The Link Between Diabetes And Alcoholism

The Link Between Diabetes and Alcoholism

The connection between alcohol and health consequences is hardly a secret. While drinking in moderation may have some small benefits, drinking heavily does the opposite, threatening everything from organ function to life expectancy. Alcohol is damaging to the brain, the liver, blood pressure, and more, putting your entire body at risk for irreversible damage.
During the depths of addiction, many alcohol abusers assume these issues are overstated or wont happen to them. Unfortunately, this is far from the truth. A majority of alcoholics will eventually develop related complications, with almost all long-term binge drinkers experiencing liver disease and 35% of heavy drinkers eventually developing alcoholic hepatitis.
If the well-known consequences werent bad enough, new research indicates that alcoholism may be connected to yet another harmful condition: type 2 diabetes. Also known as adult-onset diabetes, this disease carries with it a significantly increased mortality rate , putting happiness and health at grave risk.
Diabetes refers to a group of diseases caused by too much sugar in the blood. In general, most patients have either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes, or juvenile diabetes, is a form in which your body does not make its own insulin. Instead, the immune system attacks and destroys the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, requiring the use of an artificial pump to supply the body with insulin. Type 2 diabetes, which accounts for 90% to 95% of all diabetes cases , is an alternate form in which the body does not produce enough insulin or does Continue reading

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Research shows the important role of gut bacteria in preventing and treating type 1 diabetes

Scientists have discovered new evidence of the importance of gut bacteria in terms of averting and treating conditions such as type 1 diabetes.
It is already known, namely that certain common variants of HLA/MHC genes protect against a range of autoimmune diseases, particularly type 1 diabetes. Yet how these genes and the tiny cell proteins they regulate yield their immune modulating effects has remained shrouded in mystery.
Now, a study in mice led by scientists at Harvard Medical School reveals that at least one of these genes has a protective influence that is powerfully shaped by the trillions of intestinal bacteria collectively known as the gut microbiota.
In the study, researchers worked with mice bred to spontaneously develop diabetes, the classic animal model for studying the disease. However, this particular group was also bred to carry a protective gene variant shown in earlier studies to ward off type 1 diabetes despite the animals’ heavy predisposition to the disease.
When treated with antibiotics in the first six weeks of life, mice went on to develop pancreatic inflammation, a precursor to type 1 diabetes, despite carrying the guardian gene. Treatment with antibiotics later in life, between six and 10 weeks after birth, did not lead to loss of protection against diabetes.
The observation suggests a period during which the new born gut is seeded by various germs, the researchers say. Interfering with that process by administering antibiotics appears to disrupt the balance of the gut microbiota, which in turn leads to loss of genetic protection, the researcher Continue reading

Traveling With Diabetes

Traveling makes diabetes management harder. Diabetes doesnt take a vacation just because you do. Here are some guidelines on traveling safely from experts and bloggers. (Many of these tips have to do with insulin, but not all.)
Get your supplies together. The travel insurance company Insurancewith says , Its often advised for [people with diabetes] to carry a pack in their hand luggage, with everything theyd need for the journey. This would include injection pens, insulin, sensors, pumps, and spare pump batteries. Insulin and blood sugar monitoring equipment and emergency snacks should always be readily available. If you check them in, you may not have them when you need them. Or they may end up lost.
Our blogger Amy Mercer found out about keeping supplies handy on a trip to the Bahamas. Changing planes in Atlanta, she wanted to eat, but she had no syringe for her insulin. She had used the one in her carrying case and forgotten to bring others in her carry-on luggage. Her sugar climbed to over 300 before the plane landed and she could get her insulin syringes back.
Insurancewith says bring twice as many supplies as you need. Double up on all of it. Your trip could run long, supplies could be damaged, or you could need more than usual because of the demands of traveling.
You should also consider bringing a back-up pump and monitoring equipment.
Kathleen Stanley, a certified diabetes educator and registered dietitian in Lexington, Kentucky, says If you take insulin with syringes, think about how youll carry and dispose of your syringes or pen needles.
Padded insulin t Continue reading

Berberine Has the Goods to Beat Diabetes

Count berberine among the few compounds with antibacterial properties that offer an effective alternative to antibiotic medicines that are losing ground in the ongoing battle against superbugs. It gets even better, though. Berberines other pharmacological effects includes blood glucose-lowering capabilities that make it useful in helping to treat diabetics.
Berberine is a natural alkaloid, which puts it in a class of organic compounds that have their origins in plants. It contains primarily nitrogen atoms that have been shown to have significant physiological actions on humans, per draxe.com . Its not like this is a recent discovery, though. Using berberine for medicinal purposes is a practice that dates back thousands of years to China and India, where it has been part of traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicines.
Numerous studies have shown that the use of berberine has been able to improve disorders that involve glucose and lipid metabolism. One of the more noteworthy of those studies was one in which volunteers were 500 milligrams of berberine two or three times a day for three months while a control group took the well-known diabetes drug metformin. The natural alkaloid could control blood sugar and lipid metabolism as well as metformin did.
After berberine is ingested, usually in the form of nutritional supplements, it is digested and then transported via the bloodstream to cells scattered throughout the body. Once it takes up residence in cells, berberine binds to various molecular targets, per authoritynutrition.com , and alters their respective functionaliti Continue reading

Basics of Diabetes Mellitus.

Diabetes Mellitus is defined as the impaired response of the human body to insulin. This results in increased levels of glucose in the blood that causes different complications. The increased levels of glucose in the blood are called hyperglycemia. , in other words, s Diabetes Mellitus is the name of hyperglycemia and resulting complications that is due to an impaired response of the body to insulin.
Types of Diabetes Mellitus:
There are two types of DM:
Insulin Dependent Diabetes or Type 1 Diabetes:
In this type, insulin is not produced properly by the body. This causes decreased uptake of glucose by the cells from the blood. As a result, the level of glucose in the blood rises causing hyperglycemia. As insulin is deficient in this type of diabetes, the patient must receive insulin regularly to keep the glucose levels in the blood within normal ranges. That is why this type is called Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus.
Insulin Independent Diabetes or Type 2 Diabetes:
In this type, Insulin is produced in a proper amount by the body but the receptors on the cell where insulin binds, are defective or less in number. That is why the body is resistant to insulin. The end result is again decreased uptake of glucose into the cell from the blood which results in hyperglycemia. As the insulin is sufficient for this type that is why it is called Insulin Independent Diabetes Mellitus.
What is insulin?
Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that binds to their receptors on the body cells and causes entry of glucose from the blood into the cells. This glucose is then utilized b Continue reading