Info about diabetes

Diabetes research: Drink tea regularly

2009-09-21T21:48:00.003+05:30

The drinking of tea has always been associated with having developed a taste for it. There are regions in the world where tea drinking is more common, and there are regions in the world where coffee is more popular. As regards the health benefits of tea, opinion in the past has been mixed, with a lot of research pointing out benefits of green tea, but not specifically that of the normal everyday black tea. Now, research based on statistical methods (not scientific evidence of ingredients, but an analyis based on numbers - although such methods are a good starting point for doing research) reveals that people drinking upto 3 cups of tea a day reduce their risk of developing diabetes by half (link to article):

After analyses, boffins discovered that chemicals found in all types of tea cut the dangers of developing type 2diabetes by 42 per cent. Drinking more than three cups did not reduce the risk any further, reports The Daily Express. The team concluded: "Consumption of at least three cups of tea and/or coffee was associated with a lowered risk of type 2 diabetes. Blood pressure and intake of magnesium, potassium and caffeine did not explain these associations."
Instead, the beneficial effects in tea were probably explained by "flavonoid antioxidants" which are found in every cup.

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Blood Sugar 101: What They Don't Tell You About Diabetes (Paperback)

What is Diabetes Insipidus ?

2009-09-12T00:18:00.001+05:30

Diabetes Insipidus is a rare disorder, resulting in excessive thirst and excessive passage of very dilute urine, due to a hormone deficiency in the pituitary gland, which is situated at the base of the brain.
Diabetes Insipidus results from a decreased production of antidiuretic hormone (vasopressin), the hormone that normally prevents the kidney from producing too much urine. Children with DI may be irritable or listless and may have fever, vomiting, or diarrhea. Milder forms of DI can be managed by drinking enough water, usually between 2 and 2.5 liters a day. DI severe enough to endanger a person’s health is rare.

Signs & Symptoms :
- Excessive thirst that is difficult to satisfy.
- Passage of large amounts (up to 15 quarts a day) of diluted, colorless urine.
- Dehydration, leading to rapid heart rate, low blood pressure and shock.
- Constipation.
- Mild cases may present with unremitting enuresis (bed-wetting).

Risk Factors :
- Brain tumor or pituitary gland tumor.
- Head Injury
- Infections such as meningitis, encephalitis, tuberculosis.
- Sarcoidosis
- Family history of diabetes insipidus.
- Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).

Diabetes Insipidus is not the same as diabetes mellitus ("sugar" diabetes). Diabetes Insipidus resembles diabetes mellitus because the symptoms of both diseases are increased urination and thirst. However, in every other respect, including the causes and treatment of the disorders, the diseases are completely unrelated.

There are four (4) fundamentally different types of Diabetes Insipidus(DI). Each has a different cause and must be treated in a different way. These four forms are:
- Neurogenic, also known as central, hypothalamic, pituitary or neurohypophyseal, is caused by a deficiency of the antidiuretic hormone, vasopressin.
- Nephrogenic, also known as vasopressin-resistant is caused by insensitivity of the kidneys to the effect of the antidiuretic hormone, vasopressin.
- Gestagenic, also known as gestational is also caused by a deficiency of the antidiuretic hormone, vasopressin, that occurs only during pregnancy.
- Dipsogenic, a form of primary polydipsia is caused by abnormal thirst and the excessive intake of water or other liquids.

How do you test for diabetes insipidus?
Usually your doctor will check your urine to see how much water is in it. He or she may also check your blood. Your doctor may give you a "water deprivation" test. During this test, you aren't allowed to drink any liquids. The staff will weigh you, check your urine and blood every hour for several hours. If the results of the test show that you have diabetes insipidus, you will probably also have pictures taken of your brain with a CT (computed tomographic) scan or an MRI (magnetic resonance image).

Medications:
- Vasopressin or desmopressin acetate, modified synthetic forms of antidiuretic hormone, may be taken as a nasal spray several times a day, to maintain a normal urine output. However, taking too much of this medication can cause fluid retention and swelling and other problems.
- Sometimes diabetes insipidus can be controlled with drugs that stimulate production of antidiuretic hormone such as chlorpropamide, carbamazepine, clofibrate.

Diet: No special diet. Drink as much water as you feel you need.

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The Official Patient's Sourcebook on Diabetes Insipidus: Directory for the Internet Age (Paperback)

Diabetes research: Researchers Find Gene That Causes Resistance To Insulin

2009-09-08T00:28:00.003+05:30

One of the major areas of focus for Diabetes research is to identify the precise reasons (including genetic reasons) for the multiple factors that go towards making a person afflited with Type 2 diabetes. These could be geared towards identifying why the body stops making insulin (or makes it in reduced quantities), or to identify as to why the body develops insulin resistance, which means the body is unable to pick up glucose from the blood stream. This particular research is geared towards identifying the genetic reasons that make the body stop responding to insulin present in the bloodstream. The gene reduces the effect of insulin already present in the muscles, liver and fat of the affected person (link to article):

Unlike most of the genes that have been shown to cause diabetes, the new gene, called Insulin Receptor Substrate 1 (IRS1), doesn't affect how insulin is created in the pancreas, but rather, how the body responds to insulin already in the bloodstream. IRS1 has to do with the function of the other tissues in the body. Rather than reduce production of insulin, this gene reduces the effect of insulin in muscles, liver and fat, a process called insulin resistance.
Sladek hopes this discovery may lead to new therapeutic lines of attack in the future. "It's possible that in diabetic patients, the signal to turn this gene on and off might be impaired. But we might be able to use one of the other pathways to turn it on," he said.

All this research is geared towards ensuring that medical science develops a much deeper understanding of why the body goes towards insulin resistance, and whether there is a genetic reason that can be repaired.

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Mediterranean diet helps in the fight against diabetes

2009-09-05T00:56:00.003+05:30

What is a Mediterranean diet ? It is a diet in which olive oil is used for cooking, where there is a lot of focus on fruits, fish, nuts, and used by people who live around the Mediterranean sea. For quite some time now, such a diet has been stated to be very good for health, it is low in carbohydrate, and has been shown to help against cancer in the past.
Now, recent research shows that such a diet helps in the fight against diabetes, ensuring that people with diabetes lose weight more easily than even those people on a low fat diet, and were also able to avoid taking medicines for blood sugar for longer (link to article):

Compared to people on a low-fat diet, those with type 2 diabetes who ate a Mediterranean diet lost more weight and went longer without blood-sugar-lowering medication, according to a study published this week in Annals of Internal Medicine. "A Mediterranean diet isn't a magic diet, but it has a lot of features that we know are generally healthful," said Dr. Richard Hellman, an endocrinologist and clinical professor of medicine at the University of Missouri -- Kansas City School of Medicine, who was not involved in the research.
A Mediterranean diet includes vegetables, whole grains, fish, poultry, and healthy fats, such as olive oil. In the study, women on the diet were allowed 1,500 calories per day, and men were allowed 1,800 calories per day; no more than 50 percent of calories could come from carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are found in fruit, pasta, and other healthy (and unhealthy) foods, and are largely responsible for the rise in blood sugar after eating. People with type 2 diabetes can sometimes keep their blood sugar in a healthy range by watching their carbohydrate intake.

Being able to keep your diabetes under check through diet and exercise is something that every diabtes afflicted person would really desire, so if it means diet control, that should be an option that people should be willing to consider.

Diabetes research: Blueberry shows promise in fight against obesity and diabetes

2009-09-05T00:30:00.003+05:30

In today's world, both obesity and diabetes are affecting an increasing number of people, and those numbers don't look likely to decrease anytime soon. With more automation, less manual work, and less time for meaningful exercise, it is far more likely for people to develop these lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and other related problems. What is the solution once you contract diabetes ? You need to get into sugar control, more exercise, and having to constantly watch what you are eating.
At the same time, there is a constant search to find chemicals (both natural and artifical) that work to reduce this high sugar levels in the blood, and one promising food items that works in this manner is blueberries (link to article):

Montreal researchers have found a way to use fermented blueberry juice for weight loss. The scientists used bacteria from the skin of the blueberry to transform it biologically into what they call a “promising anti-obesity and anti-diabetic” juice. "Biotransformed blueberry juice may represent a novel therapeutic agent, since it decreases hyperglycemia in diabetic mice and can protect young pre-diabetic mice from developing obesity and diabetes. The fermented blueberry juice could be beneficial for weight loss and for diabetes treatment. The juice was found to lower glycemic levels in mice in just three days.
The researchers used the bacteria Serratia vaccinii to transform the blueberry juice, finding that increasing the antioxidant powers with the bacteria provided strong anti-obesity and anti-diabetic properties. The blueberry juice used in the study was compared to regular blueberry juice to find the potential for treating obesity and diabetes.

In the absence of a more structured program in society to reduce obesity, increase the amount of exercise and be more informed about how to avoid diabetes, it is necessary to find items that are useful in bringing blood suagr levels under control and keep the affliction under control.

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Article: Whole grains can give health benefits, countering diabetes and cancer

2009-09-01T00:41:00.001+05:30

As part of a healthy diet, it has always been recommended to have whole grain as part of the dite. Remember when you pop off to get some bread, and the whole grain bread is advertised as the more healthy one, the type that is more beneficial to your health. You already know that, but here is some advice in the form of a study that recommends having more of whole grain, since it helps against both diabetes and cancer (link to article):

“Research shows that whole grains are good for your heart, lower risk of diabetes and stroke, and may help prevent certain cancers. They also help in managing weight,” she said. Sandon said that whole grains are chock full of good-for-you nutrients including fiber, folate and niacin, vital B vitamins, and magnesium.
She advised that people should by rule look for the words “Made with whole grain” and “100 percent whole grain” on packages. She gave other going-with-the-grain tips, which include swapping whole wheat breadstuffs for white rolls and breads, using whole wheat bread crumbs for stuffing.

This scientific advice will not be unknown to a number of people, but because whole grain stuff does not taste the same as the more processed stuff (food articles), people do not readily adopt whole grain; another byproduct of this attitude is that whole grain made items are not so readily available.

