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Articles on Diabetes

Diabetes is a disease in which the body either does not produce or does not properly use insulin.  Insulin is the hormone that converts sugar, starches and other foods into glucose, the energy needed to fuel the body.  If you have diabetes, no matter what type, it means you have too much glucose in your blood, although the reasons may differ.  Too much glucose can lead to serious health problems.

The cause of diabetes is unknown; however it is thought that genetics and other factors (e.g. obesity and lack of exercise) may be involved. There are four different types of diabetes:

Type 1 diabetes results from the body's failure to produce insulin, the hormone that "unlocks" the cells of the body, allowing glucose to enter and fuel them.
Type 2 diabetes results from insulin resistance (a condition in which the body fails to properly use insulin), combined with relative insulin deficiency.
Gestational diabetes occurs immediately after pregnancy, and may result in type 2 diabetes.
Pre-diabetes is a condition that occurs when a person's blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.
 

11/18/2009 - Articles

Men unaware of diabetes status

Diabetes can creep up on you and complications may have set in before the condition is even diagnosed.  A new survey by Diabetes UK reveals that men are twice as likely not to know they have diabetes than women. A survey of nearly 7,000 adults aged 52-79 years revealed that 502 of them had diabetes.  Of the men with diabetes, 22% were unaware that they had it compared to 12% of women. Read more

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10/30/2009 - Articles

Prediabetes is a big problem in UK

Prediabetes is a condition characterised by higher than normal blood glucose and an increased risk of progressing to type 2 diabetes.  Often, people are completely unaware that they have prediabetes, which means they miss out on interventions that could prevent type 2 diabetes developing.  According to a new report from the leading charity Diabetes UK there are nine million people in the UK with prediabetes.  Also known as impaired glucose regulation, prediabetes is defined as having a blood glucose level that is higher than normal but less than is usually the limit to diagnose type 2 diabetes. Read more

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10/26/2009 - Articles

Type 2 diabetes risk depends on where you live

Type 2 diabetes is a complex disease which involves genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors.  Experts are now beginning to talk of the danger of a world wide ‘epidemic’ of type 2 diabetes, fuelled by obesity, lack of physical activity and easy availability of calorie-dense foods.  Therefore, research into lifestyle factors and behavioural change are very important if the rising trend in type 2 diabetes is to be slowed. Researchers at Drexel University School of Public Health reveal an interesting new contribution when they say that they believe even the type of neighborhood you live in can have an impact on type 2 diabetes risk. Read more

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10/16/2009 - Articles
Milk Benefits More Than Just Bones

Milk Benefits More Than Just Bones

Can a diet that includes plenty of dairy foods cut your risk of developing type 2 diabetes? Read more

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10/07/2009 - Articles

Diabetes increases risk of atrial fibrillation in women

Diabetes is associated with many complications, such as eye disease, impaired circulation and heart problems.  Now a new study shows diabetes is also linked with atrial fibrillation (AF), at least in women.  Read more

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10/05/2009 - Articles

Diabetes risk cut by tea drinking

Diabetes is a growing health problem around the world. For instance, in the UK there are over 2.3 million people who have diabetes according to the charity Diabetes UK.  New research from The Netherlands now suggests that a simple dietary intervention lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes.  Drinking tea regularly, it seems, is a powerful preventative against diabetes. Read more

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10/02/2009 - Articles
Blood sugar levels, blood pressure levels, blood cholesterol: Know Your Numbers!

Blood sugar levels, blood pressure levels, blood cholesterol: Know Your Numbers!

For a proper understanding of your health, you must know how you stand compared to the normal, healthy condition. Here you can learn about normal blood pressure levels, blood cholesterol levels (and other lipids), and blood sugar levels (also known as blood sugar numbers). Read more

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09/04/2009 - Articles

Diabetes among childhood cancer survivors

Children who survive cancer may be at risk of other diseases in later life, including diabetes.  Researchers at Emory University have carried out a survey of diabetes in 8,599 childhood survivors of cancer and compared them to randomly selected siblings. Read more

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08/28/2009 - Articles
How the Low-Glycemic-Index Diet Works

Low Glycemic Index: How the Low Glycemic Index Diet Works

As we've learned more about the body's mechanisms, it's become apparent that all carbohydrates aren't equal, to be ranked by their calorie content. The Glycemic Index plays an important role in determining what effect particular carbs have on blood glucose levels, and their long-term consequences for health. Read more

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08/19/2009 - Articles

Gene linked to form of diabetes discovered

Diabetes is subject to genetic influences, as well as lifestyle factors like weight and exercise.  In a new study, researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center reveal that they have found a new gene linked to a form of diabetes that is of especial interest to researchers.  Read more

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