Featured
May
Diabetes Health – Two New Promising Type 2 Drugs in the Pipeline from Lilly
Both drugs are injectable glucagon-like peptides (amino acids) designed to be used once a week. The company is hoping to submit data from the studies to U.S. regulatory authorities this year seeking marketing approval for the new drug.
May
Research: Mediterranean diet better than ‘low-fat diet’ for brain power
A Mediterranean diet with added extra virgin olive oil or mixed nuts seems to improve the brain power of older people better than advising them to follow a low-fat diet
May
Diabetes Self-Management – Other Sweeteners to Consider: Agave and Coconut Palm Sugar
Recently, other types of sweeteners have grown in popularity. There’s a push toward foods and food products that are less refined, that contain fewer chemicals or artificial ingredients, and that may even have less impact on blood glucose.
May
First Oral Insulin Drug Gains FDA Approval To Begin Testing
Those with diabetes know the everyday struggle to maintain blood sugar levels at that sweet spot between too high and too low. In order to test their blood glucose levels, diabetic patients have to prick their fingers often and take medication.
May
Immune protein could stop TI diabetes in its tracks
Melbourne researchers have identified an immune protein that has the potential to stop or reverse the development of type 1 diabetes in its early stages, before insulin-producing cells have been destroyed.
May
Telcare BGM Cellular-Based Glucometer Coming to Europe
Telcare (Bethesda, MD) has announced winning European clearance to begin marketing its smartphone-like blood glucose meter, a device already approved for sale in the U.S.
May
Diabetes Increases Cancer Risk by 20 Percent
Joint research by the Japan Diabetes Society and the Japanese Cancer Association has found that people with diabetes run a 20 percent higher risk of contracting cancer
May
Research: Replacement of carbohydrates with unsaturated fat may improve insulin sensitivity
Results from the OmniHeart Trial suggest an alternative approach to improving insulin sensitivity by modifying the macronutrient composition.
May
The Telegraph: Waist to height ratio ‘more accurate than BMI’ in predicting lifespan
Measuring the ratio of someone’s waist to their height is a better way of predicting their life expectancy than body mass index (BMI), the method widely used by doctors when judging overall health and risk of disease, researchers said.
May
Acetone: A Key to Catching Diabetes Complications
If your body isn’t getting enough glucose, it will resort to burning fat for energy. In order to break down these fats, the body produces ketones, which can accumulate in your blood and urine over time
May
ScienceDaily: Newer Diabetes Medications May Have Additional Cardiovascular Benefits
A newer class of medications used to control blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetics may also improve cardiovascular health, researchers from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center reported
May
MIT: Nanogel To Manage Type 1 Diabetes
An extended insulin-release system comprising an injectable gel of nanoparticles may one day help patients with type 1 diabetes manage their condition without having constantly to test their blood-sugar and inject themselves with insulin.
May
US News Health – How to Manage Type 1 Diabetes As You Age
Seniors share how optimism, family support and lifestyle management have helped them live with diabetes.
May
Clinical Research Shows That First-born Children Have Reduced Insulin Sensitivity
Although first-borns were taller and slimmer, these children had reduced insulin sensitivity and increased daytime blood pressure compared to later-borns.
May
Diabetes Health – Alcohol Use May Boost Food Intake
If you’re trying to drop a few pounds, skipping that before-dinner cocktail or glass of red wine with dinner might be a great first step.
May
Higher A1C rates seen in diabetes patients who sleep late
Later chronotype and larger dinner were associated with poorer glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes independently of sleep disturbances
May
Diabetes Self-Management: Gastric Banding vs. Bypass
A graphic comparison of gastric banding with gastric bypass (along with a third procedure, sleeve gastrectomy), including illustrations that show what each surgery entails and a chart of details and outcomes of each surgery
May
American Journal of Medicine reports that marijuana users have better blood sugar control
They found that current marijuana users had significantly lower fasting insulin and were less likely to be insulin resistant, even after excluding patients with a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. Read more
May
DiabetesMine – Blog Update on the 2013 Clinical Congress of the American Assoc of Endocrinologists
More than 1,400 physicians gathered in Phoenix, AZ, last week for the 22nd Annual Scientific and Clinical Congress of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE).
May
Diabetes Self-Management: Prescribe Insulin for TII? Nah! Too Much Trouble
Taking insulin is too much of a burden for people with Type 2 diabetes, say 66% of primary care doctors surveyed at one hospital in Pennsylvania.