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Diabetes and exercise: Very beneficial

2009-08-30T21:47:00.004+05:30

Remember, if you are a diabetic, before any change in lifestyle, you should consult your doctor. This includes going in for an exercise regime that you may not be doing earlier.
However, as a broad level summary, exercise has normally been recommended for diabetics. Type of exercise you should do ? It is recommended that you do aerobic exercises such as jogging, fast walking, dancing, or cycling. If you are not in the habit of such exercises, then start slowly. However, diabetes is many times accompanied by nerve damage, including in the feet. In that case, go in for exercise that impacts the feet less, such as swimming, cycling, or rowing.
Exercise has benefits of helping controlling your weight, as well as reducing your blood sugar levels. The exercise makes you feel better, and increase your fitness levels. Exercise can help you improve your circulation, which can counteract some of the problems caused by diabetes. As you would do with normal exercise, you should warm up before your exercise, and slowly cool down after you have completed the exercises. These can be simple exercises such as walking, or stretching.
How does exercise help diabetics ? Exercise is supposed to help the body's insulin sensitivity, and on a prolonged basis, will help the person's fight against diabetes. However, after prolonged exercise, you need to be careful, since the blood sugar levels in the body may get too low, invoking a serious condition condition called hypoglycemia. You should read more about hypoglycemia, what are the symptoms, and how to make sure that exercise does not leave you with dangerous blood sugar levels. Keep some kind of quick energy snack such as a energy bar handy if you feel that your blood sugar levels have dropped.
While doing exercise, you should ensure that you should get enough fluids, and not get dehydrated. Drink fluids (either water, or your favorite energy drinks (but not useless fizzy drinks)); remember that dehydration can affect your blood sugar level.
Since those people with high blood sugar levels face greater problems in terms of blisters or sores on the leg, you should ensure that you check your legs frequently for these; further, wear adequate protection such as shoes or sneakers.
Remember, in all cases, even if you are not able to do more stress exercises such as jogging, cycling, you should still go in for walking. Walking for 30 minutes every day can do great wonders to your diabetes control. Also, walking in the morning (or other exercises) keeps your energy levels high for the rest of the day. Once you can get into the habit of walking regularly, see whether you can move onto walking on a hilly surface. It can be a gradual slope, and works great for your diabetes.

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Introduction to Diabetic Ketoacidosis

2009-08-17T20:53:00.004+05:30

Diabetic Ketoacidosis is a condition in which the body cells are unable to get glucose for producing energy. Due to insufficiency of insulin, the cells cannot use glucose. To avoid starvation the body begins to break down fat, for energy. The constant break down of fat, releases fatty acids and ketone bodies causing chemical imbalance (metabolic imbalance) called Diabetic Ketoacidosis.

SYMPTOMS OF DIABETIC KETOACIDOSIS:
* Excessive thirst
* Frequent urination
* General weakness
* Vomiting, Loss of appetite
* Confusion
* Abdominal discomfort
* Gasping breath
* Dry and hot skin
* Dry mouth
* Increased heart rate
* low blood pressure
* Sometimes a distinctive fruity odor on the breath
* Blurred vision
* Drowsiness or difficulty waking up
* Coma and finally death

CAUSES OF DIABETIC KETOACIDOSIS :
The condition known as diabetic ketoacidosis occurs when the body has no insulin. This leaves the muscle, fat, and liver cells unable to use glucose (sugar) in the blood as fuel. Other hormones such as glucagon, growth hormone, and adrenaline cause fat to break down within the cells of these tissues into glucose and fatty acids. These fatty acids are converted to ketones by a process called oxidation. The body is literally consuming muscle, fat, and liver cells for fuel.
In diabetic ketoacidosis the body shifts from its normal metabolism using carbohydrates for fuel to a fasting state using fat for fuel. The resulting increase in blood sugar because it cannot be transported into cells for future use causes increased urination and dehydration. Commonly, 10% of total body fluids may be lost. Significant loss of potassium from urination is also common.
The most common events that cause person with diabetes to enter a state of diabetic ketoacidosis are these:
- Infection (40%) - Missed insulin (25%) - Newly diagnosed or previously unknown diabetes (15%)
Various other causes may include a heart attack, stroke, trauma, stress, and surgery. There is no identifiable cause 5-10% of the time.

WHEN TO SEEK MEDICAL CARE ?
- If you have diabetes, contact your doctor if you have very high blood sugars (generally more than 350 mg) or moderate elevations that do not respond to home treatment.
- If you have diabetes and develop a fever or start vomiting, contact your doctor for instructions.
- If you have home access to urine ketone test strips, and if urine sampling indicates moderate or greater urine ketones, notify your doctor.

TREATMENT FOR DIABETIC KETOACIDOSIS :
1. Self-Care: Home care usually includes preventing Diabetic Ketoacidosis and treating moderately elevated high blood sugar. It includes:
- Monitor your blood sugars at least 3-4 times a day. You should check it more frequently if you feel illness, fever and vomiting sensation.
- If you can see moderate elevations in blood sugar, try to adjust with insulin injections (short-acting form of insulin).
- Try to identify related signs of infection and keep yourself well hydrated by drinking non-sugary fluids throughout the day.

2. Medical-Care: When ketoacidosis goes on increasing we should immediately seek doctor's help. Treatment involves giving insulin and fluids through a vein and closely monitoring the chemicals in the blood (electrolytes). If the case is critical, it requires admitting the patient in the Intensive Care Unit.
- Intravenous fluid replacement to reverse the dehydration, and dilute glucose and acid levels. Many liters of fluid is passed, intravenous to correct losses(Potassium is added, if required).
- Insulin administration to prevent further ketone formation.
- Further test and investigation are carried out depending upon the status of the patient.

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Diabetes type 2 and alcohol

2009-08-15T11:31:00.004+05:30

For people who have diabetes type 2, and have had to learn about sugar control, glycemic index, insulin, insulin sensitivity, there is a lot of worry about what does alcohol intake mean for those who suffer from diabetes ? There are so many conflicting trends with alcohol -
- Supposedly, alcohol in small quantities is helpful, especially drinks such as wine
- If you are drinking alcohol, then drinking a small amount of alcohol on a regular basis has positive effects on the chance of getting heart attacks, strokes, etc.
- Drinking beer (along with the associated fast food, chips, etc) can be bad for your health because of the calorific intake of food that is not healthy
- Drinking more than moderate amounts of alcohol on a regular basis (especially binge drinking) is harmful

This complicates life for diabetics, who need to figure out whether they can drink harmful. So, is there a simple answer ? Well, guess you expected it - No. The simple answer is that it depends on what your complications are from diabetes; so if you are getting your diabetes checked on a regular basis with a doctor, questions about alcohol intake should be checked with a doctor. Below are some generic notes on the subject to help your awareness level.

- Drinking moderate amounts of alcohol (such as wine, or hard drinks such as whiskey, rum, vodka, etc) is fine. In fact, small quantities of alcohol on a regular basis can help in terms of decreased risk for coronary disease, strokes, and help with insulin sensitivity. However, keep in mind that there is right now not much in terms of cause and effect medical studies to explain this; these conclusions are based on doing statistical analysis on a large number of patients (in the above case, moderate means 2 12oz amounts of beer, or 2 pegs of hard alcohol)
- Drinking larger amounts of alcohol on a regular basis is harmful
- Because the liver helps in generating glucose if blood sugar levels drop, this helps in preventing low blood sugar levels. However, with alcohol in the body, the liver treats this alcohol as a toxin and switches to cleaning the blood as a top priority. This means that if the blood sugar level drops, the liver will not help, and this increases the change of ending up with low levels of blood sugar. If you are drinking, make sure that you are not doing this on an empty stomach, and it may help to actually consume a light snack before going to sleep.
- Exercise helps in reducing blood sugar, so if you are going in for heavy exercise, followed by some time at the club consuming some type of alcohol, you could be risking low levels of blood sugar (since in both cases, you blood sugar level would drop)
- When you drink, especially something like beer (which is mostly empty calories), and you are trying to lose weight, you are actually under-cutting your weight reduction efforts
- When people drink stuff other than beer or wine, they usually add something to their drink (this could be a soda to the drink, or a cocktail), then unless you are adding a diet drink, you could be actually consuming a fair amount of sugar that you don't even think about
- Heavy drinking has bad effects on your liver, and decreases the effectiveness of the liver in being able to pump glucose into your blood stream when the blood sugar level decreases
- In some cases, alcohol should not be drunk at all
A) When you are having nerve damage due to diabetes; in such cases the alcohol attacks the nerves causing more pain and damage. This is not related to high levels of drinking, and happens even when you are drinking moderately
B) If you have eye damage due to diabetes, reduce the alcohol intake, or cut it out altogether
C) For diabetics, there is a worry about a type of fat in the blood called triglyceride. These need to be under control, but for a number of diabetics, this is not the case. Alcohol intake causes more problems with triglyceride; hence alcohol intake should be cut or stopped.
D) If you have high blood pressure, then reduce or cut the alcohol intake.

Diabetic Nephropathy - A Kidney disease

2009-08-06T21:07:00.004+05:30

Diabetic nephropathy is kidney disease that develops as a result of diabetes mellitus(DM), also called diabetes. This disease damages many organs, including the eyes, nerves, blood vessels, heart, and kidneys. DM is the most common cause of kidney failure in the United States and accounts for over one-third of all patients who are on dialysis.
Each kidney is made of hundreds of thousands of filtering units called nephrons. Each nephron has a cluster of tiny blood vessels called a glomerulus. Together these structures help remove waste from the body. Too much blood sugar can damage these structures, causing them to thicken and become scarred. Slowly, over time, more and more blood vessels are destroyed. The kidney structures begin to leak and protein (albumin) begins to pass into the urine.

SYMPTOMS OF DIABETIC NEPHROPATHY :
* Fatigue.
* Foamy appearance or excessive frothing of the urine.
* Frequent hiccups.
* Generalized itching and ill feeling.
* Headache, nausea and vomiting.
* Poor appetite.
* Swelling of the legs, around eyes, body swelling in later stage of disease.
* Unintentional weight gain (from fluid buildup).

What causes diabetic nephropathy?
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a complication of diabetes that is believed to contribute most directly to diabetic nephropathy. Hypertension is believed to be both the cause of diabetic nephropathy, as well as the result of damage that is created by the disease. As kidney disease progresses, physical changes in the kidneys often lead to increased blood pressure.

A higher proportion of individuals with type 2 diabetes are found to have microalbuminuria and overt nephropathy shortly after the diagnosis of their diabetes, because diabetes is actually present for many years before the diagnosis is made and also because the presence of albuminuria may be less specific for the presence of diabetic nephropathy, as shown by biopsy studies.

Screening for microalbuminuria can be performed by three methods:
- Measurement of the albumin-to-creatinine ratio in a random spot collection.
- 24-h collection with creatinine, allowing the simultaneous measurement of creatinine clearance.
- Timed (e.g., 4-h or overnight) collection.

TREATMENT FOR DIABETIC NEPHROPATHY :
Specific treatment for diabetic nephropathy will be determined by your physician based on:
* your age, overall health, and medical history.
* extent of the disease.
* your tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies.
* expectations for the course of the disease.
* your opinion or preference.
Treatment may include any, or a combination of, the following:
* proper diet.
* exercise.
* strict monitoring and controlling of blood glucose levels, often with medication and insulin injections.
* medication (to lower blood pressure).

Diabetic Retinopathy - Eye disease

2009-08-02T09:24:00.013+05:30

Diabetic retinopathy is a complication common in uncontrolled diabetes and a leading cause of blindness. It occurs when diabetes damages the tiny blood vessels inside the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. Given that a healthy retina is necessary for good vision, damage to the blood vessels will affect your eyesight. At first you may notice no changes to your vision. But over time, diabetic retinopathy can get worse and cause vision loss. Diabetic retinopathy usually affects both eyes. All people with diabetes—both type 1 and type 2—are at risk. That's why everyone with diabetes should get a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once a year.

