Category Archives: Diabetes

Nearly 30 million Americans have diabetes -- a condition where the body fails to properly metabolize sugar. Left untreated, thatsugar builds up in the bloodstream and the body, which can lead to a number ofserious additional health problems such ascardiovascular disease, kidneydisease and eye disease.

Treating diabetes is expensive, costing America alone some $322 billion each year. Naturally, a market that big has attracted plenty of companies to focus on the disease state. Novo Nordisk (NYSE:NVO),Insulet (NASDAQ:PODD), and DexCom (NASDAQ:DXCM)are three such businesses, and I think that they all could be great choices for investors.

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Many people who have diabetes take drugs to help keep their blood sugar levels in check. One of the long-term leaders in the industry isNovo Nordisk, a Danish drugmaker that has been selling insulin for nearly a century.

Novo's top line has charged upward for years as it brought new treatments to market. Recent hits includeTresiba, a long-acting insulin that has been taking share from Sanofi's megahit Lantus, andVictoza, a GLP-1 inhibitor that lowers blood sugar levels and tends to help some patients lose weight. Novo also boasts a number of new drugs that should be coming to market soon, such as the recently FDA-approved Xultophy, which combines Victoza and Tresiba, andFiasp, an ultra-fast rapid-acting mealtime insulin.

And yet, despite its long history of successful drug development and its leadership position in treating an increasingly common disease, Novo's share price and valuation have been crushed over the past year.

NVO data by YCharts

What gives? You can blame the decline on increasingpricing pressurefrom insurers on the company's legacy products. To maintain its market share, Novo has been offering discounts. As a result, management dropped its long-term profit growth target from 10% to 5%.

While the waning profit growth is disappointing, I can't help but think that the markets have overreacted. Novo's still cranking out profits, and it has a huge tailwind at its back, so I can't help but like its long-term prospects. With shares trading at a discount and offering up a dividend yield approaching 4%, I think this is a top stock for conservative investors to consider.

Not every person who has diabetes requires insulin injections to stay healthy, but millions of them do. Those daily injections can be a pain, and dosing with precision can be difficult, which is why many insulin-dependent patients prefer instead to use an insulin pump.

However, wearing a pump presents its own issues. Traditional insulin pumps require tubing, which can easily get snagged or tangled during everyday living. To solve that problem, Insulet launched a patch pump called the OmniPod that is worn directly on the body and disposedof after three days of use. The device is alsowaterproof and features automatic cannula insertion, which makes it far easier for patients to place it in tough to reach spots.

Insulet's unique tube-free system has allowed it to gobble up market share over the last decade. Better yet, the company's "razor-and-blade" business model creates a lot of recurring revenue. When combined, the company's top-line -- and share price -- have soared.

PODD Revenue (TTM) data by YCharts

While Insulet is still losing money, there's reason to believe that profits could finally be on the horizon. Revenue from the company's core OmniPod business is still growing by double-digit percentagesboth stateside and abroad. Meanwhile, the other drug delivery business is growing nicely, powered mostly by the company's partnership with Amgen. Margins are also on the riseand are expected to continue to push higher. Longer term, CEO Patrick Sullivan expects the company to pump out more than $1 billion in revenue. If the company can hit that ambitious target, its top line would nearly triple.

Of course, Wall Street is aware of the company's potential and has priced shares at more than seven times sales. While that's a pricey valuation, if the company can deliver on its growth targets, I could easily see shares continuing to outperform from here.

Many people with diabetes are required to measure their blood sugar levels at various times during theday in order to ensure it is within a healthy range. For most, this requires a finger prick to obtain a small blood sample that is tested on a monitor. As you may guess, this isn't a process that many people like.

In an effort to ease this burden, Dexcom launched a small medical device a decade ago that is worn on the body for up to seven days and continuously measures blood glucose levels. This information is then uploaded directly to a smartphone or other receiver, making it far easier for users to track their blood sugar, and allowing them to do it in real time.

