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Type 2 Issues Article Archives
May 2012
Researchers in Taipei, Taiwan, report that they have identified the top three drugs for reducing A1C levels in type 2 diabetes: biphasic insulin, GLP-1 analogs, and basal insulin. They hedged a little on their endorsement of GLP-1 analogs, however, by saying that although they are not decisively better at controlling A1Cs than other oral diabetes drugs, they have the advantage of helping to reduce weight without adding to the danger of hypoglycemia.
0 comments - Posted May 16, 2012
With tens of millions of American facing life with type 2 diabetes and many millions more at risk of the disease, scientists are scrambling to unravel novel treatments. The latest breakthrough could come from California's Salk Institute.
0 comments - Posted May 13, 2012
Feeling tired? Your lack of rest may be putting you at increased risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. That's the conclusion of a new paper, published in The American Journal of Human Biology, that looked at evidence collected from numerous experimental and observational studies. The link was clear: People who got less than six hours of sleep a night were more likely to have a high body mass index (BMI) and be obese. The connection found in the study seems stronger for children and teenagers, which is especially worrisome given the skyrocketing rates of type 2 diabetes in young people.
0 comments - Posted May 10, 2012
Novo Nordisk's new variety of long-lasting insulin, insulin degludec, reduces low blood sugars while improving overall control, according to a pair of studies published in the prestigious journal The Lancet on April 27.
0 comments - Posted May 8, 2012
About 16 years ago, after some routine blood work, I was told by my doctor that he wanted me to see an endocrinologist because he suspected diabetes. I went to see the endo, and, sure enough, his suspicions were confirmed. I had type 2 diabetes, and I had some serious changes to make.
2 comments - Posted May 2, 2012
American Idol judge Randy Jackson has embarked upon a mission of education and advocacy, urging those diagnosed with type 2 diabetes to take a stand for their health and well-being.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2012
April 2012
The challenges of pregnancy are daunting on their own, but when you're diabetic, they can seem insurmountable. That's one of the reasons Cheryl Alkon wrote a book on the subject. Having type 1 diabetes herself, Alkon knew firsthand the challenges of controlling her disease during pregnancy, and of raising the kids who followed.
3 comments - Posted Apr 13, 2012
February 2012
A team of neurologists has issued a new set of recommendations for the treatment of diabetic neuropathy, including drugs and other treatments that have been found to be the most effective therapies for the condition.
13 comments - Posted Feb 25, 2012
British researchers say that metformin, the drug most often used to treat prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, could provide potential protection against endometrial cancer in women.
0 comments - Posted Feb 24, 2012
A survey of type 1 and type 2 diabetes patients in the United States, United Kingdom, France, and Germany indicates that more than one in every five have arrived late at work or not shown up at all because of a hypoglycemic episode the night before.
18 comments - Posted Feb 21, 2012
November 2011
Anyone who has lost a close family member to type 2 diabetes understands the grief and paralysis it creates, especially when the one who died was only 53.
7 comments - Posted Nov 14, 2011
October 2011
All blood tests are tools. Some are to diagnose diabetes, some are to help you manage your diabetes on a daily or long term basis and some are to keep you safe.
0 comments - Posted Oct 28, 2011
Winter might be on its way, but there's plenty of fall color to celebrate in the meantime. You can find fresh inspiration with the Divabetic Octoberfest, a series of events sponsored by the nonprofit wellness group for diabetic women.
4 comments - Posted Oct 24, 2011
September 2011
The Seattle-based Nordstrom department store chain will donate $5, up to $75,000 total, for each Diabetes Risk Test taken as part of the American Diabetes Association's Hispanic Heritage Month through October 15, 2011.
0 comments - Posted Sep 30, 2011
Imagine if you could keep diabetes at bay for another three or four years with lifestyle changes. Would you change what you ate? Would you commit to an exercise program, maintain a food journal, and join a support group? Imagine if you could take these simple steps and save money. How quickly would you say "Sign me up"?
1 comment - Posted Sep 26, 2011
Scientists have found a protein that plays an important role in allowing our bodies to absorb glucose from our blood. What's more, lower levels of that protein may contribute to type 2 diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Sep 19, 2011
August 2011
Many women with diabetes feel overwhelmed by the responsibilities of family, work, and personal health. Balancing the minutiae of everyday life with the nonstop demands of blood glucose monitoring, exercise, and thoughtful meal planning takes time and effort. So it comes as no surprise that many women with diabetes put off talking to their doctors about breast cancer screening.
1 comment - Posted Aug 20, 2011
As a dad, do you tend to be authoritative and have high expectations of your child's self control? Do you set clear limits and command respect, without bulldozing him or her? If so, you may be helping your child with type 1 diabetes stick to his or her treatment regimen.
0 comments - Posted Aug 16, 2011
You've successfully resisted the urge to eat that slice of cake. You've remembered to check your blood sugar that extra time. Maybe you've resisted and remembered for days, or weeks. Perhaps you now think that you've figured out how to keep yourself motivated in dealing with your diabetes. Actually, you're just getting started.
1 comment - Posted Aug 14, 2011
The piece of cake sits there on the plate, daring you to eat it. The blood sugar meter rests on your nightstand, an obstacle formed of lancets and test strips. Life with diabetes is a parade of challenges, from diet temptations to healthcare hassles. You know--we all know --that the only way to say "no" to the cake and "yes" to the blood sugar check is through consistent self-motivation.
9 comments - Posted Aug 12, 2011
In 2004, pro snowboarder Sean Busby was on the top of the world.
12 comments - Posted Aug 8, 2011
A Boston-based study has found that vitamin D supplements can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in people with prediabetes by improving their beta cell functioning.
2 comments - Posted Aug 3, 2011
A study in the British medical journal The Lancet shows that type 2s who received once-daily or thrice-weekly injections of degludec, a very long-acting insulin, maintained blood glucose levels similar to patients receiving daily doses of insulin glargine. The results point the way to a possible reduction in the number of injections that type 2s who take insulin would need over any seven-day period. In both the United States and the United Kingdom currently, about one in every three type 2 patients injects insulin at least once daily.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 2011
July 2011
People with type 2 diabetes often find visits with their physicians frustrating. Dr. Jeffrey Mechanick, MD, FACE, FACP, Secretary of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE), observes, "Many times when patients come to the doctor, the first thing that they say is really what's on their mind--that's their top priority. But oftentimes physicians don't address that at all. Instead, they move on to what's on their own agenda."
3 comments - Posted Jul 31, 2011
Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly have begun sales of Tradjenta, a drug for type 2 diabetes, in U.S. pharmacies. The drug (generic name linagliptin) comes in tablet form and is intended to compete with Amylin Pharmaceuticals' Byetta, which is injected, and Merck's Januvia, which also competes with Byetta. Both are well-established in the U.S. market.
2 comments - Posted Jul 27, 2011
Italian researchers have found that increased consumption of omega-3 fatty acids leads to a decrease in insulin resistance, a common precursor to the development of type 2 diabetes. It also improves lipid profiles and adiponectin levels. (Adiponectin is a protein that is involved in metabolizing glucose and fatty acids. Low levels are associated with insulin resistance, diabetes, atherosclerosis, and obesity.)
0 comments - Posted Jul 21, 2011
A recent article in the New York Times says that such old prescription diabetes drugs as metformin and generics such as glimepiride are often as effective as or even more effective than newer, more expensive drugs.
9 comments - Posted Jul 20, 2011
Victoza, a drug aimed at type 2 diabetes, may turn out to be a boon for type 1 diabetes patients as well. A small clinical study shows that patients with well-controlled type 1 who took Victoza daily for just one week experienced a 15 percent drop in their blood sugar levels. Patients who took the drug over a full 24-week test period needed less and less insulin, decreasing their average mealtime dose by seven units and their all-day insulin requirement by eight.
2 comments - Posted Jul 11, 2011
Recently, we published an article by Hope Warshaw, MMSc, RD, CDE, titled "From Old Dogmas to New Realities. "In the article, Hope voiced the opinion that a low carb diet is not the only dietary option for people with diabetes, and that, in fact, such thinking is an "old dogma." In response, we received a number of strongly worded comments advocating the low carb diet as the only way to go.
48 comments - Posted Jul 6, 2011
If you have diabetes, you're more likely to be depressed than people without the disease.
5 comments - Posted Jul 5, 2011
June 2011
In the last decade, dramatic changes have occurred in our understanding of the onset and progression of prediabetes. Lightning speed changes have also occurred regarding the therapies available to achieve optimal blood glucose control. Even with all of this change, however, many old dogmas hang on. It's time to be aware of the new realities. In this article, I focus on two common old dogmas and the new realities.
71 comments - Posted Jun 28, 2011
Over the last decade, dramatic changes have occurred in our understanding of the onset and progression of prediabetes. Lightning speed changes have also occurred regarding the therapies available to achieve optimal blood glucose control. Even with all of this change, however, many old dogmas hang on. It's time to become aware of the new realities. In this article, I focus on two common old dogmas and the new realities.
2 comments - Posted Jun 16, 2011
May 2011
Here's news that has been receiving big play in U.S. and European media: British scientists have found that a gene called KLF14 acts as a "master switch" that controls other genes found in body fat-genes that are major factors in such conditions as type 2 diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol levels, and levels of glucose and insulin. The finding, by researchers at King's College London and Oxford University, could lead to treatments for diabetes, obesity, and related metabolic disorders by targeting the gene.
2 comments - Posted May 30, 2011
A monitor attached to a mobile device helps people with type 2 diabetes lower their blood pressure more than simply having a blood pressure monitor available in the home. That's the conclusion of a year-long study conducted by the University Health Network in Toronto, Canada. The study showed that type 2 patients whose blood pressure was actively reported to their doctors via a Bluetooth-enabled device enjoyed lower blood pressure than patients whose readings were not passed on to doctors.
1 comment - Posted May 26, 2011
French drug maker Sanofi-aventis says that results from a Phase III trial of its experimental type 2 diabetes drug lixisenatide show that the drug successfully lowered patients' blood glucose levels and body weight, but did not increase the risk of hypoglycemia.
0 comments - Posted May 23, 2011
You're heard the doctors. You've read the articles. You know all about tight control.
25 comments - Posted May 20, 2011
What does sexuality have to do with diabetes? A lot, according to research findings that have revealed a group of people with diabetes as large as the type 1 or gestational diabetes community. Estimates suggest that 1.3 million lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals have diabetes-at least 5 percent of the 23.6 million people with the disease in the United States.
0 comments - Posted May 19, 2011
Dr. Jonathan Beach is a 35-year-old emergency medicine physician who has had type 1 diabetes for 31 years. He owns and operates Urgicare, a wellness center that includes The Northeast Center for Diabetes Care and Education in Plattsburgh, New York, an isolated rural community that has few other resources for diabetes. This is his story of his life with diabetes and his professional experience with the insulin pump.
5 comments - Posted May 12, 2011
A new study says that people who consume a "moderate" amount of candy per day have a slightly lower body mass index than people who don't eat candy. They also run a 15 percent lower risk than the general population of developing metabolic syndrome, the cluster of conditions that is often a precursor to type 2 diabetes.
1 comment - Posted May 11, 2011
Albertson's LLC, a nationwide supermarket chain with more than 200 stores, has announced that it will participate in the Diabetes Control Program (DCP) of the Diabetes Prevention and Control Alliance. The DCP works through trained pharmacists to provide education and support to people with diabetes.
0 comments - Posted May 7, 2011
Imagine knowing that you're likely to develop type 2 diabetes a decade from now. What would you do?
3 comments - Posted May 3, 2011
British researchers say that testosterone replacement therapy for type 2 men with low testosterone levels could reduce their death rate significantly. Over the course of a six-year study by the University of Sheffield, only 8.6 percent of low-testosterone subjects who were given replacement therapy died, compared to 20 percent of low-testosterone subjects who did not receive the therapy.
2 comments - Posted May 2, 2011
April 2011
We all know by now that fat isn't necessarily a bad thing. Enough advertisements and recommendations for fish oil and omega-3 supplements have appeared over the past few years to make that clear. But what if "good fat" isn't just about eating fish or a taking a fishy-tasting supplement? What if that good fat can be found in a common cooking oil?
0 comments - Posted Apr 27, 2011
What is it about salt that brings out so many powerful flavors and strong feelings? Simple sodium chloride, or salt, as it's known to everyone but chemistry teachers, has been applied to food as a seasoning since the beginning of civilization. Unfortunately, the sodium in salt has proven dangerous both to diabetics and to healthy people who have a propensity toward heart disease.
1 comment - Posted Apr 26, 2011
Recently I had the pleasure of attending the Barbara Davis Center's "Management of Diabetes in Youth" conference, held every other year in beautiful Keystone, Colorado. The focus is on all of the latest and greatest in type 1, and it's a real treat to have so many of the best names in this field gathered in one place. The Barbara Davis Center (BDC) is one of the premier programs in the world focusing on type I diabetes management, and the one (Dr. Peter Chase, to be precise) who brought us the famed" Pink Panther" book, Understanding Diabetes - the reliable handbook of type 1 diabetes that many parents of newly diagnosed kids rely on.
3 comments - Posted Apr 25, 2011
Every year four million baby teeth fall out, and 1.4 million wisdom teeth are pulled out of our collective mouth. Until recently, the only entity really interested in all those teeth was the tooth fairy. But all that changed in the year 2000, with the discovery that dental pulp contains adult stem cells. In the not-too-distant future, those stem cells might be used for growing new islet cells to cure diabetes. The problem is, how to keep the teeth nice and fresh until that hoped-for day. That's where Provia Laboratories comes in, with their Store-A-Tooth service.
1 comment - Posted Apr 24, 2011
The National Institutes of Health has awarded a $1.15 million grant to a researcher at Eastern Virginia Medical School to investigate a protein that may prevent obese people from developing type 2 diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Apr 22, 2011
A new study has proven that use of a blood glucose meter with advanced features, when paired with diabetes education, more effectively manages blood glucose than using a basic feature meter. This information was presented at the recent 46th European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Annual Meeting in Stockholm, Sweden.
4 comments - Posted Apr 18, 2011
Researchers at the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health have found that people with diabetes have a significantly increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease. Despite that finding, they say that there are too few data to support a causative link between diabetes and Parkinson's.
0 comments - Posted Apr 16, 2011
Three weeks out of every month, my diabetes is well controlled. But the fourth week, the one before my period, is a nightmare. My sugars are astronomically high--I can't even look at a carbohydrate without my sugar spiking. I'm exhausted and cranky, and I can't get comfortable.
8 comments - Posted Apr 15, 2011
Greetings from Philadelphia International Airport! Airports are fascinating places...great for seeing what people look like and how they act under unusual circumstances. At this moment, I see a lot of truly overweight people. Most folks are treating the moving walkway like a ride at Disney World–just standing there, inching slowly along and staring blankly at the passing drywall. I don’t know…maybe the two sights are related. Have we really become this lazy? Have we “convenienced” our way out of being in shape? Have electronic toilet flushers, soap dispensers, and water faucets taken away our last opportunity to burn any calories at all?
0 comments - Posted Apr 14, 2011
3M Health Care has introduced CavilonTM Antifungal Cream for use by caregivers and patients in incontinence settings. The cream is the latest offering in the company's Cavilon line of skincare products designed for professional healthcare providers.
1 comment - Posted Apr 13, 2011
After comparing results from 24 studies, researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong found little evidence that increasing soy intake improves people's blood sugar levels.
0 comments - Posted Apr 11, 2011
Taiwanese researchers say that a technology that uses sound waves to stimulate healing in diabetic foot ulcers is almost three times more effective than conventional hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). The technology, called dermaPACE®, is manufactured by SANUWAVE Health Inc., a medical device company located in Alpharetta, Ga.
0 comments - Posted Apr 10, 2011
An Enid, Oklahoma, billionaire and his wife have pledged another $20 million on top of the $10.5 million they had previously contributed to his namesake diabetes center at the University of Oklahoma.
3 comments - Posted Apr 9, 2011
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is, as the name implies, corn syrup whose sugar, glucose, has been partially changed into another type of sugar, fructose.
0 comments - Posted Apr 9, 2011
Beta blockers, which many people with diabetes take to control high blood pressure, may be one of the reasons why type 2s often tend to gain and keep weight. That's the conclusion of a study from St. Vincent's Hospital in Sydney, Australia.
0 comments - Posted Apr 8, 2011
France-based pharmaceutical manufacturer sanofi-aventis has announced the availability of several new media designed to help the company communicate with people who have diabetes.
• A blog, "Discuss Diabetes," offers health, nutrition, and lifestyle information, as well as a way to offer suggestions to the company. The blog is available at www.discussdiabetes.com.
0 comments - Posted Apr 6, 2011
While smoking is commonly associated with a higher risk of developing a serious disease, it's not often that second-hand smoke or being an ex-smoker is considered even riskier. If the disease is type 2 diabetes, however, it is.
0 comments - Posted Apr 5, 2011
Prodigy Diabetes Care is an aptly named company, a very young enterprise with the talents of a much older organization and a future that promises prodigious rewards. It was founded in 2006 by Ramzi Abulhaj and Rick Admani, two brothers from Palestine who are its sole owners. In the five years since then, they have built a company that is successfully competing against the diabetes old guard by focusing on engineering and a unique marketing strategy.
8 comments - Posted Apr 2, 2011
As we wrote back in 2008, the EndoBarrier is a very clever way to simulate the effect of a gastric bypass without the unpleasant scalpel part. It looks like a long clear plastic stocking, and it's simply threaded through the patient's mouth and stomach, down to the small intestine, where it lines the intestine's upper section (the same part that is bypassed in traditional surgery). Food slips right through it, but digestive enzymes are trapped on its other side. The two don't get to join forces until a couple of feet further downstream, so the effect on diabetes is a lot like that of a bypass: It resolves the symptoms of type 2 diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2011
March 2011
Francisco Zepeda is a 54-year-old native of El Salvador who owns an insurance agency in San Francisco. Type 2 diabetes runs in his family. He says, "My grandmother lived with diabetes for about 30 years, and my father has it as well. I heard about diabetes all that time, but I never thought that it was going to happen to me. And I still hope that I'm not really diabetic. They say that once your blood sugar goes up, then you are diabetic, but I don't want to believe that I'm diabetic, you know what I mean?"
0 comments - Posted Mar 31, 2011
The recently launched U.S. Diabetes Index (USDI) has revealed that 80 percent of all diabetes cases are located in just 20 percent of zip codes. Dr. Gary Puckrein, USDI developer and CEO of the National Minority Quality Forum, hopes that the USDI will help the United States direct its resources to the most affected areas.
7 comments - Posted Mar 30, 2011
This List defines terms that people with prediabetes commonly encounter as they learn more about the condition.
1 comment - Posted Mar 29, 2011
UltiMed, which offers the only pen needles assembled in the United States, has announced that it is now offering a 50-count universal-fit pen needle.
2 comments - Posted Mar 28, 2011
Michael Hamman is a 63-year-old contractor. He recalls, "I first was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes five or six years ago. I probably had elevated blood sugar well in advance of that, but I was unaware of it. I don't remember how high my blood sugar was at the time, but I think my A1C was 7.5%. My blood sugar's never really been awful. Since I started monitoring myself, my sugar readings are normally between 150 and 165. I think it was pushing 200 before I was medicated, but the medications brought it down. They started me on glyburide and I took that for a long time, and then the A1C was moving up again, so they added the metformin. The A1C now is down in the mid-sixes. They consider it controlled, not well controlled or as good as it could be, but certainly for someone my size, it's probably as good as you can get."
1 comment - Posted Mar 25, 2011
Now that a few months have passed since the New Year, what is the state of your resolution to lose weight? If it is a just a painful memory, you might be pondering the strength of your willpower and concluding that it is shamefully weak. In fact, it's not, according to Daniel Akst, the author of We Have Met the Enemy: Self-Control in an Age of Excess. Although a full two-thirds of us are overweight, our willpower is no weaker than that of the slim generations that preceded us. It's just that we're up against temptations that we never evolved to resist, in an environment that seduces rather than sustains us.
4 comments - Posted Mar 24, 2011
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted an application to review dapagliflozin, a drug for the treatment of type 2 diabetes that is being developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca.
0 comments - Posted Mar 22, 2011
Evolution works in strange ways. What serves as an advantage at one point in time can sometimes prove a problem later, when the world has changed. It looks like that might be the case with type 2 diabetes, according to researchers from San Diego, California.
2 comments - Posted Mar 21, 2011
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified a swath of the southern U.S. as the country's "diabetes belt." In this region, made up of parts of 15 states, some 12 percent of the population has type 2 diabetes, compared with 8.5 percent of people in the rest of the country.
0 comments - Posted Mar 19, 2011
Silicon wristbands were first popularized by the yellow LiveStrong band and then became widespread as a way to raise awareness for charities. Light, colorful, easy to wear, and inexpensive, they have now become an option for personal identification and medical alert information as well.
1 comment - Posted Mar 17, 2011
Tony Flores is a 50-year-old native of El Salvador who works as a construction foreman. He was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes about 12 years ago, after an eye doctor told him it would be a good idea to get his blood sugar checked. He recalls, "I did the test, and they got all freaked out and told me, ‘Oh my god, your A1C is at 12%. You have diabetes type 2. You've got to cut the sugar, you've got to stop drinking orange juice and soda."
1 comment - Posted Mar 15, 2011
A paid Medicare benefit for diabetes education is rarely used by those who qualify for it, despite the fact that diabetes education provides clear health benefits.
0 comments - Posted Mar 13, 2011
Weight loss can help people with type 2 diabetes control their blood sugar and avoid potential health risks associated with the disease. Did you know that losing even seven percent of your body weight can lower blood sugar, reduce blood pressure, and improve cholesterol levels1?
"Consider diabetes as a disease that has different phases--with the central feature a disorder of insulin production and insulin use," said Roberta Anding, MS, RD/LD,CSSD,CDE. Anding is a clinical dietitian and certified diabetes educator at Baylor College of Medicine, as well as a national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. "To better control and lose weight safely with type 2 diabetes, it is important to consider the type and amount of food on your plate."
4 comments - Posted Mar 12, 2011
You know that awful feeling when a sugar low is coming. I break out into a cold sweat, feel panicky, get nauseated, and have trouble answering extremely simple questions like "Do you need to eat?" Well, I was feeling it again, and again, and I didn't know why. That's what I hate the most: When things go wrong, but I think I've been doing everything right.
1 comment - Posted Mar 8, 2011
My almost 20 years as a diabetes educator have been memorable in many ways, but certain moments stand out more than others. Because blood glucose testing is an important part of diabetes management for everyone I see, I try to assess each person’s skills and habits in this key area. I’ll never forget the time I asked a client how often he changed his lancet. He had been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes about four years earlier and was checking regularly, so it seemed like a reasonable question. He proceeded to look at me with a puzzled expression and say, “You mean you’re supposed to change those things?”
0 comments - Posted Mar 8, 2011
Hispanics are almost twice as likely as non-Hispanic whites to have type 2 diabetes, and more than a third of working adult Hispanics do not have health insurance. For this audience, Jane Delgado, PhD, has written The Buena Salud Guide to Diabetes and Your Life. Available in both Spanish and English, it's a culturally sensitive and reassuring book that dispels myths and presents detailed science while gently guiding readers toward the right path in caring for their diabetes. The tone is conversational, as Dr. Delgado speaks to her readers like a family member who knows them well and has their best interests at heart.
0 comments - Posted Mar 2, 2011
February 2011
Ellen Granberg is an obesity sociologist who studies the processes that people go through when they lose weight and keep it off. As she says, "If the problem were that we don't know what people should eat to lose weight, that would be one thing, but we don't have that problem. There are a hundred weight loss plans out there that are perfectly good. We understand all about the physiology of weight loss maintenance and the metabolic impacts, but nothing about the social and emotional impacts. People who sustain weight loss over time move through a lot of different challenges."
0 comments - Posted Feb 27, 2011
In two recent head-to-head year-long trials, one testing gastric bypass surgery versus lap band surgery and another pitting gastric bypass surgery against sleeve gastrectomy, gastric bypass came out ahead with regard to resolving the symptoms of type 2 diabetes. Both studies were published in the February issue of the Archives of Surgery.
0 comments - Posted Feb 25, 2011
It apparently comes as a surprise to many people with type 2 that diabetes can cause kidney disease. In fact, many diabetic patients don't realize that that their condition can cause kidney problems until after they've already developed kidney disease.
0 comments - Posted Feb 24, 2011
Researchers at the Children's Hospital in Boston, led by Umut Ozcan, MD, have found a regulatory protein that lowers blood sugar when it is high due to either lack of insulin or a decreased sensitivity to insulin.
0 comments - Posted Feb 24, 2011
New University of Georgia research has found that a statin drug that is often known by the brand-name Lipitor may help prevent blindness in people with diabetes. In a study using diabetic rats, lead author Azza El-Remessy, assistant professor in the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy, and her colleagues found that statins prevent free radicals in the retina from killing nerves important to maintaining vision. The results of the study are published in the March edition of the journal Diabetologia.
0 comments - Posted Feb 23, 2011
In order to undergo gastric bypass surgery, you must have a BMI of at least 35. If you have type 2 diabetes and would like to undergo the surgery to alleviate your diabetes symptoms, you are out of luck unless you are also morbidly obese. A few less weighty type 2 patients have taken matters into their own hands by deliberately gaining enough weight to qualify, but now there is a less drastic way to qualify for the operation.
0 comments - Posted Feb 23, 2011
When a young person with type 1 diabetes leaves home for the first time, it's often a difficult adjustment for the parents as well as their child. Tyler Stevenson is 20 years old, in his second year at Florida State. This is what he told us about his life in college with diabetes.
4 comments - Posted Feb 22, 2011
Ross Valley Pharmacy, tucked away inside a larger building of clinics, is not a big place, but it's very very busy. Its owner, Paul Lofholm, PharmD, has a vision of the pharmacist's role that goes far beyond simply putting pills in bottles. He sees pharmacists as integral members of the healthcare team who can fill the gaps in patients' education about their conditions and their medications.
0 comments - Posted Feb 21, 2011
Folks who need that morning cup of coffee to get going may be protecting themselves from type 2 diabetes, a new study suggests. UCLA researchers wrote in the journal Diabetes last month that drinking four cups of coffee a day reduced women's chance of developing type 2 by a bit less than half. What's more, the scientists point to a specific reason why all that java has a beneficial effect: a protein known as sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG). Scientists have suspected for some time that SHBG was connected to diabetes development.
0 comments - Posted Feb 19, 2011
Of all diabetic complications, neuropathy is one of the scariest and most difficult to treat. Nerve damage in the feet, leading to numbness or pain and, in severe cases, to foot ulcers or amputations, affects up to 60 percent of diabetics, according to recent research.
1 comment - Posted Feb 18, 2011
Silicon wristbands were first popularized by Lance Armstrong's yellow LiveStrong band and then became popular as a way to raise awareness for charities. Light, colorful, easy to wear, and inexpensive, they have now become an option for personal identification and medical alert information as well.
0 comments - Posted Feb 17, 2011
The National Basketball Association (NBA), the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the NBA Development League, in collaboration with the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and sanofi-aventis U.S., today announced the launch of Dribble to Stop Diabetes, a national multimedia campaign designed to encourage fans to live an active, healthy lifestyle and raise awareness about diabetes prevention, management and the potentially serious health complications that can be associated with the disease.
0 comments - Posted Feb 16, 2011
Nearly one in six people in the United States has no health insurance. If you have diabetes, that's a very tough position to be in. There are, however, resources that can cut the costs that you have been paying out of pocket for medicines and supplies.
0 comments - Posted Feb 14, 2011
A new analysis from Johns Hopkins University shows that women with diabetes are 50 percent more likely to die if they have breast cancer. Why? The challenges of diabetes management play a role, as well as women's overall health.
0 comments - Posted Feb 14, 2011
According to a new study published in Diabetes Care, your finger-prick blood glucose test may be "abnormally and significantly high" if you test after handling fruit without first scrubbing your hands thoroughly and vigorously.
0 comments - Posted Feb 12, 2011
Many tragic complications of diabetes, including amputations, heart attack, stroke, and blindness, are due to blood vessel damage. According to Xiaochao Wei, PhD, of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, all that vascular damage may be caused by a shortage of one enzyme: fatty acid synthase, or FAS.
0 comments - Posted Feb 11, 2011
The National Eye Health Education Program (NEHEP) of the National Eye Institute now has a Diabetes and Healthy Eyes Toolkit to help community health workers educate people with diabetes about diabetic eye disease. The Toolkit is available in both English and Spanish and its contents ensure that community health workers are equipped with science-based, user-friendly materials about diabetes and eye health to enable them to provide sight-saving information to groups of people with diabetes, their family, and their friends.
0 comments - Posted Feb 10, 2011
Ever see the top 10 lists for foods everyone should eat to superpower your diet? Ever wonder which will mesh with your diabetes meal plan? Wonder no more. Your list of the top 10 diabetes superfoods has arrived.
0 comments - Posted Feb 7, 2011
Walmart, the nation's largest grocer, averages 20 million customers every single day, so their food policies can affect a lot of people. For one thing, researchers have linked part of the rise in obesity to the prevalence of cheaper food, and Walmart is famous for cheaper food.
0 comments - Posted Feb 7, 2011
As the new year begins, we return to an old friend in the diabetes community: rock star Bret Michaels. You can find our current interview in this issue, but Diabetes Health first interviewed Bret in 2006. Before I talked to Bret back then, I read everything I could find about him. From what I learned, it was clear that he did not appeal to everyone. In fact, after we printed our interview, some people canceled their subscriptions because they felt that we were promoting sex and drugs by talking candidly with Bret about a rock star's life.
2 comments - Posted Feb 2, 2011
Diva TalkRadio is an interactive, live internet talk-radio destination that focuses on issues and concerns of those living with, at risk of and affected by diabetes. Divabetic's founder and executive director, Max "Mr. Divabetic" Szadek serves as the resident host of DivaTalkRadio programs. This month, Mr. Divabetic shines the spotlight on Constance Brown-Riggs MSEd, RD, CDE, CDN. Constance is a Registered Dietitian-Certified Diabetes Educator and a National Spokesperson American Dietetic Association. Constance has been honored with the Diabetes Care and Education Practice Group (DCE) 2007 Diabetes Educator of the Year Award. Over the course of her career, Constance Brown-Riggs has established herself as an expert on the subject of nutrition, diabetes and the cultural issues that impact the health and health care of people of color. She is not only versed in the science of medical nutrition, but also has an active nutrition counseling practice through which she sees hundreds of patients. Her ability to translate her academic and clinical knowledge into clear, understandable terms have made her a nationally renowned, sought-after speaker, educator and author. She is passionate about creating opportunities to spread the word about health and nutrition, and developing educational tools which shorten the cultural distance between patients and caregivers. Every aspect of her work supports that mission
1 comment - Posted Feb 2, 2011
January 2011
DENVER -- New episodes of a critically acclaimed, locally-produced Spanish language soap opera will focus on the obesity crisis in hopes of helping viewers better understand what causes obesity and how they can live healthier lives. The soap opera is called "Encrucijada: Sin Salud, no hay Nada" ("Crossroads: Without Health, there is Nothing").