Diabetic retinopathy has four stages:
1. Mild Nonproliferative Retinopathy. At this earliest stage, microaneurysms occur. They are small areas of balloon-like swelling in the retina's tiny blood vessels.
2. Moderate Nonproliferative Retinopathy. As the disease progresses, some blood vessels that nourish the retina are blocked.
3. Severe Nonproliferative Retinopathy. Many more blood vessels are blocked, depriving several areas of the retina with their blood supply. These areas of the retina send signals to the body to grow new blood vessels for nourishment.
4. Proliferative Retinopathy. At this advanced stage, the signals sent by the retina for nourishment trigger the growth of new blood vessels. These new blood vessels are abnormal and fragile. They grow along the retina and along the surface of the clear, vitreous gel that fills the inside of the eye. By themselves, these blood vessels do not cause symptoms or vision loss. However, they have thin, fragile walls. If they leak blood, severe vision loss and even blindness can result.

Signs and Symptoms
The affect of diabetic retinopathy on vision varies widely, depending on the stage of the disease.
* Blurred vision (this is often linked to blood sugar levels
* Floaters and flashes
* Sudden loss of vision
What are the symptoms of proliferative retinopathy if bleeding occurs?
At first, you will see a few specks of blood, or spots, "floating" in your vision. If spots occur, see your eye care professional as soon as possible.

How does diabetic retinopathy cause vision loss?
1. Fragile, abnormal blood vessels can develop and leak blood into the center of the eye, blurring vision. This is proliferative retinopathy and is the fourth and most advanced stage of the disease.
2. Fluid can leak into the center of the macula, the part of the eye where sharp, straight-ahead vision occurs. The fluid makes the macula swell, blurring vision. This condition is called macular edema. It can occur at any stage of diabetic retinopathy, although it is more likely to occur as the disease progresses.

How is diabetic retinopathy treated?
During the first three stages of diabetic retinopathy, no treatment is needed, unless you have macular edema. To prevent progression of diabetic retinopathy, people with diabetes should control their levels of blood sugar, blood pressure, and blood cholesterol.
Proliferative retinopathy is treated with laser surgery. This procedure is called scatter laser treatment. Scatter laser treatment helps to shrink the abnormal blood vessels. Scatter laser treatment works better before the fragile, new blood vessels have started to bleed. That is why it is important to have regular, comprehensive dilated eye exams. The doctor places 1,000 to 2,000 laser burns in the areas of the retina away from the macula, causing the abnormal blood vessels to shrink. Because a high number of laser burns are necessary, two or more sessions usually are required to complete treatment.

How is a macular edema treated?
Macular edema is treated with laser surgery. This procedure is called focal laser treatment. Your doctor places up to several hundred small laser burns in the areas of retinal leakage surrounding the macula. These burns slow the leakage of fluid and reduce the amount of fluid in the retina. The surgery is usually completed in one session. Further treatment may be needed.

What can be done if somebody has already lost some vision from diabetic retinopathy?
An eye care professional about low vision services and devices that may help you make the most of your remaining vision.

NOTE : Visit your eye doctor frequently. Do not wait for symptoms to occur.

Insulin and Weight Gain

2009-08-02T09:16:00.004+05:30

Insulin is a potent hormone that regulates glucose, fat, and protein metabolism. In many cases, people with type 2 diabetes start insulin therapy when oral medicines cannot or no longer control their glucose levels. This means that blood glucose levels in the body have been elevated for an extended period of time. In this state, the body does not metabolize glucose, fat, or protein in a well-regulated or efficient way. Cells that require glucose to function properly begin starving because of inadequate amounts of circulating insulin. Fat metabolism becomes abnormal, which can lead to high triglyceride levels. The body's metabolic rate then increases as it tries to convert this fat into a source of energy.
Both, type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes (diabetes mellitus) occur when the body can not produce or can not use the produced insulin. As a result you have to provide insulin to the body for diabetes cure and improve the symptoms of diabetes. But, there is a negative side of insulin as well. One such side effect is weight gain. The main work of insulin is to improve the ability of your body to use and store sugar (glucose). When your blood glucose levels are high, your kidneys try to remedy the situation by excreting glucose in your urine. Insulin provided from outside reverses these processes as blood glucose levels return to normal, which can contribute to weight gain.
To keep weight gain under control, you have to reduce your calorie intake and increase your physical activity. If you try to reduce your insulin dosage without changing your diet to control weight you may suffer from diabetes complications. Lowering your blood sugar with insulin or oral medications may lead to weight loss. But, it is suggested that you consult with a physician and keep regular exercise going to tackle weight gain caused by insulin.

Research: Taking Vitamin C with insulin stops blood vessel damage

2009-06-11T09:57:00.003+05:30

For people with Type 1 diabetes with a history of poor glucose control, there is a very high chance of complications caused due to damage to blood vessels. These complications occur if the patients is suffering from a cardiovascular disease, or from diabetes. If this damage happens, some of the additional health problems include heart disease, reduced circulation, and amputation, kidney disease and diabetic retinopathy. In new research, it was found that taking Vitamin C with insulin can stop this blood vessel damage (link to article):

While neither therapy produced desired results when used alone, the combination of insulin to control blood sugar together with the use of Vitamin C, stopped blood vessel damage caused by the disease in patients with poor glucose control, said researchers.
nsulin and many other drugs have long been used to control blood sugar, but Ihnat - in an earlier project with scientists in Italy and Hungary - found that cells have a "memory" that causes damage to continue even when blood sugar is controlled. By adding antioxidants like Vitamin C, Ihnat found that cell "memory" disappeared and cell function and oxidation stress were normalized. "For patients with diabetes, this means simply getting their glucose under control is not enough. An antioxidant-based therapy combined with glucose control will give patients more of an advantage and lessen the chance of complications with diabetes," the expert added.

Of course, since this is research, and not yet a proven and stated scientific theory, this means that you cannot take this as treatment. However, if you are not getting enough Vitamin C in your diet, there is no problem with adding more Vitamin C.

Need for exercise in the case of Type 2 diabetes to alleviate effects on the heart

2009-06-09T23:35:00.003+05:30

Diabetes is supposed to have harmful affects on the heart, along with the harmful effects of an enhanced level of sugar on the internal organs of the body. There are an increasing number of diabetes affected people all over the world who are suffering from high levels of obesity / overweight individuals, there is a need to take measures that will benefit the cardiovascular system (the heart).
Experts are now recommending certain levels of exercise that will have a beneficial effect on the heart, and recommend that diabetes affected individuals do carry out an exercise regime in which they do atleast the minimum recommended (link to article):

Patients with type 2 diabetes should do at least two-and-a-half hours per week of moderate-intensity or one-and-a-half hours per week of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercises, plus some weight training, to reduce their cardiovascular risk, researchers suggest. According to an American Heart Association scientific statement, diet and exercise can prevent or slow the development of type 2 diabetes and produce clinically significant improvements in blood sugar control and cardiovascular risk factors in people with the condition.
Patients should exercise on at least three non-consecutive days each week to maximize benefits. Individual sessions should be at least 10 minutes each or longer.
Resistance training should be encouraged, and should be moderate to high-intensity 2-4 sets of 8-10 repetitions at a weight that can't be lifted more than 8-10 times, with 1-2-minute rest periods between sets.

Unfortunately, with the prevalence of high starch diets, increasing convenience of mechanical locomotion (cars, escalators, elevators), and more busy life styles, people are moving away from even minimum levels of exercise. However, you cannot run away from diabetes, and need to ensure that you do whatever is necessary to fight it.

Diabetes research - Milk can combat some paths that lead to diabetes

2009-05-24T16:57:00.017+05:30

Diabetes is more of a lifestyle disease, increasing rapidly among the population, as people become more sedentary, and the quality and quantity of food they eat becomes richer. As a result, people develop more lifestyle diseases such as one called metabolic syndrome where people with a higher level of obesity, glucose, and high blood pressure stand a very high risk of developing cardiovascular problems, and also diabetes.
On a different note, milk is a universal recommendation for people of all ages, and supposed to provide a number of important nutrients to the body. The study points out the important role of chemicals found inside milk in the fight against diabetes (link to article):

Researchers from Victoria's Department of Primary Industries and MG Nutritionals found that a compound, known as Regeneration Inducing Peptide for Tissues and Cells (RIPTAC), when given daily to mice, caused them not only to build more muscle but also want to exercise.
A good muscle to fat ratio is an important factor in reducing the incidence of metabolic syndrome and greater muscle mass is also a factor in burning fat.

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Control on sugar cuts risk of heart attack

2009-05-24T16:57:00.012+05:30

It is a known fact that diabetics have a higher risk of heart attack; regular measures to control heart attack risk by leading a healthier life, maintaining a good blood pressure and having their cholesterol levels reduced; they still have a high risk of developing heart problems. The thing that works to reduce this risk - keep sugar levels under control (link to article)

Diabetics can cut their heart attack risk by tightly controlling blood sugar levels, says a study published in the Lancet. By undertaking a meta-analysis which pooled information from five large trials, Cambridge University researchers came to the conclusion that people with diabetes who maintain intensive, low blood sugar levels are significantly less likely to suffer heart attacks and coronary heart disease.
In order to assess the possible risk of various heart conditions, Ray and team analyzed the data collected on the glucose levels in blood, specifically a long-term marker of glucose control called HbA1c. In healthy individuals, HbA1c levels average between 4-5 percent. However, diabetics often have levels above 6.5 percent.

Just another indicator that people with diabetes need to maintain a properl control on their blood sugar levels.

Article: High blood sugar levels during pregnancy risky for later

2009-05-24T16:44:00.006+05:30

Diabetes during pregnancy (gestational diabetes) is of concern to the doctors who treat pregnant mothers, since there is a need to be more careful during the time of pregnancy. However, another study claims that even for those women who do not develop gestational pregnancy, variations in blood sugar levels can be dangerous, indicative of developing diabetes later in life (link to article):

A Canadian study suggests that even mild abnormalities in blood sugar levels during pregnancy, previously thought not to have any clinical significance, makes women more prone to type 2 diabetes. Scientists at the Toronto-based Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES), who led the study, found that women with mild abnormalities in their blood sugar during pregnancy were 2.5 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes as compared to those who had completely normal glucose testing.
"These results show that even a mild abnormality in glucose testing during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of diabetes later in life. Although we already know that women who''ve had gestational diabetes need to be monitored, the study suggests that even women with mild glucose abnormalities might benefit from diabetes prevention and detection strategies," says Baiju Shah, ICES researcher.

In the era of diabetes care and prevention, it means that pregnant ladies need to take extra care during pregnancy, and even after their pregnancy, they need to be careful of blood sugar and ensure that any symptom of diabetes is checked out periodically.

