Friday 31 December 2010

Seasonal Treats Can Raise Diabetes Risk

Seasonal Treats Can Raise Diabetes Risk

EXTRA calories over the festive season could lead to more people across Teesside developing Type 2 diabetes, experts have warned.

Santa and thousands of others should take it easy on the mince pies and mulled wine according to Diabetes UK, to avoid weight gain and an increased risk of developing the disease.

The charity revealed there are about 121,700 people diagnosed with diabetes in the North-east and an estimated 40,000 who have Type 2 diabetes do not know it.

To reduce your risk of developing it, Diabetes UK recommends a healthy balanced diet that is low in fat, salt and sugar and being physically active. Eating too many calorific treats such as Christmas cake, mince pies and mulled wine can leave us all struggling to buckle our belts in the New Year - as well as leading to complications caused by diabetes.

Linda Wood, regional manager for Diabetes UK Northern and Yorkshire, pictured, said: “Christmas is a time of good festive cheer and we certainly don’t want people to deprive themselves and hamper the fun, but it is important for people to enjoy the festive treats as part of a healthy, balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables.”



Tuesday 28 December 2010

Pollution Can Cause Obesity and Diabetes`

Pollution Can Cause Obesity and Diabetes

London: New research at Ohio State University in the US has revealed that childhood exposure to common air pollutants increases the risk of obesity and developing diabetes.

Exposure to microscopic pollutants from car exhausts and burning fossil fuels can lead to weight gain in youngsters brought up in cities, say researchers, reports the Daily Express.

They also discovered that the pollutants cause increased insulin resistance, which can lead to the development of Type 2 diabetes.

The results are based on tests on mice and the pollution levels they were exposed to matched the levels found in urban areas.

One group of baby mice was exposed to microscopic pollution particles and another breathed filtered air.

Their ages matched toddlers to late adolescent humans and mice from both groups were fed a normal diet or a high-fat diet.

All the animals on a high-fat diet gained extra weight but the mice on a normal diet who were exposed to the atmospheric pollutants for six hours a day over 10 weeks saw elevated levels of blood sugar.

They also had higher levels of insulin resistance, as well having higher levels of fat both around their abdomen and internal organs. Mice on a high-fat diet who breathed in the airborne toxins did not gain any more weight than their counterparts on a high-fat diet, who were breathing fresh air.

But mice exposed to pollutants while on a normal diet did have increasing levels of body fat, suggesting that exposure to pollutants was enough to trigger weigh gain.

The study was led by Dr Qinghua Sun, the university's associate professor of environmental health sciences.

Blood Samples Give Clue to How Key Diabetes Drug Works

Blood Samples Give Clue to How Key Diabetes Drug Works

BLOOD samples from people in Tayside have helped researchers learn more about a drug used to save the lives of diabetes sufferers.

Metformin has been used by millions of people with diabetes for more than 50 years, but scientists have never uncovered how it works.

Now, in a study using donated blood samples, scientists have discovered that a gene known as ATM can affect how the drug works.

The drug protects against heart disease, as well as eye and kidney disease, in people with type 2 diabetes – the most common form of the condition, which affects the amount of insulin the body can make.

Dr Ewan Pearson and Professor Colin Palmer, from the Biomedical Research Institute at Dundee University, used information from patients with diabetes and linked it to donated blood samples from 20,000 people in Tayside.

They were able to see how well metformin worked in nearly 3,000 people and discovered that ATM (ataxia telangiectasia mutated) altered how well people respond to the drug.

Dr Pearson said: “We were expecting to find genes involved in blood-sugar regulation, so the finding that ATM is involved in metformin response was totally unexpected.

“Although ATM has been widely studied by cancer scientists, no one previously thought it had a role in how this commonly-used diabetes drug worked. Our finding, therefore, draws together mechanisms that protect against cancer and lower blood sugar, suggesting a new area for diabetes drug development.”

Development

Prof Palmer added: “This is an important development in defining how individuals may respond differently to diabetes drugs, but further work is required before we have enough information to be able to reliably use genetic testing in the clinic to guide treatment of common forms of type 2 diabetes.”

The Wellcome Trust and Diabetes UK jointly funded the research and have now provided Dr Pearson with money to continue the study.

Dr Iain Frame, research director at Diabetes UK, said: “The benefits for people with type 2 diabetes may not be immediate but any research that increases our knowledge of how effectively drugs work in different individuals is hugely important.”


