Communication, Careful Planning Ensure Students With Diabetes Can Succeed At School

Communication, careful planning ensure students with diabetes can succeed at school

Communication, careful planning ensure students with diabetes can succeed at school
Type 1 diabetes remains one of the most common chronic diseases of childhood. According to the ongoing SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth study, about 200,000 U.S. children and adolescents have type 1 diabetes. By 2050, that number is expected to rise to 600,000, according to JDRF.
The numbers mean more students with the disease will be attending more schools, where proper management is critical but confusion about the law and what children are entitled to has led to situations that sometimes result in discrimination or put children with diabetes at risk, experts told Endocrine Today. When a child and his or her family are coping with a new type 1 diagnosis, members of the care team ranging from pediatric endocrinologists to certified diabetes educators and primary care providers often find themselves preparing families for battles on several fronts.
In the school setting, to manage type 1 diabetes well and prevent acute and long-term complications, planning, training and ongoing communication are required, Anastasia Albanese- ONeill, PhD, ARNP, CDE, assistant clinical professor in the division of pediatric endocrinology at the University of Florida, told Endocrine Today. Youre monitoring glucose levels, taking insulin as prescribed, counting carbohydrates, learning to recognize low blood glucose. There are a lot of elements. The broader challenge is that, often if a kid is diagnosed in the middle of the school year, its an abrupt change in that childs life. They may be the only child in thei Continue reading

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The interpretation and effect of a low-carbohydrate diet in the management of type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

Recently, the role of a low-carbohydrate diet in diabetes management has generated interest with claims being made regarding its superiority over the traditional high-carbohydrate, low-fat dietary approach. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the interpretation and effect of a low-carbohydrate diet in the management of type 2 diabetes.
Randomised controlled trials were searched for which included adults with type 2 diabetes aged 18 years or more. The intervention was a low-carbohydrate diet as defined by the author compared to a control group of usual care. MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, ISRCTN, ProQuest and opengrey.eu were searched. Independent experts were contacted and reference lists of selected papers were checked. Results were analysed descriptively and meta-analyses were completed to include trials that presented data at 1 year.
Eighteen studies (n = 2204) were eligible for inclusion within the systematic review. The definition of a low-carbohydrate diet varied. At trial end, the descriptive analysis suggested that the low-carbohydrate intervention arm (LCIA) may promote favourable outcomes in terms of HbA1c, triglycerides and HDL cholesterol. The LCIA demonstrated reduced requirements for diabetes medication, which may have reduced the observed benefit of dietary carbohydrate restriction on HbA1c. Seven studies provided data to be included in the meta-analyses at 1 year. The meta-analyses showed statistical significance in favour of the LCIA for HbA1c (estimated effect = 0.28%, 95% CI 0.53 to 0.02, p = 0. Continue reading

Predicting severe liver disease: Obesity, insulin, diabetes, cholesterol, alcohol

Predicting severe liver disease: Obesity, insulin, diabetes, cholesterol, alcohol
ILC 2017: Type 2 diabetes is the main predictor of severe liver disease among alcohol risk drinkers
European Association for the Study of the Liver
April 22, 2017, Amsterdam, The Netherlands: A study conducted in Finland, presented today, demonstrates that in the general population, central obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes, lipid abnormalities and high alcohol consumption were the strongest predictors of severe liver disease. The study, presented at The International Liver Congress 2017 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, also found that the only significant predictor of severe liver disease among individuals who consume high amounts of alcohol (more than 210 g/week in men, and more than 140 g/week in women), is diabetes.
Using metabolic and alcohol consumption data from the Finnish Health 2000 Study, a nationally representative cohort, the researchers investigated which metabolic factors best predicted severe liver complications and classified the results by the amount of alcohol consumed. For those with no or mild alcohol use, age, total cholesterol, HOMA-index (a measure of resistance to insulin and how well the cells that secrete insulin are functioning) and waist circumference predicted the development of liver disease.
According to the World Health Organization, Europe is the heaviest drinking region in the world in terms of prevalence of alcohol consumption; therefore alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is an important issue for Europe to address.1 Whilst many people who consume more t Continue reading

Why Would People Without Diabetes Monitor Their Blood Sugar?

Why Would People Without Diabetes Monitor Their Blood Sugar?
Why Would People Without Diabetes Monitor Their Blood Sugar?
Earlier this month, Gizmodo published a story about Sano Intelligence, a healthcare startup that is making a continuous glucose tracker that sticks to a users skin and monitors blood sugar elevations through a mobile app. The news Gizmodo wanted to make a point of is that Sano plans to market the product to people without diabetes. If youre wondering what the tech publication thought of it, their headline says it all: Nobody Needs This Silicon Valley-Made Blood Sugar Tracker.
My first instinct was also that it sounded ridiculous and in my head I poked fun: Ooh, look what this slice of pizza does to my blood sugar. Cool! I couldnt imagine why anyone with normal body functions would want to be privy to their short-term spikes and dips. It appeared that Sano was taking short cuts. Instead of focusing on changing the lives of people with diabetes, the company was looking to make a quick buck. (Quick in medical-device land is still far from quick.)
After my initial reactionary response, I spent time thinking about why anyone would want to be tethered to physical updates like those of us with diabetes (myself included). Are people without diabetes curious to learn more about their deeper metabolic functions? And, is it worth it to those of us with diabetes to keep an eye on new product launches like the one from Sano Intelligence ?
But first, what is it? The Sano tracker is a small stick-on sensor that feels like a piece of Velcro. Its covered in hundre Continue reading

Type 2 diabetes has its breakthrough – researchers take note

There’s not a week that goes by without a team of researchers thinking they’ve found a new way to treat type 2 diabetes.
“This drug could represent a new avenue for treating type 2 diabetes.”
Each time I see a line like this I can’t help but shake my head a little. Why? Because I know full well that the breakthrough towards treating type 2 diabetes has already been found.
A few years ago, getting type 2 diabetes under control whilst coming off all diabetes medication was perceived to be unthinkable. But within recent years, this has become a regular achievement. Now, each month people are being told by the doctors who first diagnosed them that their diabetes is now resolved. Their diabetes is back in control and as long as they keep doing what they’re doing, they can happily say “so long” to their diabetes meds.
Seeking a holy grail
It’s frustrating seeing researchers searching for a holy grail: the drug that treats a condition without any side effects. To the best of my knowledge, no such drug for a metabolic condition has ever been created.
All drugs end up causing side effects. It doesn’t matter how excited the researchers or the drug companies get at first, it takes only a few years before the full extent of the side effects start coming out of the woodwork.
The magnificent thing about a healthy, low-carb diet is that, not only does it have none of the long-term side effects of drugs, it actually makes people better in all sorts of ways.
It doesn’t just help control blood sugar, it helps with weight loss, reduces depression, blood pressure, improve Continue reading