Testing It Up

In the United States, 25.8 million children and adults have diabetes. If you’re one of them, you know every well that the best way to live your life is to monitor your health. When not managed properly, diabetes can lead to several complications, including heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, blindness, kidney diseases, and nervous system disease. To help you get the most out of your life, here are some simple ways to maintain your blood glucose levels.

1. Regularly check sugar levels. Checking your blood sugar level on a regular basis is one of the first things your physician will advise you. Make your glucose monitoring device easily accessible to you wherever you go.  Before meals, the optimum blood glucose level should be at 80 to 120 mg/dl, and 160 mg/dl or less two hours after meals.

2. Take your medications religiously. Proper and timely medication is another important thing to keep in mind to preserve your good health. Take them as directed by your physician.

3. Watch out on your fluid intake. Consuming approximately two liters of fluids is essential to maintain proper health. However, be mindful of what you’re drinking. Juices that contain carbohydrates can potentially raise your sugar level. Meanwhile, fruit juices that contain fiber can slow sugar conversion. Take your physician’s advice on the kinds of fruit juices you can enjoy.

4. Get enough sleep. Have at least eight hours of nightly sleep. Keep your room quiet and dimly lit so that you won’t have trouble getting the amount of quality snooze you need.

5. Take care of your feet. The condition of your feet can tell the intensity of your diabetes. If you experience swelling or sores, consult your doctor immediately.

A diet high in fat has long been considered as a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. A study conducted by US researchers may provide the answer as to how it triggers the chronic disease.

The study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, consisted of experiments conducted on mice, as well as human tissue. The researchers hope that in developing a deeper understanding of the processes that trigger diabetes, they may be able to develop a cure.

Dr Iain Frame, Director of Research at Diabetes UK, gave the following comment regarding the study: “This is a well-executed study into possible factors responsible for the events that lead to type 2 diabetes… We will watch this with great interest and hope this early work will eventually lead to some benefit to people with type 2 diabetes.”

Researchers at the University of California and the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute shared that mice on a high-fat diet showed elevated levels of free fatty acids in the blood. These fatty acids, they revealed further, got in the way of FOXA2 and HNF1A, which are proteins involved in the production of the enzyme GnT-4a. GnT-4a is an enzyme that enables the cells to absorb glucose, and detect how much glucose is in the blood.

When fat interfered with the proteins involved in the production of GnT-4a, cells are ultimately “blinded” to blood sugar levels. Ultimately, cells are unable to release the hormone insulin in order to stabilize blood sugar levels, when blood sugar levels are high. The results of the experiments also indicated that the mice exhibited symptoms of diabetes.

The same process used in the experiments involving mice were followed in samples of human pancreatic cells.

A new study revealed that blood tests can now predict the onset of diabetes ten years before symptoms become apparent.

According to a feature on WebMD, blood tests that screen for a group of five amino acids have the ability to accurately predict risk of developing type 2 diabetes, in both adults who have common risk factors such as obesity, as well as those who are healthy.

Researcher Dr. Thomas Wang, of the Cardiovascular Research Center of the Massachusetts General Hospital, shared the following in a news release: “These findings could provide insight into metabolic pathways that are altered very early in the process leading to diabetes… They also raise the possibility that, in selected individuals, these measurements could identify those at highest risk of developing diabetes so that early preventive measures could be instituted.”

The study followed 2,422 healthy adults for a period of 12 years, during which time 201 eventually developed type 2 diabetes. The blood samples of 189 participants who developed diabetes, and 189 who did not, which were taken at the beginning of the study, were compared. The tests screened for the levels 61 different metabolites.

Elevated levels of the following amino acids: isoleucine, leucine, valine, tyrosine, and phenylalanine, were associated with the development of type 2 diabetes, based on the results of the study.

The researchers determined that measuring combinations of the five aforementioned amino acids, as opposed to only a single amino acid, could predict future diabetes risk more accurately.

The study was published in Nature Medicine.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed on Wednesday that the number of Americans who are suffering from type 2 diabetes has reached 26 million, according to a report on The Washington Post.