Monday 27 December 2010

Carbohydrates and Diabetes

Carbohydrates and Diabetes

As you may well know, carbohydrates have taken a beating in the last few decades. There are people that refuse to touch them, and some that are very careful about the types that they eat. If you want to know how to deal with carbohydrates and diabetes, you probably already know that carbs can be a problem with those with your disease because they are often the culprits when high blood sugar spikes occur. You can not go without eating any carbs, as that is dangerous to the body. Instead, you have to learn about the right types of carbs. Some are very good for you and necessary for good health.

Doctors will tell you that worrying about carbohydrates and diabetes goes hand in hand. Blood sugar will shoot up when carbs high on the glycemic index are ingested, causing complications with diabetes that can have serious consequences. Some people think that they have to give up carbs altogether, which is a huge misconception. Items with pure can sugar or high fructose corn syrup are out, for the most part, but those are not the only carbs out there. Those are the ones, however, that can do the most damage. You can find sugar free candy and dessert options, but those should not be used very often either. They are a great treat when you just have to have something sweet, though.

Pastas, white breads, and white rice are also problematic when thinking about carbohydrates and diabetes. The carbs in these foods convert to sugars very quickly and they cause the same problems as ingesting pure sugar. These should be avoided and replaced with whole grain breads, brown rices, and and whole grain pastas. You can also buy brands of pasta like Dreamfield, which do not digest like regular pasta but taste just as good. These block the bad carbs, giving you as few as 5 per serving as apposed to 40-50 with regular pasta.

White potatoes can also be a problem with carbohydrates and diabetes, but some people can eat them sparingly. There are great recipes out there that can replace them, like steamed and mashed cauliflower, which many claim is just as good, if not better, than white potatoes. There are some fruits that are higher on the glycemic index than others, and those too should be eaten only occasionally. Other fruits, on the other hand, are low and are great for those with diabetes. Most vegetables are good, but a few can be problematic.

There are many changes to your diet and your exercise routine when you think about diabetes. Though the changes you have to go through can be hard, you can live a full life with diabetes. All it takes is some time to understand what good and bad carbs are, and what you have to do to keep your blood sugar on an even keel and at a good number. You may even have to take some medications, but many that can control their diet find they can leave the meds behind. If you are still confused about carbohydrates and diabetes, talk to a nutritionist about a diet plan that will work for you and your health.

Thursday 23 December 2010

Cherries May Help Fight Diabetes

Cherries May Help Fight Diabetes

Michigan State University researchers have reported that chemicals found in cherries may help fight diabetes.
The researchers, writing in the Jan. 5 issue of the American Chemical Society's Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, said a group of naturally occurring chemicals found in abundance in cherries could help lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.

Lab tests using animal pancreatic cells showed the chemicals, called anthocyanins, increased insulin production by 50 percent. Anthocyanins are a class of plant pigments responsible for the color of many fruits, including cherries.
Anthocyanins also are potent antioxidants -- chemicals increasingly associated with a variety of health benefits, including protection against heart disease and cancer.

The researchers said the compounds show promise for both prevention of type 2 or non-insulin-dependent diabetes, the most common type, and for helping control glucose levels in those who already have diabetes.

Wednesday 22 December 2010

Common Dairy Foods May Cut Diabetes Risk

Common Dairy Foods May Cut Diabetes Risk

Scientists have discovered a natural substance in dairy fat that may substantially reduce the risk of type 2 Diabetes.

The compound, trans-palmitoleic acid, is a fatty acid found in milk, cheese, yogurt, and butter. It is not produced by the body and so only comes from the diet.

Investigators at the Harvard School of Public Health and collaborators from other institutions explain that trans-palmitoleic acid may underlie epidemiological evidence in recent years that diets rich in dairy foods are linked to lower risk of type 2 Diabetes and related metabolic abnormalities.

The HSPH researchers examined 3,736 participants in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute-funded Cardiovascular Health Study, who have been followed for 20 years in an observational study to evaluate risk factors for cardiovascular diseases in older adults.

Metabolic risk factors such as blood glucose and insulin levels, and also levels of circulating blood fatty acids, including trans-palmitoleic acid, were measured using stored blood samples in 1992, and participants were followed for development of type 2 Diabetes.

