Arterial stiffness is greater in individuals with isolated impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) than in those with isolated impaired fasting glucose (IFG), suggest results of a cross-sectional study in China.

IGT and IFG are states of abnormal glucose regulation that are known to increase the risk for developing diabetes and associated vascular disease.

To investigate the vascular disease risk profile associated with IGT and IFG in older Chinese people, Tai Hing Lam (University of Hong Kong) and co-workers examined a random sample of 1274 individuals aged 50 to 85 years without known diabetes participating in the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study.

Laboratory measures included fasting plasma glucose, 2-hour post-prandial plasma glucose, insulin, lipid profiles, pulse pressure, and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (PWV), the latter two being surrogate markers of arterial stiffness.

Isolated IGT was defined as a fasting plasma glucose level of less than 5.6 mmol/l and a 2-hour glucose level between 7.8 and 11.0 mmol/l. Isolated IFG was defined as a fasting plasma glucose level of between 5.6 mmol/l and 7.0 mmol/l and a 2-hour glucose level of less than 7.8 mmol/l.

In this cohort of older Chinese people, 17.7% of the men and 18.6% of the women had isolated IGT, and 11.0% of the men and 8.6% of the women had isolated IFG. Diabetes was newly diagnosed in 10.1% of the men and 9.5% of the women.

The authors note that IGT was more common than IFG in both men and women, and warn that “the sole use of fasting glucose level to identify prediabetic people would fail to identify a significant proportion of the at-risk population.”

Both the isolated IFG and isolated IGT individuals had increased brachial-ankle PWV and pulse pressure compared with the normoglycemia group.

Individuals with isolated IGT appeared to have higher brachial-ankle PWV and greater insulin resistance than individuals with IFG after adjusting for age and gender, although the difference was only of borderline statistical significance.

The IGT group also had significantly worse levels of apolipoprotein A-1 (apo A-1), apolipoprotein B (apo B), apo B/apo A-1 ratio, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol than the IFG group.

“There are clear differences between those subjects with isolated IGT compared with those with isolated IFG, suggesting that the former are more insulin resistant with a worse lipid profile, which was associated with worse vascular function,” conclude the authors in the journal Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental.

MedWire (www.medwire-news.md) is an independent clinical news service provided by Current Medicine Group, a trading division of Springer Healthcare Limited. © Springer Healthcare Ltd; 2009

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The Versartis biotech pharmaceutical company in San Diego has just announced that they are developing a long-acting growth hormone peptide that will be used to treat Type II Diabetes. Preclinical data has proved its efficacy. But, their studies will not start until the second quarter of 2010. They expect it will take at least two years to get the product to market (and possibly longer). Are diabetes sufferers willing to wait that long? Remember, Diabetes takes an extreme toll on your body.

Meanwhile, our patients have been introduced to testosterone and human growth hormone peptides for over 10 years, and have experienced improved insulin resistance, along with positive body composition changes and weight loss. Weight loss alone often corrects Type II Diabetes. Most people do not know that Type II diabetes is often caused by changes in hormone levels The combination of testosterone replacement, along with a new peptide GHRP-6 which has been developed to instigate the release of one’s own human growth hormone, combined with a healthy low-glycemic index diet, easily reverses Type II Diabetes.

The new peptide is GHRP-6 and is available by prescription through certified compounding pharmacies. It functions as a Human Growth Hormone releaser within the human body. One of the features of the integrative medicine and interventional endocrinology we practice at Doctor’s Age Management is that we understand the importance of taking a look at your full body chemistry and lifestyle to address health problems. This is a better overall program than simply prescribing medications to mask the symptoms of the true problem.

I would like to share with you some information on what a diabetic should do for preventing and reversing diabetes type 2 as it is a life threatening disease. There are about 24 million people suffering with diabetes, and 50% of them do not know how they acquired it. It is also a great pathos that millions of people are ignorant of their condition and they are at the mercy for survival with pre-diabetes.

Controlling blood sugar in diabetics can be a good strategy of minimizing the chance for risk of heart disease or unwarranted death. Mostly diabetes occurs due to high blood sugar and it is a timely need to reduce the level of blood glucose in the blood stream. The elevated blood sugar levels should be given a check from getting uncontrolled hike. This is possible by adopting a healthy lifestyle to pave the way for risk-free life.

