Wilhelm Krek explains that, “Cells need energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the cell’s energy currency, to enable them to maintain their functions. In a healthy person, the b-cells of the pancreas, which are responsible for insulin production, recognise when food is ingested. Sugar is burnt in the mitochondria of the b-cells by what is known as oxidative phosphorylation, producing ATP which, in turn, initiates insulin secretion in the b-cells. This stimulates the muscle cells, among others, to absorb sugar, thus regulating and normalising the level of sugar in the blood. Krek says that some diabetics may have an abnormality in this signal pathway. The plan now is to investigate this in a follow-up study. Join discussion...

A common treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) decreased the average glucose level during sleep of type 2s who were newly diagnosed with OSA. After seven weeks of the therapy, known as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), the diabetic patients' average BG level fell 20 mg/dl. Join discussion...

A Spanish university study has found that a traditional Mediterranean diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, olive oil, and fish may reduce the risk of acquiring type 2 diabetes by 83 percent. One interesting outcome of the study was the finding that people at high risk of developing diabetes could substantially lower their risk by following the diet. High-risk factors included old age, a family history of the disease, and a former smoking habit. Join discussion...

A harmless virus, which is encountered by most infants and displays few symptoms, may trigger type 1 diabetes, according to a new study. Researchers at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, who conducted the study, suggested that this “silent” Human parechovirus should be taken into consideration when looking for triggers for type 1 diabetes among those who are genetically at risk. This study was conducted as part of a long-term project to examine if environmental risk factors affect type 1 diabetes. For closer study, faecal samples and questionnaires about the health of 102 children were sent in monthly by their parents. Join discussion...

Until fairly recently, low testosterone in men (I call it "low T") was treated only in patients with severe and obvious T deficiencies, such as men with congenital hormonal conditions that affected their pituitary gland or those who had lost both testicles to trauma, tumors, or infections. However, as the medical community has learned more about the benefits of T therapy for men with less obvious causes of low T (e.g., improved sexual desire and function, energy, and body composition), there has been concomitant interest in how T relates to other medical conditions, including diabetes. It turns out that the relationship between low T and diabetes is quite involved, although the final chapter on the ultimate nature of the relationship is still to be written. Join discussion...

More cases of blood cancers classified as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, or NHL, seem to occur among people with diabetes than those without, researchers report. "Although the relative risk is moderate, given the rapidly increasing incidence and prevalence of diabetes, the number of incident cases of NHL attributed to diabetes can potentially be very high," Dr. Anastassios G. Pittas and colleagues point out in their report in the medical journal Diabetes Care. Join discussion...

A new study suggests that sugar may be as addictive as hard drugs such as cocaine and heroin. Researchers at Princeton studied binge eating and addiction in rats and found that when the animals ate large amounts of sugar there were chemical changes in the brain that mirrored the type that happen when addicts use drugs. Join discussion...

The identification of a new mutation associated with type 2 diabetes suggests abnormal sleep patterns could be linked to diabetes and high blood pressure. Scientists recently identified a mutation near a gene called MTNR1B that increases a person's risk of having high blood sugar and elevates the chance of type 2 diabetes by 20 percent. MTNR1B is part of a pathway that controls melatonin, the hormone that regulates the body's internal clock. The proximity of the mutation and the melatonin gene suggests high blood sugar and diabetes could be directly related to a disturbed sleep pattern. Join discussion...

The investigational drug alogliptin alone is a safe and effective treatment for poorly controlled type 2 diabetes, according to study findings reported in the journal Diabetes Care. Alogliptin has been shown to reduce blood sugar levels after meals in patients with type 2 diabetes, Dr. Ralph A. DeFronzo at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and colleagues note. Join discussion...

Infants born to mothers who develop diabetes during pregnancy are at increased risk for metabolic changes associated with heart attacks and stroke, Chinese researchers report in the journal Pediatrics. Such children "had significantly higher blood pressure levels and lower HDL 'good' cholesterol levels at follow-up," lead investigator Dr. Wing Hung Tam told Reuters Health. Tam of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and colleagues studied 63 children born to mothers with diabetes during pregnancy, or gestational diabetes," and 101 children whose mothers did not have diabetes. Join discussion...