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November 2015 | Read this issue and more at www.healthandwellnessmagazine.net |
What Is New with
Diabetes Research?
Innovations, breakthroughs
keep medical community
optimistic
By Jamie Lober, Staff Writer
Diabetes is one of the fastest growing health research areas today. “There
have been some large trials on how
people can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes if they are prone to
it,” said Dr. David Marrero, president
for healthcare and education at the
American Diabetes Association. “The
research has added up to show us that
lifestyle changes are the most potent
way to reduce the risk.”
This is good news because these
lifestyle changes are easy to make.
“I am talking about modest levels of
weight loss, between 5 to 7 percent of
your entry level, and increased physical activity to reduce risk for prediabetes by as much as 60 percent,” said
Marrero.
It may come as a surprise to some
that there are medicines available that
can be used for diabetes prevention. “It
is half as effective as lifestyle programs
with around a 30-percent change in
risk reduction,” said Marrero. “For lifestyle [programs], you have to have the
time and go to a place, but with drugs
you have to pay for them and sometimes they have side effects.”
Researchers are trying to make
advances all over the world. A news
source in Islamabad reported online
that napping for an hour or more
each day and extreme sleepiness
raise the risk of developing diabetes.
Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic
believe microbes in the gut may play
a role in the development of type 2
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diabetes; they can cause inflammation
is very common in diabetes,” said
in the body, which affects liver and fat
Marrero.
cells, causing insulin sensitivity and
Over the past five years, the use
overall metabolism change. They also
of continuous glucose monitors has
found a hormone change in the gut
become prevalent. “Those are devices
caused by gastric bypass surgery can
where you wear a little sensor under
trigger the pancreas to make insulin
your skin and it reads your glucose
again. As with Marrero, these research- every minute,” said Marrero. The moners believe eating healthy and exercisitor allows you to see trends in what
ing are the best things you can do to
is happening to your glucose before
keep your gut healthy.
levels become acute.
Progress is coming along quickly.
Another innovation is a closed loop
“There are so many new things in
system that is in essence an artificial
treatment that it is almost overwhelmpancreas. “It combines the continuous
ing, including a whole host of new
glucose monitor technology with the
drugs that have been
insulin pump techdeveloped in the last
nology,” said Marrero.
decade that are potent
“We also have people
and effective,” said
experimenting with
Marrero. “There are
the introduction of
a bunch of new drugs
islet cells