Type 2 Diabetes Is Still A Silent Killer - Most People Diagnosed Did Not Recognise Early Symptoms, UK

Just over half (56 per cent) of people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes last year did not even suspect they could have the condition, as they failed to identify its early symptoms, says a new report by Diabetes UK.

Late diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes leaves people at risk of developing the serious complications of the condition, including stroke, heart disease, blindness, kidney disease and amputation - half of the people with the condition already show signs of complications by the time they are diagnosed.

Most only diagnosed 'by accident'

In addition, the majority of people were diagnosed with the condition 'by accident' while undergoing routine medical tests or while being treated for other conditions or medical issues: only 16 per cent of people were diagnosed after they proactively asked for a diabetes test.

Up to half a million unaware of their diabetes

Diabetes UK estimates that there are up to 500,000 people in the UK who have diabetes but are not aware of it.

Be aware of the risk and ask for a test

"We need to make sure that people are aware of the risk factors and symptoms of Type 2 diabetes and we need to encourage them to ask for a diabetes test if they are at risk of developing the condition," said Douglas Smallwood, Chief Executive of Diabetes UK.

Early diagnosis helps prevent complications

"Diabetes awareness is key if we want to prevent people from facing a future of ill health: being diagnosed early means that you are less likely to develop the serious complications of diabetes.

Making diabetes a high Government priority

"We already know that more and more people are developing the condition in the UK and therefore we urge the Government to keep diabetes and diabetes awareness at the top of the health agenda.

Diabetes UK leads the way

"Diabetes UK will continue to lead the way with its Diabetes Risk Assessment programme, where we bring diabetes awareness to the general public through UK-wide events and to businesses through targeted workshops."

New Government programme

Diabetes UK believes that the Government's new Vascular Risk and Management Programme, targeting people between the ages of 40 and 74, will help identify people with Type 2 diabetes.

Improved access needed

The charity also wants to see improved access to health services for the many communities in the UK who, because of their social or ethnic backgrounds, may currently be excluded from mainstream services.

It is also important that diabetes testing and diabetes awareness programmes are available through a variety of settings, such as pharmacies and local outreach services.

Source
Diabetes UK

Research opens new avenues for understanding genetic basis of type 2 diabetes

The research, published online Jan. 31, 2010, in the journal Nature Genetics, presents the first high-resolution atlas of these regulatory elements in the most studied cell type for treatment and prevention of type 2 diabetes
Together with colleagues in Barcelona, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have generated a complete map of the areas of the genome that control which genes are "turned on" or "off." The discovery, made in pancreatic islet cells, opens new avenues for understanding the genetic basis of type 2 diabetes and other common illnesses.

The research, published online Jan. 31, 2010, in the journal Nature Genetics, presents the first high-resolution atlas of these regulatory elements in the most studied cell type for treatment and prevention of type II diabetes.

The completion of the human genome project has spurred a flurry of research into the exact genetic changes underlying disease. But while these studies have discovered thousands of sequences associated with human illness, pinpointing which sequence variations are the true culprits has proven difficult. That is because the underlying genetic sequence - the A, C, T, and G that code for your entire being - is only part of the story. It is not just the message, but the packaging - whether those four letters are laid out like an open book or tightly packaged like a message in a bottle - that determine which genes are active and which are not.

Using a new method developed in the Lieb laboratory called FAIRE-seq, Lieb and his colleagues isolated and sequenced a total of 80,000 open chromatin sites within pancreatic islet cells. They then compared these sites to those in non-islet cells to narrow the number down to 3,300 clusters of sites specific to this cell type. Each cluster typically encompassed single genes that are active specifically in islet cells. Twenty of these genes are known to harbor gene variants associated with type II diabetes.

The researchers decided to continue their studies on the variant most strongly associated with the disease, a single nucleotide polymorphism - or SNP - occurring in the TCF7L2 gene. They found that the chromatin is more open in the presence of the high risk version of the gene (a T) than in the presence of the non-risk version (an A). Further analysis demonstrated that the risk variant enhanced the activity of the gene, indicating that it may possess functional characteristics that could contribute to disease.

Source: University of North Carolina School of Medicine

SCI indicates increased risk of declining kidney function in type 2 diabetics

In patients with type 2 diabetes, silent cerebral infarction (SCI)—small areas of brain damage caused by injury to small blood vessels—signals an increased risk of progressive kidney disease and kidney failure, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN).

