/oss/taxonomy/term/2654/all en /oss/article/medical/type-2-diabetes-what-why-and-how <p>November is National Diabetes Awareness Month. It therefore timely to consider what diabetes actually is, why we should care, and how it can be treated. Diabetes, or more technically, diabetes mellitus, now affects 10% of Canadians, with the numbers increasing annually, not only in Canada but worldwide.</p> Fri, 17 Nov 2023 15:22:11 +0000 Patricia Brubaker, Ph.D., F.R.S.C. 9730 at /oss /oss/article/health-you-asked/what-are-pros-and-cons-eating-carrots <p style="text-align:justify"><a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/?attachment_id=3343" rel="attachment wp-att-3343"><img alt="boy and carrot" height="150" src="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/files/2012/11/carrots-150x150.jpg" width="150" /></a>It has been said that eating a couple of carrots a day is like signing a health insurance policy. There are clear benefits to carrot consumption but let's deal first with the rare problems that can crop up. Allergies are possible but uncommon. A 37 year old man, for example, reported weakness in the legs, generalized itching and a change in his voice 20 minutes after drinking a glass of carrot juice. He said that this had happened on two previous occasions. Adrenaline and steroids were needed to treat the problem. Generally, even people who are allergic to raw carrots can readily tolerate cooked ones. Other problems are even more rare than allergies. In a fascinating report, an article in The British Journal of Addiction describes the case of three patients who suffered withdrawal symptoms when they tried to give up eating carrots. <a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/2012/11/18/what-are-the-pros-and-cons-of-eating-carrots/">Read more</a></p> Mon, 19 Nov 2012 00:15:00 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1806 at /oss