When it comes to depression and erectile dysfunction (ED) among men with type 2 diabetes, which causes which? Italian authors of the study “Quality of Care and Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes” say the two factors work vice-versa. While depression may prompt the development of ED, signs of ED likewise bring about symptoms of depression. (more…)
Teenagers with type 2 diabetes are more likely to have signs of kidney damage and high blood pressure than teens with type 1 diabetes.
A group of investigators examined the prevalence of diabetes-related complications among young people with both types of the disease.
It was found that microalbuminuria (a sign of kidney damage) was detected in 28 percent of the type 2 diabetic patients compared with six percent of those with type 1 diabetes. High blood pressure was present in 36 percent of type 2 diabetes patients compared with 16 percent of type 1 diabetics.
Retinopathy was the only complication that was found to be significantly more common in type 1 diabetes patients than in those with type 2.
Experts say the findings of the study underscore the importance of screening children for complications when they are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes to reverse complications.
In a report published in the journal the Lancet, British scientists warn that environmental pollution may increase diabetes risk. Researchers at the University of Cambridge found a link between persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and insulin resistance. According to the report, peer reviewed research shows that individuals with high levels of POPs in their blood were at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
The report further said that POPs continue to find their way into the food chain, even though many of these toxins have already been banned years ago. These toxins could persist in body fat for very long periods of time after exposure. Scientists also stress on the importance of looking at environmental factors in diabetes research, as many of the current research about the disease mainly focus on genetics and obesity.
Limiting coffee intake could help people with type 2 diabetes better control their blood sugar levels, researchers report in the journal Diabetes Care. Researchers from the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, examined how caffeine affects blood sugar levels in a small group of patients with diabetes. Using a tiny glucose monitor embedded under the abdominal skin, researchers monitored continuously the glucose levels of 10 people, with the average age of 63, throughout the study. Results showed that caffeine caused an increase in blood glucose levels throughout the day, especially after meals.
It was further found that when participants were given four tablets containing caffeine equivalent to four cups of coffee, average glucose levels rose eight percent, compared to days when the same people were given four placebo tablets. “Caffeine appears to disrupt glucose metabolism in a way that could be harmful to people with type 2 diabetes,” said lead study author James Lane, a medical psychologist at Duke University.
The new study disproves earlier researches on the relationship between caffeine and diabetes. Previous studies claimed that drinking coffee lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes. Caffeine, which can be found in coffee, tea, and many soft drinks, may raise blood sugar levels by triggering the release of the hormone adrenaline, which can raise blood sugar levels. It may also interfere with the process of glucose transportation from the blood into the muscle and other cells in the body to be burned as fuel.
Researchers suggest that people with diabetes may want to avoid coffee and other beverages containing caffeine to keep their blood glucose level controlled.
Most often, low blood sugar and weight gain are two main concerns of patients with type 2 diabetes. For a time the only solution has been injecting insulin to normalize blood sugar level. “Hypoglycemia is the most difficult obstacle in the management of blood sugar in people with diabetes;’ said Dr. Phillip Cryer, a professor of Endocrinology and Metabolism at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
And because diabetes is a complex disease, optimal disease control is solely not addressed by injecting insulin. Dr. Harold E. Lebovitz, professor of Medicine at the State University of New York observed, “Indeed, emerging evidence suggests the importance of an additional therapeutic target: GI (Gastrointestinal) hormone regulation”.
Januvia (Sitagliptin phosphate) works by generating the release of incretin hormones. This hormone produced in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is responsible in activating the production of insulin in the body and slowing the rate of absorption in the GI tract. It triggers the body to naturally produce insulin that is needed in the body. At the same time, it slows down the emptying of the stomach to limit food intake.
“Incretin therapy offers an alternative option to currently available hypoglycemic agents for non-pregnant adults with type 2 diabetes with modest efficacy and a favorable weight change profile”, remarked Dr. Renee E. Amori of Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston, based on the analysis of 29 studies he and his colleagues conducted.
Moreover, one big advantage of Januvia (Sitagliptin phosphate) over injected insulin is that it is taken orally. Aside from this, it works with the body in such a way that when the body’s blood sugar level rises, it immediately triggers the production of insulin.
“For the millions of Americans with type 2 diabetes, who continue to have inadequate blood sugar control, the approval of Januvia marks an important advance in the fight against diabetes… We now have another new option that treats the disease in an entirely new way that can be added to existing treatment regimens to help patients gain more control over their blood sugar levels”, declared Dr. Steven Galson, director of Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research in the United States.
Diabetes embraces numerous complications, and bone disease is not an exception.The illness attacks bone mass without hesitation. Poor bone health is usually associated with type 1 diabetes, with decreasing bone mass as one of its complications. But type 2 diabetics are not at all safe. The American Diabetes Association reveals that even though type 2 diabetes increases bone mass, the risk of bone fracture is still high. There are things that one can do to maintain bone health. We suggest the following ways: (more…)
People with high intakes of vitamin D supplementation may prove calcium and vitamin D, whether from to be a healthy and inexpensive way to supplements or food may lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a research review published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
The research review found that those with the highest intakes of vitamin D and calcium had an 18 percent lower risk of diabetes compared to those who had lesser vitamin D and calcium intake. Likewise, people who ate the most dairy products also had lower diabetes (14 percent) risk than those who ate the least dairy.
Although the link between calcium and vitamin D and diabetes risk is still not clear, researchers explain that both nutrients may play an important role in the functioning of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, and in the body’s proper use of insulin.
Only a few studies have so far investigated whether vitamin D and calcium supplements can improve the body’s insulin sensitivity and blood sugar metabolism, most of which were found to have conflicting results. Some studies have shown, however, that the supplements may prevent the onset of developing type 2 diabetes in people who are already pre-diabetics depending on their blood sugar levels, according to the researchers.
They conclude that more trials are needed to be able to provide concrete results before fully recommending calcium or vitamin D for managing diabetes. Researchers further note that if this happens, calcium and vitamin D supplementation may prove to be a healthy and inexpensive way to prevent or treat type 2 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.
“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…)
