Latest news with #Shulman
Observer
7 days ago
- Health
- Observer
How to manage blood sugar with exercise
These days, more and more of us have to worry about our blood sugar. Some 38 million Americans have diabetes and more than two times that number have pre-diabetes. Many millions more have some form of insulin resistance, which can make you tired, irritable and even dizzy. And all of these conditions become more common as we age. The good news is that exercise can help. It's at least as important as your diet for preventing and treating insulin resistance and diabetes. It can also help you lose weight, which is often the most important step in levelling out blood sugar. Exercise has several unique ways to help your body process glucose, said Dr Donald Hensrud, a specialist in preventive medicine and nutrition; and medical editor of 'The Mayo Clinic Diet.' Although any exercise is good for you, the type of movement you choose and when you do it can play a big role in how much it helps. Here are some things you should think about when planning workouts, according to experts. The causes of diabetes are complex. Family history, genetics, weight and diet certainly play a role. But it's clear that exercise can dramatically lower your blood glucose, regardless of your diagnosis and improve how well your body uses insulin. In fact, research has shown that exercise is generally more effective at preventing diabetes than medication is (though it is important to use all types of treatment). During exercise, your muscle cells can more easily use the glucose in your blood. This lowers blood sugar directly and can also reduce the fat around your organs, an important risk factor for diabetes and insulin resistance, said Dr Gerald I Shulman, a professor of medicine and physiology at the Yale School of Medicine. In particular, studies show that regular high-intensity interval training or moderate continuous exercise can make a difference, reversing pre-diabetes in almost 40% of the participants — although it could take months or even years for many people to see long-lasting changes. Any movement is better than none and simply going for a walk can have benefits. But according to research, the two most effective ways to lower your blood sugar through exercise are high-intensity workouts and strength training. A recent study found that strength training was significantly more effective for controlling blood sugar levels than aerobic exercise for people with Type 2 diabetes and this likely holds true for other people worried about their blood sugar, Shulman said. Also, both aerobic exercise and strength training create more mitochondria, which can help fight Type 2 diabetes, but weightlifting appears to be slightly more effective than aerobic exercise, assuming you are pushing yourself, Shulman said. Strength training is especially important for older people, since insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes accelerate the normal loss of muscle and strength that comes with age, particularly for women. While walking is good exercise for the heart, it generally won't build much muscle, said Michael Joseph Gross, author of 'Stronger: The Untold Story of Muscles in Our Lives.' The way you strength-train is also important, he added. To be most effective, the weights should feel heavy. A systematic review of the research found that lifting challenging weights helped lower blood sugar more effectively than low-intensity strength training. Consider alternating your strength training session with high-intensity interval training, which has been shown to be especially effective in managing blood sugar for people with pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes. If you have diabetes, consult a doctor before radically changing your fitness regimen. If you do not have insulin resistance, the time of day you work out doesn't matter much. But for people with pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes, studies suggest that afternoon exercise tends to help reduce blood sugar levels. That's because blood sugar rises and falls in regular patterns over the course of the day and as the day goes on, the body becomes less insulin sensitive. Thus afternoon exercise is typically less likely to cause dangerous glucose spikes. Experts recommend working out at least three days per week, with no more than two days in a row without activity. For people with insulin resistance, including diabetes, the best time to exercise is about 30 minutes after starting a meal to prevent blood sugar spikes. If morning workouts fit better with your schedule, try not to eat too many carbohydrates beforehand and start the day with a small meal of protein and healthy carbohydrates like fruit, vegetables and whole grains. Pre-diabetes and new-onset diabetes are much more responsive to lifestyle changes like diet and exercise than longer-term cases, Hensrud said, so it's important to address insulin resistance as soon as possible. 'I tell people with new diabetes they're in control,' he said, 'and the most important thing to do is decrease weight through dietary changes and exercise.' — The New York Times BLURB The causes of diabetes are complex. Family history, genetics, weight and diet certainly play a role. But it's clear that exercise can dramatically lower your blood glucose, regardless of your diagnosis and improve how well your body uses insulin.
