Researchers have made progress in developing a smart insulin-delivery patch that may one day monitor and manage glucose levels in people with diabetes, and deliver the necessary insulin dosage. The adhesive patch is about the size of a quarter, is simple to manufacture, and is intended for once-a-day use. Read more
People with maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) can often have reasonable long-term glycemic control without insulin, but MODY diagnosis is difficult because no single commonly used clinical criteria separates it from type 1 or 2 diabetes. With the difference in therapy between type 1 diabetes and MODY, a correct diagnosis of MODY leads to […]
Menopausal hormone therapy is not approved for the prevention of type 2 diabetes because its risks may outweigh the benefits in many cases. But according to Franck Mauvais-Jarvis, MD, it should not be withheld from women with increased risk of type 2 diabetes who seek treatment for their menopausal symptoms. Read more
Studies have shown that patients who have type 1 diabetes and severe hypoglycemia can experience a decrease in cognitive functions including visual perception, speed of information processing, attention span, psychomotor efficiency, and mental flexibility. Read more
In a pair of related studies, researchers at Yale have found a potential way to reverse type-2 diabetes and liver fibrosis in mice, and have shown that the underlying processes could also be effective in people. Read more
Ultra-Processed food (UPF) has become widespread in Western cultures in the last century. Ultra-Processed foods include a vast range of food that contains very distinctive nutrient profiles. The French NutriNet-Sante studied 104,707 French adults to assess “the interrelationship between the consumption of Ultra-Processed food and the risk it has on type 2 diabetes.” Read more
Rosiglitazone, a drug originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes, was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1999 under the name Avandia. The drug has already been suspended in Europe and restricted in use in the US due to concerns about how it may affect heart health, but the strength […]
Telemedicine is the use of information and communication technologies, such as the Internet, to help with patient care, and can include diagnosing or even treating the patient. It has already been put to use in treating some chronic conditions, and studies have found telemedicine showed a benefit in helping patients with their blood sugar control. […]
The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has partnered with Silicon Valley startup Virta Health Corp. to test the popular “Keto” diet. Virtua claims the diet provides treatment “clinically-proven to safely and sustainably reverse type 2 diabetes” without medication or surgery, but some diabetes experts are skeptical and find the company’s partnership with the federal […]
The FDA recently approved Trijardy XR, a tablet that combines three previously approved medications to treat type 2 diabetes: empagliflozin, a sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitor, linagliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4) inhibitor, and metformin hydrochloride, a biguanide. The advantage of combining these agents is that they each have a different mechanism of action, so they lower blood […]
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted tests of the popular type 2 diabetes drug metformin due to suspected contamination, and found the drug did not show any evidence of contamination with N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) at levels that would cause concern. