Four tips to prevent diabetes

While one in 13 Americans have it, type 2 diabetes may be one of the most preventable diseases afflicting the country.

A vigorous exercise program and controlling weight can prevent or even cure it.

But the kinds of things a person eats also may play a role, according to a report from the Harvard Medical School.

The tips include:

*Eating lots of fiber. A diet rich in whole grains can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 40%, compared with eating a low amount of fiber.

*Drinking coffee, decaf or regular. One cup a day lowers the risk by 13% and two to three cups by 43%, compared with drinking no coffee.

*Moderate alcohol. Men who consumed two to four drinks a week lowered their risk by 26%; five to six drinks by 33%; and one or more drinks a day by 43%.

*Get nutty. Women who ate nuts or peanut buttter at least five times a week lowered their risk by 20% to 30%, compared with women who rarely ate nuts.

Diabetes Signs – How to Decide If You Have Diabetes Symptoms

Medical has always been and always will be an important concern for every of us. Taking correct treatment for our bodies enables us to live longer, happier, plus fulfilled lives. We take in vitamins, minerals plus many other supplements that lead us to such goal. However, certain diseases enter our bodies without us even having a clue. Before we identify it, we’re suffering from such nasty plus sometimes incurable infection. Thus it is fundamental to be aware of the signs plus symptoms that come from the various viruses out here, including the infamous diabetes. Looking out for diabetes signs might come in totally handy and possibly will as healthy save your life.
Diabetes has been one of the diseases of the human body that has certain peculiar characteristics. One of which is its capability to develop symptoms showing out from our bodies in a quick and utterly rapid way. These diabetes signs possibly will show up in merely a course of weeks or days usually in children and adolescents.
One of the most conventional signs of diabetes would be the urge to urinate constantly. Somehow it is totally simple to spot this kind of sign. You only require to ask yourself, “Am I visiting the bathroom to urinate additional continually?” If the answer is yes, then you ought to be in the look out for a quantity of other symptoms of having diabetes. Frequent urination is caused due to increased levels of glucose in your blood. In short, having lesser glucose in the blood would likely lead to let your bladder think full plus thus keeps you having the urge to urinate often.
Diverse sign to look out for is having that unquenchable thirst. If you are feeling like you cannot get sufficient of drinking water and still feel that you are thirst, then this can healthy be special sign of diabetes. Your body has been getting more water out of your blood plus you have been urinating often. Such will lead you to dehydration. Thus explains the require to quench your thirst by drinking additional water.
Feeling weak may well explain the require of insulin from our body. Insulin helps the glucose to reach out to our cells so that we will be replenished including energy. If such important element is gone, then it clearly elucidates our being tired plus weak.
These are only a quantity of of the diabetes signs that we all should be alert of. If you happen to notice a few, don’t hesitate to be checked by your physician. It’s improved to be safe than sorry.

New Sign of Diabetes Risk

SHBG Level -- And Genes That Control It -- Mark Type 2 Diabetes Risk

Sept. 16, 2009 - A new blood test strongly predicts risk of type 2 diabetes.

The test looks at sex hormone-binding globulin or SHBG. Once considered merely a way for the body to store extra sex hormone, SHBG now appears to be a player in a number of body functions.

Protection against type 2 diabetes -- or susceptibility to it -- appears to be one of them.

People with the lowest SHBG levels have a tenfold higher risk of type 2 diabetes than those with the highest SHBG levels.

"Sex hormone-binding globulin may have a causal role in the risk of type 2 diabetes," conclude Eric L. Ding, ScD, of the Harvard School of Public Health, and colleagues.

Ding and colleagues looked at data collected during the Women's Health Study from healthy, postmenopausal female health professionals who did not receive hormone therapy. Over the course of the study, 359 of these women developed type 2 diabetes. They were compared to 359 study participants who did not develop diabetes.

After accounting for diabetes risk factors -- including weight and waist size -- Ding's team found that SHBG levels were strongly linked to diabetes risk. Women with the lowest SHBG levels were much more likely to have diabetes than those with higher SHBG levels.

To validate the finding, the researchers repeated the study in men enrolled in the Physicians' Health Study, comparing 170 men who developed diabetes during the study to 170 matched men who did not.

The results in men were virtually the same as those in women.

Moreover, Ding and colleagues found that men and women with a gene variant called rs6259 had 10% higher SHBG levels than those without it. And those with a gene variant called rs6257 had 10% lower SHBG levels.

People with the SHBG-raising gene were less likely to have diabetes; people with the SHBG-lowering gene were more likely to have diabetes.

The researchers suggest that a person's SHBG level may be an important factor in determining type 2 diabetes risk and the need for early treatment.

Early Warning for a Deadly Kidney Disease

Carol Johnson, an otherwise healthy woman in her 60s, was at her wits’ end. Despite a good diet and regular exercise, she was gaining weight — 20-plus pounds. Her blood pressure was too high, even though she was taking three drugs for it. And she didn’t feel well.




