ADA “Care to Cure” Brunch
Posted: March 17, 2011 Filed under: Events Leave a comment »
Dr. Lou Philipson and Ryan Baker
The Kovler Diabetes Center had the pleasure of attending the ADA ‘Care to Cure’ brunch. The event was hosted by Honorary Chairs Lovie Smith, Chicago Bears Head Coach, and his wife MaryAnne and was emceed by Ryan Baker, CBS2 News Sports Director. Families, patients, sponsors and organizations gathered at the United Club at Soldier Field to help raise funds for the ADA Summer Camp Program and support the hundreds of children who look forward to these camps every year.
The KDC table included Dr. Lou Philipson, Director of the KDC, Peggy Hasenauer, Executive Director of the KDC, Dr. Yolanda Becker, Professor of Surgery at the University of Chicago Medical Center and Jenna Cutler of the Cutler Foundation.
Members of the KDC table at the ADA Brunch
During the event, the Cutler Foundation and Dr. Becker generously participated in the live auction’s paddle raise, and Dr. Philipson was acknowledged for his role as President of the ADA Leadership Board as well as his membership in the ADA’s Pinnacle Society.
Attendees were introduced to ADA Youth Ambassador’s and children who attend the ADA Summer Camps. These children helped put faces and names to this disease, and the Kovler Diabetes Center was honored to participate in such a worthy event.
To learn more about these camps, click here. To learn more about the Kovler Diabetes Center program for kids, click here.
Take Steps to Decrease Your Risk of Diabetes
Posted: March 6, 2011 Filed under: National Nutrition Month Leave a comment »
March is National Nutrition Month!
The risk of diabetes decreases with just diet adjustments and a 30-minute minute walk every day (even two 15-minute walks).
A national trial, called the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), showed that “Making an effort to lose and maintain weight loss is the best way to lower the risk of developing diabetes,” said Dr. David Ehrmann, Professor of Medicine, and the principal investigator on the study at the University of Chicago.
Funded by the National Institutes of Health, the study included 27 clinical centers around the country. It showed that, “individuals at high risk for the development of type 2 diabetes can delay or avoid its onset by losing weight through regular physical activity and a diet low in fat and calories.”
In fact, the report states that these lifestyle changes can reduce the risk of developing diabetes by 58 percent. For participants aged 60 and older, lifestyle changes reduced the risk by 71 percent.
“This has now been well-validated,” said Dr. Ehrmann. “Even minor weight loss makes a difference. Ideally, losing on the order of 7 percent of body weight can have an important impact on diabetes risk.”
In some ways it’s daunting to change behavior, but, according to Margie Matulik, a nurse, Certified Diabetes Educator and the University of Chicago DPP Coordinator, the changes don’t have to be radical. The risk of diabetes decreases with just a 30-minute walk every day (even two 15-minute walks), substituting high carbohydrate, high fat foods with fruits and vegetables, and avoiding refined (or processed) food. “Eat close to the farm,” she says.
When the outcomes phase of the study officially concludes in 2013, it will have been a 17-year trial. “We’ve learned a lot,” Dr. Ehrmann says, “but it comes down to this: Weight loss is the most significant factor in slowing the progression of diabetes.”
Check out our blog, Facebook page and Twitter handle throughout March for more health tips during National Nutrition Month!
ADA Awards Grant to Dr. Lou Philipson
Posted: March 1, 2011 Filed under: Research and Grants Leave a comment »
The Kovler Diabetes Center is proud to announce that Director Lou Philipson, MD, PhD, has received a major research award from the American Diabetes Association (ADA).
The ADA awarded Philipson $190,000 over the next three years to launch the National Center for Monogenic Diabetes, a new initiative of the Kovler Diabetes Center.
Dr. Lou Philipson
“We’re pleased to receive this award and very grateful for the support of the ADA,” Philipson said. “The National Center for Monogenic Diabetes is an exciting new project designed to expand research on this disease and to bring transformative care to the 500,000 individuals in the United States who have monogenic diabetes.”
Goals of the National Center for Monogenic Diabetes include:
• Expanding the Neonatal Diabetes Registry to include all forms of monogenic diabetes
• Promoting the discovery of new causes of monogenic diabetes
• Increasing nationwide awareness about monogenic forms of diabetes
• Improving the care of patients with monogenic diabetes through targeted clinical studies and longitudinal collection of outcomes data
The Kovler Diabetes Center is a national leader in diabetes research, care, training and clinical trials and is one of only seven designated National Institutes of Health Diabetes Research and Training Centers (DRTCs) in the United States.
Stay tuned for more information about the National Center for Monogenic Diabetes or visit the Kovler Diabetes Center online.
The American Diabetes Association is one of the nation’s largest advocacy groups working to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of people affected by the disease. Learn more.
