Diabetes Drug May Protect the Brain

Study found patients taking metformin were 20 percent less likely to develop dementia.

The diabetes drug metformin may do more than help control blood sugar levels: New research suggests it may also reduce the risk of dementia.

Compared to people taking another class of diabetes medications called sulfonylureas, those taking metformin had a 20 percent reduced risk of developing dementia over the five-year study period.

"Metformin could have a possible neuroprotective effect in the brain," said study author Dr. Rachel Whitmer, an epidemiologist in the division of research at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, Calif.

Whitmer, however, added a caveat: "This was an observational, retrospective, population-based study. We found an association, but didn't prove cause and effect."

Weekend Binge Sleeping May Prevent Type 2 Diabetes, Study Says

Sleeping an extra two hours during the weekend can make up for a lack of sleep during the week, according to new research.

Waking up early for work could be contributing to your type 2 diabetes risk, but sleeping in on the weekend might be a key component to your prevention strategy, according to research presented today at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

Symptoms of type 2 diabetes, which include changing blood sugar levels, insulin resistance, and the body’s control of appetite, can be worsened by a lack of sleep. Sleep deprivation and sleep apnea have also been linked to type 2 diabetes.

But now researchers think some of these symptoms can be relieved through “catch-up” sleep.

Red Meat Linked to Increased Diabetes Risk

Large study finds higher consumption increases risk, but experts are at odds with findings.

People who eat a lot of red meat increase their risk of developing type 2 diabetes, while those who cut down on red meat cut their risk.

Those are the findings of a large new study out of Singapore involving 149,000 U.S. men and women.

The researchers found that increasing the consumption of red meat can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 48 percent.

"There is no need to have more red meat on your plate; it increases the risk of diabetes," said lead researcher An Pan, an assistant professor at the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at the National University of Singapore.

Can Coffee Cause Obesity and Diabetes? Not So Fast, Experts Say

A mouse study linked a compound in coffee to risk factors for diabetes, but you needn't worry about your morning habit just yet.

Java junkies may have been alarmed to hear earlier this week that their morning brew could pack on the pounds and put them at risk for diabetes. "Study shows five cups of coffee could cause obesity," ran the headline on the British tabloid Daily Mail's web site. "Regular coffee drinkers 'at increased risk of weight gain,'" the U.K. newspaper The Telegraph announced online.

But experts say those overreaching claims aren't supported by the findings of the study they were based on. After all, the research was conducted in mice, not people, and it examined one compound isolated from coffee, not the actual drink. "The data are not necessarily directly applicable to humans," said Marie-Pierre St-Onge, PhD, a researcher at the New York Obesity Research Center who was not involved with the study.

Statins Raise Diabetes Risk, Study Finds, But Experts Not Convinced

High cholesterol medications may increase your risk for diabetes, according to new research, but experts say the effect is not big enough to warrant a change in prescription practices.

High cholesterol or high blood sugar? That’s the decision that millions of Americans on cholesterol-lowering drugs are facing, according to a new study published in the British Medical Journal.

Researchers found that some statins, such as Lipitor and Zocor, can raise a patient’s risk for diabetes by as much as 22 percent. Looking at more than 1.5 million people in Canada, they found that while some drugs raised the risk more than others, all of the statins conferred some increased risk of diabetes.

Far From Fin-ished: Fish Oil May Help Fight Type 2 Diabetes, But Link Unclear

Omega-3 fatty acids increase levels of a hormone that is responsible for metabolic processes that can prevent type 2 diabetes, according to a new Harvard study.

There’s something fishy about the news that omega-3 supplements may help fight type 2 diabetes. Researchers believe fish oil can help with glucose regulation, but they don't yet understand whether it has a direct impact on type 2 diabetes development, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Statins and Diabetes Risk: A Clearer Picture Emerges

The latest research firmly establishes that the heart health benefits of statins outweigh the slight increase in diabetes risk.

For the millions of people taking statins to control their cholesterol, the drugs can be life-saving. But concerns about the medications arose five years ago when a study linked them to a small increase in diabetes risk, putting a blemish on the drugs’ relatively clean safety record. Now, after further study, experts say the risk is limited to people who are already likely to develop diabetes, and even among these individuals, the heart-health benefits of statins outweigh the potential downsides.

As Diabetes Rates Soar, a National Prevention Strategy Emerges

A nationwide, government-backed program of yearlong lifestyle change classes may offer a sustainable plan for type 2 diabetes prevention.

