I subscribe to several diabetes news feeds. Sometimes, the headlines make me laugh.
Using the term “diabetes” in mainstream media nearly always means “type two diabetes”. A person with type one diabetes can feel wildly overlooked when it comes to the term “diabetes” meaning in fact “type two diabetes”— as type ones, we had no way to prevent our disease from developing and we have no way to help it get any “better” or regrow our pancreatic beta cells or help our bodies work more efficiently.
Keeping that in mind, you may be able to hear my laughing at some of these headlines about “diabetes”. Enjoy!
Bran May Reduce Risk of Death from Diabetes
Women with Type 2 diabetes who eat a diet rich in bran may be less likely to die from heart problems, a new study suggests. Researchers at Harvard Medical School found that women who ate bran-rich diets were 35 percent less likely to die from heart disease, and 28 percent less likely to die from all causes. Bran is full of fiber, vitamins, and minerals, experts say.
(I’d also like to point out that I much prefer the more truthful “death from complications of diabetes” from the more sensationalized “death from diabetes”…)
Overeating Prompts More Weight Gain in Diabetes-Prone People
People who have a family predisposition to Type 2 diabetes may be more likely to gain weight after overeating than those without a family diabetes link.
So you mean if I overeat I’m likely to gain weight?? I’m sure the study itself wasn’t so badly presented, but the headline and abstract are too funny!
No Association between Arsenic Exposure from Drinking and Diabetes Mellitus
I don’t even know how they got to wondering on this one. Apparently: there is a controversy over the long-term effects of arsenic (As) exposure from drinking water at levels <300 µg/L on the risk of diabetes mellitus.
Who knew.
Surgery ‘Should Be Last Resort for Obese Children’
Health experts report that weight-loss surgery should only be used for the most severely obese of children, and then only with extreme caution and as a last resort.
The terrifying thing about this headline is that even in the most black and white terms possible, some people and parents are missing this message.
One of my favorites:
Diabetes product packaging challenges consumers
This Mayo Clinic RN totally cracked me up with this one. She’s talking about the insensitivity of manufacturers of glucose meters because the meters are packaged in that hard plastic you can’t open without hurting yourself (like a lot of Costco packages; you need a knife and a set of heavy duty pliers to open that stuff!). Her concern is “for those people with diabetes who are faced with dexterity issues from aging, peripheral neuropathy or carpel tunnel syndrome, which can occur frequently in individuals with diabetes.”
I read that and thought “she has never been really low and tried to open a Starburst, or a roll of Lifesavers.”
Now THAT is tricky.
LOL!! I’ve never been low (non-diabetic) and I have trouble tearing into a Starburst!