NHS Risking People's Health By Rationing Test Strips, Diabetes UK Says

NHS risking people's health by rationing test strips, Diabetes UK says

The NHS is putting diabetic patients at risk of serious illness by rationing test strips that monitor blood glucose levels in an attempt to save money, a charity claims.
A survey carried out by Diabetes UK found that one in four complained of restrictions placed on the number of test strips they were prescribed by GP practices.
People with diabetes need to test their blood glucose regularly to monitor the condition. If not managed properly, diabetes can lead to health complications such as heart disease, strokes, blindness and amputations.
More than half of those professing problems had type 1 diabetes. Government guidance says this group should test themselves at least four times a day. Older people and those on low incomes were also affected, the charity found. Many said they felt they needed to buy test stripsonline, where quality cannot always be guaranteed.
People with diabetes were given a variety of reasons for the reduced number of strips prescribed, according to the charity. Some respondents to the survey said they had been told they should test less often. Some were told there were “budget constraints”, while others were told it was because they were testing too frequently.
“They said I had my allowance for the month,” said one respondent. Another said: “I was told they were expensive and we should test less. Only need to test four times a day. We use a pump, so need to test every two hours.”
Some said they were having to ask for repeat prescriptions more often. “I now need to order and collect a prescription monthly, or sooner, depending on any issu Continue reading

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Can eating too much sugar cause type 2 diabetes?

Olivia Yang was stunned when she learned she had type 2 diabetes six years ago, when she was 19. Her doctor was shocked, too. In fact, her physician tested her twice to be sure there wasn’t some mistake. Yang was young, had a normal weight for her 5-foot-2-inch frame, and didn’t consider herself a particularly bad eater. She certainly didn’t seem like someone at risk.
Now a new study may hint at why some patients end up with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes even when they don’t appear to have all of the typical risk factors such as age, obesity, and an unhealthy diet.
Yang learned of her condition sophomore year of college. She’d gone for a physical — a requirement in order to begin working out with a fitness trainer — but her A1C blood test came back abnormally high, indicating diabetes. An A1C test tells a person’s average blood sugar level over the past few months.
More specifically, an A1C test measures what percentage of your hemoglobin — a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen — is coated with sugar. It’s used to diagnose type 1 and type 2 diabetes and to keep tabs on how a person is managing their condition over time.
Normal readings land below 5.7 percent. The range for someone with prediabetes falls between 5.7 and 6.4 percent and indicates a high risk of developing diabetes. Anything higher is considered diabetes.
Unexpected diagnosis
Yang, now 25 and an account executive at an advertising agency in Boston, told CBS News, “It was a shock for me. Type 2 runs in my family. But it happened when my parents were older so it was kind of a Continue reading

Think skinny people don’t get type 2 diabetes? Think again.

In the last article we discussed the complex relationship between body weight and type 2 diabetes (T2DM). We learned that although obesity is strongly associated with T2DM, a subset of “metabolically healthy obese” (MHO) people have normal blood sugar and insulin sensitivity and don’t ever develop diabetes.
In this article we’re going to talk about the mirror reflection of the MHO: the “metabolically unhealthy nonobese” (MUN). These are lean people with either full-fledged type 2 diabetes or some metabolic dysfunction, such as insulin resistance.
You might even be surprised to learn that skinny people can and do get T2DM. They are rarely mentioned in the media, and there isn’t much written about them in the scientific literature. Perhaps these folks have been overlooked because type 2 diabetes has been historically viewed as a disease of gluttony and sloth, a self-inflicted outcome of eating too much and not and not exercising enough. But the very existence of the MUN phenotype proves that there’s more to T2DM than overeating and a sedentary lifestyle.
Remember that one in three type 2 diabetics are undiagnosed. It’s possible that a significant number of these people that are lean. They don’t suspect they might have T2DM because they’re under the impression that it’s not a condition that affects thin people. This is one of the biggest dangers of the myth that “only fat people get diabetes”.
It’s well-known that high blood sugar can precede the development of T2DM for as long as ten years. It is during this time that many of the complications as Continue reading

How to Manage Diabetes with a Carbohydrate-Friendly Diet

Eating right is essential to the treatment and management of diabetes. For people with diabetes, managing carbohydrate intake and making healthy food choices is helpful and important.
What Is Diabetes?
Diabetes can be thought of as a disease caused by the body’s inability to process carbohydrates properly. Insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, enables the body’s cells to absorb glucose (blood sugar). In people with diabetes, the cells don’t respond properly to insulin. Or, in some cases, the body doesn’t produce any or enough insulin to properly manage blood sugar levels. For many with type 2 diabetes, it’s both.
The result is that blood glucose levels become abnormally high, potentially causing serious complications. Managing carbohydrate intake is one of the best ways to avoid these complications and control blood glucose levels.
What Is a Diabetes-Friendly Diet?
The key to managing blood sugar levels is managing carbohydrate intake. This is because carbs are responsible for raising blood sugar levels. Managing the quantity of carbs is the primary goal, although choosing slow-digesting, high-fiber carbs is helpful too.
Besides carbs, you may also need to limit your sodium intake, limit saturated fats, and avoid trans fats. It’s also important to incorporate fiber and healthy fats into your diet. People with diabetes are at significantly higher risk for hypertension, high cholesterol, and heart disease than the general population. It’s important to take these risks into consideration when planning meals.
What Should I Limit?
Certain foods are harmful t Continue reading

Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes definition and facts
Risk factors for gestational diabetes include
a history of gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy,
There are typically no noticeable signs or symptoms associated with gestational diabetes.
Gestational diabetes can cause the fetus to be larger than normal. Delivery of the baby may be more complicated as a result. The baby is also at risk for developing low blood glucose (hypoglycemia) immediately after birth.
Following a nutrition plan is the typical treatment for gestational diabetes.
Maintaining a healthy weight and following a healthy eating plan may be able to help prevent or minimize the risks of gestational diabetes.
Women with gestational diabetes have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes after the pregnancy
What is gestational diabetes?
Gestational diabetes is diabetes, or high blood sugar levels, that develops during pregnancy. It occurs in about 4% of all pregnancies. It is usually diagnosed in the later stages of pregnancy and often occurs in women who have no prior history of diabetes.
What causes gestational diabetes?
Gestational diabetes is thought to arise because the many changes, hormonal and otherwise, that occur in the body during pregnancy predispose some women to become resistant to insulin. Insulin is a hormone made by specialized cells in the pancreas that allows the body to effectively metabolize glucose for later usage as fuel (energy). When levels of insulin are low, or the body cannot effectively use insulin (i.e., insulin resistance), blood glucose levels rise.
What are the screening guide Continue reading