Good Bugs, Bad Bugs, Waist Size and Dangerous Sausages

The big story in diabetes news may be Microbiota, bacteria to you and me, bugs that can help or hurt glucose sensitivity.  Also big diabetes news is your waist size alone could be a predictor of type 2 diabetes and of particular interest to me, a man attacks a cyclist and laughter ensues. 

But first,

The Numbers:

• Fasting Blood Glucose Level:  104 mg/dl.
• Weight:  187 lbs.
• Exercise:  45 minutes of a ride that would not end.  
• Mood:  7.00. I liked yesterday's reading better.  

The Menu:

• Baked Oatmeal and morning fruit medley
• Lunch:  Leftover whole wheat spaghetti and leftover Cotten BBQ's sausage.  Good stuff.  
• Dinner:  Lentils and Salsa, a new family favorite.  Thanks, Adjoa. 
• Snacks:  A few almonds and a very tasty kolache made by real Catholic Church ladies.

Microbiota Can Affect Glucose Sensitivity

A week or so ago I posted this on companies trying new approaches to treating diabetes.  That article included company called NuMe Health, which was developing a diabetic treatment to increase the beneficial bacteria and decrease the bad ones.  I really sort of blew it off as one of those things that sound good and never work.  That the company was backed by Whole Foods CEO John Mackey should have made me realize the attempt was legitimate, but it's not the first time I have been wrong about something.

What changed my mind was this article about a study involving an oil called sterculic oil, which comes from wild almonds.  The researchers showed, on mice admittedly, that this oil helped reduce three types of bacteria found in the gut, actinobacteria, bacilli and erysipelotrichia, and increased the glucose sensitivity of the mice who were obese and diabetic.

The sterculic oil is not what is important here.  That glucose sensitivity is affected by bacteria is, so NuMe may be on to something.  If they are, this could be a real breakthrough in treating type 2 diabetes - a safe, effective and, as much as I hate to say it because most things labeled as natural are a scam, natural treatment. 

Your Waist Size is Predictor of Type 2 Diabetes

Given the  rise in obesity and the concurrent rise type 2 diabetes, that could be labeled as just stating the obvious.  In the past waist size and body mass index were used.  Curiously, this predictor works better on woman than on men and being obese is not necessarily the cause of large waists.  Some are just big, if not obese.  For woman the too big waists start at 35 inches and in men it's 40 inches. 

Cyclist Attacked by Man Swinging Frozen Sausages

The attacker used links of frozen sausage like a chain and finished the attack with a wrench, which is were the funny part stopped.  The assailant, Michael Baker of Holbrook, MA was arraigned on assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.  The sausages are thought to have been stolen from a nearby food stand at the Brockton Fairgrounds.   The cyclist is apparently doing fine.