Doctors' Notes: Researchers Link Hotter Weather To Gestational Diabetes

Doctors' Notes: Researchers link hotter weather to gestational diabetes

There’s a little-known factor that influences whether pregnant women develop gestational diabetes — body temperature.
In my work as an endocrinologist and diabetes researcher, I investigate how our environment can increase a person’s risk of developing diabetes.
Recently, my team and I looked at all of the hospital births in the Greater Toronto Area — more than 55,000 in all — over 12 years to see what kind of impact temperatures might have on the risk of gestational diabetes (known as GDM), a temporary condition that can develop during pregnancy.
We found a relationship between cold weather and a lower likelihood of GDM. When the mercury dropped to an average temperature of minus 10 degrees Celsius, the rate of GDM was 4.6 per cent. But at 24 degrees Celsius, the rate rose to 7.7 per cent. And for every 10-degree rise, there were further increases of up to 9 per cent — even when accounting for other risk factors.
Whether the women themselves were born in warm or cool climates, our research team found that colder temperatures still appear to offer some protective benefit to the mothers. Our findings also applied to women who had one child as well as to moms who had multiple children throughout the study’s duration.
More research is needed to better understand the links between temperature and GDM risk, but our findings may have implications for prevention and treatment of the disease. Simple measures like making use of air conditioning and not overdressing in hot weather or keeping the thermostat lower and getting outside in colder weather might help.
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How to prevent diabetes with everyday foods

(NaturalNews) According to the most recent statistics, about one-third of the entire U.S. population, or more than 100 million Americans, suffers from either diabetes or pre-diabetes, a blood sugar condition that can eventually lead to more serious health conditions and even death. And based on U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) projections, this number is expected to double by 2050 if trends continue at current rates. But you and your family do not have to fall victim to this sweeping diabetes epidemic -- here are some tips on how to alter your diet and lifestyle to avoid developing diabetes and potentially succumbing to premature death:
1) Eat more foods rich in quercetin. A member of the flavonoid family of antioxidants, quercetin has been shown to help lower blood glucose levels and improve plasma insulin levels, two factors commonly associated with diabetes (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19496084). Quercetin also helps neutralize damaging free radicals and inhibit inflammation, not to mention lower blood pressure in people with inflammation (http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/quercetin-000322.htm).
Foods that are high in quercetin include apples, citrus fruits, onions, parsley, sage, green tea, and red wine. Olive oil, grapes, dark cherries, and dark berries are also rick in quercetin and other flavonoids, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC). And if dietary sources are not enough, quercetin is also available in supplement form, including in the Rejuvenate! Plus green superfood formula available at the NaturalNews store Continue reading

Diabetes and Driver's License Restrictions?

Have you ever wondered what the exact rules are, when it comes to diabetes and driver's license restrictions? We sure do, every time news stories pop up about unsafe driving involving PWDs (people with diabetes).
We looked into this, and essentially learned that state laws differ; a comprehensive review by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) a few years ago shows that roughly half the states at the time had no required restrictions, while the other half had restrictions that were enacted into law.
Questioning Myself
Before we get into the specific laws, I'd like to share the fact that twice in my own life, I've gone low while driving and experienced dangerous scares that made me question whether I should even have a license and be on the road at all.
The first was in my late teens not long after my high school graduation in 1997, long before I became an insulin pumper. I ended up swerving on the road and eventually getting pulled over by police in a parking lot. Thankfully, no accident occurred and no one was hurt.
The second incident was about a decade ago, still before my CGM (continuous glucose monitoring) days. As a result of a fast-dropping blood sugar that didn't show itself with an in-the-moment fingerstick at work, I had a "sudden" hypo that led me wandering from my office in a daze into the parking garage. I apparently climbed into my my red Ford Escape and began driving towards home. I ended up in front of my subdivision in a ditch, after taking out a street sign with my car. Luckily (incredibly so!), no one was injured that time either. The latter inspired me Continue reading

Urine test for diabetes: What you need to know

Urine tests can check for a range of things, including blood in the urine, infection, and other systemic conditions. They are frequently used for diagnosing and monitoring diabetes.
In this article, we look at types of urine tests for diabetes and how to understand the results.
Contents of this article:
What is a urine test for diabetes?
Urine tests are important for both the diagnosis and monitoring of diabetes. Urine testing is less accurate than blood testing but is useful as a screening test for people who already know they have diabetes.
Urine tests can also be used to check for glucose in the urine of people who are undiagnosed.
A urine test will be looking for three things: glucose, ketones, and protein.
Glucose
Having glucose in the urine may indicate diabetes, although it can also be caused by other conditions. For example, pregnant women who do not have diabetes may have glucose in their urine.
Glucose is not normally found in urine, but it can pass from the kidneys into the urine in people who have diabetes.
Ketones
Ketone is a chemical that the body produces when there is a shortage of insulin in the blood. It is a by-product produced when the body starts to break down body fat for energy.
The presence of ketones in a person with diabetes may indicate a high blood glucose level, usually because a person with diabetes cannot use glucose as energy and has to use fat instead. Ketones in the blood can then spill into the urine.
Ketones in the urine are more common in people who have type 1 diabetes but can occur in those with type 2 diabetes as well.
Protein
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Diabetes & flu: a devastating combination

Flu hits diabetes patients hard – nurses and GPs can help improve vaccination rates
‘I remember the fever and fatigue as being unbearable,’ recalls Maximino Álvarez, a diabetes patient who has had flu twice. ‘It is an unpleasant experience which should be avoided.’
Flu infection can be serious for anyone but for people with chronic diseases, such as diabetes, the risk of hospitalisation can be as much as ten times higher than the rest of the population.
‘Anything that affects your health has an impact on your diabetes,’ explains Maximino. ‘With flu, your blood sugar levels are affected and it becomes difficult to keep it under control. Resistance to fast-acting insulin is a frequent effect of influenza infection.’
Dr Xavier Cos, a GP specialising in diabetes care, says people with diabetes are more severely affected by any respiratory tract infections and can suffer serious complications as a result.
‘The reaction to the infectious process often exacerbates their metabolic disease,’ he says. ‘In many cases, they are also not as well able to fight the infection so a cascade of consequences can follow – just as in older people or those with chronic lung or kidney diseases.’
Vaccine-prevent diseases
Flu and pneumococcal disease – both of which can be prevented by vaccination – are serious respiratory diseases that can increase the risk of hospitalisation. ‘Epidemiological data tells us that people with diabetes who suffer from flu or other respiratory problems are at higher risk of hospital admission and likely to spend more days in hospital, Continue reading