Skate-Wear Central

Georgetown White

Vegetables Declare War on Diabetes

Climbing to the top of Argentina’s Aconcagua – the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere – is no ordinary feat. It can take even the most experienced climbers three weeks to reach the 22,835-foot snow-capped summit.

David Panofsky, 35 of Madison, Wis.; Doug Bursnall, 31, of Wales; and

Katherine Bradt-Wells, 30, of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, climbed

to the summit of Aconcagua last year. And they have a lot more in common than mountain climbing. They all have Type I, or insulin-dependant diabetes, and they are all vegetarians. In fact, everyone on the 26-member Team International Diabetes Expedition Aconcagua 2000 (IDEA 2000) has Type I diabetes.

For people with this disease, the pancreas does not release sufficient amounts of insulin, a protein hormone necessary for the body to regulate the metabolism of sugar and certain carbohydrates. Diabetics may require insulin injections and blood testing — as often as eight times a day. Untreated, the disease can cause blindness, nerve damage, cardiovascular disease and kidney failure.

Panofsky, Burnsall and Bradt-Wells are also members of the Diabetes

Exercise and Sports Association (DESA), an international organization made up of amateur and professional athletes whose mission is to help people with diabetes achieve their athletic goals. The team’s success at Aconcagua served as a statement against the stereotypes that tend to define diabetics: that their activities must be restricted because they can become quickly incapacitated. And for Panofsky, Burnsall and Bradt-Wells, the trek to the summit was also a way of dismantling one of the myths about nutrition, meat and muscle power. A vegetarian diet, says Brandt-Wells, “Is much easier to digest to get important nutrients and vitamins – especially at high altitudes like 20,000 feet, where the altitude interferes with digestion.” Food poisoning is also avoided, points out Brandt-Wells, because vegetarian fare is much less likely to spoil than meat.

Most diabetics suffer from Type II diabetes, a non-insulin-dependent disorder that tends to develop in overweight adults and is often preventable. Type II diabetes can be caused by poor diet, excessive weight and a sedentary lifestyle. It is more easily treated than Type I diabetes, according to Stephen Clement, M.D., director of the Georgetown University Diabetes Center in Washington, D.C., mostly through oral medication or insulin injections, diet and exercise.

To reduce weight and increase insulin sensitivity — making insulin work better and thus reducing dosages — ‘‘eat less, exercise more,’’ said Marion Franz, a registered dietician and former director of Nutrition and Professional Education at the International Diabetes Center in Minneapolis, Minn. Reducing food intake, being selective about what they eat and exercising help keep diabetics in fit condition.

Speaking at the DESA annual conference held this month in Washington, D.C., Franz emphasized the benefit of eating smaller portions of lean meat — or replacing meat altogether with peas, beans, lentils, soy protein, whole grains, fruits and vegetables.

Last year, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a health-advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C., and Georgetown

University Medical Center Department of Endocrinology published the

results of a study on the effectiveness of a vegetarian diet for

diabetics. In conjunction with the Diabetes Action and Education

Foundation in Arlington, Va., the Physicians Committee compared

‘‘fasting’’ glucose levels — the blood-sugar levels that result in the

absence of food for 12 hours — and weight loss of Type II diabetics,

using two types of diets for a period of three months. The pilot study had

13 participants; a follow-up study begins this year at The George

Washington University Medical Center with 60 participants.

‘‘We compared two different diets,’’ said Mark Sklar, M.D., an associate professor at Georgetown University Hospital’s Department of Endocrinology, ‘‘one, a high-fiber, low-fat, vegetarian diet that contains no animal products; and the other, a more common American Diabetes Association (ADA) diet, which contains meat and dairy products.’’

‘‘The vegan meals were made from unrefined vegetables, grains, beans,

and fruits, with no refined ingredients, such as vegetable oil, white flour, or white pasta,’’ said Neal Barnard, M.D., president of the Physicians Committee. ‘‘These meals averaged just 10 percent fat (as a percentage of calories), 80 percent complex carbohydrate and 10 percent protein. They also offered 60-70 grams of fiber per day and had no cholesterol at all.’’

The comparison (ADA) diet contained more plant-based ingredients than

the average American diet but still relied on the conventional chicken and

fish recipes. This diet was 30 percent fat and 50 percent carbohydrate. It

provided about 30 grams of fiber and 200 milligrams of cholesterol per day.

