Healthy eating for diabetes Archive

Are artificial sweeteners benign or a threat to your long-term health? A recent study adds a new element to the debate.

Artificial sweeteners seem to offer a tantalizing free pass to dessert. These low- or no-calorie additives taste like sugar, but your body can't absorb them the same way it does natural sugars. You get the taste without the calories, which should mean that you can eat them guilt-free. Right?

Over the years, experts have increasingly questioned whether artificial sweeteners are too good to be true. Are they really your ticket to a ­low-calorie treat — or will you wind up getting your just desserts for trying to outsmart Mother Nature?

Some ideas seem reasonable, but that doesn't mean they'll help.

People increasingly consult the Internet about medical problems. If you're looking for approaches to relieve joint pain and inflammation caused by wear and tear (osteoarthritis) or an immune system attack (such as occurs in rheumatoid arthritis), you may find methods that sound promising and even sensible. But will they work? Here's advice on five pain relief methods commonly touted on the Internet.

1. Music therapy

Listening to music can evoke powerful emotions that help people relax or heal, which is the basis of music therapy. Research has found that music therapy is associated with less anxiety before surgery or during chemotherapy, and better functioning during physical rehabilitation.

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Plants are loaded with naturally occurring chemicals that appear to help health. And high, long-term intakes of certain kinds of plant chemicals called flavonoids are associated with a reduced risk for developing dementia, according to a study published online April 22, 2020, by The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Researchers evaluated the health information of 2,800 dementia-free people (average age 59) who periodically underwent physical exams, had lab tests, and answered diet questionnaires. After 20 years, people who had reported the highest flavonoid intake were about 40% less likely to develop dementia, compared with people who'd reported the lowest intake. There are many different types of flavonoids; those with the greatest link to lower dementia risk came from tea, apples, pears, blueberries, and strawberries. A high intake was about the same as having 7.5 cups of berries, eight apples or pears, and 19 cups of tea per month. A low intake was about the same as having no berries or tea and less than two apples per month. The study was observational and doesn't prove that high flavonoid intake protected people from developing dementia. But researchers say other evidence suggests flavonoids may ward off brain inflammation and protect brain cells.

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The latest recommendations focus on newer medications, lifestyle changes, and procedures.

If you have heart disease, following a healthy diet and getting regular exercise should be a top priority. Both habits can help you reach and stay at a healthy weight and lower your blood pressure and cholesterol level. Chances are you'll also need to take medications to further improve those common heart-related risk factors. But if you also have diabetes, you may need even more aggressive treatment, according to new advice from the American Heart Association.

The recommendations, published May 12, 2020, in the journal Circulation, detail the latest evidence about treatments for people with both heart disease and diabetes. Diabetes, which affects about one in 10 adults, doubles the odds of having a heart attack or stroke (see "Why is diabetes hard on your heart?").

You may be familiar with the claims featured on packages of old-fashioned oatmeal, which note that "As part of a heart-healthy diet, the soluble fiber in oatmeal can help reduce cholesterol." Guess what? Back in 2008, the FDA also approved the equivalent health claim for barley products.

In fact, barley contains about three times as much fiber per serving as oats. Barley is particularly rich in a type of soluble fiber known as beta glucan, which is recognized for its cholesterol-lowering abilities. Barley is also a good or excellent source of several vitamins and minerals.

Many lifestyle factors can influence the development of atrial fibrillation, and doctors now better understand the importance of these factors in treating afib. Those who are at risk of developing afib can take action to improve their health, and in some cases they may be able to reduce their symptoms.

Along with historically high unemployment rates, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a significant increase in food insecurity for millions of Americans, and this problem disproportionately affects lower-income people and racial and ethnic minorities. Temporary measures have helped a bit to ease the situation, and new proposals could do more.

Research we're watching

Your diet may influence your breast cancer risk. An analysis of 20 studies by researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, which was published online April 6, 2020, by the journal Cancer, found that women who ate the most fiber were 8% less likely to go on to develop breast cancer compared with the women who ate the least.

The reduction in breast cancer risk was seen for both premenopausal and postmenopausal breast cancers, as well as different types of breast cancer, including those that were estrogen and progesterone receptor–positive and estrogen and progesterone receptor–negative. Researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health said that that the reduction may be due to fiber's effect in reducing both blood sugar and estrogen levels in the body.

There are ways to manage ED without medication.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is one of the more common health issues older men face, especially those with cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Some estimates suggest between 50% and 70% of men ages 50 to 70 experience mild to moderate ED.

ED is defined as difficulty achieving or sustaining an erection. It is often caused by a combination of physical and emotional issues. ED makes intercourse difficult, which can lower sex drive and desire, increase anxiety and depression, and affect a man's relationship with his partner.

Ten years ago, the Harvard Heart Letter published a story about the potential health benefits of chia seeds. At the time, people were more familiar with the ceramic figures known as Chia Pets (see www.chia.com) than the idea of chia seeds as a health food. But today, you can find these nutritious seeds in major grocery stores, sold in packages or in products such as crackers, cereals, energy bars, and beverages.

The small, black seeds are among the richest plant sources of the omega-3 fatty acid known as alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Diets high in ALA have been linked to a lower risk of heart disease. Chia seeds are also high in insoluble fiber, which may help lower harmful LDL cholesterol levels.