1 comment - Posted Jan 31, 2011
After the American Heart Association introduced its heart healthy logo in 1995, manufacturers apparently decided that such "healthy" logos were a pretty good marketing idea. Similar logos, called front-of-the-package labels, or FoP labels, have become popular with several food manufacturers, each of which has developed its own labels using its own criteria. Now, not surprisingly, a study by the Prevention Institute has found that these labels are misleading to customers. According to the Prevention Institute's executive director, Larry Cohen, they "emphasize one healthy aspect to trick [customers] into buying something fundamentally unhealthy." Dora the Explorer Fruit Shapes, for example, prominently labels itself as "gluten free," but does not mention the fact that 58 percent of its calories come from sugar.
0 comments - Posted Jan 31, 2011
Your young primary care doctor may not know a lot about diabetes, according to a study led by Stephen Sisson, MD, of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. "When I graduated from residency here, I knew much more about how to ventilate a patient on a machine than how to control somebody's blood sugar, and that's a problem," said Sisson in a press release. "The average resident doesn't know what the goal for normal fasting blood sugar should be. If you don't know what it has to be, how are you going to guide your diabetes management with patients?"
2 comments - Posted Jan 26, 2011
The kuriously named Kombiglyze XR, a combination of Onglyza (saxagliptin) and the old reliable metformin, has arrived at pharmacies and is available by prescription to people with type 2 diabetes. It's similar to Janumet, an older medication that's a combination of Januvia (sitagliptin) and metformin.
0 comments - Posted Jan 25, 2011
You'd think the world would be running through the streets in a movie-style panic. An epidemic of unprecedented proportions is inexorably advancing. In our lifetimes, half of us may develop a devastating disease that could cause us to go blind, lose a leg, or die far too soon. But we aren't in a panic. The authorities are talking it up, of course, but most of us aren't doing much at all to prevent type 2 diabetes. We're getting fatter by the year, and we're moving less and less. Many of us who already have type 2 diabetes are not making the changes that could keep its consequences at bay. Why not?
1 comment - Posted Jan 24, 2011
MannKind Corporation has finally received a complete response letter from the FDA regarding its inhalable insulin, Afrezza. (The FDA issues a complete response letter when it completes its review of a New Drug Application, but cannot yet approve the application as is.) What the FDA wants now is a couple more clinical trials with the new form of the inhaler (one in patients with type 1 diabetes and one in patients with type 2 diabetes), with at least one trial including a treatment group using the older form of the inhaler, in order to obtain a head-to-head comparison of the two devices.
0 comments - Posted Jan 24, 2011
"Got the news today, doctor said I had to stay, a little bit longer and I'll be fine....Waitin' on a cure, but none of them are sure, a little bit longer and I'll be fine....So I wait ‘til kingdom come, all the highs and lows are gone, a little bit longer and I'll be fine."
12 comments - Posted Jan 21, 2011
Taking 10,000 steps a day, or walking about five miles, is very, very good for you. It's even better than walking 3,000 steps a day, which is also extremely beneficial if you walk briskly enough to do it in 30 minutes. The 10,000 steps philosophy is not new--there's even a weight-loss book or two on the topic. But now the 10,000 step regimen has also been linked to an increase in insulin sensitivity in middle-aged adults.
1 comment - Posted Jan 20, 2011
Keeping the lights on all night might keep away the monsters under the bed, but it also keeps away the "hormone of darkness," melatonin, according to a new study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. Melatonin, which is secreted into the blood by the brain's pineal gland at night, is involved in the circadian rhythm. Scientists believe that disrupting circadian rhythms can contribute to metabolic disease. Specifically, melatonin receptor genes have been linked to type 2 diabetes. Melatonin is also a powerful antioxidant that may help prevent cancer.
3 comments - Posted Jan 19, 2011
Despite what many think, diabetes does not have to deter people who have the disease from enjoying Super Bowl Sunday parties along with everyone else, according to the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE). In fact, managing your diabetes is often an exercise in moderation, more than anything else. With more than 24 million people in the U.S. who have diabetes, this is a very real issue, but there is no reason diabetics can't enjoy the festivities -- and the food -- at Super Bowl parties. The AADE put together the following tips for people with diabetes who want to enjoy the food - but need a little guidance about how to eat smart given all of the Super Bowl food temptations.
1 comment - Posted Jan 19, 2011
Most type 2 meds work by increasing insulin production in one way or another. The extra insulin lowers blood sugar by ushering it out of your bloodstream and into your cells, where it may, unfortunately, make you fat. Wouldn't it be nice if instead, you could lower your high blood sugar by just flushing it right down the toilet?
2 comments - Posted Jan 17, 2011
Brown fat is an entirely different animal than the white fat that we pack onto our hips to store excess calories. Instead of storing energy, brown fat actually burns glucose to produce heat (thermogenesis). It's brown because it contains special mitochondria that produce heat from the glucose when activated by cold. Adults don't have much of it, unfortunately, just a few grams if we're lucky. If we had about 50 grams and were cold enough to activate it, it would actually burn about 500 calories a day.
0 comments - Posted Jan 14, 2011
"Fatty liver" doesn't sound very threatening. In fact, it sounds almost cute, like Fatty Arbuckle. Unfortunately, like Fatty Arbuckle, it's not what it seems. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is the most common liver disease in the United States, comprising a quarter of all liver disease and responsible for a rising number of liver transplants. Approximately 20 percent of Americans may be lugging around a fatty liver.
1 comment - Posted Jan 13, 2011
The Diabetes Research Institute Foundation (DRIF) announced a new, first-of-its-kind partnership aimed at helping the more than 200,000* Broward County, Florida, residents affected by diabetes. Diabetes Research Institute Live Well Broward County is a joint effort of the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation, Walgreens in South Florida, LifeScan and a cadre of local physicians that will help residents "Manage Well, Stay Well and Live Well" with diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Jan 12, 2011
Results are expected by the end of the month in an efficacy study on a new drug that promises to improve diabetic wound care. Derma Sciences is wrapping up work on a phase 2 trial of DSC127, a drug already shown to speed up healing in animal tests.
0 comments - Posted Jan 11, 2011
The crowd in the small Boston theater laughed and clapped. The comedy show was a good one, and I was enjoying it from a cramped seat in the balcony. It was October 29, a Friday, and while it was brisk outside, winter hadn't yet clamped down.
0 comments - Posted Jan 11, 2011
A full third of adult Americans are pre-diabetic, and a third of those will develop type 2 diabetes before they're ten years older. Unfortunately, only about seven percent of them have been tested for pre-diabetes and warned of their condition; the rest are ignorant of the road they're on. By losing just 10 to 15 pounds, the whole group could cut their chances of getting type 2 by half. The problem is, how to alert them in time for them to stop their progression to type 2?
7 comments - Posted Jan 10, 2011
Introducing "Type-1 University" (T1U) - the online school for people with diabetes who use insulin, including parents and caregivers. The school can be found only in cyberspace - at www.type1university.com
2 comments - Posted Jan 7, 2011
Talk about a win-win situation! It seems that many aphrodisiacs--herbs that boost sexual energy and function--can also bring down blood sugar, cholesterol, and/or blood pressure. At least four herbs have shown these double benefits in scientific studies.
1 comment - Posted Jan 6, 2011
RALEIGH, NC- DiabetesSisters is pleased to announce that registration for the 2011 Weekend for Women Conference in Raleigh, NC will open on January 1, 2011 at 8am. The Conference, a revolutionary national weekend conference designed specifically for women with diabetes, will take place April 29 - May 1, 2011 at the Marriott City Center in downtown Raleigh.
0 comments - Posted Jan 5, 2011
UnitedHealthcare of New England has announced that it plans to introduce a statewide program to prevent type 2 diabetes in Rhode Island sometime in 2011. Of the state's 2010 population of 1,053,000, an estimated 62,000 adults have diabetes-almost 6 percent of the population-according to the Rhode Island Department of Health. The department estimates that another 31,000 adults have the disease but have not yet been diagnosed.
2 comments - Posted Jan 4, 2011
December 2010
New York, NY - December 31, 2010 - Divabetic, one of the country's leading health and wellness nonprofits begins the New Year with an outreach jackpot of resources and tools for those affected by diabetes. With online and special events, Divabetic's mission is to provide an empowering and supportive environment so that no one living with diabetes has to cope alone or in silence.
0 comments - Posted Dec 31, 2010
Starting in February, Rhode Island's eight YMCAs will participate in JOIN, a 24-week research study on ways to help obese children and teenagers achieve healthier weight. If it meets its goals, it could become the prototype for a nationwide program that would have a direct effect on the treatment of pre-diabetes in children.
1 comment - Posted Dec 31, 2010
Arena Pharmaceuticals and Eisai Inc. recently released results of a phase 3 clinical trial for lorcaserin, a weight-loss drug they are developing in partnership. The trial, called BLOOM-DM (Behavioral modification and Lorcaserin for Overweight and Obesity Management- Diabetes Management), targeted patients with type 2 diabetes who are overweight or obese.
2 comments - Posted Dec 28, 2010
A new study finds that combining the newer diabetes drug exenatide with insulin provides better blood sugar control in patients with type 2 diabetes than insulin alone and helps promote weight loss.
1 comment - Posted Dec 27, 2010
For those trying to eat a healthy diet, whole-fat dairy and trans fats are usually not on the menu - at least, not yet. Scientists have narrowed in on a trans fat component found mainly in dairy fat that may ward off type 2 diabetes and protect cardiovascular health. While the research is far from conclusive and requires much further study, it suggests fats may play a more complex role in human health than previously thought.
2 comments - Posted Dec 24, 2010
Being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes means a lot of change in your daily life. From blood glucose monitoring to watching what you eat to losing weight, it's hard to keep track of the changes you need to make to keep diabetes under control. One aspect of diabetes care that sometimes falls through the cracks is oral health care, which, if ignored, can lead to serious health complications.
2 comments - Posted Dec 22, 2010
University of Alaska Anchorage nursing student Ben McCormack was excited when a professor showed a YouTube video in his pathophysiology class. "She tries to bring in a lot of multimedia stuff to each unit," he reports. "And ‘Diabetes Rap' actually has all the information about [type 1] diabetes right in the video." "The Diabetes Rap," starring diabetic Luke Widbin, was the 2008 winner of the World Diabetes Day Young Voices video contest, thanks in part to Luke's willingness to make rhymes like "Sugar overdoses give me ketoacidosis." With well over 100,000 views, this video does an educational and entertaining job of relating the facts about diabetes. See it here.
0 comments - Posted Dec 20, 2010
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates-- One in three United Arab Emirates (UAE) residents could have diabetes or prediabetes by the end of the decade, according to a new analysis from international health and well-being company UnitedHealth Group, released at the World Health Care Congress Middle East meeting in Abu Dhabi.
0 comments - Posted Dec 17, 2010
A 10-year study by Harvard University scientists found that diabetes puts people at risk for depression and that depression puts people at risk for type 2 diabetes. The two-way connection between the diseases was discovered in 55,000 nurses surveyed over the decade.
1 comment - Posted Dec 17, 2010
Women who experienced sexual or physical abuse in childhood and adolescence-whether moderate or severe-run a higher risk of type 2 diabetes than women who were not abused, according to results from a study recently reported online in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
1 comment - Posted Dec 16, 2010
With nearly 16 million Americans living today with pre-diabetes, a condition that is the precursor to type 2 diabetes, and half of all Americans expected to have some form of diabetes by the year 2020, healthy eating is more important than ever (1,2). But here is some good news: a recent scientific study shows that incorporating almonds into your diet can help treat and possibly prevent type 2 diabetes, as well as cardiovascular disease.
0 comments - Posted Dec 15, 2010
"Don't leave home without it" has a whole new meaning this holiday season. With holiday travel up from last year and increased security- and consequent delays- at airports, it's more important than ever for those with diabetes to properly prepare for their holiday travel.
0 comments - Posted Dec 10, 2010
Leaders of the Medicare Diabetes Screening Project (MDSP) announced that twenty community-based organizations from 17 states were given awards of $2,500 each to be used to encourage seniors ages 65 and older who are covered under Medicare to get screened for diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Dec 10, 2010
Valeritas, Inc., a medical technology company committed to the development and commercialization of innovative drug delivery solutions, announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration has cleared the company's V-Go Disposable Insulin Delivery Device for the continuous subcutaneous delivery of insulin in preset basal rates and with on-demand bolus dosing for adult patients requiring insulin. V-Go devices will be available in a preset basal rate to deliver 20, 30 or 40 Units of insulin in one 24-hour period (0.83 U/hr, 1.25U/hr or 1.67U/hr respectively) and on-demand bolus dosing in 2 Unit increments (up to 36 Units per one 24-hour time period).
1 comment - Posted Dec 9, 2010
This holiday season, Nick and Bayer have issued a dog tag challenge! You can help them reach the goal of 50,000 tags by purchasing one for yourself or giving one as a gift this holiday season. Proceeds from each tag sold will go to the Jonas Brothers Change for the Children Foundation to help others.
3 comments - Posted Dec 8, 2010
New York, NY (Grassroots Newswire) December 6, 2010 - Kathy Dolgin a.k.a High Voltage, beloved mentor to an A-list of supermodels, singers and television personalities and named a top lifestyle and fitness coach by Vogue Magazine, will appear on Divabetic's Diva TalkRadio Diabetes Spotlight with host Max "Mr. Divabetic" Szadek on Tuesday, December 7, 2010, at 6 p.m., Eastern. The exclusive interview will highlight Dolgin's war on Type 2 diabetes and childhood obesity, her amazing personal journey and her nonprofit organization, Energy Up Voltage Approved (www.energyup.org).
0 comments - Posted Dec 6, 2010
An estimated two million Latinos in the United States have type 2 diabetes, a full 10 percent of the Latino population. Facebook, the fourth most popular Internet site among Latinos, reaches nearly 45 percent of the Latino population that goes online. Put those two facts together, and you have the audience for a new online game, HealthSeekerTM Explorando tu Salud, Paso a Paso ("Exploring Your Health, Step by Step").
0 comments - Posted Dec 2, 2010
November 2010
Too often our preconceptions of work-limiting disabilities are confined to suddenly devastating conditions, such as spinal cord injury or stroke. We rarely consider how diseases such as diabetes can be just as debilitating and just as costly to a family. With November being recognized as National Diabetes Awareness Month, we should remember the people who are unable to work due to the complications of diabetes and who need the benefits to which they are entitled under Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).
4 comments - Posted Nov 30, 2010
More than 50 percent of Americans could have diabetes or pre-diabetes by 2020 at a cost of $3.35 trillion over the next decade if current trends continue, according to new analysis by UnitedHealth Group's Center for Health Reform & Modernization, but there are also practical solutions for slowing the trend.
1 comment - Posted Nov 24, 2010
A new drug for type 2 diabetes started showing up in drugstores this week, according to manufacturer Santarus. The FDA-approved drug, called Cycloset, takes an distinctive -- and not well understood -- approach to reducing blood sugar levels. The pill apparently works by increasing dopamine activity in the hypothalamus, a part of the brain. Dopamine is a brain chemical that plays a big role in people's behavior, mood, and ability to sleep. Scientists theorize that glucose intolerance and insulin resistance may in part result from abnormal activity of this chemical, and that upping dopamine activity may iron out these problems.That's the theory, at least: the drug's exact workings aren't known. But it seems to do the trick.
0 comments - Posted Nov 24, 2010
A friend of mine recently remarked that she wants her family to eat healthier, but she just doesn't know that much about nutrition. Though I can sympathize with her in some ways (nutritional education is a daunting and never-ending process), I do feel that the overall American attitude toward food is that ignorance is bliss. It reminds me of the preteen character in the movie Son-In-Law, who puts his sister's bra cups over his ears and tells his parents in a taunting voice, "I can't hear you!" Unfortunately, what you don't know CAN hurt you, and not just you, but also your family.
3 comments - Posted Nov 22, 2010
Scientists gathered in October to discuss a very timely topic- the flu. While influenza may not be the headline news that it was last year with the H1N1 epidemic, the flu is very much on the minds of many scientists and doctors nation- and world-wide. The October gathering presented the newest research on the flu virus and attempts to vaccinate against it.
0 comments - Posted Nov 19, 2010
Atlanta, Ga. -With more than 30 state and nationally-renowned speakers, 400 attendees and dozens of workshops and panels, the 17th Annual Diabetes University concluded Saturday as one of the largest in the Diabetes Association of Atlanta's history.
0 comments - Posted Nov 17, 2010
Both celiac disease (CD) and type 1 diabetes (T1D) are autoimmune diseases. In CD the immune response is triggered by the ingestion of gluten, resulting in chronic inflammation and villous atrophy in the small intestine. Treatment requires permanent elimination of gluten from the diet. In T1D, pancreatic islet beta cells are damaged resulting in loss of endogenous insulin production. Treatment includes daily insulin injections combined with meal planning and exercise. Nutrition management of the individual with both T1D and CD can be challenging for both the patient and the dietitian.
0 comments - Posted Nov 16, 2010
The Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation announced Together on Diabetes®: Communities Uniting to Meet America's Diabetes Challenge, a 5-year, $100 million initiative to help patients living with type 2 diabetes better manage their disease beyond the doors of their doctor's office - in their homes and communities - and for the course of their disease.
1 comment - Posted Nov 15, 2010
Imagine a pandemic. A disease comes into a community and then spreads across borders, causing disability and death in its path. Scientists fight to contain its spread, and doctors try to mitigate its effects. Most people associate this kind of scenario with a pathogen: a virus or bacteria, like HIV or avian flu, that has found a way to exploit the human body. In fact, however, the overwhelming majority of pandemics are the result of noncommunicable diseases that are not spread by pathogens: conditions like cancer, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.
1 comment - Posted Nov 12, 2010
Solianis Monitoring AG is developing a groundbreaking device for the diabetes community- a noninvasive continuous glucose monitoring system that delivers reliable and consistent data.
4 comments - Posted Nov 11, 2010
HOLLYWOOD, FL- Beginning today, thousands of people who want to help put an end to diabetes can be part of the cure by participating in the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation's online campaign at BePartoftheCure.org. Kicking off National Diabetes Awareness Month, the Be Part of the CURE campaign is a fun and meaningful way for people living with diabetes, their family and friends, and anyone concerned about curing this devastating disease to literally participate in the "CURE."
1 comment - Posted Nov 1, 2010
October 2010
As flu season approaches, many people are debating whether they should get a flu shot. As everyone knows, getting the flu is not fun. In fact, it can be downright miserable. But for those with diabetes, the flu can mean more than a cough, running nose, and body aches--it could mean more severe complications, and sometimes even death.
0 comments - Posted Oct 27, 2010
It sounds like science fiction: a substitute for human skin, derived from human cells and used to treat difficult-to-treat diabetic foot ulcers. But it's a real product, called Dermagraft, manufactured and sold by a real company, Advanced BioHealing. The Connecticut-headquartered company is expanding its operations in Tennessee, part of an aggressive growth strategy to spread the word about its existing product and develop new ones.
2 comments - Posted Oct 26, 2010
Nearly 1,200 Rite Aid stores nationwide will host Diabetes Solutions Days on Nov. 2, 3 or 4 offering free health screenings and self-management solutions to patients living with diabetes, care-givers and those concerned about diabetes. Visitors also can get vaccinated against flu and/or pneumonia for $24.99 or $50 respectively, although many insurance plans including Medicare cover the cost. Vaccinations are especially important for diabetes patients because flu and pneumonia combine for the deaths of 10,000 to 30,000 diabetes patients annually, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
0 comments - Posted Oct 26, 2010
Imagine that you're a miner. Imagine you have diabetes (that, at least, shouldn't be too hard). Now, imagine that you have to spend two months trapped underground with other miners. How would you do?
0 comments - Posted Oct 24, 2010
Getting enough magnesium in your diet could help prevent type 2 diabetes. Dr. Ka He of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and colleagues have found that people who consumed the most magnesium from foods and vitamin supplements were about half as likely to develop diabetes over the next 20 years as people who took in the least magnesium.
0 comments - Posted Oct 22, 2010
Weight Watchers International, Inc., the world's leading provider of weight management services, and Merck, a global healthcare leader, announced today an innovative collaboration focused on fighting obesity. The two companies will launch an initiative in which Merck will provide physicians and other health care providers with educational information about the Weight Watchers® program and its underlying clinical evidence to assist doctors in addressing the ongoing weight management needs of their patients.
0 comments - Posted Oct 21, 2010
Reducing the cost of low-carbohydrate foods for people with diabetes could significantly reduce medical costs associated with the disease that affects more than 23 million Americans, according to a recent study.
0 comments - Posted Oct 20, 2010
European researchers have reported that when they transplanted fecal matter from healthy thin people into obese people with pre-diabetes, the latter group's insulin sensitivity notably increased. (Insulin sensitivity is the body's ability to properly use the insulin hormone to regulate the amount of glucose in the bloodstream. Pre-diabetes exists when increasing resistance to insulin creates higher-than-normal blood sugar levels, a precondition to the onset of full-blown type 2 diabetes.)
1 comment - Posted Oct 19, 2010
As the weather turns and leaves begin to fall this year, new research shows that local aging seniors are well served to get up and grab a rake themselves - for more reasons than one. A group of four recent studies published in 2010 Harvard University health and medicine journals shows a surprising and strong connection between seniors, exercise, and mental and physical health, especially among aging women.
0 comments - Posted Oct 19, 2010
The 2010 Guidelines for CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care are here! What are the new changes? Watch the YouTube video and learn more.
0 comments - Posted Oct 18, 2010
University of Michigan scientists have identified events inside insulin-producing pancreatic cells that set the stage for a neonatal form of non-autoimmune type 1 diabetes, and may play a role in type 2 diabetes as well. The results point to a potential target for drugs to protect normally functioning proteins essential for producing insulin.
0 comments - Posted Oct 15, 2010
What do you get when international best-selling author Dr. Steven Covey joins forces with Bayer Diabetes Care and the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE)? You get an inspirational booklet that is a simple, practical resource guide to help people get started in managing their diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Oct 12, 2010
In July, I went to order a refill of my pump and was refused. My account was overdue, and my pump company wouldn't issue a refill until I could pay at least $400 of the $1200 I owed. I didn't have $400. I am a freelance writer and stay-at-home mom with a knack for stretching my husband's paycheck. I'd been making small monthly payments of about $50 because that was all we could afford, but now they wouldn't send me any more. So I went to the pharmacy and bought a box of syringes for $25. I didn't want to go back to multiple daily injections, but I didn't see that I had a choice.
1 comment - Posted Oct 9, 2010
Have you ever worried that in case of emergency, first responders will not know that you or a loved one has diabetes? Or concerned that a low blood sugar may be interpreted by law enforcement officials as intoxication--especially behind the wheel of a vehicle? What if you wear a Medical ID, but they cannot get to you right away in the case of an accident?
0 comments - Posted Oct 8, 2010
Dance Out Diabetes is a non-profit organization that addresses a critical component missing in most diabetes programs: PHYSICAL ACTIVITY! Our mission is to help individuals prevent or manage diabetes through dance and education.
0 comments - Posted Oct 6, 2010
We all know of Paul and Mira Sorvino, the legendary father and daughter actors who have graced the small and big screens for decades. Paul has played such classic characters as Paulie Cicero in the film Goodfellas and Sgt. Phil Cerreta on the TV series Law & Order and is a well-known chef and singer, while Mira has starred in over 30 movies and won an Academy Award in 1995 for her role as Linda Ash in Mighty Aphrodite.
0 comments - Posted Oct 5, 2010
The holidays are known as a time for family gatherings, catching up with relatives, and sometimes even the occasional family conflict. Like drama at the holiday dinner table, in many ways your health is influenced by your family-for better or for worse. This year, why not start a conversation that benefits everyone? Gather your family health history.
0 comments - Posted Oct 4, 2010
Last week, sanofi-aventis announced the upcoming launch of the blood glucose meters BGStar® and iBGStarTM (developed by sanofi and its partner AgaMatrix), which should be available in early 2011.
1 comment - Posted Oct 4, 2010
September 2010
(HealthDay News) -- Think recess, and you'll probably smile. What wasn't to like about a break in the school day set aside for running and playing, for friends and fun? Now fast-forward to your adult life. What if your workplace started offering recess on the job?
0 comments - Posted Sep 30, 2010
Sanofi-aventis announced the upcoming launch of the blood glucose monitoring (BGM) devices BGStar® and iBGStarTM, developed by sanofi-aventis and its partner AgaMatrix. Due to their convenience, accuracy and ease-of-use, BGStar® and iBGStarTM will help the decision-making process for people with diabetes and their healthcare professionals, with the aim of improving patient self-management. iBGStarTM connects to the iPhone® or iPod touch®. This is an important step towards sanofi-aventis' vision of becoming the leader in global diabetes care by integrating innovative monitoring technology, therapeutic innovations, personalized services and support solutions. BGStar® and iBGStarTM are planned to be made commercially available in the first markets in early 2011.
0 comments - Posted Sep 27, 2010
Diabetes research is on the cusp of new advances in treatment options and in understanding the underlying causes of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Among those are potential treatments using stem cells to regenerate a patient's ability to produce insulin, as well as upcoming clinical trials of a vaccine that potentially could prevent type 1 diabetes.
2 comments - Posted Sep 27, 2010
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced that it will significantly restrict the use of the diabetes drug Avandia (rosiglitazone) to patients with Type 2 diabetes who cannot control their diabetes on other medications. These new restrictions are in response to data that suggest an elevated risk of cardiovascular events, such as heart attack and stroke, in patients treated with Avandia.
0 comments - Posted Sep 23, 2010
For the first time, scientists have found that blood levels of some ribonucleic acids (microRNAs) are different among people with type 2 diabetes and those who subsequently develop the disease compared to healthy controls, according to research reported in Circulation Research: Journal of the American Heart Association.
0 comments - Posted Sep 22, 2010
"What's for dinner?" is a commonly asked question in many households. As children, spouses, friends, and others stream into your home after work, school, or a day of errands, they are eager to sit down, enjoy a meal, and unwind.
0 comments - Posted Sep 22, 2010
Children who have a high risk of developing type 2 diabetes might be identified earlier by way of tell-tale genetic indicators known as biomarkers. Some of those new biomarkers might be pinpointed in research led by Nancy F. Butte and funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service's National Institutes of Health.
0 comments - Posted Sep 22, 2010
I was reading the latest issue of one of my parenting magazines when I came across an article on children and food. The author suggested offering dessert only two to three times a week instead of every day. I laughed aloud.
0 comments - Posted Sep 18, 2010
In late July, five teenagers and five adults hiked to the summit of Mount Shavano, one of Colorado's famed 14,000-foot peaks. For this particular group, the journey to the top of Shavano was designed to be an intensive educational experience on the topic of diabetes management. Each teenager had type 1 diabetes, and the adults were mentors dedicated to helping the teens feel more in control of the disease. The team made it to the summit by performing countless blood sugar tests, counting carbs, and experimenting with insulin pump basal rates. The outfit behind the expedition was Testing Limits, an outdoor adventure club just for people with diabetes, operated by the non-profit Insulindependence.
0 comments - Posted Sep 17, 2010
On July 2, 2010, when Lt. Jose Lopez took the podium at the recent Children With Diabetes Friends for Life Annual International Conference in Orlando to speak to the parents of children with diabetes, his goal was to use his own story to reassure them about their children's future. "What I most wanted to convey to them was that people with diabetes, especially children, can do normal stuff and live their dreams. I am not a super hero - and I did it."
0 comments - Posted Sep 14, 2010
Despite the lack of a strong link between type 2 diabetes and Agent Orange, the government is paying Vietnam veterans hundreds of millions of dollars for the disease on the basis of Agent Orange exposure.
1 comment - Posted Sep 12, 2010
In my office, there is a box. Nothing fancy, just a plain brown box filled with a collection of "old school" diabetes stuff: "boil and re-use" syringes, urine test tape, screw-driven insulin pumps, medieval injection aids and lancing devices, and so on. Of course, no such collection would be complete without an array of classic blood glucose meters. The oldest one I have is a plug-in-the-wall model called a "Dextrometer" that featured test strip rinsing solution and a red LED display that could burn the retina of anyone within six feet.
0 comments - Posted Sep 9, 2010
Long-term weight loss may release into the blood industrial pollutants linked to illnesses like diabetes, hypertension and rheumatoid arthritis, researchers said on Tuesday. These compounds are normally stored in fatty tissues, but when fat breaks down during weight loss, they get into the blood stream, said lead researcher Duk-Hee Lee at the Kyungpook National University in Daegu in South Korea.
0 comments - Posted Sep 8, 2010
Dear Diabetes Health, I am 62 years old. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 1997, and I am doing OK on metformin. My last A1c was 7.2 %. About a year ago, they put me on medicine for my blood pressure (which was 142/90) and for cholesterol. I started having less interest in sex, which I had really liked before.
0 comments - Posted Sep 7, 2010
Type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer's disease are two distressing, but increasingly common, diseases seen in our aging population. At some point in the future, they may well overwhelm the healthcare system.
0 comments - Posted Sep 5, 2010
The routine breakdown of old bone during skeletal growth has an important role to play in regulating blood sugar, according to Columbia University Medical Center researchers. The process, known as resorption, goes on throughout life. It stimulates insulin release and sugar absorption, helping healthy people maintain normal blood glucose levels. The new study, published in Cell, suggests that skeletal changes could causes diabetes for some and that possible treatments for type 2 diabetes could come from the bone-insulin connection.
0 comments - Posted Sep 4, 2010
Results of brain surgery on a small group of type 2 diabetes patients point the way to a possible new approach for treating the disease.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2010
August 2010
The Flamingo Flock diabetes awareness campaign is the brainchild of 9-year-old Noah Brokmeier, "The Diabetes Dude." Noah's blue flamingos are landing on lawns nationwide and appearing at big events like the Boston Marathon. Wherever they go, the birds pose for pictures, which are then posted on Noah's website, www.thediabetesdude.com. The location of the birds is also flagged on his "official flamingo tracking map," to show the progress and growth of the campaign.
0 comments - Posted Aug 30, 2010
Doctors have long known that different populations have different risks for chronic illness. Certain ethnic groups, for instance, are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than others. But why? The National Institutes of Health aims to find out. It's Network on Inequality, Complexity, and Health will take a broad look at factors that influence disease and aim to make positive changes.
0 comments - Posted Aug 25, 2010
Gene variants associated with an increased risk for type-1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis may confer previously unknown benefits to their human carriers, say researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. As a result, the human race may have been evolving in the recent past to be more susceptible, rather than less, to some complex diseases, they conclude.
0 comments - Posted Aug 21, 2010
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared Baltimore-based health software company WellDoc to begin marketing the DiabetesManager® System, a mobile phone application designed for patients and healthcare providers who are dealing with type 2 diabetes. The company, founded in 2005, plans to start selling the product early next year.
0 comments - Posted Aug 19, 2010
(Reuters) - Genetic testing might have helped identify people who would become depressed or suicidal while taking Sanofi-Aventis' weight loss drug Acomplia, which might have helped keep the drug on the market, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.
