In our never-ending quest to keep you up to date on all things diabetes, here are five items we came across recently that you might want to know about:
The Myabetic Cherise diabetes handbag – an absolutely lovely purse reminiscent of Kate Spade and other designer brands that features all the pockets, nooks and crannies a lady could need for her D-supplies! Launched last month and named after our D-community’s own advocate extraordinaire Cherise Shockley, the crossbody bag comes in black, tan, pink and blue. It’s pricey at $118, but looks like a lifetime kind of piece. You can also order an optional extra waste pouch for an additional $3 — nice to have a dedicated spot for that.
TruePlus Glucose – From Trividia Health, makers of the True2Go and True Matrix meters, comes this new line of glucose tablets and “Soft Tabs.” Each tab contains 4 grams of fast-acting carbs, and you can buy them in big tubs or small pouches for carrying convenience. The regular tablets come in raspberry and orange, and the site says “other flavors may be available under the brand name of your favorite retailer.” The soft tabs, which are still powder tablets but softer and chewier, come in less traditional, fun flavors including chocolate-marshmallow, cherry pop, kiwi-strawberry and root beer float. They’re available at pharmacies and retail stores around the country now, as well as online starting at about $3 for a pack of 10 tabs.
Beet’Ums – These are new “sports performance chews” touted as “diabetic-friendly” that are being launched this month, it seems. Yes, they are made with red beets, that are supposed to enhance the body’s ability to create higher levels of nitric oxide. This substance is reported to have numerous health benefits including: improving oxygen delivery and providing increased energy, enhancing capacity for physical exercise resulting in better strength and endurance, and improving cardiovascular and sexual health (!) Beet’Ums are made with beet juice powder, stevia, cocoa butter and other natural ingredients, and the makers claim that if you like Tootsie Rolls, you’ll love the taste. These are also not cheap at $34 for a vacuum-packed bag of 30 chews.
AirBnB for research – OK, this is not exactly a hot new product you would go out and buy, but did you know that many diabetes researchers around the country are now using Air BnB to book homes where patients can stay during the run of a clinical trial? Yup, we know that Dr. Bruce Buckingham at Stanford and Dr. Jeremy Pettus at UCSD are among those moving trials out of the clinic and into rented spaces where patients can function more normally while being observed – cooking and eating meals, swimming in a pool or doing other on-site exercise, and just “couch-surfing.” Pretty cool! And maybe needs to be added to this infographic on who uses AirBnB and why.
Starbucks’ Unicorn Frappuccino – This one is actually NOT a diabetes product, and that’s the point! It’s a decadent new frothy blue and pink frozen drink that clocks in at 500 calories and 76 grams of sugar. We’re told it’s “like eating 6 Krispy Kreme donuts.” Cue the diabetes jokes. One blogger even called it a “weapon of mass diabetes” — bad idea. D-Mom blogger Heather Guymon at Unicorn Poop has written an insightful (and scathing) response to all the folks who seem to think that sugary drinks are “diabetes in a cup.” She writes: “It’s a slap in the face for every hour of sleep we have lost worrying about the health and safety of our children,” and ends her post with “More unicorn; less bullshit.” Yup, and less hype of this horrifically unhealthy drink would be nice too.