This product -- now called the DexcomG5Mobile Continuous Glucose Monitoring System -- has been wildly successful. Like Insulet, Dexcom also benefits from a razor-and-blade business model, which has allowed the company's revenue to soar. In turn, long-term shareholders have been extremely well rewarded.

DXCM Revenue (TTM) data by YCharts

Despite its history of success, there's reason to believe that DexCom's growth engine is just getting warmed up. The company only counts 200,000 patients as active users, just a small fraction of the415 million people with diabetes worldwide.

While Dexcom is still losing money, that's expected to change in 2017. However, Wall Street has caught on to this growth story and is valuing the company at 11 times sales. Despite that nose-bleed valuation, I still think shares could be worth owning since the company is closing in on profitability and staring down a massive growth opportunity. Share prices are likely to remain volatile for the foreseeable future, but if you are a growth investor at heart, I think that DexCom is certainly worthy of a closer look.

Brian Feroldi owns shares of Insulet. The Motley Fool recommends Insulet and Novo Nordisk. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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3 Top Diabetes Care Stocks to Buy in 2017 - Motley Fool

Investopedia

Roche Restructuring Shows Trouble in US Diabetes Biz (RHHBY) Investopedia Amid increasing competition in the U.S. diabetes care market, Roche AG (RHHBY) plans to restructure its U.S. operations and reduce headcount by 10%. The company recently announced that it will lay off 157 employees in its U.S. diabetes care unit.

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Roche Restructuring Shows Trouble in US Diabetes Biz (RHHBY) - Investopedia

During your pregnancy, you might dread the renowned sugar test that your doctor will probably order around 2428 weeks. You have to drink a sugary liquid and wait around for its effects to spread throughout your system. If you screen through the one-hour and three-hour tests with both positive results, youll have to work with your doctor to keep your blood sugar stable through a proper diet, often called an ADA diet. With this diet plan, many pregnant women can control their gestational diabetes and deliver happy, healthy babies.

What is an ADA diet?

Simply put, the ADA diet is a meal plan recommended by the American Diabetes Association for those dealing with diabetes. This diet encourages you to eat a variety of healthy foods while watching the intake of starches and sugar. You should also choose foods high in vitamins and minerals and balance starch with fiber to keep your sugar levels under control.

In addition, the American Diabetes Association recommends that you work with a dietitian and/or your doctor to learn about proper nutrition for gestational diabetes. If you cannot control your sugar levels through the ADA diet alone, your doctor may add insulin shots.

Controlling Blood Sugar

To control your blood sugar through diet, you can choose one of several ways: carbohydrate counting, the glycemic index, or the plate method. All of these methods focus on balancing starchy foods with protein and low-starch vegetables to improve energy, control weight, and balance blood sugar.

Carbohydrate Counting

For carbohydrate counting, you and your doctor will work to set a number of carbs that you will incorporate into each meal. At first, this process may have some trial and error since your carb intake will depend upon your lifestyle, metabolism, and physical activity. Once you have a set number, youll need to learn the amount of carbs in the foods that you eat. You should never exceed your carbohydrate limit during a meal.

The Glycemic Index

If you choose to use the glycemic index, you will need to incorporate mostly foods that are low or medium on the scale. With this system, youll still need to work closely with medical help since one food may change its glycemic index when paired with another food. For example, you can eat a food high on the glycemic index with one lower on the scale to balance out the glycemic effects.

The Plate Method

To use the plate method, you would aim to fill a certain portion of your plate with either protein, non-starchy vegetables, or starches. You may find this method the easiest one to use, but it doesnt always fit a persons lifestyle.

According toStephanie Dunbar, ADAs director of nutrition and medical affairs, you should fill half your plate with non-starchy vegetables. Then, you can fill another quarter with protein and the final portion with whole grains or starchy vegetables. Finish with a small serving of fruit and low-fat dairy, and youll leave yourself filled and happily balanced.

