Dr Fredric Brandt — of Botox fame — says that just by eliminating sugar from your diet, you can look ten years younger in ten days.

And it isn’t just by losing weight : “In a nutshell, sugar hastens the degradation of elastin and collagen, both key skin proteins. In other words, it actively ages you,” he claims.

In a new book, 10 Minutes/Ten Years: Your Definitive Guide to a Better and Youthful Appearance, Brandt says he saw a remarkable change in his own skin when he dropped sugar from his diet. He lost 20lb in weight, but also gained a new “glow, radiance and elasticity” in his face. Within a year, his body had changed as well.

“I’m really lean and have the body of a teenager, although I’m in my 40s. … Believe me, it’s cheaper than a facelift.”

He continues, “The sugar triggers a process in the body called glycation. This is where the sugar molecules bind to your protein fibres — those wonderfully springy and resilient collagen and elastin fibres — which are the building blocks of skin.”

However, just by overheating starchy foods or grilling them, the sugar content mutates producing Advanced Glycation End products, AGEs, which do immense harm to the skin.

This is quite a complex book, so if you’re really interested in its message, we suggest you read it in detail.

Diabetes causes poor circulation and reduced ability to fight infection. Because of reduced sensation in the feet, many will develop diabetic foot ulcers leading to possible amputation. As infectious organisms become more drug-resistand, traditional treatment with antibiotics becomes less effective.

Doctors at the University of Wisconsin Scool of Medicine and Public Health think there might be a better way to treat diabetic ulcers, and the cure might be right in your own kitchen.

The answer? Honey. In a double-blind study, doctors will treat patients with diabetic foot ulcers by giving half topical honey and the other half a wound care gel that has been made to look and smell like honey. The patients will be followed to ascertain the effectiveness of each type of treatment.

Honey has properties that may make it very effective in treating these types of wounds.

Since honey fights bacteria in numerous ways, it is essentially immune to resistance. Honey’s acidic pH, low water content (which effectively dehydrates bacteria), and the hydrogen peroxide secreted by its naturally-occurring enzymes make it ideal for combating organisms that have developed resistance to standard antibiotics.

If the honey proves effective, patients would still need to be followed by a doctor during treatment. Wounds would require the sterile removal of dead skin and bacteria and precautions regarding weight-bearing and walking need to be monitored.

UW study tests topical honey as a treatment for diabetic ulcers

The American Diabetes Association wants you to know your risk for diabetes and heart disease and wants you to know how to lower it. The ADA is launching a new prevention initiative - CheckUp America. If you’re overweight, have unhealthy cholesterol levels, smoke, have high blood glucose or high blood pressure, you have risk factors for diabetes. But you may have other risk factors such as age, race, gender and family history of diabetes.

The ADA offers learning tabs on the problems and risk factors you may have that you and your physician can work together to control and manage. Get more information on subjects such as understanding high blood glucose and managing cholesterol, the role of physical activity and quitting smoking in risk management. You can also download their CheckUp Chart to help you track your cardiometabolic risk factors to lower your risk for diabetes and heart disease.

CheckUp America

We have waited through a long winter but finally spring has arrived and is starting to win over with warmer temperatures and longer days. Soon summer will fill the sky with bright sun and sunglasses will be daily eyewear.

But for those with diabetes, sunglasses may not be enough protection against the damaging effects of the sun’s rays.

The Joslin Diabetes Center Beetham Eye Institute offers these tips:

* Diabetic eye disease can be painless until it reaches very advanced stages, and the earlier you can catch it, the more likely you can preserve your sight.

* You can have perfect vision and still have diabetic eye disease.

* An annual dilated eye exam can identify eye complications early on.

* If your doctor finds early signs of diabetic eye disease, a number of treatments may be recommended, including laser eye surgery, contact lenses, glasses and medications.

* Keeping your A1C (an average of your blood glucose levels over a couple of months) on target, controlling blood pressure and quitting smoking also can help preserve vision and prevent vision loss.