Thursday, March 28, 2024

Normal Fasting Blood Sugar Does Not Rule Out Diabetes

A new position statement from the International Diabetes Federation says that a blood sugar level greater than 155 mg/dL (8.6 mmol/L) one hour after eating a meal means that a person should immediately be referred to a diabetes prevention center and instructed to follow all the lifestyle rules recommended for diabetics.

President John F. Kennedy: Should Health Records Be Released?

John F. Kennedy was probably the sickest U.S. President ever. He suffered from a disease called Autoimmune Polyglandular Syndrome, which was not described until 1981, 18 years after he was assassinated (Medicine, 1981;60(5):355-62). This disease made him miserable by knocking off his thyroid and adrenal glands, and probably his parathyroid glands also.

Best Times to Brush Your Teeth

Dentists do not agree on whether it is better to brush before or after breakfast. I think you should brush after breakfast, but you should try to wait and brush at least 30 minutes after eating. If that doesn't fit into your schedule, do whatever works best for you. Any brushing is better than no brushing.

Joyce Randolph, Last of “The Honeymooners,” Dies at 99

Joyce Randolph was a stage and television actress who died of “natural causes” at age 99 on January 13, 2024. She was the last surviving member of the cast of the Jackie Gleason television sitcom “The Honeymooners," the story of New York City bus driver Ralph Kramden (Jackie Gleason). The show was about working-class married couples who deal with their absurd lifestyle choices in the Kramden's kitchen in a Brooklyn apartment building.

Dangers of the New GLP-1 Weight-Loss Drugs

Each month North American doctors write more than three million prescriptions for the new weight-loss medications called GLP-1 agonists. Examples include semaglutide in Ozempic and Wegovy and tirzepatide, the drug in Mounjaro and Zepbound. Also each year, these doctors perform more than 200,000 stomach surgeries to help people lose weight.

Eating Carbohydrates Before Lifting Weights Can Help You Lift Heavier Weights

It is well known that taking carbohydrates before and during endurance exercise helps to increase both speed and endurance. It is not as well known that taking carbohydrates before and during resistance training for strength can increase intensity and duration of workouts. A review of 21 randomized controlled studies that included 226 young adults found that taking carbohydrates before or during lifting weights increased training volume, and caused higher peak blood lactic acid and sugar levels

David Soul and COPD

David Soul was the sad-eyed, blond actor who portrayed Detective Ken Hutchinson in the television series “Starsky & Hutch” from 1975 to 1979. He followed this by singing "Don't Give Up on Us", the number one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1977, another top single, "Silver Lady" and four more top-10 entries. In 1995, he moved to England where he continued as a very successful actor on stage and television.

Extreme Exercise and Atrial Fibrillation

Virtually all doctors agree that exercise helps to keep you healthy and to prolong your life. People who exercise into later life live longer than non-exercisers and are at reduced risk for high blood pressure, heart attacks, premature death, diabetes, strokes and even some cancers (Circulation, July 25, 2022;146(7):523–534). Endurance bicycle racers who participated in the Tour de France from 1947 to 2012 have lived an average of five years longer than their countrymen. People who exercise regularly are far less likely to develop irregular heartbeats called atrial fibrillation.

High Levels of Niacin May Increase Heart Attack and Stroke Risk

Since the 1940s, the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, 137.165 (a), has recommended that each pound of food made from flour should contain 24 milligrams of niacin to help prevent vitamin B3 deficiency. For years, some doctors have prescribed niacin to treat people with low blood levels of the good HDL cholesterol. (Low levels of HDL are associated with increased risk for heart attacks). However, a new study from a highly-respected group of researchers at the Cleveland Clinic found that high doses of niacin may increase risk for arteriosclerosis, heart attacks and strokes.

Richard Lewis: Parkinson’s Disease and Heart Attacks

Richard Lewis was a stand-up comedian, actor and author of two self-deprecating books, and for 11 years he played a fictionalized version of himself in the hit HBO series "Curb Your Enthusiasm." In 2021, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. A year ago he retired from stand-up comedy, and on February 24. 2024, he died at age 76 from a heart attack associated with Parkinson’s disease.