During follow-up, individuals with higher circulating levels of trans-palmitoleic acid had a much lower risk of developing Diabetes compared to individuals in the lowest quintile.


Thursday 16 December 2010

Traditional Foods Key to Fighting Diabetes

Traditional Foods Key to Fighting Diabetes

The statistics are not good - 24,000 or 11.2 percent of Navajos have diabetes. For many individuals, the diagnosis means endless visits to the doctor and lots of medication.

"The sad thing is that (the incidence of new cases) is still growing," said Ray Baldwin Louis, public information officer for the Navajo Nation Special Diabetes Project.

"In our traditional way of life, the main diet was vegetables, which were homegrown," Louis said. "We didn't eat mutton all that much."

But the arrival of commodity foods - government-issued cans of beef, chicken, Spam-like luncheon meat and cheese - marked the end of good eating habits, he said.

Louis said that for the last eight weeks, classes were held to teach staff of the special diabetes project about research by Dr. Neal Barnard that has shown that diabetes can be controlled, and even reversed, with an easy-to-follow plant-based diet.

Speaking Monday at a free seminar at the Navajo Nation Museum, Barnard, a popular figure on public television, said that by sticking to a few basic principles and making simple lifestyle adjustments, people can enjoy a surprising degree of control over diabetes.

"It's really true that before Europeans came to America, there was no lard or fry bread," Barnard said. "Plant products like beans, corn and squash were much more available. Government programs haven't been helpful and today fast food is seductive.

"Diabetes comes in very rapidly and is dangerous," he said.

However, contrary to popular opinion, sugar is not the culprit.

"Glucose is not the enemy, it's the gasoline that powers your body," he said. "Fat from foods get inside cells - greasy food passes grease into the cells. The fat stops glucose from working.

"If we can stop eating fat, it comes out of the cells," he said. "As the amount of fat drops, your cells become more and more sensitive to insulin, allowing your blood sugar to come down."

The plan provided by Barnard includes choosing foods that are vegan (free of all animal products), low fat and have a low glycemic index.

"This means no meat, fish, dairy products or eggs - not even a little bit," he said. "The idea is to clean the animal fat, animal protein and cholesterol out of your diet.

Tuesday 14 December 2010

Low Salt Helps Diabetes Patients

Low Salt Helps Diabetes Patients

People with diabetes can rapidly reduce blood pressure and their risk of developing kidney disease if they restrict their intake of salt, new analysis has suggested.

Cutting salt intake by just 2g a day has the same effect on blood pressure as hypertension medication, according to the Cochrane Collaboration Renal Group, which looked at 13 studies.

The reduction in salt saw systolic blood pressure fall by an average 7mmHG and diastolic blood pressure by 3mmHG after one week.

Patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes experienced similar effects. The blood pressure of type 1 patients dropped by 7.1/3.1mmHG and type 2 patients saw a fall of 6.9/2.9mmHG.

The findings present a strong case to say that people with diabetes should keep to a diet low in salt, according to the researchers, who are based at St George’s Hospital Medical School and Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry.

The study authors said: “These findings, in conjunction with other evidence relating salt intake to BP and albuminuria in hypertensive and normotensive people, make a strong case to reduce salt intake in diabetes, as is recommended for the general population in public health guidelines, to less than 5-6g/day.”

Saturday 11 December 2010

Threat to Diabetes Transplants

Threat to Diabetes Transplants

A WORLD-leading transplant program pioneered by Melbourne scientists is in jeopardy unless Federal funding continues.

The lives of 14 type 1 diabetics have been saved or improved through the experimental islet transplants performed by the St Vincent's Institute.

Commonwealth backing for the groundbreaking research has run out and the program will wind up in June if gap finance is not provided.

The institute hopes to attract backing from a new State Government program in mid-2012, but yesterday made a plea to Prime Minister Julia Gillard to provide to survival cash.

After hearing from three women already saved by the transplants Ms Gillard was in no doubt about the importance and success of the St Vincent's research, but the Government is yet to commit to financing.

Under the experimental treatment islet cells are removed from organ donors and transplanted in type 1 diabetics to enable their pancreas to produce insulin.



Fighting for the transplant program's future is the institute's foundation chairwoman, Susan Alberti. She lost her only child, Danielle, to type 1 diabetes and "bought" a lunch with Ms Gillard for $85,000 at a charity auction, which turned into a lunch for about 170 people yesterday.

