Diabetes is a growing problem in America; a well-documented type 2 diabetes epidemic has stressed our health care system’s infrastructure and sparked existential debates over the quality of our food supply and nutrition advice. Type 2 diabetes has been linked to high consumption of sugar and starches and has been associated with a variety of serious metabolic diseases, including heart disease, insulin resistance and cancer.

Many respected scientists and doctors have been arguing that the health outcomes for diabetics might improve through the careful monitoring of insulin levels and blood glucose as well as through dietary changes. New science suggests that eating foods high in sucrose can be dangerous to diabetics, but are the implications of this science even broader? For instance, do foods that generally have high levels of carbohydrates pose a threat to diabetics? If so, how might the dietary advice currently given to diabetics be changed to improve their quality of life?

One problem that many diabetics are faced with is obesity – diabetes and obesity are so closely linked that many medical professionals now call them “diabesity.” In an effort to control obesity, food makers now create and sell low-fat or non-fat varieties of various foods. This low fat paradigm, enshrined in the USDA Food Guide Pyramid, has not appeared to have slowed the growth of obesity. Similarly, in clinical trials, somewhat surprisingly, low fat diets have not shown a substantial ability to protect against cardiovascular problems or general metabolic health issues. Thanks in part to these lackluster clinical results, scientists have been looking at other nutritional approaches.

A recent study in Nutrition Journal reveals that lower-carbohydrate diets may be more likely to treat the symptoms of diabetes and other metabolic conditions, according to many biomarker results. In 24 trials comparing lower carb diets to lower fat diets, lower carb diets have come out ahead significantly in terms of being able to lower blood glucose and insulin levels, raise levels of HDL (the “good” cholesterol) and lower triglycerides. Much research needs to be done to determine what diets should be used with which patients under different conditions. But the “everyone should be on a low fat diet” paradigm is beginning to lose popularity among the leaders in the field of nutrition.

The New Yorker reports that medical professionals often fail to diagnose traumatic brain injury (TBI) in victims of domestic abuse. Per this news analysis, when emergency room personnel examine women following an attack, they usually don’t order CT scans or MRIs. A diagnosis of TBI frequently indicates that the victims of abuse are likely to become victims of homicide later. Without the TBI diagnosis, in other words, abuse victims go home from the hospital unprotected, unaware, and perhaps in imminent danger.

Strangulation Attempts Cause TBI

Approximately half of women victims of domestic abuse have suffered strangulation attempts. Such incidents can cause mild to moderate brain injuries from the cutting off of the oxygen supply. The lack of diagnoses revolves around the fact that most injuries from strangulation are internal rather than external. Only a small percentage show wounds visible enough to photograph, and law enforcement often characterizes the injuries in reports as minor abrasions to the neck. In addition, since victims tend to have poor recall of strangulation, authorities often downplay the harm, which results in prosecution of the abusers on less serious charges.

People Who Work With Abuse Victims Need Training Regarding Strangulation Signs

Since strangulations dramatically increase the risk of homicide, anyone working with domestic abuse victims, including police officers, attorneys and shelter workers, should receive training in how to recognize it and the TBI it causes. In addition to acquiring evidence from brain scans, personnel should watch for symptoms such as memory problems, hearing loss, dizziness, headaches and anxiety. The training should also involve how to conduct an investigation and how to keep a victim safe. Increased prosecution of perpetrators of strangulation will lead to a decreased number of homicides among domestic abuse victims. The National Center for Violence Against Women provides information in how to deal with strangulation cases.