May
DiabetesHealth: Why Sticking to Treatments Is Such a Challenge
Diabetes educator Constance Brown-Riggs has heard all of the excuses. Her patients aren’t taking their medication, or they aren’t sticking to their treatment plans.
May
Nature.com: Gut microbe may fight obesity and TII diabetes
In a study published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences1, a team of researchers finds that in mice, just one of those bacterial species plays a major part in controlling obesity and metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes.
May
How can advanced imaging studies enhance diabetes management?
New approaches to applying noninvasive imaging tests such as computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance (MR), and positron emission tomography (PET) may play a bigger role in evaluating and managing patients with diabetes.
May
Transplant Of Biomaterial Effective In Mice With Type 1 Diabetes
Researchers have made a significant first step with newly engineered biomaterials for cell transplantation that could help lead to a possible cure for Type 1 diabetes, which affects about 3 million Americans.
May
Diabetes Forecast: The Faces Behind Diabetes Research and Their Struggle for Funding
Science is hard—and not just because it involves lots of math. No, the real challenge, scientists will tell you, is getting someone to pay for your research. And the funding situation isn’t getting any better.
May
Medical News Today – Type 1 Diabetes Vaccine In Twenty Years?
Diabetes UK have announced the biggest research program in the charity’s history to try and develop a new vaccine for Type 1 diabetes within the next two decades, an accomplishment which could transform and improve the lives of millions
May
DiabetesHealth: Eating Well (or at Least Not Terribly) at Fast Food Restaurants
Here’s a little secret for those of you looking to eat right: Fast food restaurants don’t have to be your enemy. That’s right, those brightly lit temples paying tributes to burgers, and fries, and nuggets can actually provide healthy meals if you’re in a rush.
May
EverydayHealth: 9 Foods You Should Be Eating for Type 2 Diabetes
Healthy eating for type 2 diabetes is about losing weight and preventing dangerous spikes in blood sugar. Nutrition and health expert Joy Bauer explains how these nine foods can help.
May
Vitamin D Might Be Able to Slash Your Breast Cancer Risk by 90 Percent
Unfortunately, an astounding 80 percent of pregnant women are vitamin D deficient, and you definitely do not want to be one of them
May
Glooko’s New Diabetes Management System FDA Cleared
Glooko (Palo Alto, CA) received FDA clearance for its latest Glooko System, a diabetes management package that includes the Glooko iPhone application, MeterSync Cable and online access for patients and healthcare providers.
May
DiabetesHealth – Insulin Crossroads: When Should Type II Diabetics Start Using Insulin
When dieting and exercise are not enough to control your Diabetes, you must make the decision to start using insulin.
May
Diabetes Self-Management: Metformin May Delay Aging Process
The oral diabetes drug metformin may slow the aging process by mimicking the effects of a calorie-restricted diet, according to a new animal study from the United Kingdom.
May
Diabetes Increases Stroke Risk 12 Fold, for Those under 65
Lead investigator Jane C. Khoury, PhD, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Ohio, stated that, “Our results suggest that diabetics aged under 65 have up to a 12-fold increased risk of stroke compared to people of a similar age who do not have diabetes.”
May
DiabetesMine: Is There a Conspiracy Preventing a Diabetes Cure?
For as long as there has been research to cure diabetes, there have been people who believe that a cure will never happen because treating this disease is simply far too profitable.
May
Air pollution increases risk of insulin resistance in children
New research shows that growing up in areas where air pollution is increased raises the risk of insulin resistance (the prescursor to diabetes) in children.
May
Georgia Tech Biomaterial Shows Promise for Type 1 Diabetes Treatment
Researchers have made a significant first step with newly engineered biomaterials for cell transplantation that could help lead to a possible cure for Type 1 diabetes, which affects about 3 million Americans.
May
Dr. Francis Collins: Scientists Make Progress in Slowing TII Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) has arguably reached epidemic levels in this country; between 22 and 24 million people suffer from the disease. But now there’s an exciting new development: scientists at Harvard have discovered a hormone that might slow or stop the progression of diabetes.
May
ScienceDaily – Protecting the Heart Health of Diabetic Patients
New research published in the May 7th issue of the Cell Press journal Cell Metabolism reveals that high blood sugar levels also boost the production of inflammatory cells, which contribute to plaque build-up in blood vessels.
May
Insulin Resistance: Testosterone May Be Helpful
Insulin resistance in diabetic men with decreased sex hormones was reversed after testosterone replacement, researchers reported.
