Diabetes is a chronic disease that is becoming more and more prevalent in our society. Poor diet, refined and processed foods, a sedentary lifestyle and a worldwide epidemic of obesity are contributing to the rapidly rising numbers of the disease. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 150 million people worldwide have diabetes. The WHO estimates that by the year 2025, there may be 300 million people with this disease.

Have you had your goji berries today? Personally, I love adding 1-2 tablespoons of dried goji berries to power up my morning smoothies. Natively grown in central China, this reddish-orange fruit commonly referred to as the goji berry is actually the wolfberry, Lycium barbarum.

I noticed a few reports last week regarding a study that was presented at a diabetes conference. Apparently, the research shows that individuals taking naps in the afternoon is associated with a significantly enhanced risk of developing diabetes. When such studies are reported there’s a tendency for journalists (and sometimes the originators of the study) to suggest that because two things are associated, one is causing the other. For example, the headline of the BBC report reads: Napping ‘increases diabetes risk’.

Statins are the most commonly used cholesterol-reducing drugs. There is evidence that taking them reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, though it certainly isn’t assured that this is because they reduce cholesterol levels.

It may sound strange, but it’s true.

Q: I am so glad to have found D-mannose and xylitol through the Tahoma Clinic Dispensary. I have started using xylitol for all of my baking and sweetening needs. My family can’t tell the difference in the desserts. They are just glad that the cookies and pies are back...But I’m wondering if there is any problem in using xylitol every day?

––N.D.K., Sugarland, TX

Traces of peanuts seem to wend their way throughout processed foods, as we've discovered with the recent recall of so many products containing peanut butter and peanut oil.

But that's nothing compared to the products that contain high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup is used to sweeten thousands of popular products - soft drinks, cereals, baked goods, candy, yogurt, salad dressings, and even soups.

And now - yep - high fructose corn syrup joins peanuts and honey in the spotlight of potentially contaminated products.

We know that quercetin is good for the heart. And as I've noted in previous e-Alerts, it's also an immune booster that helps curb chronic disease.

Now researchers believe they've discovered exactly what makes this flavonoid as good as gold.

It sounds almost too good to be true, but for those enjoying advanced years and for patients with type 2 diabetes, this amino acid supplement is a serious multi-tasker.

In July of 2008 David Graham, M.D., a drug safety officer at the FDA called for the withdrawal of Avandia®, a leading type-2 diabetes drug marketed by Glaxo SmithKline, PLC. Dr. Graham suggested research could indicate the drug possibly caused 205,000 heart attacks and strokes from 1999 to 2006. Dr. Graham also calculated 1600-2200 more patients might suffer these side effects for every month the drug remains on the market. For the over four million type-2 diabetics who’ve taken the drug since 1999, the announcement was a serious one.