Adam Morrison "Takes Center Court" For Diabetes Awareness

NBA rookie Adam Morrison is looking forward to an exciting November. Not only does this month mark the official start of his professional career with the Charlotte Bobcats, but November is also American Diabetes Month, and Morrison, who has Type 1 diabetes, has geared up to become an advocate for better diabetes management.

A favorite for Rookie of the Year and compared by some to Larry Bird, Morrison teamed up recently with LifeScan, Inc., makers of the OneTouch® Brand of Blood Glucose Monitors. In fact, Morrison and the company have collaborated on a new Web site, http://www.DiabetesAndFood.com, where visitors can “meet” Adam and learn more about the impact of food on blood sugar levels, a particularly timely topic for people with diabetes, as November also marks the arrival of the holiday food season.

Created to help the nearly 21 million Americans with diabetes eat healthier for better diabetes management, the Web site includes information on testing blood sugar around meals as well as blood sugar targets for before and after meals. Visitors to the Web site can request a free educational DVD and booklet that can help them learn to make simple adjustments so they can still enjoy the foods they love, covering topics like the role of carbohydrates and planning for dessert. The new Web site also addresses topics like why and when to test blood sugar levels and insurance coverage for diabetes supplies.

Morrison was diagnosed with diabetes when he was 14. He monitors his blood sugar levels regularly – whether he’s playing or not – and has firsthand knowledge of the food/blood sugar connection. He’s learned that – for him – eating the same meal two hours and 15 minutes before every game helps to control his blood sugar levels and enables him to perform well on the court. Because food choices and portions affect everyone differently, Adam encourages people with diabetes to talk to their doctors to see if testing around some meals could help them see how their food and portion choices impact them. This could help them make even healthier food and portion choices in the future.

Morrison hopes that his personal mission – a “full court press” that includes public appearances and other outreach efforts – will help those suffering from diabetes learn how to better manage their disease.

“My goal is to help people with diabetes understand how keeping blood sugar levels in a healthy range can help them avoid complications,” says Morrison. “I’m not perfect by any means, and I find that food can be a challenge. But having diabetes doesn’t mean you have to give up the foods you love – learning about the connection between food and blood glucose levels can make all the difference in the world in better managing the disease.”

For more information, visit http://www.DiabetesAndFood.com.

LifeScan, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company, is a leading maker of blood glucose monitoring products dedicated to creating a world without limits for people with diabetes.

LifeScan, Inc.
LifeScan, Inc

Researchers Report Rapid Non-Invasive Test For Pre-Diabetes

Researchers today reported a new screening device that doesn’t require blood was able to significantly outperform both the fasting plasma glucose (FPG) test and the A1C test for identifying individuals with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), a condition that often progresses to type 2 diabetes. Presented at the Sixth Annual Diabetes Technology Meeting, held here, results showed a prototype of the device was able to identify 78% more individuals with the IGT form of pre-diabetes than the FPG test, and 47% more than the A1C test. Both the FPG and A1C are blood tests commonly used to screen and evaluate patients at risk for diabetes. An estimated 54 million Americans have pre-diabetes.

Researchers from VeraLight Inc., the developer of the non-invasive diabetes-screening device code-named “Scout,” conducted the study on 322 subjects ranging from 21 to 88 years old with a broad range of skin color. Slated for market introduction in early 2008, the device is able to detect abnormal concentrations of the skin biomarkers known to be associated with diabetes in less than one minute using fluorescent light from an individual’s forearm. Unlike the FPG test, the device does not require a blood draw or an overnight fast prior to testing. Although the A1C test does not require the patient to fast, a blood sample is needed to perform it.

Using Veralight’s proprietary Spectroscopic Advanced Glycation Endproducts detection technology, or SAGE(TM), Scout is seen as a major breakthrough in diabetes and pre-diabetes screening that can lead to early intervention, and a dramatic reduction in the morbidity and $132 billion annual cost to treat the disease and its complications.

Skin Biomarkers Predict Diabetes and Its Complications

According to medical experts, non-invasive skin detection of “advanced glycation endproducts,” or AGE, could replace the FPG test as the medical workhorse for screening people suspected of having diabetes or pre-diabetes. Previous studies have shown AGE are biological markers that correlate well with diabetes and are a predictor of the disease’s serious complications. Analogous to a “diabetes odometer,” AGE are a sensitive metric for the cumulative damage the body has endured due to the effects of abnormally high blood sugar and oxidative stress. They affect the proteins that make up blood vessels, connective tissue and skin, and are thought to be major factors in aging and age-related chronic diseases.

