Milestones In The History Of Diabetes Mellitus: The Main Contributors

Milestones in the history of diabetes mellitus: The main contributors

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INTRODUCTION
Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic diseases involving carbohydrate, lipid, and protein metabolism. It is characterized by persistent hyperglycemia, as a result of defects in insulin secretion, insulin action or a combination of both, defective secretion and incorrect action. There are two main types of diabetes mellitus: Type 1 (insulin-dependent), and type 2 (non-insulin-dependent). Type 1 diabetes results by the autoimmune destruction of the β-cells of the pancreatic islets and type 2 diabetes is caused from impaired insulin secretion and resistance to the action of insulin[1].Current epidemiological data reveal that 9% of adults, 18 years of age and older, has diabetes mellitus while it was estimated that in 2012, 1.5 million people died due to the disease. According to the World Health Organization, diabetes will be the 7th leading cause of death in 2030[2-4].
The disease has a long history reaching back into antiquity. However, during that period, due to a poor knowledge of anatomy, pathophysiology and lack of diagnostic tools, the disease remained extremely perplexing to physicians.
Nevertheless, physicians in antiquity observed the distinctive features of diabetes and proposed several therapeutic approaches. In Ebers papyrus, dated back to 1500 BC, we may find passages describing patients who suffer from excessive thirst, copious urination and they are treated by plants’ extracts. However, according to the Egyptian endocrinologist, historian of medicine and translator of the Ebers papyrus Paul Ghalioungui (1908-1987), the description of Continue reading

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Obesity and diabetes ‘causes up to 800,000 cancers worldwide each year’

Two of the most common lifestyle-related conditions cause almost a million new cancers worldwide each year, a study has found.
Diabetes and excess weight were responsible for nearly 800,000 newly diagnosed cancers, including those affecting the liver, breast, bowel and womb.
It is the first time scientists have estimated the worldwide cancer burden caused by being overweight or obese, as defined by a high body mass index (BMI), and the metabolic disease thought to affect more than four million people in the UK.
The vast majority of diabetes cases are the Type 2 form, which is strongly linked to lifestyle - poor diet, excess weight and inactivity - as well as genetics
Researchers led by a team from Imperial College London found that nearly 6% of new global cancer cases in 2012 resulted from the combined effects of diabetes and being overweight or obese.
On its own, being overweight was responsible for almost twice as many cancers as diabetes - 544,300 versus 280,100 cases.
Cancers linked to the two conditions were also nearly twice as common in women than in men.
Excess weight and diabetes together accounted for a quarter of all liver cancers and a third of endometrial cancers, which affects the lining of the womb.
If current trends continue, the share of cancers attributable to the two risk factors will increase by more than 30% in women and 20% in men by 2035, say the study authors.
Lead researcher Dr Jonathan Pearson-Stuttard, from Imperial's School of Public Health, said: "While obesity has been associated with cancer for some time, the link between diabetes and cancer h Continue reading

Is Oatmeal Good or Bad for Diabetics?

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and following a well-devised meal plan are some of the best ways of dealing with a chronic illness like diabetes. People who suffer from diabetes are therefore always conscious of what they should and what they should not include in their daily diet. In this article, we shall find out whether including oatmeal in a diabetic diet is good for the health of the diabetic patients and “can a diabetic eat oatmeal“? So, come and join in for the article “Is Oatmeal Good or Bad for Diabetics?”
Some Facts About Oatmeal
Oatmeal is a food item that contains a high amount of nutrients such as zinc, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, as well as phosphorous.The food item is also a rich source of several vitamins such as thiamine and pantothenic acid. Not only is oatmeal low in its total calories counts but has high amounts of soluble fiber too which makes it a healthy breakfast option.
However, the high carbohydrate content in oatmeal often makes patients wonder that whether or not oatmeal is a healthy food choice for the diabetes patients. We shall find the answer to the question “can a diabetic eat oatmeal?” in the following paragraphs.
What are the Advantages of Including Oatmeal in a Diabetic Diet?
Oatmeal can be a healthy breakfast choice for all the diabetes patients. The following are some of the benefits that eating oatmeal offers to a patient who is suffering from diabetes:
Oatmeal is low in calories. It is considered as a great food option if you trying to shed all those extra calories. Losing weight, as we know, hugely contributes to Continue reading

World Diabetes Day

World Diabetes Day (WDD) is celebrated annually on November 14. Led by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), World Diabetes Day was created in 1991 by IDF and the World Health Organization in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat posed by diabetes. World Diabetes Day became an official United Nations Day in 2006 with the passage of United Nation Resolution 61/225. Continue reading

This Extreme Diet Reversed Type 2 Diabetes in Up to 86% of Patients

Type 2 diabetes isn't necessarily for life, with a new clinical trial providing some of the clearest evidence yet that the condition can be reversed, even in patients who have carried the disease for several years.
A clinical trial involving almost 300 people in the UK found an intensive weight management program put type 2 diabetes into remission for 86 percent of patients who lost 15 kilograms (33 lbs) or more.
"These findings are very exciting," says diabetes researcher Roy Taylor from Newcastle University.
"They could revolutionise the way type 2 diabetes is treated."
Taylor and fellow researchers studied 298 adults aged 20-65 years who had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes within the previous six years to take part in the Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial (DiRECT).
Participants were randomly assigned to either an intensive weight management program or to regular diabetic care administered by their GP, acting as a control group.
For the 149 individuals placed in the weight management program, participants had to restrict themselves to a low calorie formula diet consisting of things like health shakes and soups, limiting them to consuming 825-853 calories per day for a period of three to five months.
After this, food was reintroduced to their diet slowly over two to eight weeks, and participants were given support to maintain their weight loss, including cognitive behavioural therapy and help with how to increase their level of physical activity.
Not an easy lifestyle change to adapt to, perhaps; but where there's a will, there's a way.
"We've found that people were re Continue reading