New Stick-on Diabetes Device Offers A Break From Finger Pricking

New stick-on diabetes device offers a break from finger pricking

Diabetics who must prick their fingers to test blood sugar levels every day often end up with sore and calloused hands – which is why needle-free devices are always a welcome arrival in the treatment market.
A gadget developed under British scientist Jared Watkin is now on the scene that can be worn on the back of the upper arm and monitors glucose levels for up to 14 days. The Libre sensor can work for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, Express reports, and it continuously monitors blood sugar levels from a 5mm-long prong that is nestled under the skin and reacts with bodily fluids.
“This system will help people considerably because it will be so much easier for them to work with," said Dr. Gerry Rayman, who recently started a trial with the device on patients in Ipswich Hospital in Suffolk. "I have a 12-year-old patient who has had diabetes for five years. She has been very good but has just hit a brick wall and cannot continue with finger-sticking. Her fingers are all calloused and painful."
Device could lead to better diabetes management
Finger pricking can lead to poor diabetes control if patients struggle to prick often enough due to irritation or inconvenience, Rayman explained.
“Finger-pricking is a hassle and can be embarrassing," he said. "Many people forget to do it so don’t have a complete picture of their condition. Failing to control long-term diabetes can cause diabetic retinopathy, renal failure and foot complications that can lead to amputation."
Without consistent readings, patients can't get an accurate picture of their daily blood sugar patterns � Continue reading

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Type 2 Diabetes and Aging: What You Need to Know

When you become older, there are some conditions that you need to begin to worry about more, such as type 2 diabetes.
For people who have not been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes but who struggle with weight problems or prediabetes, age can make a big difference in diagnosis. However, age is also an important factor for someone already struggling to manage his or her diabetes.
Higher Risk of Type 2 as You Age
Research has shown that the risk of developing type 2 diabetes increases with age. One reason for this is because as we age, we tend to gain weight and become more sedentary. However, there may be another factor at play besides weight gain and lack of exercise. Recent research conducted by the Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., examines the role of beta cells and the pancreas, and their relation to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes in the elderly. This study specifically looks at the decline in production of beta cells in the pancreas that comes with age.
These cells store and release insulin, and they are essential to helping our body process this hormone. Researchers at Vanderbilt speculate that with age, these beta cells no longer reproduce at the same rate, and that they also experience apoptosis (cell death) at a higher rate as we age. Researchers say that one of the reasons this might occur is because the body is unable to process key nutrients such as potassium and calcium, which are key to beta cells. This could also be due to the fact that most organs lose their regenerative capacity with age. The study concludes that more research must be conducted Continue reading

A Diabetes Drug Has 'Significantly Reversed Memory Loss' in Mice With Alzheimer's

A drug developed for type 2 diabetes has "significantly reversed memory loss" in mice with Alzheimer's disease, and researchers now want to test it on humans.
The treatment is exciting for scientists because it works by protecting the brain cells attacked by Alzheimer's disease in three separate ways, rather than relying on a single approach.
And seeing as the drug has already been tested and approved for use in humans, it's something that could hit the market a lot faster than other experimental treatment options.
The results have only been seen in mice so far, but the drug "holds clear promise of being developed into a new treatment for chronic neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease," said senior author Christian Hölscher of Lancaster University in the UK.
"With no new treatments in nearly 15 years, we need to find new ways of tackling Alzheimer's," said Doug Brown from UK organisation, Alzheimer's Society.
"It's imperative that we explore whether drugs developed to treat other conditions can benefit people with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. This approach to research could make it much quicker to get promising new drugs to the people who need them."
Previous research had already established a link between type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer's - type 2 diabetes is a risk factor for Alzheimer's, and it also appears to make the disease progress more rapidly.
This could be a result of insulin not getting to the cells properly - insulin is a growth factor which is known to protect brain cells, and insulin resistance has been observed in Alzheimer's disea Continue reading

This Lesser Known Vegetable Can Help Prevent Diabetes and Breast Cancer

Written by: Liz Perkins
You probably know someone who has breast cancer… maybe someone who has even had a double mastectomy or possibly someone dealing with diabetes.
Mastectomy is one of the most common procedures for handling breast cancer; the amount of people suffering from diabetes is steadily on the rise. These conditions and situations are far from simple and oftentimes, people may just feel that their resources for fighting back are drying up.
When you are needing something new, something fresh to try and see if you can battle or even prevent something as malicious as cancer or debilitating as diabetes, you need to dig deeper into the vast arsenal of weaponry – the weapons provided By Mother Earth herself.
Let me introduce you to one of those very combatants: the simple, strong, cancer-fighting – bitter melon.
I am guessing you are already fairly health conscious and no doubt you’re interested in the prevention of chronic illnesses like cancer and diabetes. Maybe you’re someone that makes your fresh juice regularly, eats the rainbow and takes probiotics. You probably watch your intake of simple carbs and sweets so that you can reduce your risk of both conditions.
Could one plant possibly help you with achieving both of those goals?
This might sound far-fetched to you, but multiple studies have shown that this is one mighty plant and that yes, bitter melon (Momordica charantia) can help prevent cancer and manage diabetes.
Now there’s another tool for your toolbox. It really doesn’t take much of this botanical powerhouse to give a punch, either!
The extr Continue reading

Johnson and Johnson testing possible cure for type 1 diabetes

(NEWSCHANNEL 3) - Johnson and Johnson says it is testing a possible cure for type one diabetes.
The company is joining forces with biotech company Via-Cyte to speed development of the first stem cell treatment that could cure the life-threatening hormonal disorder.
They've already begun testing it in a small number of diabetic patients.
They say if it works as well in patients as it has in animals it would amount to a cure, ending the need for frequent insulin injections and blood sugar testing.
The therapy involves inducing embryonic stem cells to turn into insulin-producing cells while inside a small capsule that is implanted under the skin.
The capsule protects the cells from the immune system, which otherwise would attack them as invaders. Continue reading