Moms who don't breastfeed more likely to develop diabetes

A new study says that mothers who don not breastfeed their babies are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes later in life.

The study was conducted by University of Pittsburgh.

Reports quoting said Dr. Eleanor Bimla Schwarz, assistant professor of medicine, epidemiology, and obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at the University of Pittsburgh said diet and exercise are widely known to impact the risk of type 2 diabetes. But a few people realize that breastfeeding also reduces mothers' risk of developing the disease later in life by decreasing maternal belly fat.

The study was conducted in 2,233 women between the ages of 40 and 78. Twenty-seven percent of mothers who did not breastfeed developed type 2 diabetes and were almost twice as likely to develop the disease as women who had breastfed or never given birth.

On the other hand, mothers who breastfed their children were not likely to develop diabetes than women who never gave birth.

The study has been published in the American Journal of Medicine.

Grapefruit help treating diabetes

A study has found that grapefruit could help treat diabetes. The study says that Naringenin, an antioxidant which gives grapefruit its bitter taste, can do the same job as two separate drugs currently used to manage Type 2 diabetes.

Naringenin was found to increase the body’s sensitivity to insulin. It also helps in maintaining a healthy weight, which is important to the treatment of diabetes.

The study shows that Naringenin makes the liver burn fat instead of storing it. They say that its effect mimics the action of Fenofibrate and Rosiglitazone, two lipid-lowering drugs which are used to help control Type-2 diabetes.

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem conducted the study.

Fasting for 24 hours cut the risk of diabetes

Regularly fasting for a day may reduce the risk of diabetes and heart disease, a research has suggested.

The researchers conducted studies on the health and habits of more than 200 residents in the state of Utah, where fasting for at least one day a month is a way of life for many Mormons.

The study found narrowing of the arteries in around 75 per cent of those who did not fast and clogged arteries in 63 per cent of those who said they often skipped meals.

The study was also conducted in people who were not regular fasters. The tests revealed fasting triggers a significant surge in human growth hormone, a hormone credited with speeding up metabolism and burning off fat. It was seen that the levels rose 13-fold in women and 20-fold in men. If fat is shed, then it cut the risk of diabetes and related heart problems.

Though fasting caused levels of cholesterol to rise, it returned to normal after the fast was over.

Test predicts diabetes ten years earlier

Researchers have stated that diabetes could be detected very much earlier, about ten years before, with measuring levels of small molecules in the blood.

The researchers said the levels of five amino acids not only indicated increased diabetes risk but also could differentiate, among individuals with traditional risk factors such as obesity.

The researchers say that these findings raises the possibility that the patients at highest risk of developing diabetes could be detected earlier so that early preventive measures could be instituted.

The researchers found the five amino acids — isoleucine, leucine, valine, tyrosine and phenylalanine — were significantly associated with the later development of type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes and Feet

Diabetic patients should have to be very careful with their feet or they can get into trouble. There are possibilities that one can come across reduced blood circulation and nerve damage.

In case you feel that the feet is constantly getting cold and legs are becoming sore when walking, then you have to be careful as it could be because of decreased blood circulation. If you feel so, it is better to do some physical activity to improve the blood circulation. It is better to control blood sugar, blood fat and pressure.

Another symptom that diabetic patients come across is that the feet may become numb or you may have a burning sensation on the soles. This may be because of nerve damage. If you feel so, you have to check the feet regularly. Wash and dry in between the toes carefully. If corns or calluses are developed, immediately see the doctor. The nails should be trimmed regularly.

Diabetes patients: some Tips for Travel

A diabetic person when travelling should take plan ahead. This will reduce tension while travelling. Here are some tips for diabetic travel.

Before travelling, it is better to have a check up. Make sure that the glucose levels, cholesterol levels and pressure are ok. If there is any deviation, take some precautions.

Check the baggage for the medical kit. You should also have glucose snacks in your baggage.

The medication, including insulin and syringes should be kept in separate boxes so that no confusion arises.

Another thing that has to be seen is the time difference as this is important for taking medications. In case you re travelling east, the day become shorter and when travelling west, the day becomes longer.

It is good to wear a diabetes medical ID.

Air pollution could increase diabetes risk in women

Does air pollution lead to the risk of type 2 diabetes in women? If a new study has to be believed, then yes air pollution would lead to a risk of developing type 2 diabetes in women.

A group of German researchers have pointed out that low grade inflammation could contribute to higher incidence of type 2 diabetes in women who are exposed to air pollution.

The findings are published in Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP). In the study, women living in highly polluted industrial areas were compared to women living in rural regions with less pollution. After analysing the result of 1,775 women who were 54 or 55 years old, it has been found out that 187 participants were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

They have found that Nitrogen Dioxide and soot in ambient fine particulate matter was closely associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. They also say that living within 100 meters of busy roadways more than doubled the diabetes risk.

Diabetes and Eyes

Diabetes is known as killer disease that can have adverse impact on several organs. This killer disease can play havoc with eyes, heart, kidney, liver and the neuro system.

Some of the problems related to eyes with an impact of diabetes include cataract, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy.

Cataract is often a major problem that is seen in diabetic persons. It is clouding of the lens, which can be treated by surgery. Glaucoma is a condition when the eyes get filled up with fluid and when the pressure of the fluid builds up in the eyes. This condition may lead to damage of the optic nerves.

Diabetic retinopathy is a condition when the small blood vessels in the eyes get damaged.

A diabetic person should always take care of the eyes. He or she should go for periodic eye check ups.

Wireless glucose monitor

Researchers have developed a sensor that measures blood sugar continuously and transmits the information wirelessly.
The small device has a pair of sensors and could be implanted in a person's torso. One of the sensors detect oxygen while the other one studies the reaction of oxygen and glucose. This information is then transmitted through an integrated antenna.

The blood glucose monitor, which measures about 1.5inches across, could be available under prescription within a few years. scientists reported in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

The device has been tested in one pig for more than a year and in another for nearly 10 months with no problems, they said.

Lead author Professor David Gough, from the UC San Diego, said that they were now focused on getting the human clinical trials going. He said they hoped to begin the first human trial within in a few months.

Pig cells a new hope for diabetes patients

Pig cells for diabetes patients. A research is underway to find a cure to type one diabetes patients by using pig cells.

A news report says that a procedure developed by Kiwis is being tested on eight patients. The procedure called xenotransplantation, which had been banned by the New Zealand government for over a decade has now once again been given the green light.

Xenotransplantation is a process by which a small incision is made in the abdomen and over one million pig islet cells, each the size of a pinhead, are inserted into the cavity surrounding the liver. Those cells will take several weeks to form a blood supply and hopefully start producing insulin for the patient, the medical experts feel.

His is not the first time that such a trial was being conducted in New Zealand as some patients were injected with pig cells about 14 years ago. However, those trials were halted over concerns that a pig retro-virus may one day emerge.

Artificial pancreas to help diabetic patients

More and more people the world over are becoming diabetic. Diabetes is a condition where the body produces less insulin or it does not use the insulin properly.

Diabetes is often termed as a killer disease. If diabetes is not treated, it can lead to many complications like blindness, neuropathy, kidney failure, heart failure and amputations.

Well, diabetes patients have to undergo regular sugar tests and also have to be under medication a whole life. However, patients can now relive because of the new technologies. There are glucose monitors, which help in monitoring the blood sugar levels and insulin pumps that dispense insulin without the need for injections.

Well, now researchers have successfully tested artificial pancreas that helps in regulating the glucose levels. The artificial pancreas is composed of an insulin pump and a blood glucose monitor.

Reports have said that the artificial pancreas tested was a great success. The primary results showed that the system helped in five-fold reduction of low blood glucoses and increased overall glucose control.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea and diabetes

A new study has revealed that Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) will make it hard for type 2 diabetes patients to control their blood sugar levels.

The University of Chicago claims that the study demonstrated for the first time the relationship between obstructive sleep apnea severity and blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetes.

Sixty type 2 patients in the age group of 41 and 70 were selected for knowing the relation between obstructive sleep apnea severity and blood sugar levels. These patients were monitored for their sleep-wake cycles with the help of wrist actigraphy and self reported sleep logs. They were assessed for their glucose levels by measuring the hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), which is a clinical marker for glycemic control in diabetics.

About 38 percent of the patients exhibited mild sleep apnea, 25 percent had moderate apnea while 13 percent had severe sleep apnea. The study found that the patients suffering from mild, moderate or severe obstructive sleep apnea had their HbA1C levels increased by 49, 93 and 269 percent respectively, as opposed to those without OSA.