Observer
27-05-2025
- Health
- Observer
How to manage your blood sugar with exercise
These days, more and more of us have to worry about our blood sugar. Some 38 million Americans have diabetes, and more than two times that number have prediabetes. Many millions more have some form of insulin resistance, which can make you tired, irritable and even dizzy. And all of these conditions become more common as we age. The good news is that exercise can help. It's at least as important as your diet for preventing and treating insulin resistance and diabetes. It can also help you lose weight, which is often the most important step in leveling out blood sugar. Exercise has several unique ways to help your body process glucose, said Dr. Donald Hensrud, a specialist in preventive medicine and nutrition and medical editor of 'The Mayo Clinic Diet.' Although any exercise is good for you, the type of movement you choose and when you do it can play a big role in how much it helps. Here are some things you should think about when planning workouts, according to experts. Exercise is essential for managing blood sugar. The causes of diabetes are complex. Family history, genetics, weight, and diet certainly play a role. But exercise can dramatically lower your blood glucose, regardless of your diagnosis, and improve how well your body uses insulin. Research has shown that exercise is generally more effective at preventing diabetes than medication is (though it is important to use all types of treatment). During exercise, your muscle cells can more easily use the glucose in your blood. This lowers blood sugar directly and can also reduce the fat around your organs, an important risk factor for diabetes and insulin resistance, said Dr. Gerald I. Shulman, a professor of medicine and physiology at the Yale School of Medicine. In particular, studies show that regular high-intensity interval training or moderate continuous exercise can make a difference, reversing prediabetes in almost 40% of the participants, although it could take months or even years for many people to see long-lasting changes. Prioritize strength training and intensity. Any movement is better than none, and simply going for a walk can have benefits. But according to research, the two most effective ways to lower your blood sugar through exercise are high-intensity workouts and strength training. A recent study found that strength training was significantly more effective for controlling blood sugar levels than aerobic exercise for people with Type 2 diabetes, and this likely holds true for other people worried about their blood sugar, Shulman said. Also, both aerobic exercise and strength training create more mitochondria, which can help fight Type 2 diabetes, but weightlifting appears to be slightly more effective than aerobic exercise, assuming you are pushing yourself, Shulman said. Strength training is especially important for older people, since insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes accelerate the normal loss of muscle and strength that comes with age, particularly for women. While walking is good exercise for the heart, it generally won't build much muscle, said Michael Joseph Gross, author of 'Stronger: The Untold Story of Muscles in Our Lives.' The way you strength-train is also important, he added. To be most effective, the weights should feel heavy. A systematic review of the research found that lifting challenging weights helped lower blood sugar more effectively than low-intensity strength training. Consider alternating your strength training session with high-intensity interval training, which is especially effective in managing blood sugar for people with prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes. If you have diabetes, consult a doctor before radically changing your fitness regimen. When is the best time to work out? If you do not have insulin resistance, the time of day you work out doesn't matter much. But for people with prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes, studies suggest that afternoon exercise tends to help reduce blood sugar levels. That's because blood sugar rises and falls in regular patterns over the course of the day, and as the day goes on, the body becomes less insulin sensitive. Thus afternoon exercise is typically less likely to cause dangerous glucose spikes. Experts recommend working out at least three days per week, with no more than two days in a row without activity. For people with insulin resistance, including diabetes, the best time to exercise is about 30 minutes after starting a meal to prevent blood sugar spikes. If morning workouts fit better with your schedule, try not to eat too many carbohydrates beforehand and start the day with a small meal of protein and healthy carbohydrates like fruit, vegetables and whole grains. Prediabetes and new-onset diabetes are much more responsive to lifestyle changes like diet and exercise than longer-term cases, Hensrud said, so it's important to address insulin resistance as soon as possible. 'I tell people with new diabetes they're in control,' he said, 'and the most important thing to do is decrease weight through dietary changes and exercise.' This article originally appeared in
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill aims to promote school integration in Minnesota with state funding incentives
