Chomping on a few vegetables may help ward off diabetes.


That is according to a new study at the Minnesota School of Public Health. Inside these and other orange, red, and green foods like carrots, tomatoes, kale, and spinach are caroteniods.


Those carotenoids have previously been shown to protect against cancer. These have been shown to lower your odds of a lifetime of getting diabetes, but there is a catch. This is only true if you don't smoke. When researchers looked at the combined effect of smoking and eating these foods, they were trying to find out if a smoker with high carotenoid levels might still be protected against diabetes. They concluded that smoking somehow blocks the protective benefit of these nutrients.


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Amid the high-profile efforts to find better ways to combat killers such as lung cancer or short- circuit bird flu or fashion an AIDS vaccine, a less glamorous problem is quietly attracting attention.


Doctors, insurers, employers and even elected officials are considering how to improve diabetes care.

Physicians know plenty about what works. Nearly a dozen simple tests are proven to help diabetics live longer and avoid the kidney failure, blindness, limb loss and other problems that often stalk them.


Worried about amputation?
The American Diabetes Association reports that proper foot care, including an annual professional examination, cuts the risk as much as 85 percent. Worried about diabetes-related vision loss? The association notes the right screening and follow-up care cut the risk of severe vision loss up to 60 percent.


The real challenge is making sure patients like Charlie Cahill of Frayser, or Carolyn Cox of southeast Memphis, get those and other checks, along with help controlling their blood sugar.


Cahill has battled diabetes since 1961. Now 76, he's had some of the vision changes and heart disease common among diabetics.

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To stop the juggernaut of early onset diabetes in its tracks, experts are calling for more international research co-operation, underpinned by better, more timely communication among the main actors in the field. This was the key message to come out of the high-level diabetes workshop, jointly hosted by the Research DG and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).


Type I diabetes results from the destruction of the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. It leads to serious metabolic disorders affecting people of all ages, but most common in those under 40 years of age. Europe has the highest known incidence of the disease, which currently has no cure. But there is reason for hope, notes a recently released report from proceedings of the EU-JDRF workshop held late last year. Exciting advances are being made across Europe in stem cell research, genetics, beta cell therapy, and immune tolerance, to name a few.


Type I diabetes is caused by a problem in the pancreas – an organ in the abdomen. It produces a hormone called insulin which helps us metabolise food. People lacking insulin – which controls the flow of sugar (glucose) in and out of our bodies’ cells – have to inject it into their bodies several times a day.


This means they have to monitor their blood glucose levels constantly and watch their diets carefully. People with diabetes are also more prone to several other conditions, such as stroke, heart attack, kidney disease and eye disease. They often die younger. On top of the human costs is the mounting burden to health systems straining to treat type I diabetes and the increasingly prevalent type II, which is closely linked to weight.

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Study: Diets Rich In Low-Fat Dairy Products May Lower Risk Of Getting Disease


A diet rich in low-fat dairy products may cut a woman’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a new study shows.


The report, published in the journal "Diabetes Care," comes from researcher Simin Liu, M.D., ScD, and colleagues. Liu works at the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and UCLA.


Liu’s team didn’t directly test dairy products for diabetes prevention, and they’re not making any recommendations just yet. But the researchers noticed that over a decade, middle-aged women were less likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes if they frequently ate dairy products.


In fact, each additional daily dairy serving was associated with a 4 percent drop in diabetes risk, the researchers note.


Diabetes Data


Liu and colleagues analyzed data from the Women’s Health Study, which included more than 37,000 female health professionals (average age: mid-50s). At the study’s start, none had diabetes.


The women completed surveys about their eating habits. The questionnaires covered approximately 130 foods and beverages, including skim milk, whole milk, yogurt, sherbet, cottage cheese, ice cream, cheese, cream cheese, and sour cream.

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Bourne Research - July 11, 2006


During the first half of 2006 there was a noticeable upswing in activity focused on the development of MEMS (MicroElectroMechanical Systems) and nanotechnology-based solutions for the care and management of diabetes, according to the latest Bourne Research update on BioMEMs and nanomedicine markets. The current focus includes wireless and implantable technologies.



The market research firm reports that a variety of MEMS devices, nanostructures and other emerging technologies are not only being tapped for blood glucose monitoring and insulin delivery, but for other diabetes-related complications as well, including those related to the eyes and gastrointestinal tract.

"What's most notable about the current round of products in development, in clinical trials, or recently approved by the FDA and launched into the market is that many are wireless, implantable or both," says Marlene Bourne, President and Principal Analyst with Bourne Research. "While these approaches will make living with and managing diabetes much easier, they are also highlighting a very real need for next-generation battery technologies, which are in development."

Bourne Research reports that even though a few large firms dominate the diabetes market, it remains very attractive for start-ups with innovative ideas, since this segment has historically been at the forefront of acquisition activity. The firm notes that five companies have received nearly $80 million in venture capital (VC) funding in the past few months, and an acquisition is pending.


Source: Tekrati


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