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'Mediterranean'-Style Diet Best for Blood Sugar Control Chowing down on lentil soup and pasta seems to be the way to go if you have type 2 diabetes. A new study found that a diet of "low-glycemic foods" -- such as beans, nuts, peas, lentils and pasta -- was superior to a high-cereal-fiber diet when it comes to lowering blood sugar and other risk factors for heart disease in people with diabetes. "These findings fit with the general tenor of what's gone before. The trouble is that those studies tended to be considerably smaller and for shorter periods of time, and they didn't always show the effects significantly," said study author Dr. David J.A. Jenkins, Canada research chair in nutrition and metabolism at the University of Toronto and St. Michael's Hospital in Canada. "I think this certainly supports a recommendation to people that this is an extra tool in the tool kit." "This reemphasizes what we know -- at the end of the day, the best diet is the Mediterranean-type diet: nuts, beans, lentils, fruits, vegetables," said Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, director of Women and Heart Disease at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, and a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association. "The study didn't exactly call it a Mediterranean diet, but the components of it were Mediterranean." A second study found that people who have type 2 diabetes when they are diagnosed with cancer face a greater risk of death compared to cancer patients without diabetes. Both papers were published in the Dec. 17 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The diabetes epidemic now affects some 20 million people in the United States alone, a staggering 7 percent of the population. The condition increases the risk for heart disease, cancer and other health problems. Although many drugs are available to control blood sugar levels, the evidence on how well they reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems isn't entirely clear. This makes a proper diet crucial to help control the disease. For the new study, researchers at St. Michael's Hospital and the University of Toronto in Canada randomly selected more than 200 people with type 2 diabetes to follow either a high-cereal-fiber or a low-glycemic-index diet for six months. All the participants were already taking blood-sugar-lowering medications. Carbohydrates in a low-glycemic-index diet are absorbed through the small intestine and converted to blood sugar at a slower rate than higher glycemic foods, meaning blood sugar is more stable, the researchers said. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels, a longer-term measure of blood sugar levels, decreased by 0.5 percent in people on the low-glycemic-index diet, compared with a decrease of 0.18 percent in the alternate group. Those in the low-glycemic group also saw an increase in their high-density lipoprotein (HDL or "good") cholesterol of 1.7 mg/dL, compared to an HDL decrease of 0.2 mg/dL in the high-cereal-fiber group. Although the reduction in HbA1c levels was small, the study authors speculated that, based on previous studies, this might result in a 10 percent to 12 percent reduction in cardiovascular complications. For the second paper in the journal, researchers at the Johns Hopkins University pooled data from 23 completed studies and found that people with diabetes were 41 percent more likely to die of cancer than people who did not have diabetes. Specifically, there was a 76 percent increase in the risk of death from endometrial cancer, a 61 percent increase for breast cancer, and a 32 percent increase for colorectal cancer. The researchers said possible explanations range from an insulin environment that contributes to tumor cell proliferation, to less-rigorous screening practices, to complications from diabetes factoring into cancer treatment decisions. More information Visit the American Diabetes Association   Seven in 10 don't do enough to protect themselves from stroke, heart attack. It's one of medicine's mantras: If you have high blood pressure, taking steps to lower it will have a dramatic impact on your risk of stroke, heart disease and more. But 70 percent of people with high blood pressure still aren't doing a good enough job controlling it, according to a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study. "High blood pressure is clearly associated with stroke, and it's a very preventable and treatable condition, but a lot of people still aren't doing what they should," said Dr. Keith Siller, medical director of the Comprehensive Stroke Care Center at New York University Langone Medical Center in New York City. Almost one in three American adults has high blood pressure, which is also known as hypertension. Blood pressure is a measurement of the force exerted when the heart is beating (systolic pressure) or when the heart is at rest (diastolic pressure). Systolic is the top number and diastolic is the bottom number on a blood pressure reading. A reading above 140/90 mmHg is considered high blood pressure, and anything between 120/80 mmHg and 139/89 mmHg is considered prehypertension, according to the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. A reading below 120/80 mmHg is considered normal. Diet, exercise, and blood-pressure lowering medications are all mainstays of blood pressure management. Many people have to take a combination of medications to properly control their blood pressure. To assess what measures those who've been diagnosed with hypertension are taking to control their high blood pressure, government researchers interviewed almost 25,000 Americans with high blood pressure. Almost all -- 98 percent -- said they were doing at least one thing to try to lower their blood pressure. Most also said they were taking some or all of the commonly recommended measures to control blood pressure. For example: ·        71 percent said they had changed their eating habits. ·        80 percent were limiting or eliminating the use of salt. ·        80 percent said they'd reduced alcohol consumption or abstained from drinking alcohol. ·        69 percent said they exercised. ·        73 percent were taking high blood pressure medications. Despite these measures, just 30 percent of Americans with high blood pressure have it under control, according to the study, which was published in a recent issue of the CDC's journal, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. "The single most important thing people can do to prevent stroke is to manage their modifiable risk factors," said Dr. Bruce Silverman, a neurologist at Providence Hospital and Medical Centers in Southfield, Mich. "That means controlling blood pressure, quitting smoking, controlling blood sugar if you're diabetic, managing stress, exercising regularly, and watching your diet." "There are so many risk factors you can't do anything about, like age or gender, but you can do something about your blood pressure, weight and stress levels, and it will significantly impact your risk of stroke," he added. Both experts said that home monitoring of your blood pressure can help, and if your readings are consistently high, you should let your doctor know. "People get frustrated when they're taking a medication as they should, and they still have a high blood pressure reading," Siller said. "But, sometimes it's not enough medication, or you may need more than one medication to really get your blood pressure under control." Silverman also pointed out that "it's not about taking the medicine and hoping it goes away. Lifestyle and behavioral changes are still important. And, if you can control your weight, quit smoking, and exercise, you can make a big dent in high blood pressure on your own." By Serena Gordon HealthDay Reporter (SOURCES: Keith Siller, M.D., medical director, Comprehensive Stroke Care Center, New York University Langone Medical Center, and assistant professor, New York University School of Medicine, New York City; Bruce Silverman, D.O., neurologist, Providence Hospital and Medical Centers, Southfield, Mich.; May 4, 2007, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) More information To learn more about preventing stroke, visit the U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Copyright © 2008 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved. HealthDayNews articles are derived from various sources and do not reflect federal policy. IHProducts.net does not endorse opinions, products, or services that may appear in news stories. For more information on health topics in the news, visit Health News on IHProducts.net.