Category Archives: Diabetes

Last year when 10-year-old Wyatt Johnson was thirstier than usual and drinking a lot of fluids, his mom Amanda thought it was due to him playing football in the hot August sun.

He had lost weight, but was growing taller and going to a lot of football practices, so she thought his weight loss was due to his recent extra activity.

When he woke up one night in late October 2018 throwing up, she and her husband Scott just thought he had a bad stomach virus.

There is a Type 1 diabetes awareness problem, Mrs. Johnson said. Even as a teacher of 17-18 years I didnt know it could present that way.

Type I diabetes (T1D) is the more severe of its sister Type II, and it is a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin. Insulin is a hormone needed to allow sugar (glucose) to enter cells to produce energy.

Mr. Johnson stayed home with Wyatt that day they thought he had a stomach bug, but when Mrs. Johnson returned home that afternoon, she said she knew he needed medical care. His face was gaunt, his appearance so different than usual, his heart rate through the roof, and he could barely walk on his own.

They rushed to their pediatricians office Mrs. Johnson knew if she went to the emergency room to people who didnt know what Wyatt usually looked like, his symptoms might get passed off as the flu.

They knew something more was wrong.

Their pediatrician informed them that Wyatt was experiencing diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), which is a condition that develops when the lack of insulin makes your body begin to use fat as fuel. This in turn produces a buildup of acids in the bloodstream called ketones.

They were told to call their family, and that a helicopter was on its way to meet them at Conway Medical Center to fly him to the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.

Wyatts seven-year-old sister Emory, at home with her grandparents, said she helped quickly pack things for her mother.

Back at the hospital, Wyatts blood was tested at the lab before getting on the helicopter, since his blood sugar was too high for the pediatrician's equipment to register.

Between 70-130 is the average blood sugar for a non-diabetic all day long, Mrs. Johnson said. His blood sugar was 821.

For the next four days, Wyatt recuperated in pediatric intensive care, while his parents got a crash course in caring for a Type I diabetic.

A pediatric endocrinologist guided them through how to give insulin shots, and formulas needed to successfully regulate Wyatts blood sugar on a regular basis.

You have to calculate carbohydrates, it was like a math test, Mr. Johnson said.

Wyatt had heard about Type I, but had no idea what it would mean for his daily life.

I didnt understand. I knew itd be severe but I just didnt know what it was, Wyatt said.

The Johnsons say a lot of people mix up Type I and Type II diabetes, asking them when Wyatt will outgrow it, which is not the case for him.

People think you take a shot in the morning and a pill and your day goes on, Mrs. Johnson said.

This new way of doing life was quite an adjustment, they said.

The first few months, we carried around syringes, insulin, test strips, glucose tabs, Mrs. Johnson said.

Mr. Johnson said Wyatt was getting six or seven shots a day, and finger pricks to check sugar levels every two or three hours.

A few months in, they got a bit of relief when they obtained a continuous glucose meter made by Dexcom, which has a needle that is inserted onto a different part of his skin every ten days, to check his glucose levels automatically throughout the day. The numbers are sent to the Johnsons cell phones via a secure app.

It stops all the finger pricking, Mrs. Johnson said. Its definitely a luxury we are thankful for it.

The finger pricking was also what made getting back into football hard for Wyatt at first.

Wyatt was the long snapper. His job was to snap the ball, and the tips of his fingers were raw. He just hurt, she said.

He jumped right back into football though, Mrs Johnson said, because he just wanted to feel normal again.

Every quarter wed take his blood sugar, hed run by, stick his hand out to get checked. If it was low, hed drink a little Gatorade, Mr. Johnson said.

Wyatts sense of science helped him out in terms of showing an impressive amount of resiliency.

Hes such a tinkerer. His brain wraps around this pretty well, and he took to it pretty quick with his ability to offer self-care, his father said.

His mother said hes really been able to comprehend things well and is quick to see the big picture.

It also helps that they have a great community supporting them.

Wyatts school nurse at his middle school is able to monitor his numbers if need be, but Mrs. Johnson said the nurse hasnt had to intervene since he has proven himself capable to watch his numbers on his own.

