diabetes
Service dog saves the life of his diabetic owner
Maria Tello's service dog, Mallachi, demonstrated the importance of insulin-dependant diabetics owning a serivce dog in the case of an emergency. He is among a growing number of service dogs that can detect a drop in blood sugar and alert their human partners. Malachi, in particular, has saved Tello's life five times in the past year.
Youth with Type 2 diabetes expected to rise by 49% by 2050
If incidence rates remain the same, the number of youth with Type 2 diabetes in the United States is projected to increase by a staggering 49 percent over the next 40 years, while the number with Type 1 is expected to climb 23 percent, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, published in the December issue of Diabetes Care. However, if incidence increases, the number of youth with Type 2 could quadruple and the number with Type 1 could triple, the researchers concluded, with an increasing proportion of youth with diabetes from minority populations.
More diabetes means increase in eye trouble
Rates of visual impairment doubled among poor people and those who’d had diabetes for a decade or more, according to a new study. Researchers defined impairment as anything worse than 20/40 vision that can’t be corrected with glasses, a problem that disqualifies people from driving in many states.
Northern Illinois, Northwest Indiana responding to a deluge of diabetes diagnoses
As of January 2011, the epidemic known as diabetes affects 25.8 million people in the United States. In Indiana, 711,200 adults are living with diabetes; In Illinois, 1.4 million people live with diabetes. Of that 1.4 million in Illinois, 1,132,600 people are living in the Chicago area, according to statistics reported by the Centers for Disease Control.
CDC: Diagnosed diabetes has grown at a dramatic rate
The prevalence of diagnosed diabetes increased in all U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico between 1995 and 2010, according to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Regionally, the largest increases in diagnosed diabetes were in the South, followed by the West, Midwest, and Northeast.
Illinois and Indiana obesity levels are on the rise
Studies show that maintaining a healthy weight and physical activity help reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. However, obesity rates are on the rise. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates the following percentage of adults were obese in 2004 and 2009 in the following Illinois and Indiana counties:
8 easy ways to work exercise into your daily life
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest that people with pre-diabetes, diabetes, or the general adult public should aim for a minimum of 30 minutes most days. Walking, gardening, doing yard work, swimming, or cleaning house will all work to meet this goal. Anything that increases your heart rate and causes you to break a light sweat. In addition to formal exercise, there are many opportunities to be active throughout the day. Here are some ideas.
A diabetic’s guide to reading food labels
Proper monitoring of nutrition is essential to diabetes patients. A person’s ability to interpret nutrition labels is key to their success. Here’s what you should look for.
Keeping an eye on your vision health
Diabetes can damage the blood vessels of the eye, potentially leading to blindness. While those with diabetes are at an increased risk of vision problems, most people with diabetes have no or only minor eye disorders.
American Diabetes Association to raise awareness during upcoming ID Day
To mark National Diabetes Awareness Month, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) will reach more than 40,000 Chicago-area church congregants through its I Decide (ID) to Stop Diabetes Day on Sunday, Nov. 11.
Diagnosis diabetes: Changed man with new attitude
Sandy Thorn Clark and her husband, Rev. Jerry Clark, admit they gorged and relied on food — when happy, depressed, stressed, bored — whenever their emotions could only be comforted by food. By then Jerry was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, and they knew their affair with food had to end.
FDA approves first generic Actos to treat type 2 diabetes
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first generic version of Actos (pioglitazone hydrochloride) tablets on Aug. 17. Along with diet and exercise, pioglitazone is used to improve blood glucose control in adults with type 2 diabetes.
Drug helps diabetes patients lose weight, study shows
A new study on the effects of lorcaserin, a drug recently recommended for approval by an FDA advisory panel for the treatment of obesity, shows that the drug facilitates weight loss in people with type 2 diabetes.
