All About Diabetes

Researchers from the University of Texas Medical School in Houston concluded that a minimal dose of oral interferon alpha could preserve beta cell function for patients who are newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Dr. Stanley Brod, principal investigator of the trial explains that interferon alpha can extend the ‘honeymoon phase’ of the disease, allowing the body to still produce insulin from beta cells, which correlates with lower complication rates. Read more… »

Giving young children vitamin D supplements may lower their risk of developing type 1 diabetes in later life, according to a tem of researchers from St. Mary’s Hospital for Women and Children in Manchester, England.

The study, published in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood, found that children who took vitamin D supplements were around 30% less likely to develop diabetes than those who did not. Read more… »

Traditionally, first ladies are known more for their social skills and charm than what they ever said or did. They are expected to be amiable, outgoing, often seen but rarely heard. But these did not apply to former first lady Amelita Ramos, wife of former ,president Fidel V. Ramos. Read more… »

It is a well-known fact that diabetes is a disease whose prevalence is increasing at disturbingly alarming rates worldwide. And while much attention is focused on the incidence of type 2 diabetes, especially with the epidemic of childhood obesity, the incidence of type 1 diabetes which is classically associated with children is increasing as well. Read more… »

Premenopausal women (aged 35-55) with type 1 diabetes are likely to be more prone to have osteoporosis than non-diabetic women, according to results of a study. Bone mineral density (BMD) in premenopausal type 1 diabetic women is found to be 3 to 8 percent lower than in women without diabetes. Aside from lower BMD, diabetic women were also found to exhibit more bone fractures, with one-third of women reported having a fracture after age 20 compared to less than a quarter of those who do not have diabetes.

Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh are still unsure as to why type 1 diabetes affects bone density, however, they hypothesize that other changes in the cardiovascular system, kidney or nervous system which are often associated with longer duration of disease, are influencing bone density.

The researchers conclude that women with type 1 diabetes should be considered for early osteoporosis screening and fracture prevention efforts prior to menopause.

She used to dislike Yoko Ono. She was one of the many who thought that the Japanese girl was not good enough for the British pop star John Lennon. When she married one of the biggest names in the music industry, she realized how Yoko felt. She got exposed to the life of a pop star – constant media attention, fans who wanted a piece of her husband and who were not eager to share their idol with her. Such is the life of Angeli, wife of Gary Valenciano. For more than two decades, Angeli has taken care of Gary personally and professionally and it sure looks like she is doing a very, very good job. Read more… »

Results of a 20-year study confirm that tight blood sugar control reduces the risk of heart disease by more than half among people with type 1 diabetes. The study called the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that those who used aggressive methods to control blood sugar level had a 58 percent lower risk of a serious event like heart attack, stroke or death from cardiovascular disease, and a 42 percent reduced risk of developing cardiovascular disease events. Read more… »