This past summer, two youth workers at the Johnsons church offered to learn how to properly give an insulin shot and care for Wyatts needs, so he could attend a middle school camp with other kids.

It was cool they were willing and wanted to learn, Mr. Johnson said.

What was even better was a summer camp they found for kids with diabetes, called Camp Adam Fisher.

Mr. Johnson said all of the counselors there were either pediatricians, endocrinologists, or people with Type I Diabetes themselves.

They said to let him have a week of being a kid, and for us to enjoy our vacation away from numbers, Mr. Johnson said.

Another welcome distraction for Wyatt is his miniature beagle, Linus, who joined the family a few months after his diagnosis.

The Johnsons reiterated that they believe there is a true Type I Diabetes awareness problem.

No one really knows how severe it is, Mr. Johnson said.

He referenced the T-Slim X2 Insulin pump that helps regulate Wyatts levels, and said its a device that can be adjusted down to a hundredth of a measurement in either direction.

One miscalculation one way or another can kill someone, Mr. Johnson said. Its scary.

The Johnsons want to help other parents recognize the signs of Type I diabetes, and offer support to others in their situation.

The signs and symptoms of T1D include frequent urination, being unusually thirsty, fatigue, sudden onset weight loss, and sudden mood changes.

The mood changes they experienced with Wyatt were stark, and more than your usual pre-teen mood swings.

I didnt know him, his mother said.

It was hangry times ten, his father echoed. Insulin is a hormone its a withdrawal from hormones.

Since Type I Diabetes is often hereditary, the Johnsons had their daughter tested as well, and she was not found to have any of the markers at the moment.

Mrs. Johnson said she still sometimes feels bad for not seeing the Type 1 Diabetes signs that had been there for months.

I carry a lot of shame for my lack of knowledge then, Mrs. Johnson said. Until you have a front row seat, you truly and genuinely have no idea all that it entails. It is a very, very humbling experience.

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Local family hopes to spread awareness of Type I diabetes - Myhorrynews

Over 30.3 million people in the United States have diabetes, and that number increases by 1.5 million adults per year. This figure counts for nearly 10% of the U.S. population, and an additional 33.9% have prediabetes. In 2017 alone, 88,563 people died from diabetes, making the disease the seventh highest cause of death in the country. An estimated 640 million adults across the planet will have diabetes by the year 2040.

With such widely-encompassing statistics, effective treatments for diabetes are becoming more and necessary. The past few years have demonstrated productive strides in drug therapies, such as following medications.

Farxiga

(Dapagliflozin), AstraZeneca

Farxiga is a type 2 diabetes treatment that works with the kidneys to lower blood sugar. Not only does the drug help control diabetes, but as of last month, the FDA granted Farxiga an additional use in reducing hospitalization due to heart failure in adults suffering from the disease. "This is promising news for the 30 million people living with type 2 diabetes in the U.S., as heart failure is one of the earliest cardiovascular complications for them, before heart attack or stroke, quoted Rudd Dobber, Ph.D, Executive Vice President and President of the BioPharmaceuticals Business Unit at AstraZeneca.

In a study known as the DECLARE-TIMI 58 CV Outcomes trial, 17,160 type 2 diabetes patients were studied over a median of 4.2 years, with some being given the medication and others receiving a placebo. The study found that the patients on the medication were 27% less likely to be hospitalized due to heart failure.

"The whole issue of secondary benefit from this class of drugs evolved [over time, with more research]. There is another drug out there that consumers should be aware of if they have cardiovascular problems and heart failure that appears to have benefit in reducing heart failure, and to the point it reduces the number of people going into the hospital. But, discuss it with your doctor," offered Gerald Bernstein, MD and coordinator of the Friedman Diabetes Institute of Lenox Hill Hospital in New York.

Trulicity

(Dulaglutide), Eli Lilly

Trulicity is a non-insulin, once per week subcutaneous injection that helps the body to naturally release its own insulin. The packaging hides the needle from patients who may be more sensitive to it, requiring only a click of a button to deliver the dosage. In June of this year, the drug's REWIND trial, which spanned for a median follow-up of 5.4 years, results showed a 12% decrease in cardiovascular events for patients aged 50 and above with type 2 diabetes who were taking the medication versus those taking the placebo.

