A midday snooze on the couch sounds like a good idea – feels like one too – but making a habit out napping could be harmful.

Writing in the journal Sleep, researchers say individuals who nap four to six days out of the week are more likely to have diabetes.

The study involved 20,000 Chinese adults, ages 50 and older.

When accounting for other factors – such as exercise, age, and diagnoses of hypertension or cardiovascular disease – frequent naps were still linked to higher diabetes risk.

For both men and women, taking naps four to six days per week increased their risk of diabetes by 36%; napping appears to impair fasting glucose levels.

Unless you work a demanding job with crazy hours, you should probably stop napping after kindergarten anyway.

Via Reuters.

Image credit: Woman’s Day

You can’t escape your genes. No matter how healthy you are, your family history is always a factor. Thanks mom and dad! Ugh.

That even includes things like diabetes risk.

A new study published in the journal Diabetes Care found that women with diabetes in their family have double the risk of developing the disease.

Researchers examined data on 73,227 women spanning a 20 year period, where 5,101 developed type-2 diabetes.

Findings showed women with at least one parent or sibling with diabetes had more than two-fold the risk of type-2 diabetes.

Via Reuters.

Image credit: ehow.com

Maybe we’re not all the same after all–at least when it comes to diet and health.

Because new research claims meat and fat heavy diets for controlling diabetes actually raises the risk of diabetes, but the effect varies among ethnic groups and gender.

Writing in the journal Diabetes Care, experts found that Japanese and American women in the study had a higher risk of developing diabetes on a high fat diet than their Hawaiian counterparts.

Hawaiian women showed no strong association between a high fat diet and diabetes.

For the study, a high fat diet included things like meat, cheese, eggs, and refined grains.

Men did not fair so well. Men with the highest consumption of high fat foods were 40% more likely to get diabetes, even after considering other factors like age, weight and exercise habits.

And to make the whole issue even more confusing, diets rich in vegetables help protect Japanese and white men from diabetes, but not native Hawaiian men.

But despite the schizophrenic results, scientists still recommend consuming more fruits and vegetables than foods in the high fat group.

Via Reuters.

Image credit: Reading Country Club

Sure, it’s a long way off, but it’s not like 2034 will show up and BOOM diabetes spending will skyrocket.

It’ll be a scary climb until then.

A new report in the journal Diabetes Care says the number of diabetes cases in the United States will double by 2034.

And the cost will triple!

Experts claim over the next 25 years, individuals with diagnosed or undiagnosed diabetes will jump from 24 million to 44 million people.

And the hit to the wallet is horrifying. Right now, diabetes related spending is $113 billion a year, but in 2034, the cost will top $336 billion each year.

It’s already pretty daunting. To date, 11% of people in the U.S. have diabetes, a lot of that is type-2 diabetes, linked to obesity.

So scientists are calling for more weight interventions to curb obesity rates, citing previous studies that show losing weight lowers risk of diabetes.

Dietary intervention does help to reverse the “un-curable” type-2 diabetes.

For example, a much-hyped program called Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes In 30 Days has demonstrated success through raw foods.

Via Reuters.

Image credit: How Stuff Works

Watch out, that fancy shrimp cocktail might look and taste like a luxury, but eating shrimp may increase your risk of type-2 diabetes.

And its not just shrimp, other shellfish, like crabs and mussels, raise risk too.

But the problem is not the shellfish itself. Instead its how shrimp, mussels, and crab are often cooked and served.

In a British study, published in the journal Diabetes Care, experts say shellfish is most often prepared with butter and mayonnaise or fried with oil, which increases cholesterol, adding to diabetes risk.

But regular fish may help lower risk. When assessing the 21,984 study participants’ weekly consumption of shellfish and non-shellfish, like cod, mackerel, tuna, and sole, only 725 people developed type-2 diabetes.

So researchers recommend further research into the diabetes-shellfish link, but urge the public to consume non-shellfish regularly.

Just be careful, nowadays most species of fish are contaminated with mercury and other pollutants, so choose carefully.

Here’s a great guide for picking the safest fish: Environmental Defense Fund Seafood Selector.

Via Reuters.

Image credit: Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska

It turns out, belly fat, the scourge of middle age armchair quarterbacks, is no good for young kids.

Just like in adults, obesity and excessive body fat raises “bad” cholesterol in children, a major risk factor for heart disease.

Reporting in the International Journal of Pediatric Obesity, experts claim children with waists, more than 90% bigger than their peers, have higher levels of LDL cholesterol and lowers levels of HDL cholesterol, i.e. “good” cholesterol.

Scientists say this forecasts possible heart problems later life. Obesity contributes to things like type-2 diabetes and high blood pressure.

So measuring waist circumference in obese kids could help pinpoint children at greater risk of developing health problems.

And just like the guy pounding beers and chicken wings at the sports bar, experts insist the only way to lose weight is to eat right and exercise.

Via Reuters.

Image credit: South Park Studios.