The findings were published in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Black tea helps fight diabetes

Can black tea fight diabetes? Yes, black tea can help fight diabetes according to researchers from the Tianjin Key Laboratory in China.

The researchers, whose work was published in the Journal of Food Science, found that black tea can help fight diabetes on the basis of the study of polysaccharide levels in green, oolong and black teas.

They found that polysaccharide in black tea had the most glucose inhibiting properties when compared to green and oolong teas.

Polysaccharides is a kind of carbohydrate, which includes starch and cellulose. It may benefit diabetic people as they help retard absorption of glucose.

The researchers also found that polysaccharides in black tea had the highest scavenging effect on free radicals, which are believed to lead to cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and other illnesses.

The researchers believe that there was a great potential for exploitation of polysaccharide in black tea for managing diabetes.

Insufficient sleep contributes to diabetes

Sleeping and diabetes are related. Short sleep is known to contribute to the development of insulin resistance and reduced glucose tolerance. This has been established by a new study, which has been published in The Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

The researchers subjected a group of healthy middle-aged men and women to two 14-day period of controlled living with free access to food and 5.5 or 8.5 hour of sleep.

It was seen that when the sleeping hours was reduced from 8.5 hours to 5.5 hours, they showed changes in their response to two common sugar tests, which were seen to be similar to those seen in those with an increased risk of developing diabetes.

Plamen Penev of the University of Chicago and a senior author of the study has said that the westernised style combined with reduced sleep might contribute to the increased risk of many overweight and sedentary individuals developing diabetes.

He says it is not just a healthy life style and healthy eating habit that is needed to control diabetes, but one should also have good sleep.

If diabetic, have proper eye care

Diabetes, the killer disease, is known to affect many parts of the body. Diabetes can affect the eye, heart, nervous system and kidney. It is better that a diabetic person is always under the watch of a doctor.

A diabetic person is at more risk of vision problems than others. It has been said that a diabetic person has more than 40 per cent of chance to get glaucoma. If one is diabetic for more years, then the risk is even higher.

People with diabetes are also at greater risk to get cataract at a young age. They can experience optic nerve problems and also temporary paralysis of muscles controlling movement of eyes.

Well, the most complicated one is diabetic retinopathy, which is caused because of the complications in the small vessels in the retina. Diabetic retinopathy is a burning issue now. Nonproliferative and Proliferative are the two types of diabetic retinopathy. Nonproliferative Retinopathy is a condition in which the blood vessels in the retina are damaged that leads to fluid leek or bleeding. Proliferative Retinopathy is an advanced stage of diabetic retinopathy. It is a condition in which the blood supply of retina is compromised.

If you are diabetic, it is better to keep the blood sugar levels under tight control so as to prevent eye problems. Try to bring high blood pressure under control as hypertension can worsen eye problems.

If you experience blurred vision, flashes of light and black spots, it is better to consult the doctor immediately. If you are diabetic, it is better to have some early planning and better eye care management to prevent from any vision complications and vision loss.

Diabetes; it is critically important to control this killer disease

Once you are diagnosed with diabetes, it is critically important to control diabetes. You should have to be very careful in dealing with diabetes as it can lead to many other complications. It is likely that diabetes can affect your eyes, kidney, heart, nervous system and brain.

It is critically important to control diabetes. Controlling diabetes means you have lesser risks of complications. Controlling diabetes means you are less likely to suffer from the complications arising out of diabetes. Controlling diabetes means lowering the risk of damage to the kidney, brain and eye.

Controlling diabetes means controlling the glucose level in the body. You have to maintain the right levels of your glucose, neither high nor low. Once you are found to be diabetic, you have to go for regular check ups, preferably once a week.

If you are traced with diabetes, it is better to be under the guidance of a physician as he may help you to maintain the right glucose levels. Do not try to treat diabetes on your own as it can only complicate matters.

An important aspect in controlling diabetes is to maintain proper diet. Always maintain a healthy eating habit, which helps in controlling diabetes. Do not go for heavy meals and instead cut short the meals into five or six smaller meals. Go for leafy vegetables and let your food be a balanced one with the right nutrients, vitamins and carbohydrates.

Along with a proper diet, exercise is also an important factor that helps in controlling diabetes. Exercise helps in the speedy dispose of excess glucose from the body.

