Mapping Diabetes
Filed under: Type 2, Adult Onset, Diet, Lifestyle, Research, Daily News
Scientists have mapped the genes responsible for causing type 2 diabetes. This new research is giving hope to new tests that can predict an individuals risk for developing the disease and future treatments.
The study compared the genetic make-up of 700 people with type 2 diabetes and a family history of the condition, with 700 diabetes-free people. Four points on the gene map linked to a person's diabetes risk and were confirmed with another group of 5,000 type 2 diabetics. The findings of this research could explain up to 70% of the genetics related to developing diabetes. A particular zinc transporter, known as SLC30A8, which regulates insulin secretion, was shown to have a mutation. Researchers feel they may be able to treat some cases of diabetes by correcting this mutation.
These findings will allow for the creation of a genetic test to predict people's risk of developing type 2 diabetes, as well as better treatments for the presiding cause of their diabetes. Nary a day passes that I am not motivated for the future of all diabetics. This is the type of research that strengthens my faith in the coming of a cure. Identify the nature of the problem and nip it in the bud.
Gene flaws may increase kids' risk for type 1 diabetes
Filed under: Type 1, Childhood, Research, Daily News
A new study, a report of which has been published in Nature, has identified gene flaws that increase the risk for type 1 diabetes in children. By examining the genetic codes of thousands of children, some with and some without diabetes, as well as those of parents of diabetics, the researchers identified three changes on one specific gene present in those with diabetes. They then looked at 1600 additional diabetes patients' genetic codes and again found the very same marks, sometimes called "flavors" or "flaws." Two of these variations increase a person's odds of developing diabetes by fifty percent, say the researchers. However, the third seems to decrease risk for the disease.Type 1, says lead author Hakon Hakonarson, is a complex genetic disorder "involving mutations in several genes acting in concert to predispose someone to the condition." Important? Very. Best case scenario: understanding how these genes operate is the kind of knowledge that could lead to a cure. At the very least, such knowledge could help medical caregivers identify at-risk children - a step that could eventually precede the standard diagnosis procedure as we know it today.
Click here for more details about this study.
Rats it's a Virus
Filed under: Type 1, Childhood, Lifestyle, Drugs, Research
No kidding! The rats are leading researchers to triggering events causing diabetes. The new findings suggest that there is, indeed, a genetic susceptibility to diabetes, but that the precipitating event is a viral infection.
The virus in question is the Ljungan virus. Previous reports indicate that infections with the Ljungan virus can induce diabetes in laboratory rats, and that the diabetes can be reversed if the animals are treated with antiviral drugs before the destruction of insulin-secreting islet cells becomes widespread.
I'm not sure how everybody else out there got their D-card. My diagnosing event happened shortly after I had the chicken pox, back in '85. The childhood christening event apparently left me out in the cold and caused the love-hate relationship between my islets and my insulin autoantibodies. Lucky me. Thanks to all the readers out there who have already shared their sequence of diagnosis with me. What's your story? Please, share with us.
Popular diabetes drug Avandia poses heart attack risk for type 2 diabetics
Filed under: Type 2, Adult Onset, Drugs
When my mom was first diagnosed with diabetes in the late 1990s, her internist prescribed Rezulin, a popular diabetes drug approved in 1997. Then one day the phone rang. Her internist called to alert her Rezulin was causing fatal liver failure and he wanted her off the drug immediately.
Now Avandia, a popular diabetes drug which helps sensitize the body to insulin, is on the hotseat. A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine by Dr. Steven Nissen and statistician Kathy Wolski at the Cleveland Clinic suggests Avandia significantly raises the risk of heart attack for type 2 diabetics.
Nissen pooled results of nearly 28,000 people across dozens of studies, revealing a 43 percent higher risk of heart attack for Avandia users compared to diabetics prescribed different drugs or no diabetes medication at all. Two-thirds of type 2 diabetics die of heart problems. With a 43 percent higher risk, Avandia may be downright dangerous.
GlaxoSmithKline PLC, maker of Avandia, disputes Nissen's analysis, but admitted a similar review revealed a 30 percent increased risk. I don't know about you, but a 30 percent higher risk of heart attack frightens me. Glaxo did say further rigorous studies did not confirm an excess risk.
I suspect the phones will soon be ringing in the homes of Avandia-prescribed type 2 diabetics. And it's not good news.
Reversing Autoimmunity Q & A
Filed under: Type 1, Childhood, Research, Events
Like a dog chasing its own tail (but nowhere near as funny), type 1 diabetes is caused by a self-imposed attack on insulin producing cells. Here's your chance to chat live and learn about the latest discoveries to interfere with the automimmune confusion. Chat live with the head of the Immunogenetics Program at the Diabetes Research Institute, Alberto Pugliese, M.D.
The DRI program is specifically focused on understanding how genetic and immunological factors play a role in the development of type 1 diabetes and how certain genetic and immunological factors may actually afford protection from diabetes. The program is uncovering ways to interfere with the immune cells that attack the insulin producing cells in the pancreas resulting in diabetes.
In plain English, join Dr. Pugliese to enlighten yourself and ask any questions you may have regarding this impressive research. The chat begins at 9pm EST and those who miss it can catch the excitement in the transcript, to be posted shortly thereafter. I hope to see fellow IDDMs on the chat roster.
Less insulin longer life
Filed under: Type 1, Type 2, Childhood, Adult Onset, Diet, Research
Howard Hughs Medical Experts have discovered the key to a longer life is lower insulin levels. Less insulin helps cells fend off diseases that lead to early death like heart disease, cancer and diabetes. So how does one lower their insulin levels? Caloric restriction by way of eating less carbohydrates.