Choose Foods Wisely

When planning meals for gestational diabetes, you should make wise choices about the foods you eat. You will need to restrain yourself with some types of food and completely eliminate others from your diet. Below, youll find examples that you can eat and some that you should avoid.

Foods to Eat

Foods to Avoid

While having gestational diabetes does require some diet changes and extra care, you can still enjoy filling, healthful foods throughout your pregnancy. Then, with your doctors guidance and the balanced ADA diet, you should successfully control your sugar levels and deliver a happy, healthy baby into the world.

Dr. Manny Alvarez serves as Fox News Channel's senior managing health editor. He also serves as chairman of the department of obstetrics/gynecology and reproductive science at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey. Click here for more information on Dr. Manny's work with Hackensack University Medical Center. Visit AskDrManny.com for more.

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Caring for your gestational diabetes - Fox News

The Cardiology Advisor (registration)

Mitigating Poor Cardiovascular Outcomes in Diabetes Using Angiography The Cardiology Advisor (registration) Overall, patients with diabetes had more cardiovascular risk factors and higher rates of noninvasive testing positivity (15% vs 11%; adjusted P =.01) as well as 60-day aspirin, statin, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor ...

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Mitigating Poor Cardiovascular Outcomes in Diabetes Using Angiography - The Cardiology Advisor (registration)

PLEASANTVILLE Quality Insights Quality Innovation Network, supported locally by Healthcare Quality Strategies Inc., is partnering with Pleasantville to provide free diabetes workshops as part of the Everyone with Diabetes Counts program.

The EDC program is a national initiative of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

The program offers free self-management workshops for people with Medicare who have diabetes, their family members and caregivers.

The free workshops follow the Stanford University Diabetes Self-Management Program.

The workshops are designed to help individuals learn how to manage their diabetes and take control of their health through behavior modification and coping techniques. Participants will learn about diabetes and its risks, preventing complications, the importance of healthy eating, the role of exercise, how to deal with stress and difficult emotions, managing medications, effective communication with healthcare providers, and much more.

This free six-week workshop will be offered at the Pleasantville Branch Library, 33 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave.

Workshops are 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesdays from April 11 to May 16.

Everyone must register by the second workshop session.

Each participant, one per household, will receive a free book, Living a Healthy Life with Chronic Conditions at the second workshop session.

For information or to register, call Jarmaine Williams at 732-955-8168. Visit http://www.qualityinsights-qin.org to learn more about Quality Insights Quality Innovation Network, or to read real success stories about people with diabetes in New Jersey who have completed this program and made motivational improvements to their health and lives.

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Free diabetes self-management workshops offered in Pleasantville - Shore News Today

By Karen Pallarito

HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, March 15, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Instead of managing type 2 diabetes as a chronic condition, what if people could beat the disease?

That was the thinking behind a small pilot study, which suggested that intensive treatment with oral medicine, insulin, diet and exercise might knock out the disease, at least for several months, in certain patients.

Up to 40 percent of patients who were treated experienced complete or partial remission for three months, the study found.

"We are now able to possibly reverse diabetes, and that really motivates patients to do their best in terms of losing weight and making sure their sugars are normalized," said lead author Dr. Natalia McInnes.

She's an assistant professor of endocrinology and metabolism at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada.

However, relatively few participants remained in remission a year later, diabetes experts noted.

"Rates of diabetes remission did not appear to differ significantly at 52 weeks between 'control' and 'intervention' groups, so the effects do not appear to be sustained," said Dr. Christine Lee of the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).

And, Dr. Philip Kern, professor of endocrinology at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, added, "If you don't sustain the lifestyle intervention, then the disease is going to come back."

