Recently in Diabetes Category

(CP) - Cholesterol may not just be bad for your heart.

A study suggests problems with cholesterol regulation in the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas may be responsible for the development of Type 2 (formerly known as late onset) diabetes.

The work, by scientists at Vancouver's Child and Family Research Institute, was done in mice. And the researchers would have to show that the same mechanism is seen in people.

COLUMBIA, Mo., Feb. 7 A University of Missouri-Columbia study says as little as 15 minutes a day of acute exercise can help prevent and fight diabetes.

Acute exercise is a bout of activity in which people actively participate, as opposed to activity resulting from everyday activities, according to study leader John Thyfault.

Many people can fight type 2 diabetes through diet and exercise alone, said Thyfault. It is important to ward off diabetes early. Exercise has proven to be effective at all levels. At any stage of type 2 diabetes, from an obese child to a person dependent for 20 years on insulin injections, exercise could have a dramatic effect on improving insulin sensitivity.Thyfault's study found that relatively short periods of acute muscle exercise in diabetic Zucker rats significantly increased insulin sensitivity in the previously insulin-resistant skeletal muscles.

NEW YORK, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- One in eight adults in New York City have diabetes, and nearly twice as many appear to be developing it, the New York Times reported on Wednesday.

Over all, 12.5 percent of adult New Yorkers, or more than 700,000 people have diabetes, according to a study released Tuesday by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

That is significantly higher than the 10.3 percent national rate in the United States. And in New York, about 30 percent of diabetics are unaware they have the disease -- they are not working to control the ailment and fend off devastating consequences.

What's one of the most important rules in medicine? Never take a drug if a natural and safer remedy provides the same relief. Yet millions of people take cholesterol-lowering drugs to prevent heart attacks.

This therapy comes with a price. Patients can develop muscle cramps and liver and kidney problems and some have died.

Linus Pauling, a two-time Nobel Prize winner, says a high dose of vitamin C before breakfast is a smart way to start the day.

How much you take depends on your tolerance. Too much may cause diarrhea. But most people can tolerate 2,000 milligrams. Ascorbic acid powder (vitamin C) is the least expensive way to buy this vitamin. A flat teaspoon (5,000 mg) can be mixed with orange juice.

“It's something you constantly have to be diligent with,” said Pat Costello, a diabetic referring to her blood sugar levels.

Ten years ago Costello was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and with that, came changes in her lifestyle including diet, exercise and a series of medications. This regimen includes Byetta, an injectable drug which has been shown to lower blood sugar and also leads to weight loss. Now new research shows how another drug called Rimonabant, has similar effects, but is taken orally.

A new study comparing three major diabetes drugs -- Avandia, Glucophage (metformin), and Micronase (glyburide) -- shows that all three drugs have pros and cons to consider.

Patients and their doctors should weigh those potential risks and benefits when choosing between the drugs, the study concludes.

The research, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, looked at 4,360 adults with type 2 diabetes. That's the most common type of diabetes in adults.

Sanofi has reported positive results for Acomplia for type II diabetes. Acomplia has been tested for weight loss, but this is the first study in which the drug was tested by itself as a treatment of type II diabetes. Patients receiving Acomplia 20 mg per day for six months significantly lowered their HbA1c levels.

The data showed that Acomplia improved blood sugar control, reduced weight and acted on other cardiometabolic risk factors. Acomplia--which is set to achieve blockbuster status--has been approved as an obesity therapy in Europe, but recently the FDA requested more information on the drug, delaying approval in the U.S. by several months.

Type 1 diabetes is a growing health problem among European children. European data indicate that the disease incidence has increased five- to six-fold among children under the age of 15 years after World War II, and there are no signs that the increase in incidence is levelling off.

The most conspicuous increase has been seen among children under the age of 5 years. The EU-funded Diabetes Prevention study is generating a wealth of information on breast-feeding practices, infant nutrition and growth in young children in various countries. Newborn infants observed in Northern Europe (NE) had a higher birth weight but a shorter birth length than infants in Central and Southern Europe (CSE).

High blood sugar is among the world's top five killers, a Harvard study shows.

High blood sugar is one sign that a person is on the road to diabetes. But it kills many people long before they ever get diabetes, note Goodarz Danaei, MD, of Harvard School of Public Health, and colleagues.

Moreover, blood sugar levels start causing problems once they pass the higher-than-normal level. It's not a matter of getting disease at a certain point. It's a matter of ever-increasing disease risk.

Diabetes increases your risk of Alzheimer's. Reduce this risk by controlling your blood sugar. Diet and exercise can help.

Public health officials were already concerned about the projected increase in the number of Alzheimer's cases that will occur simply because the aging baby boom generation is so large. Now they worry there may be even more Alzheimer's cases than expected.

That's because diabetes — a strong risk factor for dementias like Alzheimer's — also becomes more common with age. Type 2 diabetes, which is by far the most common form of the disease, often occurs in people who weigh too much and exercise too little — a group that includes a large proportion of baby boomers.