Caloric restriction postpones the onset of life-threatening conditions like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. It may still happen, but at a later age. Scientists manipulated genes in mice to produce 50% less insulin and saw the mice live 18% longer. While lowering insulin throughout the body can lead to a diabetic state, scientists found that allowing insulin levels to be high throughout most of the body, and lowering the insulin signaling only in the brain through genetic manipulation, extended the life of mice.
Although the mice were overweight, they lived longer and seemed active and youthful. Scientists believe that this research explains why some people who live past 100 may have a natural genetic tendency for lower insulin signaling in the brain. They eat a normal amount of calories and may even be a bit overweight, but still enjoy the benefit of life extension. This begs the question: if all diabetes oral meds multiply the effect of insulin -- doesn't this increase the chances of heart disease and cancer? New Rule: Black box warning on ALL prescription diabetes drugs!!
Vagus nerve inerference may prevent diabetes and hypertension
Who knew that all it took was removing the vagus nerve to prevent or reverse the development of insulin resistance. Wait -- what the hell is the vagus nerve? Turns out that it is a rather important nerve communicates with with just about everything in your body. It's truly no wonder that the terms 'vagus' itself is derived from the Latin word meaning "wanderer." And, thanks to researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, it has been found to play a very important role in preventing both diabetes and hypertension.
The scientists published their findings in the February issue of the journal Cell Metabolism, first pointing to a nuclear receptor they had previously highlighted called PPAR-Alpha (Ppara). This receptor had been shown to be necessary for the induction of both hypertension and diabetes when lab mice were treated with steroids. Considering that steroids are commonly prescribed for people who ave asthma, arthritis, and organ transplants, it has been suggested that this treatment has lead to insulin resistance and, in some cases, result in diabetes.
However, in the research team's most recent study, they found that both the Ppara and the vagus nerve play a significant role in the development of diabetes and hypertension. It appears as though by removing the vagus nerve, the risk of developing these disorders in response to steroid treatment, even if they have Ppara.
While the research on the interruption of nerve signals to the liver has only been performed on mice thus far, scientists are hopeful that their results will also hold true for humans.
High association between hepatitis C and type 2
Filed under: Type 2, Childhood, Adult Onset, Research
A recent study by researchers in Taiwan revealed hepatitis C virus (HCV) raises the risk of type 2 diabetes. Hepatitis C is a blood-borne, infectious viral disease that messes with the liver -- capable of causing inflammation, scarring and even liver cancer.
4,958 non-diabetics aged 40 or older were followed for seven years. At the start of the study, 3,486 were seronegative (no antibodies in the blood), 812 were anti-HCV+ (positive to hepatitis C virus antibodies), 116 had HBV/HCV coinfection (HBV is hepatitis B virus), and 544 were positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg+). The hepatitis B surface antigen is a protein antigen produced by hepatitis B, and the earliest indicator of acute hepatitis B.
474 participants developed diabetes over the next seven years. After established risk factors were adjusted for, the incidence of diabetes was 70 percent higher for participants with HCV infection. HBV/HCV coinfection and anti-HCV+ alone participants had nearly the same risk, which shows HCV increases diabetes risk while HBV does not. For younger, overweight anti-HCV+ participants, the risk was even higher. Stay away from those deep fried twinkies with chocolate syrup and powdered sugar!
Study authors note regular diabetes screenings are important for anti-HCV+ people, and should be started at a younger age, especially if overweight or with additional risk factors for the disease. Read more in Medscape. The study was published in the July 15 American Journal of Epidemiology.
Hepatitis C is the leading cause of liver transplant in the United States.
Gladys Knight supports type 2 diabetes research and prevention in memory of mother
Filed under: Type 2, Adult Onset
My soul is inspired whenever I discover a celebrity advocate for diabetics. The famous R&B performer, Gladys Knight, has been singing the praises of type 2 diabetes prevention for years.
Her mother, Elizabeth Knight, passed away 10 years ago from type 2 complications. In her honor and all those living with type 2 diabetes, Gladys Knight and family established the Elizabeth Knight Fund through the American Diabetes Association (ADA) to support peer-reviewed diabetes research and awareness programs in communities nationwide. Ms. Knight also collaborated with the ADA on a cookbook of diabetic recipes, At Home With Gladys Knight, initially released in 2001.
The Knight family believes education is critical to living a long and healthy life with type 2. Their mother's legacy lives on in the hearts of diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetics alike, thanks to the good works of the Elizabeth Knight Fund.
Australian Aborigines make headway in diabetes struggle
Filed under: Type 2, Diet, Lifestyle, Exercise, Support
It's often said that grass-roots level initiatives are what will turn the tide on the spread of type 2 diabetes. Here's an example of a grass-roots success story: Catholic News reports that Australian Aborigines from the Mowanjum community of Western Australia are benefiting from the introduction of a type 2 prevention and management program. Titled "Indigenous communities beat diabetes," (that could be a bit of an overstatement), the article describes the impact of the program in Mowanjum community in Western Australia. Successes include the introduction of a comprehensive diabetes education program aimed at young people with diabetes. The program, which is organized by Aboriginal development group Unity of First Peoples Australia, also reported improved quality of care for diabetics. Next task on the list is trying to get all adolescents in the community to achieve normal or near-normal blood sugar levels.
Says a member of the review panel responsible for assessing the program, it's success "is testament to the fact that Indigenous communities have the capabilities and are able to implement life changing programs in a manner that is sustainable and community owned."