This week Dr. Leslie Spry of the National Kidney Foundation joins the Consults blog to answer readers’ questions about kidney disease.
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Since 2005, two doctors had told her she had a high blood level of creatinine, a product of muscle breakdown that can suggest abnormal kidney function. Yet neither doctor could figure out why. Even repeated kidney infections failed to alert her current doctor to the real problem.

Then, in March 2008, Mrs. Johnson, a retired special-education teacher living in Independence, Mo., noticed an advertisement for a free screening test offered by the National Kidney Foundation.

The test, part of a nationwide program called KEEP (for Kidney Early Evaluation Program), can serve as an early warning sign for a disease that often shows no symptoms until patients are on the verge of kidney failure. It uses a formula to convert the creatinine reading to a better measure of how well the kidneys are filtering wastes from the blood — the EGFR, or estimated glomerular filtration rate. (The precise rate, called the GFR, is measured by a much more involved test.)

Mrs. Johnson’s EGFR was 49, well below the normal reading of 90 or above and a sign that she had chronic kidney disease. Suspecting that she was taking more medication than her kidneys could handle, her doctor stopped two of them.

And using information she found on the Web, Mrs. Johnson made some changes on her own. She cut out red meat, colas and sweets. She started eating still more vegetables and whole grains. And she kept to her daily exercise program, alternating among a gym workout, water aerobics and brisk walking.

Within six months Mrs. Johnson, now 67, had lost the extra weight, and her blood pressure and EGFR were normal. “If not for going to KEEP and finding out what was really wrong,” she said in an interview, “I would have accepted the fact that nothing more could be done.”
Multibillion-Dollar Problem

Like many other Americans with chronic kidney disease, Mrs. Johnson might have ended up with a heart attack or stroke, bone disease or kidney failure. Once kidneys fail, patients must undergo regular dialysis or have a kidney transplant, procedures that add billions of dollars to the nation’s health care costs.

The kidney foundation undertook the KEEP program nine years ago because family doctors and internists often fail to order an EGFR when performing routine blood tests on patients at risk for kidney disease — even, as happened to Mrs. Johnson, when there are hints of kidney malfunction.

Fully half of the first 11,000 people whose blood and urine were tested in the KEEP program had evidence of kidney disease, but only 3 percent of them knew that before being screened.

Belgian nephrologists writing in The Mayo Clinic Proceedings in 2006 reported that physicians were often unaware of the severity of kidney malfunction because they relied solely on a creatinine measure. They noted that as many as four out of five patients with chronic kidney disease were referred to a specialist for treatment late in the disease, within six months of needing dialysis or a transplant.

According to the latest national surveys, 26 million Americans have chronic kidney disease, and the numbers rise daily as more people become overweight and develop diabetes or high blood pressure, the two leading causes of kidney malfunction.

The KEEP program, which has so far examined more than 130,000 participants, screens adults with the most common risk factors for chronic kidney disease — diabetes, high blood pressure or a family history of kidney disease.

To find nearby upcoming screenings, go to www.kidney.org and click on the “Get Tested” box, or call the foundation at (800) 622-9010.

Follow-up surveys of 72,000 people who have taken advantage of the free community-based screenings indicate that the test has prompted many to take action, like seeing a physician, adjusting their diets and doing more to control their blood pressure and diabetes.

Constellation of Risks

Chronic kidney disease is a life-threatening condition even for the young and middle-aged. Men under 55 and women under 65 identified through the KEEP program as having chronic kidney disease had twice the risk of heart attack or stroke, and four times the risk of dying, as those free of the disease, according to a study led by Dr. Peter A. McCullough of the William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich.

Dr. McCullough explained that kidney damage caused biological changes that accelerated injury to blood vessels throughout the body. He urged that all adults at risk for kidney disease, including smokers, be routinely checked for protein in their urine and reduced kidney function. Those found to have a kidney problem should also be tested for abnormalities that can result in bone disease or calcium deposits in blood vessels, he said.

Dr. Joseph A. Vassalotti, chief medical officer of the kidney foundation, said that in addition to the leading risk factors, many other conditions could increase the risk for chronic kidney disease. Among them are heart disease, lupus, amyloidosis (a buildup of amyloid proteins in the body), chronic kidney infection, polycystic kidney disease, hepatitis B or C, and multiple myeloma.

In addition, kidney damage can result from overuse of corticosteroids or of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen and naproxen, from excessive cola consumption and from exposure to certain environmental toxins and radiological materials like barium.

The risk of developing kidney failure is also higher among Hispanics, African-Americans and American Indians than other ethnic groups, partly because of higher rates of high blood pressure and diabetes and poorer access to medical care.

As with Mrs. Johnson, if kidney problems are caught early and their underlying cause is corrected or properly treated, kidney damage and other complications can be slowed or halted, and sometimes even reversed.

As Sally Burrows-Hudson, a registered nurse in Sunnyvale, Calif., and a specialist in kidney disease, wrote in The American Journal of Nursing, “When patients at risk for chronic kidney disease are identified early and treated aggressively, the disease progression can be slowed or stopped, complications can be prevented or controlled, and clinical outcomes can be favorable.”

