ADA Issues New Position Statement To Manage Diabetes And Hypertension

ADA Issues New Position Statement to Manage Diabetes and Hypertension

With George L. Bakris, MD, Priyathama Vellanki, MD, and Mark E. Molitch, MD
For the first time in nearly 15 years, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) has updated its position statement on the screening and diagnosis of hypertension in patients with diabetes.1 The update to the existing guideline is of vital importance given that patients with diabetes often develop hypertension, and it is a strong risk factor for cardiovascular disease, heart failure, and microvascular complications.
The position statement is authored by nine leading diabetes experts on behalf of the ADA, including George L. Bakris, MD, professor of medicine and director of the ASH Comprehensive Hypertension Center at the University of Chicago Medicine. Dr. Bakris spoke with EndocrineWeb to offer his insight on key changes to the guidelines of particular interest to clinicians. The position statement was made available August 22 online and is scheduled to be published in the September 2017 issue of Diabetes Care. 1
"In terms of blood pressure goals, we did it in two tiers," Dr. Bakris told EndocrineWeb. "We said everyone should be below 140 over 90, regardless.'' Blood pressure should also be measured at every routine clinical care visit.
Furthermore, Dr. Bakris said there is an indication for reducing blood pressure below 130/80. "Most people should be urged to go to 130/80 [or below] because the cardiovascular risk in that subgroup of people is higher than the general population," he stated. "The level of evidence is not as strong, but it's reasonable." He cited the findings from the Action to Continue reading

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The Nuts and Bolts of Dietary Iron

Despite the many jokes about doctors and their love of golf, golf clubs arent the only irons physicians talk about. Although its in the headlines less often than protein, trans fat, or calcium, iron is more than just the metal in a golf club its also an important part of your diet, and a lack of iron can cause some serious problems.
Iron is an essential mineral that is needed for the formation of red blood cells, hemoglobin (the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen), and myoglobin (the protein that carries oxygen in muscle). In addition to carrying oxygen, iron is involved in energy metabolism, collagen formation, immune system function, and the production of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine. Approximately two-thirds of the iron in our bodies is found in hemoglobin, with smaller amounts found in myoglobin, some catalytic molecules (enzymes), and in storage molecules such as ferritin (a protein that stores iron and releases it when the blood has too little of it).
Despite irons many roles, the total amount of iron in the body only adds up to roughly one teaspoon. About 15% of our bodys iron is stored for future needs or as a backup for when dietary intake is insufficient. Our bodies obtain iron from the food that we eat (or supplements), and on average, we lose about 1 milligram of iron each day (a very small amount) through intestinal blood loss (and some small amounts lost through sweat and urine), although premenopausal women lose more iron than others from blood lost through menstruation.
The iron we consume from foods comes in two forms, Continue reading

Beta Blockers And the Risk of CV Events in Type 2 Diabetes

Home / Conditions / Type 2 Diabetes / Beta Blockers And the Risk of CV Events in Type 2 Diabetes
Beta Blockers And the Risk of CV Events in Type 2 Diabetes
Beta-blocker use in patients with T2DM and established CV risk factors associated with increased risk of CV events and severe hypoglycemia, according to recent study.
Diabetes mellitus management mainly aims at preventing diabetes mellitusrelated complications. Although appropriate glycemic control prevents complications, the ACCORD trial (Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes) revealed that intensive therapy can increase all-cause and cardiovascular mortalities. A possible explanation for the results is that glucose-lowering therapy increases the frequency of hypoglycemic episodes, which in turn is associated with increased risks for vascular events and death. Patients with diabetes mellitus with severe hypoglycemia face many critical problems, such as severe hypertension, hypokalemia, and QT prolongation, resulting in cardiovascular diseases, fatal arrhythmia, and death.
Recent studies have suggested that -blockers may prevent or decrease the adverse effects after the occurrence of severe hypoglycemia, such as severe hypertension and hypokalemia, and may reduce severe hypoglycemia-associated cardiac arrhythmias and death. A recent study revealed that the cardiovascular event rate in patients with diabetes mellitus on -blockers was significantly lower in the intensive therapy group compared with the standard therapy group. Conversely, all-cause and cardiovascular mortalities in patients not on -blocker Continue reading

What Are The Best Low Carb Snacks For Diabetics?

What Are The Best Low Carb Snacks For Diabetics?
What Are The Best Low Carb Snacks For Diabetics?
Diabetes , the most prevalent lifestyle disease is nowadays found in almost 6 out of 10 people in the world. Lack of physical activity, stress , changing lifestyle and junk food might lead to diabetes. When you dont burn calories, extra sugar gets accumulated in your body which leads to uneasiness and thereby affects the heart, blood vessel , nerves, eyes, and kidney.
What are the advantages of a low carbohydrate snacks?
Things you should avoid if you have diabetes are- nachos, coffee drinks, biscuits, sausage gravy, battered fish dinners, fruit juice beverages, deep-fried snacks, rice, cinnamon rolls, bread and sugary food . Well, type 2 diabetes is caused by the excess of bread, sweet substance, milk, pasta, spaghetti, starchy vegetable and anything that raises sugar level of the body. Foods like candy , cookies, soda lack nutritional value but increase the sugar level at one go.
Food which is low in calorific value is recommended for diabetes. Foods rich in antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, and minerals are the best suggested for people with diabetes. The foods that can be recommended for a diabetic person are- asparagus, avocado, tomatoes , broccoli, walnut , oats, leafy vegetables, watermelon oats.
Well, you should have an individual diet plan if you have diabetes. Apart from medication and regular exercise, if you can follow some tips, you can avoid diabetes. Lets have a look at some low-calorie snacks that will help you avoid diabetes.
If you have diabetes, you mus Continue reading

Can Marijuana Help Diabetes?

While research on the risks and benefits of medical marijuana for people with diabetes is only preliminary, some studies suggest certain potential effects that may be worth further scientific exploration.
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Big questions remain about the health benefits of cannibis.
Although research on marijuana for medicinal purposes is limited and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved the drug as a standard of care, 29 states and Washington, DC, have legalized medical marijuana. That legislation has passed at a time when some research , which has mostly been observational and conducted in animals, links marijuana use to improved symptoms associated with HIV, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, and mental disorders.
But what do researchers say about using marijuana to help treat or prevent diabetes ? Suffice it to say, studies suggest you shouldnt light up just yet.
The marijuana plant contains chemicals called cannabinoids that have a range of effects, including increased appetite and diminished pain and inflammation . That all sounds great, but whats really going on?
Even though some preliminary research suggests medical marijuana may help improve glucose control and insulin resistance , doctors across the board arent quick to recommend marijuana for diabetes prevention. Thats because most of the studies havent met the gold standard for medical research: Medical marijuana hasnt been analyzed in lar Continue reading