All About Diabetes

Recurring episodes of hypoglycemia or low blood sugar that are severe enough to cause a loss of consciousness or seizures do not appear to affect intellectual (cognitive) function, according to results of a long-term study. Investigators at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, Massachusetts presented the results of the study during the session of the American Diabetes Association.

Researchers studied more than 18 years of follow-up data on 1,509 patients enrolled in the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) and subsequently followed in the Epidemiology of Diabetes Intervention and Complications (EDIC) study.

It was shown in the DCCT that tight blood sugar control reduced the risk of long-term complications, including blindness, kidney disease and neurological decline, but increased the likelihood of severe hypoglycemia.

To date, it was reported that 348 patients in the study have had one to five episodes of severe hypoglycemia and 59 patients have had more than five and up to 23 episodes of severe low blood sugar during the study period. These same patients were asked to complete a cognitive function test at the beginning and at the end of the study. It was found that changes in scores were unrelated to history of hypoglycemia.

Researchers say that typical episodes, including even those that are severe enough to cause coma or seizures and those that last many minutes in duration, have no effect on cognitive function and no additive effect over time.

It is a known fact that alcohol ingestion may cause hypoglycemia among diabetic patients, but as to how alcohol causes severe low blood sugar levels remain elusive.

Now, researchers from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden disclosed how alcohol ingestion may harm the human brain by decreasing the blood glucose concentration to inappropriately low levels. Scientists from the Stockholm South Hospital Diabetes Research Center of Karolinska Institutet evaluated the influence of alcohol administration on pancreatic islet blood flow and dynamic changes in insulin secretion and blood sugar levels.

“We have now found that alcohol exerts substantial influences on pancreatic microcirculation by evoking a massive redistribution of pancreatic blood flow from the exocrine into the endocrine (insulin-producing) part via mechanisms mediated by the messenger molecule nitric oxide and the vagus nerve, augmenting late phase insulin secretion, and thereby evoking hypoglycemia.” said Ake Sjaholm, lead study investigator.

Researchers add that the discovery can also bring about the well-known properties in alcohol that can cause hypoglycemia in diabetics or in alcoholics with hepatic failure. They also note that the study might be relevant to “the derailed metabolic situation in diabetic subjects.” Furthermore, sustained hypoglycemia might be provoked by alcohol intake in type 2 diabetics being treated with hypoglycemic sulfonylureas due to the drugs’ long biological half-life.

“Does using insulin mean that your diabetes is at its worst?”

Not necessarily. This just means that your doctor feels that insulin is the better treatment for you at this time. If you are a type 1 diabetic, you will need insulin from the very start of your treatment to bring down the blood sugar. Because you don’t make your own natural insulin hormone, you will still need to continue injecting insulin even when the blood sugars are already in the normal range. (more…)

Regular exercise has been proven to improve blood sugar, blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels besides playing a role in enhancing weight loss and sense of well-being. Regular physical activity may even prevent type 2 diabetes in people at high risk (e.g., those with glucose intolerance, family history of diabetes, hypertension, abnormal blood cholesterol, sedentary lifestyle, excess body fat, polycystic ovary syndrome, gestational diabetes, history of giving birth to large babies, etc.). (more…)

An appeal to provide substantial evidence that dogs could reliably sniff out changes in their owner’s diabetic state is now being spread out by researchers at the Queen’s University. Dr. Deborah Wells from the School of Psychology at Queen’s University and Dr. Shaun Lawson from the University of Lincoln are looking for 100 type 1 diabetics that would answer an online survey. They are also requesting for video footages of dogs reacting to the “hypos” or low blood sugar levels of their owners. (more…)

A seven-month trial conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, said that parents, more than their type 1 diabetic children, have a hard time recognizing warming signs of hypoglycemia or extremely low blood sugar levels.

Researchers found that parents missed their children’s moderate hypoglycemia 54% of the time, while children missed 41% of these episodes.

In the study, the researchers asked 61 children, aged 6 to 11, and their parents to rate hypoglycemia symtoms, estimate the child’s blood sugar level, and measure it using a survey programmed on a personal digital assistant. Study participants completed 70 of these tests over a month, then reported cases of severe hypoglycemia for the next six months. (more…)

Do you regularly have headaches? Does your heart race? Are you irritable before meals? Do you feel confused or unable to make a decision? Are you constantly hungry? Are you always tired? Like Hollywood celebrities Burt Reynolds and Merv Griffin, you may be suffering from hypoglycemia, popularly known as “low blood sugar.” (more…)

Maricel lifts weights three times a week. Teresa runs five kilometers every day. Vicky plays tennis as often
as she can. All three women have recently gotten pregnant and would like to continue to exercise but they are concerned that it might hurt their baby. The good news is that experts like the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) now agree that moderate exercise can be safe for both the baby and the mother-to-be provided it is a healthy, normal pregnancy. (more…)

How can the elderly keep from having low blood sugars at night?

Hypoglycemia, defined variably as blood sugar <60 mg/dL, is one of the dreaded complications of diabetes management. It usually hinders the achievement of a satisfactory glucose control level because of the fear of developing symptoms of hypoglycemia – palpitations, excessive sweating, tremors, and disorientation. These “warning signs” are triggered by counter-regulatory hormones, like adrenalin, which are defense mechanisms of our body to increase sugar levels back to normal. (more…)