Info about diabetes

Diabetes research: Drink tea regularly

noreply@blogger.com (The Eagle) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:18:00 +0000

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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What is Diabetes Insipidus ?

noreply@blogger.com (The Eagle) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:48:00 +0000

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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Diabetes research: Researchers Find Gene That Causes Resistance To Insulin

noreply@blogger.com (The Eagle) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 18:58:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (The Eagle) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 19:26:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (The Eagle) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 19:00:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (The Eagle) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 19:11:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (The Eagle) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 16:17:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Sunflower) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:23:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (The Eagle) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 06:01:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Sunflower) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 15:37:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Sunflower) — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 03:54:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Sunflower) — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 03:46:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (The Eagle) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 04:27:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (The Eagle) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:05:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (The Eagle) — Sun, 24 May 2009 11:27:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (The Eagle) — Sun, 24 May 2009 11:27:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (The Eagle) — Sun, 24 May 2009 11:14:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (The Eagle) — Sat, 02 May 2009 06:38:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (The Eagle) — Fri, 01 May 2009 06:45:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (The Eagle) — Fri, 01 May 2009 06:34:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (The Eagle) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:06:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (The Eagle) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 18:47:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (The Eagle) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 17:06:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (The Eagle) — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 17:03:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (The Eagle) — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 16:42:00 +0000

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.