A: As you may have read, Type 2 diabetes is a progressive disease. Will you require insulin? That all depends on individual factors that includes, among many other factors, weight, exercise, genetics, hormones and beta-cells, those cells that produce insulin in your pancreas. Research shows that managing your diabetes early in the disease process can have big payoffs in later years. Joining a support group for people with diabetes can be helpful in keeping you going in your health quest. Following up with your health care team regularly and keeping abreast on the new developments in diabetes management can also benefit you.

A: Excellent question. To make a long story short: A serving of alcohol is typically not very high in calories, BUT it is metabolized very differently than our food (90 percent in the liver), which can make weight loss tricky. For example, a light beer is roughly 100 calories and so is a handful of nuts. In terms of calories, this is not much at all, but in terms of metabolism, they vary significantly, partly because you have fiber, protein, and fat in the nut and virtually none of these in beer.

A: The scientific evidence on the role of diet in autoimmune diseases such as lupus is just becoming available. I am a believer that a plant-based diet is helpful in promoting overall health and decreasing the chemicals that cause inflammation. I advocate a -based diet along with a very low-fat diet. You have to recall that French fries are vegan but they are not exactly healthy. I think that exercise and healthy diet are extremely important for everyone, but more so for those with autoimmune diseases.