To make her plea even harder to refuse, Ms Alberti donated $500,000 to the cause.

Thursday 9 December 2010

Millions May Not Know They Have Prediabetes

Millions May Not Know They Have Prediabetes

Since the mid-1990s, John Sammon has been trying to change his lifestyle.

Eating healthier food. Exercising more. Seeing a doctor regularly.

And in the end, it was those doctor visits that led to a diagnosis of prediabetes, a medical issue that millions of Americans do not even know they have.

The 68-year-old Dunmore resident underwent double bypass surgery in 1994 and his doctor, Anthony Perry, M.D., ordered blood tests every three months to monitor the effect medications were having on his body.

About 18 months ago, Dr. Perry noticed that Mr. Sammon's blood-sugar levels were higher than normal. Like many prediabetics, he had no symptoms that his blood-sugar was abnormal. And even after the diagnosis, Mr. Sammon said he detected almost no changes in the way he felt.

"I didn't think it was serious; that if I made some changes, it would go away," Mr. Sammon said about the prediabetes diagnosis. "But it didn't work out like that."

Even with immediate treatment, coupled with the healthy habits Mr. Sammon was working on, he soon developed Type 2 diabetes.

About 57 million Americans suffer from prediabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And with few symptoms, many do not know they have it, said Susan Vrablic, coordinator of the diabetes program at Pocono Medical Center.

"Most people find out through routine blood work," Ms. Vrablic said. "It's largely a silent condition."

Prediabetics will have a fasting blood sugar between 100 and 126 milligrams of glucose per deciliter, or mg/dL, of blood, Dr. Perry said. Less than 100 mg/dL is considered normal and more than 126 mg/dL is considered diabetic, he added.

Left unchecked, prediabetes will often develop into diabetes, experts say.

About 23.6 million Americans had diabetes in 2007, according to the CDC. Of that, about 5.7 million were undiagnosed diabetics. In 2008, about 8.8 percent of Pennsylvanians 18 and older had been diagnosed with diabetes, slightly higher than the national average of 8.3 percent.

In Pennsylvania, diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in 2007, according to the state Department of Health. The disease can lead to nerve damage, kidney failure, blindness and amputation.

This fall, a CDC report predicted the number of diabetes cases in the country could triple in the next 40 years, in part because obesity is also on the rise. Annually, diabetes costs the country about $174 billion, CDC reports said.

A blood test and a hemoglobin A1C test, which provides an average of someone's blood sugar levels over a six- to 12-week period, is normally used to diagnose prediabetes, Dr. Perry said.

Once diagnosed, people with prediabetes have a good chance of staving off diabetes - or even avoiding developing it all together - by making lifestyle changes, experts say.

Topping the list is starting an exercise program, Ms. Vrablic said. New research shows that people with diabetes or prediabetes should strive for about 150 minutes of exercise a week, or about 30 minutes a day, five days a week, according to a study published in this month's issues of Diabetes Care and Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

Dr. Perry said losing weight and choosing healthier foods will also help to control or even stave off diabetes.

But the problem, both Dr. Perry and Ms. Vrablic said, is convincing prediabetes and diabetes patients to make changes to their lifestyle.

"If we knew how to motivate patients, we could reduce the incidence of diabetes," Dr. Perry said, adding that doctors historically "have had remarkably little success at getting people to lose weight."

After his diagnosis, Mr. Sammon was put on medication to help control his diabetes and spends about an hour at the gym three times a week, walking on the treadmill with other people struggling with heart trouble and other medical issues. He meets regularly with a nutritionist and a nurse practitioner at Dr. Perry's diabetes clinic, which is connected to Mercy Hospital in Scranton.

"What I'm doing is keeping active, because it helps my mindset," he said. "I have lost some weight between the diet and the exercise."

Contact the writer: enissley@timesshamrock.comRisk factors

With few symptoms, millions of Americans are not aware they have prediabetes or diabetes, doctors say.

Most people are diagnosed after a test that measures fasting blood-sugar levels, taken after a patient has not eaten anything for at least eight hours. But the problem, some experts say, is that many people do not get regular screenings. Left undiagnosed, diabetes can lead to complications, including blindness, kidney failure, amputation and nerve damage.