Biocon, US firm to jointly make drug for diabetes

Bangalore, Sep 11 (IANS) India’s biotech major Biocon Friday entered into a strategic tie-up with the US-based Amylin Pharmaceuticals to jointly produce a peptide hybrid molecule for treating diabetes.

As part of the tie-up, the two firms will collaborate to develop the therapeutic compound and share the development costs, Biocon said in a statement here.

The research will centre on Amylin’s “phybrid” technology that combines two peptide hormones into a single molecule entity.

Biocon will utilise its expertise in recombinant microbial expression to produce the compound and leverage its experience in pre-clinical and clinical development of diabetes products.

According to Biocon chairman and managing director Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, the agreement leverages the synergistic capabilities of the two companies.

“Amylin’s knowledge of peptide therapeutics and its leadership in the diabetes market, paired with our capabilities in process development, manufacturing and clinical development, provides ample scope to bring a novel therapy to diabetics,” Shaw said in the statement.

Amylin chief executive Daniel M. Bradbury said the tie-up would lead to cutting-edge peptide science to provide relief diabetic patients.

Based in San Diego, California, the 22-year-old Amylin is engaged in the discovery, development and commercialisation of drugs for treating diabetes, obesity and other diseases.

Par Pharma Gets FDA Approval To Market Diabetes Drug Nateglinide

Par Pharmaceutical Companies, Inc. (PRX: News ) said it received a final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market nateglinide tablets, a drug indicated in the treatment of type II diabetes.

Nateglinide tablets are indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with Type II diabetes mellitus. Nateglinide is a generic version of Novartis' Starlix. It is estimated that Starlix has annual U.S. sales of approximately $124 million, according to IMS Health data.

Par will begin shipping the 60mg and 120mg strengths of nateglinide immediately.

Nateglinide lowers blood glucose by stimulating the release of insulin from the pancreas. It achieves this by closing ATP-dependent potassium channels in the membrane of the beta cells. This depolarizes the beta cells and causes voltage-gated calcium channels to open. The resulting calcium influx induces fusion of insulin-containing vesicles with the cell membrane, and insulin secretion occurs.

Nateglinide tablets are contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity to the drug or its inactive ingredients.

PRX is currently trading at $21.58, up $0.39 or 1.84%, on a volume of 0.737 million shares on the NYSE.

Teaching teachers about diabetes

New school year means new teachers to train about your child's diabetic condition

CORPUS CHRISTI — A new school year is beginning. But for parents of diabetic students, it may mean a new teacher or school nurse to train about their child’s diabetes.

Proper diabetes management at school is one of the top concerns of any parent. Multiple insulin injection therapies, frequent blood sugar checks and insulin pumps place a greater demand on the diabetes knowledge and skills of school personnel.

The parent of the diabetic student must be patient with new teachers and nurses and not expect them to be experts in diabetes care. A calm and methodical approach by parents is the best strategy.

Each diabetic student should have an individual care plan that is written down by the parents and signed off by the student’s diabetes doctor. Parents should get school order forms from their diabetes doctor before school starts.

Federal and state laws protect the rights of diabetic students today. There is a school bill of rights for the student with diabetes that every parent should know. The school is obligated to respect and support these rights. Most schools strive to do the best job possible.

I suggest parents meet with the school staff to open a positive line of communication. I always suggest a face-to-face meeting early in the school year to answer questions from both sides.

Good diabetes care requires the student to perform certain duties and tasks daily. This includes having the right to perform blood sugar monitoring in the school whenever it’s necessary, even in the classroom. The student must be allowed to take bathroom breaks and have access to drinking water whenever needed. If extra insulin is needed, the student should be allowed the ability to administer the insulin without delay and should not be restricted to a designated area.

If a diabetic student’s blood sugar is low, he or she should not be sent to the nurse’s office unattended. The sugar level could worsen and result in a loss of consciousness or seizure. Teachers should keep fast acting sugar in their desk as an emergency treatment.

The school lunchroom must provide adequate time for the student to eat their designated meal plan. Morning or afternoon snacks also should never be denied if they are part of the student’s care plan. Food or snacks should never be denied based on high blood sugars.

Coaches may not realize that the diabetic student can participate in any activity he or she is physically fit and able to qualify for. Every professional sport from baseball to soccer can boast of diabetics with significant accomplishments.

Field trips are also not to be withheld simply because of diabetes. Snacks and other medical supplies will be needed, plus a knowledgeable school staff member (or parent) should be in attendance.

One common problem I still see is sending a student home for a low or high blood sugar reading in the absence of an illness. Swings in blood sugar are part of the condition. School staff must know proper management of these events and avoid overreacting.

Dr. Stephen Ponder, who has type 1 diabetes, has been a pediatric endocrinologist for 20 years. He is director of the Children’s Diabetes and Endocrine Center of South Texas at Driscoll Children’s Hospital. Contact him at 694-4864 or stephen.ponder@dchstx.org or follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/dr_steve_ponder