Well, it is critically important to control diabetes. Once diagnosed as diabetic, you should have to critically control it or you are liable to come across many health complications.

Treating Diabetes Effectively

People are now much concerned of being diabetic. It is that no one can now ignore the fact that more and more people are becoming diabetic every day. Once you are diagnosed with diabetes, it is better to start treating it without further delay.

Treating diabetes does not mean taking diabetes pills or insulin injections. The first thing towards treating diabetes is to understand what diabetes is. Get know all aspects of this killer disease in all its ramifications. Know all the complications regarding diabetes. Knowing diabetes better is the first step towards treating diabetes.

The most important thing is to keep the blood sugar levels under control. You have to regularly monitor your blood sugar level. This will help you to check if your body is responding to the medications. It is better to check the blood sugar levels every day and if not check it once in two days.

Taking tablets or injecting insulin does not mean that you will have control over the blood sugar. A healthy life style combined with a perfect diet plan and good exercise helps in controlling the sugar levels.

Your body gets glucose from the food that you take so it is necessary to control the food that you eat. Instead of taking heavy meals, go for smaller meals. Eat only a balanced diet that contains the necessary proteins, fats and carbohydrates. You have to add more of fibres and vegetables in your diet. It is also better to reduce the alcohol consumption.

Well, once you have control over your glucose intake, the next thing is to maintain it. Exercise burns the glucose that you take and helps in maintaining your glucose level. It is said that exercise helps in keeping the body weight under control, which means you only have the required glucose level. Walking is a very good exercise.

Let Diabetic persons think they are one among you

Diabetes is considered to be a killer disease. A life long disease, diabetes apart from affecting physically has great many social and psychological effects on the patient. The effects can be minor ones to major ones. Every one is liable to the social and psychological effect of diabetes.

It is quite natural that a person, whether he is young, adult or old, is liable to have psychological distress on discovering they have diabetes. The discovery that they have diabetes can be quite shocking to them and can lead to anxiety and depression.

Depression is the main effect of diabetes. A diabetic person loses interest in everything and even in their life. They feel dejected in life and tend to move away from others. They always seem to be gloomy and feel of having lost faith in everything. Well, depression in diabetic is often unrecognised and not treated.

A diabetic person may also feel that he or she is worse than others and it affects his or her self-esteem. This can affect relations and also worsen his friendship and family life.

Diabetes is known to affect sex. Well, sometimes diabetic persons may feel sad about their sexual life and as such it can have an adverse impact on their family relations.

Well, diabetic persons need lots of support from the family and friends. They should not feel that they are alone in this world. Let them know that they are one among all in this world.

Long/short Sleepers at higher risk for diabetes

A recent study has revealed that long and short sleepers are at higher risk for diabetes. The study was presented at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.

Girardin Jean-Louis, who is an associate professor at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center at the Brooklyn Health Disparities Research Center in New York, has said that the findings throw light on the serious impact of sleep in diabetes. He says that the findings showed that both the persons who had long sleep and short sleep had a higher risk of diabetes.

The study was conducted on the basis of data from 29,818 individuals who had completed the 2005 National Health Interview Survey. The data was collected from all the 50 U S states and the participants were n the age group of 18 and 85. Moreover, 85 per cent of the individuals were white, 15 percent black and 56 percent women.

The study says that diabetes was prevalent in 12 percent of blacks and 8 percent in whites. The researchers also found that obese persons had more tendency to sleep more, which only increased the risk of diabetes.

However, the researchers say that more such research is needed to identify the link between sleep and diabetes.

African tea to control blood sugar

A recent study has revealed that African tea helps in controlling blood sugar levels in the body.

A team of researchers in Denmark has completed a four-month long clinical trial on 23 patients with type 2 diabetes and had said that the trial was more than satisfaction.

The patients who were given African tea, which are produced from the extract of Rauvolfia Vomitoria leaves and the fruit of Citrus aurantium, had shown considerable effect.

Researchers at the Copenhagen university, which had conducted the study says though the African Tea initially did not affect the sugar content of the blood, but had shown gradual progress. In four months, there was a significant increase in glucose tolerance, they said.
It was also seen that there was an increase in the polyunsaturated fatty acids in patients who were administered the African tea. When there is an increase of the polyunsaturated fatty acids, the cell membranes become more permeable, which results in the cells absorbing glucose better from the blood.