0 comments - Posted Aug 19, 2010
Laser eye surgery is becoming increasingly popular as more and more people look to free themselves from their glasses or contact lenses. There are two main types of laser eye surgery, Lasik and Lasek. The vast majority of people choose to have Lasik because it has a far quicker and more comfortable recovery period. Most people can return to work and normal activities within 48 hours of having Lasik, whereas it can take up to a week to recover from Lasek surgery. In some instances your surgeon may insist that you have Lasik--if, for example, you are involved in contact sports.
1 comment - Posted Aug 16, 2010
Women who deal with gestational diabetes in their first or second pregnancy are far more likely to develop the condition again in their third pregnancy, according to a new study from Kaiser Permanente that examined the electronic medical records of 65,132 women. The study was published online in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology last month.
0 comments - Posted Aug 11, 2010
Insulin-resistant obese women lost more weight after 12 weeks on a low-carbohydrate diet than they did on a low-fat diet, according to a study conducted by the University of Nevada School of Medicine in Reno. (The study was funded by Jenny Craig, a company that sells diet foods.)
0 comments - Posted Aug 7, 2010
Two recent research studies on humans indicate that resveratrol, a chemical found in red wine and peanuts, increases insulin sensitivity in older and obese people. A third study, done on mice, shows that resveratrol may someday become a powerful tool in therapies directed at macular degeneration and other retinal maladies.
0 comments - Posted Aug 6, 2010
Keep a close eye on this story. It has two elements necessary for creating a lot of buzz: a celebrity and his unconventional "cure" for a disease.
0 comments - Posted Aug 5, 2010
Novo Nordisk presented results demonstrating that once-daily Victoza® (liraglutide [rDNA] injection) achieved significantly greater improvements in blood sugar control compared to placebo among African-American patients with type 2 diabetes. The meta-analysis of phase 3 data from the Liraglutide Effect and Action in Diabetes (LEAD) trials were presented at the 2010 National Medical Association Annual Convention & Scientific Assembly.
0 comments - Posted Aug 5, 2010
July 2010
We are always investigating new ideas, research findings, treatment options, and educational materials to share with you. This issue is very exciting because we were able to talk with experts and those with diabetes, and write about everything from traveling with type 1 in Italy to investigating why hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia are so dangerous.
0 comments - Posted Jul 31, 2010
Bioengineers at the University of California, San Diego and GlySens Incorporated have developed an implantable glucose sensor and wireless telemetry system that continuously monitors tissue glucose and transmits the information to an external receiver. The paper, published in the July 28, 2010 issue of the journal Science Translational Medicine, describes the use of this glucose-sensing device as an implant in animals for over one year. After human clinical trials and FDA approval, the device may be useful to people with diabetes as an alternative to finger sticking, and to short-term needle-like glucose sensors that have to be replaced every three to seven days.
0 comments - Posted Jul 31, 2010
Unfortunately, dental treatment and vision care are rarely included in basic health insurance plans. I don't know how insurance companies concluded that the eyes and the teeth are not parts of the body, but they managed it somehow. If you have diabetes, however, it's especially important to realize that contrary to the rationalizations of insurance executives, both your eyes and your teeth require attention and care.
0 comments - Posted Jul 30, 2010
Last summer, I led the third annual swim-run biathlon for the Barton Center for Diabetes Education, which hosts two Massachusetts camps for children with type 1-Camp Joslin for boys and Camp Clara Barton for girls. It was at Camp Joslin that I met a memorable eight-year-old boy who exemplifies what being a diabetes hero is all about. I'll call him "Adam."
0 comments - Posted Jul 29, 2010
Widely recognized evidence supports the fact that Obstructive Sleep Apnea is a very serious health risk primarily afflicting men over the age of forty, yet 80 to 90 percent of cases go undiagnosed except for the telltale symptoms of chronic fatigue and snoring. Precision diagnosis and recent developments in FDA-approved mouthpiece technology can now provide an unprecedented 78 percent reduction of the condition without surgery, and offer for the first time an effective and convenient alternative for those intolerant to using the frequently prescribed but highly rejected Continuous Positive Airway Pressure therapy.
1 comment - Posted Jul 28, 2010
NEW YORK, NY, July 26, 2010 - Recalling the desperate fight for life that used to be waged by juvenile diabetes patients, and commemorating the events of 1921 that inaugurated a new era of hope for them and their families, the New York Historical Society will present the exhibition Breakthrough: The Dramatic Story of the Discovery of Insulin from October 5, 2010 through January 31, 2011. Exploring the roles of science, government, higher education and industry in developing and distributing a life-saving drug, the exhibition will bring to life the personalities who discovered insulin and raced to bring it to the world and will tell the story of one extraordinary New York girl-Elizabeth Evans Hughes, daughter of the leading statesman and jurist Charles Evans Hughes-who was among the very first patients to be saved.
0 comments - Posted Jul 26, 2010
I was in the parking lot of the mall, walking past wheelchair parking, when I noticed a man using the lift gate of his specially equipped van. There he was, lowering himself and his motorized wheelchair down to the ground all by himself. As I walked through the mall that day, I couldn't get the man in the wheelchair off my mind.
0 comments - Posted Jul 26, 2010
Learn Your Risk for Diabetes and Take Steps to Protect Your Health. If you are diagnosed in the early stages of diabetes, you can take better care of yourself and get treatment. If you have pre-diabetes, you can take steps to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Jul 23, 2010
A long-term study on the safety of a popular diabetes drug was put on hold Wednesday by the Food and Drug Administration, while the FDA considers whether it's too dangerous to continue. Several large studies have linked the drug, Avandia, to a higher risk of heart attacks and other heart problems. While other studies have not found the same risk, last week an FDA advisory panel recommended that the drug not be sold without a stronger warning label or possibly limits on who could receive it.
0 comments - Posted Jul 23, 2010
We have known for several years that Hepatitis C, a common cause of liver cirrhosis and cancer, also makes people three to four times more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes. In studying the insulin resistance of 29 people with Hepatitis C, Australian researchers have confirmed that they have high insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes. However, almost all insulin resistance occurs in muscle, with little or none in the liver, a very surprising finding given that Hepatitis C is a liver disease.
0 comments - Posted Jul 21, 2010
From environmentally friendly hybrid cars and heating with solar power to organic or natural foods, our culture is increasingly embracing green strategies. "Using natural dietary supplements to support healthy blood sugar levels and minimize the impact of glycation is a rational continuation of this green philosophy," says Steven Joyal, MD, vice president of Scientific Affairs and Medical Development for the Life Extension Foundation in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida (www.lef.org). He is also author of the book What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Jul 20, 2010
(Reuters) - The first new prescription weight-loss pill in more than a decade failed to win backing from U.S.health advisers, who said safety concerns about the drug outweighed its ability to help obese patients shed pounds.
0 comments - Posted Jul 19, 2010
Looking for novel ways to help improve patient outcomes, the Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Institute is using innovative adult education techniques to train diabetes educators around the world. While the cultural and epidemiological differences in each region can be challenging, David L. Horwitz, M.D., Ph.D., FACP, Chief Medical Officer of the Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Institute, feels confident this program can make a positive impact to help improve patient outcomes.
0 comments - Posted Jul 17, 2010
Overview: 57 million Americans are estimated to have pre-diabetes, a condition in which a person's blood sugar (glucose) level is above normal but below a level that indicates diabetes. Pre-diabetes may have no outward symptoms, and is diagnosed with a blood glucose test.
0 comments - Posted Jul 16, 2010
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Joint Meeting of the Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee and Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee has completed their evaluation of the scientific research available on the safety of rosiglitazone. The deliberations of the panel reflected the complexity of the issues, with several members voting to add additional warnings or to withdraw the drug from the U.S. market. Ultimately, the final recommendation was to allow Avandia to remain on the market. Now that the expert panel has concluded its meeting, the FDA will review their recommendations and make the final decision on whether the drug remains available to patients.
0 comments - Posted Jul 15, 2010
Medtronic, Inc. announced today that Test B4U Drive, the first-ever, free program for teens with diabetes combining advanced driver skills training with diabetes management education, will be held July 19-21 at The Forum in Los Angeles. In partnership with the Juvenile Diabetes No Limits Foundation, Medtronic will continue the program throughout the summer across the country to teach teens with diabetes that good diabetes management is a key to staying safe behind the wheel.
0 comments - Posted Jul 14, 2010
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the establishment of a new Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) that will offer coverage to uninsured Americans who have been unable to obtain health coverage because of a pre-existing health condition.
0 comments - Posted Jul 12, 2010
When I was first diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, the disease became my entire life. I was drowning in paperwork telling me who to pay, what to eat, how to medicate, and what to do if I got sick. But as months and years passed, diabetes management became just a part of my goal to live healthfully. I realized that I couldn't compartmentalize my health. I cannot pinpoint when my obsession with all things healthy started, but once it did--well, I've never looked back.
0 comments - Posted Jul 9, 2010
Data from the massive ACCORD study on intensive blood sugar control shows that lowering blood sugar levels in people with longstanding type 2 diabetes to near-normal may delay the appearance of signs that point to damage to nerves, eyes, and kidneys, but does not stop their progression toward it.
0 comments - Posted Jul 9, 2010
A study released in late June has brought some welcome news to the makers of Byetta and Januvia: Users of the two diabetes drugs run no greater risk of developing pancreatitis than people with diabetes who take other drugs. In fact, both drugs seem to put users at slightly less risk for the condition.
0 comments - Posted Jul 8, 2010
A clinical trial that used testosterone gel, a topically applied ointment, to increase muscle strength in older men with low testosterone levels was stopped because adverse cardiovascular events increased significantly among patients receiving the treatment.
0 comments - Posted Jul 7, 2010
AFREZZA TM (insulin human [rDNA origin]) Inhalation Powder, a well-tolerated, investigational ultra rapid acting mealtime insulin, as part of a diabetes treatment regimen, provides long-term glucose control comparable to usual insulin therapy but with a significantly reduced incidence of hypoglycemia and less weight gain in patients with Type 2 diabetes, according to a two-year study presented at the American Diabetes Association's 70th Scientific Sessions.
0 comments - Posted Jul 6, 2010
In a recent study of the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and glucose intolerance in people with type 2 diabetes, more than 90 percent of the type 2 diabetes patients were found to be deficient in vitamin D, with their control over the disease worsening as their deficiency increased.
0 comments - Posted Jul 4, 2010
Summer has arrived, and for many, that means it's time to take that long-awaited vacation. Visions of sunny beaches, gourmet meals, mountain resorts, adventurous excursions, and campgrounds dance in our minds. The word "vacation" is typically a synonym for "letting it all go." No worries. No cares. Just pure indulgence. But for people with diabetes, an upcoming vacation can bring on anxiety and stress. For many of us, our disease thrives on routine and predictability, and vacations do not adhere to our everyday lives.
0 comments - Posted Jul 3, 2010
In people with longstanding type 2 diabetes who are at high risk for heart attack and stroke, lowering blood sugar to near-normal levels did not delay the combined risk of diabetic damage to kidneys, eyes, or nerves, but did delay several other signs of diabetic damage, a study has found. The intensive glucose treatment was compared with standard glucose control.
0 comments - Posted Jul 2, 2010
A diet including coconut oil, a medium chain fatty acid (MCFA), helps combat insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is the inability of cells to respond to insulin and take in glucose for energy. The pancreas tries to compensate for insulin resistance by producing even more insulin, but eventually glucose accumulates in the bloodstream. Over time, insulin resistance and obesity can lead to pre-diabetes or full-blown type 2 diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2010
Depomed, Inc. and Santarus, Inc. announced new data suggesting that patients previously intolerant of metformin may be able to tolerate higher doses of metformin when treated with GLUMETZA® (metformin HCl extended release tablets). The finding will be presented at the 70th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) in Orlando. GLUMETZA is a once-daily, extended release formulation of metformin, and is approved for use in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. It is promoted in the U.S. by Santarus.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2010
June 2010
It raises fasting blood sugars. It increases the risk for type 2 diabetes. Millions of people suffer from it. And many don't even know they have it.
1 comment - Posted Jun 30, 2010
It is official! Today at the World's largest Diabetes Congress, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 70th Scientific Sessions (Booth 305) in Orlando, Florida, Diabetes Health Magazine (www.diabeteshealth.com) launched the first diabetes magazine Mobile Application, Diabetes Health Mobile (DH Mobile.)
0 comments - Posted Jun 29, 2010
A malfunction in the pancreas's "circadian clock*," the built-in timer found in all living things that regulates major biological processes, may be one of the reasons that people develop diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Jun 29, 2010
White rice and brown rice are reminiscent of those old dramas about identical twins, wherein one turns out to be angelic and the other turns out to be bad news.
0 comments - Posted Jun 28, 2010
One day as I was multi-tasking (making dinner, washing dishes, supervising my daughter, returning phone calls), I suddenly grew very annoyed at the music we were listening to. I had recently purchased a children's CD for my daughter, and it hit me that all the songs sounded the same. What a waste of twelve dollars, I thought, as I headed toward the CD player to shut it off. As I reached down to hit the "off" button, I noticed a small, unfamiliar icon on the display screen. I crouched down to further examine and then laughed aloud.
0 comments - Posted Jun 26, 2010
The definition for a chronic illness is one lasting 3 months or more (U.S. National Center for Health Statistics). Seventy-five per cent of our health care spending is on people with chronic conditions. These persistent conditions - the nation's leading causes of death and disability - leave in their wake deaths that could have been prevented, lifelong disability, compromised quality of life, and burgeoning health care costs. The facts are arresting:
0 comments - Posted Jun 22, 2010
(Reuters) - Drug developer Depomed Inc (DEPO.O) said it will recall 52 lots of its diabetes drug Glumetza due to the presence of traces of a certain chemical in the tablet's 500 mg bottle.
0 comments - Posted Jun 22, 2010
Diabetes is often perceived as a physical disease, an issue with one's body. But those of us with diabetes know that it affects every area of our lives, including our emotional, spiritual, and mental health. People with diabetes are more likely to experience depression than the average person, and it doesn't take a doctor to explain why. Diabetes is daunting, complicated, and confusing. There's no one-size-fits-all explanation or treatment plan, and even when we arrive at something that works, diabetes throws us a curveball and we are forced to reinvent our treatment regimen---time, and time, and time again.
0 comments - Posted Jun 18, 2010
One of the factors that increases the risk of acquiring type 2 diabetes is excess body fat. So it makes sense that losing weight has always been one of the first lines of defense against the disease. Yet people who are slender -skinny, even- sometimes develop type 2. Why is that? Does the fact that a slender person can acquire type 2 negate the need for weight control?
0 comments - Posted Jun 18, 2010
As a type 1 diabetic, I have found that it's a good idea to plan for the unexpected when traveling. Life is full of surprises, and so are vacations. The flight is late. The flight has been cancelled. We had a flat tire or ran out of gas. There is an accident on the highway, and the traffic isn't moving. Who would have ever thought that airline flights would be grounded for five days in most of Eastern Europe because of volcanic ash from an erupting volcano in Iceland? If a diabetic had planned on going for a week-long vacation in England or France and had taken limited insulin, syringes, or infusion sets, he might have been in big trouble. Trying to replenish medical supplies in a foreign country could prove to be very difficult.
0 comments - Posted Jun 16, 2010
There are so many weight loss programs out there, sometimes it is hard just to keep track of them, let alone choose one that will work. Add in the factor of diabetes, and the path to weight loss becomes harder to navigate and often contains land mines that we never even knew existed.
0 comments - Posted Jun 15, 2010
A Duke University Medical Center study has concluded that obese men who have type 2 diabetes are almost four times as likely to be diagnosed with high-grade prostate cancer during a prostate biopsy as men who do not have diabetes. When ethnicity is taken into account, obese white men run a five-times greater chance of being diagnosed with high-grade prostate cancer.
0 comments - Posted Jun 15, 2010
A Canadian study that tracked 207 patients suggests that a low-dose combination of metformin and Avandia can reduce the development of type 2 diabetes by 66 percent in people at high risk for the condition.
0 comments - Posted Jun 15, 2010
One of the most inspiring personalities of the 2010 Vancouver Games, Olympic cross-country skier Kris Freeman sheds his skis and poles this week to kick off his 6th annual diabetes summer camp tour with Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly Diabetes). Freeman, diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 10 years ago at age 19, will share his amazing comeback story from coast to coast and encourage children with diabetes to continue pursuing their dreams.
0 comments - Posted Jun 14, 2010
New guidelines from the American Diabetes Association and two other major medical associations advise not prescribing low-dose aspirin therapy for women under 60 or men under 50 who have diabetes but no other risks for heart disease.
0 comments - Posted Jun 12, 2010
I am that mom. The one who buys organic foods, bakes her own bread, bans high fructose corn syrup and trans fats, and always totes around healthy snacks. I don't drink soda, my toddler has never consumed fish sticks, and not once since her birth have we visited McDonalds for a "value" or Happy Meal.
0 comments - Posted Jun 10, 2010
It's a cool Sunday evening, and I'm sitting in a lively Italian restaurant. My husband is across the table. We've just placed our orders, and we're engaged in easy conversation.
0 comments - Posted Jun 8, 2010
Results from a Phase 3 study demonstrate MACUGEN® (pegaptanib sodium) significantly improved vision in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME), a complication of diabetes that is a leading cause of blindness in people of working age.¹ In the study, 37 percent of patients treated with MACUGEN gained two lines, or 10 letters, of vision on the ETDRS eye chart at 54 weeks, compared to 20 percent of patients who received a sham (placebo-like) procedure which consists of anesthesia and a simulated injection in the eye (p=0.0047). The data were presented at the World Ophthalmology Congress in Berlin by Frank G. Holz, an investigator in the trial and director of the University Eye Hospital at the University of Bonn in Germany.
0 comments - Posted Jun 7, 2010
If you take metformin to control your type 2 diabetes, ask your doctor to take a look at your vitamin B-12 levels when you get a chance. A recent British study shows that metformin may cause a deficiency in the vitamin, which is necessary for the regeneration of red blood cells and the maintenance of nervous system health.
0 comments - Posted Jun 5, 2010
Dr. Rutai Hui of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College in Beijing and colleagues found chocolate only helped people who already had risk factors for heart disease and only when consumed in modest amounts.
0 comments - Posted Jun 4, 2010
With the rise of the iPhone and the creation of hundreds of thousands of iPhone applications, it's only natural that several wonderful apps have appeared to make life easier for diabetes patients. Here is a quick look at 10 FREE applications, in no particular order, to help you choose the right ones for you.
1 comment - Posted Jun 2, 2010
BD Diagnostics, a segment of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), announced today the U.S. launch of the BD Vacutainer® Push Button Blood Collection Set with Pre-Attached Holder. The ready-to-use product has been designed to help protect healthcare workers from accidental needlestick injuries (NSIs) during the blood collection process and to prevent reuse of the tube holder.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2010
May 2010
Investigate. Inform. Inspire. This statement is not only our commitment to you, the readers of Diabetes Health, but also a call to action. In our June/July print issue (available online June 1 under the Digital Edition tab), we've done some investigating. We tracked down educational agencies, websites, software, and applications, and we've listed them for you in our 2nd Educational Resource Guide.
0 comments - Posted May 31, 2010
The United States Department of Health and Human Services released The National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy aimed at making health information and services easier to understand and use. The plan calls for improving the jargon-filled language, dense writing, and complex explanations that often fill patient handouts, medical forms, health web sites, and recommendations to the public.
0 comments - Posted May 30, 2010
Both genetic components and environmental factors play a role in most chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes. In the same way that researchers use a Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) to evaluate the role of genetic factors in disease, scientists at Stanford University have used an Environmental-Wide Association Study (EWAS) to evaluate environmental factors on diabetes.
0 comments - Posted May 29, 2010
It was a great win for diabetes on Sunday night as Bret Michaels, lead singer for the rock band Poison and reality TV star, was crowned the latest Celebrity Apprentice winner after struggling with several medical scares in the past month. Just as impressive is that throughout the season, Michaels' various wins raised more than $390,000 for the American Diabetes Association, including the final challenge prize from Snapple, worth $250,000. The 47-year old Michaels has lived with type 1 diabetes since he was six years old.
0 comments - Posted May 29, 2010
A Seattle-based study has found that people with diabetes run a 40 percent increased risk of developing a common type of abnormal heart rhythm known as atrial fibrillation*. The study also shows that as people with diabetes take drugs for the disease, their risk for developing atrial fibrillation increases three percent for each year that they use such medications.
0 comments - Posted May 25, 2010
A new contest, "Give Back. Simply Win." sponsored by Bayer Diabetes Care will shine a spotlight on people with diabetes who are making a difference in their local communities. Three grand prize winners will meet international singing sensation Nick Jonas and Bayer will donate $5,000 to three not-for-profit charitable causes, one selected by each winner.
0 comments - Posted May 24, 2010
The 57 million Americans currently living with "pre-diabetes" could benefit from a group weight loss program, like Weight Watchers, according to a new study published in this month's American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. Researchers found that after a 6-month Weight Watchers group program, overweight or obese adults who attended at least two thirds of the weekly sessions, not only lost weight, but also significantly reduced fasting glucose and insulin levels - important indicators of diabetes risk.
0 comments - Posted May 22, 2010
People with diabetes who have limited health literacy are at higher risk for hypoglycemia or low blood sugar, according to a new study from researchers at the University of California, San Francisco and the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, CA.
0 comments - Posted May 20, 2010
Phil Southerland was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was seven months old. Now 28, he has always taken an aggressive approach to managing the disease. He recalls, "My mom scared the daylights out of me when I was six years old by letting me know about the severe complications of diabetes if you don't take care of it. That has motivated me to never let those complications fall on my shoulders."
0 comments - Posted May 17, 2010
Rhode Island-based CVS/pharmacy, which operates more than 7,000 pharmacies and drug stores in the United States, has announced three diabetes-related initiatives:
0 comments - Posted May 15, 2010
Most people who have diabetes quickly learn that one of the worst side effects of the disease is pain caused by damage to the hands and feet. High blood sugar inflames nerves, leading to tingling and numbness, and often, severe pain. Researchers at the Comprehensive Pain Center at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland have learned that onset of nerve pain may have a daily rhythm, with the worst occurring late at night around 11 p.m. Their study, which they characterized as "preliminary," tracked 647 people with diabetic neuropathy. The results showed that the typical pattern for people with the condition was to experience the greatest pain from it after sunset, peaking at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.
1 comment - Posted May 14, 2010
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has launched a "Bad Ad Program," an outreach effort aimed at educating healthcare providers and urging them to report misleading drug advertisements. The Division of Drug Marketing, Advertising, and Communications (DDMAC), in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, administers the program.
0 comments - Posted May 13, 2010
Scientists at the Mayo Clinic have developed a molecule that can block the breakdown of insulin. Their discovery could lead to development of a new class of drugs to help treat diabetes.
0 comments - Posted May 10, 2010
Early management of type 2 diabetes with an integrated team of specialists, including a dietitian, diabetes educator, endocrinologist, cardiologist, and nephrologist, can significantly reduce the incidence of complications and lower healthcare costs, according to an online survey of more than 300 endocrinologists and family practice physicians. The survey was supported by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., with the goal of determining the most common obstacles for physicians in treating type 2 diabetes patients and preventing complications. Sermo, the largest physician only online community, conducted the survey. A significant number of these physicians (44 percent) reveal that 50 percent of their patients develop at least one of the following serious complications: cardiovascular disease, nerve pain, kidney disease, stroke, blindness, or limb amputation.
2 comments - Posted May 8, 2010
A new study to be published in the June issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM) says that a single night of too little sleep can induce insulin resistance.
2 comments - Posted May 6, 2010
Diabetes Education and Camping Association's (DECA's) young adult leadership team "DLEAD" takes on Boston at "D-TREAT" - a unique 3-day event at Northeastern University, May 28-30, 2010 - to encourage young adults with diabetes to network, share insights and meet peers during an awesome event.
0 comments - Posted May 6, 2010
CINCINNATI - The popular diabetes medication metformin works in different fashion than the current widely accepted view. This new finding could lead to wider use of the drug-particularly in people with cancer.
1 comment - Posted May 4, 2010
Bret Michaels suffered a brain hemorrhage last week, and his official website states that he remains in critical condition in ICU under 24-hour supervision by doctors and medical staff. His doctors are hopeful that he can make a full recovery, but that could take weeks or months.
3 comments - Posted May 1, 2010
April 2010
Are you the parent of a child with type 1 diabetes? Do you often wish that you could find a babysitter who understands the "ins-and-outs" of type 1 so that you could enjoy an evening out, assured that your child is in good hands? Or are you a teenager with type 1 who is looking for a way to help children manage their disease, while making a little extra money at the same time? Then look no further than www.SafeSittings.com. Launched over six years ago in Manhattan by teenager Kimberly Ross, www.SafeSittings.com is a free online service that matches type 1 families with babysitters who also have the disease.
4 comments - Posted Apr 30, 2010
A team of researchers from Case Western University published an article revealing their invention of a "smart" insulin molecule that binds considerably less to cancer receptors and self-assembles under the skin. To provide a slow-release form of insulin, the compound self-assembles under the skin by "stapling" itself together with zinc ions. Zinc staples connect the pieces of the insulin puzzle together to create a functional protein.
0 comments - Posted Apr 23, 2010
In the early hours of Saturday, February 27th, an 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit Chile, eventually leaving 1.5 million displaced from their homes. At 6 a.m. that same morning, Hawaiians awoke to the news that a tsunami was barreling towards them and evacuation was necessary. Within minutes, many had left their homes for safe ground.
0 comments - Posted Apr 23, 2010
The study, published in the journal Diabetes Care, adds to evidence that metformin, a generically available drug commonly used for type 2 diabetes, may have anti-cancer effects.
0 comments - Posted Apr 22, 2010
Researchers at Loyola University have discovered a group of immune system cells called natural killer T (NKT) cells that slow the wound healing process. Their findings pave the way for potential new treatments to accelerate the healing process in slow-to-heal wounds that can occur in people with autoimmune disorders such as type 1 diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Apr 21, 2010
Admit it, Type 1s. In weaker moments, you look down your noses at the Type 2 diabetics. You know that their disease can result from poor lifestyle choices. You know that their treatment regimen, compared with yours, is simple.
35 comments - Posted Apr 19, 2010
(Reuters) - A variant of an obesity gene carried by more than a third of the U.S. population also reduces brain volume, raising carriers' risk of Alzheimer's disease, U.S. researchers said on Monday.
0 comments - Posted Apr 19, 2010
The first human trials of the latest design of an artificial pancreas for people with type 1 diabetes found the device worked without causing low blood sugar (hypoglycemia).
8 comments - Posted Apr 18, 2010
YMCA of the USA, the nation's leading non-profit service organization dedicated to healthy living, and UnitedHealth Group, a diversified health and well-being company, today announced a partnership to reduce the burden of type 2 diabetes in the United States. In this first of its kind collaboration, UnitedHealth Group will reimburse YMCAs offering the YMCA's Diabetes Prevention Program.
2 comments - Posted Apr 16, 2010
Four risk factors-all of them preventable-reduce life expectancy among U.S. men by 4.9 years and among U.S. women by 4.1 years, according to a study by the Harvard School of Public Health and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. (According to U.N. figures, current U.S. life expectancy is 75.6 years for men and 80.8 years for women.)
0 comments - Posted Apr 15, 2010
Successful clinical trials of a topical drug called mecamylamine may lead to a potent new treatment for the diabetes-induced eye disease known as macular edema. Diabetic macular edema* involves the part of the retina called the macula. High blood sugar levels inflame its blood vessels, leading to leakiness and fluid accumulation. Left uncontrolled, those symptoms can lead to blurriness, impaired vision, and even blindness.
1 comment - Posted Apr 14, 2010
A gene that mutated half a billion years ago and now shows up in modern sea creatures could hold the key to understanding a rare form of diabetes. The disease, called diabetes insipidus (not to be confused with diabetes mellitus), causes sufferers to urinate more than three-fourths of a gallon every day. An estimated 41,000 U.S. patients suffer from diabetes insipidus.
1 comment - Posted Apr 13, 2010
The first concrete evidence of a genetic link between low birth weight and the potential for developing type 2 diabetes has been published in the April 6 issue of the journal Nature Genetics. Scientists previously believed that lower birth weight babies were more at risk, but the cause remained unclear.
0 comments - Posted Apr 11, 2010
We continue to monitor the progress of studies to determine the effectiveness of salsalate, a generic aspirin-like drug, to reduce inflammation and lower blood glucose in people with type 2 diabetes. As previously reported here in October 2008 and January 2009, researchers from the Joslin Diabetes Center at Harvard University are conducting clinical trials to determine if this well known and proven drug for joint pain can be added to the list of diabetes drugs. Recently, results from a three-month trial were announced online in the Annals of Internal Medicine, showing that those who took salsalate demonstrated significantly improved blood glucose levels.
0 comments - Posted Apr 10, 2010
If you're a regular visitor to the Diabetes Health website, chances are you've been diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes for some time. Your experience with the disease has taught you a lot about its warning signs and the lifestyle habits that can make it worse.
0 comments - Posted Apr 8, 2010
Tests of an experimental drug called CPSI-1306 at Ohio State University were so successful at lowering inflammation and blood sugar levels in lab mice with type 2 diabetes that scientists consider it a prime candidate to become a new therapy for the disease.
0 comments - Posted Apr 8, 2010
(Reuters Health) - Adding soy supplements to the diet may not improve blood sugar control in older women who are at high risk of or in the early stages of type 2 diabetes, a new study suggests.
0 comments - Posted Apr 7, 2010
When I was first diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, someone said brightly to me, "Well, at least you don't have cancer!" Others told me with naïve confidence, "You can beat this thing!" Another person remarked to my mother, "If anyone could do a good job with diabetes, it's Rachel! I'm too scared of needles." Not one of these comments, nor about ninety percent of the others I received, was helpful, encouraging, or beneficial.
18 comments - Posted Apr 5, 2010
Novo Nordisk, a global healthcare company and leader in diabetes care, announced the launch of the Novo Nordisk BlueSheet, a resource for information on diabetes and chronic disease, highlighting key issues in diabetes prevention, detection, treatment and care.
0 comments - Posted Apr 4, 2010
Diabetes Health is excited to welcome you to "Ask Nadia", a new column by founder and editor-in-chief, Nadia Al-Samarrie. Nadia's adeptness in diabetes health comes from more than 20 years experience as a caregiver, managing the myriad of Type 1, Type 2 and pre-diabetes related issues in her own family, as well as from the knowledge acquired through her devoted and passionate tenure as the publisher of the prominent Diabetes Health Magazine.
2 comments - Posted Apr 3, 2010
People with type 1 or type 2 diabetes who find it difficult to trust others or reach out for emotional support may be shortening their own lives. That's the conclusion of a five-year University of Washington study that showed a 33 percent higher mortality rate among diabetes patients who did not interact well with their healthcare providers or other people.