Lyndale Elementary Schools studets board the bus after school on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Minneapolis, Minn. (Ellen Schmidt/Minnesota Reformer) The number of intensely segregated school sites in the Twin Cities has grown almost five-fold, from 21 to over 100, since the turn of the century, according to University of Minnesota researcher Will Stancil. If enacted, HF2899 would fund incentives for districts to integrate schools within their boundaries, as well as participate in programs to bus students across district lines to reduce segregation between school districts. The bill would also create a system of four magnet schools open to students in the metro. Additional state funding would go toward transportation costs for the three integration programs. A hodgepodge of other proposals are included, like more money for summer school; new data reporting requirements for districts participating in the integration programs and an on-campus summer credit recovery pilot with the University of Minnesota for high school students behind on credits to graduate. A work group led by Minnesota Education Equity Partnership joined with bill author Rep. Cedrick Frazier, DFL-New Hope, to craft the bill over the past year. The group included two attorneys — Daniel Shulman and Myron Orfield — who have spent over three decades advocating for desegregation, including a single, metro-wide school district to promote racial and economic integration of Twin Cities public schools. The bill is intended as a vehicle for community engagement as well as a placeholder for a potential settlement of the Cruz-Guzman lawsuit, first filed by Shulman in 2015 on behalf of a group of parents against the Minneapolis and St. Paul school districts and the state of Minnesota. The parents allege that the de facto economic and racial segregation of Minneapolis and St. Paul schools violates the Minnesota Constitution, which guarantees a uniform and adequate education. Whether the court finds in favor of the plaintiffs, or if a settlement is reached, any changes to state law — including additional funding for schools — would need legislative action to be implemented. The bill's proposals echo previous attempts to integrate Twin Cities public schools. In 2001, the Choice is Yours program, in which the state paid to bus low-income Minneapolis students to suburban school districts, came out of a settlement from a similar lawsuit, also filed by Shulman. That program also created inter-district magnet schools through the West Metro Education Program and the East Metro Education Program. Minneapolis Public Schools changed its school assignment policies, school attendance boundaries and magnet programs in 2021 — partially in response to the Cruz-Guzman lawsuit — in an attempt to draw the district's wealthy students into magnet programs in schools that had previously served primarily low-income students of color. The changes have largely failed to create integrated magnet schools, and last year the district removed almost all of its additional financial support to help the magnet schools succeed. In other respects, the proposals in Frazier's bill differ from earlier attempts at desegregation. The focus is now on balancing the economic status of students within schools, rather than relying on race. The state would also provide additional revenue for districts that participate in the various integration programs, not just transportation aid. Unlike Choice is Yours, which only bussed low-income Minneapolis students out of the district, the bill would also pay to bus high-income students to schools serving primarily low-income students. Charter schools would also be eligible to participate in the integration programs. The bill has been referred to the House Education Policy Committee but it has not yet had a committee hearing.
The Guardian
06-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Forgotten fashions: rediscovered slides show off everyday flair from the Fifties and beyond
It started with an impulsive eBay purchase. When Lee Shulman received the box of vintage slides he had bought from an anonymous seller, the British visual artist and film-maker could not believe the treasure he had accidentally uncovered. Beyond the impeccable quality of each image, taken in the 1950s by unnamed photographers, these were glimpses at everyday moments from everyday lives long since lost. Birthdays, family gatherings, holidays, parties, graduations – once cherished memories lovingly captured but now forgotten. Bought in 2017, that box was the catalyst for what Shulman refers to as a 'complete obsession'. More than 1m slides, 14 publications and a dozen international exhibitions later, The Anonymous Project has grown into a global endeavour and the 51-year-old's life's work. This ever-expanding archive of Kodachrome – a once groundbreaking but now defunct colour film released by Kodak in the mid-1930s – now represents the world's largest private collection of amateur colour slides. Speaking from Paris, where he has worked and lived for 20 years, Shulman turns the camera to his light table, where a pile of the most recently delivered slides awaits his attention. The international profile of The Anonymous Project means Shulman rarely buys slides any more, instead receiving donations from around the world. 'It's still as exciting as it was the first day,' he says. 'I still open a box thinking: what's going to be in there? And sometimes it's magic, sometimes it's terrible, and that keeps me going.' With the thrill of an archaeologist making a rare find or a child tearing into a fresh pack of Pokémon cards, Shulman is first to admit: 'I'm basically just a big kid in adult clothing.' Sifting through endless boxes of slides 'still harks back to that moment of finding treasure. It's not just uncovering history, it's uncovering an emotional moment that feels strong to me.' Over the years, Shulman has painstakingly sorted and themed his archive into photobooks documenting domestic scenes (The House, 2019); children (When We Were Young, 2020); the open road (On the Road, 2021); and a collaboration with Martin Parr (Déjà View, 2021). Shulman also filmed a documentary with Parr earlier this year. For the latest publication, Dressed to Impress, Shulman turns to fashion. Having previously resisted the subject as 'too obvious', owing to the ubiquitously spectacular outfits featured in virtually all the photographs he collects, this new compilation, covering the golden years of Kodachrome between 1950 and 1970, proves the allure of dress as a stand-alone subject, with colours that pop on every page. 