Scientests have finally confirmed what most people have always known: you are what you eat!
|
||||||
|
posted by  Darrenposted by AmyNot this year, this year we vow to do it right. You know cut calories, exercise more. The no frills no nonsense way to lose weight that no one wants you to know about. Especially all of the people profiting from others misery and failed attempts at the fad diet of the day. We have all been there: Weight Watchers, Atkins, Jenny Craig, diet pills and potions, etc. If I had only believed long ago that there is NO EASY FIX for obesity, it seemed so simple to believe that there was a magic bullet out there that would cure all of the ills of all those years of overindulgence. Alas, there is not. As we embark on this journey, Darren and I, to get healthier and live a longer life, we will surely face trials and tribulations along the way but in the end we will be doing this together and making our whole family healthier in the process. Stay tuned for the progress as we move forward into this brave new world. posted by DarrenFrom diabeticmediterraneandiet.com: Metformin Raises Risk of Vitamin B-12 Deficiency.
A recent study out of the Netherlands shows that type 2 diabetics taking insulin and metformin are at risk of clinically significant vitamin B12 deficiency. B12 deficiency may cause anemia, nerve damage (neuropathy), and dementia, among other problems. Metformin is the cornerstone of drug therapy for type 2 diabetes. One reason is that it’s associated with improved cardiovascular disease outcomes—a claim few diabetic drugs can make. Prior studies established that metformin interferes with B12 absorption. The study at hand indicates that such malabsorption can reach a clinically significant degree, and that the falling blood levels are progressive over time.
No B12 here How Was the Study Done? Three diabetes clinic in the Netherlands provided 390 patients with type 2 diabetes between the ages of 30 and 80. They were all treated with 1) insulin and metformin 850 mg three times daily, or 2) insulin and placebo three times daily. B12 levels were drawn periodically over the course of the 4-year study. Seventy-two percent of participants completed the study (the drop-outs included 30 on metformin and 16 on placebo). What Did the Investigators Find After Four Years?
Clinical Implications It’s unclear whether these findings apply to diabetics not taking insulin or to other ethnicities and nationalities. I suspect they do. The risk of developing B12 deficiency with metformin is not huge, but it seems to be real. Once B12 deficiency does it’s damage, it may not be totally reversible. So it’s important to know about this issue if you take or prescribe metformin. At this point I wouldn’t depend on my doctor to be aware of this adverse drug effect, nor to remember to check B12 levels periodically. The researchers recommend that B12 levels be checked “regularly” in patients taking metformin, without defining a time frame. I suggest every year or two—closer to yearly if the patient has other risk factors for B12 deficiency, such as malnutrition, advanced age, removal of part of the stomach, some weight-loss surgeries, vegan diet, celiac disease, and Crohn’s disease. de Jager, J., Kooy, A., Lehert, P., Wulffele, M., van der Kolk, J., Bets, D., Verburg, J., Donker, A., & Stehouwer, C. (2010). Long term treatment with metformin in patients with type 2 diabetes and risk of vitamin B-12 deficiency: randomised placebo controlled trial BMJ, 340 (may19 4) DOI: 10.1136/bmj.c2181 posted by AmyWe have started changing our diet to avoid red meat and most meat altogether, which at first I thought would be difficult but is proving to be easier than I thought. I have actually started to notice that my digestive issues have gotten much better since I quit meat and caffeine. Not sure which one was the culprit but I’ll take it either way. Have found some really flavorful ways of preparing vegetables that I never would have thought of before. This week we had sauted vegetable fajitas and it was great. I would say that it was better than meat fajitas. This was basically zuccini, yellow squash, mushrooms, and pablano peppers sauteed and then serve in tortillas with cheese and avocado. Really easy to make on a busy night after work and really delicious. Darren has also introduced me to Chinese soup. Which apparently just starts with a stock base and then you add whatever you want to it. It usually includes some type of noodle and mushrooms, bean sprouts, or any other veg that you happen to have on hand. Also very quick and easy to make and very delicious. You never get bored with this one either since the taste changes based on whatever you throw in the pot. Stay tuned for more updates and ideas. posted by DarrenLast year, I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes. It was quite a shock, because I didn’t consider myself all that unhealthy. But, looking back, it actually explained a lot of “little” unexplained symptoms I was experiencing. Like everything else in my life, I immediately began learning as much as I could about it. In fact, a couple of books I can recommend for anyone newly diagnosed with the disease are |
|
|||||
|
Copyright © 2012 3farmers.com - All Rights Reserved |
||||||
Bad Astronomy
Skepchick