If you are planning to conceive or are pregnant, then you’d better get your blood sugar levels tested. According to a research conducted by Kaiser Permanente, a health care provider of California , it was found that the number of pregnant women who were diabetic prior to pregnancy has increased twofold in the last seven years.

Though the sample population was from Southern California, the results hold true for the pregnant population of the entire United States. This is a matter of great concern because it implies a lot of health complications for both the mother and the baby. The study was published in Diabetics Care, a journal of American Diabetes Association (the research funding body).

According to Dr. Florence Brown, co-director of the Joslin-Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center diabetes and pregnancy program, Boston, a diabetic woman who gets pregnant needs to work out her pregnancy plans before she gets pregnant. The consequences of pre-existent diabetes in pregnant women can be hazardous. Miscarriage, stillbirth and birth defects are amongst the major consequences.

From 1999 to 2005, the percentage of pregnant women with a history of pre-pregnancy diabetes increased from 0.8 to 0.18, the trend being more prominent in teenaged pregnant women in the age range of 13 to 19 years. In the last seven years, the percentage shift in pre-pregnancy diabetes in teenaged women was from a small 0.1 % to a significant 0.55 %. Black, Hispanic and Asian women were more pre-diabetic pregnancy prone than the whites.

Pre-pregnancy diabetes differs from Gestational diabetes (occuring in 3-8 percent of pregnant women in the US)that pregnant women experience as part of their pregnancy. This is more natural, caused as a result of some bodily imbalances that occur during pregnancy and disappears in course of time. There is nothing to be alarmed about Gestational diabetes unless it assumes severe dimensions.

The Kaiser study found that usually the pre-pregnancy diabetes was mostly of Type 2(in which inadequate production or wastage of insulin takes place unlike Type 1 where no insulin production takes place at all). The major causal factor is obesity. Hence it boils down to a flawed and obesity-prone lifestyle in today’s women as the main culprit of this medical condition. It is really saddening to know that even teenagers who are supposed to lead a very active and obesity-free lifestyle are the biggest victims of pre-pregnancy diabetes.

An active lifestyle, healthy and optimum quantity of food, physical exercise and blood sugar control with insulin are some of the methods suggested by Jean Lawrence a researcher from Kaiser Permanente Southern California.

According to Marie Frazzitta, program manager, North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, New York( that conducts special health programs for diabetic pregnant mothers) a blood sugar check up and a medical examination in general, three months before planning pregnancy should be done, because by the time pregnancy is diagnosed, the fetal heart is already formed. The women who are diabetic are asked to control their blood sugar levels and increase their folic acid intake.

Via: Yahoo News

As per the findings of this study, light exercise that hardly runs you in sweat is quite sufficient to lower the risk of developing diabetes and several other cardiovascular diseases that comes flocking with blood glucose.

This is good news; especially for housewives and people who wish to protect themselves from diabetes but cock their noses at the very thought of spending hours in gymnasium. This study is quite reliable as it comes after monitoring the glucose levels and routine daily activities of 173 people over a week.

However, we can’t keep a blind eye to the importance of strenuous exercise, as it is also important for physical wellbeing. Harping on the same through Professor David Dunstan, a senior research fellow at the International Diabetes Institute in Melbourne said:

The message that 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise a day is important for good health still stands.

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Via: The Australian

A diabetic would know well, how it feels when first diagnosed with the disease - at least sure of the fact that he has reached a point of no return in its onset. Today, there are 20.8 million children and adults — i.e. 7% of the population — in the United States alone are suffering from diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association.

And the most unfortunate part is that, while an estimated 14.6 million have been diagnosed, 6.2 million people - i.e. nearly one-third — are unaware that they are surviving with the disease.

But, here is a good news for the diabetics. The disease is no more ‘a point of no return reaching’ thing. Researchers have uncovered a process that reveals the mystery how the body’s metabolism in a diabetic state after only relatively limited exposure to high glucose levels can be locked!

