Type 1 Diabetes 'could Be Caused By Germs'

Type 1 diabetes 'could be caused by germs'

Some germs may be responsible for people getting type 1 diabetes, according to a groundbreaking scientific study.
Researchers from Cardiff University’s Institute of Infection & Immunity discovered that certain germs trigger killer T-cells, a form of white blood cell that can cause diabetes.
The killer T-cells destroy insulin-producing ‘beta cells’, leading to an insulin deficiency.
Dr David Cole, a senior research fellow in charge of the study, told The Independent: “These findings could be really helpful for us going forward, now that we are getting a better idea of the environmental risk factors that cause diabetes.
“The behaviour of the T-cells is really like a case of friendly fire, or mistaken identity as they are provoked into attacking the beta cells.
“It could potentially open the door for people to be screened for certain bacteria, lowering the risk of them developing type 1 diabetes through non-genetic causes.”
During their experiments the Cardiff team shone powerful X-rays into infected blood samples, revealing the bacteria which may cause the condition.
Researchers had previously isolated a killer T-cell from a patient with type 1 diabetes to view the interaction, which kills the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas.
The Cardiff studies reveal that killer T-cells are highly cross-reactive, and respond to a variety of different pathogen triggers.
Dr Cole continued: “Uncovering the mechanism by which white blood cells detect bacteria is key to us working towards a cure, and these results have been promising.”
The research was published in Continue reading

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5 Best Exercises for People with Diabetes

If you have diabetes, exercise offers surprising benefits. As it lowers your stress levels, it lowers your blood sugar level.
How much exercise is right for you? For people with diabetes, The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommends 150 minutes of aerobic exercise each week. Exercise is so important for people with diabetes that the American Diabetes Association recommends that these patients miss no more than two days of aerobic exercise in a row.
5 exercises for people with diabetes
There are many exercises that will benefit people with diabetes. Here are five we recommend:
Walking — Because anyone can do it almost anywhere, walking is the most popular exercise and one we highly recommend for people with diabetes. Thirty minutes to one hour of brisk walking, three times each week is a great, easy way to increase your physical activity.
Tai Chi —This Chinese form of exercise uses slow, smooth body movements to relax the mind and body. In 2009, researchers at the University of Florida studied 62 Korean women assigned to one of two groups—a control group and an exercise group that began a regular practice of Tai Chi. Those who completed the tai chi sessions showed significant improvement in blood sugar control. They also reported increased vitality, energy and mental health.
Yoga — A traditional form of exercise, yoga incorporates fluid movements that build flexibility, strength and balance. It is helpful for people with a variety of chronic conditions, including diabetes. It lowers stress and improves nerve function, which leads to an increased state of mental Continue reading

A 'Gray Market' For Diabetes Supplies Highlights The Cost of Care

When Tim Rushing turned 50 last year, his doctor called him in for a check-up. They did a physical, ran some tests, and found out that Rushing had Type 2 diabetes.
“No surprises there,’ Rushing says. “Both my parents are Type 2 diabetics.”
He knew from watching his parents that monitoring his blood sugar would be essential to managing the disease. What Rushing didn’t realize was how much that monitoring would cost.
Turns out, it’s a lot.
Depending on the type of diabetes, diabetics check their blood sugar anywhere from one to eight times a day. It’s a ritual they know well: prick your finger, draw a little blood and place it on a disposable plastic test strip that gets read by a meter. One test, one strip.
America’s 21 million diabetics spend close to $4 billion dollars every year on test strips. Because of their price, though — a single strip can cost over $1 — an informal, “gray” market has emerged where diabetics like Rushing can buy the strips more cheaply, but without oversight from the Food and Drug Administration.
A Fraction of the Price
Rushing wanted to test frequently, hoping to manage his blood sugars that way. But his insurance only covered one test a day. Additional strips would cost him $1 each, cash. At the rate he used them, that would add up to $180 a month.
“So I started looking online and found I could get a box of 50 test strips on Amazon for 12 bucks,” Rushing says. That comes out to about 25 cents a strip, a fraction of the price.
“That’s what I’ve been doing ever since. I’ve never even filled my prescription,” he Continue reading

Can You Die from Diabetes? Type 1 and Type 2 Life Expectancy

Diabetes is a disease which is caused either due to the lack of proper production of insulin by the pancreas or due to the improper use of insulin in the human body. This gives rise to the blood sugar level or the glucose level in the body as it is the hormone insulin which is responsible for the breakdown of the carbohydrates and the other essential nutrients in the food to release the much-needed energy by the cells. It is a disease which adversely affects the primary function of metabolism in the body thereby exposing our body to several other complications.
Diabetes affects different people in different manners and as such, it takes several forms. The most common type of diabetes is type 1 and type 2 diabetes. There are various factors and causes which contribute to each type and form of the disease.
Due to the several complications that are associated with this condition, diabetes is often considered a deadly disease that can kill you. It is not uncommon to hear of people who have died of diabetes in the past few years. In this article, we shall further deep dive into the various issues that diabetes accompanies and might lead to the death of the diabetic patient.
How Long Can You Live with Diabetes?
It is not very uncommon to hear that diabetes will shorten the expected life of the concerned patient. But the question is: How much?
There are different opinions about the subject. As per a few types of research conducted, diabetes can shorten life by 8.5 years in a 50-year old individual. On the other hand, Diabetes UK estimates that the expected life span of type 1 diab Continue reading

Playing The Odds With Statins: Heart Disease Or Diabetes?

Last year my cholesterol shot up despite living nowhere near a decent barbeque joint. I was totally stressed. I wasn't overweight. But I was pretty sedentary. My doctor prescribed a high dose of Lipitor, a powerful statin.
For women of a certain age, statins are supposedly the best thing since Lycra for keeping wayward bodies in check. Statins interfere with the synthesis of low-density lipoprotein, the "bad" cholesterol. LDL is a prime suspect in heart disease, the top killer of women.
The statin cut my cholesterol like buttah.
But statins can also increase the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, muscle and/or liver damage. Heart trouble and diabetes run in my family. Was I trading a heart attack for diabetes?
"We give statins to people with diabetes," was all my doc said.
That didn't answer my question. I knew from an unrelated test that I did not currently have coronary artery disease, so I decided to investigate the statin situation.
In 2012 the Food and Drug Administration slapped a black box warning on statins, saying that they could raise blood glucose levels in people at high risk of Type 2 diabetes. That meant an increase of anywhere from 9 to 27 percent in relative risk – in absolute terms about 0.3 excess cases of diabetes for every 100 people who are treated for a year with high-intensity statins (which lower cholesterol by 50 percent or more) and 0.1 excess cases of diabetes for every 100 people treated with moderate-intensity statins (which lower cholesterol by 30 to 50 percent.)
Because doctors disagree on who should get statins, in 2013 the American Colleg Continue reading