May
Diabetes Daily – 7 Delicious Low-Carb Dessert Recipes
Just replacing the sugar in a recipe with an artificial sweetener and replacing ¼ cup of flour with ¼ cup of ground nuts can transform many recipes into a deliciously decadent and diabetes-friendly dessert.
May
Joslin Diabetes – Blood Glucose Goals for Physical Activity
Blood glucose goals around physical activity are to avoid hypoglycemia both during and after activity, and return to target blood glucose levels following activity, as well as to avoid hyperglycemia.
May
Type 1 diabetes and heart disease linked by inflammatory protein
The findings, made in mice and confirmed with human data, suggest new therapeutic targets for reducing heart disease in people with type 1 diabetes.
May
DiabetesDaily – New “Dexcom Share” Will Top MySentry with Phone Integration
In the not-so-distant future, people with diabetes or parents caring for type 1 kids could have more peace of mind sleeping through the night thanks to a new device Dexcom’s developing.
May
International study finds no link between viral infection and rapidly developing TI in children
Some of the earliest results from The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in The Young (TEDDY) study – a major Europe-USA consortium exploring the causes of type 1 diabetes in children – has found no evidence for viral infection as a possible cause.
May
U-500 Insulin: Is It Right for You?
If you take insulin, chances are, you use a strength of insulin called U-100 insulin (strength is not the same thing as type). U-100 insulin is the most common strength of insulin in the US. When is using insulin U-500 necessary?
May
Research suggests link between elevated blood sugar, Alzheimer’s risk
A new University of Arizona study, published in the journal Neurology, suggests a possible link between elevated blood sugar levels and risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease.
May
Injecting insulin through clothes may contribute to infection
Insulin injections have been associated with non-tuberculous mycobacteria cutaneous infections and cutaneous mycobacteria may have a prolonged incubation period, according to a literature review
May
Cell transplants at U of Minnesota could provide diabetes cure
After more than three decades of research, a consortium of schools that includes the U has completed testing on the transplant technique.
May
Research: Type 1 diabetes linked to animal infection
An infectious disease carried by animals may trigger the development of type 1 diabetes, according to scientists in the UK.
May
Diabetes In Control – Screening Finds Retinopathy Early in Diabetes
A screening program for diabetic retinopathy diminished the likelihood of eye disease in patients with diabetes.
May
Diabetes Health – Reduced Insulin May Prevent Exercise-Related Hypoglycemia in TI
People with type 1 diabetes who exercise may need to reduce their insulin to counteract the effects of their workouts, according to a new study.
May
Injectable Nano-Network Controls Blood Sugar in Diabetics for Days at a Time
In a promising development for diabetes treatment, researchers have developed a network of nanoscale particles that can be injected into the body and release insulin when blood-sugar levels rise, maintaining normal blood sugar levels for more than a week
May
Lund University – New mouse model confirms how type 2 diabetes develops
Long-term studies of the middle-aged mouse model will be better than previous studies at confirming how drugs for type 2 diabetes function in humans.
May
DiabetesHealth – Diabetes and Your Eyes: Commit to Routine Vision Care
According to a survey by the American Optometric Association, 55 percent of people are unaware that diabetic eye disease often has no visual signs or symptoms.
May
Diabetes Self-Management – Good News About Diabetes Control
More people with diabetes are meeting the recommended targets for three key areas of diabetes control than in previous decades, according to recent research from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
May
DiabetesHealth: New Website Aims at Type 1 Teens
“Teen Diabetes Guide,” a nonprofit website designed to bring teens with type 1 diabetes together.
May
MIT: Carbon Nanotube Sensor Detects Glucose in Saliva
Painful finger-prick blood tests for diabetics could become a thing of the past, say physicists who have built a sensor that measures glucose in saliva
May
Only one in five Americans gets enough exercise, CDC report says
The news was less disappointing for aerobic exercise, with 51.6 percent of adults getting the recommended amount, than it was for muscle-strengthening activities, with only 29.3 percent getting the recommended amount
May
WebMD – How Weight Loss Surgery Improves TII Diabetes Control
Key hormones, amino acids altered during digestion, study finds
May
Medical News Today – Saxagliptin/Metformin Combo: Added Benefit Not Proven for TII
The fixed combination of the drugs saxagliptin and metformin (Komboglyze®) has been approved in Germany since November 2011 for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
May
Diabetes Daily – How We May Restore Insulin Production in Type 1 Diabetes
At last week’s Capital Hill summit on Insulin Independence, researchers from around the world shared a vision of using a combination of therapies built on these same principles to bring perfect blood sugars to those living with type 1 diabetes.