Scout Diabetes Screening System

Scout is a portable, desktop system weighing about 10 pounds. After the subject places the palm side of their forearm onto the system, the device shines various wavelengths of light onto the skin that causes the AGE to emit a fluorescent light signature that indicates diabetes risk. The instrument optically calibrates for skin pigmentation so that performance is not diminished by skin coloration. A specially designed fiber-optic probe couples the excitation light to the subject and relays resulting skin fluorescence to a detection module. The system’s software utilizes multivariate statistical techniques that are applied to the emitted light spectra to obtain a diabetes risk score. Total measurement time is about a minute.

Need for Early and More Accurate Diabetes Screening

According to a study published in the June issue of Diabetes Care, more than 73 million Americans — one third of the adult population — now have diabetes or may be on their way to getting it. Current screening methods for diabetes are grossly inadequate due to their inaccuracy and inconvenience. Consequently, many people with diabetes are not identified until they present 5-to-9 years into the disease, and 50% have one or more often-irreversible complications at the time of diagnosis. A more accurate and convenient screening method could dramatically reduce the costs and morbidity associated with such complications, allowing patients to halt or reverse disease progression.

About VeraLight

VeraLight, based in Albuquerque, N.M., is a privately held medical instrumentation company applying its proprietary SAGE technology to develop the first non-invasive diabetes screening system that provides healthcare professionals with a more accurate and convenient method for detecting type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes based on the presence of biomarkers found in skin. For more information see http://www.veralight.com/.

VeraLight Inc.
http://www.veralight.com/

Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Helped By Periodontal Therapy

Patients with Type 2 diabetes and periodontal disease who receive periodontal therapy see levels of oxidative stress, a condition in which antioxidant levels are lower than normal, reduced to the same levels as nondiabetic patients, according to a new study that appeared in the November issue of the Journal of Periodontology (JOP).

Researchers from Kyushu Dental College in Kitakyushu, Japan investigated the impact of periodontal therapy on patients with Type 2 diabetes, as compared to nondiabetic patients. They found that periodontal therapy decreased lipid peroxide (LPO), an oxidative stress index, in diabetic patients.

“Our research emphasized one of the benefits of having periodontal therapy for patients with diabetes,” said Dr. Kazuo Sonoki, M.D. PhD at Kyushu Dental College, one of the study authors. “However, this was just a preliminary study and more research should be conducted to evaluate how periodontal disease affects both people with and without diabetes.”

It has been found that diabetes and periodontal disease can lead to atherosclerosis, which occurs when deposits of fatty substances, cholesterol, and other substances build up in the inner lining of an artery. This buildup is called plaque. It has been thought that oxidative stress is linked to heart disease because oxidation of LDL (low-density lipoprotein) in the endothelium is a precursor to plaque formation. Recently, oxidative stress has emerged as an important factor for atherosclerosis in patients with diabetes.

“We hear every day about how more and more people are being diagnosed with diabetes,” said Preston D. Miller, DDS and AAP President. “This research confirms that patients with diabetes should be especially conscious of their periodontal health. While more research needs to be done to evaluate the relationship between periodontal disease and diabetes, we do know that treating periodontal diseases can save teeth, and can promote overall health.”

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For more information including referral to a periodontist or a free brochure entitled Diabetes & Periodontal Diseases, visit the AAP Web site at http://www.perio.org/.

The American Academy of Periodontology is an 8,000-member association of dental professionals specializing in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases affecting the gums and supporting structures of the teeth and in the placement and maintenance of dental implants. Periodontics is one of nine dental specialties recognized by the American Dental Association.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Kerry Gutshall
The American Academy of Periodontology
http://www.perio.org/

A copy of the JOP article “Decreased lipid peroxidation following periodontal therapy in type 2 diabetic patients” is available to the media by contacting the AAP Public Affairs Department at 312/573-3243. The public and/or non-AAP members can view a study abstract online, and the full-text of the study may be accessed online for $20.00 at http://www.joponline.org/

Contact: Kerry Gutshall
American Academy of Periodontology

Serum Testosterone Associated With The Metabolic Syndrome

UroToday.com – At the recent annual meeting of the American Urological Association, Dr. Steven Kaplan of New York added to the accumulating evidence that serum testosterone (T) is associated with the Metabolic Syndrome (METS).

