In this newsletter, McDougall weighs in on sleep apnea: “The analogy between diabetes and sleep apnea is apropos since both are caused by the obeseogenic effects of the rich Western diet. The fatter people are, the more they suffer from sleep apnea and type-2 diabetes.”

And, of course, there are recipes.

An estimated 25.8 million children and adults in America have diabetes, according to new figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2008, the figure was 23.6 million. About one in four is unaware of the condition. An additional 79 million now have pre-diabetes, 22 million more than estimated in 2008.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National diabetes fact sheet: national estimates and general information on diabetes and prediabetes in the United States, 2011. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011.

Food intake has a larger impact on weight loss than exercise, according to a new study in the International Journal of Obesity. A review of school-based interventions found that weight loss could be achieved by diet changes alone, while exercise without diet changes was not effective. Researchers explain it is difficult to “out-exercise” dietary intake. For example, a one-hour bicycle ride burns 240 calories and, in comparison, one small order of French fries—which are consumed in much less than an hour—contains nearly the same number of calories.

Katz DL. Unfattening our children: forks over feet. Int J Obes. 2011 ;35:33-37.

Vegetarian diets are healthier for kidney patients, compared with animal-based diets, according to a new study in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. Patients who followed vegetarian diets had lower serum phosphorous levels, compared with those who consumed meat. Maintaining normal phosphorous levels is critical for patients with chronic kidney disease and is typically controlled by restricting intake.

Moe SM, Zidehsarai MP, Chambers MA, et al. Vegetarian compared with meat dietary protein source and phosphorus homeostasis in chronic kidney disease. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. Published ahead of print December 23, 2010. doi:10.2215/CJN.05040610.