Happy St. Patrick's Day

 

May there always be work for your hands to do
May your purse always hold a coin or two;
May the sun always shine on your windowpane;
May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain;
May the hand of a friend always be near you;
May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.

Increased Red Meat Consumption Linked to Higher Diabetes Risk

According to a new long-term observational study from researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and the National       University of Singapore, increasing the number of servings of red meat over time increases the risk of getting type 2 diabetes, while cutting back reduces the danger. The study is published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Using food questionnaires, researchers tracked the eating habits of almost 150,000 people every four years for an average of 20 years of follow-up. Their analysis took into account age, family history, race, smoking status, initial red meat consumption and  lifestyle factors such as physical activity, alcohol intake and diet quality.

The study found that among those who ate more red meat as the study progressed showed higher rates of diabetes than those whose red meat consumption didn’t change.

Consuming 3.5 more servings of red meat per week during a four-year period increased a person’s chance of developing diabetes by almost 50 percent in the subsequent four years.

Those who consumed 3.5 less servings of red meat per week during a four-year period didn’t have a short-term reduced risk of developing the disease, but over the subsequent 10 years, reduced their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 14 percent.

The findings apply to both processed red meats, such as lunch meat and hot dogs, and unprocessed red meat, such as hamburger, steak and pork. The association was stronger for processed meat.

Some experts suggest that the high calories and fat in red meat are to blame for the association between increased consumption and higher risk of diabetes. Indeed, people who are overweight are more likely to develop the condition. However, even after the  researchers controlled for body mass index and weight gain, the linkage between increased red meat consumption and  type 2 diabetes remained.

In an invited commentary in the journal , William J. Evans, Ph.D., head of the Muscle Metabolism Discovery Performance Unit at GlaxoSmithKline, and an adjunct professor of geriatric medicine at Duke University, suggests that the problem isn’t red meat, but the amount of saturated fat in the meat.

According to lead author An Pan, Ph.D.:

“The public-health message is to try to limit red meat consumption (particularly processed red meat) and switch to plant-based food choices and more fish or poultry. While there is no cutoff point or recommendation regarding how many servings per week, the current evidence suggests the less, the better.”

The study is the first to look at red meat consumption changes over time and how it affects diabetes risk.

 

AAP SPEAKS OUT AGAINST RETAIL-BASED CLINICS

For Release: Immediate
CHICAGO - The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has issued a new policy statement opposing the use of Retail-Based Clinics (RBCs) - limited, lower-cost services at walk-in facilities located in supermarkets, pharmacies and large retail stores - as a source for medical care of infants, children and adolescents. These clinics do not support the AAP's commitment to the medical home model that provides accessible, family-centered, comprehensive, continuous, coordinated, compassionate and culturally effective care for which the pediatrician shares responsibility with the family.
The AAP is particularly concerned with the following aspects of RBC care:

• Fragmentation and possible lower quality of care
• Care for children with special health care needs
• Lack of access to a central health record
• Use of tests and diagnosis without proper follow-up
• Public health issues surrounding exposure to contagious diseases in a retail environment

While the AAP is opposed to the use of RBCs, it does acknowledge that these clinics will likely continue to exist. To help ensure the best care possible through these outlets, the AAP has issued the following guidelines:

• RBCs should support the medical home model by referring patients back to primary care physicians for future care. A medical home ensures a main source for a child's health care and medical records
• RBCs should communicate with the patient's pediatrician or other primary care physician within 24 hours of the visit.
• All those providing care to children should follow AAP clinical guidelines as well as those developed by other medical organizations.
• RBCs should be subject to health facility standards and precautions should be taken to avoid the spread of contagious diseases.

In addition, the AAP is opposed to waiving or lowering co-pays or offering financial incentives for visits to RBCs in lieu of pediatricians or primary care providers. These types of incentives would further promote the fragmentation of care.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.

Remember Your New Year's Resolution!

So it has been nearly 2 months since you made that New Year’s Resolution, but do you even remember what it was?  We all have good intentions when we make them, but let’s face it, life just gets in the way! Only 8% of those who make a New Year’s resolution end up keeping it; the rest of us are done with them by the end of March.  We tend to fail, not for lack of trying, but for setting unrealistic expectations and time frames.

Stop thinking “New Year’s Resolution” and start thinking “my goals for this year”.  It is important for you to make your goals specific, attainable, relevant, measurable, and set to a time limit.  Losing weight is always in the top 5 resolutions, and one of the first to be broken.  Instead of thinking “losing weight”, make a goal to eat healthier (eat 4 servings of fruit and veggies a day), limit desserts to 1 per week and eat a normal portion size.  These changes will help you lose the weight you want by establishing easy, achievable daily goals.  Fall off the wagon one day?  Don’t worry about it, just start again!  Think of getting healthy like the stock market.  Your goal in investing is not to get rich quick, but to secure long term wealth, or, in this case health.

If you need help achieving your goal of obtaining a healthy lifestyle, we are here to help!  Our patients lose thousands of pounds each month, and best of all they keep them off.  Our doctors and staff can help you identify the physical and emotional triggers that have stopped you in the past and give you a personalized wellness plan to get you on your way to better health once and for all.  For the month of March we will be running a “New Goals for a New Me” promotion where you can get a free wellness consultation and begin your personalized wellness plan for only $50.00, when you "Like Us" on Facebook. (offer ends 03/31/14)