Category Archives: Diabetes

KEY POINTS

Type 2 diabetes is one of the conditions that could lead to many health issues when it is not kept under control. Accordingly, health experts have pinpointed that patients who dont know that they have diabetes end up suffering from a worse condition. Most of the time, their inability to treat the condition is because they also fail to recognize the symptoms.

Diabetes affects a lot of areas of health that it also manifests itself through a lot of symptoms. One of the symptoms that you need to watch out for will affect your mouth.

Dry Mouth

One of the signs of diabetes is having a dry mouth. Known as xerostomia in the medical field, this condition is characterized by the lack of saliva. According to Express, saliva plays a vital role in controlling the levels of bacteria in the mouth. It is also the one responsible for washing away the acid around the gums and teeth. mouth signs of type 2 diabetes Photo: silviarita - Pixabay

As per Diabetes.co.uk, those who have diabetes are more prone to suffer from a dry mouth because of high levels of glucose in their saliva and blood. Other possible causes of a dry mouth would be a number of medications, dehydration, and smoking.

Obviously, the lack of moisture from your mouth signals a dry mouth. However, there are still other symptoms that you must be aware of. Aside from lacking moisture, the corners of your mouth would get easily irritated. The gums also oftentimes suffer from inflammation.

More Dry Mouth Signs

If you have had a recent course of antibiotics, its possible that you will suffer from oral thrush. These are the fungal or yeast infections that would affect the cheeks and the tongue. You can find white patches appearing on your mouth if you have oral thrush. This is also a sign of dry mouth.

You may also suffer from redness of the tongue. Cracking of the corner of the lips, plus the skin, can also signal a dry mouth. These are among the symptoms that could lead to a lot of discomfort. Hence, to be able to arrest the condition, you also need to keep your blood sugar levels under control. You can do this by keeping an active lifestyle and eating healthy.

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Type 2 Diabetes: This Mouth Condition Can Be A Warning - International Business Times

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. The risk of going blind is all too real for diabetics but a WVU project is hoping to mitigate that risk for West Virginians.

The West Virginia Practice-Based Research Network is the organization behind trying to stop or limit diabetic retinopathy, or blindness as a result of diabetes. Stacey Whanger, the Networks assistant director said their work has been going on since 2016 and that they have been engaging primary care providers to offer a new screening for diabetic patients.

The patients that need the screenings from physicians are the ones that are not necessarily seen by an eye doctor, Whanger said, so theyre actually providing care to folks who may not have access to an early screening.

Its recommended that patients with diabetes have yearly eye exams because diabetic retinopathy starts very smallvery subtle changes so patients may not recognize that its happening until the disease is later in the stages, Whanger said. So its important to get that early screening done so then treatment can be provided earlier to the patient and hopefully have better success and save the sight as long as possible.

According to a WVU press release, it is projected that one in three Americans with diabetes will experience diabetic retinopathy by the year 2050. The projection may be frightening but early detection reduces the risk of severe vision loss by 90 percent.

Whanger said the project is also trying to reach out to diabetic patients from the moment when they are diagnosed with diabetes in order to get them in touch with an eye care specialist. The reason being that a regular doctor cannot treat diabetic retinopathy, they can only do an initial screening to see if the eyes are normal.

Moving forward, Whanger said, they are hoping to expand the project to more sites around the state.

We cover a good portion of areas around the state but were hoping to expand to other primary care sites to really deliver the care to patients that are not receiving their annual eye exams and to be able to provide that care to them, Whanger explained. We also are really creating a network across the state between eye care professionals and primary care providers so this could really extend to other diseases that have systematic and ophthalmic conditions and how it goes hand in hand. It just works as a nice partnership between all the different providers that a patient might come in contact with.

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WVU project works toward preventing blindness in diabetic patients - WBOY.com

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) Fourteen-year-old Ben Cornell was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was ten years old. He's now advocating for research funding to find a cure for the autoimmune illness.