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Diabetes research: Link between hypertension, diabetes, and heart attacks

2009-05-02T12:08:00.004+05:30

Diabetes is a major affliction that comes with many side effects, some of which are known, and others are those which researches are still finding out. The effect of higher sugar levels in the blood is linked to hypertension, and heart disease, and here is an article that tries to establish the link between them (link to article):

Researchers from A.O.U. in Cagliari Sardegna, Italy have found a link between increased carotid artery wall thickness (CAWT) - which can cause heart attack and stroke- and diabetes and hypertension.
During the study, the researchers looked at 186 patients with the help of multidetector row CT and sought to determine association between CAWT is associated with cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia and a history of smoking. The results showed that there is a statistically significant relationship between diabetes and hypertension.

What this means is that people who have higher levels of thickness of their carotid walls combined with diabetes need to go in for more frequent medical examinations, and get themselves checked periodically. They are at higher risk, and need to ensure that they are aware of that.

External article: Can weight loss surgery reduce or reverse diabetes

2009-05-01T12:15:00.003+05:30

Was searching for the answer to a question about whether having weight loss surgery can actually reduce the level of diabetes, or actually reverse the diabetes altogether. And I found this article (link to article)

Many people who are overweight or morbidly obese have metabolic syndrome (which is also called pre-diabetes) or have frank diabetes, which is also called adult-onset diabetes, type 2 diabetes, or non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (which, despite the name, may be treated with insulin). The hallmark of frank diabetes is high circulating levels of insulin and a resistance to that insulin, leading to higher-than-normal blood sugars.
Weight loss, by diet and exercise or by change in diet gastric bypass, very often improves insulin sensitivity and blood sugar control. Indeed, weight loss may eliminate the need for medical treatment of the condition. We in medicine usually still consider these folks diabetics, as they usually still have abnormal response to a high-sugar meal, but their blood sugar patterns are far better than before the weight loss and/or gastric bypass and their risk of diabetes complications is dramatically reduced.

People who are obese or over-weight are suspectible to high levels of diabetes, and it is important that they reduce their weight as soon as possible; further, their is a chance that their levels of blood sugar and diabetes affliction may reduce if their weight levels come down.

Diabetes research: Being able to diagnose diabetes through spit testing

2009-05-01T12:04:00.003+05:30

Diabetes is an affliction that affects a large number of persons nowadays. One big problem is about early detection, since a person who has diabetes which is not being detected and treated can suffer many problems. There is no control on the intake of sugar, or treatment with drugs to control the growth of sugar levels in the body, and consequently the problem of higher level of sugar in the body keeps on growing, in many cases, being detected only when the patient starts to suffer damage. However, current checking through the blood test is traumatic for many people, and for those who cannot stand a needle, it is very problematic. There is research ongoing about how to detect diabetes through other means, and this article talks about using the human spit for this purpose (link to article):

While searching for biomarkers that may indicate diabetes, doctors examined the saliva of 40 different patients. Through salivary analysis, they managed to devise a new 'non-invasive' method for detecting diabetes that foregoes the uncomfortable prick of a needle- patients need only to spit into a cup.
"Our goal was to characterize proteins in human saliva that may indicate prediabetes and type-2. Analysis of these proteins allowed us to develop a new method for screening, detecting and monitoring the diabetic state," said Srinivasa R Nagalla, MD, and a member of the research team.

If this technique does become successful, it will be of big help in being able to detect diabetes much earlier than possible for a large number of patients.

Setting proper diet goals and eating desired foods

2009-04-24T00:36:00.003+05:30

For a diabetic, it is very important to keep a track of the food items a person consumes. Due to the inability of the body to process glucose properly, glucose levels in the blood stream can go up rapidly if the wrong sorts of food are eaten. It is recommended to prepare a proper food chart, and be sure about the food one is eating. It is somewhat uncomfortable for those people who have a sweet tooth, or like to eat junk food, but there is no getting around the problem; diabetes commands that a person learn to control their food intake as well as the type of food they are eating. It is equally important to make sure that a proper exercise regime is maintained, and weight levels are controlled, since obesity tends to decrease the metabolic count as well as reduce the glucose processing. Here is an article that presents details and is well worth reading (link to article):

Marriages are often used as excuses to laze around, skip exercise routines, party and enjoy. While most of us are lucky enough to get away with it, for a diabetic, diet and exercise go hand in hand. If you are one, make sure you prepare a ‘to-do’ list and follow it. Remember that you must have a diet that has a good balance of nutrition and taste.
About 15 to 20 per cent of calorie intake should come from protein.
Roughly 15 to 20 per cent of calorie intake should also come from fat.
About 60 to 70 per cent of your calorie intake should be in the form of carbohydrates. Include more of complex carbohydrates than simple ones as they breakdown more slowly to release glucose.
Decrease fat in the diet. Roast, bake or broil instead of frying. Trim the fat off meat and the skin off poultry, and avoid adding fat while cooking.
Increase fibre in your meals — including 40 gms of dietary fibre daily is beneficial.
Reduce sugar. Avoid adding sugar to beverages like tea, coffees, cereals etc.

There are many more tips in the article, and offer a lot of good suggestions that help diabetics keep their blood sugar levels down, and reduce the onset of other complications that come with diabetes. These are tips that are worth observing.

Sleep and diabetes

2009-04-24T00:17:00.003+05:30

There are a number of factors that are risk factors for getting diabetes (specially the Type 2 variety). These include factors such as the diet, hereditary factors, the amount of exercise that a person gets, and a few others, but very few people would have expected that sleep would be one of the factors. A study has found that too much or too little sleep can affect whether a person developes Type 2 diabetes, or impaired glucose tolerance (link to article):

The risk is 2½ times higher for people who sleep less than 7 hours or more than 8 hours a night, according to the study published in journal Sleep Medicine. To reach the conclusion, researchers analysed the life habits of 276 subjects over a 6-year period. They determined that over the timespan, approximately 20 percent of those with long and short sleep duration developed type 2 diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance versus only 7 percent among subjects who were average duration sleepers.
The researchers also point out that diabetes is not the only risk associated with sleep duration. A growing number of studies have shed light on a similar relationship between sleep and obesity, cardiovascular disease, and overall mortality. The authors observe that among adults, between 7 and 8 hours of nighttime sleep appears to be the optimum duration to protect against common diseases and premature death.

Even though people know that getting atleast 7-8 hours of sleep is optimum, more and more people are getting much lower levels of sleep, not realizing that this fast pace of life is affecting their health.

Gestational Diabetes - Affects pregnant women

2009-02-16T22:36:00.003+05:30

Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that starts during pregnancy. If you have diabetes, your body isn't able to use the sugar (glucose) in your blood as well as it should, so the level of sugar in your blood becomes higher than normal. It is temporary in nature and it disappears after pregnancy but there is 70% of good chance of it recurring.

Causes for developing Gestational diabetes:

1. Family history.
2. High blood sugar in previous pregnancy
3. Obesity in females.
4. Miscarriage
5. Previous delivery of large baby(greater than 9 pounds).

What is the effect of gestational diabetes on the Child :

1. Obesity
2. Jaundice
3. Low blood sugar level.
4. Respiratory problem
5. Shoulder problems

How can you do the Diagnosis of Gestational Diabetes ?

1. Diagnosed between 24th and 28th week of pregnancy.
2. Weak and heavy
3. The mother’s increased blood sugar levels are transferred to baby. This, in turn, causes the pancreas, which start working within 11 weeks of conception, to produce extra insulin to get rid of this sugar. Insulin is a growth hormone and as the baby starts getting more energy than it needs, it gets stored as fat which leads to weight gain. This may require delivery by caesarean.

Gestational diabetes can affect your pregnancy and your baby. However, you can minimize the risks by making healthy lifestyle choices.

1. Control your blood sugar levels.
2. Eat a healthy diet : Include more fruits in your diet and cut down your intake of pasteries, cakes, chocolates.
3. Keep doing moderate exercises.
4. Keep a track of your overall weight.

Article: Gestational diabetes increase obesity risk in children

2009-01-24T22:33:00.002+05:30

In a study that deals with the impact of gestational diabetes of the mother on children (the effect of the version of diabetes that develops during pregnancy), this article explains that children who are born to mothers who developed gestational diabetes when they were pregnant, are more likely to become overweight or peers (link to article):

Researchers from the Center for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Northwest, Portland, Oregon, and colleagues studied nearly 10,000 mother-child pairs enrolled in Kaiser Permanente plans in Hawaii and in the Pacific Northwest during the period from 1995 to 2000. Women with pre-existing diabetes were excluded. A follow-up with the children 5-7 years later revealed a significant association between their weight and their mothers' blood glucose levels when tested during pregnancy.
Specifically, a child was 28 per cent more likely to be overweight or obese when the glucose level of the mother during pregnancy was in the high range rather than the lowest. The pattern remained significant after factoring in maternal weight gain, maternal age, number of pregnancies, ethnicity and birth weight.

Th study points out another reason why checking for and treating gestational diabetes is important, not only for the health of the mother, but also for the future health of the child.

Link between diabetes and obesity

2009-01-24T22:12:00.003+05:30

In this case, we are mostly talking about the Type 2 diabetes, where the body has enough glucose for the needs of the cells, but the action of transporting the glucose inside the cells through a special protein called IRS (insulin receptor substrate) is failing. As a result, the cells are not able to get glucose inside them, and becomes starved of glucose while the extra glucose moves around in the blood stream and affects multiple organs. How is this related to obesity, you may ask ? Well, the preamble was that recent statistics show that 80% of those developing Type 2 diabetes in the recent past are obese, and the statistical link between being obese and developing Type 2 diabetes is pretty well established right now.
The medical link is still in the process of being well established, but medical experts are not going to wait for the whole science to be well established before they act; the hope of reversing an increased level of diabetes in society is through a much enhanced exercise program along with healthier food that promotes weight reduction. As in the case of a famous US politician who reduced something like 50 pounds in a short time and found that his diabetes condition had been vastly reduced, there are other evidence about how weight reduction (obesity reduction) surgey has had a beneficial effect on individual levels of diabetes.
Some of the conclusions for health promotion moves on the following key points:
# All–embracing strategies focusing on prevention and education at every level must be designed and communicated so that everybody understands the need.
# Healthy dietary patterns need to be encouraged at an early age, given the increasing onset of diabetes at a much earlier stage.
# Physical activity should form a central part of both childhood and adult lifestyles.
These recommendations are based on the following understanding: Without the intervention of a healthy diet and appropriate exercise, obesity has a very high chance of developing into diabetes over a relatively short period of time. Education and awareness is the key to solving the diabetes problem worldwide and at all ages, but tackling obesity when it is still at an early stage is essential in preventing the spread of the disease.

Article: Believe it or not, a big bottom protects against diabetes

2009-01-04T23:23:00.004+05:30

This is research that may seem very contradictory, but it is believed that a big bottom in woman contains the type of fat that helps in improving the sensitivity to the insulin glucose, and glucose plays a central part in the affliction known as diabetes. However, the study also warns that fat that gathers around the belly remains regarded as being harmful, and needs to be avoided:

Here’s some good news for women who find it hard to squeeze into their skinny jeans, courtesy their big bottoms: a generously proportioned derriere could be good for health, say scientists. Researchers believe the type of fat that accumulates around the hips and buttocks, rather than around your stomach, may offer some protection against developing the disease.
Mice given subcutaneous fat transplanted into their bellies started to slim down after several weeks. They also showed improved blood sugar and insulin levels compared to other mice. Dr Kahn said this is an important result because it shows that not all fat is bad and could help prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes.