REDUCED INSULIN DOSAGES AND BETTER CONTROL

The fasting blood sugars in the vegetarian group decreased 28 percent,

whereas the ADA group’s blood sugars dropped only 12 percent. The

vegetarians needed less medication to control their blood sugars, whereas

the ADA group needed just as much medicine as before.

While the ADA dieters lost an impressive 8 pounds on average, the vegetarians lost nearly 16 pounds. Cholesterol levels also dropped more in the vegetarian group, compared to the ADA group.

Study vegetarian dieters said they were pleased with the weight loss

and the reduction or elimination of insulin injections or oral medication.

‘‘Being able to take control of my diabetes has been a wonderful thing,’’

said Scott Johnston, 34, a business consultant from Arlington, Va. ‘‘Had I

known that this diet would have such a powerful effect, I would have

adopted it years ago.’’

‘‘In the beginning, it’s not an easy diet,’’ said Sheldon Berman, 62,

of Washington, D.C. ‘‘But I managed to lose 17 pounds. I’m no longer on

medication for diabetes, and I am no longer on medication for blood

pressure. … The overall mental outlook on how I feel about myself as a

diabetic is much more hopeful now, as I am self-sufficient with a diet

that makes sense for me.’’

Worldwide, more than 125 million people have either insulin-dependent

or non-insulin dependent diabetes, according to Stuart Sundem, a senior

community health specialist at the International Diabetes Center in

Minneapolis, Minn. And that number is expected to skyrocket to more than

300 million by 2025, as Asian countries adopt Westernized lifestyle patterns of high consumption and sedentary activity, he said.

Francine Kaufman, M.D., president-elect of the American Diabetes

Association and chairman of Children’s Hospital Endocrinology Division in

Los Angeles, cites ‘‘fast food laden with fat and lower levels of activity’’ as the culprits for approximately 25 million cases of undiagnosed diabetes worldwide.

This month, the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases released the results of their own Diabetes Prevention Program study, showing that Type II diabetes can be prevented.

The study maintains that two different approaches — diet and exercise

therapy, and the administration of a diabetes medication, metformin –

were both effective. Just 30 minutes of daily exercise coupled with a

low-fat diet increases insulin sensitivity and reduces weight, possibly

eliminating the need for insulin injections altogether, according to the

report.

Christopher D. Saudek, M.D., president of the American Diabetes

Association and a principal investigator says ‘‘the Diabetes Prevention

Program conclusively proves that Type II diabetes is not inevitable for

people at high risk of developing it.’’

The DPP is the first study to demonstrate that prevention strategies

can work across the broad spectrum of racial and ethnic diversity. Both

lifestyle and medication interventions worked with those of Caucasian,

African, Latino, Native American, Asian and Pacific Islander origin.

Judith Ambrosini, another DESA member, has lived with diabetes for more

than 40 years. Currently a food columnist and caterer in Boston, Massachusetts, she became a vegetarian 20 years ago while living in Italy. ‘‘I

would go into town to the butcher shop,’’ she said, ‘‘but by the time I

got there, all that was left were brains, intestines and hearts.’’

She opted for the traditional Italian fare of pasta and vegetables when

she realized that she had better ‘‘make friends with this thing

(diabetes) — it will be with me for the rest of my life.’’

Mothers worldwide tell their children to eat their vegetables. This advice

may very well hold the answer to combating diabetes.

WEB-LINKS

Bruce Andrew Peters: http://www.GreatWriteUp.com

DESA: www.Diabetes-Exercise.org

IDEA 2000: www.IDEA2000.org

Physician Committee for Responsible Medicine: www.PCRM.org

International Diabetes Center: www.idcdiabetes.org

About the Author

Bruce Andrew Peters is an award-winning, internationally published photojournalist. Mr. Peters’ work appears internationally in a wide variety of publications. Visit: http://www.GreatWriteUp.com

White Heather Pipes & Drums – Georgetown 2009

Mens Rainbow Sandals Single Layer White Outsole Classics $29 When what you want is classic Rainbow comfort and durability, you’ve got to go with the Classic Rainbow Sandals. With great arch support and the Rainbow Lifetime Guarantee, these are the only sandals you’ll need for years to come. SIZING NOTE: Mens Rainbow Sandals run true to size, however, they have a wider footbed than the womens Rainbow Sandals. Many women with a wider foot order the mens sandals if the womens sizes are too narrow. See Rainbow Sizing Chart to compare mens and womens sizing.