He will be among the guests attending Tuesday night's State of the Union Address after receiving an invite from Congressman Tom Reed.

"It's a struggle it's not very easy, and it's always like, there. You never really get a break," he said. "I didn't want to have it anymore, and just anything anybody can do to help it just makes us that much closer."

Supporting Cornell is Edward Dickey, Board President of the WNY chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. His daughter has type 1 as well.

"Thankfully there's technologies that have come along in the last ten years that have made life easier to live with but it is by no means a cure," he said. "Insulin is by no means a cure, we need to continue to fund research and try to find a cure for diabetes."

Another major issue type one diabetics face is insulin affordability. The price of the vital drug has skyrocketed over the last decade, leading people to crossing over the border to Canada to get it for a cheaper price, or more dangerously - rationing their insulin.

But Dickey is hopeful a cure will be found.

"In the last six months the Special Diabetes Program, the SDP, was approved by Congress and gave us $97 million over the last six moths to help find a cure for diabetes," he said.

Dickey said it's important to get a multi-year approval of that agreement so JDRF does not have to worry about research money.

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Local teen with type 1 diabetes invited to State of the Union Address - WKBW-TV

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. A local teen activist is taking her fight for affordable diabetic medication to Washington.

Taylor Mckenny, 19, is attending the State of the Union Address as a guest of U.S. Representative Charlie Crist.

PINELLAS NEWS | The latest headlines from Pinellas County

Its hard. The cost for my medication keeps going up, said McKenny.

She was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 9-years-old. She said her family has struggled, nearly going bankrupt to pay for her medication, which she cannot live without.

Sadly, McKenny isnt alone.

According to the health department, more than 2.3 million Floridians are living with diabetes, and more than half cannot afford their medication.

To have a financial burden like that is unconscionable, Rep. Crist said. The only reason or rational for jacking up the price is to make money. We have to take action to stop it.

Senate Bill 116 is aimed at capping the monthly cost for insulin at $100, regardless of the type or how much a patient needs.

Tampa Senator Janet Cruz introduced the bill this year, and it has bipartisan support.

Thats great news for McKenny, but she wants to see this done on a national scale.

Im going to be moving out to state. Its gong to be hard to pay for rent, bills, and my medication. I also want to go to school, she said.

McKenny plans to talk to lawmakers at Tuesday's State of the Union Address.

I want them to know how difficult it is for people like me, she said.

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Tampa Bay teen takes fight for affordable diabetic medicine to the State of The Union - ABC Action News

A large multi-study review found that sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are likely to provide protective effects from cardiovascular (CV) events in patients with type 2 diabetes, regardless of established CV disease (CVD).

Previous studies have underscored the benefit of SGLT2 inhibitors in those with type 2 diabetes and CVD, but whether that protective effect extended across other patient subsets had been unclear.

In the review and meta-analysis, which was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, the researchers pooled data from 4 clinical trials to evaluate the CV benefits and the effects on key safety outcomes of SGLT2 inhibition in both patients with and without established CVD, reduced kidney function, or heart failure (HF).

Overall, the studies included 38,723 patients with type 2 diabetes and assessed 3 SGLT2 inhibitors: canagliflozin, empagliflozin, and dapagliflozin.

Of the patients, 59% had CVD, 20% had reduced kidney function, and 12% had HF. There were 3828 major adverse cardiac event (MACE) outcomes, 1192 hospitalizations for HF, 1506 CV deaths, and 2612 deaths from any cause.

All patient subgroups benefited from SGLT2 inhibition.

Overall, the results showed:

The authors noted that the magnitude of protection achieved may vary across patients, but the available evidence does not identify a patient group that is unlikely to achieve significant CV protection from use of SGLT2 inhibitors.

Based on these findings, the study authors wrote, Our results call for a reevaluation of current guideline recommendations for SGLT2 inhibitor therapy, with a view to include those with and without established CVD.

