The children of mothers with a low vitamin D status during pregnancy could be more than twice as likely to develop type-1 diabetes according to the results of a study published in the journal Diabetes earlier this month. The study, led by Ingvild M. Sørensen of the Department of Pediatrics, Oslo University Hospital Ullevål in Norway, involved 109 women whose children subsequently developed type-1 diabetes before the age of 15, and 218 control women whose children did not develop diabetes.

Read The Full Post »»

Those who drink less than 0.5 litres of water a day are significantly more likely to develop hyperglycaemia (high blood sugar) according to the results of a French study published in the journal Diabetes Care last month.

The research, led by Ronan Roussel, Professor of Medicine at the Hospital Bichat in Paris, involved 3,615 adults who were followed for 9 years. Over the course of the study there were 565 new cases of hyperglycaemia which was defined as either a fasting glucose level over 6.1 mmol/L or the commencement of treatment for diabetes.

Read The Full Post »»

Two studies, both published in July of this year, have linked high consumption of heme iron (the form of iron found in animal products) with an increased risk of developing gestational diabetes.

The first study was conducted by researchers from the Center for Perinatal Studies at the Swedish Medical Center in Washington, USA, and involved the study of 3,158 pregnant women who were followed over the course of their pregnancy. During the study, 158 of the women developed gestational diabetes.

Read The Full Post »»

Pectin is a substance found in the cell walls of land-based plants. Pectin combines with water to produce a thick, gel like substance, making it useful as a setting agent in jams and marmalades. Pectin has gained some popularity as a health food due to its ability to lower cholesterol levels. Interestingly, pectin has also shown promise as a potential aid to diabetics as several scientific studies have found improvements in glucose control following pectin supplementation.

Read The Full Post »»

A Japanese study has found that fast eaters may be at a significantly greater risk of developing impaired glucose tolerance compared to those who eat at a normal speed.

The study, which appeared online last month in the journal Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, was conducted by researchers at the Institute of Clinical Medicine at the University of Tsukuba. The study involved 172 initially healthy Japanese men and women who were followed over 3 years.

Read The Full Post »»

Vitamin C has shown some fairly impressive cholesterol lowering abilities in previous studies, however the importance of vitamin C in both preventing and treating diabetes has only recently come to light. The only published study on the issue of vitamin C and diabetes risk was published in 2008 and found huge reductions in diabetes risk for those with high levels of vitamin C.

The study, which was published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine, was conducted by British researchers based at the University of Cambridge.

Read The Full Post »»

In the last 50 years or so, medical advances have improved the life expectancy and quality of life of diabetics dramatically however they still face an increased risk of developing common chronic illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, and cancer. As a result of this, diabetics have a life expectancy around 8 years lower than their diabetic counter parts.

One of the largest studies on the impact of diabetes on life expectancy was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, in 2007. The researchers used data from the Framingham Heart Study to determine the impact of diabetes on life expectancy at the age of 50.

Read The Full Post »»

Guar gum is a water soluble fibre that is produced from the endosperm of Guar beans. It is available from speciality health and baking stores, primarily for use as a thickening agent. It is a relatively cheap item to buy with food grade guar gum costing around $3 per pound. Guar gum has some interesting properties that may be beneficial to diabetics including the ability to lower both glucose and cholesterol levels. These properties are discussed in more detail below.

Read The Full Post »»

The small island of Nauru in the South Pacific is believed to have the highest prevalence of diabetes in the world with a massive 31% of adults between 20 and 79 suffering from either type-1 or type-2 diabetes in 2010.

Obesity is the primary reason for the high diabetes rates in Nauru with more than 95% of the population classified as either overweight or obese making Nauru the fattest nation on the planet.

Read The Full Post »»

Despite being the most popular vegetable in the United States, potatoes have fallen out of favour somewhat with nutritionists over the last few decades due to a relatively low nutrient density and high levels of quickly absorbed carbohydrates. Many diabetics avoid potatoes altogether for fear of exacerbating their condition. Fortunately the news is not all bad when it comes to diabetes and potatoes and most diabetics can include a modest level of potatoes in their diet.

Read The Full Post »»

A study published in the journal Diabetic Medicine last month shows a dramatic increase in the rate of type 1 diabetes in the UK, mirroring increases in other developed countries over the last couple of decades.

The report, which compared type 1 diabetes incidence in the UK between 1991 and 2008 showed some dramatic increases, particularly among boys aged 0-14 years where the rate more than doubled from 11 cases per 100,000 person-years to 24 cases per 100,000 person-years.

Read The Full Post »»

A compound, found exclusively in garlic, may control blood sugar levels just as well as insulin but without the need for daily injections according to a new study published in the January 2009 issue of Metallomics, a journal published by the Royal Society of Chemistry. The compound, known as Bis(allixinato)oxidovanadium(IV), is a complex consisting of a central vanadium atom connected to two allixin molecules.

Read The Full Post »»

According to a study published in the journal Diabetes Care in 2003, cinnamon may be quite effective at reducing blood sugar levels in diabetic patients, reducing the need for diabetes medication.

The study, conducted by Pakistani researchers, involved 30 diabetic men and 30 diabetic women who were divided into six groups. The first three groups consumed 1, 3 or 6 grams of cinnamon per day in the form of a cinnamon supplement while the final three groups received placebos.

Read The Full Post »»

Salsalate, an NSAID closely related to Aspirin, has been found to reduce fasting glucose levels and improve glucose tolerance in obese individuals according to a small pilot study published in the journal Diabetes Care in February this year. The study raises the possibility of using salsalate as an alternative treatment for type-2 diabetes and for the prevention of diabetes in high risk individuals.

The study involved 20 individuals aged under 30 who were classified as obese (BMI greater than 30).

Read The Full Post »»

An emerging trend in the past fifteen years has been the increasing use of gastric bypass surgery as a treatment for morbid obesity. Recent scientific studies have found that not only does gastric bypass surgery lead to a dramatic amount of weight loss, it also results in the remission of diabetes in as many as 90% of cases, often within just a few weeks of the surgery.

Gastric bypass surgery belongs to a class of operations known as bariatric surgeries which are designed to help morbidly obese individuals lose weight. The gastric bypass procedure is carried out by closing off a small stomach pouch from the rest of the stomach.

Read The Full Post »»

Vitamin E and a carotenoid known as cryptoxanthin may both be effective in reducing type-2 diabetes risk according to a study published in the journal Diabetes Care in 2004.

The study, conducted by Finnish researchers at the National Public Health Institute in Helsinki, Finland, involved the analysis of 2,285 men and 2,019 women aged between 40 and 69 who were initially free of diabetes.

Read The Full Post »»