Two practices that were commonly thought to be mainstays of diabetes control – carb counting and aggressive blood sugar control — are getting a second look.
For people with diabetes, carb counting is considered an effective way to keep blood sugar levels in check. However, a recent study suggests that placing too much focus on the practice is not necessarily a good thing, according to a recent Reuters article.
Carb counting involves counting the grams of carbohydrates in a particular meal or snack. This is particularly helpful to people with Type 1 diabetes because it helps them calculate how much insulin to take. People with Type 1 diabetes do not produce insulin, which helps regulate the amount of sugar in the blood, so they have to inject themselves with the hormone each time they consume food or drink containing sugar or carbs.
Researchers conducted a study in which they found that parents and kids tended to overlook whole foods, such as fruits, veggies and whole grains and tended to eat packages processed foods where the carbohydrate information was more readily available. For the study, they interviewed 35 kids ages 8 to 21 and their parents. And, despite both parent and child agreeing that fruits and veggies are generally healthy foods, some parents still limited their kids’ eating of such foods because of the carbohydrate counts.
A second study looking at aggressive blood sugar control is suggesting that the practice is not a one-size-fits-all formula. Researchers say that tailored approach is needed that takes a person’s age and health issues into account are needed in order to best control heart disease, according to an article on the MSNBC website.
Studies on the topic have produced mixed results. Last year a federally sponsored trial was halted because aggressive treatment lead to 20% greater risk of death among patients with heart problems. However, an international trial showed no such risk.
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