He reviewed 864 men (mean age 52 years) participating in 2 lipid treatment studies and observed that aging men with obesity and METS (including diabetes) have a clinically significant decrease in total T levels. The median T for obese aging men with METS was 150 ng/dl less than lean aging men who do not have METS. Further almost 70% of obese aging males with METS have serum T levels less than 400 ng/dl. Dr. Kaplan concluded that ED in diabetic obese men probably involved a hypoandrogenic component.

Editor’s note: Urologist assessing and treating ED patients need to become familiar with metabolic syndrome (central obesity, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes); these patients are not only at risk for erectile dysfunction but have significantly higher risk of symptomatic coronary heart disease. Patients presenting to our practices with metabolic syndrome should be referred to internists, endocrinologists or diabetologists. There is the very real probability that these men will suffer symptomatic coronary artery disease and the presentation with ED may be a life saver if it leads to a thorough cardiovascular evaluation and subsequent risk reduction through exercise, diet and medical management. What remains to be determined is the role of testosterone in pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome and its potential efficacy in treatment.

AUA 2006 – Abstract #692

Reviewed by UroToday.com Contributing Editor Joel Kaufman, MD

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Insulin Pump Therapy In Adolescents Investigated By Joslin Diabetes Center

In spite of its many advantages, there are many challenges to using an insulin pump to treat type 1 diabetes. Despite these challenges, however, more and more youngsters are choosing pump therapy, even though important questions remain about the pump’s effectiveness for this age group: With all its risks and demands, is it a method of treatment that children and teens can maintain? What causes adolescents to go off of pump therapy and how often does this occur? Is it possible to identify those youth unable to meet the demands of pump therapy and to find interventions that will help them succeed?

Now, in the first long-term investigation conducted among pediatric patients who chose to go on pump therapy (rather than using it as part of a clinical trial), a new study in the November issue of Diabetes Care by researchers in the Pediatric, Adolescent, and Young Adult Section at Joslin Diabetes Center, is providing answers. Following a group of 161 children and adolescents, ages 4-21, for an average of four years, the researchers have shown that with proper training and follow-up, for the great majority of patients–more than 80 percent of the children in this study–insulin pump therapy provides a lasting and effective mode of treatment. They also identified several factors that put patients at risk for failure in adapting to pump use.

“More than 130 patients were able to use the pump effectively,” says senior author, Lori Laffel, M.D., M.P.H., Chief of Joslin’s Pediatric, Adolescent and Young Adult Section, an Investigator in the Genetics and Epidemiology Section and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. “By looking at differences between the patients who remained on pump therapy and those who returned to injected insulin, we were able to identify factors present even at the start of pump therapy that were predictive of failure. For example, patients who resumed injection therapy checked their blood glucose levels less often from the start. Healthcare providers can use this information to provide more education, more psychosocial support, and more frequent visits directed at increasing blood glucose monitoring from the start of pump therapy to help kids to succeed.”

“The fact that such a high percentage of patients succeeded proves that pump therapy is a viable mode of treatment for children and teens with type 1 diabetes,” says the paper’s lead author, Jamie Wood, M.D., Staff Physician and Research Associate at Joslin and Instructor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. “Our job now is to overcome the barriers to pump therapy, so more patients can benefit from its advantages.”

Starting on an insulin pump requires considerable training. Before beginning pump therapy, patients in the study and their families met with their healthcare team that included a pediatric endocrinologist, a nurse educator and a registered dietitian. The team taught them the mechanics of using and maintaining the pump, how to count carbohydrates, calibrate their insulin requirements and treat risks associated with pump therapy, such as site infections, diabetic ketoacidosis and hypoglycemia (low blood glucose levels). A mental health clinician also met with the children and their families to ensure they were ready to meet any challenges and to help them set up realistic expectations for ongoing diabetes management with the pump.

At three points during the study–the clinical visit just before starting on the pump, one year after initiation, and then at the study’s close in January 2005–researchers gathered data on A1C levels (a measurement that indicates the average blood glucose over the past 2 to 3 months), rate of daily blood glucose monitoring and growth parameters (height, weight and body-mass index). These data also were monitored at the time of discontinuation for patients who stopped using the pump.

Examining the data associated with success and failure, the researchers observed several significant differences between the two groups of patients, one of which was present at the initiation of pump therapy. “We found that patients who were successful measured their blood glucose levels four or more times a day before they began pump therapy, while those who discontinued pump therapy measured them less,” says Dr. Wood.

