Type II Diabetes
Rosiglitazone Heart Risk Concerns Renewed
09/12/07
Diabetes Medications, Prediabetes and Impaired Glucose Tolerance, Type II Diabetes, Research, General
Pioglitazone Reduced Heart Attack, Increased Heat Failure
09/11/07
Diabetes Medications, Prediabetes and Impaired Glucose Tolerance, Type II Diabetes, Treatment Options, Prevention, General
CHICAGO – It is hard to know which medications to use to lower blood glucose levels. Beside their potency as anti-diabetes medications, diabetics must also consider side effects. Many of them are potentially serious.
A study combining previous research suggests that use of pioglitazone, marketed as brand name Actos, significantly reduces the risk of heart attack, stroke, and death, but increases the risk for serious heart failure, according to an article in the September 12 issue of JAMA. The risk of heart failure is low, while the reduction in heart attack rate is high. As a result, we suspect that many doctors will be migrating their patients to Actos (brand name for pioglitazone).
American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists Releases Revised Guidelines
09/06/07
Diabetes Medications, Prediabetes and Impaired Glucose Tolerance, Type II Diabetes, Type I Diabetes or Juvenile Diabetes, Living Well, Treatment Options, Prevention, Disease Basics, General
After scouring the 66 pages of the newly revised Medical Guidelines for Clinical Practice for the Management of Diabetes Mellitus, just released by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE), we want to introduce some of the content. In contrast to other medical guidelines, this set of diabetes guidelines is refreshingly specific and direct. It has exact recommendations for patients living with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. We want to share some wisdom from this document and recommend some places to start researching.
Symlin—Part of the Diabetes Hormone Balancing Act
09/06/07
Diabetes Medications, Type II Diabetes, Type I Diabetes or Juvenile Diabetes, Treatment Options, General
In 1987, an Oxford University research team isolated a hormone produced in the pancreas that was later named amylin. As their research persisted, scientists learned that amylin delays the time it takes for the stomach to empty into the intestines, and delays sugar transfer from the digestive system to the blood stream. It also slows the liver's production of glucose. Scientists found that type 1 diabetics often produce little or no amylin, and type 2 diabetics make less amylin.
Genes May Determine Response to Metformin for Diabetes
09/06/07
Diabetes Medications, Type II Diabetes, Research, General
Your genes may be signaling how well you respond to metformin. If you have the right genetic makeup, metformin may lower your A1C score to a healthy level. A change or variation in gene that tells the body how to create a small structure with cells call an organic cation transporter 1 (OCT1) contributes to metformin's effectiveness. (A simplified explanation of an organic cation transporter is a chemical that helps certain atoms to enter a cell.)
Making Sense of Blood Sugar Readings
09/06/07
Type II Diabetes, Type I Diabetes or Juvenile Diabetes, Treatment Options, Disease Basics, General
Diabetes introduces people to a whole new life complete with different rituals, a new language, and metrics that can be confusing. According to a recent story from a Las Vegas television station, many people do not know how to interpret their blood sugar measures.
Heart Images Identify Pre-diabetes Fat Deposits
09/05/07
Prediabetes and Impaired Glucose Tolerance, Type II Diabetes, Living Well, Treatment Options, Diagnosis, Prevention, General
According to research reported in this article, fat often builds up on the heart before the onset of diabetes. Researchers in Texas learned this while developing an exam that would allow them to take more complex images of the heart during an MRI scan.
Society is Learning to Beat Diabetes
08/31/07
Type II Diabetes, General
It's so easy to criticize and point fingers. So let's start off by looking at the bright side of the American health care system. It prevents diseases that used to kill and cripple millions of people. It was just a few decades ago when every American worried about:
- Rubella
- Typhoid
- Mumps
- Diphtheria
- Measles
- Polio
- Smallpox
Even the less malicious chicken pox can be largely prevented by vaccination. The American health care system found the miracle that keeps these diseases largely in check. Critics of the American health care system would correctly point out the side effects and dangers associated with immunizations. Certainly, they are not perfect. Nevertheless, on a large scale, they have been amazingly effective.
Mendosa's Diabetes Got Him Scaling Mountains
08/28/07
Type II Diabetes, Nutrition & Exercise, Living Well, Disease Basics, General
David Mendosa often tackles the science of diabetes treatments in his writing, but he is at his strongest when he addresses life. That is what he did in his post today, Diabetes is my Lemonade. Before being diagnosed with diabetes, he was not living a lifestyle that was healthy. Now, diabetes compels him to eat right and be active. You will enjoy the picture that he took after summiting an 11,900 foot peak. Pretty good for a 72-year-old.
Bone Protein Osteocalcin Also Important to Blood Sugar
08/10/07
Type II Diabetes, Treatment Options, Research, General
When we pass on scientific experiments from animal studies we are careful because they do not often turn out the same in humans. However, a recent study from Columbia University Medical Center conducted with mice revealed how important the bone compound osteocalcin is to the endocrine system.