World Diabetes Day - Research Uncovering Link Between Gut Health And Pregnancy Outcomes

World Diabetes Day - Research uncovering link between gut health and pregnancy outcomes

As part of World Diabetes Day, an Australian Diabetes Society’s (ADS) research grant recipient discusses her work in diabetes and pregnancy and shares tips for women and healthcare professionals on optimising wellness for mums and babies.
World Diabetes Day, November 14, 2017, aims to raise awareness of the right of all women with diabetes to a healthy future.
In Australia there are currently:
600,000 women with diabetes. There are 57,000 women and girls living with type 1 diabetes and 502,000 women and girls living with type 2 diabetes
185 women newly diagnosed with diabetes each day
10,000 women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM)
More than 100 pregnant women developing gestational diabetes every day
38,000 women diagnosed with gestational diabetes in the past 12 months
One third of women with gestational diabetes needing insulin therapy during pregnancy to manage their diabetes
More than 36,000 women of child bearing age with “existing type 1 diabetes (16,000) or type 2 diabetes (20,000)” and with special needs during pregnancy.
Dr Helen Barrett is a member of the ADS and is a practising Obstetric Physician and Endocrinologist. She is currently the Director of Endocrinology at Mater Hospital Brisbane and a Senior Research Fellow at Mater Research .
“My passion is to improve the outcomes for women and their babies during complex pregnancies and my research interests are strongly tied to my clinical work,” she said.
“Many women with diabetes and their babies do well in pregnancy with the right planning and management from their multidisciplinary healthcare Continue reading

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How to Improve Blood Sugar Control During Your Period

How to Improve Blood Sugar Control During Your Period
As if blood sugar management isnt hard enough already, adding in the constantly changing hormone levels of a womans menstrual cycle seems like a cruel joke. Here's how to get blood sugar control when your hormones are out of control.
The menstrual cycle's hormone levels impact the body's sensitivity to insulinit's not that you've suddenly developed an inability to count carbs.
Contrary to the basic explanation we all received in the 8th grade, your hormones are changing every single day of the month, and you can bet those hormones impact your sensitivity to insulin, too.
Trying to determine when the hormones of your menstrual cycle impact your blood sugars and how to adjust your insulin dosesin an effort to keep your blood sugars in your goal rangefeels nearly impossible to predict. And for each woman, that entire process and reaction can be slightly different, so there isnt a one size fits all plan.
To give guidance about how to make diabetes management less stressful during that time of the month (or, more accurately, the whole month),OnTrack Diabetes reached out to Jennifer Smith, RD, CDE from IntegratedDiabetes.com (And Jenny should know since shes lived with type 1 diabetes for over 30 years!)
The Fab Four: Hormones and Your Blood Sugar Levels
Every month, explains Smith, the body cycles through hormones that are meant to essentially prepare the body for pregnancy.
There are three phases that your body cycles through the follicular, the ovulatory and the luteal phase.
The four hormones that regulate your Continue reading

Menstruation Is Linked To Gestational Diabetes, Claim Aussie Scientists

Menstruation Is Linked To Gestational Diabetes, Claim Aussie Scientists
Australian scientists claim there is a link between whenwomen get their first period and developing gestational diabetes.
Researchers at the University of Queensland analysed data from 5,000 pregnant women from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Womens Health between 2000 and 2012.
The Link Between Menstruation And Gestational Diabetes
They found that mums who had their first period at or before the age of 11 were 51 per cent more likely to develop diabetes while pregnant compared to those who started menstruating at the age 13 or older.
The data also found that 7.5 per cent of the participants were diagnosed with gestational diabetes if they were overweight or obese.
The finding could mean that health professionals will start asking women when they had their first period to identify those at risk of gestational diabetes, said Danielle Schoenaker, the studys lead author, in an official statement.
A large proportion of women who develop diabetes during pregnancy are overweight or obese, and encouraging those with an early start of puberty to control their weight before pregnancy may help to lower their risk of gestational diabetes.
According to Diabetes Australia , between five to ten per cent of pregnant women will develop gestational diabetes.
While there is no one reason for why women develop gestational diabetes, you are at risk of developing gestational diabetes if you are over 25, have a family history of type 2 diabetes, are over weight, have had polycystic ovary syndrome and have a I Continue reading

The role of melatonin in the onset and progression of type 3 diabetes

The role of melatonin in the onset and progression of type 3 diabetes
Alzheimers disease (AD) is defined by the excessive accumulation of toxic peptides, such as beta amyloid (A) plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFT). The risk factors associated with AD include genetic mutations, aging, insulin resistance, and oxidative stress. To date, several studies that have demonstrated an association between AD and diabetes have revealed that the common risk factors include insulin resistance, sleep disturbances, blood brain barrier (BBB) disruption, and altered glucose homeostasis. Many researchers have discovered that there are mechanisms common to both diabetes and AD. AD that results from insulin resistance in the brain is termed type 3 diabetes. Melatonin synthesized by the pineal gland is known to contribute to circadian rhythms, insulin resistance, protection of the BBB, and cell survival mechanisms. Here, we review the relationship between melatonin and type 3 diabetes, and suggest that melatonin might regulate the risk factors for type 3 diabetes. We suggest that melatonin is crucial for attenuating the onset of type 3 diabetes by intervening in A accumulation, insulin resistance, glucose metabolism, and BBB permeability.
MelatoninType 3 diabetesAlzheimers disease (AD)Insulin resistanceHyperglycemiaBlood brain barrier (BBB)Beta amyloid (A)
Alzheimers disease (AD) is an age-related neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by the abnormal aggregation and accumulation of toxic peptides resulting in beta amyloid (A) plaques and intracellular neurofi Continue reading

Do artifical sweeteners affect diabetes?

Artificial sweeteners or sugar substitutes are synthetic chemicals that offer the sweetness of sugar to your food without adding calories. Though, generally thought as safe or even healthy, consumption of these food additives for long period of time is found associated with weight gain, impaired glucose tolerance and development of type 2 diabetes.
In diabetes, people suffer from abnormal blood sugar control due to lack of insulin and/or insulin resistance. As, artificial sweeteners dont affect blood sugar levels, these are considered free foods (with < 20 calories or < 5 gm of carbohydrates) on a diabetes exchange and considered safe alternatives to table sugar for diabetics.
Foods made with artificial sweeteners are marketed as light, low calorie, low carb, sugar free, diet foods or health foods. Though, substituting sugar-sweetened foods with artificially sweetened ones may look like a healthy choice, these products have their downsides too, especially when these are consumed regularly and in large amounts, to shed weight and prevent long-term chronic diseases like diabetes.
As more and more people are eating and drinking sugar-free foods and beverages (such as diet soft drinks, non-carbonated soft drinks, baked goods, frozen desserts, candy, light yogurt, chewing gum) and using sugar substitutes in cooking and baking, following are the main concerns about long-term safety of consuming artificially sweetened food products:
Research suggest that there is a rebound effect, where people misperceive sugar-free foods as healthy and consume more of an unhealthy type of f Continue reading