about your adventure on a free platform such as Wordpress or Blogger, or try the newer social media sites. Such a…
Lyrica or Neurontin for Chronic Pain? | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet
"You can take this pill, but there's not much evidence it does any good." Physicians in the U.S. who prescribe opioids need a license from the Drug Enforcement Administration and it has to be renewed periodically. By the time of my next renewal, I must be able to prove to the DEA that I've had…
Have You Heard of Dry January? | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet
Photo by Chris F on Pexels.com I've run across a number of patients who slowly increased their alcohol consumption over months or years, not realizing it was causing or would cause problems for them. Alcohol is dangerous, lethal at times. From a health standpoint, the generally accepted safe levels of consumption are: no more than…
Reduce Alzheimer’s Dementia Risk With Mediterranean Diet | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet
Not sure where this is. Leave a comment if you recognize it. From Queen"s University Belfast: A Mediterranean diet of seafood, whole grains, nuts, fruit and vegetables could lower the risk of dementia by almost a quarter, according to a recent study. Significantly the findings suggested that, even for individuals with a higher genetic predisposition…
Arthritis May Be a Metabolic Disturbance, Not Wear and Tear | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet
Radical new information on osteoarthritis from Paul Ingraham: One of the most deeply held beliefs in musculoskeletal medicine is that osteoarthritis is a “wear and tear” condition — that joints slowly crumble under the onslaught of gravity and use and abuse. This fundamentally mechanical view of arthritis directly suggests that the heavier we are, the…
Benefits of Eating Meat | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet
Mucho protein, amigo I found a review article at Animal Frontiers that makes the argument in favor of meat consumption. The authors admit little focus on the downsides of eating meat. I've been cutting back on my meat consumption out of sympathy for the animals. Here are some of the key points verbatim: Aspects of…
Survive Your Hike in the Southern Arizona Low Desert | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet
"Rattlesnake under stone" by National Park Service/ CC0 1.0 Topics Introduction Weather Water Clothing and Gear First Aid Kit Navigation Aids Animal Hazards Plant Hazards How to Request Emergency Help Prepare for the Worst? Introduction Arizona is blessed with thousands of miles of beautiful trails. Most hikers complete their treks without injuries or other adverse…
Which Diet (way of eating) Is Best for Health and Longevity? | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet
Proper diet undoubtedly promotes healthier aging and longevity. But what's the right diet? A meta-analysis diet studies proposes an answer. Or more accurately, answers, based on diet-related biomarkers linked to disease and aging. Half of the studies were done in Europe, the rest from North America and Asia. The February, 2023, article was published in…
Do You Absolutely Hate Broccoli? | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet
If so, it may well be because of your genes according to an article at SBS.com. Particular genes determine whether you can detect a bitter chemical (called PTC) in broccoli and other brassicas like cauliflower and brussels sprouts. "Free broccoli and carrot in frying"/ CC0 1.0 "On average, about 70% of us can taste something…
Congestive Heart Failure: Excessive Sodium Restriction is Dangerous | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet
From DailyMail: Salt has long been seen as enemy number one for people with heart problems, with doctors telling patients to cut down on the amount of sodium they consume. But new research suggests that restricting salt too much may actually raise the risk of an early death in heart failure patients. Their work builds…
The Dementia/Fructose Link | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet
MRI scan of brain Colorado researchers theorize that fructose metabolism may be the driving force behind Alzheimer Disease pathology. Diets high in sugar and high glycemic index carbohydrates would exacerbate the problem. Salt may also play a role. Fructose is a simple sugar (a monosaccharide) typically found in fruit, honey, and some vegetables. Table sugar…
Management Options for Knee Osteoarthritis | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet
Photo credit: Steven Paul Parker II Dr. Howard J. Luks is an orthopedist who published a reasonable and fairly comprehensive article on knee osteoarthritis management. Thankfully, knee replacement surgery is a last resort for this surgeon. He discusses exercise, tai chi, diet, yoga, knee injections, NSAIDs, ice, heat, etc. Osteoarthritis of the knee is a…
Recipe: Peggy’s Indian Cabbage | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet
From Peggy at Buttoni's Low-Carb Recipes: If you think you don’t like cabbage (like my husband) you have GOT to try this recipe! You’ll swear you are not eating cabbage!! No cabbage odor or strong taste whatsoever to this dish! It is a delightfully crunchy side dish with grilled Tandoori Chicken or pork chops! I order my nigella seeds…
Metformin No Longer the First-Choice Drug for Type 2 Diabetes? | Diabetic Mediterranean Diet
Open wide! From Diabetes Daily: Metformin is the world’s most-prescribed diabetes drug. For a generation, most Americans with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes have been prescribed metformin as their first medication. But now metformin’s reign as the universally acknowledged “first-line” treatment for type 2 diabetes has come to an end. Updated guidance from the American Diabetes Association…