They also discovered that the patients who stayed on the pump had achieved better glycemic control than the patients who discontinued pump therapy. After the first year on pump therapy, the A1C levels of the group that succeeded dropped significantly. Although these levels subsequently rose to near the levels they were at the start of pump therapy, the group still was able to avoid the deterioration of blood glucose control that happens frequently among adolescents. Caused by such factors as increases in growth and puberty hormones, or the declining adherence to good health practices that occurs as they become more independent from their parents, deteriorating glucose control puts youth at greater risk for developing serious complications later in life. The youth in the group that succeeded also experienced decreased rates of hypoglycemia with pump therapy.

The patients who later resumed injection therapy, however, experienced rising blood glucose levels while they were on the pump. Furthermore, while the rate of severe hypoglycemia before beginning pump therapy was similar between the two groups, in the year following the start of pump therapy the patients who discontinued pump therapy experienced a significantly higher rate of severe hypoglycemic episodes.

“Our research suggests several approaches for improving success rates with pump therapy,” says Dr. Wood. “When you evaluate if a person is ready to begin pump therapy, and you can see he or she is monitoring blood glucose levels only two or three times a day, you can suggest that the patient take some extra time to increase monitoring frequency before starting the pump. Or if you have a patient who doesn’t show improvement in glycemic control in the first six months of pump therapy, you can try to find out what is interfering with success and help overcome any barriers. Our goal is not to determine which patients should be denied pump therapy, but to make it possible for more people to succeed with this remarkable tool.”

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Also participating in the study were Britta M. Svoren, M.D., Deborah A. Butler, M.S.W., L.I.C.S.W., and Lisa K. Volkening of Joslin, and Elaine C. Moreland, M.D., previously at Joslin and now at the University of Alabama and Children’s Hospital, in Birmingham. The study was funded in part by the Katherine Adler Astrove Youth Education Fund, the Maria Griffin Drury Pediatric Endowment Fund and grants from the National Institutes of Health.

About Joslin Diabetes Center

Joslin Diabetes Center, dedicated to conquering diabetes in all of its forms, is the global leader in diabetes research, care and education. Founded in 1898, Joslin is an independent nonprofit institution affiliated with Harvard Medical School. Joslin research is a team of more than 300 people at the forefront of discovery aimed at preventing and curing diabetes. Joslin Clinic, affiliated with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, the nationwide network of Joslin Affiliated Programs, and the hundreds of Joslin educational programs offered each year for clinicians, researchers and patients, enable Joslin to develop, implement and share innovations that immeasurably improve the lives of people with diabetes. As a nonprofit, Joslin benefits from the generosity of donors in advancing its mission. For more information on Joslin, call 1-800-JOSLIN-1 or visit http://www.joslin.org/

Contact: Jenny Eriksen
Joslin Diabetes Center

One In Six Americans Have Pre-Diabetes And Most Don’t Know It

Fifty-four million Americans – that’s one in six of us — have pre-diabetes and most don’t even realize it. Mark Schutta, MD, medical director of the Penn Rodebaugh Diabetes Center, is urging at-risk patients to be proactive and ask your doctor to give you a simple blood test for pre-diabetes – to arm yourself with information before the damage is done. It means you have blood glucose levels that are higher than normal and you could one day reach a high enough level that you would be diagnosed with having diabetes.

Diabetes is a disease that affects the body’s ability to produce or respond properly to insulin and must be managed on a daily basis once diagnosed. If not, it can lead to several health complications including death. November is designated annually as American Diabetes Month.

“If you have pre-diabetes, there’s a 75% probability that you will develop diabetes within 30 years,” comments Schutta. “Our country is in the middle of a type 2 diabetes epidemic. Right now, if you’re born in the U.S., your risk of developing diabetes is one in three.”

Schutta says the reason for the high numbers is that diabetes is a “silent killer” and in the early stages of the disease, patients often have no symptoms. Schutta urges anyone at risk for diabetes to be screened. He adds, “If you knew you had pre-diabetes, you could still prevent getting diabetes through changes in diet and exercise. There are many health benefits to knowing you have pre-diabetes and ‘heading it off.’ If you wait until you have diabetes, the vascular damage to your body may already be done.”

You should be screened for pre-diabetes if:

• You have a known family history of diabetes.
• You are African American, Latino, Native American, Asian American or Pacific Islander.
• While pregnant, you developed gestational diabetes.
• You delivered a baby who weighed more than nine pounds.
• You have high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, are overweight.

Schutta explains there are two kinds of blood tests you can request, “The first is a fasting plasma glucose test, in which your glucose levels measured when you have not been eating. The other is an oral glucose tolerance test which introduces glucose into your system, challenging your beta cells to make insulin by testing your body’s acute insulin response to glucose.”