Nearly 2 million people are newly diagnosed with diabetes each year in the U.S., stark evidence that current efforts to prevent the disease are inadequate. In an organized effort to turn the tide, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has spent the last three years building a network of type 2 diabetes prevention programs across the country, and new research from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center indicates that community-based programs may indeed offer a much-needed strategy to slow the diabetes epidemic.

In the Wake Forest study, published earlier this week in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers aimed to create a low-cost, accessible community program to improve the health of people with prediabetes, a condition that affects 79 million adults in the United States and often develops into type 2 diabetes.

The Prediabetes Diet Everyone Needs

A prediabetes diet can benefit everyone, regardless of your type 2 diabetes risk.

Experts believe the number of people living with diabetes will rise dramatically over the next 40 years.

If current trends continue, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as many as one in three adults could have the disease by 2050.

And about 79 million American adults now have prediabetes, a condition marked by above-normal blood sugar levels that aren't high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes.

Weight-Loss Surgery May Help Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

Medications, lifestyle changes still first-line prevention, researchers say.

Weight-loss surgery can significantly reduce the incidence of overweight people who develop type 2 diabetes, new research indicates.

Over 15 years, the study found that only 13 percent of people who'd had weight-loss (bariatric) surgery developed type 2 diabetes vs. 38 percent of those who didn't have surgery, said senior study author Dr. Lars Sjostrom, a senior professor at the Institution of Internal Medicine at Gothenburg University in Sweden.

"These figures correspond to an 80 percent risk reduction with bariatric surgery," he noted. "Bariatric surgery is markedly reducing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in all kinds of obese patients — men, women, severe obesity, modest obesity and patients with impaired or normal fasting [blood sugar levels]."

Obesity Biggest Risk Factor for Diabetes among Poor

Lifestyle changes key to decreasing disease rate among the disadvantaged.

Obesity is the most important risk factor for type 2 diabetes among poor people, according to a new study that also says lifestyle changes are the key to reducing diabetes in this population.

Poor people have higher rates of type 2 diabetes than more wealthy people and lifestyle-related risk factors are believed to be a major reason for that difference, according to the international team of researchers who reported the findings Aug. 22 in the BMJ.

How Body Shape Affects Diabetes Risk

Where do you carry your extra weight? The answer may have implications for your type 2 diabetes risk.

Apple or pear? The question may imply a healthy snack — or an important distinction between body shapes that affects type 2 diabetes risk.

In general, people whose fat collects on their abdomen — making them resemble apples over time — are at greater risk for type 2 diabetes. But the good news is, you can escape your shape.

Being overweight is a significant risk factor for diabetes, no matter your shape. “Patients who have a higher body mass index have a higher risk [of diabetes],” says Danny Sam, MD, an internal medicine physician with Kaiser Permanente in Santa Clara, Calif., who specializes in the treatment of adult diabetes. Body mass index (BMI) is calculated by comparing weight and height.

Can Coffee Ward Off Type 2 Diabetes?

Research shows drinking coffee — and a lot of it — may prevent type 2 diabetes or manage the disease. Find out if you can get the benefits without the caffeine.

If you begin your day with a steaming cup of joe, you could be protecting your health as well as jump-starting your morning. Research shows coffee may reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. But to get the most benefit, you will have to fill your cup again, again, and again.

Coffee and Type 2 Diabetes: What Research Says

There have been many scientific studies indicating a link between regular coffee consumption and a decreased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham and Women’s Hospital conducted one of the biggest, long-term studies on the subject. They found the more coffee people drank, the greater the protection against diabetes.

The Link Between Gestational Diabetes and Type 2

Doctors don't know exactly why some women get gestational diabetes, but they do know how you can prevent the type 2 diabetes that often follows after the birth.

If you developed gestational diabetes mellitus (pregnancy-related diabetes) during your pregnancy, then you already know what you need to do to prevent type 2 diabetes: Watch what you eat, stay on top of your blood sugar levels, and get appropriate exercise.

“Outcomes for gestational diabetes have improved dramatically because women are very motivated during pregnancy. We just wish they would stay that way after the birth,” says Vivian Fonseca, MD, professor of medicine and pharmacology and chief of the section of endocrinology at Tulane University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans.

Metabolic Syndrome and Type 2 Diabetes

Metabolic syndrome increases the risk of diabetes and heart disease.

Metabolic syndrome is a disorder that typically involves a group of factors — such as high blood pressure, obesity, and high blood sugar — which are linked to an increased risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

People with metabolic syndrome (also called insulin resistance syndrome or syndrome X) are twice as likely to develop heart disease and five times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.

ADA: Belly Fat Loss Best to Halt Diabetes

Weight-loss surgery provided durable glycemic control compared with intensive medical therapy at two years.