Since this study was done in mice, there is a fair amount of work involved to validate whether this remains valid in the case of humans. However, any such research is bound to be helpful in the fight against diabetes.

Article: Reversing diabetes through obesity surgery

2009-01-01T23:32:00.002+05:30

Diabetes is very closely related to obesity, with the trend being that people who are obese have a much higher chance of developing Diabetes, especially the Type 2 variety. With changes in life-style, the incidence of diabetes and obesity in teens is also increasing, and there is a lot of effort related to how to prevent this from becoming an epidemic (even current numbers are very high), as well as how to rollback in cases where diabetes has already happened. Well, obesity surgery (stapling the stomach to make it much smaller) seems to work to reduce and rollback diabetes in a number of cases in a study:

All but one of the 11 extremely obese teens studied saw their diabetes disappear within a year after weight-loss surgery, the researchers reported. The 11th patient still had diabetes, but needed much less insulin and stopped taking diabetes pills.
Previous studies have shown the diabetes benefits of obesity surgery for adults. Dr. Thomas Inge, a pediatric surgeon at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, and his colleagues wanted to find out if the same was true for adolescents.
fter one year, those who had surgery had lost between 72 and 218 pounds (33 to 99 kilograms), although none had dropped to a normal weight. For 10 of them, their diabetes was in remission and they stopped taking diabetes medicine. For the teens who did not have surgery, they all still had diabetes after a year and there was no difference in their weight or their use of diabetes medication. Their blood sugar levels did improve, the researchers said.

In the absence of natural reduction of weight, this would seem to be an option that obese people (teens and others) could employ so as to reduce their incidence of obesity and also diabetes. However, this still needs more study to validate this as a safe option to take.

Improving the diet for diabetics

2008-12-22T07:29:00.002+05:30

Diabetics have always been under constant worry about what foods they can eat, and which are the food items that help keep their sugar levels under control, or more worrisome, increase the sugar levels. It is very important to ensure that consumption of food items that could increase the sugar level be avoided, or controlled. A measure used by diabetics for their diet is called the Glycemic index.
Def: A low GI food will release glucose more slowly and steadily. A high GI food causes a more rapid rise in blood glucose levels and is suitable for energy recovery after endurance exercise or for a person with diabetes experiencing hypoglycemia. GI is a measure of the effects of carbohydrates on blood glucose levels. Carbohydrates that break down rapidly during digestion releasing glucose rapidly into the bloodstream have a high GI; carbohydrates that break down slowly, releasing glucose gradually into the bloodstream, have a low GI. For most people, foods with a low GI have significant health benefits.
A study was evaluating the foods that are best for people with diabetes, and it was a bit of surprise to find that when people ate foods such as beans and nuts, their diabetes was under better control than when they ate a low GI diet such as the whole-grain diet (refer article):

People with Type-2 diabetes on a high-fiber diet kept their blood sugar under better control when they ate foods like beans and nuts instead of the recommended whole-grain diet, researchers have found.
Beans and nuts are among foods that only modestly increase blood glucose levels; scientists describe these foods as having a low glycemic index. The new study, which lasted six months, is one of the largest and longest to assess the impact of foods with a low-glycemic index, experts said.

For a diabetic, it is extremely important to know which are the food stuffs that one should eat, and which are the food stuffs that cause harm. Determining the Glycemic index of foods is an important part of such an effort.

Diet: High fibre not as good

2008-12-19T00:22:00.004+05:30

A high fibre diet has always been pitched as a very good diet, especially for people with diabetes. Eating high fibre cereals and whole wheat bread has always been recommended as the way forward, but now research has indicated (and like a lot of research, more studies need to be conducted in this area) that food stuffs like beans, peas, pasta, lentils and boiled rice have a more beneficial effect on ailments such as Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. This was the conclusion of a Canadian study:

The study "Effect of a Low Glycemic Index or a High Cereal Fibre Diet on Type-2 Diabetes: A Randomised Trial" has found that these foods are better at managing glycemic control for type-2 diabetes and risk factors for coronary heart disease than high-fibre diets.
"Our study shows that a low GI (glycemic index) diet can also minimise the risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease. It does this better than a diet high in fibre, but with a higher GI," he said. GI is a measure for calculating the glucose level of the blood. A low GI diet contains foods that have a low glucose level. "Pharmaceuticals used to control type-2 diabetes have not shown the expected benefits in terms of reducing cardiovascular disease. Our hope is that the low GI diet may help all the complications of diabetes," he added.

Given the increase in diabetes projected over the next many years, along with impacts on cardiovascular ailments, research that can improve the efficacy of treatments will go a long way to help in reducing the impact of diabetes.

Using the saliva of the Gila monster as a cure

2008-12-07T19:55:00.003+05:30

Type 2 diabetes is a type of diabetes where the insulin production from the Beta cells of the body is not sufficient to meet the needs of the body, and this results in the higher amounts of blood sugar that is so dangerous. One of the main ways of handling this sort of illness is through either medicine to handle the blood sugar, or through regular doses of insulin to make up for the shortfall. However, life is not so simple any more; consumption of sugar needs to be avoided, the afflicted need to live a controlled life of consumption and exercise, and in fact, the diabetic drugs tend to increase the level of obesity in the person, increasing the chance of getting into problems of increased Blood Pressure, and heart problems.
There is a new cure from a very unlikely place, from the saliva of a poisonous giant lizard, the Gila monster:

So it's essential to have drugs which control sugar levels and reduce weight. And that's what a new injectable drug, Byetta, does, say experts. It's made from the saliva of the Gila monster, a venomous lizard found in Southwest America. It's the first in a new range of anti-diabetic medicines and is FDA-approved. However, it can be used only on Type 2 diabetics.
It works in three ways: It signals the pancreas to make the right amount of insulin after a meal; stops the liver from making too much glucose when the body does not need it, reduces appetite and the amount of food eaten and slows the rate at which glucose leaves the stomach. "Byetta" says Mithal, "can produce nausea and vomiting in some patients. It is a niche drug, not for all diabetics, but is a good choice for those who need to lose weight with high post-meal blood sugar rises that remain uncontrolled even on oral medicines."

This is not a true wonder drug, since it does not work on everybody, and also has complications for some people. However, one great complication that it avoids is to send a patient into hypoglycemia which is possible in the case of insulin injections. However, one problem is that Byetta is somewhat expensive.

Article: Diabetes responsible for amputations

2008-11-29T12:30:00.003+05:30

For those recently afflicted with diabetes, or those with relatives / friends who have diabetes, there is a need to make sure that this disease is regularly monitored, and treatment being taken as per the need. Diabetes can be a bad disease if left untreated and unmonitored; the excess sugar running inside the blood system of the body causes severe damages to the person:

Diabetes is responsible for over 1 million amputations each year. Cardio-vascular disease is the major cause of death accounting for 70% of all diabetes fatalities, said president, DiabetesIndia, S R Arvind.
Arvind said India is the expanding diabetes capital. Over 40 million are suffering from diabetes in the country and it is going to increase multifold in the next 15 years. Unfortunately, there are only 22,000 trained physicians.

India is fast becoming the diabetes capital of the world, with a economy that is expanding, with food that is heavy and oil rich, and with more white collar and service work (meaning a more sedentary lifestyle).

Increasing incidence of diabetes in the young

2008-11-20T13:14:00.003+05:30

Diabetes has been called a lifestyle disease, one that affects people who have moved onto a richer lifestyle (their food has got richer with more starch, more sugar, and lesser amount of direct physical work). As a consequence, the incidence of diabetes in countries (that are moving from a poor state to a state of rapid economic development) is increasing at a rapid pace. India is one such example - there is a huge section of the middle class and upper class that have more money than previously, have a more sedentary lifestyle, and also have aspirations to a richer living model. This would include stuff such as higher consumptions of fatty foods, colas, etc.
This increase in the number of diabetes affected people has many negative implications. Diabetes is currently a non-curable disease, and with a lot of potential complications all over the body. If the number of diabetes affected people in society increases, there will be a much higher need of diabetes treatment for all sections of society, and a much higher level of medical costs. The Government and other bodies should take a note of this trend, and try and educate society as to how to prevent this spread of diabetes from reaching alarming trends:

The fast transition of India to western lifestyle has made the country a hub for the disease and diabetes is fast emerging as one of the most common chronic ailment to affect children. Lifestyle changes and awareness of the disease can help many people to live safely with diabetes. “Obesity and inactivity among children have increased cases of diabetes among people of age 12-20 which was earlier prevalent only in those above 35 years of age,” says Dr Shailesh Lodha, senior consultant endocrinology, Fortis-Escort Hospital.
The incidence of juvenile diabetes caused due to genetic factors in children less than seven years is also rising by nearly 3%, whereas for mature patients it is rising by 5%. Meanwhile, the number of diabetes patients among grown-ups is also rising at a similar pace. Diabetes in itself causes less harm, but it can cause permanent damage to vital organs if remains undiagnosed for a long time.

Diabetes is a disease that has the potential of causing major long term harm to the health of society; and this will happen unless there are a number of measures taken to make society more aware of the need to prevent / control diabetes. The way forward should be to:
1. Educate people to reduce the current rate of people who are contracting diabetes.
2. For those who already have diabetes, they need to be properly aware of the normal safety measures to be taken, and follow them adequately.

Spray for diabetes approved in India

2008-11-20T08:16:00.003+05:30

For people with diabetes, regular and periodic injections of insulin are the way to go. These enable moving the insulin directly to the blood-stream, and is most effective. However, frequent injections is not for everyone, since there is a lot of discomfort involved. Injecting yourself on a regular basis means that you need to find new injection points, and some people complain that it makes them feel like a pin-cushion. A frequent request is for a non-injectible method, either through a pill or through a spray, with a lot of research going in these directions - so one can be sure that there will be a lot more developments in these directions soon.
Here is a spray that has been okayed in India (a huge market for diabetics related medicines), but not yet in the United States:

Diabetes patients on insulin, suffering from acute injection phobia, have an alternative with the launch of Oral-Recosulin, a recombinant DNA human insulin buccal spray. The spray, which is on phase-3 trial and yet to be launched in the US, has been approved for marketing in India
For the treatment of both Type-1 and Type-2 diabetes, Oral-Recosulin can be used. This buccal insulin spray is developed by Shreya Life Science Pvt Ltd's US collaborator Generex Biotechnology. Buccal spray delivers insulin through buccal mucosa, directly to the vascular system without entering the lungs.

Diabetes is a disease that is long lasting, currently non-curable, and hence attempts to make treatment pain free have a double benefit of being very attractive from a commercial sense as well as making the treatment more bearable.