Schutta says the numbers are clear. If your blood glucose level, two hours after receiving oral glucose, is over 200 milligrams per deciliter, you are considered to be diabetic. Anything between 141-199 is considered to be pre-diabetic. Again, Schutta stresses that if you have pre-diabetes, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to develop diabetes – if you take the proper steps now to avoid getting the fifth deadliest disease in America.

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For more information on the Penn Rodebaugh Diabetes Center, please click here
Mark Schutta, MD — on-line bio

Diabetes is a chronic disease affecting more than six percent of the U.S. population or 21 million people. Diabetes is linked to heart and kidney disease, strokes and other serious health problems. Diabetes results when the body either does not produce insulin or cannot use it properly. Insulin is a hormone that your body needs to convert sugar, starches, and other food into energy for living. Although there is no cure for diabetes, it can be controlled.

PENN Medicine is a $2.9 billion enterprise dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and high-quality patient care. PENN Medicine consists of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (founded in 1765 as the nation’s first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System.

Penn’s School of Medicine is ranked #2 in the nation for receipt of NIH research funds; and ranked #3 in the nation in U.S. News & World Report’s most recent ranking of top research-oriented medical schools. Supporting 1,400 fulltime faculty and 700 students, the School of Medicine is recognized worldwide for its superior education and training of the next generation of physician-scientists and leaders of academic medicine.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System includes three hospitals, all of which have received numerous national patient-care honors [Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania; Pennsylvania Hospital, the nation's first hospital; and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center]; a faculty practice plan; a primary-care provider network.

For further information please visit:
University of Pennsylvania Health System

NHS Diabetes Management Targets Need To Address Inequalities, UK

Large variations in the quality of diabetes management exist between general practices in London with younger people worse off, according to a new study published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.

These are the findings of a survey of over 6000 patient records in 34 GP practices in south London. The study conducted by Christopher Millett and colleagues at Imperial College found that younger patients with diabetes had poorer recording of quality care and were more likely to suffer from higher cholesterol and poorer glycaemic control than older patients.

“We found considerable variation in the quality of diabetes care between GP practices in London, with younger patients aged 18 to 44 receiving poorer care,” said Mr Millett.

“There is scope to improve the management of diabetes in most patients. However, our findings suggest that we need to raise awareness amongst GPs about the importance of closely monitoring diabetes control in younger patients.

“Failure to improve diabetes management amongst these patients may lead to an increase in major complications of the condition, such as heart disease, in future years,” he said.

“Additional research is required to determine whether government initiatives to improve the quality of diabetes care, such as the National Service Framework and new GP contract, have been successful in reducing the variations in management identified in this study,” Mr Millett said.

More than two million people in the UK are known to have diabetes with a further one million estimated to have the disease but not know it.

Diabetes has been identified as a national priority condition with considerable investment made in recent years to improve the quality of care received by patients. This includes the National Service Framework for Diabetes published in 2001 and the new General Practitioner contract in 2004.

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‘Association of age, sex and deprivation with quality indicators for diabetes: population-based cross sectional survey in primary care’ by J Gray, C Millett, C O’Sullivan, RZ Omar & A Majeed is published in the November 2006 issue of the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.

JRSM is the flagship journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. It has been published continuously since 1809. Its Editor is Dr Kamran Abbasi.

The article is available free at http://www.rsm.ac.uk

Contact:
Rania Wannous, The Royal Society of Medicine

Founded in 1805, the Royal Society of Medicine is an independent organisation that promotes the exchange of knowledge, information and ideas in medical science and continued improvement in human health.

Registered Charity No. 206219

For further information please visit:
Royal Society of Medicine

NHS Diabetes Management Targets Need To Address Inequalities, UK

Large variations in the quality of diabetes management exist between general practices in London with younger people worse off, according to a new study published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.

These are the findings of a survey of over 6000 patient records in 34 GP practices in south London. The study conducted by Christopher Millett and colleagues at Imperial College found that younger patients with diabetes had poorer recording of quality care and were more likely to suffer from higher cholesterol and poorer glycaemic control than older patients.

“We found considerable variation in the quality of diabetes care between GP practices in London, with younger patients aged 18 to 44 receiving poorer care,” said Mr Millett.

“There is scope to improve the management of diabetes in most patients. However, our findings suggest that we need to raise awareness amongst GPs about the importance of closely monitoring diabetes control in younger patients.