'Every time I was interviewed, people would ask, what's the difference between those images and today's? If I'm honest, family photography and the pictures we take for Instagram, we show our lives in the same way – birthdays, celebrations, we still take a camera out for those moments. The only thing that's different is people just dressed better back then.' Free of formal chapters, the book's structure instead moves fluidly between sartorial and swimwear, colours and patterns, young and old, couples and groups, holiday and work, male and female, weddings and workwear. Fashion advertisements from the period not only serve as loose markers for each theme, but when paired opposite photographs featuring the promised look they deepen our contextual understanding of these quotidian lifestyle shots. This 'eureka moment of the book' also exposes a more sinister edge of racial segregation, sexism and the onset of mass advertising. 'Coming out of the second world war, there's this joyous moment of celebration, especially in America; invention, technology, optimism – something happened in that period, which coalesced into fashion as well,' says Shulman. 'But the story of segregation is in this book, too, and very rarely will you see a man and woman appear in the same advert, so the [images are] very problematic.' Although the provenance of Shulman's slides is rarely known, most come from the US, the home of Kodachrome, and occasionally the UK. 'I can usually tell because of the lighting,' says Shulman. 'There's a lot less sun in the UK so there tends to be less contrast.' Due to the prohibitive cost of Kodachrome at the time, representation has been a persistent problem for The Anonymous Project and Dressed to Impress is no different. Some images show people of colour but they mainly depict a privileged white majority. For Shulman, 'The problem isn't that [photographs featuring people of colour] don't exist, it's that they don't exist together [with white people].' Shulman has previously confronted this issue head on in Being There, his 2023 collaboration with close friend and Senegalese photographer Omar Victor Diop. Digitally inserting Diop into the frame, Shulman boldly projects a black presence into a time and place from which it had been excluded. 'I was born in London and feel strongly about growing up in an incredibly multicultural society, so it's something I've tried to address in The Anonymous Project.' Like all of Shulman's publications, Dressed to Impress was carved from several thousand images, edited alongside long-term collaborator and graphic designer Agnès Dahan. 'Choice is what makes photography,' explains Shulman of the process. 'Anyone can take a picture, but not everyone can choose an image.' Relying on strength of instinct and the intuition he honed as a film editor, Shulman animates each slide in his head. 'It's almost a frame taken out of a film,' he says. 'I'm always wondering what's going on beforehand, and what's going on after. And I'm always imagining a conversation taking place – I can almost hear the sound.' Eight years after its inception, The Anonymous Project shows no sign of slowing. Shulman is already planning his next book, focusing on religion, with exhibitions in New York and Kyoto on the horizon. 'I started the project, but now I'm being led by it,' he says. Immersed in the past lives of strangers on a daily basis, has the experience shed any light on his own mortality? 'There's something comforting for me in the idea that we all end up anonymous at some point,' he says. 'In about three generations, we're forgotten. And that's something beautiful, in the end – we all go back in the box.' Dressed to Impress: The Anonymous Project is published by Prestel (£40) on 17 April. To support the Guardian and Observer order your copy at Delivery charges may apply
The Hill
02-04-2025
- Automotive
- The Hill
Why Tesla may avoid the blow of Trump's auto tariffs
Elon Musk's focus on American-made products at Tesla could shield his company from the brunt of President Trump's new tariffs on foreign vehicles and automobile parts. While foreign automakers and American consumers anticipate climbing car prices, the electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer — led by Musk — may be safe from Trump's 25 percent tariff because of its domestic production. 'Tesla made a business model choice that has served them well,' said Simon Ellis, who leads supply chain practices at IDC Manufacturing Insights. 'They can … argue more compellingly that their cars are really made in America.' 'And in the current climate, that probably helps them,' Ellis added. Trump's 25 percent tariff is set to go into effect on April 2 as part of the president's broader trade war. He argued the tariffs will encourage foreign car manufacturers to move production into the U.S. and increase American jobs. Tesla produces all of its North American vehicles in the U.S. at factories in California and Texas, potentially lessening the impact for Musk-led company, industry experts said. '[Tesla] is well positioned because they have vertical integration,' said Stephanie Valdez Streaty, Cox Automotive's director of industry insights. 'They produce the vehicles they are building, the batteries. … They can have more control over that supply chain, which helps them out.' The tariffs are meant to force automakers to move production to the U.S., which could be a lengthy and expensive process. Trump told 'Meet The Press' in a Sunday interview he was fine with Americans paying higher prices for cars, so long as they were made in the U.S. 'I couldn't care less. I hope they raise their prices, because if they do, people are going to buy American-made cars. We have plenty,' Trump said. Tesla has a head start to this transition, observers said, given the manufacturing process already takes place in the U.S. 'It going to take a while for some of these other manufacturers that don't have anything. It's going to take longer for them to retool the plants or shift production,' Valdez Streaty said. 