The desire to be thin can be overwhelming. Few people know that better than Kelie Gardner, who started inexplicably losing a lot of weight during high school. She thought it was great until she discovered the reason—she has type 1 diabetes and her body can’t absorb the nutrients it should. After she was diagnosed and started taking insulin, Gardner returned to a healthy weight. Unfortunately, she wasn’t happy with this sign of improvement. “When I was on insulin, my body was able to start functioning normally,” says Gardner, now 26. “I went up to a normal body weight, but I was used to being skinny. I had the fear of, ‘Oh gosh, I’m going to be fat.’”

21 comments - 30 May 2008 -

With annual worldwide sales topping 1.3 billion dollars, insulin pumps are one of the most popular devices in the treatment of diabetes. Not only do they allow people with type 1 diabetes to more easily manage their blood glucose levels, but they also help users regain their freedom and enjoy a more normal life.

14 comments - 30 May 2008 -

Our Advisory Board Member Dr. Richard K. Bernstein has courageously championed the low carb diet for 20 years despite the fact that many people thought he was “out to lunch.” Although his patients loved him for helping them control their high BGs and reverse their complications, other medical professionals often criticized his low carb methods.

9 comments - 30 May 2008 -

Two new studies say that erectile dysfunction (ED) may be a warning sign of diabetes, as well as a warning of approaching cardiovascular disease.

0 comments - 30 May 2008 -

Diabetes classes or visits to a nutritionist by patients with diabetes are associated with lower hospitalization rates and reductions in medical costs, according to findings published in Diabetes Care.

0 comments - 30 May 2008 -

While none of us would have asked for diabetes, and it's a semi-regular (OK, almost constant) pain in the butt, and I go from highs to lows both in my blood sugar and my frustration level, I still try to remain focused on my blessings: the good in my life and what diabetes gives me.

1 comment - 30 May 2008 -

Dear Diabetes Health, I appreciated Jamie Bailes’ (April/May 2008) article on helping overweight kids. To me, it illustrated the complexity of weight regulation and the folly of linking it to one factor (fat).

2 comments - 30 May 2008 -

Researchers at Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh have started an FDA-approved phase 1 test in humans of a lab procedure that successfully reversed type 1 diabetes in mice.

8 comments - 30 May 2008 -

If you have diabetes, chances are you are already taking cholesterol-lowering drugs or realize that they might soon join the list of your other medications.

2 comments - 30 May 2008 -

HealthDay reports that according to a University of Miami study, people with type 1 diabetes who received transplanted islet cells from human donors lived insulin-free for up to two years.

1 comment - 30 May 2008 -