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

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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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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Besides, minocycline has showed no side effects in the patients. Minocycline is found to be effective because it is able is protect the brain cells from destruction. The scientists are yet to find the right dose for the patients.

VIA: IVANHOE

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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Reason behind such suggestion is the study, which found that instead of doing one of these two types; doing both brings greater results. During the course of study, around 251 adults, between the ages 39 to 70 were divided into four groups, which followed the routine mentioned below:

• First group: 45 minutes aerobic training three times per week

• Second group: 45 minutes of resistance training three times per week

• Third group: 45 minutes each of both three times per week

• Fourth group: No exercise, at all

What came out, finally?

Results rolling out after following this routine for around 2 to 3 months:-

• Decrease in the blood sugar levels of first and second group was 0.5 percent.

• Fourth group reported no improvement in blood sugar levels

• Third group (doing both exercises) reported almost double improvement in controlling blood sugar levels, when compared to other groups.

Finally, what we get is that instead of doing either of these two, going for both would bring results that normally a diabetic can aspires for.

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When Doctor Liu points out that a set of molecules are responsible we are likely to be born with the disease and that earlier detection of the levels of these molecules can help us combat the disease through change in lifestyle and dietary habits.

Most of the patients in US Canada are found to suffer from Type 2 diabetes and was suggested exercise three days a week.

As most people are engaged with sedentary nature of jobs and consuming fast foods aggravates the condition of diabetic-prone people. Studies in Ottawa and US show that exercise reduces the problem.

To monitor blood sugar level, lot of health kits are available in the market. The question is to choose the suitable ones. Now the time has come for early detection of the disease as prevention is better than cure.

Via:CBS

People suffering from diabetes could live longer if they took blood pressure reducing drugs routinely irrespective of whether they were suffering from hyper tension, according to study. The drug reduces complications such as heart diseases and strokes and thereby increases the chances of longevity.

About 11,000 people with type 2 diabetes were followed for about four and half years by researchers of University of Sydney . The patients on trial among whom half of them had high blood pressure were given either a placebo or a daily pill combining 4mg of a blood vessel relaxant called perindopril with 1.25mg of a diuretic called indapamide.

It was found that the death rate due to cardio vascular diseases among people who took the blood pressure reducing pill was 3.8% when compared to 4.6% of those who were on a placebo. Death rates due to any other cause also fell among those who were on blood pressure reducing drugs.

We gave blood pressure lowering therapy to patients with diabetes irrespective of whether their blood pressure was high in the beginning. Previously, virtually every study has been in patients with hypertension, but a high proportion of diabetics don’t have hypertension. This study suggests there’s a case for considering this treatment routinely for patients with type 2 diabetes.

says Stephen MacMahon, a professor of cardiology at the university’s George Institute, where the trial was coordinated.

Of course, prevention is better than cure any day and people would be better off if they made lifestyle changes by concentrating on their diet and by being physically active instead of spending their entire life popping pills!

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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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And, it’s a known fact that obesity is a major culprit behind developing diabetes at later life. Childhood obesity risk rises in tandem with a pregnant woman’s blood sugar level!

While on one hand, it is the fact that untreated gestational diabetes nearly doubles the risk of obesity in a child aging from 5 to 7, on the other, it is also proved that timely treatment of a pregnant mom’s diabetes can essentially eliminate the risk.

And it is to the extend like those pregnant mothers with normal blood sugar levels!

Since, gestational diabetes is found to affect up to 8 percent of pregnant women each year in the United States, such preventive aftereffects should be considered seriously.

What are needed at the roots, are awareness and timely diagnosis and treatment of would-be-mom’s diabetes.

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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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This adds up to 7 percent of the population. To add to the crisis, of them an estimated 14.6 million have been diagnosed, but unfortunately, 6.2 million people, ie. nearly one-third are not even aware that they are living with the disease!

What eventually is fearful are the gruesome aftereffects of the uncontrolled disease - i.e African Americans suffering from type 1 diabetes are vulnerable to ‘loss of vision!’ With so many people affected by diabetes, you can well imagine the consequence the United States is awaiting!

If the blood sugar levels are not properly controlled, ‘losing vision’ becomes a very powerful risk factor. This study, perhaps, is the first to find the rate of visual impairments among a large group of African Americans.

Besides, poor control over blood sugar levels, older age, high protein levels in the urine (a symptom of kidney disease), as well as a diabetic retinopathy — a degenerative disease of the retina -were found to be independent and significant predictors of vision loss!

So, with a poor control over blood sugar being the key to the foreseen crisis, African Americans as a whole need to take initiatives in improving glucose control to see a vision loss-free nation in the coming decades.

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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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According to this study:-

White kids were more susceptible to type 1 diabetes.

Among Hispanic and Asian kids, its prevalence was lower but just slightly.

Kids between 10 to 14 were comparatively more susceptible to type 1 diabetes.

From gender point of view, girls were found more prone to diabetes than boys.

Constantly, prevalence of type 2 diabetes among kids was found increasing.

Prevalence of type 2 diabetes was more in American Indian between the group

After going through these facts, severity of the situation can easily be assessed. Well, it is good to know that there has not been seen much rise in diabetes among kids but to take the fact, which states that around 15,000 kids are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes every year, for granted won’t be right.

Actually, diabetes is quite a serious problem, which is fast raising its hood round the world, taking kids under its fold. Well, a big percentage of experts, believes that sharp rise in obesity among kids is one the of the root causes behind increase in type 1 diabetes among children. More worrying is the fact that type 2 diabetes, which is normally regarded as the disease of adults has fast started foraying into kids too all over the world.

On this base, it won’t be wrong to say that strong measures are required to be taken; otherwise days are not far away when diabetes would emerge as a common health problem among kids, turning their lives into a hell.

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Via: Ivanhoe

With 20.8 million children and adults, i.e. 7% of the US population suffering from diabetes, we are surely living at an ‘epicenter’ of the disease and hence both defiance and despair.

Unfortunately, an estimated only 14.6 million have been diagnosed, with 6.2 million people — nearly one-third - are unaware of their bearing the disease. To add to the prevailing problems, and the increasing trend, the painful medications or ‘jabs’ discourage many diabetics from continuing with the treatment.

But, here is a new solution to the painful anti-diabetic jabs - a new insulin pill!

Ah! So, the pill could mean an end to those painful injections for the UK’s 2 million and US’s 20.8 million diabetics, especially the young children who often fear needles.

Thanks to the Jersey-based company Diabetology for conducting this breakthrough research.

The research claims that a ‘twice-daily’ oral dose of an insulin pill, taken before breakfast and the evening meal can successfully control glucose levels in patients.

This development surely promises a ‘needle less future’ for the diabetics.

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