In this meta-analysis of large event-driven SGLT2 inhibitor outcome trials we found SGLT2 inhibitors protected against cardiovascular disease and death in diverse subsets of patients with type 2 diabetes regardless of their cardiovascular disease history, lead author Dr Clare Arnott, Senior Research Fellow at the George Institute for Global Health, said in a press release.

While the extent of this protective effect may vary across patient types, the consistency of the findings suggests significant and broad cardiovascular protection can be achieved from use of this drug class.

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SGLT2 Inhibitors Show CV Benefit in All Patients with Type 2 Diabetes - Drug Topics

M. May Zhang, PharmD Candidate

However, weight is a dynamic measure, and trajectories vary over time. Little is known about how onset time or cumulative exposure to obesity impact diabetes risk. Now, a recent study published in Diabetologia shows that diabetes risk is associated with younger age at onset of obesity, and longer exposure to obesity.2

Researchers used data from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Womens Health, a population-based analysis of Australian women studying the effect of various factors on health. Over 19 years, they gathered data from 11,192 initially diabetes-free women aged 18-23 years, focusing on BMI and incidence of type 2 diabetes.

The researchers identified 6 BMI trajectories, which varied by baseline BMI and rate of increase. Women who were initially overweight or obese, or became so over the course of the study, had a significantly increased risk of developing diabetes.

However, the data also showed that cumulative exposure to obesity increased diabetes risk. The researchers measured exposure using obese-years, which account for both duration and magnitude of obesity. A higher number of obese-years, indicating more cumulative exposure, was positively associated with diabetes. Women with less than 10 obese years were 2.18 times more likely to develop diabetes, while women with 30 or more years were 5.88 times more likely.

Researchers also found a negative association between age at onset of obesity and diabetes risk. This may be because women with early-onset obesity are likely to have a longer duration of obesity, thus increasing cumulative exposure. Additionally, obesity at a young age may have more impact on insulin resistance.

Women with rapidly increasing BMIs were more at risk than women with stable trajectories. Normal weight subjects classified as rapid increasers were more likely to develop diabetes than their stable weight counterparts. Likewise, overweight and obese rapid increasers were more at risk than the baseline-only overweight and obese groups.

This study sheds new light on the importance of obesity timing and exposure in young women. Early-onset obesity should be considered an independent risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Over half of the cohort experienced a rapid BMI increase in young adulthood, highlighting this age group as a population that should be routinely counseled about weight management.

Health care providers should encourage these patients to monitor their weight and weight change over time to prevent early-onset and rapid-increase obesity. Not only preventing obesity, but even delaying age at onset and reducing exposure, may significantly decrease diabetes incidence.

REFERENCES

Excerpt from:
Increased Diabetes Risk Due to Age at Onset of Obesity and Cumulative Exposure - Pharmacy Times

Some people watch what they eat. Paige and Tanner Szczesekhave to watch when they eat.

The two children, ages 6 and 2, from Cheektowaga, have Type 1 diabetes. Like others with their condition, they must take extra insulin before meal and snacks. It takes time to work. Eat too soon, and blood sugar can climb dangerously high a constant worry for their mother, Ashley.

My biggest goal is that my children can just feel like children, she said.

Thanks to a new drug developed with an assist in Western New York, they have more of a chance.

The Food and Drug Administration last month approved of a drug that brings researchers a step closer to developing an artificial pancreas that will provide fast-acting insulin in proper amounts at just the right time for those with diabetes.

Fiasp, made by Novo Nordisk, starts working in 2 minutes, hits full force within 10 minutes and even can be taken shortly after someone withdiabetesstarts eating.

Previous fast-acting insulins took at least two or three times as long to do that job.

The newest drug has been available to adults since 2017, but the Food and Drug Administration wanted testing on children before making it available to them. More than 700 children in 17 countries participated in the clinical trial, including five children ages 13 to 17 who have been patients in the diabetes centers at UBMD Pediatrics and next door at Oishei Childrens Hospital on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

This was a big commitment for the families, said Dr. Kathleen E. Bethin, a clinical professor in the Department of Pediatrics in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo, and a physician at both diabetes centers. The kids were in the study for almost a year. There were a lot of extra blood draws and more blood sugar checks than are typically required.

