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Pill For Diabetes That Costs Just £1.30 A Day Also Cuts The Risk Of Heart And Kidney Disease By 14%

Pill for diabetes that costs just £1.30 a day also cuts the risk of heart and kidney disease by 14%

Pill for diabetes that costs just £1.30 a day also cuts the risk of heart and kidney disease by 14%

A cheap anti-diabetes drug slashes the risk of heart attacks and kidney disease, a major study has found.
Experts last night said the study, carried out among 10,000 patients in 30 countries, heralds a ‘new era’ in the treatment of type two diabetes.
Canagliflozin, a pill taken once a day before breakfast, is designed to lower blood sugar levels and keep weight down.
But the new study, presented last night at the American Diabetes Association Conference in San Diego, reveals the £1.30-a-day drug also has a remarkable impact on cardiovascular problems and kidney disease.
Because these issues are strongly linked to type two diabetes, the drug could make a huge difference to the four million people in the UK who have the disease.
The findings, published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine, found canagliflozin reduced the overall risk of cardiovascular disease - which includes heart attacks and strokes by 14 per cent.
It also slashed the risk of being hospitalised with heart failure - a serious problem in which the heart does not pump enough blood around the body - by 33 per cent.
And patients were 40 per cent less likely to suffer serious kidney decline - a major side effect of diabetes.
Professor Bruce Neal, of The George Institute for Global Health at Sydney University, said the findings offer real hope to the 500million people around the world living with type two diabetes.
He said: ‘Coronary heart disease is the biggest killer by far for people with type 2 diabetes.
‘Our findings suggest that not only does canagliflozin significantly reduce the risk Continue reading

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DIABETES DIET: Fast-acting low calorie ‘Super’ diet of soups and shakes help in fight

DIABETES DIET: Fast-acting low calorie ‘Super’ diet of soups and shakes help in fight

Breakthrough research found that nutritionally balanced soups and shakes can help people with advanced Type 2 diabetes to lose weight and reduce their dependence on insulin.
Preliminary findings of a randomised controlled UK trial to be published today were described as “exciting”.
Obese patients put on an 800-calorie-per-day liquid diet cut back their insulin dosage more and saw greater reductions in blood sugar and body fat mass levels than a control group on standard NHS care.
It is the first evidence in Britain that diabetes patients can improve by losing weight and lowering insulin use, said the study leader Adrian Brown, a weight management dietitian at Imperial College London.
He added: “Insulin therapy is now commonplace in Type 2 diabetes to help control blood sugar levels.
“But it can be associated with significant weight gain and cause people to eat more through fear of low blood sugars. It can create a Catch 22 situation.
“There is a real need for workable interventions to help them lose weight and cut back on insulin.”
The liquid diet is based on powdered skimmed milk and soya protein flavoured with sweeteners.
Occasional chocolate bars are allowed.
The drinks also contain vitamins and minerals to make up for a lack of fruit and vegetables in the diet.
Study co-author Professor Gary Frost, from Imperial College and the Hammersmith Hospital, London, added: “There is other good work suggesting that 10 to 15 per cent weight loss can reverse early diabetes. But there is no reason why weight loss and metabolic improvement should be restricted to early Continue reading

Gene therapy restores normal blood glucose levels in mice with type 1 diabetes

Gene therapy restores normal blood glucose levels in mice with type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is a chronic disease in which the immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas, resulting in high blood levels of glucose. A study published January 4th in Cell Stem Cell demonstrates that a gene therapy approach can lead to the long-term survival of functional beta cells as well as normal blood glucose levels for an extended period of time in mice with diabetes. The researchers used an adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector to deliver to the mouse pancreas two proteins, Pdx1 and MafA, which reprogrammed plentiful alpha cells into functional, insulin-producing beta cells.
"This study is essentially the first description of a clinically translatable, simple single intervention in autoimmune diabetes that leads to normal blood sugars, and importantly with no immunosuppression," says senior study author George Gittes of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. "A clinical trial in both type 1 and type 2 diabetics in the immediate foreseeable future is quite realistic, given the impressive nature of the reversal of the diabetes, along with the feasibility in patients to do AAV gene therapy."
Approximately 9% of the world's adult population has diabetes, which can cause serious health problems such as heart disease, nerve damage, eye problems, and kidney disease. One fundamental goal of diabetes treatment is to preserve and restore functional beta cells, thereby replenishing levels of a hormone called insulin, which moves blood glucose into cells to fuel their energy needs. But in patients with type 1 diabetes, beta-cell re Continue reading

The Best Diabetes Blogs of the Year

The Best Diabetes Blogs of the Year

We’ve carefully selected these blogs because they are actively working to educate, inspire, and empower their readers with frequent updates and high-quality information. If you would like to tell us about a blog, nominate them by emailing us at [email protected]!
Diabetes is one of the largest health issues facing Americans today. More than 29 million adults in the U.S. have diabetes — and almost one quarter of them don’t know they have it. A further 86 million adults in the U.S. have prediabetes, a condition which increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. A whopping 90 percent of these people are unaware of that, too.
Both forms of diabetes — type 1 and type 2 — are chronic conditions, meaning they require a lifetime of careful treatment to be properly managed. If left untreated or improperly managed, diabetes can cause serious health complications.
For those living with diabetes, the condition can be isolating and take up a significant amount of time as well as mental and emotional energy. Staying on top of your treatments can also be challenging, as everyday things can make a big impact on blood glucose readings, and treatment options are always changing. That’s why we’ve rounded up the best diabetes blogs out there. Whether you’re looking for recipes, resources, treatment options, or simple tips for living well, you’re sure to find something here for you.
Diabetes Self-Management Blog
Diabetes Self-Management has provided health information to the diabetes community for over 35 years. Their companion blog rounds up tips and info from bo Continue reading

I'm slim so why am I at risk of diabetes?

I'm slim so why am I at risk of diabetes?

Diabetes is on the rise around the world, and nowhere more rapidly than in developing countries that are adopting the sugary, starchy diet that has plagued the richer world for years. And it turns out that Asians, and especially South Asians, are particularly vulnerable.
The nutritionist runs a white measuring tape around my waist. I defy the urge to suck in my stomach.
I'm 42 years old, a mother of two and a journalist based in India's capital, Delhi, currently one of the world's most polluted cities. I eat organic food, rarely snack, and consider myself pretty slim and active, especially compared to my American friends, whom I can see on Facebook are generally twice my girth.
"It's 87cm (34.25in)," says Chaya Ranasinghe, nutritionist at Sri Lanka's National Diabetes Centre. I'm here to find out why slim-looking Indians and Sri Lankans are increasingly falling victim to type 2 diabetes - a disease we tend to associate with people who anyone could see were obese.
"Not bad," I say. "That's pretty honourable for my age."
"Yes, but it should be 80cm (31.5in) maximum," she replies. "You are 7cm (2.75in) over."
"Should have sucked in my waist," I fume belatedly.
Chaya is helping me assess my risk for diabetes and the waist measurement is key for people of Asian origin. That's because Asian genes dictate that fat is laid down in the abdominal area.
It's this "visceral" or belly fat, as well as fat inside the liver, that puts us at risk.
"Imaging technology that measures fat in humans has shown that Asians of a healthy BMI have more fat around organs and in the belly area than Eur Continue reading

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