Dr. Sheri Colberg, an exercise physiologist and diabetes educator, has herself been living with type 1 diabetes for nearly 50 years. She shares what has led to her success in managing her diabetes: her decision to be physically active, and making “a conscious choice to live my life by one guiding principle: Live life first, […]
A recent study set out to assess primary care physicians’ (PCPs) knowledge of risk factors that should prompt prediabetes screening, laboratory criteria for diagnosing prediabetes and guidelines for management of prediabetes. Only 6% of PCPs were able to identify 11 prediabetes risk factors that would prompt them to screen patients under the ADA guidelines. Read […]
New research raises the possibility that type 2 diabetes could be transmissible, similar to prion disorders like “mad cow disease.” The research suggests that type 2 diabetes has similarities to transmissible neurodegenerative diseases known as “prion diseases,” a group that includes bovine spongiform encephalopathy (a.k.a. “mad cow disease”) and the human equivalent, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Read more
There’s a lot of information around on the possible benefits of moderate drinking. Now, a new study from Denmark suggests that moderate drinking 3-4 days a week may be linked to a lower risk of developing diabetes. According to the researchers, how often people drink is just as important as how much. Read more
With prediabetes and type 2 on the rise in the U.S., are pharma companies doing enough to develop new treatments? Harvard researchers argue that companies are doing less R&D into diabetes drugs than would be expected given the prevalence of the disease, and suggest FDA requirements to determine the cardiovascular safety of new drugs may […]
People with type 1 are living longer, and the complications of type 1 are taking longer to appear, according to the Joslin 50-Year Medalist Study. The study examines over 900 people who have had type 1 for at least 50 years. Researchers cite good blood glucose control and exercise as key factors in helping these […]
A new analysis of past research finds erectile dysfunction (ED) affects 53 percent of men with diabetes. The study looked at data for nearly 90,000 men and found that those with diabetes are three and a half times more likely than men without the disease to experience ED. In addition to the sexual issue itself, ED can be a […]
Previous studies have suggested that sleep deprivation is linked to type 2. A new study from South Korea provides more evidence for this, finding that adults with prediabetes who report sleeping 5 hours or less per night were nearly 70% more likely to progress to type 2 diabetes over 2 years compared with those who reported sleeping […]
Studies have found that Muslims with type 2 diabetes who observe fasting for Ramadan can experience problems with their blood sugar control. The fast is observed from sunrise to sunset for 30 days during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. While patients with type 2 are exempt from fasting during Ramadan, many individuals still choose […]
A new study casts doubt on whether regular home blood sugar monitoring is really helpful for many patients. The study divided patients with type 2 into two groups, one of which monitored blood sugar closely; the other did not. After one year the researchers found that the patients who self-monitored did not have improved blood […]
A prototype vaccine will soon be ready for a clinical trial in humans, after two decades of research at the University of Tampere in Finland. Researchers have found evidence linking a type of virus called coxsackievirus B1 with an autoimmune reaction that causes the body to destroy its own pancreatic cells. The vaccine, if successful, […]
A new study found that gestational diabetes (GDM) increases the risk of depression in women both during and after pregnancy. While the study did not investigate the role a woman’s social support system and other factors might have in increasing her depression risk, it suggests doctors and their patients with GDM should be extra vigilant for signs […]
A Dutch study found that women who went through menopause before age 40 were almost four times as likely to develop type 2 diabetes as women whose menopause was at 55 or older. (The average age for menopause in the U.S. is 51.) While the study doesn’t show a cause-and-effect relationship, it is grounds for […]
A recent study of elderly individuals with type 2 diabetes found swings in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), a marker of long-term blood sugar levels, are associated with a higher number of symptoms of depression. People with type 2 are twice as likely as people without diabetes to develop depression, which affects as many as one-third of […]
A recent survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that older patients with diabetes often reduce or delay taking their medications for financial reasons. The CDC’s National Health Interview Survey found that among people 45 to 64 years of age with diabetes, 18 percent put off taking their pills or refilling a new […]
Certain intestinal viruses can affect a child’s chances of developing type 1 diabetes, according to researchers. Children with less diverse gut viral communities are more likely to generate self-destructive antibodies that can lead to type 1, while children who carried a specific virus belonging to the Circoviridae family were less likely to develop diabetes than those […]
People with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are at greater risk of cognitive impairment, including dementia, than those without diabetes. One of the main reasons is the damage diabetes causes to small blood vessels. Exercise, in addition to being good for physical health, can help brain health. Read more
Abbott, maker of FreeStyle Libre glucose sensing technology, and Bigfoot Biomedical, provider of insulin delivery solutions, have agreed to integrate their technologies. Abbott will be the exclusive supplier of sensors for Bigfoot’s U.S. insulin delivery systems, while Bigfoot will commercialize multiple systems using the FreeStyle Libre sensor technology. Read more
Study of people type 1 who donated organs for research has found high rates of suicide and the use of illegal drugs. While those who chose to donate may not be representative of all people with type 1, researchers argue the findings speak to the need for better emotional and psychological support resources for people coping […]
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) there is a “diabetes belt” in the U.S., ranging across 644 counties in 15 states, in largely rural areas of the Southeast and Midwest, including Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee. People in this “belt” are more likely to develop diabetes than those in the rest of the U.S. […]