Letter from the Editor #589

Could chopsticks be the answer to diabetes and obesity? In a study released from Otago University the speed of eating has a big effect on weight gain and if we could just slow them down then maybe weight gain would slow down to. Can you imagine if we did away with all forks and spoons and all handheld foods? Maybe cutting calories would not be the first thing our overweight patients need to do. In fact if you check out Item #1, Weight Loss through Cutting Calories Results Less than Expected, you’ll see why calorie cutting does not necessarily equal weight loss.

I had the chance recently to speak to the employees of Georgia Power about hypertension and while there the Medical Director asked my opinion of a new test that gives a diabetes risk score to patients without the traditional pre-diabetes complications. I had one of my interns, Brandon Flohr, review the PreDx™ Diabetes Risk Score and the seven biological markers they use to evaluate the risk of developing diabetes. Click here to read the review.

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Announcements:

TCOYD Conference and Health Fair, Amarillo Civic Center, Amarillo, Texas, September 10, 2011

Join Steven Edelman, MD and Special Guest, Charlie Kimball, IZOD Indy Car Driver (“Diabetes Doesn’t Slow Me Down”) for a day focused on diabetes health and wellness.

dLife.com: September 4, 7PM ET on CNBC

Topics: On the next dLifeTV, dLife blows apart diabetes myths and misunderstandings. Also, a look at how the online social network Facebook may actually improve your health. Sundays on CNBC at 7 PM ET, 6 PM CT, and 4 PM PT. Catch up on dLife.com.

Please answer this week’s poll: Do you recommend alternative medicines to your patients as part of their diabetes management?

View last week’s poll results.

Check out this week’s “Test Your Diabetes Knowledge” question!

Dave Joffe, Editor-in-chief