Fiasp brings diabetes researchers closer to mimicking a closed-loop system that uses a glucose monitor, continuous insulin infusion pump and other technologies to allow people whose bodies dont make insulin to live like those whose do.

The new fast-acting insulin drug Fiasp boosts the prospects for a closed-loop insulin system often referred to as "an artificial pancreas," diabetes researchers in Buffalo and elsewhere say. (John Hickey/Buffalo News)

The goal in the diabetes field is to develop insulin analogs that behave more like natural insulin, which is rapid on, rapid off, meaning its quickly released, then quickly dissipates, said Dr. Lucy D. Mastrandrea, chief of the Division of Endocrinology/Diabetes at UBMD Pediatrics and medical director for the Oishei Childrens Hospital Diabetes Center. Part of the reason this drug was developed was to have a better timeline of action thats closer to natural insulin.

The body breaks down carbohydrates into blood sugar to use for energy. Insulin is a hormone needed to bring glucose from the bloodstream into human cells. When blood sugar gets too low, the process breaks down and can lead to learning challenges, seizures, loss of consciousness and death. When it spikes, especially often and over time, complications include limb amputation, heart and kidney disease, and stroke.

For those without diabetes, the pancreas, liver and other organs work together to automatically and seamlessly produce insulin and adjust levels as needed.

Type 2 diabetes is diagnosed when the body doesnt use insulin properly. It often can be managed through a combination of healthy eating, regular exercise and oral medications. Sometimes, insulin also is needed.

Those with Type 1 diabetes produce no insulin. They need to inject manufactured basal insulin to maintain levels throughout each day, load carbs or take medication when blood sugar levels get too low, and add fast-acting insulin to lower them when blood sugar levels climb.

Nearly 18,000 new cases of Type 1 diabetes are diagnosed each year. The majority of children have Type 1, while the majority of those diagnosed in adulthood have Type 2.

Our goal is to keep them in as best control as possible during their childhood years, so that they're not running the risk of dealing with complications when they're in their 20s and 30s, Mastrandrea said.

Drug-maker Eli Lilly engineered the first human-derived insulin, Humulin, in 1981. The company in 1996 developed a faster-acting insulin, Humalog, which is still routinely used. NovoLog and Apidra are among other brands that can lower blood sugar within 20 to 30 minutes after they are injected through a needle or an insulin pump, said Dr. Paresh Dandona, a leading international diabetes researcher, head of the Western New York Center of Diabetes-Endocrinology in Amherst and distinguished professor and chief of endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism in the UB medical school.

Administering the drugs takes planning and guesswork because eating, exercise, stress, illness and other factors affect blood sugar levels. That means those with diabetes need to predict related dips and spikes well in advance. Mealtimes generally are the most challenging because they can spark pronounced spikes.

The food hits you a lot faster than the insulin does, said Szczesek.

Fiasp changes the equation. The newer formulation of NovoLog includes niacinamide (vitamin B3) to boost the speed of absorption.

There still is a lag, but it's the best thing we have, said Dandona, whose clinic helped with adult trials several years ago and who has prescribed the drug to some of his patients during the last two years, with good results.

Paige Szczesek, 6, of Cheektowaga, looks at her personal diabetes manager, which helps her and others more closely track her blood glucose levels and insulin use. (John Hickey/Buffalo News)

Paige and Tanner Szczesek are on the front end of the learning curve when it comes to keeping a proper balance. Their father, Shane, also was diagnosed as a child with Type 1 diabetes.

Greater speed is a godsend for the children, each of whom has a continuous glucose monitor and insulin pump to help control their blood sugar. Paige also has a personal diabetes manager, as part of her pump, that helps her family determine when she needs more insulin and how much. Sweet treats are always on hand for times when their blood sugar drops.