Chef Paula Deen hid diabetes, pushed high-fat food
Food Network star Paula Deen, the Southern belle of butter and heavy cream, makes no apologies for waiting three years to disclose she has diabetes while continuing to dish up deep-fried cheesecake and other high-calorie, high-fat recipes on TV. She said she isn’t changing the comfort cooking that made her a star, though it isn’t clear how much of it she’ll continue to eat while she promotes health-conscious recipes along with a diabetes drug she’s endorsing for a Danish company.
McCormick Place to host diabetes expo
The American Diabetes Association will present an expo from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 14 at McCormick Place in Chicago. Admission to the expo is free. The event will offer health screenings, cooking demonstrations, product and service exhibitors, as well as health experts talking about diabetes management and prevention.
How diabetics can cope with winter's health challenges
Diabetics need to be careful during the holidays and winter months, a time when overeating and less physical activity is likely. Learn a few ways to deal with this from a Certified Diabetes Educator.
Study: Omega 3s could reduce arrhythmias in diabetes patients
Eating a daily additional amount of Omega-3 fatty acids may help protect older people with diabetes who have experienced a heart attack, according to a study being published in the December issue of Diabetes Care.
Diabetes: One of the costliest conditions
Nearly 500,000 adults in Illinois and 600,000 adults in Indiana have some form of diabetes, according to their state health departments. Increasing numbers of children and adolescents also have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes — typically known as adult onset diabetes. And residents of urban areas have unique challenges in managing the disease.
FDA approves type 2 diabetes and cholesterol combo drug
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration last month approved Juvisync (sitagliptin and simvastatin), a fixed-dose combination (FDC) prescription medication that contains two previously approved medicines in one tablet for use in adults who need both sitagliptin and simvastatin. About 20 million people in the United States have type 2 diabetes, and they often have high cholesterol levels as well.
Parenting style affects type 1 diabetes control in children
Parenting style can play an important role in improving glycemic control in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes, according to a study published in the August issue of Diabetes Care. Researchers at the Israel Diabetes Center of Schneider Children’s Medical Center of Israel found an association between fathers who parent authoritatively and improved glycemic control in their children, while a sense of helplessness in both fathers and mothers was associated with worse glycemic control and worse adherence to treatment among their children.
Obese men lose almost 6 healthy years to diabetes, study says
Americans are living longer, but fewer of those years are spent in good health for those who are obese because they are developing type 2 diabetes, according to a study being published in the October issue of Diabetes Care. While life expectancy at age 18 for American men and women increased between the 1980s and the 2000s, the number of years an 18-year-old would expect to live without diabetes fell by 1.7 years for men and 1.5 years for women.
Beta cell discovery could enhance diabetes treatment
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation-funded researchers at Stanford University have identified a pathway responsible for age-related decline in beta cells, and have shown they can tweak it to get older beta cells to act young again-and start dividing. These findings may help pave a path for developing strategies to restore beta cell number to treat both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Top three lifestyle changes to boost diabetes management
The numbers are alarming: More than 25 million people in the United States have diabetes — that’s about one in 10 Americans. And according to recent government reports, rates are projected to surge over the next 40 years, affecting as many as one in three Americans by 2050. New research reveals three strategies that can help change the course of the disease.
UIC to study diabetes management in blacks and Latinos
Uncontrolled diabetes is a problem for some blacks and Latinos, and University of Illinois at Chicago researchers have received a federal grant to study ways to fix it. The $3 million funding will pay for research on whether help from lay health workers will make it easier for these patients to manage their disease.
Overweight? Know your diabetes risk
More than 8 percent of Americans suffer from diabetes, and about 7 million others are walking around with the disease and don’t even know it. On Diabetes Alert Day, March 22, the American Diabetes Association encourages people to take the Diabetes Risk Test to become …
New diabetes technology gives normalcy to patients
As the number of Americans suffering from diabetes continues to rise, medical researchers struggle to develop new ways for patients to manage their condition. Since there is no cure for the disease, doctors and patients focus on maintenance and improvement. They are helped by new equipment that more conveniently administers needed insulin, and better tracks glucose levels.