May
More evidence adding nuts is a healthy choice
People can safely add a few nuts to their diet – or replace other foods with the high-unsaturated fat, high-fiber snacks – without gaining weight, a new review of past studies suggests.
May
Diabetes and Aspirin May Not Always Mix
While aspirin is often recommended to lower the risk of heart attack in those with diabetes, new research suggests that it may not always help, and it could do more harm than good.
May
Gastric bypass surgery alters hormones to relieve TII diabetes symptoms
Gastric bypass surgery alters the hormones and amino acids produced during digestion, hinting at the mechanisms through which the surgery eliminates symptoms of type 2 diabetes, according to a recent study
Apr
Diabetes Daily: Diabetes Must-Reads of April
The diabetes online community is huge, and the amount of information, support, and inspiration you can find is endless! Here are a few great pieces of content from the community this April
Apr
Research: Will Green Tea Help You Regulate Glucose Levels?
Evidence has shown that green tea extract may be an effective herbal remedy useful for weight control and helping to regulate glucose in type 2 diabetes.
Apr
New Blood Pressure Guidelines: Can “Alternative Approaches” Work?
Each year, the American Diabetes Associations issues its “Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes.” Basically, these are medical guidelines that most health-care practitioners use to help better care for their patients with diabetes.
Apr
ABC News: 7 Ways to Cut Your Diabetes Risk
Defend yourself against prediabetes and diabetes type 2 by sticking to these lifestyle habits, like lifting weights and getting a good night’s sleep.
Apr
DiabetesMine: New Online Tool Helps Filter Diabetes News
Medivizor launched in late 2012, with creators describing the service as solving the “needle in the haystack” challenge, sifting through loads of info to pick out what you want specifically.
Apr
DiabetesMine: What’s a Type 3, and Knowing Your Pee
This week, Wil’s exploring the term “Type 3,” and he’s taking a look into the toilet bowl for us — errr, so to speak, as he explores urine issues with diabetes.
Apr
Hormone Dramatically Increases Insulin Production, Possible Diabetes Breakthrough
A hormone, called betatrophin, that may significantly improve type 2 diabetes treatment has been discovered by scientists at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI), according to a report published in Cell.
Apr
Report updates impact of hypoglycemia in diabetes
An update of the current state of knowledge about the impact of hypoglycemia on patients with diabetes reviews outcomes, strategies to prevent hypoglycemia, and current knowledge gaps, and has been published in the May issue of Diabetes Care.
Apr
Scientific American: Liver Hormone Offers Hope for Diabetes Treatment
Biologists have found a hormone in the liver that spurs the growth of insulin-secreting cells in the pancreas, a discovery they hope will lead to new treatments for diabetes.
Apr
Research: Intermittent Fasting May Help Those With Diabetes
Now a scientific review in the British Journal of Diabetes and Vascular Disease published by SAGE, suggests that fasting diets may help those with diabetes and cardiovascular disease, alongside established weight loss claims.
Apr
How one man defeated his Type 2 diabetes diagnosis
Diabetes is a growing health problem in the U.S., especially Type 2. But Utahn David Steiner was not too concerned with his diagnosis.
Apr
Diabetes Self-Management: Partially Disposable Insulin Pump Hits the Market
The Asante Snap, a new style of partially disposable insulin pump, has hit the market in certain states in the Northeast and will be available throughout the United States later this year.
Apr
CBS: Diabetes hormone discovery may one day eliminate need for insulin injections
The discovery may someday lead to a treatment for Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease. People have their own version of this hormone, and the new work suggests that giving diabetics more of it might one remove the need to be treated with insulin injections
Apr
One Can Of Soda A Day Raises Diabetes Risk, Study Suggests
Drinking just one 12-ounce soda a day may increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes, a new study from Europe suggests.
Apr
Diabetes Self-Management: How Important Is CoQ10?
I’m not much of a dietary supplements guy. But months of wildly irregular heartbeats will get people to try new things. A friend told me coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) had fixed her heart rhythm.
Apr
CNN: Reduce the steep cost of diabetes
Diabetes is expensive to monitor and control. Here are some ways you can save money on your medical expenses.
Apr
Mangoes help reduce blood glucose, inflammation
A study led by Edralin Lucas, Ph.D., associate professor of nutritional sciences at Oklahoma State University, examined the effects of daily mango consumption on clinical parameters and body composition in obese subjects
Apr
Researchers discover new explanation for diabetes and poor growth
A group of researchers from the University of Copenhagen has taken a significant step towards understanding the reasons for both diabetes and growth hormone deficiency.
