Study Finds More Pregnant US Diabetics

Paula wants to show American public 'simple ways' to cope with disease

(NEWSER) - It's as official as it is unshocking: Butter-slinging celeb chef Paula Deen—she who combined a Krispy Kreme doughnut, hamburger, bacon, and fried egg and called it breakfast —confirms that she has Type 2 diabetes . But she's determined to make something positive out of the diagnosis, like maybe a profit: Deen is today unveiling a partnership with drugmaker Novo Nordisk to emphasize "simple ways" to manage the disease, reports People . "I was determined to share my positive approach and not let diabetes stand in the way of enjoying my life," Deen says. More»

Governments need to lead fight against obesity, researchers say

(NEWSER) - Bulging waistlines around the world are going to cause a public health disaster over the next 20 years unless the spread of obesity is checked, a new study warns. A third of Americans are now classed as obese and researchers predict it will be 50% by 2030, resulting in millions more cases of diabetes and heart disease, ABC reports. "At the rate we're looking at right now, it's a dire prediction," the study's lead author says. "Something has to be done." More»

Benefits seen after only one month

(NEWSER) - Everyone knows breastfeeding is good for babies, but moms apparently get major health benefits, too, reports Scientific American's Observations blog reports. A new analysis confirms that moms who breastfeed, even for just one month, are less likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Even after accounting for age, race, and health history, mothers who never breastfed were twice as likely to get diabetes—27% of the study group of 2,233 did. More»

Obesity 'accounts for nearly a tenth' of health-care spending

(NEWSER) - There’s an “elephant in the room” when it comes to health care reform: American health care costs a bundle in large part because we’re so fat, writes Michael Pollan for the New York Times. President Obama has touched on the issue, but the country hasn’t, and that’s because the food industry is “even more powerful” than health insurers. More»

(NEWSER) - Americans eat more than twice as much added sugar as doctors recommend, and they should cut back to battle obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease, researchers say. Added calories from processed sugar should total no more than 150 for men and 100 for women, the American Heart Association said today. Soft drinks are the top factor in added dietary sugar, and the recommendations are sure to rile their producers, Reuters reports. More»