If SCI is present in the brain, it could be an indicator that small-vessel damage is present in the kidneys as well, suggests the new study by Takashi Uzu, MD (Shiga University School of Medicine, Otsu, Japan). Uzu comments, "Silent cerebral infarction may be a new marker to identify patients who are risk for declining kidney function."

The study included 608 patients with type 2 diabetes, all initially free of symptomatic stroke, heart disease, or kidney disease (overt proteinuria or renal dysfunction). On magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the brain, 177 of the patients (29 percent) had SCI—subtle areas of brain damage caused by disease of the brain blood vessels, but not severe enough to cause overt symptoms of stroke.

At long-term follow-up, diabetic patients with SCI had higher risks of progressive kidney disease. Compared to those with normal brain MRI scans, patients with SCI were about 2.5 times more likely to die or develop end-stage kidney disease. Their risk of declining kidney function or dialysis was nearly five times higher.

New approaches are needed to assess the risk of diabetes-related kidney disease. "Microalbuminuria—small amounts of the protein albumin in urine—is the most important marker to predict the progression of kidney disease in diabetic patients," explains Uzu. "However, decreased kidney function without microalbuminuria is common in patients with type 2 diabetes."

The new study shows that diabetic patients with subtle brain damage detected on MRI scans are more likely to develop serious kidney disease, independent of microalbuminuria. "Evaluating both SCI and microalbuminuria may be useful for determining the risk of progression of kidney disease in diabetic patients," says Uzu.

The study had some risk of bias related to patient selection. Also, although most of the patients with SCI had multiple small areas of brain damage, the study did not exclude patients with relatively large areas of brain damage. "Therefore, not only small vessel disease but also relatively large vessel disease might have affected the progression of kidney disease in our patients," adds Uzu.

Natural Diabetes Treatment For A Healthier You

by clarie anderson

Although they are different types of diabetes, natural diabetes treatment is able to suit both conditions. About half the population of adults in middle age will struggle with diabetes and the rate is still increasing. And the consequences are potentially devastating - kidney disease, blindness, and possible death. Naturopathy comprises of a new healthy lifestyle which favors a balanced diet and adequate exercise.
Diabetes is a killer disease and you need experienced professional medical guidance at all times. Some people may be comfortable with their drug medications but there are those who prefer the natural way of treating their illnesses.The term for the process of treating diabetes in natural ways is called naturopathy, which efficiently uses certain natural plants which may ease the diabetic conditions.Some ingredients include balsam pear, bitter melon, garlic, onion, Asian ginseng, bilberry, the extract of ginkgo biloba, cinnamon and barberry.

Today, there are 2 types of diabetes, namely Type 1 diabetes and Type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is a disease where the body actually destroy the cells in the pancreas, which causes the pancreas to stop producing insulin. People suffering from Type 1 diabetes required the injection of insulin.

While for Type 2 diabetes, your body becomes resistant to the insulin produced by the pancreas. Diabetics have always been advised that reduction of sugar intake is the best relief for their illness. This holds true especially with the usage of the natural treatments presented here. First, having a healthy diet with balance nutrition, and adequate exercise can help to build up your immune system and improve your condition.

North American Ginseng one of the herbs that are good natural treatment for diabetes. It helps to regulate the blood sugar level in your body. It is always advisable to avoid some foods if you are diabetic such as refined sugar, sweets, syrups. Avoid all processed foods, junk food, pastries, cookies, canned and preserved foods.

There are natural diabetes treatments that are optimized for what you need to do to fight diabetes: suppress your appetite, help insulin do it's job, and attract glucose transporters so the sugar doesn't float around in your blood. You are what you eat. Watch your diet and you will be halfway through natural diabetes treatment.

About the Author
Natural diabetes treatment is an art. Chloe Veloso has been studying it for 10 years and has mastered the most effective methods to improve your health conditions. Let her give you the 7 essential tips on how to eat well and live a better life!

Newly identified gene variants linked to diabetes

Researchers have identified 10 new gene variants associated with blood sugar or insulin levels, which they believe could lead to new treatments for type 2 diabetes.

"Only four gene variants had previously been associated with glucose metabolism, and just one of them was known to affect type 2 diabetes. With more genes identified, we can see patterns emerge," study co-lead author Dr. Jose Florez, of the Diabetes Unit and the Center for Human Genetic Research at Massachusetts General Hospital, said in a news release.

"Finding these new pathways can help us better understand how glucose is regulated, distinguish between normal and pathological glucose variations and develop potential new therapies for type 2 diabetes," Florez explained.