The bodies of people with type 2 diabetes don't use insulin properly. Insulin is a hormone that helps move sugar into cells to be used as fuel. At first, the body responds by making more insulin, but eventually, your body cannot make enough insulin to keep up with the demand. This leads to increasing blood sugar levels. Over time, uncontrolled blood sugar levels can damage the nerves, eyes, kidneys or heart, according to the American Diabetes Association.

Adults newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes were invited to participate in the trial. Each was randomly assigned to receive either two months or four months of treatment, or "usual diabetes care" (the control group).

The trial included 83 people, aged 30 to 80 years. The participants had had type 2 diabetes for up to three years, and managed their diabetes with diet alone or with one or two drugs. People already taking insulin were excluded from the study.

Senior investigator Dr. Hertzel Gerstein of McMaster University devised the drug combo used in the trial, McInnes said.

Patients received two oral diabetes medicines -- metformin (Glucophage, Glumetza, Fortamet) and acarbose (Precose) -- plus a long-acting type of injectable insulin called insulin glargine (Lantus), based on evidence that these drugs can slow or prevent diabetes, Gerstein explained in a news release from the Endocrine Society.

Once the experiment began, the two intervention groups stopped other diabetes medicines and started the new regimen, according to the report.

A dietician provided a suggested meal plan, encouraging patients to cut 500 to 750 calories a day.

A kinesiologist (body movement expert) prescribed individual fitness programs with a goal of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week, by week 16 of the trial. Patients were also given pedometers and instructed to work toward 10,000 steps per day.

Control group members received standard blood-sugar management advice, the study authors noted.

Hemoglobin A1c tests, which measure average blood sugar levels over the past two to three months, were administered at four points during the study. An A1c level below 5.7 percent is considered normal, according to the American Diabetes Association.

In the study, complete remission was defined as an A1c under 6.0 percent and no need for diabetes medication. Partial remission was an A1c of less than 6.5 percent and no need for diabetes medication.

Three months after the intervention, 11 out of 27 people in the 16-week study group experienced complete or partial diabetes remission, versus six out of 28 in the eight-week study group, and four out of 28 in the control group, the researchers found.

It isn't clear whether the diabetes remission was due to medical therapy with drugs or weight loss with intensive lifestyle therapy, said NIDDK's Lee, who is program director in the diabetes, endocrinology and metabolic diseases division.

The study authors didn't evaluate the cost of the intervention versus potential cost savings. McInnes suspects it would save money in the long term if it reversed the disease and prevented expenses related to ongoing diabetes care and complications.

She said additional studies are needed to assess whether it's possible to achieve higher, and prolonged, rates of remission with similar combinations of therapies.

Kern said the study serves as a reminder that lifestyle interventions in diabetes "really do work."

The study was published online March 15 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

WebMD News from HealthDay

SOURCES: Natalia McInnes, M.D., assistant professor, endocrinology and metabolism, department of medicine, McMaster University, Ontario, Canada; Christine Lee, M.D., program director, division of diabetes, endocrinology and metabolic diseases, U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.; Philip Kern, professor of endocrinology, University of Kentucky, Lexington; March 15, 2017, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, online

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Intensive Type 2 Diabetes Treatment Promising - WebMD

Researchers have found that a less strenuous form of exercise known as whole-body vibration may work just as well as regular exercise in helping to control diabetes. WBV, as it's called, could also benefit people who find it difficult to exercise.

Scientists say WBV transmits energy through the body when someone is standing, sitting or lying on a gently vibrating device, causing muscles to contract and relax many times each second.

The effect may be to strengthen and increase muscle mass, improving blood sugar control along with other problems seen in diabetes. At least, that's what studies in mice suggest.

Bearing in mind that exercise is good for everyone, including people with diabetes, researchers at Augusta University in Augusta, Georgia, studied five-week-old male rodents, comparing the effects of whole-body vibration to that of running on a treadmill.

Vibrating platform

A cage containing both normal and specially bred obese, diabetic mice was placed on a gently vibrating platform for 20 minutes per day for 12 weeks.