The number of adults in the United States who have pre-diabetes, on the other hand, is around 79 million; these adults have blood sugar levels that are higher than normal, but are not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Those who have this condition have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, as well as heart disease and stroke.

These numbers are higher than those from 2008, where CDC estimates placed the number of diabetes patients in the United States at 23.6 million, and the number of Americans with pre-diabetes at 57 million.

Ann Albright, Chief of the Diabetes Prevention and Control Program of the California Department of Health Services, gave the following statement: “These distressing numbers show how important it is to prevent type 2 diabetes and to help those who have diabetes manage the disease to prevent serious complications such as kidney failure and blindness… We know that a structured lifestyle program that includes losing weight and increasing physical activity can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes.”

The increase in the number of people who have been diagnosed with diabetes has been attributed to several factors. In addition to the fact that more people are developing diabetes as more people also develop obesity, a leading cause of diabetes, developments in medicine are allowing people to live longer diabetes.

A feature on Telegraph.co.uk shared that a test that can identify an estimated half of those who are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes ten years before the onset of the disease has been developed.

This was revealed by researchers at the British Science Festival in Birmingham.

The test works by detecting the levels of a genetic molecule in blood, called the microRNA (MiR) according to the feature. In addition to predicting diabetes, it could also potentially help in identifying those who are at risk for heart and artery disease.

Dr. Manuel Mayr from King’s College, London, served as lead scientist for the effort. He shared that he envisions the use of the MiR test in conjunction with other conventional tests, and pointed out that the biggest advantage of the test lies in the fact that it directly evaluated the damage that diabetes was causing to a patient’s blood vessels.

Dr. Mayr said: “It’s very important for doctors to define those diabetic patients that are at the highest risk of developing cardiovascular complications… We hope that this new class of blood markers may give additional insight that we’re currently not getting from other clinical tests.”

The research was funded by the British Heart Foundation. The Foundation’s associate medical director, Professor Jeremy Pearson, said: “This is important because right now there is no quick and simple way to monitor blood vessel health… Problems go unnoticed until symptoms appear, and the first symptom could be as serious as a heart attack.”

The research was published in the journal Circulation Research.

A report published in the journal Science Translational Medicine shared what is considered as a milestone in diabetes treatment.

A feature on Reuters shares information regarding an implantable device that can measure blood sugar continuously, and has the ability to transmit information wirelessly. The wireless sensor was tested in one pig for a year, and in another for ten months; the researchers reported that they did not experience any trouble with the device.

Lead researcher David Gough, professor of bioengineering at the University of California San Diego, shared: “You can run the device for a year or more with it constantly working, and recording glucose quite satisfactorily.” In a telephone interview, Gough shared further that they hope to start human trials in a few months; the device has been tested for 31 years in pigs, according to Gough.

The wireless sensor used in the pig trials measures about 1.5 inches in diameter and is 5/8 inches thick, but Gough said that they intend to make it even smaller in the future. It uses a sensor to detect oxygen in the tissue, where it is implanted to measure glucose. It has the ability to transmit 10 to 12 feet.

The research team said that the device will come in handy for diabetes patients who need to check their blood sugar on a daily basis, particularly patients who are suffering from type 2 diabetes. Eventually, Gough predicts that ways will be developed to enable the device to send its signals to cell phones.

Living with diabetes is challenging, and if one is not careful one may have to suffer unwanted and entirely preventable complications. WebMD provides useful tips to ensure that this does not happen, some of which we will be sharing with you in this post.

Eat the right carbs, in the right amount. Some people think that having diabetes means having to give up on carbs altogether. This does not necessarily follow; all that one needs to do is to choose carbs that break down slowly in the body, which means that it can provide steady energy. Examples are beans, whole grains and fresh vegetables.

Get enough sleep. Lack of sleep for a diabetic may trigger a “boost your blood glucose levels and encourage cravings for high-carb foods,” which will then lead to weight gain and an increase in risk for complications. The ideal amount of sleep is seven to eight hours a night.