Dawn Brooks, Ph.D., and Global Development Leader of Trulicity, Lilly, noted that, "millions of people with diabetes are at a higher risk for developing cardiovascular disease. The REWIND trial found that Trulicity significantly reduced major cardiovascular events and had a consistent effect in people with and without established cardiovascular disease. We are pleased with this opinion recognizing the importance of these data, which demonstrate the benefits of Trulicity in a broad range of people with type 2 diabetes."

Victoza

(Liraglutide), Novo Nordisk

Victoza is another non-insulin treatment, taken once daily. The drug lowers A1C, helps to lower blood sugar levels, and may even reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events, including stroke, heart attack, or death.

The drug works in three primary ways. First, "Victoza slows food leaving your stomach. GLP-1 is normally released from your small intestine when you eat. This slows down the process of food leaving your stomach, which helps control your blood sugar after meals." Secondly, "Victoza helps prevent your liver from making too much sugar," and finally, "Victoza helps the pancreas produce more insulin when your blood sugar levels are high. Victoza does this by helping important cells work the way they should. These cells are called beta cells and they help control blood sugar by making and releasing insulin."

In June of this year, the drug was approved by the FDA for diabetes treatment in 10-17 year olds. Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, Executive Vice President and Chief Science Officer of Novo Nordisk reports that "we are delighted with the label expansion for Victoza, which now includes an indication for use in children and adolescents with type 2 diabetes in the U.S. - this is a landmark approval as the first-ever GLP-1 receptor agonist approved for this population. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the U.S. is ever increasing and we are seeing a higher number of diagnoses in children and adolescents, for whom there are limited treatment choices. Victoza will provide a new option for clinicians treating this challenging disease, helping to address the growing need for this population."

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Treatment Options for Diabetes Continue to Grow and Expand - BioSpace

Omar P. Haqqani, for the Daily News

The impact of diabetes on vision

The negative impact diabetes has on areas of the body and organs, including kidneys, heart and nerves have been well documented. However, there is a new emphasis on the relationship between diabetes and the eyes. The number of people with diabetes-related vision problems globally is estimated to increase to 180.6 million in 2030. The figure reported in 2014 was 146 million. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in adults in the United States. 30.3 million Americans, or 9.4 percent of the population, have diabetes.

How does diabetes affect vision?

Diabetes occurs when blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high. Blood glucose is the main source of energy and comes from food. With diabetes, the body does not produce enough insulin, the hormone that processes glucose. It can be absent or its production can be impaired (TYPE 1) or there can be "insulin resistance" of tissues to insulin (TYPE 2).

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) occurs when the blood vessels of the retina are damaged. Increased sugar levels in the blood resulting from diabetes causes this damage. The macula, an oval-shaped pigmented area in the central retina responsible for high-resolution and the color vision, can develop edema; the entire retina is at risk of rogue blood vessels hemorrhaging into the retina or detaching it.

The American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS) states that diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in Americans of working age. People with Type 1 diabetes are as likely to develop diabetic retinopathy as those with Type 2 diabetes.

In addition to diabetic retinopathy, the risk of glaucoma and cataracts is greater for those with diabetes.

Symptoms of diabetic retinopathy

Most patients with DR have no symptoms until its latest stages, making screening a priority in preventing it. In Type 1 diabetes, DR begins within 5 years of their diabetes diagnosis; in Type 2, DR onset can take as long as 20 years.

When symptoms do occur, evidence of diabetic retinopathy may surface in one or both eyes. Blurred vision, eye pain, new difficulty in color perception or a shadow in the field of vision are among the most common symptoms. Having trouble reading or the presence of spots, called "floaters," in the vision are other symptoms.

Diagnosis and treatment

The best diagnostic approach for DR is screening. Early detection of changes that are unnoticed by the patient can allow early treatment to be more beneficial.

Screening is performed by an ophthalmologist or an appropriately trained specialist, and serial retinal photographs can be used to follow the progress of eye conditions. Ophthalmoscopy with the help of pupil dilation is used in conjunction with retinal photography.

Chronic hyperglycemia is the cause of the diabetic retinopathy. The diseased tissue of the retina provokes the growth of new vessels from adjacent ones in an attempt to revascularlize it. Neovascularization engenders the risk of hemorrhage and tractional retinal detachment.

