Why does diabetes cause headaches?
BY MENDON NEWS WRITER: Diabetes is a condition where the body cannot make enough of the hormone insulin, or cannot use it properly, causing glucose to build up in the blood. According to the (CDC), over 29 million people in the United States have diabetes.
But, while headaches are not dangerous, they may be an indication of poor blood sugar control in a person with diabetes.
Over time, periods of continuous high or low blood sugar can lead to serious and even life-threatening health complications, such as and kidney failure. (read more)
Long-acting insulins useful tools in type 1 and type 2 diabetes
BY JEANNETTE Y. WICK: Researchers have augmented insulin’s effectiveness with several rapid and long-acting analogues and new delivery systems such as insulin pens and insulin pumps. Biosynthetic preparations with various pharmacokinetic profiles somewhat mimic the steady insulin release from a normal pancreas. Long-acting insulins create unprecedented prescribing flexibility, as prescribers can tailor patients’ regimens to their individual activity levels, eating habits, and responses to insulin. (read more)
Vitamin D might prevent type 1 diabetes
BY HONOR WHITEMAN: Researchers found that children with low blood levels of vitamin D were more likely to experience islet autoimmunity, compared with those who had higher levels of the vitamin.
Islet autoimmunity is a process wherein the immune system mistakingly attacks the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas, causing type 1 diabetes.
Lead study author Jill Norris, Ph.D., of the Colorado School of Public Health at CU Anschutz in Aurora, CO, and colleagues say that their study is the first to show that higher levels of vitamin D may help to prevent islet autoimmunity. (read more)
Diabetes: New compounds may lower blood sugar but prevent weight gain
BY HONOR WHITEMAN: Insulin resistance is a known risk factor for type 2 diabetes. It arises when the body’s cells are no longer able to respond to insulin, which is the hormone that regulates blood glucose.
As a result, blood glucose levels can become too high, and this may lead to type 2 diabetes. There are medications that can help to prevent the progression to type 2 diabetes in patients with insulin resistance, such as thiazolidinediones.
But unfortunately, these medications can promote weight gain and a number of other health problems. (read more)
Study: Most U.S. adults with diabetes are properly diagnosed
BY JEFF MINERD: The proportion of diabetes cases that go undiagnosed in the U.S. may be just 11%, much lower than previous, widely accepted estimates of one-quarter to one-third, a new study suggested.
The previous estimates were based on an analysis of national survey data that used only a single test to identify undiagnosed diabetes, but the new study used a second confirmatory test, as per guidelines from the American Diabetes Association (ADA), explained Elizabeth Selvin, PhD, of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and colleagues. (read more)