When she needs more fast-acting insulin, someone needs to decide when to administer it, then see how it's working. Ashley Szczesek uses a smartphone to keep tabs on blood glucose levels for both children. She teams up with Paiges school nurse and teachers to address shortfalls and spikes. There are phone calls or text messages every time blood sugar readings warrant, as well as reports about when and what the first-grader has eaten.

I can't just send my kid into school and say, I'll see you at the end of the day,' Ashley Szczesek said. I have an alarm set on my phone for when they're high or they're low. On top of that, especially during the night, I'll normally set several alarms to get up and check their blood sugars. If they're low, I go wake them up and give them something to bring up their blood sugar. If they're high enough, I give them some extra insulin. Between us as parents and the children, there's a lot of sleep loss."

Paige started using Fiasp last year after the clinical trial ended. Mastrandrea prescribed it off-label. Her brother started taking it a few weeks ago.

Paiges A1c level has dropped by 1 percent, to about 7 percent, higher than those without diabetes but in a good range for someone Paiges age with the condition.

Fiasp can ease the diabetes burden, but not erase it.

Those without adequate health insurance may be unable to cover higher co-pays or other out-of-pocket costs. Some people have not wanted to switch for that reason, Mastrandrea said.

Meanwhile, researchers continue to pursue a biologic cure, as well as an insulin pump that works with a continuous glucose monitor to deliver insulin on a minute-by-minute basis as needed.

In order to do that really well, Mastrandrea said, you want to have insulins that are faster-acting, absorb better and behave the way my pancreas does. Fiasp is in that category.

Some of Dandonas patients already have the most advanced insulin pump, the Medtronic 670G, though the device can be complicated for most adults to use, let alone children, he said, and still needs agents to more quickly bring blood sugars into the balanced range.

Still, for those in the field and for families like the Szczeseks, recent progress has been nothing short of remarkable.

Early prototypes of closed-looped models like the 670G once weighed two to three times that of adult patients, Dandona said, and now we have a tiny device doing the same thing.

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Breakthrough diabetes insulin drug developed with help from Buffalo - Buffalo News

The report on the global diabetes devices market provides qualitative and quantitative analysis for the period from 2017 to 2025. The report predicts the global diabetes devices market to grow with a CAGR of 6.

New York, Jan. 24, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Diabetes Devices Market: Global Industry Analysis, Trends, Market Size, and Forecasts up to 2025" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p04947545/?utm_source=GNW 7% over the forecast period from 2019-2025. The study on diabetes devices market covers the analysis of the leading geographies such as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW for the period of 2017 to 2025.

The report on diabetes devices market is a comprehensive study and presentation of drivers, restraints, opportunities, demand factors, market size, forecasts, and trends in the global diabetes devices market over the period of 2017 to 2025. Moreover, the report is a collective presentation of primary and secondary research findings.

Porters five forces model in the report provides insights into the competitive rivalry, supplier and buyer positions in the market and opportunities for the new entrants in the global diabetes devices market over the period of 2017 to 2025. Further, IGR- Growth Matrix gave in the report brings an insight into the investment areas that existing or new market players can consider.

Report Findings1) Drivers Growing prevalence of diabetes Rapidly changing lifestyles Rising occurrence of obesity2) Restraints Low awareness about diabetes management and monitoring devices3) Opportunities The introduction of advanced insulin delivery devices

Research Methodology

A) Primary ResearchOur primary research involves extensive interviews and analysis of the opinions provided by the primary respondents. The primary research starts with identifying and approaching the primary respondents, the primary respondents are approached include1. Key Opinion Leaders associated with Infinium Global Research2. Internal and External subject matter experts3. Professionals and participants from the industry

Our primary research respondents typically include1. Executives working with leading companies in the market under review2. Product/brand/marketing managers3. CXO level executives4. Regional/zonal/ country managers5. Vice President level executives.

B) Secondary ResearchSecondary research involves extensive exploring through the secondary sources of information available in both the public domain and paid sources. At Infinium Global Research, each research study is based on over 500 hours of secondary research accompanied by primary research. The information obtained through the secondary sources is validated through the crosscheck on various data sources.