Although two weight-loss surgery techniques resulted in similar weight loss, the one that shaved more belly fat led to a better rate of diabetes remission, a substudy of the STAMPEDE trial found.

Moderately obese patients with uncontrolled diabetes who underwent gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy had similar weight loss as judged by their body mass index (BMI) at 2 years, reported Sangeeta R. Kashyap, MD, from the Cleveland Clinic, and colleagues.

Diabetes Drugs Differ in Effects on Weight in ESR

Certain treatments made patients gain and others made them lose.

Two oral hypoglycemic drugs achieved similar diabetes control in patients with type 2 diabetes and end-stage renal disease (ESRD), but sitagliptin (Januvia) did so without weight gain, investigators reported at the American Society of Nephrology meeting.

About 30% of patients achieved a hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) <6.5% after a year of treatment with sitagliptin or glipizide (Glucotrol). Additionally, 44% of sitagliptin-treated patients and 56% of those treated with glipizide reached the less stringent HbA1c target of <7%, Juan Camilo Arjona Ferreira, MD, of Merck in Rahway, N.J., and colleagues reported.

An evaluation of HbA1c levels over time showed that the two drugs maintained similar control during 54 weeks of follow-up.

Obesity, High Cholesterol, and Metabolic Syndrome

These factors all add up to one oversized risk of heart disease and diabetes. Whittle down your waist measurement to keep high cholesterol down and health problems away.

We all know that high cholesterol and obesity are bad for your heart health. But combined with other health problems — such as high blood pressure — these health risks can create a perfect storm known as metabolic syndrome, which dramatically increases your chances of getting heart disease.

What Is Metabolic Syndrome?

Metabolic refers to metabolism, or how the body uses energy. Metabolic syndrome is a collection of risk factors that, when combined, greatly increase a person's risk of developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes. You may have metabolic syndrome if you have at least three of these heart disease risk factors:

Diabetes Myths and Truths

Despite the tremendous amount of medical information now available to the public, many inaccurate ideas still persist about the nature and treatment of diabetes. Read on to separate fact from fiction.

The Myth: Eating too much sugar causes diabetes.

The Truth: Years ago, folks called it "sugar diabetes," implying that the disease was caused by eating too much of the sweet stuff. Medical experts now know that diabetes is triggered by a combination of genetic and lifestyle factors. However, being overweight — which can result from indulging in high-calorie sugary foods — does increase your risk for developing type 2 diabetes. If you have a history of diabetes in your family, eating a healthy meal plan and getting regular exercise are recommended to manage your weight.

Have a Safe Pregnancy With Type 2 Diabetes

When you have type 2 diabetes, steps you take before becoming pregnant are as important as your prenatal care. Learn how to get in the best possible shape before you conceive.

It used to be that women with type 2 diabetes were discouraged from becoming pregnant. These days, with careful pregnancy planning and monitoring of blood glucose levels, you can have a safe pregnancy and a healthy baby.

Diabetes and Pregnancy: Your Prenatal Care Team

If you have type 2 diabetes and you want to become pregnant, the first step would ideally be to speak with both your endocrinologist and your obstetrician. They can help you be at your healthiest to conceive.

10 Tips for Staying Healthy With Type 2 Diabetes

If you've been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, these simple strategies can help you avoid complications and enjoy life.

Every day, about 5000 people are newly diagnosed with diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. And for most of them, getting this news is likely to cause a swirl of emotions and questions, with perhaps the most important one being: What do I do now?

Jenny De Jesus, RN, CDE, a diabetes educator at the Friedman Diabetes Institute at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City, explains it in rather simple terms: “Staying healthy with diabetes is all about making choices. The most important things people with diabetes can do are making healthy food choices, getting some exercise, testing their blood glucose, and taking their medications. And it’s important to stay informed and ask questions during your doctor visits. The more you know, the more you can do for yourself to control your diabetes.”

Growing Older With Type 2 Diabetes

As you age, your type 2 diabetes management plan might need to change in order to avoid complications. Here's how you can stay healthy.

Type 2 diabetes used to be called adult-onset diabetes because it appeared later in life. Although the typical picture of a person diagnosed with diabetes is changing — with more people developing it at a much younger age than they did before — close to a third of all people who are over 65 have diabetes.

Brian Tulloch, MD, endocrinologist at Park Plaza Hospital and Medical Center, and clinical associate professor at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, points out that developing diabetes later in life could be in part due to the aging process. As the years go by organs, such as the pancreas, don’t work as well as they used to.

Menopause and Type 2 Diabetes

How does menopause affect women with type 2 diabetes? Find out about the extra care needed to help you sail through this transition.

