All-Diabetes Cycling Team Inspires With Help Of Glucose Monitoring Tech

When Phil Southerland and his all-diabetes cycling team convened at the starting line for the 2006 Race Across America, they carried small doses of insulin and were met with heavy doses of skepticism.
“Good luck,” other riders would say. “We love what you’re doing for charity, and we hope you make it to the finish line.” They made it to the finish line alright — in second place.
In a 3,000-mile tag-team race that lasted more than five days, the eight-person team — known at the time as Team Type 1 — fell short of the fastest overall time by only three minutes. A year later, the mood was different.
“The second year at the starting line, everyone was scared of the diabetic team,” Southerland said. “They knew we were going to win. And we did. We beat the second-place team of professional athletes by three hours.”
In the decade since, Southerland’s squad — now known as Team Novo Nordisk — has grown into a global enterprise of nearly 100 athletes, all of whom have diabetes. The group is spearheaded by the men’s professional cycling team, whose members continually prove that diabetes can be managed in even the most grueling conditions. But none of it would have been possible without some help.
“This team exists because of breakthroughs in technology,” Southerland said. “There’s no question about that.”
The technology to which he’s referring is the continuous glucose monitor, or CGM. Originally commercialized in the late 1990s by the medical device company MiniMed (which was later bought by Medtronic), the CGM consists of two parts: a tin Continue reading

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Diabetes Could Be Cured As Scientists Find Cause Of Disease

If you look at contemporary medical sources, they all claim there is no cure for diabetes – neither diabetes type 1 nor diabetes type 2. But a recent study conducted at Manchester University might change the way diabetes is viewed and rock the established paradigm. It appears that scientists now managed to explain the cause of diabetes. By doing that, they opened the door for a cure.
The findings of the study suggest that the origin of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes lies in the same underlying mechanism. Both forms develop when the hormone amylin clumps together, damages the cells that produce insulin, and causes them to die, which results in diabetes – a chronic condition where body either doesn’t produce enough insulin (type 1), or fails to respond to insulin properly (type 2).
Type 2 diabetes, which occurs in adulthood as a result of unhealthy life-style, has been previously connected with the hormone amylin. This recent study links type 1 diabetes to the same mechanism, which is a novel finding in this area of research. Type 1 diabetes develops in childhood, and is also known as insulin-dependent diabetes.
With the cause uncovered, it is expected that new medicines will go into clinical trials and later get tested on diabetic patients. Diabetes charities warn that people shouldn’t be just waiting for a pill, but should instead adopt a healthier and more active life-style. While type 1 diabetes is hard to avoid, a lot can be done to prevent type 2 diabetes. Dr. Alasdair Rankin, Director of Research at Diabetes UK, points out that the best way to reduce your risk Continue reading

Diabetes Diet: The Benefits of Eating Walnuts

Many of our favorite cookies and desserts contain walnuts. While these walnuts may be surrounded by sugars and fats we don’t need, the nuts themselves have impressive health benefits for people with diabetes.
Unless your doctor or dietitian objects, eating a few walnuts everyday is good for the heart, and helps with blood sugar and weight management.
Five Reasons To Enjoy Walnuts
In one study, overweight adults with type 2 diabetes had sizable reductions in fasting insulin levels after eating a quarter cup of walnuts daily for three months (when compared to those who didn’t eat walnuts).
When added to daily diets walnuts have limited the consumption of less nutritious foods, appreciably improving overall diet quality without causing weight gain. Though walnuts are high in calories they are very satiating, and actually help with appetite control.
Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) - found in walnuts - is a plant based omega-3 fat with anti-inflammatory properties. Eating an ounce of ALA-rich walnuts per day has been shown to support healthy cholesterol numbers and significantly lowers cardiovascular risk.
Walnuts contain l-arginine, an amino acid that facilitates vascular health, and is particularly beneficial for those at increased risk for heart disease.
The polyphenol antioxidants in walnuts bind to lipoproteins, inhibiting the oxidative processes that harm our cardiovascular system. Regular consumption of these antioxidants can reduce inflammation, improve lipid profiles, and endothelial (inner lining of blood vessels) function.
Since one ounce of walnuts contains four grams Continue reading

5 Tips for Dining out with Diabetes

The complications associated with having diabetes can seem overwhelming at times, but dining out doesn't have to be an added struggle.
Whether you're having a quick business meeting over lunch or sitting down to a multi-course meal at a fancy restaurant, there are ways to ensure you make smart and healthy choices while still enjoying yourself.
Simple Guidelines for Dining out with Diabetes
Time it right. Balancing your blood sugar is all about consistency. Instead of getting stuck in a situation where you could be waiting a long time for a table, make reservations before you head out to eat. If you can't do this ahead of time, bring a snack that will keep your blood sugar stable should you find yourself sitting around. Also, make sure you know how and when to adjust your insulin doses around meal times.
Send back the freebies. If you're eating at a place that offers free bread, chips, or some other type of carbohydrate-heavy snack, don't be afraid to send it back to the kitchen. If food is sitting in front of you, you're more likely to snack on it before your meal arrives – which could spell trouble when it comes to your overall caloric intake and blood sugar.
Make your meal. Get creative with the menu if you don't see entrees that fit your nutritional bill. A few high-protein appetizers on top of a side salad can be a meal in itself. Also, make sure to ask for substitutions or special requests, like extra vegetables instead of French fries, dressing on the side, or that your meal be made with no salt during the cooking process.
Drink smart. Alcohol tends to make you eat Continue reading

An 11-Year-Old Has 3D-Printed a Device That Safely Stores Diabetes Test Strips

It's well established that diabetes wreaks havoc on people's blood sugar levels, but one thing we don't usually think about is the amount of waste produced by all those blood tests that need to be taken daily when you have the disease.
Now 11-year-old William Grame from Canberra in Australia has 3D printed a device that hygienically stores all those old blood test strips, and it's small enough to fit inside a diabetic's portable test kit. His invention has won the years 5 to 6 category of the Origin Energy littleBIGidea competition, and he'll be heading off to the US to visit NASA as part of his prize.
When diabetics test their blood sugar levels throughout the day, they prick a finger and place a dot of blood on a special test strip. This is then inserted into a blood glucose meter, which tells them if they need to inject themselves with insulin to help manage their blood sugar levels.
Grame, who has type 1 diabetes, was inspired to create the device after constantly getting in trouble for leaving his test strips on the floor at home. "There are around 380 million diabetics in the world, each testing their blood at least a few times a day," said Grame at a presentation of his device this morning in Sydney.
He's tested his device over the past few months and showed that it can securely store around 50 test strips, which means he only has to empty the device into the bin once a week. In the meantime, it keeps his blood-stained strips off the floor, and makes his life, and his family's, a little easier.
He created the blueprint for the blood disposal test strip disposal unit Continue reading