Monday, July 03, 2006
Diabetes Articles. Carbohydrate Diet for Diabetics
Diabetes Articles.
Carbohydrate Diet for Diabetics
Since the early 1960's, studies have hinted that the traditional advice to diabetics to eat lots of protein and very few carbohydrates may not be the wisest approach. Such a diet is likely to be rich in cholesterol-raising fats, which would further increase the diabetic's already high risk of developing atherosclerotic heart disease.
Now, several recent studies have clearly shown that the traditional high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet is much less effective in controlling diabetes than a diet rich in fibercontaining complex carbohydrates. In the latest such study, published in the Jan. 3 issue of The Lancet, a leading British medical journal, researchers found that a diet containing large amounts of beans, whole-grain bread, vegetables and fruits ''improves all aspects of diabetic control,'' including how high the blood sugar rises immediately after eating.
The research team, from Oxford University, concluded on the basis of their studies that ''continued use of a low carbohydrate diet no longer appears justified.'' Similar conclusions have been reached by Dr. James W. Anderson of the University of Kentucky, who has been able to reduce and sometimes eliminate the need for insulin in diabetics who follow his high-fiber, high-carbohydrate diet.
In the British experimental diet, most of the protein was derived from legumes, such as kidney beans and butter beans, which are rich in dietary fiber as well as complex carbohydrates (starches). The researchers said the high-bean diet, when introduced slowly, produced little abdominal discomfort, but they predicted that most people would eventually find the menu monotonous. The researchers are now examining modified versions that may be equally effective and more acceptable as lifelong diets. A Voyage to Uranus
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has approved a plan to continue Voyager 2 on a trajectory that would take it to Uranus in 1986 after flying past Saturn this August.
Under the plan, the spacecraft should fly within 66,000 miles of Uranus Jan. 24, 1986, making measurements and taking pictures as it races by and heads for a possible encounter later with Neptune. Uranus, the seventh planet out from the Sun, is twice as far from the Sun as Saturn.
The decision to aim Voyager 2 for Uranus was reached by NASA officials after it was determined that Voyager 1 had achieved all its scientific objectives in flying by Saturn and its moons last November. By continuing on a Uranus-bound trajectory, Voyager 2 will not be able to make a close reconnaissance of Saturn's largest moon, Titan, but will still return thousands of high-resolution pictures of Saturn and several of its other moons. Mussels Have Problems Too
To all appearances, mussels enjoy a serene lifestyle and have no cares in their marine world. But scientists have discovered that life can be hard for the placid grayish-brown creatures that are usually found clustered on tide-pool rocks or on wooden pier pilings. In fact, life can be so tough that mussels, as well as other fish, are showing signs of stress, a byproduct of modern industrialization.
Dr. Florence Harrison, a marine biologist at the University of California's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, together with four co-workers has found that chemicals and heavy metals that flow to the sea from the nation's industrial centers are the culprits. They cause biological stress symptoms ranging from a shortened life span to stunted growth, decreased reproduction and increased susceptibility to disease.
The pollutants the biologists are studying include hydrocarbons from oil spills, discharges from coal and oil-burning plants and such metals as copper in effluents from sewage and power plants. The research was conducted in a marine laboratory by raising common bay mussels and segmented worms that live in the ocean floor and exposing them to pollutants found in the environment.
The project is part of a United States Environmental Protection Agency project called ''Musselwatch'' that studies mussel populations around the world, enabling scientists to keep an eye on the health of shoreline areas by monitoring the health of the animals and their exposure to pollutants. The studies are funded by the E.P.A. and the Federal Department of Energy.
from New York Times
Carbohydrate Diet for Diabetics
Since the early 1960's, studies have hinted that the traditional advice to diabetics to eat lots of protein and very few carbohydrates may not be the wisest approach. Such a diet is likely to be rich in cholesterol-raising fats, which would further increase the diabetic's already high risk of developing atherosclerotic heart disease.
Now, several recent studies have clearly shown that the traditional high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet is much less effective in controlling diabetes than a diet rich in fibercontaining complex carbohydrates. In the latest such study, published in the Jan. 3 issue of The Lancet, a leading British medical journal, researchers found that a diet containing large amounts of beans, whole-grain bread, vegetables and fruits ''improves all aspects of diabetic control,'' including how high the blood sugar rises immediately after eating.
The research team, from Oxford University, concluded on the basis of their studies that ''continued use of a low carbohydrate diet no longer appears justified.'' Similar conclusions have been reached by Dr. James W. Anderson of the University of Kentucky, who has been able to reduce and sometimes eliminate the need for insulin in diabetics who follow his high-fiber, high-carbohydrate diet.
In the British experimental diet, most of the protein was derived from legumes, such as kidney beans and butter beans, which are rich in dietary fiber as well as complex carbohydrates (starches). The researchers said the high-bean diet, when introduced slowly, produced little abdominal discomfort, but they predicted that most people would eventually find the menu monotonous. The researchers are now examining modified versions that may be equally effective and more acceptable as lifelong diets. A Voyage to Uranus
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has approved a plan to continue Voyager 2 on a trajectory that would take it to Uranus in 1986 after flying past Saturn this August.
Under the plan, the spacecraft should fly within 66,000 miles of Uranus Jan. 24, 1986, making measurements and taking pictures as it races by and heads for a possible encounter later with Neptune. Uranus, the seventh planet out from the Sun, is twice as far from the Sun as Saturn.
The decision to aim Voyager 2 for Uranus was reached by NASA officials after it was determined that Voyager 1 had achieved all its scientific objectives in flying by Saturn and its moons last November. By continuing on a Uranus-bound trajectory, Voyager 2 will not be able to make a close reconnaissance of Saturn's largest moon, Titan, but will still return thousands of high-resolution pictures of Saturn and several of its other moons. Mussels Have Problems Too
To all appearances, mussels enjoy a serene lifestyle and have no cares in their marine world. But scientists have discovered that life can be hard for the placid grayish-brown creatures that are usually found clustered on tide-pool rocks or on wooden pier pilings. In fact, life can be so tough that mussels, as well as other fish, are showing signs of stress, a byproduct of modern industrialization.
Dr. Florence Harrison, a marine biologist at the University of California's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, together with four co-workers has found that chemicals and heavy metals that flow to the sea from the nation's industrial centers are the culprits. They cause biological stress symptoms ranging from a shortened life span to stunted growth, decreased reproduction and increased susceptibility to disease.
The pollutants the biologists are studying include hydrocarbons from oil spills, discharges from coal and oil-burning plants and such metals as copper in effluents from sewage and power plants. The research was conducted in a marine laboratory by raising common bay mussels and segmented worms that live in the ocean floor and exposing them to pollutants found in the environment.
The project is part of a United States Environmental Protection Agency project called ''Musselwatch'' that studies mussel populations around the world, enabling scientists to keep an eye on the health of shoreline areas by monitoring the health of the animals and their exposure to pollutants. The studies are funded by the E.P.A. and the Federal Department of Energy.
from New York Times