The importance of early diagnosis of DR makes more likely any benefits from its management and treatment. Treatment is based on whether the retinopathy is nonproliferative (NPDR) or proliferative (PDR). The goal of NPDR treatment is preservation of remaining vision while reducing progression. PDR is a more progressive condition that mandates more aggressive treatment. Panretinal photocoagulation is the primary treatment for severe PDR and has been shown to reduce visual loss significantly.

If retinal detachment occurs, removal of the vitreous ("vitrectomy") helps reach the goals of therapy by stabilizing the intraocular environment.

Effective prevention methods include good management diabetes and hypertension management. Lipid-lowering therapy can also help.

To learn more about diabetic retinopathy, its symptoms and treatment, log on to vascularhealthclinics.org and visit the Diabetes and Metabolism Institute.

Ask Dr. Haqqani

If you have questions about your cardiovascular health, including heart, blood pressure, stroke lifestyle and other issues, we want to answer them. Please submit your questions to Dr. Haqqani by e-mail at questions@vascularhealthclinics.org.

Dr. Omar P. Haqqani is the chief of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery at Vascular Health Clinics in Midland: http://www.vascularhealthclinics.org

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The impact of diabetes on vision - Midland Daily News

November is Diabetes Awareness Month, a time that calls attention to the impact this disease has on millions of Americans and to the daily health choices we make.

But while most associate diabetes with humans, many do not realize that our feline friends are also susceptible to the disease.

Dr. Audrey Cook, a professor at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences who is board certified in feline practice, shares with cat owners how this condition may present in their pet and how it can be managed.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a fairly common endocrine disease in domestic cats, Cook said. Although there are many reasons why cats become diabetic, most cats have underlying insulin resistance, much like people with type 2 diabetes. This means that an affected cat may still be able to produce some insulin, but the body does not respond to this appropriately and the insulin produced is not enough to control blood sugar concentrations.

Symptoms of feline DM include excessive urination, excessive thirst, lethargy, weight loss, and increased appetite. Cats who are obese, older than 7 years, inactive, male, and neutered are at a higher risk for developing DM. Certain breeds may also be predisposed, and some commonly used medications, such as glucocorticoids (steroids), may also increase the risk of diabetes.

If your cat shows any signs suggestive of diabetes, please talk to your veterinarian immediately, Cook said. Most cats respond well to treatment with insulin, but a delay in starting therapy can cause serious problems.

Most cats will require insulin injections twice daily, though a variety of treatment options are available. A veterinarian will likely recommend a specific diet and will address weight issues if the cat is carrying any extra pounds.

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Owner participation plays a key role in the management of feline DM. In addition to the administration of insulin, owners must monitor their cats daily activities, including water and food intake and urine production. Many owners also check blood-glucose levels at home, although this is not a requirement for successful diabetic regulation.

We have a lot of options for monitoring our feline diabetic patients, Cook said. Some of our diabetic cat owners learn to collect a tiny amount of blood and others prefer to check the blood glucose using a device that is placed on the back of the cats neck and scanned with a smartphone. We can also run tests in the hospital that let us know how well the insulin is working.

Regular veterinary visits are important for long-term disease management, as insulin doses may need to be adjusted over time. Some cats undergo remission, in which case insulin is no longer needed.

Although a diagnosis of DM can be daunting, many cats do well with treatment and live happy, comfortable lives.

Owners should find a veterinarian who is interested in this disease and who has experience in caring for cats with DM, Cook said. Treating a cat with DM takes some extra effort, but most owners are very satisfied with the outcome and say that caring for their cat made the bond between them even stronger.

Pet Talk is a service of the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University.

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Don't sugarcoat it: The facts of feline diabetes - New Castle News

More than 30 million Americans have been diagnosed with diabetes, making it one of the most prevalent conditions in the U.S. Its also one of the most costly: As of 2017, the total estimated cost of diagnosed diabetes was $327 billion annually, including $237 billion in direct medical costs.

