As the year draws to a close, we thought that we’d take a look back at the news stories, blog entries, recipes, and articles that were the most popular on DiabetesSelfManagement.com in 2008. Leave us a comment and let us know which ones were your favorites and why!
Top 5 Breaking News Stories
Here are some of the stories that made headlines in 2008.
1) Caffeine May Affect Blood Glucose Levels
Caffeine may raise blood glucose levels in people with Type 2 diabetes, according to a small study published earlier this year. Numerous readers confirmed that they’ve noticed this, too.
2) Drug Combo Linked to Increased Health Risks
The news that taking a sulfonylurea and metformin together was associated with an increase in cardiovascular risk got a lot of people talking in August.
3) Kidney Disease: Learn the Symptoms
Also in August, people familiarized themselves with the signs of diabetic kidney disease in time for Kidney Disease Awareness and Education Week.
4) Byetta and Pancreatitis: What You Should Know
A handful of pancreatitis cases in people taking the injected drug Byetta led the FDA to call for a labeling revision this past summer.
5) ADA’s New Guidelines OK Low-Carb Diets for Weight Loss
The American Diabetes Association accepted low-carb diets as an option for weight loss in people with diabetes early in 2008.
Top 5 Blog Entries
These were the most popular entries from each blogger in 2008.
1)
Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket…Or On One Plate!
Amy Campbell’s coverage of a new study about eggs and diabetes risk interested a lot of readers.
2)
Some Things Are Worse Than Sugar
David Spero’s indictment of the artificial sweetener aspartame provoked comments on both sides of the controversy.
3)
Rambling About Diet (and Diet Coke)
Eric Lagergren’s tale of regular soda substituted for diet and his resulting high blood sugar inspired several people to share similar stories and possible solutions for this problem.
4)
Parents Charged in Diabetes Death
Over multiple blog entries, Jan Chait covered the unfortunate case of a child’s death from untreated Type 1 diabetes.
5)
What We’re Reading: Diabetes and Tea
An explanation of how tea may help lower blood glucose levels was this year’s most popular “What We’re Reading” feature.
Top 5 Recipes
How many of these popular recipes did you try?
This recipe for crispy baked chicken breasts was a hit with readers.
Fresh broccoli is the star of this creamy, crunchy, low-carb salad.
This simple dessert lets the taste of fresh blueberries shine through.
4) Creamy potato–broccoli soup
This is a warm, hearty soup for cool weather.
This single-serve smoothie provides 2 ½ servings of fruit.
Top 5 Articles
Blood Glucose Monitoring was the top topic by far this year; three of the five most popular articles dealt with blood glucose meter use, the HbA1c test, and continuous glucose monitoring.
1) Blood Glucose Monitoring: What Do the Numbers Tell You?
2) Strike the Spike: Controlling After-Meal Blood Glucose Highs
3) H-B-A-1-C (What It Is and Why It Matters)
4) Carbohydrate Factors: A Precise Method for Meal Planning
5) Continuous Glucose Monitoring: Getting Started
Thanks for a great 2008! We look forward to sharing more news, commentary, recipes, and articles with you in 2009, along with our exciting new sections, Diabetes Flashpoints and Tip of the Day!