Modern obesity trends pushing up diabetes rate

2008-11-04T15:34:00.003+05:30

Diabetes has been called a modern day lifestyle disease; part of the reasons for the occurrence of diabetes is a sedentary life, rich food and very little exercise. This lifestyle results in a higher incidence of obesity or over-weight, something that increases the chance of contracting Type 2 diabetes. In recent years, the rate of obesity has increased, and a recent study shows that this increase in obesity is causing an increase in the number of Type 2 diabetes cases that are being reported:

The nation's obesity epidemic is exacting a heavy toll: The rate of new diabetes cases nearly doubled in the United States in the past 10 years, the government said Thursday. The highest rates were in the South, according to the first state-by-state review of new diagnoses. The worst was in West Virginia, where about 13 in 1,000 adults were diagnosed with the disease in 2005-07. The lowest was in Minnesota, where the rate was 5 in 1,000.
Roughly 90 percent of cases are Type 2 diabetes, the form linked to obesity.
The findings dovetail with trends seen in obesity and lack of exercise -- two health measures where Southern states also rank at the bottom. Diabetes was the nation's seventh-leading cause of death in 2006, according to the CDC. More than 23 million Americans have diabetes, and the number is rapidly growing.

Diabetes is a disease that is untreatable, and is a big pain due to the constant care required for the disease. If left untreated, and if suger levels remain high, afflicted people start getting complications.

Link between diabetes and TB: News article

2008-10-26T16:53:00.003+05:30

Having a high level of Blood Sugar when you have Type 2 diabetes has been blamed for a number of problems; now research shows that there is an increased propensity to catch Tuber Culosis if you have Type 2 diabetes (especially if your sugar levels are high). This study is based on research carried by researchers at The University of Texas School of Public Health Brownsville Regional Campus on a number of patients. The reason ? Patients with Type 2 diabetes and an enhanced blood sugar level have a more compromised immune system, allowing them to catch TB more easily.
Similary, once they have both Type 2 Diabetes, and TB, they are at a higher risk of having multi-drug resistant TB, and of having a much slower response to the drugs needed to fight TB.

WASHINGTON: Researchers at The University of Texas School of Public Health Brownsville Regional Campus say that patients with Type 2 diabetes may be at increased risk of contracting tuberculosis because they generally have a compromised immune system, which results in life-threatening lung infections that are more difficult to treat.
Dr. Blanca I. Restrepo, assistant professor of epidemiology, said that her team found that innate and type 1 cytokine responses were significantly higher in patients with tuberculosis who had diabetes than in the control group of patients with TB and no diabetes. The effect was consistently and significantly more marked in diabetic patients with chronic hyperglycemia, or uncontrolled high blood sugar, said the researcher. The team said that their findings also showed that patients with diabetes were more at risk of developing multi-drug resistant tuberculosis. The researchers said that they had observed that almost six percent of diabetics living along the Texas-Mexico border had TB that was resistant to rifampin and isoniazid, common medications for tuberculosis.

If this research is shown to be true, it will lead to changes in the recommendations made by doctors treating patients who have a high level of Blood Sugar. It would also lead to a change in the current profile of people stated to be at a higher risk of TB; more elderly people would be at risk and would need to be periodically screened for TB if they already have diabetes (and more so if they have a long running cough).

Diabetes insipidus - complications

2008-10-05T23:22:00.003+05:30

In most cases, if you are able to drink enough water as required due to the disease, and are able to urinate in the quantities that are associated with this disease, then you should not face any significant effects on either body fluids or on your salt balance in the body. However, if you are not taking the required intake of water, then you stand to face the following complications:

Dehydration
- Dry skin
- Dry mucus membranes
- Fever
- Rapid heart rate
- Sunken appearance to eyes
- Sunken fontanelles (soft spot) in infants
- Unintentional weight loss
- Low blood pressure (hypotension)
Electrolyte imbalance
- Fatigue, lethargy
- Headache
- Irritability
- Muscle pains

For understanding the mortality rate associated with DI, here's a correct analysis:
Even if untreated, DI does not cause death or reduce life expectancy as long as enough water is being drunk by the patient. Suppose the patient gets into a situation where the an adequate supply of water is not available, then problems will arise. This can happen, for example, if the patient loses consciousness, is unable to talk or move about, or is stranded in the desert or ocean (sea water is undrinkable). Therefore, it is a good idea always to carry a medical alert bracelet or card and to take extra precautions to carry extra water as well as medication when traveling in areas in which either may be difficult to obtain.

Diabetes Insipidus - Diagnosis

2008-10-05T20:19:00.003+05:30

Diabetes Insipidus is not the same as the Diabetes Mellitus that we hear of so regularly. However, given the impact it has on affected people (the kidneys are unable to concentrate urine, causing excessive urination and extreme thirst), it is important that the disease is diagnosed early and accurately.
In order to distinguish DI from other causes of excess urination, blood glucose levels, bicarbonate levels, and calcium levels need to be tested. Measurement of blood electrolytes can reveal a high sodium level (hypernatremia as dehydration develops). Urinalysis demonstrates a dilute urine with a low specific gravity. Urine osmolarity and electrolyte levels are typically low. Urinalysis is the physical and chemical examination of urine. The urine of a person with DI will be less concentrated. Therefore, the salt and waste concentrations are low and the amount of water excreted is high. A physician evaluates the concentration of urine by measuring how many particles are in a kilogram of water or by comparing the weight of the urine with an equal volume of distilled water. To put this in detailed form; Some of the tests that doctors commonly use to determine the type of diabetes insipidus and in some cases, its cause, include:
1. Water deprivation test. This test helps determine the cause of diabetes insipidus. You'll be asked to stop drinking fluids two to three hours before the test so that your doctor can measure changes in your body weight, urine output and urine composition when fluids are withheld. In some cases your doctor may also measure blood levels of ADH during this test.
2. The water deprivation test is performed under close supervision in children and in pregnant women to make sure no more than 5 percent of body weight is lost during the test.
3. Urinalysis. Urinalysis is the physical and chemical examination of urine. If your urine is less concentrated (meaning the amount of water excreted is high and the salt and waste concentrations are low), it could be due to diabetes insipidus.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. An MRI of the head is a noninvasive procedure that uses powerful magnets and radio waves to construct detailed pictures of brain tissues. Your doctor may want to perform an MRI to look for abnormalities in or near the pituitary gland.

Just to keep in mind, the following is the profile of people likely to have a greater chance of contracting this problem.
- Diabetes insipidus most frequently occurs in persons in their 20s, more often in males than females.
- The disorder may run in families, though the cause is unknown.
- Diabetes insipidus can occur after an injury to the head; brain surgery; cancer; sarcoidosis, causing destruction of the pituitary gland; the use of certain medications that decrease ADH production; excessive use of alcohol; and any condition or illness that causes decreased oxygen delivery to the brain.
- Diabetes insipidus may also occur in women who are pregnant or have just given birth, and in patients with AIDS who have suffered certain types of brain infections.

Diabetes Insipidus - Types

2008-10-05T20:07:00.003+05:30

There are several types of Diabetes Inspidus (4 principal types). All of them have different causes and must be treated in their own different ways. For a slightly better understanding on these different types of Diabetes Inspidus (DI), read on:
- Neurogenic DI also known as central, hypothalamic, pituitary or neurohypophyseal is caused by a deficiency of the antidiuretic hormone, vasopressin. The most common form of serious DI, central DI, results from damage to the pituitary gland, which disrupts the normal storage and release of ADH. Damage to the pituitary gland can be caused by different diseases as well as by head injuries, neurosurgery, or genetic disorders.
- Nephrogenic DI also known as vasopressin-resistant. It is caused by insensitivity of the kidneys to the effect of the antidiuretic hormone, vasopressin. Nephrogenic DI results when the kidneys are unable to respond to ADH. The kidneys’ ability to respond to ADH can be impaired by drugs—like lithium, for example—and by chronic disorders including polycystic kidney disease, sickle cell disease, kidney failure, partial blockage of the ureters, and inherited genetic disorders. Sometimes the cause of nephrogenic DI is never discovered.
- Dipsogenic DI is a form of primary polydipsia. It is caused by abnormal thirst and the excessive intake of water or other liquids. Dipsogenic DI is caused by a defect in or damage to the thirst mechanism, which is located in the hypothalamus. This defect results in an abnormal increase in thirst and fluid intake that suppresses ADH secretion and increases urine output. Desmopressin or other drugs should not be used to treat dipsogenic DI because they may decrease urine output but not thirst and fluid intake. This fluid overload can lead to water intoxication, a condition that lowers the concentration of sodium in the blood and can seriously damage the brain.
- Gestagenic DI also known as gestational. It is caused by a deficiency of the antidiuretic hormone, vasopressin, that occurs only during pregnancy. Gestational DI occurs only during pregnancy and results when an enzyme made by the placenta destroys ADH in the mother. The placenta is the system of blood vessels and other tissue that develops with the fetus. The placenta allows exchange of nutrients and waste products between mother and fetus.

Hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia

2008-10-05T17:59:00.003+05:30

People who have diabetes can have either problems that are due to too much high blood sugar or too low blood sugar. Either condition is not ideal, and can cause problems. One needs to have a balance for the level of blood sugar. It's important to test blood glucose levels regularly to avoid low or high blood glucose.

Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia): Your blood sugar level can drop for many reasons, including skipping a meal, getting more physical activity than normal or injecting too much insulin. Symptoms of low blood sugar can come along very quickly, and they can include:

- cold sweats
- fast heartbeat
- hunger
- lightheadedness
- numbness of the tongue and lips
- shakiness
Later signs and symptoms include slurred speech, drowsiness and confusion.
If you develop hypoglycemia during the night, you might wake with sweat-soaked pajamas or a headache. Thanks to a natural rebound effect, nighttime hypoglycemia might cause an unusually high blood sugar reading first thing in the morning.
If you have signs or symptoms of low blood sugar, eat or drink something that will quickly raise your blood sugar level — fruit juice, glucose tablets, hard candy, regular (not diet) soda or another source of sugar. If you lose consciousness, a family member or close contact may need to give you an emergency injection of glucagon, a hormone that stimulates the release of sugar into the blood.

High blood sugar (hyperglycemia): In contrast, symptoms of high blood sugar (such as thirst, dry itchy skin, or blurred vision) usually come on slowly and can be brought on by circumstances such as taking too little insulin, eating too much food, or during stressful times or illness. A serious condition called ketoacidosis can occur when blood glucose stays too high. It mainly affects people with type 1 diabetes and can be very dangerous if left untreated.
Your blood sugar level can rise for many reasons, including eating too much, being sick or not taking enough insulin. Check your blood sugar level often, and watch for signs and symptoms of high blood sugar — frequent urination, increased thirst, dry mouth, blurred vision, fatigue and nausea. If you have hyperglycemia, you'll need to adjust your meal plan, medications or both. If your blood sugar level is persistently above 250 mg/dL, consult your doctor right away or seek emergency care. You might have diabetic hyperosmolar syndrome, a life-threatening condition in which sky-high blood sugar causes blood to become thick and syrupy.

