Your Urine And Diabetes: What You Should Know

Paula’s story
Paula came to see mcomplaining that her urine smelt funny. She had been referred to through a friend who had diabetes, and who thought that I might be able to help Paula understand why her pee smelled funny.
“My friend told me my urine smells like diabetes,” said Paula. “She said she had that same fruity smell when she got diagnosed.”
Paula said her urine smelled like, “Sugar Smacks,” of all things. I suspected that Paula may have Type 2 Diabetes, but we needed to run some lab tests in order to confirm this suspicion
We tested her urine using a urinalysis. She had high levels of glucose in her urine. After the urinalysis, we ran a random blood sugar, which detected her levels at 798 mg/dL. With the results at hand, Paula was diagnosed with diabetes. She had to start on insulin seemingly right off the bat, as other oral medications wouldn’t control her diabetes. She had weight to lose, and goals to reach. While she’s a work in progress,her urine no longer smells like Sugar Smacks.
What exactly is urine made of ?
Urine is a clear, yellow liquid produced by the body to handle the wastes from normal body metabolism. When nitrogenous by-products build up in the blood from cellular metabolism, it must be cleared from the bloodstream.
In our bodies, some of our toxic waste from metabolism is excreted through perspiration as urea. The rest is handled by an intricate filter system that makes up the human urinary system.
The kidneys work through processes of filtering waste, reabsorption, and tubular secretion. They make urine through this complex filt Continue reading

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Is cheese safe for people with diabetes?

Compared with many other foods, cheese is high in fat and calories and may not be an obvious choice for someone with diabetes. Cheese and diabetes can, however, be a healthful combination.
Cheese lovers can enjoy a wide variety of cheeses without elevating blood sugar, raising blood pressure, or gaining weight.
For diabetes-friendly meals or snacks, people should choose healthful cheeses and serve them with foods that are rich in fiber and low in calories.
Can people with diabetes eat cheese?
People with diabetes can safely eat cheese as part of a balanced, healthful diet. Just as with other foods, moderation is the key. A diet mainly consisting of cheese is unhealthy for anyone.
When selecting cheeses, people with diabetes need to consider a few things:
Calories
Cheese is very high in calories and fat. Though calorie content varies among cheese varieties, people with diabetes should avoid overindulging in cheese.
Type 2 diabetes is linked with obesity, and losing just a few pounds can reduce the risk of diabetes.
There are several steps that people with diabetes can take to help them eat cheese without gaining weight:
stick to small servings
choose lower-calorie cheeses
use cheese as a source of flavor rather than as the main course
Saturated fat
Cheese is high in saturated fat compared with many other foods. In small quantities, saturated fat is harmless and can actually be beneficial to the body. But excessive intake of saturated fats is linked to weight gain, high cholesterol, gallbladder problems, and heart disease.
The American Heart Association recommend a diet that Continue reading

CRA policy change prompted diabetes tax credit denials, health groups allege

OTTAWA – Diabetes advocates are voicing new concerns over the government's eligibility criteria for the federal disability tax credit, after getting their hands on an internal document that shows the Canada Revenue Agency appears to have changed its process when it comes to approving adults with Type 1 diabetes for the tax rebate.
At a press conference in Ottawa, Diabetes Canada and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Canada said the documents they’ve obtained through the federal access to information system clearly show a change in policy, after the federal government insisted there hadn’t been.
The change has made it nearly impossible for most adults with Type 1 diabetes to be eligible for the tax break, despite previously being able to, the health groups said.
It contradicts National Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier’s prior assertion that there had been no rule change at the CRA, after Diabetes Canada and JDRF Canada first raised concern in October that hundreds of Canadians with Type 1 diabetes were being denied the disability tax credit.
"There’s either been a terrible breach in communication between the CRA and the minister, or the minister has been expressing false information," said Diabetes Canada Director of Federal Affairs Kimberly Hanson. The groups say the government has been using a nuance to say there has been no change in law, while the memo shows there has been a change in practice.
"If I sent a memo like this to my staff at an organization, I would expect them to follow it," President and CEO of JDRF Canada Dave Prowten said.
The hea Continue reading

Quiz - As Diabetes Increases Worldwide, a Vegetable Could Help

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.
Diabetes is a serious, chronic disease on the rise around the world. And, not everyone can take the medication that treats it. However, researchers have discovered that a compound found in a common vegetable might help treat diabetes.
In 2016 the World Health Organization published its Global Report on Diabetes. It says the number of diabetic adults rose from 108 million in 1980 to 422 million in 2014.
Diabetes happens in two ways. If the body does not produce enough of a hormone called insulin it is called Type 1. Type 2 diabetes is when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces.
Insulin controls levels of sugar in the blood.
Over time, diabetes can damage the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys and nerves. Diabetes is a major cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, stroke and lower limb amputation. It can lead to an early death.
India is one of the countries that could be facing a public health crisis as cases of diabetes increase. Amit Jain is a children's doctor in that country. He says obesity is one of the main reasons people get Type 2 diabetes.
However, children who are not obese can also get diabetes.
Rohin Sarin is a regular 15-year old kid. He goes to school. He likes sports. But unlike most children, four times a day he has to take a shot of insulin.
Rohin has type 2 diabetes.
"Sometimes it affects me negatively like if I just play a lot and I don't eat my food properly; then my sugar goes down. So, then I feel dizzy and I am not able to play the sport properly."
About 300 Continue reading

How dogs can sniff out diabetes

A chemical found in our breath can be used as a warning sign for dangerously-low blood sugar levels in patients with type 1 diabetes - and dogs can be trained to detect it.
A golden Labrador called Magic, from Cambridge, has been trained by charity Medical Detection Dogs to detect when his owner Claire Pesterfield's blood sugar levels fall to potentially dangerous levels.
Hypoglycaemia – low blood sugar – can cause problems such as shakiness, disorientation and fatigue. If the patient does not receive a sugar boost in time, it can additionally cause seizures and lead to unconsciousness. In some people with diabetes, these episodes can occur suddenly with little warning.
Following on from reports of dogs alerting owners to blood glucose changes, researchers at the Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge, wanted to study whether certain naturally-occurring chemicals in exhaled breath might change when glucose levels were low.
In a preliminary study to test this hypothesis, the scientists gradually lowered blood sugar levels under controlled conditions in eight women, all with type 1 diabetes. They then used mass spectrometry – which looks for chemical signatures – to detect the presence of these chemicals.
This revealed levels of the chemical isoprene rose significantly at hypoglycaemia – in some cases almost doubling. Dogs may be sensitive to the presence of isoprene, and the researchers suggest it may be possible to develop new detectors that identify elevated levels of isoprene in patients at risk.
"Low blood sugar is an everyda Continue reading