Can You Be An Astronaut If You Have Diabetes?

Can You Be an Astronaut If You Have Diabetes?

Though you may not be able to become an astronaut, and go to space just yet if you have diabetes in the United States, you can get fairly close to it. Currently, there are no astronauts with diabetes in space in the US or Russian space programs. If you were wondering how astronauts with diabetes could manage their condition in space, that’s a good question.
There is one man, Josu Feijoo, an astronaut from Spain, who will be going to space with Type 1 Diabetes in 14 months. He is going with a private company VirginGalactic, to research the safety of having astronauts with diabetes in space.
Josu has Type 1 Diabetes, and we will speak with him about his space adventures, and what the researchers are expecting to learn from this research. It’s an exciting time where in 14 months’, a person with diabetes will be doing space exploration. Private companies are opening the door for more people with diabetes to have this experience.
There are people with diabetes who work in positions at NASA, like “Nerdy April,” who landed her dream job as an ADCO (Attitude Determination and Control Officer) for the International Space Station (ISS). To find out how she is still working to break down the barriers to becoming an astronaut, read on. She is an inspiration!
Due to laws against discrimination, there should be no more blanket bans on diabetes for any occupations anymore. Therefore, each astronaut application must be evaluated individually. All things are considered, including blood sugar control, episodes of low blood sugar, and complications of diabetes that may already be pr Continue reading

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More than 500 children with Type 2 diabetes - just 16 years after first ever case

More than 500 children in England and Wales are now suffering from type 2 diabetes, just 16 years after the first reported case.
The figures in the National Paediatric Diabetes Audit have been branded a “wake-up call for the nation”, as the Government faces calls to tackle the rising levels of childhood obesity which is fueling the diabetes surge.
Unlike type 1 diabetes, type 2 is largely preventable and is closely linked to lifestyle, in particular diet.
The Government faces a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take game-changing actionLocal Government Association
Of the 533 cases of type 2 diabetes reported in the year 2014-15, eleven were in children aged nine or under.
The audit found that 95 percent of those diagnosed with type 2 diabetes were overweight, meaning a body-mass index of 25 to 29, and 83 percent obese, a BMI of 30 or above.
The condition, which usually beings in middle or older age, can cause serious long-term problems, the most of common of which is loss of vision.
Type 2 diabetes is also responsible for a high proportion of cases of kidney failure and lower limb amputation.
But data from the National Child Measurement Programme in 2014-15 found that ten percent of four and five-year-olds and 20 percent of 10 and 11-year-olds are currently obese.
Dr Just Warner, clinical lead for the National Paediatric Diabetes Audit, said: “The Government must act now before this becomes the norm.
“The long-awaited obesity strategy will go some way in doing this, however it must offer clear and bold solutions.
“This includes more research into prevention of obe Continue reading

The Vegan Diet How-To Guide for Diabetes

Introduction
Diet changes are the cornerstone to treating type 2 diabetes. Current diet recommendations require restricting portion sizes, measuring and weighing foods, and limiting the total amount of carbohydrate. However, evidence suggests that a different dietary approach may be more effective and easier to follow.
The evidence favoring a new approach came first from comparisons of various populations around the world. People whose diets were based mainly on plant-derived foods—that is, rice, noodles, beans, and vegetables—were less likely to develop diabetes, compared with people whose diets are fattier or centered on meatier dishes. For example, among people following traditional Japanese diets, diabetes was rare. Studies show that when people moved from Japan to the U.S. and adopted a Western diet, they were much more likely to develop diabetes.
These studies suggested that meaty, fatty diets cause the body to be more resistant to insulin’s actions. Clinical research studies have shown that adopting a low-fat, plant-derived diet does indeed improve insulin sensitivity, help with weight loss, and reduce blood sugar and cholesterol.
Part of the value of a low-fat, plant-based diet is that it is very low in saturated fat—that is, the kind of fat that is found especially in meats, dairy products, and tropical oils (coconut, palm, or palm kernel oil). To cut fat effectively, you’ll want to do two things:
The first step is to avoid animal-derived products. Needless to say, this eliminates all animal fats. It does something else, too: It eliminates animal protein. Continue reading

16 Home Remedies For Type 2 Diabetes: Foods That Help

Natural home remedies offer a gentler way to manage diabetes. By including non-starchy, low-carb foods in your diet, you can fight type 2 diabetes. Additionally, give berries, lean fish, and walnuts a try. You can also opt for ayurvedic remedies like bitter gourd, amla, turmeric, and mango leaves, which are proven hypoglycemic agents. Larder staples like cinnamon and apple cider vinegar can improve insulin sensitivity. A low-fat vegan diet can also help with glycemic control.
Being a type 2 diabetic doesn’t have to mean a lifetime of dependence on medication. In fact, if you’ve only been diagnosed as being prediabetic, lifestyle modifications alone could help cut your risk of developing full-blown type 2 diabetes by as much as 58%.1 Besides that, how about giving some home and natural remedies a shot? They may help you gain better blood sugar control and improve insulin sensitivity. What’s best is many of these remedies are easy to implement – all you need is a little care and the right knowledge.
1. Apples
As we all know, juicy, red apples are not only delicious but also healthy. If you are diabetic, apple is one the best fruits you can eat. With a low glycemic index of 38, apples are slowly digested and absorbed by the body. And this means a reduction in the high levels of blood glucose and insulin. Apples are also high in soluble fiber, which controls blood sugar level and reduces cholesterol. Several studies observe that apple consumption is generally associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.2 3
2. Berries
A common myth surrounding diabetes is Continue reading

Diabetes & Depression: Managing Depressive Symptoms Can Improve Blood Sugar Numbers

Diabetes and depression have long been linked. About 12% of those with diabetes have major depression, and about 10 to 20% have minor depression.
What experts have long debated, however, is whether reducing the depression can also help control diabetes.
Now, in a new analysis, German researchers have found that reducing depressive symptoms does indeed translate to better blood glucose control, even increasing the chances of getting to the goal of a hemoglobin A1C under 7.5.1
Explaining the Link
There could be many explanations for why reducing depression helps blood sugar, says study investigator Andreas Schmitt, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher at the Research Institute of the Diabetes Academy Mergentheim in Germany. It could be that the less depressed people are, the better care they take of themselves. And the more depressed, the worse care. "Evidence suggests a behavioral relationship between depression and glycemic control, mediated by impaired diabetes self-management," he tells EndocrineWeb.
"Depression is associated with reduced motivation, reduced activity, suboptimal lifestyle factors such as an unhealthy diet and smoking," he says. "Adherence to diabetes treatment regimen may be reduced."
The link could go the other way, too, he says, with poor diabetes control perhaps triggering depression or worsening it.
Depression is often stressful, of course. Dr. Schmitt says that "under chronic stress conditions, blood glucose levels may vary more strongly and poorer glycemic control can result." Chronic, low-grade inflammation is linked with both stress and depression, and Continue reading