The basic reason for diabetes is sedentary lifestyle and unchecked food habits with no proper diet meal plan and exercise. As such, what should you do now being diabetic? Any person prone to diabetes is accountable for two reasons. He might have acquired the problem either by uncontrolled food habits or by sedentary lifestyle. Whatever may be the cause of diabetes, proper measures need to be taken for reversing diabetes. Taking insulin injection is no doubt good for reversing diabetes but it is not suggestive for all diabetics. So, it is wise to choose proper diet and lifestyle for beating diabetes.

Dietary meal plan for diabetics to reverse diabetes:

Eating in right volume can help control blood sugar. It again improves liver detoxification preventing diabetes and reversing insulin resistance. The diet foods you choose to eat should be high in fiber and low in glycemic index. In this regard, you may add fresh vegetables and colorful fruits. Such detoxifying foods are of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory in nature. You can enjoy these benefits in olive oil, black beans, and soy products. That way, you will be fortunate in reversing diabetes type 2 by promoting right gene and healthy metabolism.

Irrespective of the food you consume, you must adjust the break hours between two servings as 4 hours so that you are able to maintain a balanced level of insulin and glucose in the bloodstream. Also, it should be noted that avoiding day time sleeping and having night food well before bed can help you reversing diabetes.

People who sleep for less than 6 hours per night have a three-fold increased risk for developing impaired fasting glucose (IFG) compared with those who sleep for 6 to 8 hours per night, a US study suggests.

Lisa Rafalson (State University of New York at Buffalo) and colleagues say that these findings may be related to sleep restriction reducing glucose tolerance and increasing cortisol levels and heart rate variability, as illustrated by previous studies.

They explain: “These neuroendocrine changes interfere with mechanisms that regulate plasma glucose, resulting in a higher steady-state plasma glucose concentration.”

The researchers monitored the development of IFG among 363 healthy participants (baseline fasting plasma glucose [FPG] <100 mg/dl),from 1996-2001 to 2003-2004.

Using the Stanford Seven-Day Physical Activity Recall questionnaire, all participants reported their baseline average sleep duration per night as short (<6 hours, n=25), mid-range (6-8 hours, n=314), or long (>8 hours, n=24).

Mid-range sleep was used as the reference “normal” sleep duration.

FPG levels were measured at baseline and at the end of follow-up, with IFG defined as a FPG of less than 100 mg/dl at the baseline examination and between 100 and 125 mg/dl at the follow-up examination.

By the end of the follow-up period, 91 patients had developed IFG, and each of these patients, were matched by age, gender, and year of baseline interview, to three control individuals who did not develop IFG (n=272).

As reported in the Annals of Epidemiology, the risk for IFG was found to be three times greater among short sleepers than mid-range sleepers, after adjustment for diabetes risk factors such as hypertension and a family history of diabetes,.

However, when the effect of insulin resistance was accounted for, the risk for IFG among short sleepers fell to a nonsignificant 2.5-fold increase compared with mid-range sleepers.

This suggests “that insulin resistance explains some but not all of the association,” say Rafalson et al.

Of note, no significant association was found between long sleep and IFG development.

The researchers warn that their findings do not conclusively show that sleep restriction is an independent risk factor for IFG development, as “the possibility that short sleep duration may represent a risk marker rather than a causal risk factor for diseases cannot be ruled out at the present time.”

They add: “Short sleepers are likely to be characterized by a distinctive pattern of sociodemographic, lifestyle, and comorbid medical conditions that may confound the observed associations.”

MedWire (www.medwire-news.md) is an independent clinical news service provided by Current Medicine Group, a trading division of Springer Healthcare Limited. © Springer Healthcare Ltd; 2010

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Sleep patterns linked to glucose intolerance

Stable blood sugar levels are one of the main factors that can make eating low glycemic foods really attractive. Low-GI carbohydrates also help with weight control because stable blood sugars and energy are linked to fewer food cravings.