The secondary sources of the data typically include1. Company reports and publications2. Government/institutional publications3. Trade and associations journals4. Databases such as WTO, OECD, World Bank, and among others.5. Websites and publications by research agencies

Segment CoveredThe global diabetes devices market is segmented on the basis of type of devices, and end user.

The Global Diabetes Devices Market by Type of Devices Monitoring Deviceso Self-Monitoring Blood Glucose (SMBG)o Continuous Blood Glucose Monitoring (CGM) Treatment Deviceso Manual Injectiono Pumps

The Global Diabetes Devices Market by End User Diagnostic Centers Hospitals Home Care Ambulatory Surgery Centers

Company Profiles Abbott Laboratories F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ag Johnson & Johnson (LifeScan, Inc.) DexCom Inc. Bayer Corporation Arkray, Inc. Sinocare, Inc. Medtronic PLC Sanofi Novo Nordisk Eli Lilly and Company Other companies

What does this report deliver?1. Comprehensive analysis of the global as well as regional markets of the diabetes devices market.2. Complete coverage of all the segments in the diabetes devices market to analyze the trends, developments in the global market and forecast of market size up to 2025.3. Comprehensive analysis of the companies operating in the global diabetes devices market. The company profile includes analysis of product portfolio, revenue, SWOT analysis and latest developments of the company.4. IGR- Growth Matrix presents an analysis of the product segments and geographies that market players should focus to invest, consolidate, expand and/or diversify.Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p04947545/?utm_source=GNW

About ReportlinkerReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.

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Global diabetes devices market is expected to grow with a CAGR of 6.7% over the forecast period from 2019-2025 - Yahoo Finance

A recent paper outlines an intriguing new theory. The authors ask whether the microbes that inhabit the human body could transfer diseases such as diabetes and heart disease from person to person.

The importance of the microbiome is currently at the forefront of scientific discourse. Experts and the public are equally absorbed by the fascinating influence of microbes on human health.

A new theoretical paper, published in the journal Science, takes the discussion one step further. The authors ask whether conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and chronic respiratory illnesses could be transmitted from one individual to another via the bacteria, fungi, and viruses that live on and in us.

The paper, which is titled Are noncommunicable diseases communicable? is likely to spark lively debate and a glut of new research. Because scientists now believe that the microbiome plays a role in many diseases, the authors ask whether it could also play a part in transmitting diseases among individuals.

Heart disease, cancer, and lung conditions are called noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) because they result from genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors: Therefore, they cannot be passed from person to person.

Over the last 100 years, mortality rates from communicable diseases, caused by infectious microbes, have fallen dramatically. During the same period, mortality rates from NCDs have risen sharply, now accounting for 71% of deaths globally.

Researchers have demonstrated that changes in the microbiome accompany a wide range of diseases, including diabetes, Parkinsons disease, heart disease, and cancer.

At the same time, scientists have found that the composition of our microbiome appears to mirror those of the people we live among.

For instance, the paper explains that unrelated people who live together have more similar gut bacteria than close relatives who live apart. Scientists currently believe that this similarity results from the shared diet and environment of people who cohabit; but could there be more to it?

The authors of the current paper synthesize these ideas; they explain that Some NCDs could have a microbial component and, if so, might be communicable via the microbiota. This would make NCDs communicable.

As it stands, evidence for this brave new theory is circumstantial, but it certainly merits further scrutiny.

The authors refer to a study of 12,067 individuals that spanned 32 years and report that Having an obese friend was associated with a 57% higher chance of being obese, and there was a 40% higher chance of obesity if a sibling was obese.

Once again, this association could be due to diet, environment, and genetics. Friends and siblings may be more likely to live in similar locations and eat similar foods. But aside from shared behaviors, the authors of the present paper wonder whether individuals might pass along certain microbes that increase the risk of developing obesity.