Type 1 diabetes - short term complications

2008-09-29T00:12:00.002+05:30

How do you normally find out that you have Type 1 diabetes ? There are some short term symptions that are common to the onset of Type 1 diabetes (common to Type 2 as well). Please keep in mind that these symptoms do not mean that you have diabetes, just that you should get yourself checked out with a proper medical practitioner. Some of these symptoms are:

- You are very thirsty most of the time. Excess sugar drains fluid from tissue, and the person affected feels extremely thirsty and repeated intake of water is required.
- You pass a lot of urine. Increased and frequent urination accompany the excessive thirst as repeated intake of large volume of water/ other fluid is passed out as urine. This follows from the above case.
- You feel tiredness, and generally unwell. As the cells are deprived of sugar, a feeling of fatigue ensues, the affected persons feels extremely tired and also becomes irritable.
- You feel excessive hunger: One of the signs of type 1 diabetes is excessive hunger because insufficient insulin results in insufficient absobption of insulin into body cells. This depletes the muscles and other organs of energy. A feeling of extreme hunger ensues and despite eating more than normal levels, your hunger does not get satiated as the sugar in the blood fails to reach cells due to insufficient insulin.
- You can experience rapid weight loss: Despite more than usual food intake, weight loss, generally rapid weight loss, takes place. Sugar supply to cells get drastically reduces resulting into use of stored fat by the body for energy requirements - this results into weight loss.
- You can feel blurred vision: Very high blood sugar results into pulling out of fluid from the tissues including the lenses of the eyes. This condition makes the vision blurred.

What happens if a child is developing onset of Type 1 diabetes? As a concerned parent or custodian, you should be monitoring the following symptoms of Type 1 diabetes. These symptoms are similar to those in an adult. The child may be:

- urinates frequently. The kidneys respond to high levels of glucose in the bloodstream by flushing out the extra glucose in urine. A child with diabetes needs to urinate more frequently and in larger volumes.
- is abnormally thirsty. Because the child is losing so much fluid from peeing so much, he or she becomes very thirsty to help avoid becoming dehydrated. A child who has developed diabetes drinks a lot in an attempt to keep the level of body water normal.
- loses weight (or fails to gain weight as he or she grows) in spite of a good appetite. Kids and teens who develop type 1 diabetes may have an increased appetite, but often lose weight. This is because the body breaks down muscle and stored fat in an attempt to provide fuel to the hungry cells.
- often feels tired because the body can't use glucose for energy properly.

These symptoms are not all, there are other symptoms that may indicate that the child is developing diabetes. You may need to monitor the following.
- Sometimes the first sign of diabetes is bed-wetting in a child who has been dry at night. The possibility of diabetes should also be suspected if a vaginal yeast infection (also called a Candida infection) occurs in a girl who hasn't started puberty yet.

Besides short term symptoms that are problems by themselves, there are short term complications that can arise. Some of these short term complications can be quite severe. As an example, complications can happen suddenly if your diabetes goes untreated and sugar level rises very fast.
Very high blood glucose level: If you do not have treatment, or have been somewhat casual by using too little insulin, a very high level of glucose can develop quite quickly - within a period of several days. If you do not get quick treatment to bring down this level of elevated diabetes, the high level of glucose in the blood causes dehydration, drowsiness, and serious illness which can be life-threatening. Other diseases can also cause problems, such as a high level of flu causing the blood sugar level to shoot up. In these situations you may need to adjust the dose of insulin to keep your blood glucose level normal. Remember, diabetes is something that needs constant attention.

Some of the short term complications of type 1 diabetes require urgent and immediate attention and medical consultation as the delay may result into seizures and coma. Some of the complications include:
Hyperglycemia: It is the technical term for a blood glucose level that is too high. Hyperglycemia is the major cause of many of the complications associated with diabetes. Chronic hyperglycemia leads to organ damage; acute hyperglycemia can lead to life-threatening ketoacidosis and diabetic ketoacidosis.
Hypoglycemia: The term "hypoglycemia" literally means "under-sweet blood". It is the technical term for a blood glucose level that is too low. It is a medical emergency produced by a lower than normal amount of glucose in the blood.
Diabetic ketoacidosis: Also known as DKA, this complication is a very serious complication of untreated diabetes. In this complication, insufficient insulin levels in the body result in high blood sugar that leads to the buildup of substances called ketones in the blood (called ketoacidosis in medical terms). If remained untreated, the condition leads to diabetic coma and may be fatal. Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) gets triggered by a stressful event like an illness or other health problems. DKA is more common in people with type 2 diabetes. In some cases, identification of KDA is the first indication that a person has a diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes - complications

2008-08-13T17:01:00.009+05:30

In Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas stop making insulin, and the sugar (glucose) levels in the blood increase to a high level. These elevated levels can cause considerable problems to the various organs of the body such as eyes, heart, kidneys, feet, and many other areas of the body.

Long term complications:
1. Skin conditions: Having a higher level of blood sugar makes you more prone to skin problems such as fungal infections, itchy skin, and bacterial infections. You will need to monitor your skin more closely to ensure that such problems are dealt with as soon as you find them.
2. Mouth issues: Gum infections have a higher rate of happening, and if you are not maintaining a more thorough oral hygiene, such problems have a higher rate of occurrence.
3. Problems in the lung: Diabetes can lead to more nerve damage and poor blood flow to the lungs; and as a result, injuries to the leg have a lower chance of detection. If not detected in due time, complications can arise and the injured area may need toe, foot, or leg amputations.
4. Eye damage: Diabetes can cause damage to the blood vessels of the retina (known as (diabetic retinopathy), a condition that can potentially lead to blindness. In addition, diabetes can cause other problems such as glaucoma and cataracts
5. Nephropathy (kidney damage): The kidneys filtering system has millions of tins of blood vessels which help in filtering waste from the body (this is the normal system of the body). Excessive blood sugar causes damage to this filtering system, and if left uncontrolled, excessive damage can cause kidney failure.
6. Neuropathy (nerve damage): Diabetes causes damage to blood vessels, and these tiny blood vessels are the ones that provide sustenance to the nerves; this typically starts in the legs and moves upwards. Some of the typical implications of such damage is tingling (what people call 'nerves'), numbness, and / or burning / pain that slowly spread over the body. If this is allowed to continue, nervers tend to get more damaged and you can lose feeling in the limbs.
7. Nerve damage from the above point can cause problems if the nerves that control important functions of the body start to get affected, such as erectile problems, digestion related problems (vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation)
8. Arterial thickening: High levels of blood sugar cause thickening of the arterial walls, dramatically increases the possibility of cardiovascular complications, with an emphasis on damage to the heart. Typical problems include narrowing of the arteries (atherosclerosis), high blood pressure, chest pain (angina), heart attack, and stroke.
9. Musculoskeletal Issues: The musculoskeletal system is comprised of the bones, muscles, joints, and tissues in and around the joints. Blood glucose that is poorly controlled for too long can affect the functioning of the musculoskeletal system resulting in a variety of disorders.
10. Carpal tunnel syndrome: Up to 20% of people with diabetes are at risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome, also known as median nerve entrapment. The carpal tunnel is a narrow passageway of ligament and bones at the base of your hand. The syndrome causes problems such as aching, pain, numbness.
11. Complications in the pregnancies of women who are suffering from Type 1 diabetes: the rates of pre-eclampsia, preterm delivery, caesarean section, maternal mortality, congenital malformations, perinatal mortality, and macrosomia were greatly increased.
12. Depression: All the above problems, and the feel that a person has got into a disease that cannot be cured leads to a feeling of depression.

Type 1 diabetes - What and why

2008-07-27T22:12:00.006+05:30

Type 1 diabetes was briefly mentioned in an earlier post, and this post will have more details of what exactly Type 1 diabetes is, the reasons for it to happen, and what can a person do if they have Type 1 diabetes (of course, there is a disclaimer - an article like this can only provide you information; for proper treatment of a disease that can be deadly unless controlled, you should be regularly consulting a medical specialist).
Type 1 diabetes typically develops in children and young adults (not always, but a higher percentage of the afflicted belong to this demographic). In this type of diabetes, the body ceases to make any more insulin, and with no more insulin, the blood sugar content of the body increases and keeps on increasing. If you did not understand this correlation between insulin, and blood sugar, here is a simple explanation:
1. You eat at regular intervals.
2. From the fodo you eat, an important chemical called Glucose from the food gets into your bloodstream.
3. Your pancreas makes a hormone called insulin
4. Insulin helps the glucose get into the body's cells where it supplies the energy that the cells need to work.
5. Your body gets the energy it needs.
6. Now, when the insulin is no longer produced, the body is not able to get the energy it required, and at the same time, the glucose (sugar) level increases in the blood-stream, causing damage to the organs of the body over the long term.

Why does this happen ? Why does the pancreas totally stop making insulin ? There is no confirmed answer to this question, but most of the medical science is related to this being an auto-immune disease (another term: auto-immune is a term given to a condition when the immune system of the body, the antibodies that are geared towards killing disease causing viruses and bacteria, suddenly turn on some part of the body and cause harm. In this case, the antibodies act on the beta cells of the pancreas and destroy the cells that make the insulin.

How is this treated ? For reducing the level of glucose in the body, a Type 1 diabetes person needs to get insulin into the body so as to get the glucose into the cells where it can be consumed for energy. Since the body does not make the insulin, it needs to be injected into the body at regular intervals through injections, or a pump. This insulin then acts on the cells and make them absorb the glucose.

How do you know this has happened ? Given that Type 1 diabetes can be fairly fast to develop into a full blown case, it is very useful to recognize the symptoms that should cause you to get a medical test done.

# you are very thirsty a lot of the time.
# you pass a lot of urine.
# tiredness, weight loss, and feeling generally unwell

If you see these happening, then speaking to a doctor and getting a test done is recommended, since it is important to start treatment as soon as this has happened. If not treated, the blood sugar level in the bloodstream increases and reaches a level known as 'ketosis' (acids form in the blood). This in turn causes a person to become exhausted all the time, and eventually go into a coma (this is very serious, if you continue to leave this untreated, it can be very dangerous).

Type 1 diabetes has some amount of genetic factors involved, and a person having a close blood relative with Type 1 diabetes has a much higher chance of developing this sort of diabetes.

Chances of getting diabetes are higher ?

