A new study suggests that people with Type 2 diabetes who have full chewing function have blood sugar levels significantly lower than patients who struggle to chew effectively.

The proposed reason relates to the complex benefits of chewing your food well.

First, chewing stimulates the production of saliva, which kickstarts the digestive process, especially regarding fiber, which helps reduce blood glucose levels.

Second, chewing stimulates intestinal reactions that increase insulin levels, and it stimulates the hypothalamus in the brain that promotes a feeling of satiety (you feel full, eat less). Being overweight is a major risk factor for developing Type 2 diabetes.

The drop in blood sugar levels attributed to better chewing may be significant. In the study of 94 patients with diabetes, the good chewers had a glucose level of 7.48; the poor chewers (most were lacking some or all teeth) 9.42.

Gulp!

Researchers tested 60 common beverages and found that five contained levels of toxic metals above federal drinking water standards.

The sampled beverages, which included those commonly found in grocery stores, such as single and mixed fruit juices, plant-based milks, sodas and teas, were measured for 25 different toxic metals and trace elements. Mixed-fruit juices and plant-based milks (such as oat and almond) contained elevated concentrations of toxic metals more often than other drinks.

Seven of the 25 elements exceeded drinking water standards in some drinks, including nickel, manganese, boron, cadmium, strontium, arsenic and selenium. Lead was detected in more than 93% of the 60 samples, but mostly at very low levels, below 1 part per billion.

Body of Knowledge

Teratomas are a type of tumor that contain different types of tissue. They usually occur in the ovaries in women, the testicles in men and the tailbone in children. Sometimes they feature hair and teeth.

Get Me That, Stat!

Women are 40% more likely to experience motion sickness while using a virtual reality headset than men, according to an Iowa State University study.

Mark Your Calendar

June is awareness month for cataracts, men's health, myasthenia gravis (a chronic autoimmune disorder resulting in muscle weakness), aphasia (loss of speech), migraines, PTSD, scleroderma (another autoimmune disorder involving skin inflammation), scoliosis and congenital cytomegalovirus (a viral infection that can cause birth defects).

Counts

40: Minutes of exposure to bright light before a night shift helped nurses feel less fatigued and make fewer errors at work

Source: Sleep Health

Doc Talk

Keratoconjunctivitis sicca: persistent dryness of the eye

Phobia of the Week

Blennophobia: fear of slime (blenno derives from the Greek word for mucus)

Best Medicine

First guy: I always thought chiropractors were a hoax.

Second guy: But still you go and look great.

First guy: I stand corrected.

Observation

"I have chosen to be happy because it is good for my health." — French philosopher Francois-Marie Arouet, otherwise known as Voltaire (1694-1778)

Medical History

This week in 1961, Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung died at the age of 85. Jung had worked with Sigmund Freud, but developed his own theories, which he called "analytical psychology." Jung proposed the concepts of extroverted and introverted personalities and the idea of the collective unconscious.

Sum Body

Four chronic symptoms suggesting early-onset colorectal cancer risk:

1. Abdominal pain

2. Rectal bleeding

3. Diarrhea

4. Iron deficiency anemia

Medical Myths

Midnight snacks do not cause you to gain weight or become fat any more than snacks at other times of the day. The culprit is the frequency and nature of the snacking.

Curtain Calls

Hans Staininger was the burgomaster (mayor) of Braunau am Inn in 16th century Austria, noted for his beard, which extended nearly five feet and which he normally kept wrapped in a leather pouch hanging from his neck.

On a fateful day in 1567, he opted to skip the pouch. There was a fire and Staininger, while trying to escape, tripped over his prodigious facial hair, breaking his neck.

To find out more about Scott LaFee and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Kate at Unsplash