“Failure to improve diabetes management amongst these patients may lead to an increase in major complications of the condition, such as heart disease, in future years,” he said.

“Additional research is required to determine whether government initiatives to improve the quality of diabetes care, such as the National Service Framework and new GP contract, have been successful in reducing the variations in management identified in this study,” Mr Millett said.

More than two million people in the UK are known to have diabetes with a further one million estimated to have the disease but not know it.

Diabetes has been identified as a national priority condition with considerable investment made in recent years to improve the quality of care received by patients. This includes the National Service Framework for Diabetes published in 2001 and the new General Practitioner contract in 2004.

Association of age, sex and deprivation with quality indicators for diabetes: population-based cross sectional survey in primary care (PDF)

‘Association of age, sex and deprivation with quality indicators for diabetes: population-based cross sectional survey in primary care’ by J Gray, C Millett, C O’Sullivan, RZ Omar & A Majeed is published in the November 2006 issue of the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.

JRSM is the flagship journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. It has been published continuously since 1809. Its Editor is Dr Kamran Abbasi.

The article is available free at www.jrsm.org.

Changes To Blood Monitoring Rules For Medicare Beneficiaries Are Inconsistent With Best Practices In Diabetic Care, USA

Today, the American Health Care Association (AHCA) said they are “disappointed” with the recently issued federal regulation regarding blood glucose monitoring. Contained within the 2007 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule is a provision that will require physicians to order and certify the medical necessity of each “finger stick” blood glucose test for Medicare beneficiaries beginning January 1, 2007.

“The new rule for individually-authorized finger stick tests for diabetic patients puts paperwork ahead of quality patient care,” said Bruce Yarwood, President and CEO of AHCA. “Many patients and residents in our nation’s long term care facilities require up to four blood tests a day to properly manage their diabetes and placing restrictions on this essential test is inconsistent with accepted best practices for diabetes management.”

Issuance of the new rule coincides with observance of National Diabetes Month, which Yarwood stated, “further highlights the inconsistency and short-sightedness of this regulation.”

Yarwood concluded: “AHCA provided public comment to the rule when it was proposed detailing the clear contradictions to sound clinical practices and highlighting alternative protocols. We are sorely disappointed that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services chose not to listen, and feel that the agency is forgoing an excellent opportunity to advance its goals of diabetes prevention and treatment.”

The American Health Care Association and the National Center For Assisted Living are the nation’s leading long term care organizations. AHCA/NCAL and their membership are committed to performance excellence and Quality First, a covenant for healthy, affordable and ethical long term care. AHCA/NCAL represent nearly 11,000 non-profit and proprietary facilities dedicated to continuous improvement in the delivery of professional and compassionate care provided daily by millions of caring employees to more than 1.5 million of our nation’s frail, elderly and disabled citizens who live in nursing facilities, assisted living residences, subacute centers and homes for persons with mental retardation and developmental disabilities.

American Health Care Association

Holiday Tips / Weight Management News

Many times, the parents of a college freshman first notice the early stages of an eating disorder around the holiday season when their children arrive home after months away. In an attempt to avoid the “freshman fifteen” — the extra pounds some kids gain in their first year on their own — some students, particularly women, become overly concerned with their weight. Should this concern become obsessive, it can develop into anorexia or bulimia. “Dieting in young adults is the single biggest risk factor for an eating disorder,” says Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center psychologist Denise Supik, MS, LCPC. “If caught early, 50 percent of patients with an eating disorder are curable with treatment, and at 75 percent improve significantly.”

Nutrition: Ways To Watch Your Waistline At The Holidays

Dieters and all those who want to “battle the holiday bulge” will face a strong dilemma when ambushed from every direction by delectable goodies. Since food is the focus of many holiday celebrations, it can be a real challenge to a dieter’s willpower. Cynthia Finley, R.D., L.D., C.N.S.D., Clinical Dietitian Specialist at the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center, can offer advice on how to make smarter choices for healthier eating and cooking around the holidays.

Holiday Food Tips For People With Diabetes

Holiday parties and dinners are full of edible temptations for anyone, but for people with diabetes, yielding to such temptations can be disastrous for glucose control. This does not mean that diabetes sufferers can’t enjoy the festivities. According to Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center director Lawrence J. Cheskin, M.D., F.A.C.P., diabetics shouldn’t expect to have perfect glucose management during the holiday season. Cheskin can offer tips on measures diabetics can take to cut down on temptation foods and how manage blood sugar levels at parties.

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