Natives take on enemy diabetes

Used to be, Shawn Snake could drive his truck from Chatham-Kent to Ottawa without stopping at a service station.
Then, he started getting tired. He was only 36 at the time, but suddenly he couldn't make it to Toronto before pulling off for a washroom break and a nap.
Sugar, a wise friend told him. Must be sugar.
"Diabetes just seems to be the norm around here," says Snake, who is aboriginal and lives in Moraviantown, a settlement near Thamesville. "You either have it or you know people who do. In my family it's me, my dad, my sister, pretty well all my cousins

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Broccoli and diabetes

Eating broccoli could reverse the damage caused by diabetes to heart blood vessels”, BBC News reported. It said that researchers have found that the compound sulforaphane, found in the vegetable, encourages the production of enzymes which protect blood vessels and cause a reduction in the number of molecules that can damage cells.
This story is based on a complex laboratory study in which sulforaphane was directly applied to blood vessels that had been damaged by high blood sugar levels. It found that the compound reduced the production of potentially damaging molecules called reactive oxygen species. However, the results have been overinterpreted by the news; applying the compound in broccoli to cells in the laboratory is not comparable to eating broccoli. The blood vessel cells were not taken from a person with diabetes but had been incubated with sugar. It is unclear what effects sulforaphane would have on the blood vessels of a person with diabetes, and whether it would protect them from damage or have any effect upon the disease process. Optimal blood sugar control through diet and medication remains the best option for people with diabetes.

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Sleep apnea screening revealed 66% of patients with diabetes at high risk

WASHINGTON — One diabetes educator is encouraging colleagues to implement sleep apnea screening programs, after recent survey results showed that most physicians and diabetes educators do not screen for sleep apnea, despite being aware of the association between the two.
“We, as diabetes educators, are well-positioned to screen for sleep apnea and recommend further evaluation for high-risk patients. We are not just about diabetes, but the other comorbidities too,” Virginia Zamudio-Lange, RN, MSN, CDE, said yesterday at the American Association of Diabetes Educators 35th Annual Meeting.
In the survey of physicians at the American Diabetes Association, 94% reported being aware of the association between sleep apnea and diabetes, but only 47% said that they conduct routine screening. "The scary thing is about 85% is undiagnosed," Zamudio-Lange said.

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