Return to Transcripts main page
Live From...
Interview with Dr. Sandy Fryhofer
Aired November 08, 2002 - 13:14 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: In our medical headlines for today, cup of joe a day could keep diabetes away? A new study looks at the correlation between drinking coffee and the risk of diabetes.
Doctor Sandy Fryhofer joins us live on the set with more on this, and doctor, how does drinking seven cups of coffee a day prevent you from getting this type of diabetes?
DR. SANDY FRYHOFER, MEDICAL CONSULTANT: Well, I had my cup of coffee this morning. Did you, Martin?
SAVIDGE: I think I am on my fifth cup. So I am well on my way.
FRYHOFER: Well, Martin, most of drink coffee just to wake up, but believe it or not, there may be some other benefits we're just learning about.
Now, we all know about the caffeine in coffee, but coffee also contains something called chlorogenic acid. Now, the name is not important, but what it does is important.
It also contains magnesium and other micronutrients. Now, some of these ingredients have shown to not only affect how our bodies take in sugar, but also seem to make insulin work better.
Now, researchers looked at more than 17,000 coffee drinkers, and found that people who drank at least seven cups of coffee a day were about half as likely to develop Type II diabetes as those who didn't.
And as we said, coffee contains magnesium, and this magnesium seems to help insulin work better. Now, the study appears today in the medical journal "Lancet."
SAVIDGE: Caffeine, how is that going to impact me, drinking all that caffeine?
FRYHOFER: Do you mean that you might not be able to sleep at night, or your hands may shake when you are trying to sign a document, or is it your heart may start racing? Have I made my point, Martin?
SAVIDGE: You have.
FRYHOFER: Well, for now, I think we need to stick with moderation. I don't think we are quite ready to tell everyone to go out and drink their seven cups a day. We still need more studies.
But one thing is for sure. We do need to do what we can to decrease diabetes. It is a major problem, affecting over 17 million people in this country.
SAVIDGE: All right. Well, let's move on to a totally different subject. Yesterday the government approved a new rapid HIV test. What is that?
FRYHOFER: Well, Martin, this is great news. It is quick, it is easy to do, and it only takes 20 minutes, and it would allow people to find out if they are infected with the HIV virus before leaving the doctor's office.
And would you believe that there are about 250,000 people in America who were infected with HIV and don't know it? Now, the current tests on the market can take up to two weeks to come back, and we know that at least 8,000 people each year who test positive, never returned to get their results.
So, this new test, which is called OraQuick, could greatly reduce the number of people who might unknowingly carry, and therefore spread this disease.
SAVIDGE: And how is the test given, doctor?
FRYHOFER: Well, to use the OraQuick, you prick the finger, put a few drops of blood on the testing device and it is sort of like reading a pregnancy test. One red line means negative, and two red lines mean the person may be infected and needs another confirmatory test just to be sure.
Now, this is so impressive that Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson is trying to get the company to extend it to smaller doctor's offices, and he says that the test is almost 100 percent accurate.
SAVIDGE: And where can people find this new quick test?
FRYHOFER: Well, for now, it is available only in hospitals and large health clinics. But again, it is so simple that Secretary Thompson is trying to get the manufacturer to seek a waiver which would allow smaller doctors' offices, like my office, to do it.
SAVIDGE: All right. Dr. Sandy Fryhofer, thanks so much.
FRYHOFER: Thanks, Martin.
SAVIDGE: I am headed for another cup of coffee.
FRYHOFER: Good for you, but don't overdo it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 8, 2002 - 13:14 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: In our medical headlines for today, cup of joe a day could keep diabetes away? A new study looks at the correlation between drinking coffee and the risk of diabetes.
Doctor Sandy Fryhofer joins us live on the set with more on this, and doctor, how does drinking seven cups of coffee a day prevent you from getting this type of diabetes?
DR. SANDY FRYHOFER, MEDICAL CONSULTANT: Well, I had my cup of coffee this morning. Did you, Martin?
SAVIDGE: I think I am on my fifth cup. So I am well on my way.
FRYHOFER: Well, Martin, most of drink coffee just to wake up, but believe it or not, there may be some other benefits we're just learning about.
Now, we all know about the caffeine in coffee, but coffee also contains something called chlorogenic acid. Now, the name is not important, but what it does is important.
It also contains magnesium and other micronutrients. Now, some of these ingredients have shown to not only affect how our bodies take in sugar, but also seem to make insulin work better.
Now, researchers looked at more than 17,000 coffee drinkers, and found that people who drank at least seven cups of coffee a day were about half as likely to develop Type II diabetes as those who didn't.
And as we said, coffee contains magnesium, and this magnesium seems to help insulin work better. Now, the study appears today in the medical journal "Lancet."
SAVIDGE: Caffeine, how is that going to impact me, drinking all that caffeine?
FRYHOFER: Do you mean that you might not be able to sleep at night, or your hands may shake when you are trying to sign a document, or is it your heart may start racing? Have I made my point, Martin?
SAVIDGE: You have.
FRYHOFER: Well, for now, I think we need to stick with moderation. I don't think we are quite ready to tell everyone to go out and drink their seven cups a day. We still need more studies.
But one thing is for sure. We do need to do what we can to decrease diabetes. It is a major problem, affecting over 17 million people in this country.
SAVIDGE: All right. Well, let's move on to a totally different subject. Yesterday the government approved a new rapid HIV test. What is that?
FRYHOFER: Well, Martin, this is great news. It is quick, it is easy to do, and it only takes 20 minutes, and it would allow people to find out if they are infected with the HIV virus before leaving the doctor's office.
And would you believe that there are about 250,000 people in America who were infected with HIV and don't know it? Now, the current tests on the market can take up to two weeks to come back, and we know that at least 8,000 people each year who test positive, never returned to get their results.
So, this new test, which is called OraQuick, could greatly reduce the number of people who might unknowingly carry, and therefore spread this disease.
SAVIDGE: And how is the test given, doctor?
FRYHOFER: Well, to use the OraQuick, you prick the finger, put a few drops of blood on the testing device and it is sort of like reading a pregnancy test. One red line means negative, and two red lines mean the person may be infected and needs another confirmatory test just to be sure.
Now, this is so impressive that Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson is trying to get the company to extend it to smaller doctor's offices, and he says that the test is almost 100 percent accurate.
SAVIDGE: And where can people find this new quick test?
FRYHOFER: Well, for now, it is available only in hospitals and large health clinics. But again, it is so simple that Secretary Thompson is trying to get the manufacturer to seek a waiver which would allow smaller doctors' offices, like my office, to do it.
SAVIDGE: All right. Dr. Sandy Fryhofer, thanks so much.
FRYHOFER: Thanks, Martin.
SAVIDGE: I am headed for another cup of coffee.
FRYHOFER: Good for you, but don't overdo it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