The Dr Antonio Ceriello Warwick-led research team reveals that the damage in diabetic state seems to be done in a process — called glycation. This is how the team explains its findings:

It is when early on in a period of high glucose levels glucose sugar molecules are able to bind to proteins in the mitochondria of cells (the parts of cells governing the production and regulation of energy). This persists even if glucose levels later fall to normal. This inhibits and distorts the mitochondria’s normal function and results in an overabundance of the production of free radicals (or Reactive Oxygen Species - ROS) which cause oxidation and thus continued diabetic complications.

To avoid complication in diabetes, a very early tight control of glucose levels is needed is the key to it. Nevertheless, the control needs to be supplemented with the use of antioxidant agents, which can help mitigate the complications- progression.

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Obviously, good news for millions of people, constantly bearing blows of this debilitating disease. Credit to shovel out this fact goes to new study showing that chemical called, resveratrol—found in the skins of red grapes and in red wine – significantly improves the sensitivity of mice to insulin. Moreover, it (resveratrol) was found activating the SIRT1 enzyme – known for increasing longevity, DNA repair, and insulin secretion.

These findings nurture a hope for diabetes-afflicted people, by confirming that in near future red wine might play a significant role in fighting diabetes, which currently is supposed to be engulfing around 170 million people worldwide.

Quick diabetes facts:

• Diabetes causes about 5% of all deaths globally each year.

• Diabetes deaths are likely to increase by more than 50% in the next 10 years without urgent action.

• Most people with diabetes in low and middle-income countries are middle-aged (45-64), not elderly (65+).

So, this time it would be interesting to see red wine proving its metal, this time in a new form – diabetes killer!

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Healfast is a simple solution to counter the wounds inflicted by pressure sores and chronic ulcers in diabetics. Applying this bandage is a simple task. Just place this bandage on the wound and peel off the protective covering, and the bandage is ready for action. When a person applies this bandage by pressing it down on his wounds, an electric charge is activated and results in a weak electric field which accelerates the healing process and prevents the surrounding tissues from getting infected.

I find this concept very helpful because even a small cut or scratch can spell disaster for a diabetic. HealFast’s amazing power can arm the diabetics with an increased sense of security.




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The new phenomenon of globalization is also to blame for this, as it prompts higher consumption of fatty food and inactive lifestyle. It gets cited up from the fact that higher prevalence of diabetics is to be found urban India, where globalization has made its presence felt somewhat more strongly. About India, it could be asserted that modern ways have opened India’s doors to diabetes.

The latest facts undraped by ASSOCHAM over diabetes prevalence in India have rekindled the smoldering concern of diabetes. As per the findings of ASSOCHAM:-

• Out of a population of over 1 billion, 3% of rural population is affected and 10-11% urban population

• Diabetics are presently confined to the 10% of the upper income group and 33% lower income group

• Number of Non-insulin Dependant Diabetics Mellitus (NIDDM) is estimated at 98%

• Delhi has an 11.6% of diabetics; Mumbai 9.3%; Bangalore 12.4%; Chennai 13.5%; Hyderabad 16.6% and Kolkata 11.7%

• By 2025, number of persons with diabetes is expected to increase in developed countries by 41% from 51 million now to 72 million and by 170% in developing countries, i.e. from 84 to 228 million.

These facts are enough to justify the fast growing concern regarding exacerbating diabetes situation in the country. The only solution to the problem lies in radical changes in lifestyle, no matter they are regarding food strategies or the way we spend our days. Well, whatever resolution, Indians come up with; following words of Dr Vikram Seshaiah, Medical Director of the Diabetes Unit with the Apollo Hospitals in Chennai, should be kept in mind:

Epidemiological data shows that not only the prevalence of type II diabetes is very high in the urban population, but it is also increasing.

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Researchers at the University of California, Irvine believe it may be possible to develop a breath analysis test to monitor blood sugar.

They tested the breath of 10 kids with Type 1 diabetes and found them exhaling higher levels of methyl nitrates, especially when their sugar levels were very high. This study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Journal.

Type 1 diabetes happens to be the most common form of diabetes in children. It is also known as childhood or juvenile diabetes. It occurs when the immune system goes haywire, and starts attacking insulin-producing cells (beta cells of the islets of Langerhans) in the pancreas, thus leading to loss of insulin.