1 comment - Posted Apr 2, 2010
While the words "diabetes" and "camp" may not sound like they belong in the same sentence for most people, they sure do for thousands of kids across the country. Diabetes camp is their time to share experiences, learn, and have fun with other kids who have diabetes. You'll find the usual camping activities like hiking, arts and crafts, boating, swimming, and sitting around the campfire, but also lessons on adjusting your insulin pump to compensate for sports and how to give yourself an injection.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2010
The Diabetes Education and Camping Association (DECA) mission is to "promote communication, provide education, share resources, and serve as a worldwide voice to advance diabetes education and camping programs that meet the diverse needs of individuals and families." DECA provides an international databse of diabetes camping organizations, and "Best Practices" tools for diabetes camp management.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2010
March 2010
Dr. Stan De Loach is a bicultural, trilingual, Certified Diabetes Educator (one of the first 13 in Mexico) and clinical psychologist, not to mention a pianist, composer, and writer. Born and educated in the U.S., he has been a resident of Mexico for decades, and his first love is the annual bilingual diabetes camp that he co-founded, the four-day Campamento Diabetes Safari in Mexico..
3 comments - Posted Mar 30, 2010
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has withheld approval of Bydureon, the once-weekly version of the popular type 2 diabetes drug Byetta. The agency has asked its manufacturer, Amylin, for more information regarding Bydureon's manufacture, labeling, and risk management plan. It did not, however, request further information on tests of the drug itself-an indication that the agency probably intends to grant marketing permission once it has dotted all the i's and crossed all the t's involved in the approval process.
0 comments - Posted Mar 29, 2010
Common knowledge says that humans have the ability to perceive five tastes: sweet, salt, sour, bitter, and umami (protein-richness). But now, researchers have discovered that humans can detect a sixth taste as well: fat. And apparently, people with higher sensitivity to the taste of fat are less likely to eat fatty foods and become overweight.
0 comments - Posted Mar 28, 2010
Experience is a great teacher, but sometimes it's not the best way to learn, especially when it comes to your medical needs. Smart people learn from their mistakes, but wise people learn from other people's mistakes. In my ten years with diabetes, I have found that to eliminate problems, you need to anticipate your needs. A few moments of preparation can ensure a great afternoon of fun with your friends, a better grade on a test, or participation in a sporting competition without any complications.
7 comments - Posted Mar 25, 2010
Results from a landmark study involving more than 9,000 people showed that the high blood pressure medicine valsartan (Diovan) delayed progression to type 2 diabetes in patients with cardiovascular disease or risk factors and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), a common pre-diabetic condition.
0 comments - Posted Mar 20, 2010
I grew up around the corner from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In high school, long ago, I thought that NIH scientists were "bad guys" who mistreated animals in the name of medical research. I later moved to the West Coast and became a registered obstetrical nurse. Over the years, along with sharing the joys of new moms and new babies, I cared for patients with devastating conditions like cancer and quadriplegia, people whose lives could potentially be saved or improved by medical research., Yet it wasn't until many years later, after moving back to the DC area, that I really began to see the NIH in a new light.
4 comments - Posted Mar 20, 2010
At a two-day meeting (March 16 and 17, 2010) to review blood glucose meters, Food and Drug Administration officials and staff pointed to a number of issues that can prevent people from getting proper treatment and sought input from medical experts and industry on ways to improve test results with the widely used devices.
1 comment - Posted Mar 18, 2010
Dear Diabetes Health, I am a 55-year-old man who was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes two years ago, and I think it made me depressed. The depression eventually got so bad that I didn't want to get out of bed in the morning. My doctor referred me to the psych clinic, where they put me on Paxil (paroxetine). The medication is helping my depression, but ruining my sex life. Basically, I can't get an erection, but I don't really care because I'm not interested anyway. I have no desire. My wife is still interested, however, and she is really upset about my lack of desire for sex. I don't like hurting her, and I don't want us to break up over this, but the depression was awful. I don't want to go back to that. What can I do?
4 comments - Posted Mar 16, 2010
Allen, Texas - When Pam Henry's daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2003, she never even thought she would be part of something that could revolutionize health care. "When Sarah was diagnosed, my only goal was to do all I could to keep her as healthy as possible. What I created was something just to help keep her that way."
4 comments - Posted Mar 13, 2010
A scientist's discovery that dolphins have a genetic ability to turn diabetes on and off, depending on the availability of food, could lead to research into whether humans might have a similar-although dormant-gene.
1 comment - Posted Mar 13, 2010
The sooner people with diabetes start taking metformin, the longer the drug remains effective, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published in the March issue of Diabetes Care, a journal of the American Diabetes Association.
2 comments - Posted Mar 12, 2010
A controversial New York doctor is poised to begin surgical trials on non-obese diabetes patients in an attempt to reverse their disease with gastric bypass surgery. Dr. Francesco Rubino, the chief of gastrointestinal surgery at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, believes that because gastric surgery has been shown to be highly effective in remitting diabetes symptoms, the procedure should now be allowed among non-overweight type 2s.
4 comments - Posted Mar 11, 2010
A university study of 20,000 Chinese adults aged 50 and older says that people who nap four to six days a week have a higher rate of type 2 diabetes than people who either never take a daily snooze or do so less often.
2 comments - Posted Mar 10, 2010
The study started out with nearly 20,000 trim middle-aged and older women. Over time, women who drank alcohol in moderation put on less weight and were less apt to become overweight compared to non-drinkers. This was true even after taking into account various lifestyle and dietary factors that might influence a woman's weight.
2 comments - Posted Mar 9, 2010
Santa Clara County, the largest county in Northern California (nearly 1.9 million people), has filed a federal lawsuit against pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, alleging that Glaxo knowingly sold its type 2 diabetes drug Avandia for several years despite indications the drug causes heart attacks and strokes.
0 comments - Posted Mar 9, 2010
Working with a small group of type 2 patients, Japanese scientists think that they may have found one reason why some people develop obesity that can eventually lead to diabetes: poor impulse control.
2 comments - Posted Mar 6, 2010
If you regularly take metformin, one of the oldest and most respected tools in doctors' anti-diabetes kits, chances are that you don't detect the unpleasant odor that turns some type 2s against the drug. Some think it has fishy smell, while others say that it reminds them of the inside of an inner tube.
10 comments - Posted Mar 4, 2010
Amylin Pharmaceuticals has announced that it expects to begin selling a once-weekly version of its diabetes drug, Byetta, by the end of the year. The company reports that the FDA is nearing final inspections of its manufacturing plant and could give the go-ahead for U.S. sales in early March.
2 comments - Posted Mar 4, 2010
February 2010
Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk has received Food and Drug Administration permission to begin marketing its type 2 drug Victoza® in the United States.
Victoza, the brand name for liraglutide, is a GLP-1* analog that is taken one a day by injection to help control blood sugar-and in some cases, help with weight loss-in patients with type 2 diabetes.
5 comments - Posted Feb 27, 2010
The North Carolina-based not-for-profit DiabetesSisters (DiabetesSisters.org) is pleased to announce that registration for the first annual Weekend for Women conference to be held May 22-23rd in Raleigh is two-thirds full, and will likely close by April 1.
0 comments - Posted Feb 23, 2010
The Staff Report of the Senate Committee on Finance draws conclusions on the safety of Avandia (rosiglitazone) that are based on analyses that are not consistent with the rigorous scientific evidence supporting the safety of the drug. In addition, the report cherry-picks information from documents, which mischaracterizes GlaxoSmithKline's comprehensive efforts to research Avandia and communicate those findings to regulators, physicians and patients. In fact, the safety and effectiveness of Avandia is well characterized in the label approved by the FDA.
1 comment - Posted Feb 23, 2010
A U.S. Senate Finance Committee report released on February 20 says that Avandia, GlaxoSmithKline's drug for type 2 diabetes, may have caused as many as 83,000 heart attacks between 1999, when the drug was introduced, and 2007. The Senate report, culminating a two-year inquiry into the drug, also says that Glaxo knew about the drug's potential risks years before suspicions began to form regarding a connection between Avandia and heart problems.
2 comments - Posted Feb 22, 2010
This is the third - and final - installment of our three-part series "Handing Down the Genes." Part III: "Nutrition and Exercise Tips"
1 comment - Posted Feb 19, 2010
Thwarting a protein that carries an otherwise benign enzyme into the nuclei of cells in the retina, where the enzyme kills the retinal cells, may hold the key to preventing blindness in patients with diabetes. That's the conclusion of a two-year study by researchers at Michigan State University seeking a way to treat retinopathy, the disease that often leads to blindness in people with diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Feb 16, 2010
CVS/pharmacy, the nation's leading retail pharmacy, today announced its "A Su Salud" (To Your Health) health fairs for 2010. The community wellness program offers free comprehensive health risk assessments and screenings to help people in underserved areas with early detection and disease prevention. More than 800 events are scheduled for 2010 in cities including Miami, Los Angeles, Dallas/Fort-Worth, Houston, Corpus Christi, San Francisco, Sacramento and Fresno.
0 comments - Posted Feb 15, 2010
This is the second installment of our three-part series "Handing Down the Genes." Part II: "Preventing Type 2 in Children"
1 comment - Posted Feb 13, 2010
Steel-cut oats are whole grains, made when the groats (the inner portion of the oat kernel) are cut into pieces by steel. Also known as coarse-cut oats or Irish oats, they are golden and look a little like small pieces of rice. They gain part of their distinctive flavor from the roasting process after being harvested and cleaned. Although the oats are then hulled, this process does not strip away their bran and germ, allowing them to retain a concentrated source of their fiber and nutrients.
4 comments - Posted Feb 9, 2010
White fat is the "bad" gut fat associated with obesity and enlarged abdomens. When a pound of new white fat forms in the body, it requires a full mile of new blood vessels to nourish and sustain it. That's because white fat is much like a tumor in requiring a steady blood supply. To build the new blood vessels, it depends on a process called angiogenesis.
1 comment - Posted Feb 8, 2010
In addition to diagnosing type 2 diabetes based on fasting blood glucose levels or a glucose tolerance test, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) and the American College of Endocrinology (ACE) have now approved the use of A1c as an additional diagnostic criterion for type 2 diabetes.
2 comments - Posted Feb 5, 2010
CHICAGO, IL - On Thursday, February 4, Oprah, Dr. Oz, Bob Greene, Art Smith, Dr. Ian Smith and more reveal the staggering human cost of the growing diabetes and pre-diabetes epidemic on a special episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show. Before a studio audience comprised of all diabetics and their families, Oprah and Dr. Oz reveal the latest facts and figures, share stories of those affected, and hold a no-holds-barred, revealing conversation about risk factors, diet and lifestyle.
17 comments - Posted Feb 4, 2010
This is the beginning of our three part series "Handing Down the Genes." Part I: "When to Worry-and When Not to-About Your Child's Increased Risk for Diabetes."
3 comments - Posted Feb 4, 2010
Australian researchers who tracked the TV viewing habits of 8,800 people over a six-year span have some sobering statistics for people who love the tube too well: (1) If you watch TV more than two and up to four hours a day, your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease increases by 19 percent. (2) If your viewing habit is more than four hours a day, your risk of death from cardiovascular disease skyrockets by 80 percent.
4 comments - Posted Feb 4, 2010
A study commissioned by healthcare company Novo Nordisk has reported that the cost of diabetes and pre-diabetes to the U.S. economy in 2007 was $218 billion. The study, conducted by The Lewin Group, projected that by 2034, the two conditions will cost the economy $336 billion per year.
1 comment - Posted Feb 3, 2010
A study by researchers at the universities of Exeter and Plymouth in the United Kingdom says that Bisphenol A-BPA-a chemical commonly used in plastic packaging and products, is associated with an increased risk of diabetes and coronary heart disease.
1 comment - Posted Feb 2, 2010
Depression raises risks of advanced and severe complications from diabetes, according to a prospective study of Group Health primary-care patients in western Washington. These complications include kidney failure or blindness, the result of small vessel damage, as well as major vessel problems leading to heart attack or stroke.
3 comments - Posted Feb 2, 2010
Denmark-based Novo Nordisk has begun a Phase 1 trial of a pill form of a GLP-1 drug very similar to its Victoza product. The trial will involve 155 British patients with type 2 diabetes. The test on human subjects, although very early-stage, puts the company in the lead to develop an oral form of a GLP-1 drug.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2010
January 2010
On Monday, take a look at our new Feb\March digital edition. DiabetesHealth sat down to talk with Kris Freeman, the first Olympian with type 1 diabetes to compete in the endurance sport of cross country skiing. He has shared his story about what it is like to follow your dreams regardless of the obstacles in place. Working with Eli Lily, Kris spends time traveling around the country talking with kids about their aspirations and diabetes. He wants his story to inspire other people with type 1 diabetes to follow their own dreams. "Diabetes doesn't have to hold you back."
0 comments - Posted Jan 30, 2010
Clinical and basic science researchers from around the world will convene in Hong Kong from January 28 to 30 for the First International Congress on Abdominal Obesity: "Bridging the Gap between Cardiology and Diabetology." The congress, sponsored by the International Chair on Cardiometabolic Risk (ICCR) (http://www.cardiometabolic-risk.org), is the first-ever specialized forum for sharing new insights and evidence about abdominal obesity and its clinical and public health implications.
2 comments - Posted Jan 28, 2010
Novo Nordisk announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the new drug application for Victoza (liraglutide injection), the first once-daily human glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analog for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Victoza is indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
4 comments - Posted Jan 28, 2010
An international research consortium has found 13 new genetic variants that influence blood glucose regulation, insulin resistance, and the function of insulin-secreting beta cells in populations of European descent. Five of the newly discovered variants increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, the most common form of diabetes.
2 comments - Posted Jan 23, 2010
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Diabetes may hasten progression to dementia in older people with mild thinking impairment, new research shows.
2 comments - Posted Jan 19, 2010
DEERFIELD, Ill. January 13, 2010 - Walgreens (NYSE: WAG)(NASDAQ: WAG) today announced the launch of the Walgreens Optimal WellnessTM program, an innovative self-care educational program for people with chronic conditions that will initially focus on people with type 2 diabetes. Walgreens Optimal WellnessTM is a significant step for Walgreens and the health care industry that capitalizes on the power of face-to-face interaction.
1 comment - Posted Jan 14, 2010
A five-year study of 2,613 people treated for diabetes at Italian clinics shows that tight blood sugar control may not be the number-one priority for patients who have other medical problems.
5 comments - Posted Jan 13, 2010
Dear Diabetes Health, I hope you can help me. I am 49 years old and was diagnosed with type 2 five years ago. My husband still wants sex. I don't even want him to touch me. He is very mean to me. He yells at me and calls me names.
16 comments - Posted Jan 12, 2010
A simple self-assessment questionnaire developed by researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City may be the best means yet for screening people who are unaware that they have diabetes or who are at risk of developing it. The questionnaire asks about six factors that have proven to be the most reliable in predicting diabetes: age, gender, level of physical activity, hypertension, obesity, and family history of diabetes.
1 comment - Posted Jan 11, 2010
German and Swiss researchers have found that high-density lipoprotein, or HDL-so-called "good" cholesterol-does not protect blood vessels in people with type 2 diabetes as well as it does in people who don't have the disease. However, their follow-up experiment, which added doses of extended-release niacin, shows that HDL's efficacy in type 2s might be sharply increased simply by the addition of a daily niacin pill.
0 comments - Posted Jan 9, 2010
"People who give up smoking are prone to developing diabetes because they gain weight," TheTimes reported. It said a study has found that quitters are twice as likely as smokers, and 70% more likely than non-smokers, to have type 2 diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Jan 8, 2010
Using a pedometer as part of a structured education programme could reduce the chances of Type 2 diabetes by more than 50 per cent in those at risk of developing the condition, reveals a new Diabetes UK-funded study1 out today.
1 comment - Posted Jan 5, 2010
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Studies reporting a link between sugar-sweetened beverages and weight gain have garnered a lot of attention, but actual research on the issue has yielded mixed results, researchers note in a new report.
2 comments - Posted Jan 5, 2010
"You have diabetes." Have you just heard these words? Or maybe you recently heard it about your son or daughter. The oxygen rushes out of your body. A knot forms in your stomach. "What now?"
11 comments - Posted Jan 4, 2010
ROSEMONT, IL - Exercise is a critical piece of a healthy lifestyle, however those who suffer from diabetes may see an even greater impact, according to a study published in the January/February 2010 issue of Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach. Authors confirm that exercise can aid in diabetes treatment by improving glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity.
1 comment - Posted Jan 4, 2010
DiabetesSisters is pleased to announce OPEN REGISTRATION for the Weekend for Women Conference hosted by DiabetesSisters and TCOYD on May 22-23, 2010 at Marriott City Center in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina.
2 comments - Posted Jan 3, 2010
THURSDAY, Dec. 31 (HealthDay News) -- Steroid injections into the eye slowed diabetes-related eye disease, though lasers remain the treatment of choice because of side effects related to the steroids, new research shows.
2 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2010
December 2009
According to Marlene, finding the perfect mix of ingredients is key when creating healthier versions of your favorite foods. From composing a healthier sandwich to perfecting pasta dishes and creating delightful desserts, Marlene reveals some of her tastiest ingredient tips:
1 comment - Posted Dec 31, 2009
BOSTON, Mass. - Dec. 23, 2009 - Cells in your body are constantly churning out poisonous forms of oxygen (oxidants) and mopping them up with a countervailing force of proteins and chemicals (anti-oxidants). This balancing act of oxidative stress is particularly likely to go haywire in beta cells, the insulin-producing cells that malfunction and then start to die off in type 2 diabetes.
2 comments - Posted Dec 29, 2009
BOSTON/NEW YORK, Dec 23 (Reuters) - The shares of Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc (AMLN.O) fell nearly 10 percent on Wednesday after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requested that the company conduct additional safety studies on its diabetes drug, Byetta.
1 comment - Posted Dec 28, 2009
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Combining artificial sweeteners with the real thing boosts the stomach's secretion of a hormone that makes people feel full and helps control blood sugar, new research shows.
2 comments - Posted Dec 26, 2009
"The passing of health reform in the Senate is a historic moment for our nation and for all people affected by diabetes," commented George J. Huntley, Chair of the Board, American Diabetes Association.
13 comments - Posted Dec 26, 2009
A 20-year study that tracked 704 women from before their first pregnancy onward suggests that the first year mothers breastfeed, they reduce their risk of acquiring type 2 diabetes within the next 15 years by 15 percent. Each subsequent year of breastfeeding further reduces the risk by 15 percent. For example, a mother who has two children and breastfeeds each for a year could enjoy a 30 percent reduction in her risk of type 2 over a 15-year period.
2 comments - Posted Dec 25, 2009
Denmark-based Novo Nordisk A/S has begun phase 1 testing of an insulin pill that, if successful, could replace injections as the primary means of blood sugar control for millions of people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The company has enrolled 80 volunteer German test subjects in the study and expects to have preliminary results by the first half of 2011. The test group consists of both people with diabetes and people without it.
12 comments - Posted Dec 24, 2009
Regardless of age, men undergoing prostate cancer treatment via androgen deprivation therapy have an increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. A study published in early December by Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston noted that although androgen deprivation therapy has been associated with a higher risk of diabetes and cardiovascular problems in older men, this is the first time the connection has been noted among men of all ages.
1 comment - Posted Dec 24, 2009
FRIDAY, Dec. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Blacks tend to carry around less of a particularly unhealthy type of abdominal fat than whites, even though they suffer more from obesity-linked illness, researchers report.
0 comments - Posted Dec 23, 2009
REYKJAVIK, Iceland, December 16/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Scientists at deCODE genetics, Inc. (Nasdaq:DCGN) publish in the journal Nature the discovery of a version of a common single-letter variant in the sequence of the human genome (SNP) with a major impact on susceptibility to type 2 diabetes (T2D). The impact of the T2D variant is not only large, but unusual: if an individual inherits it from their father, the variant increases risk of T2D by more than 30% compared to those who inherit the non T2D-linked version; if inherited maternally, the variant lowers risk by more than 10% compared to the non T2D-linked version. Nearly one quarter of those studied have the highest risk combination of the versions of this SNP, putting them at a roughly 50% greater lifetime risk of T2D than the quarter with the protective combination. This is the second largest effect of any genetic variant for T2D apart from SNPs in TCF7L2, discovered by deCODE in 2006.
0 comments - Posted Dec 22, 2009
The combination of type 2 diabetes and mild heart disease is a double whammy that in many cases leads to such intrusive therapies as angioplasty* and can result in death from some sort of cardiovascular event. But a five-year university study of 2,368 type 2 patients with moderate heart disease shows that lifestyle changes and non-intrusive treatments can work just as well at lowering mortality rates as surgery.
0 comments - Posted Dec 22, 2009
Good injection practices - such as proper injection technique, site rotation, and appropriate needle use - are as important to your glucose control as your type and dosage of insulin (1). But over time, you may have developed your own injection technique, which may not exactly accord with professional guidelines and standards. For instance, you might reuse your needles. It's a very common practice, despite the fact that guidelines issued by regulatory agencies call for all insulin injection needles to be labeled single-use only. However, changes to injection technique can alter insulin absorption and may lead to problems down the road. So maybe it's time for a refresher in the official line on appropriate insulin injection practices - injection technique, site rotation, and proper needle use (2).
7 comments - Posted Dec 18, 2009
A gene named HHEX/IDE, which has already been implicated in the development of type 2 diabetes (see research article), may also contribute to childhood obesity. While the gene does not appear to affect birth weight and does not necessarily predispose an adult to become obese, it may set the stage for obesity in some children.
0 comments - Posted Dec 16, 2009
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Dec. 7 -- A survey just conducted by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) indicates that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) decision to eliminate consultation codes will force four out of five endocrinologists to reduce the number of Medicare patients seen in their practices.
7 comments - Posted Dec 15, 2009
CHICAGO - Individuals who drink more coffee (regular or decaffeinated) or tea appear to have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to an analysis of previous studies reported in the December 14/28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. A previously published meta-analysis suggested drinking more coffee may be linked with a reduced risk, but the amount of available information has more than doubled since.
4 comments - Posted Dec 14, 2009
BOSTON, DECEMBER 8, 2009 -- In a recent study conducted by the Center for Connected Health, a division of Partners HealthCare, new data revealed that parents of children with diabetes were receptive to using novel health technology - such as a mobile phone that could collect and transmit the child's blood sugar readings to a doctor - to help manage their child's diabetes. This study was published in the November issue of the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology (Volume 3, Issue 6, November 2009).
0 comments - Posted Dec 11, 2009
If you have diabetes and are wondering whether you're prepared for a unexpected disaster, then head for the website of the American Association for Diabetes Educators. There you'll find a Diabetes Disaster Response Toolkit that contains an abundance of information on nearly every aspect of getting prepared and helping your local diabetes community do the same. The toolkit, which was put together by the Alamo Association of Diabetes Educators in Texas, will help any educator or member of the public get ready to handle diabetes during a flood, earthquake, or any other natural or human-made disaster.
3 comments - Posted Dec 10, 2009
Dear Diabetes Health, I am 57 years old. About five years ago, I saw my doctor because I was feeling tired. My waist size was up, and I was not interested in sex. I almost never got an erection. The doctor diagnosed type 2 diabetes and put me on metformin. He also prescribed Viagra, which helped sometimes, but not all the time.
5 comments - Posted Dec 10, 2009
WORCESTER, Mass., Dec 3, 2009 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX News Network) -- Published in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, an independent review of clinical trials of Generex Oral-lyn(TM) shows that the oral insulin spray has a faster onset of action and shorter duration of action than insulin delivered subcutaneously.
6 comments - Posted Dec 9, 2009
We'd all prefer it if there were no nasty side effects to our treatments, but that isn't always the case. Sometimes it is worth risking a side effect for the greater good of our health. On that note, researchers continue to emphasize that the benefits of cholesterol-lowering statins on heart disease far outweigh any risk that they might slightly increase the chance of developing diabetes. More studies needs to be done in this area, but in light of the fact that cardiovascular disease is responsible for nearly two-thirds of deaths in people with diabetes and is the number one killer of women in the United States, it seems better to stick with the statins.
2 comments - Posted Dec 8, 2009
Dr. Bill Polonsky, PhD, CDE, knows diabetes. Among other things, he has served as Chairman of the National Certification Board for Diabetes Educators, as a Senior Psychologist at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, and as an Instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He is the founder and president of the Behavioral Diabetes Institute (BDI) in San Diego, California, and a member of Diabetes Health's Advisory Board.
18 comments - Posted Dec 7, 2009
Researchers at the Loyola University Medical Center near Chicago report that 20.7 percent of all American adults who have type 2 diabetes are "morbidly obese," a description that applies to people who are 100 or more pounds overweight. The researchers said that the figure for African Americans is even higher, with one out of three type 2s in that group falling under the definition of morbidly obese.
3 comments - Posted Dec 5, 2009
Fifty science and medical diabetes experts, representing 22 international organizations*, have issued a consensus statement that calls for bariatric surgery to be used as a treatment for type 2 diabetes. The statement, published online November 23 in the Annals of Surgery, is seen by attendees at the recent Diabetes Surgery Summit in Rome as the precursor to the establishment of a new medical discipline, "diabetes surgery."
2 comments - Posted Dec 4, 2009
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (Dec. 1, 2009) - Seniors may find that many common prescription drugs that Medicare Part D has covered for years may suddenly be denied due to a new policy being implemented by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
7 comments - Posted Dec 3, 2009
It's been known for some time that omega-3 fatty acids decrease the risk of heart disease, but no one has really known if one dietary source is better than another. For that reason, Lixin Meng, MS, a PhD candidate at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, designed a study to compare sources, types, amounts, and frequencies of omega-3 in diets, while taking into account gender and ethnic groups. The study was presented at the American Heart Association's 2009 Scientific Sessions.
2 comments - Posted Dec 2, 2009
"Fat is better in the butt than in the gut," in the words of Nancy Bohannon, MD, FACP, FACE, Director of the Clinical Research Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Program in San Francisco. Dr. Bohannon explained in a recent CA-AADE conference that fat is supposed to be subcutaneous. But when you have too much fat, your body has nowhere to put it, so it starts parking it where it doesn't belong-in the muscles or around the heart. This visceral fat, or belly fat, is the bad kind of fat, and it puts stress on the body and organs, including the heart.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2009
November 2009
A study presented at the American Heart Association's 2009 Scientific Sessions said that eight percent of obese people misunderstand their body size and don't feel they need to lose weight.
3 comments - Posted Nov 30, 2009
PRINCETON, NJ (November 27, 2009) - The diabetes population in the United States will almost double over the next 25 years and annual medical spending on the disease is projected to hit $336 billion, up from $113 billion today, according to a study published in the December issue of Diabetes Care. The National Changing Diabetes® Program (NCDP), a program of Novo Nordisk, commissioned the analysis by a team from the University of Chicago.
5 comments - Posted Nov 27, 2009
NEW YORK (Nov. 23, 2009) - A first-of-its-kind consensus statement on diabetes surgery is published online today in the Annals of Surgery. The report illustrates the findings of the first international consensus conference - Diabetes Surgery Summit (DSS) - where an international group of more than 50 scientific and medical experts agreed on a set of evidence-based guidelines and definitions that are meant to guide the use and study of gastrointestinal surgery to treat type 2 diabetes. The document is considered to be the foundation of diabetes surgery as a medical discipline of its own.
1 comment - Posted Nov 27, 2009
HORSHAM, Pa.-- (BUSINESS WIRE)--Nutrisystem, Inc. (NASDQ: NTRI), a leading developer of weight loss products and services, today announced its company-wide support for the recently launched Stop DiabetesSM movement from the American Diabetes Association. On the heels of the successful launch of Nutrisystem D, its program designed to help people with type 2 diabetes lose weight, Nutrisystem has implemented a $5.00 contribution for every person who shares their story on the American Diabetes Association's Stop Diabetes website, up to $100,000 through December 31, 2009.
3 comments - Posted Nov 26, 2009
Dr. Jennie C. Brand-Miller, from the University of Sydney stated that, "The food insulin index (FII) may provide a better way to adjust insulin dose in Type 1 diabetes.... In time, it may also enable us to design diets to prevent diabetes."
2 comments - Posted Nov 26, 2009
The official site launch for Accu-Chek Diabetes Link Canada was Monday November 16, and is the first of many proposed sites being developed by Roche to link people with diabetes to various resources.
0 comments - Posted Nov 25, 2009
We hear it all the time, from the diet ads on television to the lectures from our doctors and dietitians. What matters is not only what you eat, but also how much you eat. But how can you control your portions? Is it possible to have a healthy relationship with food? How can you make sure you are full, but not stuffed? Can you keep your blood sugars under control? The answer to all these questions is yes!
1 comment - Posted Nov 24, 2009
For 2,000 years, diabetes has been recognized as a devastating and deadly disease. A Greek by the name of Aretaeus described its destructive nature in the first century AD, naming the affliction "diabetes," the Greek word for "siphon." Eugene J. Leopold, in his text "Aretaeus the Cappodacian," described Aretaeus' diagnosis: "...For fluids do not remain in the body, but use the body only as a channel through which they may flow out. Life lasts only for a time, but not very long. For they urinate with pain, and painful is the emaciation. For no essential part of the drink is absorbed by the body, while great masses of the flesh are liquefied into urine."
4 comments - Posted Nov 24, 2009
CRANBERRY CHUTNEY Every year during the holidays, I make cranberry chutney to serve with turkey. Chutneys combine vinegar with sugar for a balance of sweet and sour flavors, but this one also has a touch of heat from red pepper flakes, along with a lovely hint of orange. Make another batch or use leftover chutney as a great spread for cold turkey sandwiches. This chutney also really dresses up pork tenderloin.
1 comment - Posted Nov 23, 2009
Q: How do I lower my blood sugar when it goes over 200 mg/dl? I have type 2 diabetes.
6 comments - Posted Nov 21, 2009
Bridgewater, NJ, November 19, 2009 - Sanofi-aventis U.S. announced today that GoMealsTM, a new iPhone application (app) designed to help people living with diabetes make healthy food choices, is now available for download at the iTunes App store. GoMealsTM is a food tracking tool which allows users to search thousands of foods and dishes from popular restaurants and grocery stores to easily see the nutritional content of meals and snacks.
0 comments - Posted Nov 20, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. Nov. 16, 2009 - In combination with statins, adding a medication that raises high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol was more effective in reversing artery wall plaque buildup and in reducing heart disease risk than adding a drug that lowers low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, researchers reported today at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2009.
1 comment - Posted Nov 20, 2009
Whew! We received a landslide of comments recently when we published an article called Demand Health Care Reform Now! Some people complained that politics should stay out of our publication. Unfortunately, healthcare is a political issue, and we at Diabetes Health are interested in healthcare. We believe that healthcare should not be tied to employment and should be available to all, regardless of how healthy or wealthy they are. As always, though, we encourage dialog and welcome all points of view. Please keep telling us what you think.
7 comments - Posted Nov 19, 2009
An ad in the November 15, 2009, edition of Parade magazine may be the opening salvo in a campaign to push adjustable gastric bands as a weight loss aid to help overweight type 2s dramatically improve their symptoms or even go into remission.
3 comments - Posted Nov 18, 2009
The Food and Drug Administration has given ARKRAY, Inc., a 510(k)* clearance to begin marketing its new GLUCOCARD® VitalTM blood glucose monitoring system in the United States.
3 comments - Posted Nov 17, 2009
The Genetic Information Non-discrimination Act of 2008 (GINA) was signed into law by former President George W. Bush on May 21, 2008, and is set to become effective Nov. 21, 2009. The law covers all employers with 15 or more employees. It prohibits employers from considering a person's genetic background in promotions, hiring, or firing. It also prohibits health insurers from using genetic information to deny coverage.