Not surprisingly, diabetes is common across Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, whose members are 65 and older one in five Americans in this age group has been diagnosed with diabetes. Most MA plans have initiatives in place to address the three Part C diabetes measures that help ensure members get the care they need (eye exam, kidney disease monitoring and blood sugar monitoring). And while most plans perform well in at least one measure, few plans perform well in all three. No matter how a plan stacks up on these measures, there is always room for improvement.

Data seems to suggest that there arethree best practices health plans can use to motivate members to complete the diabetic activities that are critical to their health.

Lesson No. 1: Prioritize the Activities for MembersThroughout the course of a given year, plans ask members to complete several healthcare activities. And while every activity is important, the ones that health plans prioritize first when communicating with members are the ones most likely for members to complete.

Given how much is spent annually on treating diabetes, its particularly important that plans prioritize these activities with members. Once these activities are prioritized moremembers complete their diabetic eye exam, kidney disease monitoring and blood sugar monitoring.

Lesson No. 2: Optimize Member CommunicationsImproving communication to members with diabetes is another area where health plans can focus:

Lesson No. 3: Fine-tune Rewards to Deliver ResultsMost health plans offer their members incentives to complete various health activities, but what many fail to realize is different reward amounts are effective for different activities. NovuHealth regularly recommends optimized reward amounts for different activities to its health plan clients based on its experience working with millions of members over the past decade.

Some plans offer a $25 reward for every single healthcare activity, regardless of the barriers to completion and the value to the plan. But depending on these factors, some activities may require more than $25, and some may require less.

Its intuitive that a larger reward leads to a higher percentage of members completing an activity, but this is where optimization is key. Plans that go too high with their rewards and incentives can see limited or even negative return on their investment, and end up spending more than they need to.

Health plans know that diabetes is a costly condition. And while most understand that engaging members and offering them rewards and incentives motivates more members to get care, it takes more than simply throwing money and member mailings at the issue. Plans that prioritize healthcare activities in this case, those related to diabetes and develop sound engagement and rewards strategies, stand the best chance of maximizing their ROI while helping get members the vital care they need.

Photo: filipefrazao, Getty Images

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3 keys to motivating consumers to manage their diabetes - MedCity News

The Cherokee Nation has its sights on eliminating the significance of diabetes in Northeastern Oklahoma, and have been encouraging folks to get outdoors and get active this month - National Diabetes Awareness Month.

As a way to combat diabetes, Cherokee Nation Health Services has been hosting Diabetes Month Awareness Walks throughout the tribe's 14-county jurisdiction. Tonya Wapskineh, coordinator of the Cherokee Nation Diabetes Prevention Program, said exercise is a key factor in addressing the disease, as well as other measures.

"Diabetes can be prevented by getting your blood sugar tested on a yearly basis; reducing intake of sugar and refined carbs; engaging in 150 minutes of activity a week; drinking more water; losing weight if you are overweight; quit smoking; eating foods that are rich in nutrients; reduce the intake of saturated fats; watch portion sizes; move throughout the day; try to get in 10,000 steps a day; and reduce intake of processed foods and fast food," said Wapskineh.

Diabetes remains a considerable issue for people across the globe, as 414 million, or one in 11 people are impacted by the disease. Okies have been susceptible, too. According to the American Diabetes Association, approximately 14 percent of Oklahomans have diabetes, and an estimated 19,000 people in the state are diagnosed with it each year.

The members of CN's Diabetes Prevention Program are working on the issue, though, and the program is the first tribal one of its kind to receive national recognition from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"To gain CDC recognition, your organization must show that it can meet CDC standards and effectively deliver a proven diabetes prevention lifestyle-change program," said Wapskineh.

"Cherokee Nation Diabetes Prevention Program first received recognition in November 2018, and recently received an extension of their full status standing until August 2021."

The disease is costly for Americans, too, as nearly $200 billion are spent per year on obesity-related health costs. The weight felt on people's wallets is not only figuratively, but literally. WalletHub released a recent study for National Diabetes Awareness Month which labels Oklahoma as the sixth "fattest state" in America.

The tribe's prevention program has been shedding that weight, though, as the program's participants have trimmed down in recent years.

"A total of 1,972 pounds have been lost between August 2016 and November 2019, and we have served 447 community members in seven locations throughout the Cherokee Nation tribal jurisdiction," said Wapskineh.

