How Gut Bacteria Affects Diabetes, Plus Gut Health Dos And Donts

How Gut Bacteria Affects Diabetes, Plus Gut Health Dos and Donts

It has become clear that having good overall mental and physical health depends on having healthy intestinal bacteria.
Those with diabetes should nurture their beneficial gut bacteria for general well-being, plus four specific reasons. One is that intestinal flora seems related to diabetes onset and progression. The other reasons involve concerns those with diabetes often face: inflammation, weight gain or obesity, and depression.
Diabetes and Gut Health: 4 Concerns
1. Diabetes Onset/Symptoms
Scientists have discovered the gut bacteria of people with type 2 diabetes is different from non-diabetics. For instance, people with type 2 diabetes have too few microbes poetically named Firmicutes, but have an overabundance of those called Bacteriodetes and Proteobacteria.
Amazingly, Dr. Max Nieuwdorp, a Dutch microbiome researcher, reversed type 2 diabetes in 250 study participants by re-populating their guts' bacteria using fecal transplantation. Though the thought of a fecal transplant is a bit off-putting, his resolution of diabetes by changing intestinal flora is remarkable.
The onset of type 1 diabetes also tends to follow alterations in gut bacteria, and investigators are finding that certain microbes can actually help prevent this condition.
2. Weight Gain and Obesity
It seems increasingly likely that poor gut health is related to weight gain and obesity. For instance, when researchers removed four types of bacteria (Lactobacillus, Allobaculum, Rikenelleceae, and Candidatus) from lab animals, it led to their obesity by triggering metabolic changes.
Other research revealed th Continue reading

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Diabetes-Friendly Shrimp Scampi

Serves 4
Ingredients
1 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
11-15 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp seasoned dry bread crumbs
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Preparation
In a large non-stick skillet over high heat, heat butter and oil. When butter starts to brown, add garlic. Reduce heat and cook 1 minute, stirring to prevent garlic from over-browning.
Add shrimp and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add wine, lemon juice, salt and pepper and cook 2 minutes or until shrimp are cooked through. Stir in bread crumbs and parsley. Serve.
Nutrition Information per Serving
110.5 Calories
9.7 g Fat
7.6 mg Cholesterol
351.5 mg Sodium
3 g Carbohydrate
0.5 g Protein
Source: Food.com
Not every recipe on our site is appropriate for every person with diabetes. Please follow the recommendations of your doctor, dietitian or nutritionist.
Type 2 diabetes is different from type 1 diabetes in many ways. As its alternate name of adult-onset diabetes implies, it is usually only found in adults. However, the rate of children acquiring the disease is going up.
Type 2 diabetes is also known as non-insulin dependent diabetes due to the fact that, unlike type 1, insulin injections are not always required for treatment.
In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas either doesn't produce any insulin, or the insulin that is produced is not properly utilized. This is due to a condition known as insulin resistance, which prevents key parts of the body (such as muscle, fat and the liver) from responding to ins Continue reading

New drug treats root cause of type 2 diabetes, could reverse the disease

A modified version of niclosamide, a drug that currently treats intestinal parasites, could be the key to reversing type 2 diabetes, according to new research from a Rutgers professor.
Victor Shengkan Jin reports that one of the major causes of insulin resistance is excessive fat in the liver, which prevents the body from absorbing glucose and using it as fuel.
The new drug, however, burns away this excess fat in a process called mitochondrial uncoupling - which enables the cells to burn away the fat.
“The cell is like a car and the mitochondria are the engine,” Jin said in an article on Rutgers' website. “What we’re doing inside cells is like putting the car’s transmission into neutral by uncoupling it from the transmission. Then you step on the gas so the engine runs full throttle but the car doesn’t move. If too much of the fuel in the cell is fat, you keep burning it until the fuel gauge reaches empty. Without the interference of fat, you hope that sugar will then enter the cell normally.”
Resetting insulin
Without excessive fat in the liver, cells can appropriately respond to insulin and enable better regulation of blood sugar.
The drug hasn't been tested in humans, but Jin says the results seen in mammals point to the idea that it would have a good safety profile for people too.
"We wanted a safe and practical compound to deplete fat inside cells,” he explained. “We went to the literature and found an approved drug that does in parasitic worms what we wanted to do in liver cells."
The study is published in the journal Nature Medicine.
Source: Rutgers Continue reading

Study Reveals Marijuana Has Serious Health Benefits For Diabetes Sufferers

In the U.S., over 29.1 million people are currently diagnosed with diabetes. This is almost 10 percent of the population. Furthermore, two out of three of these people will die from the condition or the many complications that arise from it. This has prompted researchers to look into how medical marijuana can help treat diabetes and its associated complications.
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Type 1 diabetes, often termed juvenile diabetes, is a genetic disorder where the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin –– a hormone that allows the body to process the sugars from carbohydrates. Sufferers of Type 1 diabetes often take multiple injections of insulin each day. On the other hand, Type 2 diabetes (also known as adult onset diabetes) is a disorder where the body doesn’t process insulin properly, often signaling the pancreas to make more insulin than required. This is the most common type of diabetes.
Medical marijuana has been the focus of several studies examining potential diabetes treatment. One such study, published in the American Journal of Medicine, found that active users of marijuana had a more productive carbohydrate metabolism than people who didn’t use marijuana (Ref. 1). Murray Mittleman, Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard and author of the study, said, “[Marijuana users’] fasting insulin levels were lower, and they appeared to be less resistant to the insulin produced by their body to maintain a normal blood-sugar level.”
The study comprised over 4,657 men and women participating in the National Health and Nutrition Ex Continue reading

Managing Diabetes-Related Anxiety

Anxiety arises as we confront change, contemplate life’s uncertainties, and imagine scary what-if scenarios.
Behind anxiety is a dread of loss, whether it be of pleasure, identity, independence, people we care about, or our health.
On the plus side, anxiety prompts us to take action, which happens to be the best antidote for anxiety.
Six Actions to Reduce Anxiety
Taking steps to manage diabetes may not immediately eliminate anxious feelings but, in time, will establish a redefined comfort zone that includes diabetes management.
Educate yourself about diabetes, even beyond what your doctor shares with you. An intuition supported by knowledge allows people to make the wisest possible decisions.
Stay open and curious about the latest conventional and unconventional treatment options related to your type of diabetes. If something interests you, talk to your doctor about it.
Even if you have never before been disciplined about anything, become disciplined about glucose management. Today’s blood sugar monitoring, medication compliance, food, and activity choices are the determiners of long term health within your control.
Regular exercise relieves feelings of anxiety. Aerobic activities help us burn nervous energy and sleep better at night. Practices such as yoga, Tai chi, or Qi gong teach the anxiety reducing habits of relaxation, breathing effectively, and quieting the mind.
Writing or journaling about anxious feelings is a proven way to help manage them. A journal is also a good place to explore existential issues, and research shows that people who keep a gratitude log, o Continue reading