Anthony Perry, M.D., said there are certain types of people who are more at risk to develop prediabetes or diabetes. Certain ethnic groups have a higher risk of developing diabetes. Other risk factors include:

- A family history of diabetes, especially if a parent or a sibling has been diagnosed.

- Being overweight, defined as having a body-mass index greater than 25.

- Low HDL cholesterol or high triglycerides.

- High blood pressure


Monday 6 December 2010

Air Pollution Linked to Diabetes

Air Pollution Linked to Diabetes

Air pollution exposure early in life is linked to belly fat and insulin resistance in mice even if they ate a normal diet, U.S. researchers say.

Lead author Qinghua Sun of Ohio State University says exposure levels for the animals subjected to polluted air resemble the fine-particulate pollution that can be found in U.S. urban areas.

Sun and colleagues fed the mice either a normal diet or a high-fat diet and exposed them to either filtered air or air containing at least seven times more fine particulates than the ambient air in Columbus, Ohio.

After exposing the mice to polluted or filtered air for 10 weeks, researchers analyzed the mice for risk factors associated with obesity and insulin resistance -- the hallmark of type 2 diabetes, Sun says.

The researchers say the mice on the high-fat diet gained much more weight than those on the normal diet, but mice exposed to polluted air and eating the normal diet had more significant elevations in glucose in the blood than the normal-diet mice that breathed clean air.

The mice exposed to pollution also showed more signs of insulin resistance -- when the presence of insulin does not initiate the transfer of glucose from the blood into the tissues, where it is used for energy.

The findings are published in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology.

Saturday 4 December 2010

Smoking Too Common Among Young Diabetes Patients

Smoking Too Common Among Young Diabetes Patients

Smoking rates are high among young people with diabetes, and many teens and young adults with the condition report never being asked about their smoking habits or advised by their doctors to stop, according to a new federally supported study.

Diabetes and smoking are both risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The national study looked at the presence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease among young people who had either type 1 or type 2 diabetes and whether they smoked.

Smoking Habits Start Early

Researchers led by Kristi Reynolds, PhD, MPH, an investigator from Kaiser Permanente, found that teenagers who had type 1 diabetes and smoked were more likely to be physically inactive and have higher triglycerides for cardiovascular disease, both risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Among their other findings:

  • Tobacco use increased with age. Among the study group with type 1 diabetes, smoking prevalence was 2.7% among those aged 10 to 14; 17.1% among those aged 15 to 19; and 34% of those aged 20 and older.
  • Tobacco use also steadily increased with age among those with type 2 diabetes and prevalence was 5.5% among those aged 10 to 14; 16.4% among those aged 15 to 19; and 40.3% among those aged 20 and older.
  • Ten percent of youths with type 1 diabetes and 15.7% of those with type 2 diabetes were using some form of tobacco at the time of the study.
  • Among the group with type 1 diabetes, 30.4% of 10- to 14-year-olds, 68.3% of 15- to 19-year-olds, and 84.7% of young adults 20 and older reported being asked by their health care provider whether they smoked or used tobacco products.
  • Among the group with type 2 diabetes, 47.2% of 10- to 14-year-olds, 51.8% of 15- to 19-year-olds, and 57.4% of young adults 20 and older reported being asked about tobacco use.
  • Overall, smoking among young diabetes patients was more common among those living in households with family annual incomes of $50,000 or less.
  • Smoking was more common among Native Americans and least common among Asian-Pacific Islanders.
  • Past and current smokers who had type 1 diabetes had significantly poorer cardiometabolic profiles -- such as higher triglycerides and blood pressure -- than diabetes patients who were nonsmokers.

The results are published in the December issue of Journal of Pediatrics, andare based on 3,466 children and young adults aged 10 to 22 who had diabetes who participated in the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth study. Participants provided blood samples and had their blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood sugar levels measured. They were also interviewed about their lifestyle habits, such as smoking or exercising. The research was funded by the CDC and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases.

The authors note that 90% of adult smokers say they started smoking before age 18, indicating that adolescence and early adulthood may be a prime time to intervene and instill healthier lifestyle habits.

Reynolds and her team state that their research included a large, racially, socioeconomically diverse study population.

“Smoking is an avoidable risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease,” Reynolds and her team write. “Youth with diabetes, regardless of type, should be targeted for aggressive smoking prevention and cessation programs.”