It is imperative that people with Type 1 diabetes constantly check their blood sugar level using blood testing monitors, because, low levels of blood glucose (hypoglycemia) may lead to seizures or episodes of unconsciousness.

Currently, the blood glucose level can only be tested by piercing the skin to extract a small quantity of blood. This method is not only painful but it can prove to be expensive too.

Since the treatment for Type 1 diabetes is indefinite, I am sure that this noninvasive breath test will prove to be very successful. It will indeed be a great way to spare the jabs on the finger and yet keep a tab on the blood sugar level.

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During the course of study that followed around 8,291 Italian patients, having sustained a heart attack within the previous three months, experts came out with such findings. As per the conclusion, patients with heart attack were 4.5 times more likely to develop diabetes. And shockingly, such patients were 15 times more likely to develop a pre-diabetes condition known as Impaired Fasting Glucose (IFG). Factors like older age, use of beta-blockers, diuretic use, higher blood pressure, inactive lifestyle were also associated with new onset-diabetes or IFG.

With this revelation, a new debate has been kicked off, stressing the need of intensive study over this correlation.

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According to a new finding that people who have sleep apnea are at greater risk of getting type 2 diabetes.

The researching team from Yale University School of Medicine — observed nearly 593 patients who were referred for evaluation of sleep apnea. Team asked each one of them to stay in the sleep lab for a night for a sleep test, which is known as polysomnography.

The team monitored the patients for — 6 years and discovered that patients who have sleep apnea had greater risk of becoming diabetic by more than 2 and 1/2 times, in comparison to those who don’t have nighttime breathing disorder. They were categorized according to their severity of sleep apnea, and the patients with more severe sleep apnea are at greater risk of becoming diabetic patients.

Obstructive sleep apnea is caused by a blockage of the airway, usually when the soft tissue in the rear of the throat collapses and closes during sleep. Sleep apnea is characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep and this disturbs the sleep hundreds of times over a night. Obesity is most likely to be considered a major cause of sleep apnea. The sleep apnea is found to be linked with hypertension, stroke and heart problems.

The continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) — is a therapy which is used for the treatment of sleep apnea. In this type of treatment the air is passed through a mask when the patient is sleeping, by keeping the airway open. This therapy is proved to be helpful in the treatment of sleep apnea. But it is yet to find out whether this therapy for sleep apnea could really help in improving conditions such as diabetes.

Nader Botros, M.D., of Yale University mentioned that our further move in this case is to find out whether therapy of sleep apnea is improving the diabetic parameters of an individual or not and along with this they also want to determine the negative effects of diabetes.

Dr. Botros said in a prepared statement:

The impact of diabetes on public health is great. Diet and exercise, along with a medication regimen, are the mainstays of treatment, but unfortunately diabetes remains a major public health challenge. New approaches are needed to better understand the risk factors for diabetes in order to develop additional preventive strategies. Understanding the link between sleep-disordered breathing and diabetes may represent one such approach.

The study is presented on 21st May at the American Thoracic Society 2007 International Conference.

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Nutraceuticals denote foods having medicinal effect on the health of human beings. According to the American Diabetes Association, if you have the symptoms of developing diabetes then appropriate change in diet will certainly do wonders for you. A change in diet along with physical activity will surely reduce the risk of diabetes.

To make your life healthy and diabetes free, here are a few healthy foods. Just make them your friends and see the way your health as well as life improves. One of the most sought foods is soluble fiber. Major benefit of soluble fiber is slowing down the absorption of carbohydrates. Easily available sources of fiber are oat bran, nuts, barley, flax seed, fruits like oranges and apples, and vegetables like carrots.

Do you know Coffee is another great nutraceutical? It comprises of chlorogenic acid which act as an antioxidant. After having food, it aids in slowing down the release of glucose in our blood stream. Barley malt also has the same effect. It is also helpful in promoting regularity of bowels.

A few more popular nutraceuticals include magnesium, chromium piccolinate, conjugated linoleic acid, bitter melon and our beloved cinnamon. These nutraceuticals effectively enhances glucose tolerance as well as insulin sensitivity.

Via: thediabetesblog