Cherokee Nation is not alone in its mission to combat the disease, as the members of the Oklahoma Legislative Diabetes Caucus announced Nov. 1 that their agenda next year will focus on creating more partnerships, improving education and training, and encouraging more activity in schools to helps Oklahoma's diabetic and pre-diabetic citizens.

State Sen. Frank Simpson, R-Springer, said there are many "state and tribal agencies, nonprofits, medical institutions, and other resources working tirelessly to fight diabetes and protect patients."

"I'm proud of how far we've come as a state in raising awareness and educating Oklahomans about diabetes management and prevention, but our work won't be done until the disease no longer exists," Simpson said in an Oklahoma State Senate press release. "The tools and services are available, we just need to figure out how to provide those resources to more Oklahomans in the most efficient manner possible."

The Cherokee Nation's recourses are already in place, as well, and community members interested in preventing diabetes can participate in the tribe's Diabetes Prevention Program. The program is currently recruiting for classes to be held in 2020. The Healthy Native classes are available in Tahlequah, Stilwell, Sallisaw, Muskogee, Salina, Ochelata, Vinita, and Jay.

"It is a year-long program that encompasses weekly and monthly Healthy Native classes to help participants work towards a 5 percent weight loss goal, by meeting nutrition and physical activity goals," said Wapskineh.

Learn more

Those interested in participating in, or for more information about, the CN Diabetes Prevention Program, call 918-453-5000.

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Cherokee Nation leading the way in fight against diabetes - Tahlequah Daily Press

People with type 1 diabetes may be more than twice as likely to develop potentially fatal complications when they use cannabis somewhat regularly than when they avoid the drug or rarely indulge, a study suggests.

Researchers surveyed 932 adults with type 1 diabetes about alcohol, smoking and substance use. They assigned each person a cannabis use score ranging from 0 for no use at all to 33 for the highest exposure to the drug.

Most participants 871 had little or no risk from cannabis exposure, with cannabis use scores of 0 to 3. Another 61 people were considered to have moderate risk from cannabis exposure, with cannabis use scores of 4 to 26.

Compared to low-risk individuals, people with moderate risk were 2.5 times more likely to experience ketoacidosis, a serious complication of diabetes that develops when blood sugar is elevated for too long and the body produces high levels of acids known as ketones. Left untreated, ketoacidosis can lead to severe dehydration, swelling in the brain, coma and death.

"Cannabis is a known addictive substance, and this potentially problematic aspect of cannabis use should be assessed in patients with type 1 diabetes," study leader Gregory Kinney of the Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora and colleagues write.

Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug in the U.S., and recent legislation has made cannabis legal for either medical or recreational use in more than half of states, Kinney and colleagues note in Diabetes Care.

In a separate paper published recently in JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers involved in the current study reported similar findings, but only in patients from a single medical center in Colorado, where medical and recreational cannabis use is legal. The current study involved diabetes patients at 69 sites.

Moderate risk cannabis users in the current study tended to be younger, and more of them were male, compared to people who rarely if ever used the drug.

Moderate-risk individuals also had less education on average, had been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at a younger age, and had poorer control of their blood sugar levels than people who rarely, if ever used the drug.

One limitation of the current study is that researchers relied on participants to accurately report any cannabis use, even when they lived in states where the drug is illegal. Researchers also lacked data on how well patients managed their diabetes or followed prescribed insulin treatment regiments.

Some previous research suggests that for people with type 2 diabetes the more common form linked to obesity cannabis may make it easier to maintain lower blood sugar levels. But less is known about the impact of cannabis on people like those in this study, who had type 1 diabetes, the less common form that typically develops in childhood and is caused by a breakdown in the body's immune system.

2019 Thomson/Reuters. All rights reserved.

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Cannabis Tied to Deadly Problems in Type 1 Diabetes - Newsmax

Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body doesn't produce enough insulin to function properly, or the body's cells don't react to insulin, and because of the bodys poor insulin production, blood sugar levels in the body keep rising. Over time, if left untreated, rising blood sugar levels can pose life-threatening health risks, such as heart disease and stroke, so it is important to regulate blood sugar levels.

