In this issue...

Focus on: Diabetes and weight loss

Prescription for Success: Your diabetes care team

Preventive Care: Activity and diabetes management

Diabetes in the News

Featured Recipe

Focus on: Diabetes and weight loss

Weight control = Improved quality of life
"Weight control and exercise not only improves diabetes control; they improve quality of life," says Cara Walcheck, registered dietitian, Allina Medical Clinic – Diabetes Education.

For example, many people with diabetes are on five or more medicines. Healthy eating habits and regular exercise may decrease that need...

Prescription for Success: Your diabetes care team

Talk with your health care team
Communicating well with your health care team is a big part of managing your diabetes successfully. If you think there might be a problem, don't wait until your next appointment to bring it up...

Preventive Care: Activity and diabetes management

'Muscle moving' means good diabetes control
The body uses blood glucose to help muscles move. Regular muscle movement helps your body stabilize its blood glucose levels.

• If you take insulin, regular activity can reduce your daily injection requirement.
• If you don't take insulin, regular activity can improve how your body regulates its own insulin.

Making activity part of your routine can help you in many other ways...

Diabetes in the News

Changes in fat cells may pave way for type 2 diabetes
Cellular changes in fat tissue play a major role in the development of type 2 diabetes, a new study shows...

Community-based diabetes prevention program promising
A community-based diabetes prevention program helps people lose weight and lower blood sugar as effectively as individual counseling from health professionals, the Healthy Living Partnerships to Prevent Diabetes study recently found...

Insulin pump with blood sugar sensor may improve on injections
Type 1 diabetics who used an insulin pump and a sensor that continuously monitored their blood sugar levels had better control over their illness than people taking insulin injections, a large clinical trial finds...

More genes implicated in type 2 diabetes
Scientists have located 12 new genes that seem to be linked with a predisposition for type 2 diabetes, bringing the total number of genetic locations implicated in the condition to 38. At this point, the findings don't mean much for patients or doctors, although one day they may lead to better treatments...

Diabetes may double risk of heart attack, stroke
Diabetes appears to double the risk of dying from a heart attack, stroke or other heart condition, a new study finds...

Gaining weight later in life ups diabetes risk
Gaining weight when you're over age 50, especially around the waist, significantly increases your risk of type 2 diabetes, according to research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association…

Scientists tease out links between diabetes, cancer
People with diabetes may have something else to be concerned about -- an increased risk of cancer. A consensus report by experts recruited jointly by the American Cancer Society and the American Diabetes Association linked diabetes, primarily type 2 diabetes, to certain cancers…

Brown rice bests white for diabetes prevention
Substituting brown rice or another whole grain for white rice can help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, according to the study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine…

Glucose 'tattoo' could track blood sugar levels for diabetics
In the future, people with diabetes may be able to monitor their blood sugar levels using a glucose "tattoo." This new type of continuous glucose monitor relies on fluorescent nanoparticle ink injected under the skin to detect blood sugar levels with a watch-sized or smaller monitor worn over the skin, say the researchers who are developing the new technology...