All About Diabetes

An oral medication for type 2 diabetes that has been in use for more than a decade was found to have distinct advantages compared to nine other, much-newer medications used to control the chronic disease, according to researchers from the Johns Hopkins Institute.

Results of the study, published online in the Annals of Internal Medicine journal, showed that the drug metformin, first approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration in 1995, did not only control blood sugar levels, but also lowered bad cholesterol levels in the blood, with less weight gain. Researchers agree that these health benefits may protect type 2 diabetics against heart diseases and other complications brought about by the disease.

According to Shari Bolen, MD, lead author of the study and an instructor at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, newer drugs doesn’t necessarily mean they’re better. “Issues like blood sugar levels, weight gain and cost could be significant factors to many patients struggling to stay in good health,” says Bolen.

Bolen and her team reviewed scientific evidence from 216 previous studies and compared each drug for its clinical effectiveness, risks and costs. The study, which is believed to be the largest drug comparison of its kind, showed that all of the commonly used oral medications work in much the same way in terms of lowering and controlling blood sugar levels, and all were equally safe.

‘When you are dealing with an epidemic like diabetes, it is important for people to weigh their treatment options with their physician and to make informed decisions about which medication best suits their needs,” said Bolen. Researchers say further studies are needed to compare the long-term effectiveness of one oral medication to another, as well as the drugs’ effects on quality of life and life expectancy. More researches are likewise needed to compare the findings of the said study with results for injectable for diabetes, including insulin.

A lifestyle modification program along with metformin, a drug commonly used by type 2 diabetics to lower blood sugar level, may help teenage girls lose weight if they make changes in their diet as well, according to a study.

To test its effectivity, researchers examined the effect of adding metformin versus placebo to a personal diet and exercise goal-setting program for 85 obese adolescents with insulin resistance, 71 percent of whom were female. Researchers report in the Journal of Pediatrics that goal-setting alone did not lead to significant weight loss. However, researchers observed a significant decrease in body weight in girls receiving metformin, but not in those receiving placebo. A decrease in body mass index of more than five percent were seen in 60 percent of the participants who took metformin and at the same time cut back on their diet.

“Current options for weight loss medications are fairly expensive and not typically covered by insurance plans,” noted Dr. Kathryn Love-Osborne of Denver Health and Hospitals in Colorado in her comments to Reuters Health. “As such, medications are not readily accessible to low-income patients who are at higher risk for obesity-related complications.”

As such, researchers concluded that the availability of safe and inexpensive medications that might provide additional benefits for patients who are motivated to make modest lifestyle changes would be a welcome option for primary care providers who are working with obese teens.

A couple in their early thirties gushed at the sight of their lovely first-born, tickled pink with that perfectly delicate smile. The mother, who had gestational diabetes (pregnancy-related diabetes), almost wept while recalling her difficult pregnancy. But it was all over, she thought. Although the baby was bigger than usual, he had a complete set of fingers and functioning vital organs. (more…)

What if your entire life could be compressed into a twelve-hour clock ; and you knew you would develop diabetes at the eleventh hour, would a you turn the hands of time before it o struck eleven? Wishful thinking? Perhaps. But in a way, it IS possible to reset the 3 clock of diabetes. (more…)

Generex Biotechnology Corporation, makers of the Generex Metformin Gum product, recently revealed results of a small study which showed that the gum presentation of metformin is as effective as the tablet form in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Designed as a companion product to the company’s oral insulin spray product (Oral-lyn), Generex Metformin Gum is an alternative presentation of metformin that can be chewed, thereby delivering the active component metformin into the human cavity by the mouth. (more…)