Obesity is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, and if we suppose that obesity is transmissible from our microbiome to anothers, it would imply that diabetes could also be considered a communicable disease.

Of course, this is a theory based on a theory, and there is only circumstantial evidence to back it up. As an example of this evidence, the authors explain that Within a year of a [type 2 diabetes] diagnosis, spouses have a higher chance of developing [type 2 diabetes], and this trend remains over 3 years after the initial diagnosis.

Again, this could just as easily be explained by two people sharing an environment and dietary habits.

More convincingly, the authors refer to results of various studies that have found that transferring feces from one mouse with a certain disease to another mouse without that disease can cause the second animal to develop the illness; they write:

[Fecal microbiota transplant] of dysbiotic microbiota from individuals with various NCDs into healthy animals results in disease, such as [cardiovascular disease, irritable bowel disorder, type 2 diabetes], and many others.

In short, the authors explain that disturbances in the microbiome can produce disease and that when scientists transplant these microbial communities into another animal, that animal becomes sick. They continue:

These observations suggest that the microbiota could be a causal and transmissible element in certain diseases that have been traditionally classified as NCDs.

This theoretical road may run both ways, too; the authors outline how transmissible microbiota, especially early in life, may also have a protective role against NCDs.

To date, bacteria are the most studied components of the microbiome, but it is possible that viruses which outnumber resident bacteria could also play a role in making NCDs transmissible.

As the authors write, scientists will need to carry out specific research to prove whether NCDs can, in fact, be communicated. Distinguishing between the effects of environment and any effects of microbial transfer will be challenging indeed.

This recent paper, however, is not meant to convince us that gut bacteria are transferring NCDs throughout the population. The authors simply hope that their hypothesis stimulates additional discussion and research. It is sure to do just that.

Read more:
Can you 'catch' heart disease, cancer, and diabetes? - Medical News Today

Its often said that Alzheimers disease is the medical condition people fear mosteven more than cancer. This is understandable, considering the staggering statistics around Alzheimers and the fact that, at least so far as we currently know, there are no truly effective treatments and no cure. (According to the Alzheimers Association in the US, between the years 2000 and 2017, deaths from Alzheimers disease (AD) increased 145%,1 while deaths from other noncommunicable conditions, such as heart disease, actually decreased. In the US alone, approximately 5.8 million people are living with Alzheimers, and this is projected to more than double to about 13.8 million people by 2050.)

Alzheimers may seem mysterious, and the lack of progress toward treatments has been disheartening, but a robust body of scientific evidence suggests that this illness may be a metabolic condition rooted in dysregulated glucose metabolism and insulin signaling.2,3 With this in mind, lets take a closer look at the connections between type 2 diabetes and Alzheimers.

Alzheimers disease is sometimes referred to as type 3 diabetes and has also been described as brain insulin resistance.4,5 In fact, associations between metabolic syndrome (a.k.a. insulin resistance syndrome6) and cognitive impairment are so strong that researchers have coined the term metabolic cognitive syndrometo emphasize these links.7,8,9 The primary malfunction in the brain of someone afflicted with AD is that neurons in affected regions lose the capacity to metabolize glucose properly.10,11 Being unable to harness energy from glucose, these cells atrophy and wither, and the resulting breakdown in neuronal communication may be what leads to the memory loss, cognitive impairment, personality changes, and other hallmarks of the illness.12

Weve known since the research of Rosalyn Yalow in the 1960s that T2D is a disease of too much insulin (unlike type 1 diabetes in which there is not enough insulin). Many researchers believe T2D is the final stage of chronically elevated insulin. Another factor affecting proper insulin secretion and development of type 2 diabetes is the accumulation of fat in the pancreas. (Compromised liver function resulting from the buildup of fat in the liver is called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, or NAFLD. The analogous condition in the pancreas is non-alcoholic fatty pancreas disease15, although it is not as widely recognized as NAFLD.) Abnormal accumulation of fat in the pancreas may interfere with healthy beta cell function and insulin secretion, and is associated with increased risk for type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.16,17,18

In some people, chronically elevated insulin can precede a T2D diagnosis by a decade or more. Theres a parallel in Alzheimers: in people at risk for AD, reduced brain glucose metabolism is measurable when theyre in their 30s and 40s.19 At this young age, though, they are cognitively healthy and show no signs or symptoms of AD. Even though the brains energy supply from glucose is already compromised, the brain is able to compensate and overcome this fuel shortage. Its only when the damage is so severe and widespread and the brain is no longer able to compensate that problems with cognition and memory begin to manifest.