Here are some food suggestions that people with type 2 diabetes are advised to include in their daily eating plan alongside low-GI foods. Maybe they could be called smart foods as the emphasis is on balancing carbohydrates with monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fats. They also help to stabilize your blood sugar levels:

1. Fiber: High fiber foods have a number of benefits:

• they require more chewing and thus slower eating
• they create a feeling of fullness which can only be obtained by eating really large amounts of modern food
• fiber limits the digestibility of plant starches and helps buffer natural sugars… this avoids sharp increases in your sugar and insulin
• the chronic consumption of low amounts of fiber has been associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity and heart disease

2. Omega-3 fatty acids: Your body needs omega-3 fatty acids to:

• produce flexible cell membranes where large numbers of insulin receptors are. Insulin resistance develops when these membranes are not flexible
• omega-3 fatty acids can help reverse as well as prevent type 2 diabetes
• it also prevents against cardiovascular disease by reducing the tendency of clots forming. This then helps reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke
• omega-3 fatty acids are found in cold water fish such as salmon, trout and tuna; venison or game birds; omega-3 enriched eggs; vegetables including romaine lettuce and dark leafed vegetables; walnuts and ground flaxseed

3. Moderate protein: A high protein intake causes your kidneys to work hard… this can damage kidney function over the long term. This is a problem for people with type 2 diabetes who are already at an increased risk of kidney disease. So moderate protein is the key… your body can convert some protein to energy; it is digested slowly and therefore stabilizes your insulin and blood sugar levels. A good butcher can trim your cuts of meat or grind your meat into mince to ensure leanness.

4. Soy: Soy has been found to help your cells be more responsive to insulin so helps with control of your blood sugars. Soy is classed as a legume… a bean. The basic soybean is low-GI as are most of the foods derived from soy.

5. Buckwheat: Energizing and nutritious, buckwheat can be served as an alternative to rice or made into porridge. Buckwheat is a fruit seed related to rhubarb and sorrel… it is actually a suitable substitute for people who are allergic or sensitive to wheat or other grains that contain protein glutens. Recent research shows that extract of buckwheat actually lowered meal-related blood sugar levels.

Improving your body’s insulin resistance and controlling your blood sugar levels are two of the most important things you can do to help you live a healthy and long life.

Diabetic retinopathy is associated with visceral fat accumulation and insulin resistance in patients with Type 2 diabetes, study results show.

Futoshi Anan (Oita Red Cross Hospital, Japan) and co-workers explain that “increased visceral fat accumulation is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and is associated with insulin resistance in healthy subjects and patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus.”

Furthermore, the researchers add that “the presence of diabetic retinopathy is reported to be associated with insulin resistance in Type 2 diabetes mellitus patients.”

Based on these observations, Anan and team hypothesized that increased severity of diabetic retinopathy is associated with visceral fat accumulation and insulin resistance in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

The scientists studied 31 patients with Type 2 diabetes and 71 patients with both Type 2 diabetes and diabetic retinopathy, all of whom were Japanese.

Analysis of visceral fat levels and insulin sensitivity revealed that the risk for diabetic retinopathy was significantly, positively, and independently predicted by visceral fat accumulation and degree of insulin resistance. These associations remained after controlling for potential confounders, including age, gender, body mass index, waist circumference, duration of diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, blood pressure, and lipid concentrations.

The authors concede in the journal Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental that their study is limited because none of the patients underwent coronary angiography and so the potential influence of cardiovascular disease on the relationships between visceral fat accumulation and retinopathy could not be accounted for.

However, despite these and other limitations, they conclude that the findings provide early evidence for links between diabetic retinopathy and elevated levels of visceral fatty acid accumulation and insulin resistance, which deserves further study.

MedWire (www.medwire-news.md) is an independent clinical news service provided by Current Medicine Group, a trading division of Springer Healthcare Limited. © Springer Healthcare Ltd; 2009

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The good news about type 2 diabetes is it is reversible, especially when found in the early stages. Type 2 diabetes usually starts when your body’s cells are unable to use insulin properly and maybe occurs as a result of one of the following:

• a tendency towards developing type 2 diabetes as passed down from your family
• carrying excess weight, especially around your waistline
• immune system disorders for example lupus
• being physically inactive
• being under stress for long periods
• medications such as steroids
• having diabetes whilst pregnant, gestational diabetes

Your body then responds by making extra chemicals that prevents your body from using insulin. There is insulin… it just does not work as it is meant to… this is called insulin resistance.