Exercise. Physical activity is an important component in living with diabetes. Exercise does not have to mean setting aside a special amount of time and spending money on a gym membership; you can choose normal, everyday physical activities that you are fond of doing or have to do anyway, such as walking or even marching in place. Aim for about half an hour a day each day. Doing so can help lower risk for cardiovascular diseases and cholesterol levels, among others.

Do not skip on blood sugar monitoring. You know very well that you have to do it anyway – so do not forget to monitor your blood sugar. Knowing your blood glucose levels can help you plan your day and avoid activities that may lead to complications.

On Thursday, Oprah Winfrey announced that Walgreens is joining efforts towards addressing what seems to be turning into an epidemic of diabetes in the United States.

Last Friday, Walgreens’ 24-hour stores and clinics offered diabetes tests from 11 am until 7 pm for people aged 18 and above. In addition, Walgreens stores spread out across communities nationwide will have free tests available until February 18, according to a feature on the Chicago Tribune.

Chicago Health Screening

The modern woman is someone who juggles a lot of responsibilities: mother, wife, career woman. Somewhere along the way, while making sure that everyone else is taken care of, she can sometimes neglect to take care of herself – something that she should not do. Here are some lifesaving tests that WebMD suggests women should undergo, perhaps on her birthday or anytime she can scrape a few hours or days from her usually hectic work schedule.

Cholesterol and blood sugar tests. When we featured the top health concerns that women have to deal with, heart disease was among the diseases on that list. Abnormal cholesterol and triglyceride levels are usually being pointed to as a risk factor for heart disease, which is why undergoing tests to determine and monitor these levels are important. Usually, a cycle of medication coupled with lifestyle and diet modifications are enough to turn these abnormal levels around.

Another known risk factor for heart disease is the onset of diabetes. Women who are either overweight or have diabetes in their family history may want to consider having a blood sugar test to prevent other complications associated with diabetes that goes untreated.

Pap smear. Three years after becoming sexually active or by the time a woman turns 21 – whichever comes first – the pap smear should become an annual routine until she reaches the age of 30. The test will lead to the detection of abnormal cell changes that may lead to the onset of cervical cancer which, prior to the practice of having annual pap smears, was the leading cause of death for women in the United States. An abnormal pap test result may be followed by a more specific test for the human papillomavirus or HPV. Women over the age of 30 who has had three normal pap tests in a row may choose to extend the interval between pap smears from annual to once every two or three years.

There are three more tests on the WebMD list that we will be sharing with you in succeeding posts.

Diabetes is one of the health conditions that has had quite an exposure on this site, with several features covering various details regarding its symptoms, diagnosis and treatment associated with the disease. At this point, we take a step backward and spend a little time discussing the health condition that is prevalent prior to the onset of diabetes, called pre-diabetes.

Unlike diabetes, pre-diabetes has no known symptoms that patients can watch out for. Its more accurate name is “impaired glucose tolerance,” a condition that rather accurately describes what having it means – that one is on the brink of developing type 2 diabetes. Almost all diabetes sufferers began with pre-diabetes, a time when their blood sugar levels are on the high side, but not high enough to be classified as diabetic. It is a condition that affects more than 50 million Americans over the age of 20.

Despite its being rather difficult to diagnose, a lot of doctors recognize the advantage of being able to detect pre-diabetes as opposed to waiting for the onset of actual type 2 diabetes. At this stage, the ability to treat diabetes in its very early stages can prevent the development of more serious health concerns.

Although there it has been mentioned that there are no known symptoms, people who have pre-diabetes are known to complain about unusual thirst, having to urinate often and feeling very tired – symptoms that become more pronounced once the disease has progressed to type 2 diabetes. So how do you know whether or not you should have yourself tested? Basically, those who are either considered as “genetically pre-disposed” to developing diabetes by virtue of the fact that there are diabetes sufferers in the family tree or those who are overweight and obese, among other things, might well benefit from getting themselves tested.

Pre-diabetes and diabetes are normally detected through a medical lab test, or one may choose to take home-test kits.