0 comments - Posted Nov 16, 2009
How careful should healthcare workers and patients be in describing a total remission of diabetes as a "cure?" That's a question that has taken on increasing urgency in the wake of reports about dramatic reversals of type 2 symptoms after gastric bypass surgery and the cessation of symptoms in people with type 1 diabetes after pancreatic islet replacement. To answer it, a group of endocrinologists met earlier this year to come up with descriptions and definitions that accurately describe what happens when people with diabetes experience a reversal of symptoms.
2 comments - Posted Nov 14, 2009
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As the nation marks American Diabetes Month, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius released a new report today, Preventing and Treating Diabetes: Health Insurance Reform and Diabetes in America. The report comes one day after Sebelius toured the East Manatee Family Healthcare Center in Bradenton, Fla. At the center, Sebelius met with patients and Floridians who care for people with diabetes.
2 comments - Posted Nov 12, 2009
World Diabetes Day is a global awareness campaign that's celebrated every year on November 14. The goal is to encourage action to further the prevention, treatment, and care of diabetes, as well as to support the United Nations Resolution on Diabetes. Landmarks and monuments across the world are lit in blue to create a united voice for diabetes awareness, and diabetes events are held around the globe. As of Monday evening, November 9, the World Diabetes Day website reports that 366 registered diabetes events are scheduled for November 14th, in countries ranging from Saudi Arabia to Argentina to Morocco. In addition, 623 monuments are being lit in blue around the globe. More are sure to be added to the list as the day draws closer and closer.
1 comment - Posted Nov 12, 2009
Princeton, NJ - November 10, 2009 -- Diabetic foot ulcers are the primary cause of hospital admissions for diabetics. Foot ulcers that heal improperly are at risk for infection, which can lead to amputation. According to the American Diabetes Association, one in four patients with diabetic foot ulcers will eventually require lower-limb amputation. Now science has found a way of mobilizing stem cells within the body to treat this health issue, which affects more than three million Americans annually.
0 comments - Posted Nov 11, 2009
When I was a child, my mother always said, "Think before you speak." Have you heard of this before? If not, please digest my words. If you have heard of this simple yet beneficial policy, please reconsider its merit and then implement it into your practice.
34 comments - Posted Nov 7, 2009
The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) and the College of Endocrinology (ACE) released online a one-page resource for physicians and healthcare providers for the management of glycemic control in type 2 diabetes.
2 comments - Posted Nov 7, 2009
MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Employers are signing up for a first-of-its-kind health plan by UnitedHealthcare designed to help control the escalating costs of insuring diabetic and pre-diabetic employees and their families while improving their health.
3 comments - Posted Nov 7, 2009
I recently ran into Theresa Garnero at the California AADE annual meeting and discovered that Diabetes Health had not yet reviewed her book, Your First Year with Diabetes: What To Do, Month By Month. We regret the oversight because it's a great resource for anyone dealing with the shock of a diabetes diagnosis. And Garnero is the perfect author for a book like this. She's an award-winning certified diabetes educator (CDE) and advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) with board certification in advanced diabetes management (BC-ADM), and she earned an Master of Science in Nursing (MSN). She is also a former national educator of the year, a cartoonist, and the 2008 global recipient of Inspired by Diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Nov 6, 2009
Fingertip blood-oxygen monitors, called pulse oximeters, measure oxygen in the blood using light and color. The noninvasive device, which clips onto a fingertip or earlobe, typically has a pair of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) facing a sensor. Light of a certain wavelength (a certain color) travels through a translucent part of the body like the fingertip or an earlobe, and is picked up by the sensor. The amount of oxygen in the blood (actually, oxygenated hemoglobin) affects how much light from each diode finally makes it through the finger and reaches the sensor. The result is an effective measurement of the amount of oxygen in the blood.
6 comments - Posted Nov 5, 2009
If you bought Vytorin® and/or Zetia® to lower your cholesterol between November 1, 2002, and September 17, 2009, you may be entitled to some money. A lawsuit against Merck & Co., Inc., Schering-Plough Corporation, Merck/Schering-Plough Pharmaceuticals, and other defendants has reached a proposed settlement in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. The lawsuit, according to vytorinzetiasettlement.com (the authorized website for the settlement), claims that Vytorin and Zetia "were marketed as being more effective than other anti-cholesterol drugs and were sold at higher prices, when they were no more effective than less expensive anti-cholesterol drugs". The defendants, according to the website, "deny any wrongdoing and are settling this lawsuit to avoid the costs and expenses of further litigation."
0 comments - Posted Nov 5, 2009
Congress is getting a little bit closer to making the changes to the health care system we've been dreaming about for a very long time. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) says these changes could provide a real benefit to people with diabetes. Draft health care reform bills have now passed through the committee process in both the House and the Senate.
27 comments - Posted Nov 4, 2009
Professor Peter Schwartz, MD, is a very busy man in the European diabetes community. He's a professor of medicine, a scientist, and a medical doctor in the Division of Prevention and Care of Diabetes, Department of Medicine, University of Dresden. It's a mystery how he finds enough hours in the day to do what he does. Diabetes Health recently interviewed him via email since he lives and works in Dresden, Germany.
0 comments - Posted Nov 3, 2009
The California Association of American Diabetes Educators held its second annual meeting October 22 through 24, 2009, in Monterey, California, and Diabetes Health was there. The clinical and educational program, put together by Debra Norman and Kim Higgins, was called "Tidal Wave of Diabetes." The invited speakers shared innovation, research, and new techniques with the attendees.
2 comments - Posted Nov 3, 2009
October 2009
Dear Diabetes Health, Hello! I am 60 years old and have had type one for about 24 years. It has been quite some time since I had a relationship, and now I have one coming at me. The problem is, I am very dry. The commercially sold products don't seem to help, and Intercourse isn't comfortable. What do you recommend that I try? And what about a libido enhancer? I need this relationship to work because living alone is tough, and my partner likes his intimacy. Please!!!
2 comments - Posted Oct 31, 2009
October 27, 2009 - Huntsville AL-Qualitest Pharmaceuticals today issued a voluntary nationwide recall of all Accusure® Insulin Syringes. The distributed syringes are of the following descriptions and NDC numbers: 28G 1/2cc, NDC 0603-6995-21;28G 1cc, NDC 0603-6996-21; 29G 1/2cc NDC 0603-6997-21, 29G 1cc, NDC 0603-6998-21, 30G 1/2cc, NDC 0603-999-21, 30G 1cc, NDC 0603-7000-21, 31G 1/2cc, NDC 0603-7001-21; and 31G 1cc, NDC 0603-7002-21. All Accusure® Insulin Syringes regardless of lot number are subject to this recall. These syringes were distributed between January 2002 and October 2009 to wholesale and retail pharmacies nationwide (including Puerto Rico). The syringes in these lots may have needles which detach from the syringe.
0 comments - Posted Oct 29, 2009
LEXINGTON, Mass., October 27, 2009 - GI Dynamics, a leader in non-surgical treatments for type 2 diabetes and obesity, today announced data which support the safety and efficacy of the EndoBarrierTM Gastrointestinal Liner for pre-surgical weight loss treatment, along with a positive effect on glucose homeostasis in morbidly obese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. According to the study, mean excess weight loss (EWL) achieved after 12 weeks post implantation was 19.0 % for EndoBarrier patients versus 6.9 % for control patients (p<0.002). The results of this European weight loss study were published today in the advance online publication of Annals of Surgery.
2 comments - Posted Oct 29, 2009
While the relationship between Alzheimer's and diabetes is far from clear, there does seem to be an interesting connection. And that connection just became a little more complicated according to a French study published in the October 27th issue of the journal Neurology.
0 comments - Posted Oct 29, 2009
Montreal, Canada - 20 October 2009 - This October marks the one-year anniversary of the international launch of the ground-breaking diabetes Conversation MapTM education tools. Created by Healthy Interactions, a global leader in health education, in collaboration with the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), Eli Lilly and Company and other leading diabetes experts, the unique Conversation MapTM education tools have been implemented in 68 countries, excluding the United States, in 31 different languages in the last 365 days. To complete the global launch, redesigned diabetes Conversation MapTM education tools will be unveiled throughout Canada in January 2010, along with a new Map designed for parents and children to learn together. New tools will also be introduced to several Sub-Saharan African countries by early next year.
0 comments - Posted Oct 29, 2009
The statistics are chilling. Children born today have a one-in-three chance of developing type 2 diabetes. For Latinos, however, that risk is one-in-two.
2 comments - Posted Oct 27, 2009
A South African university pharmacologist has found that simultaneous consumption of metformin and grapefruit juice raises lactic acid to dangerous levels in rats (and conceivably in people) with type 2 diabetes. Too much acid in the blood can cause low pH levels that interfere with the body's metabolic functions. Conceivably, says Dr. Peter Owira, a pharmacologist at the University of KawZulu-Natal, such low levels could be fatal.
5 comments - Posted Oct 26, 2009
While Googling recently, I found a link to Soul-Food-Advisor, a website devoted to "African American cuisine and soul food, mostly known as Southern or comfort food." It sounded, frankly, delicious. But as someone with pre-diabetes, I am trying to eat fewer carbs, avoid anything fried, and turn the other cheek when I see macaroni and cheese-my favorite comfort food since I was a little kid. So instead of looking at Soul Food Advisor, I turned my attention to the American Diabetes Association (ADA) MyFoodAdvisor online tool.
2 comments - Posted Oct 24, 2009
A recent and contentious meeting of diabetes experts at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Vienna, Austria, has continued the intense international debate over whether bariatric surgery should become a treatment for type 2 diabetes or continue to be reserved only for the extremely obese.
13 comments - Posted Oct 24, 2009
The International Diabetes Federation (IDF), established in 1950, is an umbrella organization that includes over 200 national diabetes associations in over 160 countries. It is currently holding its World Diabetes Conference, a biennial event, in Montreal, as well as preparing once again to sponsor World Diabetes Day on November 14. "Diabetes education and prevention" is the theme of the World Diabetes Day campaign for the next five years.
1 comment - Posted Oct 23, 2009
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A number of traditional Chinese herbs may help control blood sugar levels in people at high risk of diabetes, a new research review suggests.
0 comments - Posted Oct 22, 2009
A study of healthcare claims by 8.75 million health plan members and 632,000 Medicare patients has shown that healthcare costs for the serious consequences of diabetes are significantly lower for people who have been referred to diabetes educators. The savings accrued not at the level of primary or preventive outpatient services, but in the realm of acute inpatient services. In the commercial group, for example, insurees with diabetes education actually had higher outpatient claims than those who had not received education. Their claims for acute inpatient services, however, were considerably lower, indicating that diabetes education had allowed them to avoid some of the disease's harsher outcomes.
1 comment - Posted Oct 22, 2009
Eurotech, an 84-year-old technology company, recently introduced its EverywareTM Medical Gateway, a remote monitoring device that it hopes will bolster the already notable effectiveness that home care diabetes monitoring has had in reducing hospital admissions. Along with several partners, including IBM and Roche, Eurotech demonstrated the device at the October Continua Health Alliance Fall Summit and Plugfest held in Boston.
1 comment - Posted Oct 22, 2009
Fort Worth, Texas - Trey Weir, founder of Trey Weir Media, LLC, announces the launch of Type2Friendly, a digital restaurant guide for Type 2 Diabetics. Weir, a former professional arena football player and veteran mobile and Internet technology entrepreneur, was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in 2008. After his diagnosis, he struggled to find information on restaurants that served "Diabetic friendly" food. As a result, he became frustrated with the limited options he had for dining out.
1 comment - Posted Oct 22, 2009
A large Kaiser Permanente study, published this month in Diabetes Care, has found that women with diabetes are 26 percent more likely to develop the very rapid and irregular heartbeat known as atrial fibrillation (AF) than women without diabetes. Although not a killer on its own, AF is a serious condition that requires medical treatment and can cause complications. In addition to fatigue, the poor circulation that results from AF can lead to blood pooling and clotting, ultimately causing a stroke.
3 comments - Posted Oct 21, 2009
MONTREAL, Canada, 19 October 2009 - The International Diabetes Federation's 20th World Diabetes Congress opened today at the Palais de Congress in Montreal, Quebec. The five-day congress brings thousands of international delegates to the Canadian city to discuss burning issues in diabetes care and examine local, national and regional solutions to a growing global problem.
1 comment - Posted Oct 19, 2009
The National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health (CDC) recommends that everyone, especially people with diabetes and other diseases, get both a seasonal flu vaccination and an H1N1 flu ("swine flu") vaccination this year.
6 comments - Posted Oct 16, 2009
The human body is an amazing machine. The biological clock that ticks inside us to keep the machine running efficiently not only prompts us to sleep and eat on regular basis, but also apparently regulates blood sugar.
1 comment - Posted Oct 15, 2009
HealthDataManagement Breaking News, October 13, 2009 - All three health reform bills in the U.S. House and both of the Senate proposals include provisions to mandate increased use of electronic standards-based administrative/financial transactions, according to an analysis by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), Englewood, Colo.
1 comment - Posted Oct 15, 2009
San Francisco, California - October 7, 2009 - MDLiveCare, an on-demand telehealth company, announced today at the Health2.0 conference in San Francisco a partnership with Google Health. The partnership includes the secure flow of medical data between MDLiveCare and Google Health, an online Personal Health Record (PHR). Specifically, any Google Health user that has an MDLiveCare HIPAA secure video, phone or email telehealth consultation with a board certified physician or mental health therapist will be able to share his or her medical records with the doctor in advance of the appointment and get records back after the appointment from that doctor.
0 comments - Posted Oct 14, 2009
"Self-monitoring blood glucose" (SMBG), a staple in the lives of most people with diabetes who take insulin, involves consistently monitoring and recording blood glucose levels before and after specific activities, such as eating, exercising, sleeping, and taking insulin. By observing the effects of certain foods and activities on their blood glucose levels, patients can learn exactly what works to raise or lower them. Thus, SMBG affords a kind of "fine tuning" approach to diabetes that empowers patients to adjust their medicine, modify their behavior, and manage their disease without always needing expert intervention.
1 comment - Posted Oct 13, 2009
A law signed by New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine that allows teachers to give emergency glucagon shots to students with diabetes has parents elated but has drawn strong opposition from teachers and nurses. The law also allows students with diabetes to test their own blood glucose levels and use insulin pumps while they are in the classroom, two activities that were not previously allowed.
15 comments - Posted Oct 12, 2009
Taking Control Of Your Diabetes TCOYD (www.tcoyd.org) and DiabetesSisters (www.diabetessisters.org) are nationwide non-profit organizations with similar missions of motivating and educating people with diabetes. In 2010, TCOYD and DiabetesSisters are partnering to bring a unique, life-changing learning experience to women with diabetes. The First Annual Weekend for Women Conference hosted by DiabetesSisters and TCOYD will begin at 5pm on Saturday, May 22nd (immediately following the TCOYD Conference) in Raleigh, North Carolina and end at 5pm on Sunday, May 23rd. The Weekend for Women Conference will take place at Marriott City Center in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. All participants will receive a single room at the hotel.
4 comments - Posted Oct 10, 2009
MSGI Security Solutions, which "serves the needs of counter-terrorism, public safety, law enforcement, and commercial security," has moved into a new area: diabetes detection. In fact, it has developed a handheld sensor that detects diabetes by measuring the level of acetone in the breath. The device, which employs carbon-based chemical sensors that detect organic vapors, is based upon nano sensors that NASA originally developed to make scientific measurements during space missions.
7 comments - Posted Oct 9, 2009
In these challenging economic times, when unemployment is so high and insurance coverage is being lost, many people find themselves having to miss doctor's visits, skip preventive care, and do without their prescriptions. Change is in the air, but in the meantime, there are programs that can help.
3 comments - Posted Oct 8, 2009
The demise of Fen-phen dealt a body blow to hopes for an obesity pill that is actually effective. Unfortunately, the fen in Fen-phen, fenfluramine, caused grave pulmonary hypertension and heart valve problems. The phen part of the drug, though, was apparently just an innocent bystander. And now phen (phentermine) has resurfaced in a new pill that has posted some amazing results in Phase III clinical trials. Patients who were treated for 56 weeks with the new drug, Qnexa, lost an average of 14.7 percent of their weight, or 37 pounds.
8 comments - Posted Oct 7, 2009
A study coming out in the November issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology is reporting that type 2 men whose blood contained a high count of eosinophils, a sign of allergic inflammation, also had albumin in their urine, which is an early indication of kidney disease. Eosinophils are white blood cells that increase in number during an allergic reaction. Albumin is a protein in the blood that helps regulate blood volume and acts as a carrier for other molecules. Albumin is not normally found in the urine, however, because when healthy kidneys filter the blood, they retain what the body needs (like proteins) and allow only smaller "impurities" into the urine. But during diabetes, too much blood sugar can damage the filtering structures of the kidneys, causing them to thicken and become scarred. Eventually, they begin to leak, and protein (albumin) begins to pass into the urine.
0 comments - Posted Oct 6, 2009
The enthusiasm for inhaled insulin has waned, to say the least, since Exubera was pulled off the market by Pfizer. Following the Exubera debacle, the development of two other inhaled insulins (AIR by Eli Lilly and Alkermes, and AERx by Novo Nordisk) was halted as well.
14 comments - Posted Oct 5, 2009
Researchers at Children's Hospital in Boston think that they may have created the most reliable means yet of delivering drugs that cannot be taken orally. Their solution is to combine nanotechnology and magnetism to create a delivery system that is simple, but extremely durable and accurate.
2 comments - Posted Oct 3, 2009
"Poor medication adherence," the latest euphemism to replace the much-disliked "poor compliance," is a hot topic these days. According to the New England Health Institute, a third to a half of American patients don't take their medications as prescribed. And people with chronic conditions, including diabetes, are reportedly the worst when it comes to medication adherence and "persistence" (the length of time they continue to take a prescribed drug).
5 comments - Posted Oct 3, 2009
Having diabetes involves a lot of pretty complex arithmetic. You've got to calculate carbs from nutrition labels, total the calories and carbohydrates in a meal, calculate insulin dosage based on insulin-to-carbohydrate intake, and on and on. These tasks aren't simple: They require an understanding of measurement, estimation, time, logic, and multi-step operations, and the knowledge of which math skills to apply to each problem.
3 comments - Posted Oct 2, 2009
Dear Aisha and David - I am a 22-year-old woman with type 1, on a pump. I've only had one real boyfriend, and we broke up two months ago. He said that my diabetes didn't have anything to do with it, but I'm not sure. I think that the lows scared him. Sex with him was good, but I don't have much to compare it with.
7 comments - Posted Oct 2, 2009
"Ask any of the elite who have become truly massive beasts which anabolic substance has had the most profound effect upon their physique, and the answer from the largest mammals will unanimously be insulin." That's a quote from Iron Magazine, a publication for body builders. Apparently, injecting insulin for its anabolic properties is not uncommon among the "massive beasts," as several body-building websites actually contain instructions on how to do it and what types of insulin to use.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2009
African Americans are more prone to type 2 diabetes than white Americans: In 2008, the CDC reported that the rate of diagnosed diabetes in African Americans was 11.8 percent, nearly twice that of whites at 6.6 percent. But why? Is it all in their genes? Previous nationwide studies, which may have seemed to support this conclusion, did not account for socioeconomic and environmental differences between African American and white communities. According to a new study, however, when African Americans and whites live in the same community and have comparable incomes, their rates of diabetes are similar.
3 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2009
In August, I had the pleasure of traveling to Atlanta, Georgia to attend the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) annual meeting. I sat in on several seminars, the most interesting of which are summarized here.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2009
September 2009
Clinical trials are conducted before a new drug is released for sale, in part to test for bad things that might happen when people take it. But clinical trials don't involve all that many people: several thousand at the most. After the clinical trials are successfully completed, however, the drug is sold to millions upon millions. Merck's sales of Januvia and Janumet, for example, totaled over a billion dollars in the first six months of this year alone.
1 comment - Posted Sep 30, 2009
The South, which swept a 2009 survey for fattest region, has achieved that dubious honor again when it comes to prevalence of type 2 diabetes. According to a recent study published in Population Health Metrics, it's the region with the highest percentage of type 2 diabetes when both diagnosed and undiagnosed cases are included. Mississippi is at the very top of the heap, followed by West Virginia, Louisiana, Texas, South Carolina, Alabama, and Georgia (15.8 to 16.6 percent for men and 12.4 to 14.8 percent for women).
0 comments - Posted Sep 28, 2009
One thing that really frustrates people with diabetes mellitus is the biopharma industry's focus on treatments rather than cures. A cure is what the diabetes community wants, not another band-aid. So the existence of a biopharma company that calls itself "CureDM" is promising, and its first product, Pancreate, seems to be on its way to fulfilling that promise.
21 comments - Posted Sep 28, 2009
The way information is presented to us makes a big difference in whether we are able to integrate that information into our daily lives. Although graphs and numbers may sway some people, putting educational materials into a culturally relevant context can be more effective. A recent study, for example, has found that a dietary program based on the Medicine Wheel Model for Nutrition can change eating patterns among Native Americans, who have the highest rates of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease of all ethnic groups.
2 comments - Posted Sep 26, 2009
For most of us, the biggest problem with losing lots of weight is the demoralizing process of watching ourselves gain it all back. But some people who lose weight manage to keep it off for good. How do they do it? Researchers from the Miriam Hospital recently examined their brain activity with functional magnetic resonance imaging and actually saw their restraint in action.
1 comment - Posted Sep 25, 2009
September 22, 2009 - A recent study of the economic burden of U.S. health disparities provides staggering proof that race is a social reality in America, with dramatic and troubling effects. According to the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, racial inequalities in health care access and quality added more than $50 billion a year in direct U.S health care costs from 2003 to 2006.
0 comments - Posted Sep 25, 2009
Metformin has always been the old reliable for treating new onset type 2 diabetes, but it's beginning to look like it's got a new calling as a cancer treatment. Diabetes Health recently reported on the fact that metformin reduces a type 2 person's risk of pancreatic cancer by up to 62 percent. It's also been observed that people with type 2 who take metformin have a much lower cancer incidence than those who don't. Now it appears that metformin can help with breast cancer treatment as well. A study of mice with breast cancer generated from human breast cancer cells has found that they remained tumor-free for nearly three months on metformin combined with doxorubicin, a standard cancer chemotherapy. In mice given only the doxorubicin, the tumors recurred.
1 comment - Posted Sep 25, 2009
Scientists have noted for a long time that the hormone leptin suppresses appetite. That's why they have been puzzled by the high levels of leptin found in obese people-shouldn't leptin decrease their appetites and act as a curb on their weight? Leptin also suppresses bone mass accrual, yet obese people do not suffer from loss or weakening of bone mass, despite their high leptin levels.
0 comments - Posted Sep 25, 2009
DAVIS, CA, SEPTEMBER 17, 2009 - While health officials have long suspected the link between obesity and soda consumption, research released today provides the first scientific evidence of the potent role soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages play in fueling California's expanding girth.
4 comments - Posted Sep 24, 2009
Even if they don't lose weight, a moderate aerobic exercise program can improve insulin sensitivity in obese adolescents who are sedentary.
4 comments - Posted Sep 23, 2009
Suppose you've always wanted to start exercising, but you've procrastinated for awhile, a very, very long while. In fact, you are a comfortably sedentary 85 years old now, and it seems like it's too late to do any good. Well, according to new research published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, it's never too late.
0 comments - Posted Sep 21, 2009
We're drinking so much sugar-sweetened soda that it's become a taxing problem, according to a Health Policy Report published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine. Between 1977 and 2002, Americans doubled their intake of sugary beverages. Unfortunately, that's not good news for anyone but the beverage companies. Although high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, and fruit juice concentrates are naturally derived sweeteners (as opposed to artificial low- or no-calorie sweeteners), this added sugar has been linked to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
24 comments - Posted Sep 19, 2009
By reprogramming skin cells from people with type 1 diabetes, scientists have produced beta cells that secrete insulin in response to changes in glucose levels. Dr. Douglas Melton and his colleagues at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute started by using the skin cells to generate induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. Once they had iPS cells, the researchers manipulated them into developing into pancreatic islet (beta) cells.
4 comments - Posted Sep 19, 2009
Alexandria, VA (September 10, 2009)-This year, thousands of people in communities across the country will come together to demonstrate their support in the fight against diabetes by participating in the American Diabetes Association's Step Out: Walk to Fight Diabetes® event. Step Out is a fundraising walk that takes place in more than 160 cities to raise awareness about diabetes and to raise much needed funds to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Sep 19, 2009
Researchers at the Karolinsky Institute in Sweden have discovered that in people with type 2 diabetes, a gene in muscle tissue is "methylated"; that is, an extra methyl group is stuck to it, causing it to respond differently. The gene in question, PGC-1α, controls other genes that affect how glucose is metabolized by muscle cells. The end result of methylated PGC-1α is that muscle cells are less able to use glucose as an energy source.
0 comments - Posted Sep 18, 2009
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (August 26, 2009) - The nation's nonprofit community health centers and free clinics saw a 13 percent increase in uninsured patients with diabetes seeking care during the first six months of 2009 versus the same period in 2008, according to the results of a national survey released today by humanitarian medical aid organization Direct Relief International.
3 comments - Posted Sep 17, 2009
Those of you who are familiar with the South know what kudzu is. An Asian vine that can grow a foot taller every day, it was brought to the American Southeast in the 1930s in a sadly boneheaded attempt to control erosion. Unfortunately, the little green visitor liked it here so much that in the decades since, it has colonized 10 million acres of farms and woods, becoming a massive and costly nuisance.
0 comments - Posted Sep 16, 2009
You might think that people with type 2 diabetes would know better than most what they should put into and leave out of their diets. At least, that was the expectation of researchers at the Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, when they set out to learn why people with type 2 are often overweight. What they found, however, surprised them. Their study of 2,757 type 2s showed that:
7 comments - Posted Sep 15, 2009
An Italian study of people with type 2 diabetes has found that 70 percent of those who followed a low-fat diet eventually needed diabetes drugs, as opposed to only 44 percent of those who ate a Mediterranean diet.
4 comments - Posted Sep 14, 2009
ALEXANDRIA, VA, Sep 01, 2009 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) - The American Diabetes Association Research Foundation has selected two scientists, University of Virginia Health System researcher Zhenqi Liu, MD, and Stanford University School of Medicine researcher Gerald Reaven, MD, to receive the American Diabetes Association-Novo Nordisk Clinical/Translational Research Award.
0 comments - Posted Sep 12, 2009
Visceral adipose tissue (VAT), familiarly known as visceral fat, has long been associated with metabolic risk. But VAT is closely correlated with liver fat, also called intrahepatic triglyceride (IHTG) content. As a result, Samuel Klein of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, set out to determine if liver fat is more closely correlated with complications in obese patients than VAT.
0 comments - Posted Sep 12, 2009
Adults newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes generally don't take to the idea of using insulin right off the bat. They're worried about gaining weight and fear low blood sugars. They're also concerned about whether they can manage the regimen and fear that taking insulin will lower their quality of life. Those concerns, however, might be assuaged by a study recently conducted by Ildiko Lingvay and his colleagues at the University of Texas Southwestern.
5 comments - Posted Sep 12, 2009
I remember it like it was yesterday. It was the night before Thanksgiving, and my family and I were driving to my parents' house for the holiday weekend. I am usually the one who drives, but this time my wife insisted on taking the wheel because I was so dizzy and light-headed that I could hardly stand upright. Over the course of the previous week, I had not been feeling well. I had been getting up frequently at night to use the bathroom, was insatiably thirsty, and had been so dizzy that I had actually fallen down several times.
7 comments - Posted Sep 11, 2009
The American Heart Association, noting a direct link between sugar consumption and the development of such conditions as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, has called upon Americans to drastically reduce their consumption of "added sugar." Added sugar is defined, reasonably enough, as sugar added to foods during processing, cooking, or at meals.
3 comments - Posted Sep 10, 2009
Juice extracted from North American lowbush blueberries, biotransformed with bacteria from the skin of the fruit, holds great promise as an anti-obesity and anti-diabetic agent. The study, published in the International Journal of Obesity, was conducted by researchers from the Université de Montréal, the Institut Armand-Frappier and the Université de Moncton who tested the effects of biotransformed juices compared to regular blueberry drinks on mice.
3 comments - Posted Sep 10, 2009
It's not on the market yet, but a patch composed of tiny needles, each the width of a few human hairs, could eventually replace hypodermic needles for most drug injections. Preliminary experiments with people with diabetes have shown that the patch can deliver insulin successfully and with less pain than a hypodermic.
5 comments - Posted Sep 9, 2009
Scientists and healthcare professionals have known for some time that low levels of vitamin D almost double the risk of cardiovascular disease in people with diabetes. But until now, they haven't known why.
1 comment - Posted Sep 8, 2009
Here's a sweet bit of news: Drinking sugar-free beverages sweetened with low-calorie sweeteners increases "dietary restraint," the ability of people to maintain long-term weight loss.
5 comments - Posted Sep 7, 2009
A South Carolina study has found that the DASH diet, originally designed to treat hypertension, is linked to a lower rate of type 2 diabetes in whites, but not in blacks or Hispanics.
0 comments - Posted Sep 4, 2009
Nick Jonas is only 16 years old, but he's already been a pop star for years. He's also had type 1 diabetes for nearly four of those years. When he spoke to journalists at the National Press Club recently, he was one of the youngest guests ever invited to speak there.
3 comments - Posted Sep 4, 2009
The famous Diabetes Control and Complications Trial, known to its friends as the DCCT, was the first to prove the power of "intensive control" of blood glucose to reduce the complications of diabetes. Although the ten-year study ended in 1993, researchers have continued to follow about 90 percent of the nearly 1,500 original DCCT volunteers. And the follow-up study, called the Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC), is measuring up to its illustrious parent in terms of demonstrating the value of tight control. According to results published in the July 27, 2009 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, microvascular and cardiovascular complications of type 1 diabetes are cut in half for patients with near-normal glucose.
11 comments - Posted Sep 4, 2009
According to a recent Pennsylvania study, kids need to learn to control themselves when it comes to food. Obviously, self-control is important for us all, kids and adults alike, when it comes to weight management. It’s equally apparent that children need to be taught by their parents to make healthy food choices. But parents who strictly forbid their children to eat many foods might be contributing to a lack of self-control in their offspring, thereby creating the very chubbiness that they were trying to avert.
2 comments - Posted Sep 4, 2009
Even though autumn is just around the corner, many places in the country still have a couple of hot spells left. And those surprise heat waves can be bad news for people with diabetes. It’s no secret that the elderly, the obese, and people with heart disease or respiratory conditions are vulnerable to heat-related illnesses. It’s less well known, however, that people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes are more likely than non-diabetics to suffer heat stroke, heat exhaustion, and heat cramps.
1 comment - Posted Sep 3, 2009
August 2009
See the new video on DiabetesHealthTV with columnist Riva Greenberg. She discusses her new book 50 Diabetes Myths That Can Ruin Your Life: And the 50 Diabetes Truths That Can Save It.