Over time, usually years, your pancreas may start to give up. It will make less and less insulin… just not enough to get the job done.

Type 2 diabetes develops gradually, and actually with the help of an annual test to check your blood sugar level, it would be easily detectable. Then the symptoms that may have developed during that past year could be reversed without medication… simply by following a healthy lifestyle which would include:

• choosing to eat and drink healthily and enjoyably without unpleasant side-effects afterwards
• becoming the person you used to be by losing excess weight
• getting back to the fresh air exercises that you used to enjoy as a younger person… walking more and driving less

The good news about reversing signs and symptoms of type 2 diabetes is:

1. Reversing type 2 diabetes is a pleasure: there is no pain involved in adopting a healthy lifestyle. In fact all you are actually doing is getting back to the healthy basics that you body was built to enjoy. This means you will:

• sleep better
• wake up feeling more energetic and raring to go, and
• perform much better during the day

You will also be far less likely to suffer unpleasant hangovers, experience painful body cramps, or just be plain grumpy all day. That’s because your new healthy lifestyle is not only good for your body, it is also food for your mind and your soul.

2. You will be saving money as well: imagine what you will be able to do with the money you save by avoiding unhealthy convenience foods, headache tablets and prescription medications.

3. You will get extra benefits from a healthy lifestyle: did you notice that the things you need to do are the same as those recommended for other health problems such as high cholesterol levels. That’s proof positive that the recommendations are nothing more than a compelling suggestion to return to a healthy, beneficial lifestyle where your weight will be reduced along with your blood sugar levels.

Dr. Neal Barnard, Founder of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine stated: “”In the past few years, much of what we thought we knew about diabetes has been turned on its head”. One of these assumptions that is now out the window is that a type 2 diabetes diagnoses is a life-long sentence. Far from it. Surprisingly, a legitimate cure cannot be found at your local pharmacy or your doctor’s office… but in your kitchen.

Food is by far the most effective and powerful cure for type 2 diabetes. Unlike medications that do nothing but treat symptoms, food has the ability to actually go after the root cause. When used the right way, you can actually reverse high blood sugar and get your life back.

Here’s how to harness the power of food to reverse diabetes:

Food For Weight Loss:

Another false notion turned upside down is that eating too much sugar causes insulin resistance. Although a high sugar diet won’t do your blood sugar levels any favors, sugar’s role is not a cause and effect relationship.

In fact, most scientists now feel that type 2 diabetes is caused from the excess inflammation created by fat cells. That’s why someone who is overweight has a much greater chance of developing diabetes. In fact, 80% of people with this condition are overweight.

That is also why losing significant amounts of weight tantamounts to a real-life cure. A study published in Diabetic Medicine found weight loss not only significantly reduced the impact of diabetes, but also discovered each 2lbs of weight lost translated into four months of extra lifespan. How’s that for a motivator!

The best diet for weight loss is a plant-based diet jam-packed with fresh fruits, vegetables, legumes, lean meats, and whole grains… and limited processed food.

Food and Inflammation… A Double Edged Sword:

The power of food is a two way street. Certain foods like fish, beans, and produce cause inflammation to free-fall, while others such as refined grains, sugar, and trans fats actually increase inflammation.

If you are serious about improving your blood sugar, it’s crucial the foundation of your diet is anti-inflammatory foods and limits, or eliminates, pro-inflammatory foods.

This may seem daunting in our society with unhealthy food always at arm’s reach but there are a few steps you can take to make sure that you stay on the road to a cure.

Get Help: You don’t have to go at it alone. There is so much misinformation out there that it can be challenging to distinguish between fact and fiction. That is why it’s beneficial to meet with your health care provider and dietitian who will be a partner for your success.

Set Goals: It is going to take quite a bit of motivation to shift your diet… setting actionable goals has been shown to help people stay on track.

Tell Everyone: One of the most effective methods of sticking to a new eating plan is to get social support from family and friends.

Learning how to cope with type 2 diabetes certainly takes time and patience. And when it comes to an eating plan, no doubt you have questions, and naturally you want these questions answered. One thing which is good for you to know is this: stop dieting… it doesn’t work, it actually works against you.