'So that's another advantage.' Tesla's EV competitors are poised to be especially hard hit by Trump's auto tariffs, Maxwell Shulman, a policy research analyst at Beacon Policy Advisors, told The Hill. EVs already tend to be more expensive than their gasoline-powered alternatives and are reliant on battery and critical mineral supply chains that mostly run through China, Shulman noted. 'Any corresponding price increase makes them even less appealing to the average consumer,' Shulman said. 'And many companies are currently already losing money on every EV they make right now in the hopes that it might eventually be profitable.' In a note to investors last week, Deutsche Bank analysts predicted Tesla would be 'best off' from the tariffs when compared to other major car manufacturers, including Ford, Honda, General Motors (GM), Nissan, Toyota and Stellantis. Analysts predicted GM could be the most impacted given its presence in Mexico, while Nissan and Toyota could be 'materially impacted' due to imports made in Japan and Mexico. Still, Tesla is not entirely immune, as some of its parts do not come from the United States. Earlier this month, Tesla acknowledged in a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer that some vehicle parts are 'difficult or impossible' to source in the U.S. At least 20 percent to 25 percent of Tesla parts are imported from other countries, according to a document from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Another 60 percent to 75 percent are produced in the U.S. and Canada. Musk said last week Tesla is 'NOT unscathed' by the tariff impact, which is 'still significant' for the company. Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives echoed this, stating the tariffs still present a 'headwind' for Tesla. 'Tesla is getting hit … less than other automakers when it comes to the tariffs, but I see no way that they wouldn't have to increase prices if the tariff stays in its current form,' Ives told The Hill. Trump's tariff could add, on average, $4,711 to the cost of buying a vehicle, according to a report from prominent economist Arthur Laffer last week. Trump has wielded tariffs aggressively in his second term in office, levying import taxes on America's largest trading partners. After imposing 25 percent tariffs on all products imported from both Canada and Mexico, Trump announced a one-month delay on auto parts and other products covered by a North American trade agreement he signed in his first term. The extension is set to expire on April 2, the same day that Trump plans to unveil sweeping reciprocal tariffs on countries with duties on U.S. goods, which the president has labeled 'Liberation Day.' Tesla is also vulnerable to retaliation from other countries. The company warned of this in its letter to Greer earlier this month, stating 'U.S. exporters are inherently exposed to disproportionate impacts when other countries respond to U.S. trade actions.' Shulman noted Tesla doesn't have the same 'global footprint' as other auto manufacturers, meaning it could be hit worse when other countries respond to U.S. tariffs. Musk's relationship with Trump could also make his company a particular target for retaliatory actions. Canada announced last week that it had barred Tesla from the country's rebate programs in response to Trump's tariffs. Nonetheless, Tesla's limited exposure to the auto tariffs may be a bright spot for the company, which has struggled in recent months as Musk has taken on a controversial role in the Trump administration leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Tesla's stock has plummeted nearly 50 percent since late December, and the EV company has become a target for both peaceful protests and violent demonstrations, including vandalism, shootings and arson attacks. Trump and his allies rallied around the struggling company in recent weeks, with the president vowing to buy one of Musk's cars and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick urging Americans to buy Tesla stock. Some industry observers argued the lessened impact of Trump's tariffs on Tesla will still not be enough to make up for the challenges facing the company and its standing in the electric vehicle community. 'Tesla is going through a brand crisis tornado because of Musk's DOGE influence,' Ives said, adding, 'I think the brand crisis tornado is much more of an impact than the net benefit from the tariffs in the U.S.' Ives described the moment as a 'tipping point' for Tesla as Musk attempts to run both DOGE and Tesla, along with his other companies, including SpaceX, the social platform X and artificial intelligence firm xAI. While Tesla has long been a dominant player in the EV space, the brand's focus appears to be shifting more toward artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. Besides the Cybertruck, Tesla has not released a new EV model in the U.S. since 2020, when it launched the Model Y crossover SUV. '[During] the last couple earning calls, Elon Musk has definitely highlighted that they [Tesla] are an AI robotics company,' she said. 'They still sell cars, but in terms of a kind of priority is this robotaxi they've been talking about launching.' Even so, some in the business world believe this could serve Tesla's advantage. 'I don't think of Tesla as a car company. I think of them as a technology company, I think of them as an AI play, I think of them as a robotaxi provider, an autonomous driving provider and I think of them as an innovative company,' Paul Marino, chief revenue officer at Themes ETFs, told The Hill. 'If you're an investor in Tesla at its valuation today, you're not really worried or investing in them based on their ability to sell cars only,' Marino said, adding later, 'They're light years ahead of the other auto manufacturers from a standpoint of how they produce, how they manufacture, and then how they're going to generate additional revenue.'