0 comments - Posted Aug 28, 2009
Everyone knows that eating only high fat food is unhealthy way down the road, but we don't really worry that eating a burger will hurt us by next week. Unfortunately, however, it turns out that a high fat diet damages our health (and our brain functioning) a lot sooner than we would like to think. In fact, new research shows that the effects are felt within only ten days. As far as I'm concerned, this was already shown conclusively in the film "Super Size Me," in which director Morgan Spurlock personally examined the effects of fast food on the human body. For one month, he ate only at McDonald's, ordering everything on the menu and "super-sizing" his order whenever asked. Right before our eyes, Spurlock began looking sicker and sicker.
12 comments - Posted Aug 28, 2009
In our last issue, we published a letter from reader Sheila Payne, who wrote that we had been far too positive about continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in our June/July article Get the Facts on Continuous Glucose Monitoring. But her opinion provoked a stack of letters from people who believe that the benefits of CGM substantially outweigh its negatives. To let you in on the debate, we are reprinting Ms. Payne's thought-provoking letter here, followed by two equally thoughtful responses from readers.
12 comments - Posted Aug 28, 2009
The PreDx Diabetes Risk Score determines risk of developing type 2 diabetes within five years
0 comments - Posted Aug 26, 2009
A new glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analog for type 2s that might require dosing only once a month is now in pre-clinical (animal) studies. GLP-1, which increases insulin secretion from the pancreas, is a mighty helpful molecule, but with a sadly brief lifespan. It's broken down in the body within minutes by the enzyme DPP-4. That's why drugs like Merck's Januvia, a DPP-4 inhibitor, is effective: blocking DPP-4 subsequently increases the amount of GLP-1 in the system.
0 comments - Posted Aug 25, 2009
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning against the use of GDH-PQQ blood glucose test strips by people with diabetes who are taking medications that contain non-glucose sugars. [Note: GDH-PQQ is the abbreviation of "glucose dehydrogenase pyrroloquinoline quinone," a chemical that reacts with the non-glucose sugars maltose, galactose, and xylose, which are contained in some therapeutic products.]
10 comments - Posted Aug 24, 2009
Deferoxamine, a drug already FDA-approved for the treatment of disorders related to excess iron in the blood, may help doctors heal stubborn leg and foot wounds in people with diabetes. Scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine found that with deferoxamine, small cuts in diabetic mice healed 10 days faster than they did in untreated mice: 13 days as opposed to 23 days. If deferoxamine works similarly on humans, it could significantly speed the healing of diabetic wounds.
5 comments - Posted Aug 22, 2009
Concerned by the huge number of Americans - 57 million - who are now considered to have prediabetes, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) has launched "My Health Advisor."
2 comments - Posted Aug 22, 2009
Three days after a routine physical last November, 84-year-old Louis Zorich was called by his doctor and told that he had type 2 diabetes. The first words out of the seasoned actor's mouth were "There's been a mistake." Louis, who's been married to Academy Award-winning actress Olympia Dukakis for 47 years, proceeded to explain (incorrectly) to his doctor, "Men don't get diabetes. My three brothers don't have it, but my mother had it....It may be genetic, but only the female side of my family can have diabetes."
2 comments - Posted Aug 21, 2009
South African researchers have found that in areas where tuberculosis is endemic, nearly one in three children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes tests positive when given a skin test for the disease. Although the positive test results do not mean that these young people will inevitably develop active TB, they do run a very high risk of doing so.
4 comments - Posted Aug 20, 2009
One of the major complications of diabetes is diabetic nephropathy, a loss of kidney function that may lead to renal failure. As kidney disease progresses, the barrier that keeps large molecules out of the urine, called the glomerular barrier, begins to break down. With the barrier failing, certain large molecules begin to migrate into the urine. One of those hefty molecules is immunoglobulin M, or IgM.
1 comment - Posted Aug 19, 2009
The American Diabetes Association estimates that about 18 million Americans have diabetes. Given that millions of people have lost their jobs during the current recession, the law of averages would suggest that at least a few hundred thousand folks with diabetes are now unemployed. Loss of a job, unfortunately, usually means a concurrent loss of health insurance. For those hundreds of thousands of people with diabetes, no health insurance means big trouble.
0 comments - Posted Aug 18, 2009
Only a handful of studies have examined the relationship of a woman's menstrual cycle to her blood glucose control, but they have one finding in common: menstruation's effect on blood glucose is as varied as each individual's disease. As a result, blood glucose testing remains the only way to know how a woman's monthly cycle affects her diabetes control.
9 comments - Posted Aug 15, 2009
Onglyza (saxagliptin), a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor produced by AstraZeneca and Bristol-Myers Squibb, has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
2 comments - Posted Aug 15, 2009
This year the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) went deep south for its annual conference, hosting the event in Atlanta, Georgia, from August 3rd through August 9th. Diabetes Health was there, hobnobbing with thousands of attendees and hundreds of companies, and it was an amazing experience.
0 comments - Posted Aug 15, 2009
Endocrinologists at the University of Chicago say that lack of sufficient sleep may contribute to insulin resistance and decreased glucose tolerance, two conditions that up the long-term risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Aug 14, 2009
Now there's an iPhone and iPod Touch app for diabetes. AgaMatrix, Inc., the makers of the WaveSense line of blood glucose monitoring products, has announced the launch of the WaveSense Diabetes Manager, an electronic diabetes logbook software application that runs on the two Apple products.
The WaveSense Diabetes Manager, in development and testing for over a year, lays the foundation for a series of upcoming products that will take advantage of the iPhone and other mobile platforms to help people with diabetes manage the disease. AgaMatrix reports that the WaveSense app provides users with the following features:
2 comments - Posted Aug 12, 2009
Researchers have recently reported that people with the lowest levels of a protein that regulates sex hormones, "sex hormone-binding globulin," were 10 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those with the highest levels of SHBG. In short, the lower a person's SHBG levels, the higher his or her risk of developing the disease.
0 comments - Posted Aug 11, 2009
A 43-year-old Iraq war veteran with diabetes is living in Texas with his wife and four young children when he is told that he must prepare for the amputation of one of his legs. The spreading, non-healing wounds and their complications make the amputation necessary to save not just his limb, but his life, his doctors tell him. But he refuses to proceed with the amputation surgery.
6 comments - Posted Aug 10, 2009
Until the twentieth century, type 1 diabetes was a fatal disease. Once we came to understand how insulin works in the body, however, everything changed. The discovery of the role of insulin was a group effort by people who didn't know each other, but built on each others' work. In 1869, a German medical student named Paul Langerhans figured out the regulatory role of insulin in the mammal body. In honor of his efforts, his name was given to the islets of Langerhans, where insulin is synthesized within the beta cells of the pancreas. Other Europeans and North Americans made important advancements right up until January 23, 1922, when a 14-year-old boy who was dying of diabetes at Toronto General Hospital was given the first successful injection of cow insulin.
2 comments - Posted Aug 10, 2009
A study from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston says that magnetic resonance imaging could become a useful tool for diagnosing diabetes and helping doctors determine the proper course of treatment.
3 comments - Posted Aug 8, 2009
A study of the sugar consumption habits of 30,000 Americans by the American Dietetic Association concludes that race/ethnicity, family income and education levels are important factors in how much sugar a person eats.
1 comment - Posted Aug 8, 2009
Most clinical studies of new drugs are conducted primarily on white men, whether or not they are most affected by the disease the drug is intended to treat. African Americans, for example, are 1.6 times more likely to have diabetes than non-Hispanic whites. Why should we assume that what works for white males will also be effective for African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, or, for that matter, women?
0 comments - Posted Aug 6, 2009
Metformin is one of the oldest and most tried-and-true diabetes treatments around, but apparently it has a new talent. According to research from the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas, good ol' metformin reduces a type 2 person's risk of pancreatic cancer by 62 percent.
2 comments - Posted Aug 5, 2009
In April of 2008, our healthy nine-year-old son, Gaspar, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. After his two days in the ICU and a week in the hospital, a new life began for all of us. Although we couldn't immediately grasp all its implications and were simultaneously dealing with our shaken world, we gave the situation a "think outside the box" approach. When the endocrinologist told us, "That's the way it is. Just focus on the controls and all will be fine," we asked whether the condition might be cured or attenuated if we acted quickly at the beginning. We were met with the usual answer: "There's nothing you can do. Just focus on the controls."
8 comments - Posted Aug 3, 2009
With over 57 million Americans at risk for type 2 diabetes, how do clinicians decide whom to bump to the front of the line for preventive care and treatment? The PreDx Diabetes Risk Score, which employs a few simple blood tests to identify patients at highest risk of developing type 2 diabetes within five years, might help caregivers prioritize their efforts.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 2009
It's very likely that you, like most people, believe many myths about diabetes. If you do, you might actually be doing yourself harm. Learning the truth can empower you (as it did me) to make choices and take actions that increase the quality and length of your life.
9 comments - Posted Aug 1, 2009
Because we have good health insurance, my son sees his endocrinologist twice a year, his diabetes health educator twice a year, and his nutritionist once a year. Meanwhile, he sees his school nurse one to three times a day. As you know, this relationship can make a difference for the rest of a child's life.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 2009
Xenotransplantation ("zee-no-transplantation") may sound like something from a space invasion novel, but it's actually the practice of transplanting organs, cells, or tissues from one animal species into another. With scientific advances taking place so rapidly and with so many patients desperate for organ transplants, it seems plausible (and pretty likely) that one day xenotransplantation will be commonplace.
1 comment - Posted Aug 1, 2009
July 2009
In an era when tobacco cessation programs are being cut from tight budgets, we need to be intentional and creative with tobacco cessation opportunities. According to Dr. Steven Schroeder of the Smoking Cessation Leadership Center at the UCSF School of Medicine, changing the way we view tobacco dependence is necessary to reduce tobacco use and save lives. If we all work together to increase the cessation rate from 2.5 percent to 10 percent, we can save 1.2 million additional lives!
1 comment - Posted Jul 31, 2009
A new treatment for receding gums that uses patients' own blood to encourage regeneration seems to have "legs" and hold up over the long term, according to a small study by researchers at Tufts University in Medford, Mass.
1 comment - Posted Jul 31, 2009
May 5 - Ann Arbor, MI - In the first study of the effects of statins on the concentrations of both low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C; known as the "bad" cholesterol) and low-density lipoprotein particles (LDL-P) in patients with metabolic syndrome, it was shown that even though the statins lowered the concentrations of LDL-C to target levels, the patients retained considerable residual risk for cardiovascular events because LDL-P concentrations were not reduced to a similar extent. A pre-print version of the study in Diabetes Care is available online at http://dx.doi.org/10.2337/dc08-1681, and the final version will be available in print in the June 2009 issue, as well as online at the same URL.
0 comments - Posted Jul 29, 2009
A protein that builds up in the pancreases of baboons and leads to the suppression of insulin-producing beta cells, may provide one of the most significant indicators yet for predicting the onset of type 2 diabetes.
1 comment - Posted Jul 28, 2009
High percentages of endocrinologists, primary care physicians, and managed care organizations surveyed by a research firm say they would like to see additional GLP-1 analogues like Amylin/Eli Lilly's Byetta® and DPP-IV inhibitors like Merck's Januvia® available to treat type 2 diabetes.
6 comments - Posted Jul 25, 2009
Researchers at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, have found a brain enzyme that, when blocked, curbs appetite and increases energy levels-both crucial factors in controlling and losing weight.
0 comments - Posted Jul 25, 2009
After experiencing blurry vision and excessive thirst, Mr. R visits his primary care doctor, who tests him and diagnoses diabetes and high lipid levels. Mr. R is placed on hypoglycemic and statin medications and sent to a dietitian for nutritional advice, but he is confused about to how to shop and cook according to the new recommendations. In the next weeks, he experiences dangerous blood glucose swings and inadequate improvement in his LDL level. His primary care doctor refers him to an endocrinologist, but the next available appointment is three months away. What now?
6 comments - Posted Jul 24, 2009
According to results of a phase II clinical trial at the University of Texas Medical School, a low dose of oral interferon alpha can preserve pancreatic beta cell function in newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes patients. Interferons are proteins produced by the cells of the immune system in response to challenges like a virus or a tumor cell. They work by inhibiting viral replication in the host cell, activating natural killer cells, and increasing the activity of other immune system cells such as lymphocytes.
0 comments - Posted Jul 24, 2009
Never underestimate the power of people with diabetes and their families. When we as a consumer group purchase more fruits and vegetables, walk or bicycle instead of taking the car, and educate ourselves about a healthy lifestyle, we are addressing global issues as well as personal ones and can have a strong, positive effect on the future.
1 comment - Posted Jul 23, 2009
For obese people, who often go on to develop type 2 diabetes, the magic bullet would be a drug that causes weight loss without surgery or the misery of drastic diets that often fail. So, news about a drug that produced dramatically slimmer lab rats in just a week should make them-and people with diabetes-perk up.
0 comments - Posted Jul 23, 2009
A man who has been married for 15 years suddenly begins losing weight and buying new clothes. He starts staying late at work and taking weekend business trips, unusual behaviors for him. His wife thinks he is having an affair. Why?
0 comments - Posted Jul 22, 2009
Could the medical community be overlooking 2.5 million people who have diabetes? Currently, 23.6 million children and adults in the United States, or 7.8 percent of the population, have diabetes. Although an estimated 17.9 million of them have been diagnosed, 5.7 million (nearly one quarter) are unaware that they have the disease. If lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) people comprise 10 percent of the U.S. population, then 10 percent of people with diabetes are part of the LGBT community-about 2.5 million people.*
3 comments - Posted Jul 22, 2009
Minneapolis-based Medtronic Inc. is recalling some lots of its Quick-set infusion sets over concerns that they may cause insulin pumps to deliver too much or too little insulin.
1 comment - Posted Jul 21, 2009
The Organic Center (TOC), a leading research institute focused on the science of organic food and farming, announced that a balanced, organic diet-both before and during pregnancy-can significantly reduce a child's likelihood of becoming overweight or obese or developing diabetes.
1 comment - Posted Jul 17, 2009
This article was submitted by GlaxoSmithKline, makers of LOVAZA, a medication to lower very high triglycerides, made from omega-3 fish oil.
0 comments - Posted Jul 16, 2009
Rhode Island researchers say they have found strong evidence that links the level of nitrates in the environment and food supply to increases in deaths from such diseases as diabetes, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's-all insulin-resistant ailments.
1 comment - Posted Jul 16, 2009
Medicare offers: Screenings for people at risk, Diabetes self-management training, Medical nutrition therapy services, Hemoglobin A1c tests, Glucose monitors, test strips, lancets, insulin, and some insulin pumps, Glaucoma tests, Foot exams, foot treatment, and therapeutic shoes, Flu and pneumonia shots, and Cholesterol and lipid checks.
1 comment - Posted Jul 15, 2009
An analysis of ten trials involving statin therapy among 70,000 participants has led an international team of cardiologists to recommend that that the cholesterol-lowering drugs be prescribed for people who do not have heart disease.
2 comments - Posted Jul 15, 2009
Obesity has always been one of the major precursors to type 2 diabetes because of its ill effects on the body's ability to properly use insulin. But until now, scientists haven't been able to say with certainty just what happens in obese people to increase their insulin resistance.
0 comments - Posted Jul 14, 2009
April 2009 was an exciting month at the University of Alberta. It marked the tenth anniversary of an unprecedented approach to islet transplantation, recognized globally as the "Edmonton Protocol." Each year since that milestone has produced evidence of progress in the art of islet isolation and the science of the transplant process. I know this because I lived it. I am patient number thirty-three, one of the many who have witnessed the evolution of this continuing innovation.
7 comments - Posted Jul 11, 2009
Women who frequently snore-at least three nights a week-run a substantially higher risk of developing gestational diabetes during pregnancy than non-snorers.
0 comments - Posted Jul 9, 2009
Of all the quests that researchers have undertaken in search of a cure or decisive treatment for type 1 diabetes, the search for a vaccine has to be the boldest. But how would you develop such a vaccine, and how would it work?
2 comments - Posted Jul 9, 2009
I would exercise if I had more time... if I had a health club membership... if it didn't hurt so much... if I knew what exercises to do... if I could do it with my family... if I could control my blood sugar...
0 comments - Posted Jul 8, 2009
The National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) is working hard to change people's attitudes about diabetes. A federally funded program sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the NDEP has more than 200 partners at the federal, state, and local levels, all working together to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Jul 7, 2009
UK-based GW Pharmaceuticals has entered into a strategic alliance with Professor Mike Cawthorne and the Clore Laboratory, University of Buckingham, to research the use of cannabinoids-chemical compounds derived from marijuana-in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
3 comments - Posted Jul 5, 2009
Scientists have identified five genetic biomarkers that predict how well a type 2 patient will respond to the drug Actos. Their work could be the first step toward a system that would allow doctors to predetermine which drugs will best help each person with diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Jul 3, 2009
By inhibiting the expression of a gene called sirtuin 1, Yale researchers have been able to reduce blood glucose levels, decrease the liver's production of glucose, and increase insulin sensitivity in rats conditioned to exhibit type 2 symptoms. A happy byproduct of their research is a simultaneous lowering of cholesterol levels.
0 comments - Posted Jul 3, 2009
How many times during your work with young people and their families have you wished that you could really help them through a rough time in their lives? Young people with diabetes and their families often feel overwhelmed, both physically and emotionally, by all that they must learn and manage. They can feel very alone if they don't know anyone who can understand their diabetes fears and trials.
0 comments - Posted Jul 2, 2009
Patriotism, parades, parties, and pyrotechnics - July Fourth is a high intensity day of celebrations and national pride. In many towns, families move from one exciting event to the next, and the day can be very unpredictable. Still, parents of children with diabetes want carefree time with their families, and children don't want to think about diabetes details. A bit of advanced planning and packing can make this festive day much easier.
0 comments - Posted Jul 2, 2009
Genentech, a bioscience firm famous for its development of antibodies designed to combat cancer, has entered a $350 million agreement with Bayhill Therapeutics to assist in development of BHT-3021, a drug that treats type 1 diabetes by reducing or stopping immune system attacks on pancreatic beta cells.
2 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2009
June 2009
Every time I return from the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Scientific Sessions conference, my head is so full of information that I need a week or two to sort through it. But now I've had a chance to choose what I think are the top five things that you need to know. Here they are...
0 comments - Posted Jun 30, 2009
Until now, care for insulin-dependent diabetes has focused on the delivery of insulin combined with frequent blood glucose (BG) testing. Keeping your A1c down is, and always will be, the name of the game. But numerous studies have shown us in the last few years that having access to continuous glucose data has a huge impact. How you deliver the insulin doesn't necessarily matter-you can use a pump, a syringe, or an insulin pen, it's knowing your personal BG trends that makes all the difference.
11 comments - Posted Jun 29, 2009
The National Changing Diabetes Program (NCDP) is an organization working within the healthcare community to elevate diabetes on the national health agenda and improve the lives of people with this devastating disease. Recently, the NCDP commissioned a new study on the growing influence of diabetes on the U.S. economy and population. The NCDP also is taking steps to reduce the increasing impact of diabetes on the United States.
1 comment - Posted Jun 26, 2009
Rachel and her husband adopted a beautiful baby girl in November of 2008. Their daughter is now seven months old. You can read Rachel's article about diabetes and adoption here.
5 comments - Posted Jun 26, 2009
In May, 2009, a jury in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia found that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) discriminated against Jeff Kapche when it refused to hire him as a Special Agent because of his diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Jun 26, 2009
With Type 2 diabetes emerging as an epidemic, primary care clinicians need to become savvy at initiating and adjusting insulin. Given the nationwide shortage of endocrinologists, referring all patients on insulin for endocrine appointments is not realistic in most areas of the country.
0 comments - Posted Jun 24, 2009
In 1993, I published an article entitled "Is non-compliance a dirty word?" in The Diabetes Educator in which I expressed my sadness that people with diabetes were actually getting blamed by their health care providers for not following treatment advice (1). I suggested that the patient's failure might really be a failure in the partnership (or lack thereof) between patient and provider. Fifteen years ago, I challenged diabetes educators to work together with medical practitioners to change noncompliance from a dirty word to a rare occurrence. So how are we doing today?
21 comments - Posted Jun 19, 2009
In 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration published strong warnings that the type 2 diabetes drug exenatide (trade name Byetta) might increase risk of acute pancreatitis, a painful inflammation of the pancreas. The FDA's action came in the wake of reports that 30 exenatide users had come down with pancreatitis and that six of them had died from the condition.
1 comment - Posted Jun 19, 2009
I hear voices in my surroundings as the cloud of confusion gradually begins to lift. "Curtis, can you hear me?" "Curtis, what was the score of the football game?" "Curtis, do you know where you are?"
6 comments - Posted Jun 18, 2009
The A1c test (also called the HbA1c test), which establishes average blood sugar levels over a three-month period, should replace fasting plasma glucose and oral glucose tolerance tests as the standard for diagnosing diabetes.
6 comments - Posted Jun 17, 2009
I attended the annual meeting of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE), held from May 14th to 18th, 2009. Here's a re-cap of the buzz about ICU glycemic control, prediabetes, and vitamin D.
0 comments - Posted Jun 17, 2009
Gale Fullerton is a 65-year-old Californian who has the distinction of being a Joslin 50-Year medal winner. Elliott P. Joslin, M.D., knew that good self-management was the key to minimizing long-term diabetes complications, and the medal program was designed as an incentive for those committed to good diabetes care. In 1970, Joslin Diabetes Center expanded the program and began awarding a 50-year bronze medal. They presented the first 75-year medal in 1996.
24 comments - Posted Jun 16, 2009
Patients with type 2 diabetes reduced their risk of having a foot amputated by 36 percent when they took fenofibrate, a drug designed to lower blood fat levels.
0 comments - Posted Jun 12, 2009
A previously unknown human protein, called CHC22, may give scientists a powerful new tool for understanding type 2 diabetes, according to researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, and Harvard Medical School.
0 comments - Posted Jun 11, 2009
Bayer Diabetes Care's new A1c monitor enables people with diabetes to check their A1c levels at home. The FDA-approved A1CNow SELFCHECK is not considered a replacement for a healthcare provider's A1c test, but rather a tool with which to monitor A1c levels between doctor visits. A1c's provide an average assessment of blood sugar levels over the past three months and are an indicator of how well diabetes is being managed
6 comments - Posted Jun 11, 2009
The World Health Organization (WHO) is still deciding whether to declare a global pandemic
0 comments - Posted Jun 10, 2009
Over the years, gastric bypass surgery has proven an effective means of controlling-and even reversing-type 2 diabetes in
"super-obese" patients (those with a body mass index of 50 or above; usually more than 200 pounds above ideal body weight).
5 comments - Posted Jun 10, 2009
Obese lab mice with severe type 2 diabetes had their blood glucose levels restored to normal and experienced a doubling in physical activity when sensitivity to the hormone leptin was restored to a portion of their hypothalamus.
3 comments - Posted Jun 9, 2009
University of Cambridge researchers are reporting that people with type 2 diabetes who maintain strict control of their blood sugar-defined as lowering their A1c levels by 0.9% over a five-year period-can lower their risk of non-fatal heart attacks by 17 percent.
2 comments - Posted Jun 5, 2009
As Congress and President Obama get set to tackle healthcare reform, the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) has begun a multi-front battle to seek Medicare designation for all certified diabetes educators (CDEs).
1 comment - Posted Jun 5, 2009
CRx-401, an insulin sensitizer intended to assist metformin in type 2 diabetes therapy, has successfully completed a Phase 2 clinical trial in which patients taking it saw their fasting plasma glucose drop by 12 mg/dl after 90 days.
1 comment - Posted Jun 3, 2009
The 2009 North American Diabetes Exercise & Sports Association's North American Conference will be held June 25th to 28th at the Joseph B. Martin Conference Center at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts.
0 comments - Posted Jun 3, 2009
Novo Nordisk has announced that results from a study show that almost 60 percent of type 2 patients taking once-daily doses of its Levemir insulin analog were able to reach the average blood sugar level recommended by the American Diabetes Association.
3 comments - Posted Jun 2, 2009
The polls are open for voting for new members of the AADE board, AADE officers, and the nominating committee. The good news is that you can vote for three people! Diabetes Health wishes Board of Directors candidates and former DH Guest Editors, Jane Jeffrie Seley, Kim Higgins, and Deborah Greenwood, the best of luck.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2009
As the article in this issue discusses, smoking and diabetes is a dangerous combination. Smoking is bad enough on its own. I am writing to you as a former smoker of eight years. I started smoking in France in the 1970’s in a Parisian café. I thought smoking Gauloises at the age of 15 made me sophisticated and in vogue. I imagined I looked stylish and mature like the adults I knew who smoked. Their smoking seemed to justify my habit. It never occurred to me that I was risking my health or that I was starting something that would take me years to quit.
1 comment - Posted Jun 1, 2009
Never underestimate the power of people with diabetes and their families. When we as a consumer group purchase more fruits and vegetables, walk or bicycle instead of taking the car, and educate ourselves about a healthy lifestyle, we are addressing global issues as well as personal ones and can have a strong, positive effect on the future.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2009
May 2009
In a recent 16-week randomized, open-label pilot study, 169 patients were randomized to receive Welchol (n=57), Januvia (n=56), or Avandia (n=56).1 The results demonstrated that Welchol (colesevelam HCl) significantly improved glycemic control and reduced mean LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) when added to metformin monotherapy in patients with type 2 diabetes. In the study, Januvia® (sitagliptin) and Avandia® (rosiglitazone) also significantly improved glycemic control, but LDL-C increased in patients on both of these treatment regimens.
0 comments - Posted May 29, 2009
Researchers at Wayne State University and the University of Michigan have found that a common blood test for triglycerides may allow doctors to predict which patients with diabetes are more likely to develop neuropathy.
5 comments - Posted May 29, 2009
For generations, people have run hot and cold on the usefulness of vibrating exercise machines. There are plenty of comedy sketches in 1930s movies that portray overweight people being violently shaken around the midriff by a vibrating machine in the hope of strengthening their muscles and metabolizing fat. Those who have disdained such machines have reasoned that they substitute a mechanism's work for the work that exercisers should be doing themselves. After all, how can a machine do for you what you won't do for yourself?
2 comments - Posted May 28, 2009
A study of Merck's Januvia (sitagliptin), a drug for patients with type 2 diabetes, has found that its use can lead in some patients to a low-grade form of pancreatitis and an increased risk of pancreatic cancer in the long term. However, the study, conducted at the Larry L. Hillblom Islet Research Center at UCLA, also found that the risks associated with Januvia as a monotherapy are removed when the drug is used in conjunction with metformin (trade name Glucophage). Metformin, a low-cost drug that controls glucose production by the liver, is one of the oldest and most benign standbys in the anti-diabetes arsenal.
0 comments - Posted May 27, 2009
Wow. It's like discovering that the orchestra's second violinist, who does a good job but just isn't as glamorous as the first violinist, also has a fantastic operatic singing voice. In this case, the surprise comes from metformin, the solid performer that since the 1950s has been the first non-insulin drug that doctors prescribe to newly diagnosed type 2s.
4 comments - Posted May 27, 2009
If you have type 2 diabetes, you know that regular sustained exercise is one of the best and easiest ways to manage the disease. At the same time, proper nutrition-eating low glycemic foods, avoiding carbohydrates, and taking supplements, such as vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids-is the other key to non-medicinal control of blood sugar levels.
6 comments - Posted May 26, 2009
On May 1, 2009, American Diabetes Wholesale paid tribute to Joyce Malaskovitz, PhD, RN, CDE, the winner of their 2nd Annual Diabetes Educator of the Year contest. They also recognized esteemed Diabetes Educator of the Year finalists Suzanne Laws, MS, RD, LD, CDE, and Laura Terrio, RN, BS, CDE.
1 comment - Posted May 22, 2009
Smoking has severe effects on your diabetes and your health. Quitting smoking will give you more energy, better control of your diabetes, and less chance of a heart attack or stroke.
5 comments - Posted May 21, 2009
My husband, Simon, was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in October 2004. It was managed via oral medication at first, but his blood sugar levels were hard to control, and his doctor prescribed insulin to stabilize his condition.
0 comments - Posted May 21, 2009
Humanin (HN) is a mitochondrial peptide* that in some research has shown the ability to protect against the death of neurons, the devastating consequence of diseases like Alzheimer's. According to the leader of a research team at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University in the Bronx, however, it also significantly improves the insulin sensitivity of diabetic rats and sharply drops their glucose levels.
2 comments - Posted May 20, 2009
The polls are open for voting for new members of the AADE board, AADE officers, and the nominating committee. Diabetes Health wishes Board of Directors candidates and former DH Guest Editors, Jane Jeffrie Seley, Kim Higgins, and Deborah Greenwood, the best of luck.
1 comment - Posted May 19, 2009
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has just approved the marketing of Cycloset, a type 2 diabetes drug that works by affecting a brain chemical that helps govern metabolism. In doing so, it helps reduce the rise in blood sugar levels that typically occurs after meals. Cycloset will be offered as a monotherapy or in conjunction with sulfonylureas, metformin, or other combination type 2 drug therapies.
2 comments - Posted May 12, 2009
It has been an interesting month for San Diego-based Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc., the co-manufacturer of Byetta (exenatide) with Eli Lilly & Co., and Alkermes Inc. First, the company announced that it will reduce its sales force by 35 percent-200 employees-in hope of saving $20 million this year and $45 million annually starting in 2010. The company plans to retain 325 representatives to sell its diabetes products to doctors and endocrinologists. At the same time, Amylin has petitioned the FDA to approve the marketing of Byetta LAR, a form of the type 2 drug that requires injection only once a week.
1 comment - Posted May 11, 2009
The European Union's drug regulation agency has recommended that the EU approve the marketing of "Victoza" (liraglutide), a type 2 drug developed by Novo Nordisk.
2 comments - Posted May 6, 2009
April 2009
Although researchers reporting the phenomenon can't quite put their fingers on how it works, a newly released study says that severe hypoglycemic episodes requiring hospitalization among older people with type 2 diabetes create a greater risk - 32 percent - for developing dementia.
1 comment - Posted Apr 29, 2009
Insulin pens have been very popular in Europe for quite some time and interest is building steadily in the United States. Many people prefer an insulin pen over the standard syringe and vial because the pens are more convenient and more accurate. Pre-filled disposable insulin pens are the easiest of all, because you don't never have to install a new cartridge when the pen is empty-you just toss it out.
4 comments - Posted Apr 28, 2009
Well, this is a surprise. The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act (MMA) of 2003 contains a little known section, Section 1013, that has actually led to something really useful: Up-to-date information about diabetes culled from real research and presented in language that we all can understand. Section 1013 authorizes the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to compare the effectiveness of different approaches to difficult health problems and to make that information accessible and understandable to "decisionmakers": that is, you, me, and our doctors. And diabetes is one of the difficult health problems to which the AHRQ is directing its attention.
2 comments - Posted Apr 21, 2009
Understanding which proteins help control blood glucose during and after exercise could lead to new drug therapies or more effective exercise to prevent type 2 diabetes and other health problems associated with high blood sugar.
0 comments - Posted Apr 16, 2009
Pregnant women who have gum disease run a higher risk of developing gestational diabetes than pregnant women who have healthy gums, says a study from the New York University College of Dentistry.