Another group of rodents both diabetic and healthy mice was trained to run on a treadmill for 45 minutes a day for the same period of time.

A third group of diabetic and healthy mice remained sedentary and were used for comparison.

Investigators saw similar health benefits in the diabetic mice that ran on the treadmill and those exposed to whole-body vibration.

Meghan McGee-Lawrence, an assistant professor in the Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy at the Medical College of Georgia, said the results of the study showed that "vibration may be just as effective as exercise at combating some of the negative consequences of obesity and diabetes."

Biomarker improvements

McGee-Lawrence said mice subjected to whole-body vibration and those that ran on the treadmill were both able to decrease fat in the liver, improve insulin sensitivity and increase muscle fiber.

While there was improvement in the biomarkers of diabetic WBV mice and treadmill mice, they never became as healthy as the normal animals.

During the study, the mice were weighed weekly. Researchers found that the diabetic mice subjected to vibration and the treadmill gained less weight after the study was over than the sedentary rodents.

There was also evidence that whole-body vibration might improve the bone strength of diabetics.

The study was published in the journal Endocrinology.

McGee-Lawrence said researchers are now trying to determine the mechanisms that underlie improved diabetes control in both exercise and whole-body vibration mice.

More study urged

There are vibrating chairs and beds available on the market, but McGee-Lawrence cautioned people against starting a routine of whole-body vibration and thinking they are controlling their diabetes.

"We know that some whole-body vibration ... seems to be good for the body, but too much can be a bad thing," she said. "And in terms of finding ways to apply that [to humans] ... I think we need some more studies to guide us on that so that when folks start doing this, we get the best beneficial effects we can without running the risk of having any potential side effects."

One potential harm of too much vibration, often seen heavy-machine operators, is tissue inflammation.

If researchers are able to repeat the results in humans, McGee-Lawrence said, whole-body vibration could be a useful add-on to the treatment of diabetes.

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Whole-body Vibration May Improve Diabetes Control, Study Finds - Voice of America

Scientists have reversed Type 2 diabetes in a study of patients who underwent intensive medical treatment to control their blood sugar levels.

By following a regimen of strict diet, exercise and medications, up to 40 percent of the participants managed to stay in remission for three months after stopping their medication.

The research was conducted by investigators at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada.

Researchers divided 83 individuals with Type 2 diabetes into three groups. Two of the groups received intensive metabolic intervention that included a personalized meal plan that cut their daily caloric intake by 500 to 750 calories per day. They were also given an individualized exercise plan, met with a dietitian regularly and took medication and insulin at bedtime to help control blood glucose.

The only difference is one group was intensively treated for 16 weeks while the other group received the same intervention for just eight weeks.

They were compared to a third group of participants that was given standard diabetic management information from a health care provider, including lifestyle advice.

All of the participants had their blood glucose measured at 20, 28 and 52 weeks to see how well their blood sugar was controlled.

After eight and 16 weeks of the intensive intervention, medication was stopped in both groups.

In the 16-week group, 11 of 27 participants met the criteria for complete or partial remission of their diabetes for a period of three months after the trial.

In the eight-week intensive therapy group, six out of 28 individuals were in remission for three months after the intervention was completed. Only four out of 28 patients in the control group showed remission.

The results of the study were published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Could change diabetes treatment

Lead researcher Natalia McInness thinks the finding may shift the way adults with diabetes are treated from simply managing their blood sugar levels to a program of intensive therapy to put the disease into remission. Under that strategy, patients would be watched for signs of relapse and treated accordingly.

In Type 2 diabetes, the body either doesnt make enough of the hormone insulin, in severe cases, to ferry nutrients into cells or the cells become resistant to insulin.

Either way, McInness believes the intensive therapy intervention gives the pancreas a rest, decreasing fat stores in the body that in turn improve insulin production and sensitivity. The pancreas is the organ that produces insulin.

