Self-Monitoring Of Blood Glucose: An Essential Weapon In Managing Diabetes

Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose: An Essential Weapon in Managing Diabetes

The number of diabetes cases continues to soar, with the latest data showing that an estimated 30.3 million Americans have the disease. More than 7.2 million of those individuals are unaware that they have diabetes, while countless others are at risk for the disease.1
Having a reliable and easy-to-use blood glucose meter is an indispensable and powerful tool that all patients with diabetes can use throughout the day to keep track of blood glucose patterns and daily targets, prevent or detect episodes of hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia, and monitor their glycemic response to certain foods, medications, physical activity, and therapy changes.2 Results from a plethora of clinical studies have validated the critical nature of maintaining tight glycemic control to effectively manage diabetes, as well as reduce or prevent the various health-related complications associated with poorly controlled diabetes. Results from a recent study show that continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) may benefit adults with type 2 diabetes who use multiple daily insulin injections, and the patients in the study showed improved glycemic control.3 CGM is approved for use by adults and children via a prescription and is typically used in patients who have type 1 diabetes but can also be used in those who have type 2 diabetes. Patients should discuss this issue with their primary health care provider to determine whether they are suited for CGM.3 Routine self-monitoring of blood glucose remains the most effective tool to monitor and provide critical information to manage diabetes (Table 1).
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How to avoid complications of type 1 diabetes

Why are the recommendations to people with diabetes to eat a high-carb diet a bad idea? How does it likely increase the risk of complications massively? And what is the alternative?
This is one of the most personal and powerful presentations from the recent Low Carb USA conference. In it Dr. David Dikeman tells the story of how his son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes – and came back home with dietary advice that sent his blood sugar on a rollercoaster.
Then Dr. Dikeman and his wife stumbled upon Dr. Bernstein’s low-carb work and started implementing his recommendations. This totally changed his son’s life.
Watch it
Watch a preview above (transcript). The full 37-minute presentation is available (with captions and transcript) here:
How to Avoid Complications of Type 1 Diabetes – Dr. David Dikeman
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Here’s what our members have said about the presentation (in additon to giving it a 4.9/5 rating):
So pleased to have heard Dr David Dikeman’s Type 1 lecture on dietdoctor ! Straight talking that I needed to hear 30 years ago, when all we got was doubt and prevarication from our clinics!
– Luz
Fantastic presentation, Dr. Dikeman. Thanks for all you do to help others improve their health.
– Stacy
As usual, a very good presentation.
The very informative and high quality presentations here in the video section is what makes paying for my membership so very worth it. I would only wish for even more of Continue reading

CVS-Aetna Merger Could Provide Benefits for People with Diabetes

The bid to purchase health-insurance giant Aetna by pharmacy super-giant CVS would be more than just a merging of corporate interests. It also would affect consumers in some very palpable ways.
It’s not at all clear whether some of the changes would be positive or negative for consumers overall. But the merger could provide some clear benefits for people with diabetes, who are likely to find more healthcare services at their local CVS that are conveniently close and might save them visits to the doctor or hospital.
That’s because part of the plan is for Aetna to encourage its members to seek out care for minor issues at CVS’ Minute Clinics instead of at traditional doctor’s offices. The clinics are now located at 1,100 of CVS’ nearly 10,000 stores but that number is likely to grow dramatically. The clinics also would offer a larger range of services provided by nurses or physician’s assistants.
For people with chronic health issues such as diabetes that require monitoring and related services, this could be a real help. In fact, a press release from the two companies specifically mentioned the up sides for people with diabetes in their press release.
“Patients with diabetes will receive care in between doctor visits through face-to-face counseling at a store-based health hub and remote monitoring of key indicators such as blood glucose levels,” the press release said. “When needed, patients can receive text messages to let them know when their glucose levels deviate from normal ranges. As a follow up, patients can receive counseling on medication adherence Continue reading

Maternal obesity and diabetes in pregnancy result in early overgrowth of the baby in the womb

The babies of obese women who develop gestational diabetes are five times as likely to be excessively large by six months of pregnancy, according to new research led by the University of Cambridge. The study, which shows that excessive fetal growth begins weeks before at-risk women are screened for gestational diabetes, suggests that current screening programmes may take place too late during pregnancy to prevent lasting health impacts on the offspring.
Given the risk of complications for both mother and child from gestational diabetes, our findings suggest that screening women earlier on in pregnancy may help improve the short and long term outcomes for these women
Gestational diabetes is a condition that can affect women during pregnancy, with those who are obese at greater risk. As well as affecting the mother’s health, the condition also causes the unborn child to grow larger, putting the mother at risk during childbirth and increasing the likelihood that her offspring will develop obesity and diabetes during later life. The condition can usually be controlled through a combination of diet and exercise, and medication if these measures fail.
Women are screened for the condition through a blood glucose test at around 8-12 weeks into pregnancy. Current guidelines in the UK and the USA recommend that mothers found to be at greatest risk should then be offered a full test at between 24 and 28 weeks into pregnancy; however, in practice the majority of women are screened at the 28 week mark.
Researchers at the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at the University of Camb Continue reading

Eating whey protein every day could help stop diabetes

Nearly three million Britons suffer from Type 2 diabetes, where the body does not produce enough insulin or it fails to work properly.
Researchers discovered that whey protein, often used by athletes and weightlifters to improve fitness, stimulates the production of a gut hormone, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which boosts insulin.
The study, carried out by researchers in Israel and published in the journal Diabetologia, involved 15 people with controlled Type 2 diabetes who were only taking diabetes drugs sulphonylurea or metformin for the condition.
It found that those who ate whey – sold in most health stores – before breakfast saw an instant increase in insulin production.
Professor Daniela Jakubowicz, of Tel Aviv University, said: “Consumption of whey protein shortly before breakfast increased the early and late post-meal insulin secretion, improved GLP-1 responses and reduced post-meal blood sugar levels in Type 2 diabetic patients.
“Whey protein may therefore represent a novel approach for enhancing glucose-lowering strategies in Type 2 diabetes.”
Professor Jakubowicz said that such treatment would be cheap and easy to administer, with patients able to use any brand of whey protein concentrate which has no added sugar or other nutrients.
Charity Diabetes UK gave the research a cautious welcome but warned that carrying out physical exercise and maintaining a healthy diet remained crucial.
Communications manager Dr Richard Elliott said: “While interesting, these results do not provide strong evidence that eating whey protein before meals is an effective Continue reading