2 comments - Posted Apr 16, 2009
A study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism of The Endocrine Society says that low birth weight could be associated with a higher incidence of inflammation in adulthood, setting the stage for heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
1 comment - Posted Apr 15, 2009
Welcome to Diabetes Health's new column on sex and diabetes, by David Spero RN and Aisha Kassahoun. Once a month, we'll publish questions submitted by our readers, along with David and Aisha's responses. Send your questions to love@diabeteshealth.com and watch for their answers to appear in this column.
9 comments - Posted Apr 14, 2009
Finally some good news!
1 comment - Posted Apr 10, 2009
The majority of U.S. adults are worried about being able to afford medical care and prescription medications.1 In addition, a recent study reveals that one in seven children and working-age Americans went without needed prescription medications in 2007 due to cost concerns, up from one in 10 in 2003. Experts predict these statistics are likely to get worse in 2009, and this could present even greater hardships for those Americans with chronic conditions such as diabetes.2
3 comments - Posted Apr 3, 2009
Being overweight is something all doctors and most laypeople know significantly increases the risk of acquiring type 2 diabetes. In fact, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) says that more than 90 percent of people who are newly diagnosed with type 2 are overweight. But why does excess fat increase the risk of diabetes? Isn't the disease, after all, one that involves the body's inability to metabolize glucose?
3 comments - Posted Apr 2, 2009
University of Cambridge researchers are reporting that people with type 2 diabetes who maintain strict control of their blood sugar-defined as lowering their A1c levels by 0.9% over a five-year period-can lower their risk of non-fatal heart attacks by 17 percent.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2009
March 2009
The following is a Q&A with Judith Waldrop, who participated in Living Well, a week-long residential program designed for women with type 2 diabetes. The program is a joint effort of the healthy weight loss pioneers at Green Mountain at Fox Run and the Joslin Diabetes Center. This year, Living Well will take place April 19-25, 2009.
1 comment - Posted Mar 31, 2009
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) and American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) released a statement last week in response to the study published online in the New England Journal of Medicine which suggested that intensive blood glucose control for critical care patients with hyperglycemia doesn't improve outcomes and is associated with an increase in deaths.
1 comment - Posted Mar 31, 2009
One of the most impressive feats of endurance in the animal world is performed by the sled dogs that run up to 100 miles per day in such races as Alaska's Iditarod, a grueling 1,161-mile trek from Simpson to Homer.
0 comments - Posted Mar 31, 2009
AR9281, a drug developed by the University of California at Davis and now under further development by a California-based pharmaceutical company, has entered Phase II of human clinical trials.
1 comment - Posted Mar 27, 2009
The first time Chris Matthews heard the words "high blood sugar" was in 2002 at a doctor's office in Washington, DC, where he was being treated for malaria after a trip to Zimbabwe. He didn't pay a lot of attention to the warning about his glucose levels after a blood test. The malaria was subsequently cured, and he continued at his usual rapid-fire pace, traveling the country giving speeches about his best-selling books ("Life is a Campaign" is his latest; "Hardball" is his best known) and his work both inside the White House, where he was a speechwriter for President Carter, and outside, where he was administrative assistant to House Speaker Tip O'Neill on Capitol Hill. Then there's his work on television, where he is host of Hardball on MSNBC and the Chris Matthew Show, which airs on Sundays just before Meet the Press on NBC. He stayed busy, and his schedule remained overbooked. He let the warning about high blood sugar go into the background-so far back it was out of sight and definitely out of mind. Besides, there just wasn't any room in his life to deal with it.
10 comments - Posted Mar 26, 2009
If you fancy cat naps and think that they might be a handy way to circumvent the ill effects of too little sleep at night (see Sleeping Less Than 6 Hours a Night? Your Risk of Developing a Type 2 Precursor Is Nearly 5x Higher), think again: A British study of the napping habits of more than 16,000 people in China has concluded that taking a nap even once a week can increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 26 percent over people who never take naps.
7 comments - Posted Mar 25, 2009
If you get less than six hours of sleep per night, your risk of developing impaired fasting glucose rises by a factor of 4.56, according to a report from the American Heart Association.
2 comments - Posted Mar 25, 2009
Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Why not find out today whether you or your loved ones are at risk for type 2 diabetes. Take our easy Diabetes Risk Assessment test to estimate your risk of having diabetes by collecting information about your BMI, blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose levels, etc.
0 comments - Posted Mar 24, 2009
The FDA has announced that starting in early April, its Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee will begin looking into two new drugs for type 2 diabetes: saxagliptin tablets from Bristol-Meyers Squibb and liraglutide, an injection drug from Novo Nordisk.
1 comment - Posted Mar 24, 2009
There's a perception out there that people with type 2 could control their disease if they just tried hard enough. But self-control and will power are not the whole story. A new study published in this month's Journal of Nursing and Healthcare of Chronic Illness includes "eating out, lack of social support and high-risk lifestyles" as just a few of the roadblocks that stop patients with type 2 diabetes from controlling their condition.
8 comments - Posted Mar 23, 2009
This marks the beginning of a new era of living with diabetes! The time has come to end the limited way in which we view, address, and manage diabetes. The perspective that diabetes is solely a medical condition is archaic and is limiting our progress toward improving the lives of all those who live with diabetes. One's experience with diabetes is not determined exclusively by one's medical care. As those who live with diabetes know all too well, diabetes affects nearly every area of their lives. To date, there have been virtually no concerted efforts made to assist people with the array of "non-medical" components that come along with living with diabetes: that is, until now.
15 comments - Posted Mar 20, 2009
Amy's Kitchen is a remarkable natural frozen food company located in Petaluma, California, just 30 miles north of the Diabetes Health offices. The company was founded in 1987 by Rachel and Andy Berliner, who named it after their young daughter Amy. They started on the proverbial "shoestring" budget, working out of their house and using their barn as headquarters.
1 comment - Posted Mar 20, 2009
Sanofi-aventis U.S., a maker of insulin as well as many other pharmaceuticals, announced last month the launch of their new YouTube diabetes channel that's designed to challenge the barriers, myths, and misperceptions about insulin use and empower people living with type 2 diabetes to make better-informed decisions for managing their condition. The channel is part of their broader GoInsulin campaign, a multi-media resource for people living with type 2 diabetes to help dispel the myths about insulin.
0 comments - Posted Mar 19, 2009
New cases of adult type 2 diabetes have increased by more than 90 percent in the past 10 years, according to recent data from the Centers for Disease and Prevention.(1) Equally troubling is the dramatic rise in type 2 diabetes among children. Recent reports reveal a 200 percent increase in hospitalizations for children with type 2 diabetes, a condition that was rarely diagnosed in children decades ago.(2) In the words of the CDC, "Diabetes is common, disabling, and deadly."(3)
2 comments - Posted Mar 18, 2009
The old joke has a man going to the doctor and saying, "It hurts when I do this. What should I do to make it go away?"
6 comments - Posted Mar 12, 2009
Chances are that you know somebody who can pack away the highest-fat foods-marbled steak, cheese, butter, and ice cream-and never gain weight. If you've always shrugged it off and said, "It must be genetic," it turns out that you may be right.
2 comments - Posted Mar 5, 2009
A few quick, intense bursts of energy, such as 7.5 minutes per week of sprints on a stationary bicycle, may be just as good as 30 minutes per day of moderate exercise in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. In fact, say researchers at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, such short bursts may be even more effective.
2 comments - Posted Mar 5, 2009
A complex sugar derived from glucose during the body’s metabolic processes could be a way to reliably detect a pre-diabetes condition, say researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. If it does, the “biomarker” (an indicator of an organism’s state of health) could provide enough early warning that patients nearing the onset of type 2 diabetes could take steps to slow or even halt it through lifestyle changes.
1 comment - Posted Mar 3, 2009
February 2009
Too little production of a molecule called LSR (lipolysis-stimulated lipoprotein receptor) in the liver sends blood fat soaring to pathological levels in mice with type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, say scientists at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg.
1 comment - Posted Feb 26, 2009
A report in the February 4, 2009, issue of Cell Metabolism says that babies born with neonatal diabetes might be able to avoid irreversible damage to the pancreas if doctors treat them quickly with sulfonylureas rather than insulin.
0 comments - Posted Feb 25, 2009
Over the past few years, Team Type 1, a team of elite and professional cyclists living with type 1 diabetes, has competed in races like the Tour of Georgia and the AT&T Austin Downtown Criterium, and it has twice won the ultra-endurance, 3,052 mile Race Across America (RAAM).
0 comments - Posted Feb 18, 2009
Keep this letter-number sequence in mind: CXCL10. You'll probably be reading a lot more about it.
1 comment - Posted Feb 11, 2009
Do you like reading articles in Diabetes Health?
Have you read one thing that made a difference in handling your diabetes?
Do you like sharing our cartoons or downloading our product charts?
It's for these reasons that Diabetes Health is rated the #1 diabetes magazine website by Alexa.com. Over 600,000 diabetes patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers worldwide recognize Diabetes Health magazine as the essential resource for living long and well with diabetes.
8 comments - Posted Feb 10, 2009
Asia, which covers an area almost twice the size of North America and is home to three billion people-half of humanity-is often seen as a homogenous entity in the minds of many Westerners, even scientists. But a land that stretches 6,000 miles from east to west is anything but homogenous. The Israelis and Arabs in western Asia, for example, are far different ethnically from the Hmong mountain people in Southeast Asia, the Ainu in northern Japan, or the Filipinos in the southwestern Pacific.
0 comments - Posted Feb 3, 2009
January 2009
Researchers in India have found that 65 proteins in the saliva of people with type 2 diabetes have patterns unlike the patterns of the same proteins in the saliva of individuals without diabetes. Not only may the differences be a potential way to identify type 2s, but the proteins themselves are associated with immune response and metabolic regulation-two bodily functions that run afoul in type 2 diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Jan 29, 2009
Air polluted with particulate matter at concentrations found in many U.S. metro areas may be a contributing factor in obesity and to the onset of diabetes, say researchers at the Ohio State University Medical Center.
0 comments - Posted Jan 29, 2009
We first reported on salsalate, an aspirin-like drug discovered in the nineteenth century, last October. At that time, researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston discovered that it appears to reduce inflammation and lower blood glucose in people with type 2 diabetes.
2 comments - Posted Jan 27, 2009
Utah Jazz owner, Larry H. Miller had his legs amputated six inches below the knee last week. A spokesman for the successful pro basketball team told the Associated Press that the surgery was due to complications from type 2 diabetes. The spokesman noted that Miller was already using a wheelchair before the surgery. Miller is 64 years old.
5 comments - Posted Jan 26, 2009
Nearly every time that I mention islet transplantation in a conversation about diabetes, the person I'm with responds with a sniff that it's never going to work because of the immune suppression problem.
12 comments - Posted Jan 24, 2009
The treatment of diabetes has come a long way since Dr. Elliot Joslin wrote The Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus in 1916. But Dr. Joslin's idea that diet, exercise, and insulin (when it became available as therapy in 1922) are the keys to managing diabetes remains true today. This doesn't mean that diabetes is not a complex illness requiring ongoing education and individualized care. People with diabetes benefit greatly from the services of a team of health care professionals including a certified diabetes educator and an endocrinologist--a doctor who specializes in treating disorders of the endocrine system.
7 comments - Posted Jan 21, 2009
Current thinking has it that obese people are obese because they engage in less physical activity and burn fewer calories than their thinner counterparts. But suppose you could show that obese women burn just as many calories as their thinner, supposedly fitter counterparts?
0 comments - Posted Jan 21, 2009
You've been diagnosed with diabetes because there is too much glucose (a kind of sugar) in your blood.
7 comments - Posted Jan 16, 2009
Tell this to your non-diabetic friends and relatives: The next time they look in a full-length mirror, they shouldn't be too quick to dismiss their ample hips and bottoms.
0 comments - Posted Jan 16, 2009
As the 76-million-member Baby Boomer generation ages-its oldest members are now 63-nursing homes are bracing for an unprecedented demand for their services. Along with increased pressure from the sheer number of patients, nursing homes will also have to deal with the skyrocketing number of seniors with type 2 diabetes.
2 comments - Posted Jan 15, 2009
According to biologists at the Baylor College of Medicine, limiting the copies of a gene that produces a protein affecting organ development serves to decrease fat cell size in mice, enhance their responsiveness to insulin, and increase their energy level.
0 comments - Posted Jan 14, 2009
Two diets - one severely restricting carbohydrate intake but with no limit on calories, and the other emphasizing low-glycemic carbohydrates and low calories - allowed high percentages of obese type 2 patients in a university study to reduce or even eliminate their diabetes medications (95.2 percent of the patients on the extreme low-carb diet and 62.1 percent of the patients on the low-glycemic diet).
6 comments - Posted Jan 14, 2009
About half of young people who have diabetes report having tried to lose weight at one time or another, says a Kaiser Permanente Southern California study reported in the December 2008 issue of Diabetes Care.
4 comments - Posted Jan 6, 2009
Researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong report that having metabolic syndrome may raise the risk of chronic kidney disease in people with type 2 diabetes.
1 comment - Posted Jan 6, 2009
Type 1.5 diabetes, also known as Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults (LADA), is an autoimmune disease that falls between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes because it has characteristics of both.
11 comments - Posted Jan 6, 2009
In a recent study, obese teens with type 2 diabetes who underwent gastric bypass surgery not only lost a third of their weight, but also experienced the complete remission of their disease.
4 comments - Posted Jan 6, 2009
December 2008
Here at Diabetes Health, we've learned the hard way that specific resolutions are the way to go. General plans like "I'll watch my weight" or "I'll check my blood glucose more often" tend to be less successful than the more specific: "I'll eat x number of carbs each meal" and "I'll check my BG before and after every meal."
2 comments - Posted Dec 29, 2008
Every year the American Diabetes Associations revises and updates its Clinical Practice Recommendations, a publication upon which many doctors and medical caregivers depend as a primary source of diabetes treatment information.
12 comments - Posted Dec 29, 2008
Post-menopausal women hoping to avert type 2 diabetes stand a better chance of success if they rely on losing weight rather than on a low-fat diet, according to results of a 12-year study conducted by the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center in Seattle.
3 comments - Posted Dec 29, 2008
About a year ago, Cheryl Tooke found herself in the last place she ever wanted to be. She weighed 268 pounds, and her doctor had just diagnosed her with type 2 diabetes.
84 comments - Posted Dec 25, 2008
A Spanish university study has found that a traditional Mediterranean diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, olive oil, and fish may reduce the risk of acquiring type 2 diabetes by 83 percent.
1 comment - Posted Dec 22, 2008
Avandia (rosiglitazone) and Actos (pioglitazone), two medications used to lower blood sugar in type 2 patients, double the risk of fractures in women, but not in men, says a new study.
0 comments - Posted Dec 22, 2008
A common treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) decreased the average glucose level during sleep of type 2s who were newly diagnosed with OSA. After seven weeks of the therapy, known as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), the diabetic patients' average BG level fell 20 mg/dl.
1 comment - Posted Dec 22, 2008
An international team of researchers reports that a mutation in a gene that controls a person's body clock can cause higher blood sugar levels, leading to a 20 percent increased risk of acquiring type 2 diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Dec 15, 2008
Many people think of heart disease as something that mostly afflicts men. But heart disease actually kills more women in the United States than anything else, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. And diabetes plays a stronger role in risk for heart disease in women than it does in men.
1 comment - Posted Dec 15, 2008
The first time I presented medical research findings, I was not yet a physician. The year was about 1975. I was in my early forties and a mid-career engineer. The forum was a scientific symposium on diabetes. At the time, I felt that I had discovered the holy grail of diabetes care and was eager to share what I had learned.
22 comments - Posted Dec 8, 2008
Older men who are worried about insulin resistance can take heart from a Tufts University study which shows that higher than normal doses of vitamin K slow development of the condition. (Insulin resistance is a condition in which the body increasingly cannot use insulin properly and blood glucose levels rise. It is a major precursor to type 2 diabetes.)
1 comment - Posted Dec 8, 2008
If you're like millions of type 2s and people being treated for metabolic syndrome, you take metformin to control your liver's glucose production.
0 comments - Posted Dec 8, 2008
Next week we'll publish a great article written by Dr. Richard Bernstein. MD. Dr. Bernstein is a long-term proponent of paying more attention to carbs rather than fats (though he certainly doesn't advocate that you can have all the fats you want!) While Dr. Bernstein has been telling us about the benefits of low carb for over 30 years, there is still much skepticism about his (and many other's-Gary Taubes, anyone?) low carb results. The establishment has been slow to be convinced, despite the many research trials that back up their findings.
6 comments - Posted Dec 2, 2008
Last week we published an excerpt from Chapter 4 of Sheri Colberg's revised, updated, and expanded version of her 2001 book, Diabetic Athlete's Handbook: Your Guide to Peak Performance. Dr. Colberg has a PhD in exercise physiology, is a Diabetes Health board member, and is herself an athlete with diabetes. Her book draws upon the experiences of hundreds of athletes with diabetes to provide the best advice for exercisers with diabetes, either type 1 or type 2.
0 comments - Posted Dec 2, 2008
Once you're diagnosed with type 2, you begin a long, often trial-and-error journey toward creating a daily routine that accommodates your disease without making you feel like an invalid.
2 comments - Posted Dec 2, 2008
November 2008
No doubt about it: Most of us have never felt less in control of our destinies. The stock market is bottoming out and no one knows what to do about it. Jobs are down, food prices are up, and who knows what's going on with gas. To make things even more expensive, the holidays are upon us. Mix all these factors together, and you have a recipe for runaway stress and anxiety. But there is one thing you can control: your body weight. That's right. Now is the time to get fit, lose any extra pounds that might be hanging around, and develop the habits that will keep your weight at a healthful level over the long term.
1 comment - Posted Nov 24, 2008
According to a study sponsored by Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, it cost $218 billion to treat type 1 and 2 diabetes in the United States in 2007. Of that amount, the federal government spent approximately $85 billion.
1 comment - Posted Nov 24, 2008
Gary Hall, Jr., an Olympic swimmer and ambassador of the Inspired by Diabetes program, will host a swim clinic in conjunction with Drew University's World Diabetes Day Swim-A-Thon on Saturday, November 15, 2008. The event, which begins at 10 a.m. with a two-hour clinic given by Hall, is followed by the swim-a-thon.
0 comments - Posted Nov 10, 2008
Metformin, the tried-and-true diabetes drug that is prescribed to many type 2s when they are first diagnosed, may decrease the risk of death from cardiovascular disease. That's the conclusion of a meta-analysis by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland.
0 comments - Posted Nov 3, 2008
The annual cost for drugs to treat type 2 diabetes nearly doubled between 2001 and 20, skyrocketing from $6.7 billion in 2001 to $12.5 billion six years later, according to researchers from Stanford University and the University of Chicago.
0 comments - Posted Nov 3, 2008
October 2008
A recent Wall Street Journal article shows once again how misinformation about diabetes-related topics can be spread by even the most expert journalists.
3 comments - Posted Oct 27, 2008
LifeScan, the maker of OneTouch blood glucose meters, recently announced Global Diabetes Handprint, a new collaboration with the Diabetes Hands Foundation. The project encourages people with diabetes to post an image of their hand, decorated with words and graphics depicting their personal expressions about living with diabetes (or decorate a virtual hand online). The project is designed to help people with diabetes use self-expression to connect with each other and feel less isolated.
1 comment - Posted Oct 27, 2008
Novo Nordisk recently announced results from its LEAD 6 study showing that once daily liraglutide was significantly more effective at improving blood glucose control (as measured by A1c) than exenatide, a GLP-1 mimetic administered twice daily.
4 comments - Posted Oct 27, 2008
The National Diabetes Education Program has developed a curriculum designed to provide program leaders with the tools they need to increase diabetes prevention and control within African American communities.
0 comments - Posted Oct 27, 2008
Halloween scares me. It scares me even after seven years of helping my 14-year-old son with diabetes enjoy the holiday. We have created a comfortable tradition. Our neighbors get Danny non-food items. We go to a neighborhood bonfire and tell scary stories, and my husband Brian buys back most of Danny's candy and brings it to his office. Through experience, I am no longer afraid of the possible highs and lows, and, thanks to the blessing of cell phones, even Danny's teenage wandering feels okay. If you were a spider on our wall, we'd all appear excited and happy about Halloween.
7 comments - Posted Oct 20, 2008
Regular exercise is a large component of maintaining health for people with type 2 diabetes and, let's face it, everyone else. According to the new "Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans" written by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), adults need at least two-and-a-half hours every week of moderate aerobic physical activity. Children should have at least one hour of physical activity every day.
0 comments - Posted Oct 20, 2008
In gastric bypass surgery, the surgeon basically lops your small intestine in two and then hooks it back up again in such a way that it's much shorter than before. With the first section of your small intestine out of commission, food flows directly from your stomach to the middle of your small intestine. When less intestine is available to absorb food, less food is absorbed, not surprisingly. It works, but it's not pretty.
3 comments - Posted Oct 20, 2008
An experimental exenatide (Byetta)-like drug called liraglutide has shown the ability to enhance insulin and glucagon production and suppress appetite in type 2 patients, according to a report in the British medical journal The Lancet.
0 comments - Posted Oct 13, 2008
An article in Endocrine Today presents some interesting findings regarding A1c's, including the fact that even a relatively low A1c of 5.4% may not preclude undiagnosed diabetes in high-risk individuals.
3 comments - Posted Oct 13, 2008
An aspirin-like drug discovered 132 years ago may prove to be a powerful weapon against type 2 diabetes.
3 comments - Posted Oct 13, 2008
Orexigen Therapeutics has announced that the investigational weight loss drug Contrave (naltrexone SR/bupropion SR) reduced the prevalence of metabolic syndrome, which is associated with an increased risk of diabetes and heart disease, by 50 percent.
1 comment - Posted Oct 13, 2008
The stock of Byetta manufacturer Amylin Pharmaceuticals has lost more than half of its value over the past eight weeks, thanks to FDA concerns that the type 2 treatment may be connected with the deaths from acute pancreatitis of six Byetta users. Although the FDA has not proven a direct association between fatal pancreatitis and the use of Byetta, Amylin's stock has fallen nevertheless.
0 comments - Posted Oct 13, 2008
A new pharmacy that focuses on patients with diabetes, A1c Rx, opened this month in the San Diego, California, area. A1c Rx works with patients to review medications and demonstrate testing techniques. It also utilizes a robotic pill dispenser to safely and accurately dispense diabetes meds.
5 comments - Posted Oct 13, 2008
Ben Vereen, the Tony Award-winning, Golden Globe and Emmy Award-nominated actor, was diagnosed with type 2 on Christmas Day last year.
0 comments - Posted Oct 6, 2008
I awake at 1:00 am with a feeling of sickness in my stomach. I wonder if it's from anxiety created by a weird dream, hormonal imbalances, and/or high blood sugar. Or did I go to bed angry? The deep-sunken feeling of thick stagnant sludge in my stomach begins to settle into my consciousness. My Mini Mag flashlight illuminates the blood sugar meter, which reads 357. I remember in my high blood sugar fogginess that my blood sugar was 140 before I went to sleep, and I did nothing out of the ordinary. Now, only a few hours later, I am rudely awakened and have to force myself to gather my senses to correct the situation. Fluctuations in blood sugar are mind boggling and frustrating, not to mention the feelings of irritability, anger, fatigue, victimization, and depression that come along in daily life with diabetes. It can create a sense of failure if one does not get a handle on creating a healthy mind, body, and spirit.
5 comments - Posted Oct 6, 2008
Every year since 1991, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have designated November 14th as World Diabetes Day. In 2007, it also became an official United Nations World Day.
1 comment - Posted Oct 6, 2008
September 2008
At the recent 44th annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), sanofi-aventis announced a study demonstrating that a basal-bolus insulin regimen with Lantus® once daily (basal insulin) and rapid-acting Apidra® (insulin glulisine [rDNA origin] injection) at mealtime (bolus insulin) resulted in significant A1c reductions from baseline as compared to pre-mixed insulin in people with type 2 diabetes.
5 comments - Posted Sep 29, 2008
Joel Shpigel's dad was considered a "large" man. He was 37 the day he had a "heart scare." "He didn't have a heart attack, but his doctor said he was headed for one," Shpigel recalls. His father decided to begin exercising. Joel, who was also overweight, decided to join him.
1 comment - Posted Sep 29, 2008
This fall, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) is inviting people across the country to "Step Out: Walk to Fight Diabetes" by participating in their one-day fund-raising walk, being held in more than 200 cities nationwide. The routes, which range from two to six miles, will be accessible to people of all ages and levels of mobility. All along the walk, participants will be supported by volunteers offering water, snacks, entertainment, and enthusiastic encouragement. The event draws a large contingency of individuals and teams composed of families, friends, and corporation employees, all walking and raising money in support of the ADA.
0 comments - Posted Sep 29, 2008
I remember the call from the doctor's office two weeks after a long overdue annual physical. I sat in the examining room expecting to hear the usual "lose weight" diagnosis. I had been feeling tired and had been making more than a few daily trips to the bathroom. But in spite of the fact that my grandmother, father, cousin, and brother all suffered from type 2 diabetes, I was not prepared for my doctor's stern warning: My sugar had been totally out of control for several months. I needed to adjust my diet and lifestyle immediately. I was a 40-year-old chocoholic and totally calorie clueless. I also weighed 255 pounds. The doctor prescribed an oral medication and told me that monthly visits for testing would now be required. I thought, OK, I can do this.
1 comment - Posted Sep 18, 2008
In its ongoing Health and Nutrition Strategist™ syndicated study, Decision Analyst recently asked 9,265 respondents about various health and lifestyle issues. Among respondents 20 and older, 9.6 percent said they had diabetes. Among all ages, about 23.6 million Americans have diabetes, according to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse.
4 comments - Posted Sep 18, 2008
A recent study from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, said that patients with type 2 diabetes run a 52 percent higher risk of suffering depression than nondiabetics.
2 comments - Posted Sep 18, 2008
Four out of five adults experience back pain during their lifetime. The problem becomes chronic for five to ten percent of sufferers. Back pain can result from being overweight, sleeping on an uncomfortable bed, or incurring an injury. The best way to alleviate back pain, according to Timothy J. Gray, DO, in his book Back Works, lies in a solid exercise program.
0 comments - Posted Sep 18, 2008
People who tightly control their blood sugar-even if only for the first decade after they are diagnosed-have lower risks of heart attack, death, and other complications ten or more years later, a large follow-up study has found.
0 comments - Posted Sep 18, 2008
A Canadian clinical study has delivered a double dose of good news for proponents of exenatide (sold commercially as Byetta), a drug used by more than 700,000 Americans to control blood glucose, ease food cravings, and, incidentally, lose weight.
3 comments - Posted Sep 11, 2008
To keep pace with the growing number of Americans with diabetes, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) invites communities nationwide to their brand new fundraising walk, Step Out: Walk to Fight Diabetes.
3 comments - Posted Sep 11, 2008
Abundant dietary vitamin C may lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, say researchers from the Institute of Metabolic Science at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, England.
2 comments - Posted Sep 4, 2008
August 2008
Byetta has had a tough past few days. A lawsuit by a Virginia man alleges that the drug caused his life-threatening bout of severe pancreatitis, and there are rumblings from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that it may force Byetta's makers to attach a "black box" warning to its container and packaging-a stern, highlighted caution about potentially dangerous, even fatal, side effects.
19 comments - Posted Aug 28, 2008
Imagine someone pressing a pillow over your face while you sleep. You wake up and struggle for air. After 10 seconds, you're allowed to breathe again. But pretty soon, the pillow goes back over your face.
2 comments - Posted Aug 28, 2008
In March, Diabetes Health reported on Dr. Francesco Rubino, a surgeon who claims that the origin of diabetes is in the digestive system, not the gut, and that gastric bypass surgery cures type 2 diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Aug 28, 2008
I was forty-five years old when I found out that I had type 2 diabetes. I don't know why I was shocked. Diabetes ran like a river through my family. My father had type 1. He died at the age of forty-one from a heart attack, but my mother always insisted that it was partly because he didn't "manage" his diabetes well.
2 comments - Posted Aug 20, 2008
Results from a Harris survey commissioned by the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) show that people with diabetes who must take insulin often struggle with dread and negative impacts on their lives because of it. But more than half of them—52 percent—are reluctant to share their concerns with their healthcare providers.
10 comments - Posted Aug 14, 2008
Bayer Diabetes Care previewed a new partnership at the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) annual meeting this month in Washington, DC.
0 comments - Posted Aug 14, 2008
Several months ago researchers suspended work on the landmark ACCORD (Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes) study, which tracked 10,251 type 2s, some of them undergoing very tight control of their blood sugar levels.
0 comments - Posted Aug 14, 2008
People with diabetes are at increased risk of developing tuberculosis (TB), according to a review of published studies. As a result, the increasing prevalence of diabetes may threaten global efforts to control TB, suggest researchers at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston in the latest issue of the journal PLoS (Public Library of Science) Medicine.
3 comments - Posted Aug 14, 2008
At the beginning of 2007, we began studying guidebooks and making reservations for a long-anticipated trip to New Zealand and Australia. With limited funds and so much we wanted to do, we decided our budget would go farther if we stayed at hostels. At the same time, we were concerned about Al’s rising blood sugar scores. After visiting relatives during Christmas and celebrating the New Year, Al’s morning scores were as high as 154 mg/dl.
3 comments - Posted Aug 14, 2008
If your summer travels take you south of the border into Mexico, pharmacists say you should avoid the temptation of saving a few dollars by purchasing your medications at farmacias, which sell versions of American prescription drugs made in Mexico.
4 comments - Posted Aug 5, 2008
Type 2s who tried out either of two different basal-bolus treatments using Lantus and Apidra enjoyed significant reductions in post-meal BG levels and longer-term A1c’s.
4 comments - Posted Aug 5, 2008
With their waiting rooms crowded and exam rooms full, many physicians say they are too busy to be good communicators. Those who study physician time-management, however, think otherwise. Certain communication skills can foster efficiency and effectiveness during an office visit without sacrificing rapport with patients, according to researchers at the University of Washington (UW) and the University of Rochester.
1 comment - Posted Aug 5, 2008
I just returned from the American Diabetes Association’s 68th Scientific Sessions held in San Francisco in June and I’d like to share some highlights:
0 comments - Posted Aug 5, 2008
July 2008
When does a visit to the eye doctor mean more than just a new pair of glasses and a change in prescription? When it can change—or even save—your life.
7 comments - Posted Jul 31, 2008
What do an African medicine man, a diabetes researcher, a feminist philosopher, and a Native American psychologist have in common? They are all part of a new documentary, now in production, dealing with the psychological component of living with diabetes.
15 comments - Posted Jul 31, 2008
The Los Angeles City Council has voted unanimously to ban the opening of new fast food restaurants in South Los Angeles (aka “South Central”) and nearby neighborhoods.
0 comments - Posted Jul 31, 2008
San Diego-based Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., posted a second-quarter loss of $64.8 million, or 47 cents per share. This compares to a 2007 second-quarter loss of 45 million, or 34 cents a share.
1 comment - Posted Jul 31, 2008
Hostility and anger are associated with higher blood glucose levels in non-diabetic single men, new research shows.
