A new UCLA study reveals shocking statistics about the number of Californians with diabetes or pre-diabetes; we take a closer look at the documents to learn more about the group's tactics; and would you support the removal of Daylight Saving Time?
Study: If you live in California, there’s a high chance you’re pre-diabetic - what to know
A new UCLA study finds the majority of California adults either have diabetes or are pre-diabetic. Just as concerning is the finding that a third of young adults are pre-diabetic.
The number with full-blown diabetes has gone up more than a third in just the past decade. The large numbers with pre-diabetes is a big concern, as 70 percent of them are expected to get diabetes in their lifetimes.
The local figures are far higher than national rates and much of the difference is attributed to California’s large percentage of Latinos. In previous years, experts estimated that 33 percent of Californians were pre-diabetic, but the recent study has determined that the estimate is much closer to 46 percent.
The most alarming part is that 9 percent of Californians have already been diagnosed with diabetes, bringing the total of diabetics and pre-diabetics in the state to 55 percent. It is nearly impossible to know whether you are pre-diabetic because there are virtually no symptoms, but some professionals like Harold Goldstein, head of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, blame sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy eating habits for the rise in pre-diabetes.
Is exercise and a healthy diet the only way to prevent the disease? Will massive Medi-Cal expansion help? What are some of the most effective ways to reverse diabetes?
Interview Highlights
Could [these new findings] be the result of better diagnosis?
There could be some changes due to better diagnosis, but I don’t think that fully explains the increases either.
Do you see regional differences within the state, and if so, what seem to be co-factors with the higher rates of diabetes or pre-diabetes?
Yeah, we do see considerable variation from county to county and it does seem to be related to demographic factors like age and race, but also to obesity rates.
Do you think the massive Medi-Cal expansion will have a positive effect on these numbers going forward?
That would be our hope. It would be great to have more people have access to effective diabetes prevention programs among those who are at risk of developing diabetes.
Do people who are pre-diabetic typically take medication?
There is medication that’s been shown to be effective in preventing the progression from pre-diabetes to diabetes, but it’s actually not as effective as the lifestyle modifications.
You mentioned that you see demographic tracking based on the counties with the higher rates. Is this largely income driven and what are we seeing for higher income Californians? Are their rates of diabetes changing at all?
We’re not able to look in these pre-diabetes rates at trends over time because we don’t have previous numbers by county, or broken out by demographics. But we do know that diabetes rates are considerably higher among lower income Californians; however, over time, they’ve been going up among all income groups.
What’s some of the latest science on the types of diets that are most effective? Are carbohydrates now considered far more significant for the person with diabetes?
In general, it is recommended to limit consumption of simple carbohydrates, complex carbohydrates have other benefits. In particular, consumption of sugar is problematic and there’s evidence showing unique pathways where sugar increases your risk for diabetes.
Note: This comments have been edited for clarity.
This story has been updated.
If listeners are interested in hearing Sue speak more about the study, they can tune in for the free noon webinar! Details here.
Guest:
Susan Babey, PhD, lead researcher on the paper and co-director of the Chronic Disease Program at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research
Strategists bemoan opposition research failures in 2016 campaign
This highly competitive race to choose a presidential nominee in the Republican and Democratic parties should be spurring furious and exhaustive opposition research - skeletons in closets, flip-flops, and damning video and audio recordings.
However, opposition research is not as simple as finding a yellowed newspaper clipping. Strategists have to research how the evidence will play in the minds of voters and seed it at just the right time.
A prime example came in 2012 when a pro-President Obama group created an emotional ad targeting Mitt Romney’s claims of being good for business. It featured a blue-collar worker laid off after his company was acquired by Bain Capital, co-founded by Romney. How effective or ineffective have the campaigns been at conducting and using opposition research?
Guests:
Brett Di Resta, Member of Democracy Partners - a strategic consulting firm; adjunct professor of opposition research at George Washington University
Sam Stein, Senior Editor of Politics, Huffington Post
Lisa Camooso Miller, Republican strategist and partner at Blueprint Communications, public affairs firm based in D.C.
Hulk’s existential crisis: How the lawsuit against Gawker could impact privacy, newsworthiness, and the meaning of ‘public figure’
Hulk Hogan has wrestled some big, strong men in his life, from ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage to the 7’4”, 520 lb. Andre the Giant, who Hogan famously body slammed at Wrestlemania III in one of pro wrestling’s most iconic moments.
To beat his latest opponent, however, Hogan’s going to need much more than brute strength.
Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, is suing Gawker Media for $100 million dollars for invasion of privacy after Gawker posted a sex tape in 2012 featuring Hogan and woman who would eventually be identified as Heather Clem, the wife of radio personality and Hogan’s then-best friend Bubba the Love Sponge Clem. Gawker, a blog focusing on news and media gossip in Manhattan, also owns sites like the sports blog Deadspin the feminist site Jezebel and the tech blog Gizmodo. Its owners have said that the company doesn’t have $100 million to pay damages if it were ruled against and says it would likely be forced to shut down if a jury were to find in Hulk’s favor.
At the center of the case are issues concerning privacy, free speech, and newsworthiness. Hogan says he didn’t know he was being filmed during the sex act, and that Gawker violated his right to privacy by posting a clip from it online. He also argued that Terry Bollea, the private citizen, is owed a level of privacy that Hulk Hogan, his public persona, is not. Gawker says that because Hogan has publicly discussed his sex life on platforms like The Howard Stern Show, he has made it newsworthy and therefore they had a right to publish the tape. Hogan had also publicly denied the tape’s existence in the past, and Gawker says that forced its hand into publishing it.
Who do you think has the better legal argument? Can a celebrity like Hogan who has a public persona expect a different level of privacy when he/she is not in character?
Guests:
Mary Anne Franks, professor of law at the University of Miami (FL)
Jeff John Roberts, law and policy reporter at Fortune Magazine and an attorney licensed in New York State and Ontario, Canada; his latest piece is “Gawker is right, Hulk Hogan is wrong”
ISIS leak shines light on terrorist group’s recruitment tactics
British broadcaster Sky News has obtained over thousands of ISIS documents purportedly leaked by a disillusioned Free Syrian Army fighter.
They questionnaires containing 23 questions filled out by 22,000 ISIS recruits from around the world and contain information like names, addresses, and blood types. Four names are allegedly from people residing in the U.S. German intelligence has also obtained the same trove, and is in the process of determining its authenticity.
Guest:
Colin P. Clarke, Associate Political Scientist at the Rand Corporation whose research focuses on counterinsurgency and counterintelligence
Why CA Assemblyman Chu wants us to never spring forward, fall back ever again
For Californians who curse the practice of “Springing Forward” as they schlep to their car an hour earlier each year, good news may be on its way.
Assemblymember Kansen Chu, D-San Jose, has initiated a bill allowing us to stay in Standard Time year-round.
Originally devised by Benjamin Franklin, Daylight Saving Time was created to save expensive candle wax. It was adopted in California in 1949, offering benefits which included car accident prevention and increased worker safety. But DST may produce the exact opposite effects and, like Chu, many Californians think the practice is antiquated.
But DST has long been touted as a way to save energy. It’s also known to benefit retailers, leaving more daylight for people to shop. And, of course, there are countless advantages to longer summer days, such as more outside playtime for kids and the benefit of not having to leave work in the dark.
What do you think of the bill to abolish DST? Do you look forward to longer summer days or would you rather keep the same time year-round?
Guest:
Kansen Chu, Democratic Assembly member representing California’s 25th Assembly District, which includes San Jose and its surrounding areas. He initiated the Daylight Saving Time bill, AB 2496.
David Prerau, Author of "Seize the Daylight: The Curious and Contentious Story of Daylight Savings Time" (Basic Books, 2006)
Just how rare is it for two siblings to be transgender: Wachowski sisters raise questions
Filmmaker Lilly Wachowski, best known for co-directing “The Matrix” trilogy, announced this week that she is a transgender woman.
Lilly, formerly known as Andy, made the announcement four years after her sibling Larry Wachowski announced he was transitioning to become Lana.
Lilly chose to come out after she claims she was threatened by a Daily Mail reporter who knocked on her door and asked to do an exclusive interview about her transition. Arguably the most high-profile person to come out at transgender since Caitlyn Jenner, Lilly’s announcement raises questions about the role of the public and media in outing an individual, especially one who has not led as public a life as someone like Jenner.
The news also raises questions about how rare it is for two siblings to be transgender and what the latest science reveals about the possible biological underpinnings of being transgender.
Guests:
Rachel Levin, PhD associate professor of Biology and Chair of Neuroscience at Pomona College; she’s also a contributor to the academic volume Trans Bodies, Trans Selves
Georg Kranz, MSc, PhD at the Medical University of Vienna; he worked on a 2014 study published in The Journal of Neuroscience that found that individuals who identified as transsexuals — those who wanted sex reassignment — had structural differences in their brains that were between their desired gender and their genetic sex
Thomas Page McBee, advocate on transgender issues around media visibility and author of "Man Alive: A True Story of Violence, Forgiveness, and Becoming a Man." He’s writes frequently for Playboy magazine and is currently the Director of Growth at the news site Quartz; he tweets from