2008-07-27T21:49:00.003+05:30

For those who do not have diabetes and are worried that they have it, or for those who have it and want to know as to why they got diabetes, it makes sense to try and understand what are the risk factors in terms of diabetes. Of course, just because you do not have any of these risk factors does not mean that you will not get diabetes, but there is a higher chance of getting diabetes if you have any of these risk factors.
So, for example, if you have Type 2 diabetes, there are 2 particularly high-risk reasons; these are hereditary and obesity. If you have a parent, grandparent, brother or sister with Type II diabetes then there is an increased possibility that you will also have it. Similarly, if you are obese, then there is an increased chance of getting Type 2 diabetes, esepcially if you have a sedentary lifestyle.
Some of the other factors are:
# Pregnancy - Hormones produced in the womb during pregnancy may block the effect of insulin. This is part of Gestational Diabetes, and will be explained in more details in a post on that section.
# Problems in the immune system - Type 1 diabetes is caused due to a mal-function of the immune system.
# Age -Diabetes Type II is a forty plus disease. As people age, their bodies may have fewer insulin-producing beta cells.
# Injury - An accident or injury may destroy the pancreas, where insulin is normally produced.
# Stress - There is the possibility that hormones released during periods of stress may block the effect of insulin.
# Type I diabetes is more common among whites than Asian, Hispanic, Native and African Americans.
# Type II is more common among Asian, Hispanic, Native and African Americans.
# If you tend to have an apple-shaped body in which you store fat around the tummy, you are more at risk for Type II diabetes. Those with a pear shape in which fat is stored in the hips are somewhat less at risk.
# For Gestational Diabetes, some of the risk factors are obesity, a family history of diabetes, having previously given birth to a very large baby, a stillbirth, a child with a birth defect or having too much amniotic fluid.
# Unhealthy eating contributes largely to obesity. Too much fat, not enough fiber, and too many simple carbohydrates all contribute to a diagnosis of diabetes.
# High Blood Pressure and High Cholesterol damage your heart vessels as well as are two key components in metabolic syndrome, a cluster of symptoms including obesity, a high fat diet, and lack of exercise.

Types of diabetes

2008-07-27T21:39:00.003+05:30

There are essentially 3 main types of diabetes; type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes (occurring during pregnancy). Type 1 and 2 are the ones that most people commonl know about, while the gestational one is a specific type only relevant during pregnancy. These 3 have different causes, and different treatments. A person suffering from Type 1 cannot be treated with the same method used for Type2, and so on.
Type 1 diabetes is caused by something called an autoimmune disorder - A problem with the body's immune system (specifically a malfunction). In a healthy body, specialized cells (called beta cells) in the pancreas make insulin. In type 1 diabetes, the immune system mistakes beta cells for invaders and attacks them. When enough beta cells are destroyed, symptoms of diabetes appear.
In type 2 diabetes, the beta cells still produce insulin. However, either the cells do not respond properly to the insulin or the insulin produced naturally is not enough to meet the needs of the body. So even though insulin is usually still present in a person with type 2 diabetes, the insulin does not work as it should. Some people with type 2 can keep it under control by losing weight, changing their diet, and increasing their exercise. Others take one or more medications, including insulin. Type 2 diabetes symptoms may not appear for a long time, and the affected person may not know that he / she has diabetes till much later.
Gestational diabetes happens when the body doesn't make enough insulin and resists the action of insulin because of hormones. The condition develops about midway through the pregnancy. Although most women with this condition are treated with diet, some women may need insulin. You can't provide other medication since the baby may get affected. This condition mostly away after delivery. Gestational diabetes (GD) affects about 4 percent of all pregnant women.

Symptoms of diabetes

2008-07-27T21:05:00.002+05:30

There are a large number of diabetes affected people who do not know that they have diabetes. The disease is slowly dumping a damaging amount of sugar in their body, and in many cases, people go to the doctor only when they face a medical problem (some symptom of diabetes), and are shocked to find that their sugar levels are high. Learning that you have a disease that has no real cure and must be battled for the rest of your life can be very unsettling. So, what symptoms should you look for if you have diabetes ?

* Frequent urination: As a result of the body's attempts to expel the excess sugar in the body. The sugar combines with the urine, and prompts the person to urinate more frequently.
* Thirst: Attempting to compensate for increased urination, the person feels thirsty more often.
* Dry skin: Another symptom of water loss from the body.
* Blurred vision: Since the water level & glucose in the eye fluctuate as a result of dehydration causing blurred vision.
* Hunger: Given that cells are not able to absorb the level of sugar that they require, they send a message to the brain about hunger, and this causes the body to feel hunger much more frequently.
* Exhaustion: In diabetes, the body is not able to absorb the level of sugar that it requires, and hence the body feels tired more easily.
* Slow recovery from injuries and illnesses: The higher level of sugar in the body affects the immune mechanism, the White Blood Cells. At the same time, a higher level of sugar in the body attracts more predators and infection causing organisms. This makes diabetes affected people recovery from injuries more difficult.

A more detailed explanation of diabetes

2008-07-27T20:58:00.001+05:30

The previous post just gave a brief (and simple) explanation of diabetes. But for those affected (and even for others), learning the details of what happens in the body helps them to understand why this is happening; it will also maybe let them understand the reasons for the precautions they need to take.
One of the basic functions of the body is to convert food into energy and nutrients, through the burning of the basic materials of food such as fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. The body converts glucose from food into energy. Glucose comes ready made in sweet foods such as sweets and cakes, or from starchy foods such as potatoes, pasta or bread once they're digested. The liver is also able to manufacture glucose. Insulin is the principal hormone that regulates uptake of glucose from the blood into most cells. Insulin is used by about two-thirds of the body's cells to absorb glucose from the blood for use as fuel, for conversion to other needed molecules, or for storage.
Under normal circumstances, the hormone insulin, which is made by the pancreas, carefully regulates how much glucose is in the blood. After a meal, the amount of glucose in the blood rises, and this triggers the release of insulin. When blood glucose levels fall, during exercise for example, insulin levels fall too. Only when insulin binds to the surface of the cells, can the cells absorb sugar from the blood. When insulin has done its work, it is broken down. The body must therefore constantly renew its supply of insulin. If the amount of insulin available is insufficient, if cells respond poorly to the effects of insulin (insulin insensitivity or resistance), or if the insulin itself is defective, then glucose will not be absorbed properly by those body cells that require it nor will it be stored appropriately in the liver and muscles. The net effect is persistent high levels of blood glucose, poor protein synthesis, and other metabolic derangements, such as acidosis.

Diabetes Insipidus (DI) - What is it !

2008-07-27T20:45:00.002+05:30

Diabetes insipidus is a metabolic disorder that causes the patient to produce enormous quantities of urine accompanied by excessive thirst. DI should not be confused with diabetes mellitus, which results from insulin deficiency or resistance. Diabetes insipidus and diabetes mellitus are unrelated, although they can have similar signs and symptoms, like excessive thirst and urination. When you hear the term "diabetes insipidus" you may assume it's related to what's commonly known as "sugar" diabetes, or diabetes mellitus. While the disorders share a name and have some common signs, in fact diabetes mellitus (type 1 and type 2) and diabetes insipidus are unrelated.
Symptoms of diabetes insipidus are quite similar to those of untreated diabetes mellitus, with the distinction that the urine is not sweet as it does not contain glucose and there is no hyperglycemia (elevated blood glucose). Blurred vision is a rarity. Signs of dehydration may also appear in some individuals since the body cannot conserve much (if any) of the water it takes in.
The body has a complex system for balancing the volume and composition of body fluids. The kidneys remove extra body fluids from the bloodstream. These fluids are stored in the bladder as urine. If the fluid regulation system is working properly, the kidneys make less urine to conserve fluid when water intake is decreased or water is lost, for example, through sweating or diarrhea. The kidneys also make less urine at night when the body’s metabolic processes are slower.
Diabetes insipidus is caused by the inability of the kidneys to conserve water, which leads to frequent urination and pronounced thirst. Diabetes insipidus (DI) is an uncommon condition that occurs when the kidneys are unable to conserve water as they perform their function of filtering blood. The amount of water conserved is controlled by antidiuretic hormone (ADH), also called vasopressin.
To make up for lost water, a person with DI may feel the need to drink large amounts and is likely to urinate frequently, even at night, which can disrupt sleep and, on occasion, cause bedwetting. Because of the excretion of abnormally large volumes of dilute urine, people with DI may quickly become dehydrated if they do not drink enough water. Children with DI may be irritable or listless and may have fever, vomiting, or diarrhea. Milder forms of DI can be managed by drinking enough water, usually between 2 and 2.5 liters a day. DI severe enough to endanger a person’s health is rare.

Basic definition of diabetes

2008-07-27T20:05:00.000+05:30

Diabetes (medically known as diabetes mellitus) is the name given to disorders in which the body has trouble regulating its blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels; characterised by the body's inability to maintain blood sugar levels within the normal range. This could be due to:
* A deficiency in insulin secretion
* Biological ineffectiveness of the insulin secreted
* Both the above causes
People with diabetes are unable to use the glucose in their food for energy. The glucose accumulates in the bloodstream, where it can damage the heart, kidneys, eyes and nerves. Left untreated, diabetes can develop devastating complications. Diabetes is on track to soon emerge as one of the leading causes of death and disability in the world.
The full name 'diabetes mellitus' derives from the Greek word 'diabetes' meaning siphon - to pass through - and 'mellitus' - the Latin for honeyed or sweet. This is because not only is excess sugar found in the blood but it may also appear in the urine, hence it being known in the 17th century as the 'pissing evil'.
Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects millions all over the world, and the levels of diabetes in the population is increasing as the general level of prosperity goes up. Diabetes is increasing in our population to the point where public health authorities are calling diabetes an "epidemic" that requires urgent attention.

Sugars in food

2008-07-19T12:46:00.000+05:30

Although for most purposes simply knowing the carb count is enough information for those following a low carb way of eating, there are times when we want to know whether and how much sugar was added to the food during processing. For example, if the label for a bottled sauce says that a teaspoon has "zero carbs", that could easily be due to rounding, so that a few tablespoons may start to have carb levels that you care about. By reading the label, you see whether sugar was added to the sauce, and can sometimes get an idea of how much.

What Are Added Sugars?

Sugars are a type of carbohydrate sometimes called "simple carbohydrates". Sugars occur naturally in many foods, especially fruits, but manufacturers also add sugars to most processed foods these days, because people seem to buy more sweet foods. The presence of these sugars often signals a higher glycemic index in the food.

Sugar Has Many Disguises

Careful reading of labels is necessary to know how much added sugar you are getting. Sometimes there will be small amounts of many types of sugars, so none of them end up being in the the first few ingredients of the label. Other times, sugar masquerades as apparently more "healthy" ingredients, such as honey, rice syrup, or even "organic dehydrated cane juice". These are sugar. Sometimes fruit juice concentrates will be used, which sound wholesome, but usually the juices chosen, such as white grape, apple, and pear juices, are among the least nutritious of the juices. By the time they are "concentrated", very little remains but the sugar.

Here is a list of some of the possible code words for "sugar" which may appear on a label. Hint: the words "syrup", "sweetener", and anything ending in "ose" can usually be assumed to be "sugar". If the label says "no added sugars", it should not contain any of the following, although the food could contain naturally-occurring sugars (such as lactose in milk).
* Corn sweetener
* Corn syrup, or corn syrup solids
* Dehydrated Cane Juice
* Dextrin
* Dextrose
* Fructose
* Fruit juice concentrate
* Glucose
* High-fructose corn syrup
* Honey
* Invert sugar
* Lactose
* Maltodextrin
* Malt syrup
* Maltose
* Maple syrup
* Molasses
* Raw sugar
* Rice Syrup
* Saccharose
* Sorghum or sorghum syrup
* Sucrose
* Syrup
* Treacle
* Turbinado Sugar
* Xylose
Remember, your body doesn't care what the label says, it's all just "sugar"!