2 comments - Posted Jul 25, 2008
A new Spanish language consumer guide to type 2 diabetes, called “Pastillas para la diabetes tipo 2,” has been released by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The guide provides information on how to control type 2 and includes comparisons of oral medications. AHRQ data show that nearly one in eight Hispanics takes a prescription drug for diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Jul 25, 2008
Nine out of ten regular food items aimed specifically at children have a poor nutritional content because of high levels of sugar, fat or sodium, according to a detailed study of 367 products published in the July issue of the UK-based journal, Obesity Reviews.
2 comments - Posted Jul 17, 2008
Although trans fats are the new bad boys of the nutritional and cardiovascular worlds, they don’t seem to have any effect on insulin resistance in lab rats.
1 comment - Posted Jul 17, 2008
WakeMed Health & Hospitals Children’s Diabetes ENERGIZE! program has won the coveted NOVA Award from the American Hospital Association (AHA).
0 comments - Posted Jul 17, 2008
Peripheral arterial disease (PAD), a condition commonly correlated with diabetes, affects at least one in every three diabetics over the age of 501 and approximately eight million Americans over the age of 40. Although PAD is common among diabetic and senior populations, current data show that public and physician knowledge of the disease is startlingly low, with only 25 percent of the affected population seeking treatment.2
2 comments - Posted Jul 17, 2008
Until recently, scientists believed that the processes leading to beta cell death in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes were similar. But a recent study from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney, Australia, indicates that the cause of cell death in type 2s involves a form of cellular-level stress not found in type 1s.
1 comment - Posted Jul 17, 2008
May 2008
For decades, scientists have postulated that left-handedness is associated with autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes. This theory was recently brought to the attention of Diabetes Health by Joan Hoover, our patient advocate adviser, who found that many of the children with diabetes she came across in her work were left-handed. Studies, however, have yielded conflicting results, rendering the validity of this theory controversial.
0 comments - Posted May 22, 2008
July 2007
You have made a point of checking your blood glucose and getting your annual eye and foot checkups. You track your blood cholesterol and blood pressure. But now the pain in your hip is unbearable and interfering with your walking program, so your doctor suggests hip surgery. You will be admitted to the hospital for hip surgery, not diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Jul 9, 2007
May 2007
Two new meters that purport to measure your blood glucose without a fingerstick are currently in the works–again. The road to a non-invasive meter is one that many have traveled before, but no one, thus far, has ever reached the market.
7 comments - Posted May 30, 2007
March 2005
Often those of us in the healthcare profession are so busy taking care of the patient that we scarcely have time to notice, let alone nurture, the friend or family caregiver at the bedside. Yet it can take only minutes, and doing so benefits everyone involved.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2005
November 2004
Foot disorders are the number one reason that people with diabetes spend time in the hospital.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2004
James Jopling of Monroe, Louisiana, has had type 1 diabetes for 39 years. Two of his sons also have type 1.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2004
October 2004
Annual screening for microalbuminuria (low levels of protein in the urine, indicating early signs of kidney disease) in type 1 diabetes should begin with puberty and/or after five-year disease duration of diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2004
1. Smoking doubles your cardiovascular risk
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2004
Swedish researchers say that smoking is associated with both poor blood glucose control and microalbuminuria (protein in the urine) that indicates early kidney disease and increased heart disease risk.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2004
September 2004
A recent study documented the incidents of metformin-associated lactic acidosis at a poison center in Mainz, Germany.
1 comment - Posted Sep 1, 2004
If you are type 2, elderly and have peripheral neuropathy, resistance training may be just what you need to improve your health, say Kentucky researchers.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2004
Did you know that more than one billion syringes, pen needles and lancets are disposed of each year, posing possible safety risks?
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2004
August 2004
Sibutramine (Meridia) is well tolerated by most patients and considered to be a safe drug. It has been shown to promote successful weight loss in most patients.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 2004
Recent studies predict that the worldwide incidence of diabetes will increase by 60 percent to over 300 million cases by the year 2025. The overwhelming majority will be type 2 cases.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 2004
January 2003
While everyone's attention has been drawn to the debate over stem cell research, another—perhaps more controversial—type of research is taking place.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2003
If you test your blood glucose regularly, you probably think you have a pretty good idea of how high or low your numbers rise and fall during a typical day and night. However, what if you had 288 blood-glucose readings every 24 hours, instead of only a handful?
1 comment - Posted Jan 1, 2003
A campaign aimed at educating people with diabetes about their increased risk of heart disease and stroke is called "Be Smart About Your Heart: Control the ABCs of Diabetes"—in other words, control your A1C, blood pressure and cholesterol.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2003
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new indication for Glucovance (glyburide and metformin tablets), allowing the type 2 diabetes medication to be taken in combination with thiazolidinediones (TZDs) when adequate control is not achieved with diet and exercise.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2003
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced on October 11, 2002, that it had approved Avandamet for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2003
In October 2002, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved an oral type 2 medication that combines glipizide and metformin.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2003
C-reactive protein (CRP) is an inflammation marker that has been implicated in the development of type 2 diabetes in Caucasians (see "A New Buzzword," November 2002, p. 66). However, a new study has found that, among Mexicans, CRP is likely to predict type 2 diabetes in women but not in men.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2003
Renal (kidney) function declines more rapidly in people with type 2 diabetes who have both retinopathy and proteinuria (protein in the urine).
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2003
Irbesartan (Avapro), an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB), reduces 24-hour systolic and diastolic blood pressure as well as albumin excretion rate (AER) in people with type 2 diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2003
C-reactive protein (CRP) is an inflammation marker that has been implicated in the development of type 2 diabetes in Caucasians (see "A New Buzzword," November 2002, p. 66). However, a new study has found that, among Mexicans, CRP is likely to predict type 2 diabetes in women but not in men.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2003
December 2002
Trash the Wonder Bread and white rice and replace them with whole grains and brown rice if you want to reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2002
November 2002
In 1999, the first association between markers of inflammation and the subsequent development of type 2 diabetes was reported. Today, researchers are positing a definitive link between the two and suggesting that treatments to reduce inflammation might be a means of preventing or forestalling illness.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2002
This year, 17 million people in the United States lived with diabetes.
4 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2002
In 1999, the first association between markers of inflammation and the subsequent development of type 2 diabetes was reported. Today, researchers are positing a definitive link between the two and suggesting that treatments to reduce inflammation might be a means of preventing or forestalling illness.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2002
October 2002
As a nation, we are aging. By the age of 65, two-thirds of us take one or more medications a day—and a lot of us take as many as three.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2002
May 2001
Results of a recent study suggest that liposuction—commonly perceived as a strictly cosmetic procedure—may have significant health benefits for people with diabetes.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2001
Including sugar in the diet plan for a person with type 2 diabetes may be beneficial, according to a recent study conducted by researchers in Canada.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2001
Heart disease medicine may protect people from diabetes, say researchers in the January 23 issue of Circulation: The Journal of the American Heart Association.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2001
Rosiglitazone (Avandia) is more effective if taken twice per day instead of once per day, according to research conducted at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2001
For many people with type 2 diabetes, diet and medication alone are not successfully treating the disease, researchers announced on March 16 at the Diabetes Health Expo in Miami.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2001
In the aftermath of the severe damage caused by the series of earthquakes in El Salvador in January, international relief efforts were made to treat people with diabetes in need of medical supplies.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2001
April 2000
Major stressful events such as the death of a partner, long-lasting financial problems or a move may sharply increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in middle age, according to researchers at the Vrije University in Amsterdam. Their findings were published in the February issue of Diabetes Care.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2000
The Capital Care Group project is an attempt by a Canadian group of nursing homes to reduce the high rates of diabetes-related complications among residents of its facilities. The findings were published in the December 1999 issue of the Canadian Journal of Diabetes Care.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2000
December 1999
Dr. David Matthews, chairman of the Oxford Center for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, says beta-cell deterioration is "virtually inevitable" in persons with type 2 diabetes. He urges doctors who treat type 2s to refrain from telling them that they only have "mild diabetes," and instead tell them that they are still at considerable risk for diabetic complications.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1999
According to a recent issue of Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, type 2 children usually have a parent who is also type 2.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1999
Norman Hart of Tampa, Florida, took his type 2 diabetes diagnosis very seriously. He wanted to find out everything he could about the disease, but found the quality of information disappointing.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1999
A high school Spanish teacher in California, Linda Vernier relies on beef-pork insulin from Eli Lilly and Co. to stay healthy.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1999
In the October 20 Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Frank Hu, MD, of the Harvard School of Public Health, writes that people can cut the risk of type 2 diabetes nearly in half by engaging in one hour of moderate-intensity activity each day, which doesn't have to be all at once. This moderate-intensity activity can be accomplished with a walk to the bus stop in the morning, a walk up several flights of stairs in the afternoon, and housework in the evening.
4 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1999
November 1999
Television has been getting a bad rap lately for contributing to the decline of cognitive development in children, the decline in moral standards and pretty much the decline of Western civilization as a whole. Now it's getting a bad rap for contributing to the development of type 2 diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1999
June 1999
Researchers are saying that diagnosis of type 2 diabetes in children under the age of 18 has increased tenfold in the past five years.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1999
September 1998
According to research funded by the National Cattleman's Beef Association, a common fat found in red meats and cheeses might help prevent type 2 diabetes. In their study, the fatty acid, known as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) provided short-term prevention of the onset of diabetes in lab animals.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1998
August 1998
It's impossible to pick out the "best" research, particularly when there is so much interesting scientific work to choose from. My choice of what to include in this report, while necessarily arbitrary, was guided by what seemed most interesting to me. So if you've been involved in a particular research project that I've omitted, please accept my apologies. Here are the new findings that I would like to share.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 1998
November 1997
It seems like half of America is either on a diet or thinking about going on one. Every month a new exercise fad is promoted as the miracle solution to weight loss. Entire sections of grocery stores are devoted to fat-free foods and low-calorie snack items. Book shops feature the latest in celebrity exercise books and tapes. Yet, statistics tell us that Americans are still gaining weight.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1997
Sweet 'N Low recently awarded Jerrilynn D. Burrowes, MS, RD, CS, CDN, with the newly established Sweet 'N Low Nutrition Scholarship of $5,000.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1997
October 1997
The American Diabetes Association recognizes patients' concerns with the discontinuation of mixed beef/pork insulin production in the United States. Patients need and deserve adequate education and assistance as they switch to either pure pork or human insulin. We strongly urge insulin-producing companies to recognize these concerns as well, and take steps necessary to give providers the tools to help their patients make this transition.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 1997
(Our) survey results indicate that for some people, changing insulins has a negative impact on their health, well-being and quality of life. People need more information as to the reasons for changing their insulin and they need to have the choice. They need the support of their physicians and their diabetes health care teams during this time of change-over. The (Canadian) National Advocacy Committee is committed to advocating for the continuation of beef/pork insulins for those whose health, well-being or quality of life will be affected by the change.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 1997
Rezulin, Warner-Lambert's type 2 diabetes drug, has recently been approved by the FDA for use in conjunction with sulfonylureas.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 1997
September 1997
A recent NIDDK study of Pima Indians in Arizona showed that babies who were breast fed were less likely to develop type 2 diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1997
Children of parents with type 2 diabetes have decreased insulin sensitivity reports a study in the June 1997 issue of Diabetes. According to the study, the insulin sensitivity is distributed in this population in a way that suggests (contrary to previous assumptions) that a single gene may be responsible for insulin action.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1997
August 1997
Magnesium is a mineral that is essential for the digestion of carbohydrates. As part of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, researchers evaluated magnesium levels in over 12,000 people and found over six years of follow-up that those with the lowest levels had a significantly increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. While it is a reasonable hypothesis, there is no proof yet that magnesium supplements can decrease this risk or improve glycemic control for type 2s.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 1997
Metformin and troglitazone were both shown to improve glycemic control of type 2 diabetes. In addition, using them in combination proved to be safe and to provide additional benefit.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 1997
July 1997
Cardiovascular disease kills approximately 3,000 Americans each day. While this figure is alarming, people with diabetes have even more reason to be concerned as they are two to four times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease. But take heart; there is good news.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1997
June 1997
You're over 50 and taking time to smell the roses when suddenly you get stung. The doctor says you have type II diabetes and must alter your lifestyle. Forget those maple bars at the office every morning. Dust off your running shoes in the back of the closet. That midlife crisis has arrived, and it's nothing you expected.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1997
Get a medical exam before you start an exercise program. Exercising in the morning while the insulin level is low works well for most people with type I diabetes. Exercising 30 minutes to two hours after a meal or snack works well for most people. Prevent low blood sugars with slow carbs, such as athletic bars or protein-enriched pasta. Treat low blood sugars with fast carbs, such as glucose tablets or dextrose candies. Eat a protein/carb snack or a bar with slow-acting carbohydrates (Nite Bite, etc.) before bed after intense/long exercise or any exercise out of your ordinary range to keep your blood sugar from dropping overnight. Regular exercise trains the body and stabilizes the blood sugar. Always carry fast carbs with you as you exercise. To learn more about exercise and diabetes check with your health care professional and read STOP the Rollercoaster, a comprehensive book on managing your blood sugars (available by calling 800-988-4772).
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1997
You exercise. You do this because it's good for your health, can help stabilize your blood sugars and makes you look and feel better. It provides you with exhilarating, character-building challenges whether you run in the Boston Marathon or increase your walking distance from two to three miles per day.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1997
Ergo Science Corporation, located in Charlestown, Massachusetts, has initiated a human clinical trial for FDA approval of its Ergoset tablets. The tablets are intended to reduce insulin requirements for people with type 2 diabetes who are on insulin.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1997
May 1997
Researchers find a growing number of children and adolescents in the U.S. are developing type 2 diabetes, a condition that usually develops in people over 30. A possible cause: Obesity in young people is on the rise.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 1997
April 1997
Everybody is talking about Enter The Zone these days. They are referring to the popular book on nutrition and diet by Barry Sears. But there are other zones as well - the "treatment zones" for type 2 diabetes. Knowledge of these zones will help you better understand how and why your particular treatment program was designed.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 1997
March 1997
A new indicator of atherosclerosis for people with type 2 diabetes has been discovered. French scientists have found that the levels of a blood protein called A-IV is a very strong indicator of arterial problems in the heart, limbs and brain.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 1997
Researchers at the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans have discovered the earliest predictors of type 2 diabetes yet to be recorded.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 1997
Exercise can increase contractions in pregnant women with diabetes leading to pre-term labor. But this does not mean that exercise has to stop altogether. Leona Dang-Kilduff, a pregnancy adviser at the Diabetes and Pregnancy Center at the Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose, recommends that women who continue their exercise program into pregnancy maintain an acute awareness of their contractions.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 1997
February 1997
New findings on the consumption of certain sugars may lead to greater dietary flexibility, at least for a small subset of people with type 2 diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1997
Insulin dependent pilots are now free to fly anywhere they choose in the United States. Due to increased pressure from the American Diabetes Association, a 37-year blanket ban against pilots with insulin-treated diabetes has been lifted by the Federal Aviation Association(FAA).
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1997
November 1996
Workers who believe they have been harmed by illegal discrimination may sue current and former employers. If victimized by illegal job bias, here are some strategies which can protect your rights and enhance the strength of your claim:
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1996
October 1996
People newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes may be less responsive to the taste of glucose, according to a short report in the July 1996 issue of Diabetes Care. This could cause cravings for sweeter food and drinks, worsening hyperglycemia.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 1996
July 1996
One reason people with type 2 diabetes have difficulty controlling their blood glucose levels may be because their stomachs empty too fast.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1996
Nobody has a greater battle to fight with diabetes than Native Americans. Even with combined government, tribal, and private industry effort, type 2 diabetes on Indian reservations is nothing less than an epidemic.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1996
Research from Finland indicates that high doses of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) helps people with type 2 diabetes maintain glycemic control.
1 comment - Posted Jul 1, 1996
A "dead-in-bed" syndrome related to diabetes, which was first reported in the United Kingdom in 1989, is the subject of a cohort study appearing in the February 1995 issue of Diabetic Medicine.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1996
June 1996
Although type 2 diabetes has tripled since 1960, current treatments remain antiquated, according to an August 1995 article in Clinical and Investigative Medicine.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1996
Dr. Arthur Neumann, a retired physician, has lived with diabetes since 1951. He awoke at 4:00 a.m. one morning suffering from a severe hypoglycemic attack and within minutes blacked out. Luckily, his companion was there to inject him with a shot of glucagon-a solution which raises blood sugar by forcing the liver to release stored glucose. Naturally, Neumann reported the incident to his doctor.
2 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1996
May 1996
A recent study found that better glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes can result in fewer physical symptoms, better mood, and better well-being.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 1996
A recent study has concluded that acarbose and metformin can be used as effective therapies in people with type 2 diabetes who are poorly controlled with a sulfonylurea agent alone. Better glycemic control was achieved by patients in the study who also took acarbose or metformin, as opposed to just a sulfonylurea.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 1996
Scientists have found yet another reason for people to take a daily supplement of vitamin C. Not only does it help to ward off colds, but the antioxidant vitamin C can improve the blood circulation in people with type 2 diabetes. As a result, vitamin C may prove to be a potent combatant against diabetes-induced vascular disease, which can cause retinopathy, nephropathy and atherosclerosis.
1 comment - Posted May 1, 1996
The Precision QID passed a recent test, proving itself accurate enough to be used by pregnant women.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 1996
March 1996
The FDA has given approval to a new drug for people with type 2 diabetes. Precose (acarbose tablets) received marketing clearance in September 1995.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 1996
For the majority of Americans who suffer from type 2 diabetes, a new sulfonylurea drug, Amaryl (glimepiride tablets) may be an exciting option. Recently approved by the FDA, is the only drug of its kind indicated for use either on its own or with insulin, although the combined use may increase the potential for hypoglycemia. Amaryl binds to a different insulin receptor site than other sulfonylureas to provide sustained glucose control.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 1996
Currently there are an estimated 16 million people with diabetes in the United States. Perhaps ten percent are insulin-dependent-the rest have type 2 diabetes, which they control with diet, exercise, oral medications, and insulin.
1 comment - Posted Mar 1, 1996
January 1996
Fluoxetine is the generic name for Prozac, the increasingly-popular antidepressant drug. A study published in Diabetic Medicine, May 1995, reported that fluoxetine may help elderly people with type 2 diabetes lose weight.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 1996
Every new year an estimated 90 million Americans make health and fitness-related resolutions.
2 comments - Posted Jan 1, 1996
The November 1995 issue of Diabetes Care reported that women who take oral hypoglycemic drugs have a better chance of delivering a healthy baby than do women with poor glycemic control.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 1996
December 1995
Many people with diabetes seeking to improve their overall health wish to include daily exercise in their lifestyle. Unfortunately, the blood glucose (BG) response to exercise can often pose problems. BG can drop during or even hours after physical activity, or, to further complicate matters, it can rise. Why the inconsistency and varied response? Blame it on stress hormones and counter-regulatory hormones (CRH) activated during exercise. These hormones stimulate the liver to release glucose into the blood and this can send BG levels soaring.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1995
Ginseng, long used to treat a variety of ills, can reduce blood glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes. Ginseng is a plant extract that has been used for centuries to reduce fatigue and elevate mood.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1995
November 1995
Precose, a new oral drug from Bayer, was recently granted market clearance by the FDA for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1995
Syndrome X is a group of problems associated with type 2 diabetes. It includes obesity, hypertension (high blood pressure), hyperlipi-demia (abnormal cholesterol metabolism), macro-angiopathy, (large blood vessel disease/hardening of the arteries), and insulin resistance.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1995
A study led by Per G. Clauson, MD, in Stockholm, Sweden recently determined that the absorption of rapid-action insulin is slow in both obese and non-obese patients with type 2 diabetes when compared with type I patients.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1995
A study conducted by Frances Migdol Melchionne, RN, in Towaco, N.J., discovered that 92% of the schools surveyed had no written policy for handling children with diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1995
September 1995
In 1994, Universal Press Syndicate published a report stating that diabetes is twice as deadly as breast cancer in women. Linda Geiss, a researcher in Atlanta, wanted to find out if this statistic was accurate.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1995
August 1995
Researchers in New Zealand discovered that the mother is more likely to pass on type 2 diabetes to her children than the father.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 1995
Vanadium is a trace metal found in our food and in our bodies, which is known to improve insulin sensitivity. A study conducted at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine is the first to document the benefits of vanadium in humans.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 1995
July 1995
The FDA recently approved a new drug that offers excellent benefits for people with type 2 diabetes. Metformin, marketed under the name Glucophage by Bristol-Myers Squibb, is an oral medication for people with non-insulin dependent diabetes. Although metformin has been in use in other countries for over two decades, its approval in the United States has taken 38 years. An earlier form of the drug was removed from the market because it caused serious complications. Metformin has been observed in other countries and can be used with confidence by most people with diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1995
DIABETES HEALTH: What is metformin?
3 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1995
It was a year ago that Evelyn Narad found herself practically immobilized by a broken shoulder. A 74-year-old woman with type 2 diabetes, she was very overweight, dependent on daily insulin, and miserable.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1995
Several prominent endocrinologists gathered in San Diego this past January to develop guidelines for prescribing metformin. Speaking at the American Diabetes Association Post-Graduate course were: Alan J. Garber, MD, PhD, of Houston's Baylor College of Medicine; Ralph A. DeFronzo, MD, Chief of the Diabetes Division of the University of Texas Health Center in San Antonio; and Jay S. Skyler, MD of Miami.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1995
June 1995
Is your doctor up-to-date and willing to spend time with you? Dr. Alan Marcus certainly is. Dr. Marcus is one of the most innovative doctors we have ever come across. His unique perspective on diabetes and patient driven health care is truly inspiring.
Scott King: The latest figures show that only five percent of diabetes patients see a diabetes specialist. Is there something seriously wrong here? What is your feeling about diabetes care in America today?
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1995
I suppose the story begins when I first developed the symptoms of diabetes, at age 35.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1995
May 1995
Researchers at the University of Manitoba have begun looking for the genes that determine pancreatic islet cell mass. If they are successful, they may ultimately be able to identify people with a genetic predisposition to type 2 diabetes.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 1995
Researchers in India have shown that psyllium husk, which is the outer layer of the plantain seed, can significantly reduce cholesterol when administered to patients with type 2 diabetes.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 1995
A long-standing policy of denying a pilot's license to any person with insulin-treated diabetes is being contested by people who feel that this is in direct contradiction of American Diabetes Association recommendations.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 1995
March 1995
I am writing from my personal perspective about diabetes and pregnancy for two reasons: One, because I am a mother and a type I diabetic, and two, because I am a big believer in the virtues of a diabetes and pregnancy team. I don't think I could have had a successful pregnancy without it. I wanted the perfect baby, but, given my medical problems and diabetes, I knew I needed help.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 1995
Acarbose was found to be effective at reducing blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes in research conducted at the Centre de Recherch/Hotel-Dieu de Montreal in Quebec.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 1995
Research recently conducted at the Institute of Biochemistry in Glasgow, Scotland studied the blood lipid abnormalities associated with non insulin-dependent diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 1995
February 1995
Q: I have type 2 diabetes, how do I lower my blood sugar when it goes over 200 mg/dl?
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1995
I have read and heard that warm-up and cool down are important in preventing pulled muscles and preventing muscle soreness. Exactly how long and strenuous should they be?
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1995
January 1995
A study was conducted by the School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland to determine the proportion of end-stage renal failure in people with diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 1995
October 1994
Q: Why is weight loss so emphasized for people with type 2 diabetes? A: Excess body fat increases insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes is primarily a condition of resistance to insulin. Approximately 80% of the people with type 2 diabetes are overweight at diagnosis. Consequently, weight loss tends to reverse this disorder in most people and some are able to eliminate medication and rely solely on exercise, diet, and blood glucose monitoring.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 1994
September 1994
A study comparing the hypoglycemic effects of evening and morning injections in patients with non-insulin dependent diabetes (NIDDM) was conducted by the University of Helsinki, Finland (Diabetes Care, August 1994). Researchers determined that the hypoglycemic effects of the two treatments were similar. For patients using a combination of Regular and NPH therapy, insulin can be administered equally well during the night and during the day. The researchers were trying to determine when glucose production is most abnormal. They had hypothesized that nocturnal insulin injections might be more effective, because glucose production in the body is maximal during the night.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1994
May 1994
Preliminary investigation of the effectiveness of inhaling aerosolized insulin indicates that it can normalize blood glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 1994
Recent studies have found significantly more rapid gastric emptying in people recently diagnosed (within 3 years) with type 2 diabetes. This rapid gastric emptying results in increased after meal glucose levels and can make blood glucose control more difficult.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 1994
A study from the University of Toronto in Ontario, Canada, indicates that slower rates of carbohydrate absorption might have advantages in reducing after-meal high blood sugars.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 1994
March 1994
Using ultrasonography, researchers at the Armed Forces Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia have discovered that people who suffer from insulin deficiency, in either type I or insulin treated type 2 diabetes, have markedly smaller pancreases than non-diabetic control subjects and people with sulfonylurea treated type 2 diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 1994
New research is shedding light on one of the most distressing problems faced by a group of people who have diabetes (as well as their family, friends and co-workers). The problem, called hypoglycemia unawareness (HU), occurs when a person becomes incapable of dealing with his own low blood sugars. If unnoticed and untreated, HU can create serious problems, including grand mal seizures. If you've ever witnessed seizure activity or bizarre behavior in someone, you have some idea of the impact of HU and its danger.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 1994
February 1994
Does living with diabetes cause an increased prevalence of depression? Recent studies on the prevalence of depression in adults and adolescents with diabetes suggest that this may be the case. In a study published in Diabetes Care (December, 1993), the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among adolescents with diabetes was found to be 33.3% higher than in the non-diabetic control group, and that adolescents with diabetes in the study suffered from "significantly more introversive symptoms,...especially somatic symptoms, sleeping disturbances, compulsions, and depressive moods."
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1994
January 1994
A study of 15 Type 2 diabetic patients who controlled their diabetes through diet, were given 15 grams of guar gum per day over a 48 week period. The results of the study indicate that guar gum improved long-term glycemic control, postprandial (after meals) glucose tolerance, and lipid concentrations (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, October, 1993).
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 1994
Q: I am a brittle diabetic and live in fear every day as my blood sugar goes from high to very low within a few hours, and I never know it's low until it is too late. I understand there's a new oral drug for this, and I hope you can share some information with me. Also, I'd like to know what's new in terms of a cure-I hear rumors, but never see the new techniques or good news in doctor's offices. Please share any news of new treatment.
6 comments - Posted Jan 1, 1994
Dyslipidemia is abnormal lipid metabolism. It is very common among people with Type 2 diabetes, and most frequently involves increased levels of triglycerides, very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, as well as decreased levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL). These abnormalities appear to be caused by increased secretion of VLDL particles from the liver due to increased concentrations of free fatty acids and glucose.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 1994
November 1993
On August 16th, CytoTherapeutics Incorporated announced the commencement of its FDA-approved trial involving polymer-encapsulated islet cells. The trial is designed to establish that their semi-permeable membrane can allow enough nutrients through to keep the encapsulated cells alive while protecting them from destruction without the use of immunosuppressive drugs. The implant will be tested in people with type I and type 2 diabetes, as well as in a nondiabetic control group. The trial will be conducted at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and results of the 4 month viability study are expected by the end of 1993.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1993
June 1993
Mr. Metabolism has received numerous questions concerning the first human clinical trial of encapsulated islets announced on the CBS Evening News Thursday, May 13.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1993
In contrast to European governments, which have progressively restricted driving permits for individuals with insulin-dependent diabetes, the United States has been far more liberal in its restrictions. In an attempt to determine the decline in driving capability by insulin dependent adults experiencing hypoglycemia, the University of Virginia's General Clinical Research Center conducted a study of twenty five adults, measuring both their driving performance as well as their awareness of their driving performance during and after artificially-induced episodes of hypoglycemia. The study participants were infused with intravenous regular insulin, administered to produce mild and moderate hypoglycemic reactions, while they drove high-tech driving simulators. Immediately before and after each test, the participants were asked: "Would you choose to drive right now? Yes/No." The participants were kept shielded from their blood glucose levels throughout the tests.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1993
April 1993
This is the third and fourth parts of a six part series on "How to Understand and Use Insulin." The goal of this series is to promote a better understanding of insulin for those readers who already take insulin, including the many people with Type II diabetes who have switched from pills to insulin to treat their diabetes. The first and second parts of the series dealt with the technical factors involved in minimizing variations in insulin absorption. These parts focus on adjusting insulin, and parts five and six will focus on insulin research.
6 comments - Posted Apr 1, 1993
March 1993
A study from Denmark has found that eating frequent small meals, rather than less frequent large meals, can be beneficial for people with non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). The report of the study was published in Diabetes Care, January 1993.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 1993
February 1993
This is the second part of a six part series on "How to Understand and Use Insulin." The goal of this series is to promote a better understanding of insulin for those readers who already take insulin, including the many people with Type 2 diabetes who have switched from pills to insulin to treat their diabetes. The first and second parts of the series discuss the technical factors involved in minimizing variations in insulin absorption. Parts three and four will focus on adjusting insulin, and parts five and six will focus on insulin research.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1993
January 1993
This is the first of a six part series on "How to Understand and Use Insulin." The goal of this series is to promote a better understanding of insulin for those readers who already take insulin, including the many people with Type 2 diabetes who have switched from pills to insulin to treat their diabetes. The first and second part of the series will discuss the technical factors involved in minimizing variations in insulin absorption. Parts three and four will focus on adjusting insulin, and parts five and six will focus on insulin research.
1 comment - Posted Jan 1, 1993
December 1992
Alan Marcus MD, an endocrinologist and diabetes specialist, is extremely active in the diabetes community. He serves on many advisory boards and speaks frequently to groups of all sizes. His practice is in Laguna Hills, CA, and he serves as Asst. Clinical Prof. at USC.
1 comment - Posted Dec 1, 1992
November 1992
Fetal tissue. No other topic in diabetes research is as emotionally stirring. Some say that fetal tissue is the key to progress, and perhaps that fetal tissue will even cure diabetes. Others claim that fetal tissue research is immoral because it produces an incentive for abortions. How important is fetal tissue research? Is it likely to produce a cure for diabetes? Are there alternatives that avoid ethical concerns?
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1992
The Upjohn Company has recently released a new glyburide tablet that is designed to improve absorption and dosing flexibility for people with Type 2 diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1992
September 1991
Diabetes is a disease of the substance sugar, but is really about energy. In the final analysis, diabetes is a disease of poor energy metabolism. It is manifest in problems with sugar, the crucial fuel, and insulin, the crucial energy hormone. To understand diabetes, we need to understand biological energy: where it comes from, what it is, and how it works.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1991
Few studies have looked closely at female sexuality and diabetes. What are the special issues that arise? In this interview, Eileen Walko, MD, and Daryn Stier, MSW, LCSW, poignantly discuss what all women with diabetes should know.
3 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1991
January 1991
Improved blood sugar control, smoking cessation and aggressive blood pressure treatment are mainstays for preventing or treating the development of kidney disease in people with diabetes. Increasingly, physicians are also turning to a class of drugs called ACE inhibitors to slow the progression of kidney disease in their patients.
1 comment - Posted Jan 1, 1991