She said the findings support the notion that Type 2 diabetes can be reversed, at least in the short term, through strict medical management. The idea of putting diabetic patients into remission, said McInness, could be very appealing, motivating them to make significant lifestyle changes.

Diabetes is a growing epidemic worldwide and patients struggle to maintain blood sugar levels in the normal range to avoid severe complications like heart disease, blindness and kidney failure.

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Scientists Reverse Type 2 Diabetes with Intensive Medical Treatment - Voice of America

The public is invited to attend a free educational program on preventing and reversing diabetes to be held from 5 to 7:30 p.m. on March 19, 26 through April 2, 9, 16, 23 at the Fairfield Inn & Suites located at 1120 Bill Tuck Highway in South Boston.

Persons may pre-register by leaving their name and number by calling 1-877-695-3377. Someone will make contact to confirm registration.

The free six weeks Diabetes Preventing and Reversial Seminar is sponsored by Emmanuel Seventh-Day Adventist Church.

Type 2 Diabetes is increasing at an alarming rate. And yet there is nothing catching about it. People cannot get it from anyone else.

Rather, the health care community now knows that Type 2 Diabetes is caused by the things people do, their lifestyle.

Identifying and connecting with people at high risk of Type 2 Diabetes is critical to preventing it.

One check of the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions website for the latest updates indicates for the first time, a big shift has taken place from just reporting on efforts of treating the disease to efforts related to preventing it.

Below is some of the information to be gleaned from their website.

Diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in the United States in 2013, but this may be underreported, according to the CDC. While it is more easily identified as the cause of blindness, lower-limb amputations and kidney failure, doctors are not able to easily identify diabetes as the cause of heart attacks or strokes. So, while its reported that a person died from a stroke, the real cause of death may have been the diabetes that caused the stroke.

The rate of new cases of diagnosed diabetes is still very high. More than 29 million U.S. adults have diabetes, and 25 percent of those do not know that they have it.

Furthermore, more than a third of American adults around 86 million have prediabetes, and 90 percent of them dont know it. Looking at the County Health Rankings (www.countyhealthrankings.org) provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Halifax County has a diabetes rate of 15 percent. The average for the State of Virginia is 9 percent and is one of the top performers in the U.S.

In 2016, the CDC partnered with the American Diabetes Association, American Medical Association and the Ad Council to start running public service announcements (PSAs). This is the first national prediabetes awareness campaign.

These PSAs are reaching millions of people who may be at risk and are encouraging them to take a risk assessment to find out their status. These risks include being overweight, being 45 years or older, having a family history of Type 2 diabetes and being physically active less than three times a week. People who have one or more of these risk factors should talk to their doctor about getting their blood sugar tested or testing their Hemaglobin A1c.

The Mayo Clinic reports that if a person has prediabetes, the long-term damage of diabetes, especially to ones heart and circulation may already be starting.

Persons with prediabetes have an increased risk of Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease and stroke. For people living with diabetes, better health management can increase lifespan and improve the quality of life. Or through lifestyle education and coaching, a person may be able to reverse diabetes and again live diabetes-free.

Coming to South Boston in March is the Grundy Preventing and Reversing Diabetes Seminar, the program reveals that many changes have been made to peoples lifestyle in the past that have contributed to diabetes.

If one knows what those changes are, it will empower them to make better choices that will lead to better health and disease reversal.

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Free educational diabetes program offered in March, April - YourGV.com

Investopedia

Sanofi, Voluntis Ink Diabetes Tech Pact (SNY, NVO) Investopedia The deal builds on an existing relationship between the two companies, and banks on combining Sanofi's established expertise in diabetes treatment and Voluntis' experience in building companion software. Sanofi and Voluntis have a longstanding ... Sanofi and Voluntis to deliver global mobile app for type 2 diabetesThe Pharma Letter (registration) all 9 news articles »

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Sanofi, Voluntis Ink Diabetes Tech Pact (SNY, NVO) - Investopedia