Menopause is a topic that often generates a lot of opinions from women — those who welcome it and those who dread it. There’s also a lot of discussion about whether it’s something that should be “treated” or left to occur naturally, without any medications.

For some women, menopause is more than just the end of their child-bearing years. It can have a profound effect on chronic illnesses such as type 2 diabetes. Women with diabetes often have to be more aware of the changes than most other women.

Type 2 Diabetes and Birth Control

Some methods of contraception can have an effect on your blood sugar. Learn about birth control options for women with type 2 diabetes.

A woman who has type 2 diabetes, formerly called adult-onset diabetes or non-insulin-dependent diabetes, has to face the same issues that confront most women, such as choosing a birth control method. However, unlike women who don’t have diabetes, she must take into account about how the form of contraception she chooses will affect her blood sugar levels, as well as the rest of her body.

Type 2 Diabetes and Your Sexuality

People with diabetes often report lackluster sex lives, but sexual dissatisfaction can be treated.

Talking about the sexual problems that can result from diabetes is hard, but it is important to realize that they can be helped.

Nerve damage or diabetic neuropathy is one of the most serious side effects of type 2 diabetes, damaging everything from your hands and feet, brain, heart, and more. There are four significant types of diabetic neuropathy, including autonomic neuropathy, which can cause sexual dysfunction. If you're experiencing poor sexual satisfaction with diabetes, autonomic neuropathy is likely to blame. Try these tips to reclaim your love live.

The Effects of Type 2 Diabetes on Women

Women experience a variety of challenges as they work to control their diabetes. Find out how type 2 diabetes can affect other aspects of your health as you move through life's stages.

Today, almost 10 million women in the United States have type 2 diabetes. This type of diabetes is up to four times as likely to affect women of African-American, Hispanic-Latino, American-Indian, and Asian-Pacific Islander descent as white women. Many people are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at younger ages, with some women developing type 2 diabetes in their teens or early 20s. And with advancing age, the risk of your getting type 2 diabetes goes up, too, especially if you don’t change any of the diabetes risk factors you have control over, like your weight and physical activity level. Women who get type 2 diabetes are at greater risk than men of cardiovascular disease and of blindness, just two of the disease’s complications.

Type 2 Diabetes: Questions to Ask Your Doctor

Get the most out of your visit to the doctor by thinking about your questions in advance.

Being proactive during your next trip to the doctor can make a big difference in the way you're able to manage your type 2 diabetes. Your health is important — both to you and to your doctor — so don't hesitate to ask questions about your type 2 diabetes diagnosis, your diabetes medication, complementary or alternative therapies for type 2 diabetes, emotional issues, financial concerns about paying for your treatment, or diet or lifestyle modifications.

Engaging in a dialogue with your doctor will help you educate yourself about type 2 diabetes and the available treatment options, and it'll give your doctor a better sense of who you are and how diabetes is affecting your health and your life. With the lines of communication open, you and your doctor will be better able to develop a treatment plan that meets your needs.

How Ethnicity Affects Type 2 Diabetes Risk

Native Americans, Hispanics, African-Americans and Asian-Americans are all at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Here's how to reduce your odds.

More than 26 million U.S. adults are currently living with diabetes — many of them ethnic minorities — while another 70 million people have pre-diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association and the International Diabetes Federation. About 19 percent of all non-Hispanic black Americans age 20 or older (about 5 million people) have diabetes, the highest rate of any ethnic group. Among Hispanic adults, more than 2.5 million or about 11 percent of the population have diabetes; 14 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives are living with the disease. Compared with non-Hispanic white adults, the risk of diabetes is 18 percent higher in Asian-Americans, 66 percent higher in Hispanics/Latinos, and 77 percent higher in non-Hispanic African-Americans.

You Can Help Children Avoid Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is affecting kids in a big way, but diet and exercise can help children avoid or reverse this condition.

Once upon a time, type 2 diabetes was called “adult-onset diabetes.” If children had diabetes, 99 times out of 100 it was type 1 diabetes; type 2 diabetes didn’t appear until midlife. But now, about 3,600 American children are newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Type 2 Diabetes: Why the Increase?

“No one is certain why, but most experts believe that it is related in part to the obesity epidemic,” explains Frank Diamond, MD, clinical director for the University of South Florida Diabetes Center and professor of pediatrics at the University of South Florida in Tampa. “We now have approximately 17 percent of the pediatric population that is overweight. Genetically at-risk children may be acquiring the disease earlier because of the increased insulin resistance associated with their early obesity. We are seeing many children with adult weights in our pediatric clinics today.”