When you diet you force yourself to stop listening to your “natural hunger” cues. And therefore you do not hear your “comfortable” cues neither. Often we react to feeling deprived by overeating so it makes sense to say you need to stop dieting and start listening to your body telling you when you are hungry. Now this can be a little tricky for people with type 2 diabetes as the condition itself alters how you would normally respond. Due to insulin resistance, the increased level of natural insulin floating around in your bloodstream tells you you are hungry, even shortly after eating a reasonable sized meal.

Looking at insulin: one of the factors important in weight loss is of course to watch the glycemic index of the carbohydrates you eat. Eating low-GI carbs ensures a low blood sugar response and a lower amount of insulin being required to help lower your blood sugar levels.

Looking at what you drink: Be careful of what you are drinking. As well as your body not being really satisfied by fluids, watch out for the calories/kilojoules content of that beverage. Many drinks, including fruit drinks, spike your blood sugar level and in turn that affects your natural insulin response as well.

There is a lot of “talk” on the internet about coffee being good for diabetics, so lets look at some facts about coffee and see what you think:

Coffee facts include:

• coffee is caffeinated… caffeine stimulates insulin production. With type 2 diabetes, your body is in a state of insulin resistance, where your cells don’t respond to insulin. This results in your pancreas producing insulin at a much higher rate than normal. So do you need a caffeinated beverage? Probably not
• coffee is addictive. Ever try to kick the coffee habit? You’re in store for a humongous headache if you stop it cold
• coffee will charge you up for the day. Coffee sends a message to your adrenal glands that there is a survival situation happening. This can then result in in your body being more acidic than alkaline… in an alkaline state your body heals
• drinking more than four cups of coffee a day can lead to brittle bones
• coffee stimulates your appetite… not what many type 2 diabetics need

Coffee may taste good, but many health practitioners report that coffee is a beverage you need to avoid as it does stimulate your appetite.

With type 2 diabetes, you want to know what is possible. And the answer is to use your eating plan, supplements and exercise patterns to reverse it. You can do it, just like thousands of others have.

As per the official data, the last decade has seen an alarming rise in the incidence of diabetes - from 30 million patients, to 230 million. It has not only taken thousands of lives and impaired millions more, it has also severely taxed the health care systems worldwide. Therefore, it has become imperative for people to be aware of its nuances so that they can deal with it better.

What is Diabetes?

To live and work, we need energy. This energy comes in the form of glucose obtained from the digestion of the food we eat. To convert this glucose into energy, a particular hormone is required known as insulin. Insulin is produced by a particular gland in the body called pancreas.

Diabetes mellitus is a condition in which the pancreas is unable to produce insulin. As a result, the glucose obtained from the digestion of the food we eat, is not converted into energy. Consequently, it gets accumulated in the blood sending the blood sugar level to dangerously high levels. If untreated, it may also lead to blindness, kidney failure, weakening of the immune system and malfunctioning of islet cells.

What are the Variations in Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus shows two variations: idiopathic or primary and secondary. Secondary diabetes is also known as gestational diabetes and is a temporary condition which occurs during pregnancy.

Idiopathic diabetes is of two types: Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (IDDM) or Type I and Non Insulin Dependent Diabetes (NIDDM) or Type II. Type I diabetes is characterized by the occurance of keto-acidosis. It is also called juvenile onset diabetes as it often manifests itself in childhood. It happens because of an autoimmune destruction of the b-cells of the pancreas. Type II diabetes, on the other hand, is characterized by persistent hyperglycemia. It is also known as adult onset diabetes as it often manifests itself after 40.It is a result of some genetic defects that cause insulin resistance and insulin deficiency.

Diet and Exercise

Diabetes can be managed with a healthy lifestyle with moderate exercise and balanced diet consisting of sufficient carbohydrates and soluble fibers but low in protein.

Help

Sometimes the occurrence of diabetes, particularly type I, is rather abrupt. It may result into a disorder called keto acidosis, a medically serious condition. The typical diabetes symptoms are loss of appetite, weight loss, vomiting, excessive urination altered consciousness and even coma. If these symptoms appear, you must seek immediate medical help.

Diabetes may be a serious disease, but it’s not unmanageable. With proper lifestyle and diet, combined with medical help, diabetics can lead a perfectly healthy and happy life.