Turning back to T2D, for many people, the elevated fasting blood glucose or A1c that would trigger a diabetes or pre-diabetes diagnosis is a late developmentin the disease process. Chronically high insulin preceded this for some length of time, going undetected because measuring insulin levels is not a routine part of a checkup or standard bloodwork. In the same way, its possible that the memory problems and cognitive impairment associated with AD are late developments, becoming apparent after years or possibly decades during which the brain has suffered from a progressive decrease in energy.20

Disruptions in either the supply of fuel to the brain or the brains ability to usethis fuel can have catastrophic consequences for cognitive function. The brain accounts for just 2% of a typical adults body weight, but it consumes as much as 20-25% of the bodys glucose and oxygen:

Given the high energy requirement of the brain and its critical dependence on the delivery of a constant supply of fuel, the consequences of leaving such an energy shortfall untreated can be dire. When the brains energy supply is insufficient to meet its metabolic needs, the neurons that work hardest, especially those concerned with memory and cognition, are among the first to exhibit functional incapacity (e.g., impairment of memory and cognitive performance).21

People with type 2 diabetes have an increased risk for Alzheimers disease and other types of dementia compared to those without diabetes.22,23,24 However, even in the absence of high blood sugar, people with chronically high insulin are also at greater risk for AD. In fact, one study showed that risk for AD was highest among people with elevated insulin but who were notdiabetic.25 In a study of subjects with newly diagnosed T2D or pre-diabetes who had seemingly normal cognitive function, greater insulin resistance was associated with reduced brain glucose metabolism and subtle cognitive impairments.26 Its possible that hyperinsulinemia and a disruption in brain fuel usage are the first dominos to fall in the Alzheimers cascade, setting the stage for future cognitive decline.

An interesting point to note is that while elevated insulin in the bloodappears to be a major risk factor for AD, many AD patients havelowerthan normal insulin levels in the brain.27,28 Insulin is not required to transport glucose across the blood-brain barrier, nor for neurons to take up and use glucose. However, insulin receptors are scattered richly throughout the brain, and insulin is believed to play a role in facilitating healthy cognition and the viability and proper functioning of neurons.29,30

Chronically elevated blood glucose and/or insulin have negative impacts on nearly every organ and tissue system in the body: the eyes, the kidneys, the skin, the liver, the ovaries, the prostate gland, nerve cells, and more. The brain is no less susceptible to the detrimental effects of deranged glucose metabolism. In fact, owing to its high energy demands, it might even be moresusceptible than other parts of the body, and Alzheimers disease could be the most severe manifestation of this.

Written by Amy Berger, MS, CNS

Amy Berger, MS, CNS, is a U.S. Air Force veteran and Certified Nutrition Specialist who specializes in using low-carbohydrate and ketogenic nutrition to help people reclaim their vitality through eating delicious foods, and showing them that getting and staying well don't require starvation, deprivation, or living at the gym. Her motto is, Real people need real food! She blogs atwww.tuitnutrition.com, where she writes about a wide range of health and nutrition-related topics, such as insulin, metabolism, weight loss, thyroid function, and more. She has presented internationally on these issues and is the author ofThe Alzheimer's Antidote: Using a Low-Carb, High-Fat Diet to Fight Alzheimers Disease, Memory Loss, and Cognitive Decline.

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The Connection Between Type 2 Diabetes and Alzheimer's Disease - A Sweet Life