The study is published in the Jan. 17 online edition of the journal Nature Genetics.

The international team of researchers began their study by analyzing about 2.5 million gene variations (called SNPs) from 21 genome-wide searches for variants associated with glucose and insulin regulation in more than 46,000 people without diabetes. The 25 most promising SNPs were further investigated and narrowed down to 10 new SNPs associated with blood sugar and insulin levels, and increased diabetes risk.

"The fact that not all genes involved with raising glucose levels increase diabetes risk tells us that it's not the mere fact of raising glucose that's important but rather how glucose is raised. It's one thing to increase glucose slightly within the normal range and quite another to affect a pathway that eventually leads to progressive glucose elevation, beta-cell failure or insulin resistance -- in other words type 2 diabetes," Florez said.

Do You Have Type 2 Diabetes And Self-Monitor Your Blood Glucose Levels?

Diabetes UK is calling on people with Type 2 diabetes who self-monitor their blood glucose levels to complete a short online survey.

The survey, which you can fill in here , will help inform ongoing work on self-monitoring blood glucose levels that will directly improve the lives of people with diabetes.

"Knowing the level of glucose in your blood is useful for when people try to control their diabetes," said Caroline Butler, Care Advisor at Diabetes UK.

"It can help to maintain day-to-day control, detect hypoglycaemia and assess control during any illness.

"It also provides information that can help reduce the risk of developing long-term complications associated with diabetes such as heart disease, stroke and blindness."

Anti Aging Diet Care: What to Eat to Stay Young

by Godson Odogwu

Stay young for as long as is possible, using the anti aging diet care. These are some tips on what to add or take away from your diet

1. Add these healthy foods to your diet.

Foods rich in anti oxidants help your skin and body, look and feel young. Dark colored fruits and vegetables like blueberries are often high in antioxidants. Others that have been described as miracle fruits include dried goji berries and acai berries (pronounced ah-sigh).

Ensure that you get enough vitamin E in your diet as this keeps your skin supple. Vitamin E can be found in foods like almonds, sunflower seeds, avocado and olives. Liquid vitamin E can also be bought as a supplement.

Broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower are all in the family of cruciferous vegetables, which studies have shown to protect against cancer. They also contain calcium, minerals and a wide range of vitamins. It is important to make these a regular part of your diet.

Coconut oil is another 'wonder food' that has been reported to help with weight loss. It also increases the body's ability to absorb vitamin E. You can cook or fry with coconut oil in place of butter in most recipes. It solidifies at temperatures below 75o degrees Fahrenheit. Virgin olive oil is another good choice for frying.

But be sure to buy virgin coconut oil, not the refined version. Refined coconut oil has been hydrogenated and will contain some trans fats.

2. Cut out junk food.

It is not just enough to add a few miracle berries to our diet. Anti aging diet care requires us to cut out or reduce the amount of refined carbohydrates that we eat. By this we mean all added sugars including corn syrup, dextrose, fructose etc. This includes white flour, white rice and anything made from them, like pizza and pasta, unless they specifically say that they are made with 100% whole grain flour.

It is important to point out that refined carbohydrates muddle your blood sugar response. Therefore eating too much of this type of food is believed to be a major contributor to insulin resistance, diabetes, vascular problems, heart disease and cancer and of course, weight gain.

If you cannot bear to do away with all of your favorite breads and sweet treats, then ensure that you make it a rule to eat these foods only as part of a healthy meal where you are eating plenty of fibre from vegetables. This will help reduce your blood sugar spikes, which makes it easier for your body to handle the refined foods. So if you must eat those cakes, don't eat it as a snack, eat it for dessert; and if you cannot live without pizza, serve it with plenty of whatever vegetables you like best.

You also need to avoid hydrogenated fats and anything containing trans fats. This includes many margarines and most commercially produced flour/fat combo foods such as donuts and pastries. Eating of trans fats has been found to increase the risk of heart disease

Finally, remember to drink plenty of plain water. Eight 8 oz glasses (2 litres) per day is the minimum that you should have. Water helps flush out toxins from the body. It benefits all of our organs, including the biggest organ, the skin. So make water a major focus of your anti aging diet care plans.

About the Author
Godson Odogwu Jnr is a graduate of the University Of Sussex, United Kingdom. He writes on various topics of health, dieting and aging. Visit his antiaging site on: http://www.stayingfabulous.org