Type 1 Diabetes May Be Triggered By A Common Virus, Study Suggests

Type 1 Diabetes May Be Triggered By a Common Virus, Study Suggests

Researchers found that kids exposed to enteroviruses are more likely to develop the autoimmune disease.
A new study suggests that a common virus may increase children’s risk for developing type 1 diabetes, raising the possibility that a vaccine may one day help prevent the lifelong disease. The research is not the first to make a connection between enteroviruses and diabetes, but the authors say it’s the largest and most definitive study to date.
Enteroviruses are a group of viruses that usually cause mild illnesses, like the common cold. Certain strains of enterovirus—such as the poliovirus, enterovirus-D68, and coxackievirus (also known as hand, foot, and mouth disease)—can cause more serious symptoms.
Previous research has also suggested that children exposed to enteroviruses are more likely to develop type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease that damages insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, than those who have not. To further study this link, researchers at the University of Tampere in Finland tested more than 1,600 stool samples from 129 children who had recently developed diabetes and 282 non-diabetic children for enterovirus RNA—a marker of previous infection. They found a significant difference between the groups: Only 60% of the control group showed signs of prior infection, versus 80% of the newly diabetic group.
The results, published in the journal Diabetologica, also showed that enterovirus infection typically occurred more than a year before children tested positive for islet autoantibodies, the first sign of type 1 diabetes. Taking this time lag i Continue reading

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Diabetes Calculator for Kids

Everything matters when it comes to your child's care. That’s why Nationwide Children's has developed an online resource for managing your child's diabetes. Our goal is to empower families to successfully manage diabetes at home in order to provide as normal a life as possible for patients with diabetes.
Managing your child’s diabetes requires the proper balance between insulin dose, food and activity on a daily basis. It is important to keep your child’s blood sugars within a target range at all times. This online resource will enable you to calculate the insulin dosage given to your child prior to eating.
Diabetes Toolkit
The Diabetes Sick Day Calculator and Sick Day Journal are available in our free myChildren's mobile application.
The Diabetes Calculator for Kids is an electronic tool that calculates rapid acting insulin bolus dosage in 5 easy steps. Each chart is customized based on the child's personal input and information that is generally provided by a doctor or diabetes educator.
Please consult your physician with any questions related to your individual diabetes management plan.
5 easy steps to better
Diabetes management
The Diabetes Calculator for Kids is a helpful electronic tool that calculates rapid acting insulin bolus dosage for a child with diabetes. Each chart is customized based on the child's personal input and information that is generally provided by a doctor or diabetes educator. Continue reading

Study reveals how a very low calorie diet can reverse type 2 diabetes

In a new study, a Yale-led research team uncovers how a very low calorie diet can rapidly reverse type 2 diabetes in animal models. If confirmed in people, the insight provides potential new drug targets for treating this common chronic disease, said the researchers.
The study is published in Cell Metabolism.
One in three Americans will develop type 2 diabetes by 2050, according to recent projections by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Reports indicate that the disease goes into remission in many patients who undergo bariatric weight-loss surgery, which significantly restricts caloric intake prior to clinically significant weight loss. The Yale-led team’s study focused on understanding the mechanisms by which caloric restriction rapidly reverses type 2 diabetes.
The research team investigated the effects of a very low calorie diet (VLCD), consisting of one-quarter the normal intake, on a rodent model of type 2 diabetes. Using a novel stable (naturally occurring) isotope approach, which they developed, the researchers tracked and calculated a number of metabolic processes that contribute to the increased glucose production by the liver. The method, known as PINTA, allowed the investigators to perform a comprehensive set of analyses of key metabolic fluxes within the liver that might contribute to insulin resistance and increased rates of glucose production by the liver — two key processes that cause increased blood-sugar concentrations in diabetes.
Using this approach the researchers pinpointed three major mechanisms responsible for the VLCD’s dramatic ef Continue reading

12 Superfoods to Reverse Diabetes

If there’s a silver lining to having type 2 diabetes it’s that you can make a noticeable difference in your condition by the foods you eat each day. These foods have been identified as being some of the very best you can eat, and will not only provide help for your diabetes, but will support a healthy and active lifestyle that will help bring you to a healthy weight, if needed.
1. Kale
Much has been said about the virtue of kale in recent years, and it lives up to the hype. It provides a broad assortment of vitamins and minerals, is low in carbohydrates, and contains some protein as well. Try drinking green smoothies made with kale as a way to provide the body plenty of what it needs to function at its best.
2. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Using extra virgin olive oil as your oil of choice is a good switch to make when you have diabetes. It contains healthy monounsaturated fat that can help you lose weight, and does a better job of stabilizing blood sugar levels than eating a diet low in fat, or using other oils that do not contain healthy fat. Researchers in Spain have concluded that olive oil can help prevent diabetes, as well as limit the complications from it.
3. Apples
Diabetics should definitely heed the “apple a day” advice. This fruit seems specifically suited to help reduce the symptoms of diabetes, and keep blood sugar levels steady. They’ll provide the sweetness you’re wanting without causing complications, and the fiber they contain will help your digestion and keep you more fit.
4. Almonds
Almonds are the perfect snack and their crunchy, nutty taste will Continue reading

A New Drug May Be Able to Completely Reverse Diabetes

Scientists have used a new drug to reverse diabetes in mice. The drug inhibits the enzyme LMPTP, which contributes to the development of Type 2 diabetes by weakening the body's sensitivity to the hormone.
Defining Diabetes
In the global community, the number of people with diabetes has been on the rise since 1980, with 422 million people diagnosed by 2014. The U.S. alone has experienced a substantial rise in the incidence of diabetes, with the number of Americans diagnosed increasing from 5.5 million in 1980, to 22 million in 2014—a more than 300 percent increase in less than 40 years.
A team of researchers, led by Stephanie Stanford at the University of California, San Diego, is proposing a solution in the form of a single pill that aims to restore insulin sensitivity in diabetic patients. Type 2 diabetes develops when the body’s response to insulin, the hormone responsible for regulating sugar in our blood, weakens. A number of genetic and lifestyle factors will influence whether or not someone develops this type of diabetes in their lifetime.
Up until now, drugs were unable to restore the insulin signaling function in diabetic patients — instead, they work by filtering out excess glucose in the blood that comes as a result of the dysfunction. The drug produced by Stanford’s team, on the other hand, hopes to restore function.
Restoring Function
The drug inhibits an enzyme called low molecular weight protein tyrosine phosphatase (LMPTP), which is suspected to contribute to the reduction in cell sensitivity to insulin. With reduced LMPTP activity, the drug reenables Continue reading