Thursday 2 December 2010

Start Young to Reduce Diabetes Risk

Start Young to Reduce Diabetes Risk

Diabetes is one of the most common chronic and life-altering diseases in children and adolescents. It is estimated that 151,000 children and adolescents have diabetes and that about 2 million adolescents age 12-19 have pre-diabetes. In the past, when diabetes struck a child, it was presumed to be Type 1, however, Type 2 diabetes is occurring children and adolescents with increasing frequency. Diabetes is not just a problem of children; it is estimated that in the next 25 to 40 years the occurrence of diabetes in all Americans will double or triple.

Although Type 1 and Type 2 are both forms of diabetes, they have very different pathological origins. Type 1 diabetes - previously called insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus or juvenile-onset diabetes - develops when the immune system destroys the body's ability to produce insulin and regulate blood sugar levels. Individuals with Type 1 diabetes must take insulin to control their blood-sugar levels. Type 1 diabetes typically strikes in children and young adults. Unfortunately, Type 2 diabetes, which was previously called adult-onset diabetes, is occurring in young people at alarmingly high rates.

While Type 1 diabetes is thought to be an auto-immune disease, the increase in incidence of Type 2 diabetes is related to increasing rates of obesity and low levels of physical activity. Children and adolescents diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes are generally between 10 and 19 years old, obese, have a strong family history for Type 2 diabetes, and have insulin resistance. Having a parent with Type 2 diabetes increases a child's risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 50 percent. Both genetics and the family's activity and eating environment most likely contribute to this increased risk.

Often a precursor to Type 2 diabetes, pre-diabetes is a condition in which individuals have blood-glucose levels higher than normal but not high enough to officially be classified as diabetes. The steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes also reduce the risk for pre-diabetes.

The warning signs of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are similar. A child or adolescent with Type 2 diabetes may experience excessive thirst, frequent urination, unexplained weight loss with stable or even increased intake of food, blurred vision, slow healing sores or frequent infections and feeling tired. Another commonly seen sign of pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes is the development of acanthosis nigricans. Acanthosis nigricans is a condition where individuals have patches of thick, dark skin that feels almost like velvet on their neck or under their arms. Acanthosis nigricans does not develop in children with Type 1 diabetes. Although these are the common symptoms, some children and teens will not notice any of these warning signs and will be diagnosed during a routine checkup.

While there are no preventative measures that can be taken to reduce a child's risk of getting Type 1 diabetes, there are steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Being overweight is a primary risk factor for Type 2 diabetes in children. The more fatty tissue a child has, the more resistant his or her cells become to insulin. The good news is that many children who have pre-diabetes or Type 2 diabetes can improve their risk profile and blood sugar levels simply by losing excessive weight. Another risk factor for Type 2 diabetes is inactivity. The less active a child is, the greater his or her risk. Physical activity helps control weight, uses glucose as energy, and makes the body's cells more responsive to insulin. While family history, race and gender are also risk factors, proper diet and exercise can have a huge impact on reducing one's likelihood of developing Type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes can be easy to ignore, especially in the early stages when symptoms may not be as noticeable. However, it is crucial that it be taken serious at any age. The condition can affect nearly every major organ in a child's body, including the heart, blood vessels, nerves, eyes and kidneys. Maintaining good glucose control can dramatically reduce the risk of these complications.

Children or teens whose parents suspect they may have pre-diabetes or Type 2 diabetes should see their primary care physician for an evaluation. If a child is found to have pre-diabetes or Type 2 diabetes, families should seek the guidance and care of a diabetes team that includes an endocrinologist and certified diabetes educators specializing in pediatrics. And it is important to remember that the first step in treating Type 2 diabetes is taking the appropriate steps in weight management, diet and exercise to attempt to prevent it.

Wednesday 1 December 2010

Diabetics' Blood Sugar Reduced With Exercise Programme

Diabetics' Blood Sugar Reduced With Exercise Programme

Combining aerobics and weight training is the best exercise regime for diabetics to help lower their blood sugar, a US study has found.

Researchers randomised 262 sedentary men and women with type 2 diabetes and HbA1C levels of 6.5 per cent or higher to either no exercise, an aerobic exercise programme, resistance training or a combination of both exercises for nine months.

The authors said: “A combination of aerobic and resistance training compared with the non-exercise control group improved HbA1C levels.

“This was not achieved by aerobic or resistance training alone.”