Womens Rainbow Sandals Single Layer Narrow Strap White Crystal $79.95 Frost your feet with the best! You love your Rainbow Sandals, and you love Swarovski Crystals.. so it only makes sense to combine the two. Packed with comfort like the original Premium Leather Rainbow Sandals, the Crystal Rainbow Sandals bring class and beauty to a sandal that you already love, but will love so much more when they sparkle! SIZING NOTE: Sizes small through extra large in the womens Rainbow Sandals run true to size, however, the sizes ten and eleven run larger and wider than average because they are made from a mens footbed. Please see our Rainbow Sandals sizing chart for more information. NOTE: PLEASE DO NOT USE PETROLEUM OR OIL BASED CONDITIONER, CLEANER, SEALER OR ANY OTHER TYPE OF CHEMICAL ON THE LEATHER SURFACE OF RAINBOW SANDALS. DOING SO WILL CAUSE UN-REPAIRABLE DELAMINATING AND SUCH DAMAGE IS NOT COVERED UNDER THE RAINBOW GUARANTEE

Mens Spy Optic Sunglasses Hielo Sunglasses $94.95 Spy Optics Hielo Sunglasses in White Gloss/Grey

Mens Oakley Oil Rig Sunglasses $119.95 If you’re looking for a transfusion of art and attitude, it’s called OIL RIG by Oakley.  Make a statement with this great White text print!

RayBan Original Wayfarer Sunglasses – Rare Print $149.95 Let RayBan keep you as old school as possible with their Original Wayfarer Sunglasses, especially in this rare frame printed red and decorated with the RayBan logo in contrasting white

Oakley Holbrook Sunglasses $119.95 With a touch of the vintage styles like the original Oakley Frogskins, Oakley and superstar snowboarder Shaun White created the fresh Oakley Holbrook Sunglass

Oakley Holbrook Polarized Sunglasses $159.95 With a touch of the vintage styles like the original Oakley Frogskins, Oakley and superstar snowboarder Shaun White created the fresh Oakley Holbrook Sunglass

Womens Sanuk June Bug Sidewalk Surfers $51.95 With the Sanuk Sidewalk Surfers, you can be as comfortable as you are in a sandal but have the look and protection of a shoe. The classic white June Bug Sidewalk Surfers are the perfect shoe to slip on with any outfit this summer.

Nixon Watches Divvy $174.95 The fine lines of the Divvy are engaging. Its balanced, minimalist design takes the appreciation of fine art beyond the four white walls of the gallery space and into the real world. Smart, subtle designs overlay a classic silhouette for a look that is familiar yet fresh from Nixon.

Flip Flop Socks Athletic Flip Flop Socks $10.95 Super comfortable Flip Flop Socks! Wear this Mid Weight white or black all year long. They have the feel and comfort of an athletic sock. Low cut, comfortable and warm. Now you can wear your favorite flip flops or split toe sandals whenever you want. The Mid weight sock is made of: 63% polyester 30% cotton 7% spandex

Mens Zephyr Backpack – Zephyr Superstar Georgetown Snapback Hat $26.5 Georgetowns colors take over this stylin hat for a sweet color combo. Jack the bulldog adds a cool accent to the side complete with bold embroidery. You wont have to worry about the fit thanks to its snapback style for your complete comfort. Add this one to your hat collection this season for a hint of sporty style. Rigid flat brim, stiff body front. Solid body, Snapback style. Contrast button at hat top. Size S-M pictured.

Mens Fader, White/White/Green $60 Trademark etnies Arrow logo integrated into heel area, Padded tongue and collar, STI Foam Lite level 1 footbed, New 300 NBS rubber outsole with internal EVA midsole, Available in sizes: 5-14

Mens Essential, White $44 420D basic backpack, Main compartment, Screen-printed embroidered artwork, 18″x11.5″x6″, 1,250 cu in, Available in sizes: One Size

Mens Busta, White Red $36 100% polyester mesh tank with yarndye rib and etnies icon chest logo, Available in sizes: S, M, L, XL

Mens Last Night, White $19 Screen-printed T-shirt, Custom sleeve label, OFFERED IN YOUTH, Available in sizes: S, M, L, XL

Mens Brava, Grey/White $65 Classic team-inspired silhouette, Ultra lightweight cold cement construction, Custom branding , Refined shape, STI Foam™ Pro 1 Lite level 1 footbed for increased comfort and cushioning, 400 NBS rubber outsole with internal EVA midsole for comfort, Available in sizes: 5-14

Mens Notched, White $40 Tri-blend jersey raglan henley with scalloped hem and chest pocket, Devine Calloway signature label package, Available in sizes: S, M, L, XL