Apr
DiabetesInControl: SOGA, New Pill in the Works for Type 1 Patients
SOGA, a protein that lowers blood glucose, is missing in type 1 patients. SOGA is released when insulin is released and works by blocking the production of glycogen when food is being consumed.
Apr
The tablet of youth is coming
At TEDxSydney 2013 the Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School shares a new concept about why we age and how it should be possible to develop medicines to reverse it.
Apr
Diabetes Mine: The World’s Funnest Clinical Trial (Artificial Pancreas!)
Two weeks ago today for Spring Break I was in gorgeous, palm-studded Santa Barbara, CA. And what does a diabetes technology geek like me do on vacation? Visit the local research clinic, of course!
Apr
Joslin Diabetes Blog. Diabetes: A Family Affair
When you have diabetes it is likely that you have had to make some lifestyle changes, especially in the departments of diet and physical activity. Unless you are a recluse, the modifications you make in your life have implications for your family and friends.
Apr
Grape intake may protect against metabolic syndrome-related organ damage
Consuming grapes may help protect against organ damage associated with the progression of metabolic syndrome, according to research presented Monday at the Experimental Biology conference in Boston.
Apr
CNN Health: 7 ways to spring clean your health
Now it’s time to do some internal spring cleaning. Follow these seven steps, and you’ll be ready for a healthy and happy season.
Apr
Food Consumer: Alpha-lipoic acid improves insulin sensitivity
Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), a dietary supplement available over the Internet, helps improve insulin sensitivity in patients with type 2 diabetes melitus, according to a placebo-controlled pilot trial reported in 1999 in Free Radical Biology and Medicine
Apr
DiabetesHealth. Altering Gut Bacteria Could Rival Bypass Surgery Effects
Obese patients hoping to slim down with bariatric surgery may soon be able to get the weight-loss effects of gastric bypass without going under the knife, according to a new study.
Apr
Research: Reducing Carbs in GDM Doesn’t Prevent the Need for Insulin
Randomized control trial looked at patients with gestational diabetes who followed a low carb diet and those who ate a normal diet, comparing the need for insulin
Apr
DiabetesHealth: Smaller, Lighter OmniPod Earns FDA Approval
The FDA recently approved the next-generation OmniPod from Insulet, giving people with insulin-dependent diabetes an even less invasive way to manage their diabetes.
Apr
How the DCCT trial continues to nurture the landscape of type 1 diabetes science
In 1983, a trial began that would forever alter the standard of management of type 1 diabetes (T1D) and serve as a stepping stone to future research advances—and as we mark the 30th anniversary of the trial’s inception, we are still learning from the study.
Apr
Diabetes Self-Management: Another Blood Glucose Meter Recalled
On April 15, 2013, Abbott voluntarily issued a recall of all FreeStyle Insulinx blood glucose meters in the United States because the meter malfunctions at extremely high blood glucose levels.
Apr
What Type of Bread and Pasta Should I Eat on a Diabetes Diet?
One of the common misconceptions in diabetes is that if you have this condition, you can never enjoy eating pasta and bread ever again.
Apr
Vascular markers linked to cognitive decline in diabetes
Stroke and subclinical markers of macrovascular disease are associated with cognitive decline in older adults with type 2 diabetes, according to a study published online April 11 in Diabetes Care.
Apr
Experts Examine Mediterranean Diet’s Health Effects for Older Adults
According to a study published in the Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, a baseline adherence to a Mediterranean diet (MeDiet) is associated with a lower risk of hyperuricemia,
Apr
DiabetesMine: Animas Vibe Insulin Pump Finally Submitted to FDA
Almost two years after the Animas Vibe hit the market in Europe, this Monday Johnson & Johnson submitted the pump to the U.S. regulatory agency. The company publicly announced the submission during their first quarter earnings call early this morning.
Apr
Diabetes Self-Management: Walking vs. Running
To walk or to run for exercise? This is most likely not a dilemma that most people face. After all, most Americans get very little exercise, and people who don’t even walk very much — whether out of habit or because of physical limitations — are probably unlikely to suddenly take up running.
Apr
DiabetesHealth: Is it dangerous to continually have low-grade ketone levels in your blood?
Ketones in your blood shows that you are metabolizing your own fats. One of the purposes of fat is for survival, to help you out in a pinch. Your body converts fat to ketones, and the ketones help keep the brain alive. Ketones also provide energy to your heart.