Modifying your diet plays an essential in managing blood sugar levels as certain foods have been shown to increase insulin sensitivity and slow the rate of absorption of food into the bloodstream - a mechanism that helps to control blood sugar spikes after meals.

Numerous studies suggest cinnamon, an aromatic spice that is used in a wide variety of cuisines, boasts blood-sugar-lowering properties so adding it to your meals can help to control blood sugar.

Research investigating the effects of of cinnamon on blood sugar has shown that cinnamon has been shown to decrease the amount of glucose that enters your bloodstream after a meal, reducing the risk of blood sugar spikes.

Glucose is a simple sugar that builds up in your bloodstream and is the primary cause of high blood sugar levels.

READ MORE:Type 2 diabetes: The plant extract proven to lower blood sugar leve

Cinnamon does this by interfering with numerous digestive enzymes, which slows the breakdown of carbohydrates in your digestive tract.

When people eat a food containing carbohydrates, the digestive system breaks down the digestible ones into sugar, which enters the bloodstream, so slowing down the time it takes for carbs to be absorbed in the bloodstream can help to manage blood sugar levels.

In addition, research has also shown that a compound in cinnamon can act on cells by mimicking insulin.

This greatly improves glucose uptake by your cells, though it acts much slower than insulin itself.

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Mounting evidence suggests cinnamons impact on blood sugar levels is significant, showing that it can lower fasting blood sugar levels by 1029 percent.

A study reported in the Agricultural Research Magazine found that consuming just one gram of cinnamon per day can increase insulin sensitivity and help manage or reverse type 2 diabetes.

In addition, results from a a clinical study published in the Diabetes Care journal, found that a daily intake of one, three or six grams reduce serum glucose, triglyceride, LDL or bad cholesterol and total cholesterol after 40 days among 60 middle-aged diabetics.

Triglyceride and cholesterol are types of molecules found in your blood and high levels of triglycerides and LDL cholesterol can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Sticking to a low carb diet is a surefire way to control blood sugar levels as foods high in carbohydrate are broken down quickly by your body and cause a rapid increase in blood glucose.

One way to distinguish between foods that are high in carb and those that are low in carb is to use the the glycaemic index (GI).

As the NHS explains, the glycaemic index (GI) is a rating system for foods containing carbohydrates which shows how quickly each food affects your blood sugar (glucose) level when that food is eaten on its own.

High GI foods include:

Low or medium GI foods, on the other hand, are broken down more slowly and cause a gradual rise in blood sugar levels over time.

These include:

In addition, low GI foods, which cause your blood sugar levels to rise and fall slowly, may help you feel fuller for longer, helping you to control your appetite and may be useful if you're trying to lose weight - a key measure in blood sugar management.

Symptoms of type 2 diabetes include:

The NHS recommends visiting your GP if you have any of the symptoms of type 2 diabetes and you're worried you may have a higher risk of getting it.

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Type 2 diabetes: Eating this winter spice could lower blood sugar - Express

By Tania RabesandratanaNov. 20, 2019 , 12:25 PM

For many people, the most apparent effect of the European privacy law called the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has been a flourishing of website pop-ups, demanding your consent to store browsing behavior as cookies. An annoyance, perhaps, but hardly more than an inconvenience. For Francis Collins, director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), however, the regulation has turned out to be a serious impediment to research.

Since 1993, Collins has been principal investigator for a project studying type 2 diabetes in Finnish people, who have relatively homogenous genetics and detailed health records. Finland's National Institute for Health and Welfare has sent 32,000 DNA samples to Collins's laboratory. He and his U.S. collaborators used the data to discover more than 200 places in the genome where variants increase the risk of illness. But in May 2018, when GDPR came into force, the Finnish institute stopped all data sharing on the project, because NIH could not provide guarantees that would satisfy the institute's interpretations of the law's requirements. Progress has since "slowed to a crawl," Collins says.

This week in Brussels, representatives from NIH, academia, industry, patient advocacy groups, the European Commission, and data protection authorities met to share their GDPR frustrations. They hope to highlight the obstacles it creates for some international collaborations and explore possible responses. "I hope this is only a temporary slowdown, and that the meeting in Brussels opens the way to a solution," Collins says.

