6 New Devices People With Diabetes Should Get Excited About

6 New Devices People with Diabetes Should Get Excited About

Finally! There are some major technological breakthroughs in diabetes management on the horizon.
Diabetes treatment and care has historically been inconvenient at best, and at worst, downright painful. Not only does the disease require a ton of burdensome equipment, most times you feel like a human pincushion. However, people with diabetes are finally getting a little technological love with some devices that could make controlling the disease a little easier.
Here’s some of the awesome new gear you can look forward to seeing in the future!
6. Alcon Smart Contacts
Google is partnering with eyewear company Alcon to create the smart contact lens. The lens contains a microchip that will allow glucose levels to be monitored through tear fluid in the eye. The information retrieved through the lens will be sent to the wearer’s electronic device, eliminating the need for bulky equipment.
5. Temporary Tattoo
The temporary tattoo offers continuous glucose monitoring through a sensor path. Nanoengineers at UCSD developed the sensor, which reads glucose levels in the fluid between skin cells. While the readout is not currently available to allow the wearer to track their levels themselves, it is being developed.
One of the most exciting things about this project is the fact that researchers are also looking for ways to make the tattoo last longer and be more cost-effective for users.
4. FreeStyle Libre Glucose Monitoring System
This incredible system features a tiny glucose sensor that is worn underneath the skin. The glucose sensor is then attached to a small path that adheres to Continue reading

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Cost Of Diabetes Has Doubled In Past 20 Years

According to new research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), managing diabetes may be twice as expensive as it was 20 years ago.
Patients now spend about $2,790 more per year on diabetes-associated costs than in 1987.
The study found that over 50 percent of annual diabetes-associated costs is spent on prescription medications. 24 percent is spent on inpatient visits, 15 percent spent on outpatient care and 6 percent towards emergency room visits or other expenses.
“People need to be mindful about the substantial increase in the cost of diabetes, which has been partially fueled by the rising prices of newer drugs,” said lead study author Xiaohui Zhou, a health economist at the CDC.
Costs are also related to treating various complications of the disease
According to the American Diabetes Association, many of the costs associated with diabetes care are related to complications of the disease, not just treating the disease itself.
Patients are living longer than ever, medication costs have increased, and access to health care is more widespread.
Zhou says more efforts to prevent diabetes are imperative.
“This growing trend of diabetes cost is simply unsustainable," said Zhou.
The study is published in Diabetes Care.
Type 2 diabetes is different from type 1 diabetes in many ways. As its alternate name of adult-onset diabetes implies, it is usually only found in adults. However, the rate of children acquiring the disease is going up.
Type 2 diabetes is also known as non-insulin dependent diabetes due to the fact that, unlike type 1, insulin injection Continue reading

The Plant That Kills Cancer Cells, Stops Diabetes And Boosts Your Immune System!

Bitter melon or karela is a plant that has been used as a natural antidiabetic by some indigenous populations, and it is a true gift from nature and a great aid for people suffering from malignant diseases. Scientific studies showed that this plant can actually serve as a cure for certain types of cancer due to the active ingredients which prevent the metabolism of glucose in malignant cells and ‘’starve’’ them by reducing their needed sugar.
Experts from Saint Louis University Cancer Center concluded that with its natural properties bitter melon can not only destroy cancer cells but also prevent from futher spreading. Further more, another team of experts from the Univercity of Colorado Cancer Center discovered that the side effects that occur during chemotherapy, can be eliminated by the melon juice which is usefull in slowing down the pancreatic tumor growth. Bitter melon is very important in nutrition because of its ingredient glycoprotein lectin since its activity resembles that of the insulin due to tha fact that it decreases glucose concentration in the blood and functions as an immunomodulator. This is the reason why this plant is very helpful in cases of liver, prostate, colon and lung cancer, leukemia and neuroblastoma. Unfortunately, pregnant, breastfeeding women and children should avoit consumption.
Bitter melon grows as a vine with yellow flowers and fragmented leaves, from the family Cucurbitaceae which can be found in the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Aisa, South America and the Caribbean. By its form is simmilar to zuccini, has an elon Continue reading

Fruit and diabetes: Do they mix?

Diabetics have long been told to minimize how much fruit they eat.
The idea is that the sugars in fruit, albeit natural sugars, can be hazardous to glucose levels. But a new study in Nutrition Journal suggests that reducing fruit intake doesn't offer much benefit to diabetics.
The study
Researchers from the Regional Hospital West Jutland in Denmark recruited 63 overweight men and women who all had type 2 diabetes. The participants were offered nutrition advice about limiting calories and were given medical supervision. One group of participants was told to eat at least two pieces of fruit per day, while the other group was told to limit fruit consumption.
The first group ate about 320 grams of fruit per day, while the second group ate about 135 grams daily.
Results
After a period of 12 weeks, participants in both groups showed improvement as far as weight loss and smaller waist circumferences. Interestingly, the group that ate more fruit had more improvements overall. Also, there was no "significant" difference in terms of blood sugar levels between both groups.
“Considering the many possible beneficial effects of fruit, we recommend that fruit intake should not be restricted in Type 2 diabetic subjects,” the researchers wrote.
Source: New York Times
Type 2 diabetes is different from type 1 diabetes in many ways. As its alternate name of adult-onset diabetes implies, it is usually only found in adults. However, the rate of children acquiring the disease is going up.
Type 2 diabetes is also known as non-insulin dependent diabetes due to the fact that, unlike type 1, insu Continue reading

Three Things You May Not Know About Diabetes

As one of the most common health conditions in America, diabetes doesn't always get the serious attention it deserves.
With rising healthcare costs and high rates of obesity, knowledge about diabetes is indeed power - for patients, caretakers, physicians and the average health-conscious person.
Whether you have diabetes yourself or you know someone with the disease, there are likely things you don't know that may change your perspective.
1. It's not a one-size-fits-all condition.
Type 2 diabetes may get the most "press," but there are other types of diabetes that come with completely different challenges, symptoms and risk factors.
While type 2 diabetes is preventable and related to lifestyle factors (diet, exercise, BMI) in most cases, type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition that is most often not related to weight and that many people are born with.
Gestational diabetes, too, is a separate condition - one that affects pregnant women and their unborn babies - and it can have long-term consequences for both mother and child.
Pre-diabetes is also a distinct condition, which can be reversed or can turn into full-blown diabetes.
Understanding the differences between these conditions is important for both people with diabetes and the people in their lives, as they each require a unique approach for care.
2. Ethnicity and race are factors.
It's difficult to discuss diabetes without acknowledging the fact that certain racial and ethnic populations are more affected than others.
According to the American Diabetes Association, 15.9 percent of American Indians/Alaskan Natives hav Continue reading