Lowering Triglycerides Assists Weight Loss and Reduces Risk of Heart Disease and Diabetes

(NaturalNews) Triglycerides are a type of blood fat which evolved as an essential means of transporting and storing energy for use at times when food is scarce. This served us well during our evolutionary past when the next meal could be several days away. Today, high triglycerides are associated with increased risk for coronary artery disease and diabetes and can lead to obesity when not properly controlled. Naturally lowering triglycerides can reverse the damaging effects caused by decades of dietary abuse.

High Triglycerides Trigger Metabolic Dysfunction and Diabetes Risk

Our modern diet is laced with processed junk foods packed with excess sugar and refined carbohydrates which lead to large blood sugar spikes and ultimately to metabolic disorder. The body deals with high blood sugar levels by converting it to triglycerides, and then into stored body fat. As this process continues over the course of a lifetime, systemic inflammation increases and the devastating effects of metabolic syndrome (high blood pressure and blood sugar, obesity and insulin resistance) dramatically increase the risk for diabetes.

Natural Lifestyle Changes Cut Diabetes and Heart Disease Risk, Assist Weight Loss Goals

(NaturalNews) Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the US as new cases continue to be diagnosed at a rate of 4000 per day. This sobering statistic places millions of people at greatly increased risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and sudden death from a heart attack and contributes to the obesity epidemic. Diabetes is characterized by metabolic instability as a result of wild blood sugar spikes and insulin resistance which damages the delicate inner lining of the coronary arteries. New research demonstrates that intense lifestyle changes to diet, exercise and the surrounding environment can prevent both heart disease and diabetes initiation and progression.

Man loses 154 pounds and overcomes diabetes, says eating whole foods was key to weight loss success

(NaturalNews) Six-foot one-inch tall Kerry Hoffman used to weigh 343 pounds, have diabetes and frequently indulge in processed, unhealthy foods (1). "I ate anything that tasted good -- wings, pizza, stuffed burgers, tons of sweets and dessert," said Hoffman, whose father passed away from liver disease. Not long after his father's death came the birth of his daughter. These two life events served as his breaking point, urging him to become healthy.

Today, the 32-year-old man has shed 154 pounds, and he currently weighs 189 pounds. He's no stranger to triathlons and cycling, and is used to people coming up to him asking for his weight loss and health advice.

DIABETES DESTROYER REVIEW – NATURAL DIABETES CURES

Designed by David Andrews, Diabetes Destroyer is a program aimed at treating diabetes and is available at diabetesdestroyer.7health.org.This relatively new program was created to help those who suffer from Type 2 diabetes learn how improving their lifestyle and using a different diet can effectively enable them to get diabetes-related symptoms under control and lower the levels of blood sugar, eventually eliminating the need for Insulin or Metformin. Reducing symptoms of diabetes let those that suffer from it, have control over their bodies. They would still be considered diabetic, but only technically. I hope this Diabetes Destroyer Review will help you out.This review of Diabetes Destroyer will show that it is not a diabetes cure-all scam as many people are familiar with. It is a legitimate guidebook that can reduce or eliminate the symptoms of diabetes for those who must suffer with them. Let’s take a look at this program.

What Causes Type 2 Diabetes?

Eating too much and exercising too little can increase your risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

Insulin is a hormone made in the pancreas that allows glucose (sugar) to leave the bloodstream and enter the cells to be used as fuel.

Type 2 diabetes occurs when the pancreas doesn't make enough insulin, or the cells of the body become resistant to insulin.

It's not known for certain why some people develop type 2 diabetes and some do not. There are several factors, however, that can increase a person's risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

What Is Type 2 Diabetes?

The condition, marked by high blood sugar, is on the rise worldwide.

Diabetes is a disease that's characterized by high blood sugar, which doctors refer to as hyperglycemia.

What makes type 2 diabetes different from type 1 diabetes, gestational diabetes, and other types of diabetes is the underlying cause of high blood sugar.

In type 2 diabetes, the two main contributors to high blood sugar are insulin resistance and reduced production of insulin by the pancreas.

Prevalence of Diabetes

Stop the Progress of Prediabetes

You can prevent this precursor to type 2 diabetes from developing into full-blown disease.

Nearly 24 million American adults are living with diabetes, according to figures released last month by the International Diabetes Federation. But what may be even more alarming is that there are also about 79 million Americans with a condition known as prediabetes — and many aren't aware of it.

Prediabetes means that while your blood sugar levels are higher than normal, that level isn’t high enough to warrant a diabetes diagnosis. However, a prediabetes diagnosis means it is time for action to prevent diabetes.