The European Union's GDPR rules, which apply to the 28 EU member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, include common sense principles, such as minimizing personal data used in research and using appropriate safeguards. Because "there's now teeth and liability attached," with steep penalties for rule breakers, the regulation has "scared everyone," says Cathal Ryan, assistant commissioner at Ireland's Data Protection Commission in Dublin, leading to scrutiny of projects that rely on personal data.

The European Union recognizes some countriesArgentina, Japan, New Zealand, and Switzerland, among othersas providing adequate data protection, which frees EU scientists to share data with researchers in those nations. But not in Canada and the United States. One way for research institutions there to collaborate with EU researchers is to sign contracts that guarantee data safeguards. However, standard contracts include requirements that institutions agree to European audits of their data systems or submit to the jurisdiction of its courtswhich NIH, as a U.S. government agency, cannot accept. "That was a nonstarter," Collins says.

Some researchers are finding work-arounds, but they are less than ideal. Neuroscientist Sudha Seshadri of the University of TexasHealth Science Center in San Antonio is one of the co-founders of the International Genomics of Alzheimer's Project, which has gathered DNA sequences from more than 90,000 people in Europe and the United States to find genetic variants associated with Alzheimer's disease. She says partners in some EU nations have restricted data sharing, so the consortium now runs separate analyses on each side of the Atlantic Ocean. But this limits analysis, particularly when searching for rare variants that require big data sets, Seshadri says.

Although GDPR lays out overarching principles, it leaves member states to spell out details of research exemptions in national laws. "There's a common joke among ourselves: If you ask 20 lawyers, they'll give you 20 different opinions" on how to comply with it, says Salvador Capella Gutierrez, who leads the Spanish National Bioinformatics Coordination Node at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center. For example, reusing data for secondary research is typically allowed in Spain without additional patient consent when this reuse is deemed in the "public interest." But in countries such as Italy, researchers often have to ask for consent again.

Another way to avoid the regulation and its uncertainties is to anonymize personal research data. But Mads Melbye, CEO of the Statens Serum Institute in Copenhagen, says countries also have different interpretations of what constitutes appropriate anonymization. Even if subjects are not identified, their biological samples contain what some officials consider personally identifiable information, he says. After GDPR was enacted, his institute, which houses the Danish National Biobank, froze data streams to important partners, including NIH and the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France. "We're talking about high-value data collections that have been costly to establish," he says. "It's a disaster for international collaboration if we can't find a solution."

NIH and its Finnish counterpart are close to resuming data transfers, under a deal defining them as "necessary for important reasons of public interest," Collins says. "We're trying to come up with a template that would be consistent with GDPR, but would resolve ambiguities that lead legal experts to take a conservative view for fear of financial penalties," he explains.

Seshadri is confident that clarity and best practices will emerge over time. "I'm hopeful that over the next few years we will find ways to do this efficiently," she says. In the meantime, researchers aren't alone in being frustrated, she says. "As a patient, you want solutions yesterday."

*Correction, 21 November, 2:20 p.m.: This story has been updated to correctSudha Seshadri's affiliation.

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European data law is impeding studies on diabetes and Alzheimer's, researchers warn - Science Magazine

Published: December, 2019

While eating more foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids may lower the risk of heart attack, that doesn't seem to reduce the risk of developing diabetes, according to a study published Aug. 24 in The BMJ. Prompted by past findings that this type of healthy fat might reduce diabetes risk and improve blood sugar (glucose) control, researchers decided to look further into the issue. They reviewed 83 randomized trials involving more than 120,000 people, both with and without diabetes. Each trial went on for six months or longer. These trials looked at whether increasing consumption of omega-3 fats (derived from fish or plants), omega-6 fats (such as those in soybean or corn oil), or total polyunsaturated fats could help lower blood glucose or reduce the risk of developing diabetes. They found that increasing the amount of omega-3, omega-6, or total polyunsaturated fats in the diet over an average study period of nearly three years didn't seem to have any effect on glucose metabolism or diabetes risk. It didn't matter whether the additional healthy fats came from supplements, enriched foods, or foods that were naturally rich in these fats.

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Omega-3 fats don't reduce the risk of diabetes or improve blood sugar control - Harvard Health