Diabetes And The Ice Age

Diabetes and the Ice Age

Did you know that more people are diagnosed with diabetes in the colder months of the year? Also, type 1 diabetes is more common in European countries than in African or South American countries. And Finland has the highest rate of type 1 diabetes in the world. What do these things have in common? Yes, it seems there's a connection between diabetes and cold weather!
Would you believe that in the book Survival of the Sickest, Dr. Sharon Moalem theorizes that type 1 diabetes is actually an evolutionary adaption to the cold?
By way of explanation, here's a quick history lesson: Way, way back in prehistoric days, there was a severe drop in temperature called the Younger Dryas, in which the temperature dropped violently in a matter of a few years. While many thousands of people likely froze to death, humans clearly survived. Dr. Moalem theorizes that there might be a genetic trait that helped certain humans withstand the cold. "Just because we can't survive a true deep freeze doesn't mean our bodies haven't evolved in many ways to manage the cold," Dr. Moalem says. "Not only is your body keenly aware of the danger cold poses, it's got a whole arsenal of natural defense."
To get a real quick picture of how this relates to diabetes, Dr. Moalem illustrated his point with a story of ice wine, created in Germany 400 years ago. A German vintner discovered that if he used nearly-frozen grapes to make wine, the wine was incredibly sweet. How did this happen? A grape naturally does two things at the first sign of frost: first, it reduces water to prevent ice crystals from forming inside Continue reading

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Effects of diabetes on the body and organs

Over time, the raised blood sugar levels that result from diabetes can cause a wide range of serious health issues. But what do these health issues involve, and how are the organs of the body affected? Can these effects be minimized?
When people have diabetes, the body either does not make enough insulin or cannot use what it has effectively. As a result, the amount of sugar in the blood becomes higher than it should be.
Glucose, or blood sugar, is the main power source for the human body. It comes from the food people eat. The hormone insulin helps the cells of the body convert glucose into fuel.
Fortunately, taking a proactive approach to this chronic disease through medical care, lifestyle changes, and medication can help limit its effects.
Effect on systems and organs
The effects of diabetes can be seen on systems throughout the body, including:
The circulatory system
Diabetes can damage large blood vessels, causing macrovascular disease. It can also damage small blood vessels, causing what is called microvascular disease.
Complications from macrovascular disease include heart attack and stroke. However, macrovascular disease can be prevented by:
Microvascular disease can cause eye, kidney, and nerve problems, but good control of diabetes can help prevent these complications.
The cardiovascular system
Excess blood sugar decreases the elasticity of blood vessels and causes them to narrow, impeding blood flow.
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute say diabetes is as big a risk factor for heart disease as smoking or high cholesterol.
According to the Centers for Di Continue reading

Why Does Diabetes Cause Bad Breath & How to Prevent it?

If an unpleasant smell escapes from one's mouth, it is known as bad breath. While there are many causes of bad breath, some studies have also found that diabetes can cause bad breath. It is important to know the link between diabetes and bad breath and also learn how to prevent bad breath caused due to diabetes.
Halitosis is the clinical name of this problem and being associated with several conditions, bad breath is a sign of something being wrong in your body. Bad breath is a common problem amongst several people and often makes a person feel embarrassed.
It is the type of bad breath that indicates something is wrong as different conditions give rise to different kinds of breath. If you are suffering from any kind of problem related to your kidneys then your breath will smell of ammonia but in case of diabetes, a fruity odor will escape your mouth at all times. Also, poor dental and oral hygiene is often the cause of bad breath and this is one of the easiest causes to control and overcome. We will analyze how diabetes causes bad breath and how to prevent it.
When severe conditions such as kidney or liver failure or diabetes cause bad breath, it becomes very important to control the main disease as without doing so, one will not be able to get rid of bad breath.
In case of diabetes, bad breath occurs when the level of glucose in the blood increases extensively.
Here are some circumstances under which diabetes can cause bad breath
Increased Number of ketones – Also known as ketoacidosis, it develops when your body, due to lack of insulin, starts burning fat as fuel and no Continue reading

How can diabetes affect the feet?

People with diabetes are prone to foot problems caused by prolonged periods of high blood sugar. There are two main foot problems, each of which can have serious complications.
Diabetes is a disease where the body cannot produce insulin or cannot use it effectively. Insulin is the hormone that is responsible for helping the cells take in sugar to use for energy. When this does not happen properly, the levels of sugar in the blood can become too high.
Prolonged periods of high sugar levels in the blood can wreak havoc on many areas of the body, including the feet.
Diabetic foot problems
The two main foot problems that affect people with diabetes are:
Diabetic neuropathy
Over time, diabetes can cause nerve damage that makes it hard for people with diabetes to feel sensation in their extremities.
The condition also makes it difficult for a person to feel an irritation on their foot or notice when their shoes are rubbing. This lack of sensation and awareness leads to an increase in the risk of cuts, sores, and blisters developing.
Peripheral vascular disease
Diabetes leads to changes in the blood vessels, including arteries. In peripheral vascular disease, fatty deposits block these vessels beyond the brain and heart. It tends to affect the blood vessels leading to and from the extremities, reducing blood flow to the hands and feet.
Reduced blood flow can lead to pain, infection, and slow healing wounds. Severe infections may lead to amputation.
Symptoms
Symptoms may vary from person to person and may depend on what issues a person is experiencing at the time. Symptoms of diabe Continue reading

The Genetics of Diabetes

Why me? How did I deserve this? Am I to blame? These are questions that many people ask when diagnosed with a serious condition or disease.
Unfortunately, there’s no clear-cut answer when it comes to diabetes. Unlike some traits, diabetes doesn’t seem to be inherited in a simple pattern, and there is a lot of misinformation out there about its causes. (Have you ever had to explain that diabetes doesn’t happen because someone ate too much sugar?)
It’s apparent, though, that some people are born more likely to develop diabetes than others. We know that type 1 and type 2 diabetes have different causes, but genetics plays an important role in both types. People with diabetes inherit a predisposition to the disease, then something in their environment triggers it.
Identical twins are proof that genes alone are not enough, however. Identical twins have identical genes; therefore, they should have the same genetic risk for a disease—right? Not necessarily. Research has found that if one identical twin has type 1 diabetes, the other twin will get the disease about 50 percent of the time. For type 2 diabetes, that risk rises to as much as 4 in 5. In both type 1 and type 2, identical twins have a much higher risk of both developing diabetes than non-identical (fraternal) twins, which further supports the fact that genetics is involved.
So what are the causes of type 1 diabetes? Again, we know that genetics is involved. We also know that it’s not just one gene responsible, but many different genes, each of which contributes only a small part of the risk. Scientists have id Continue reading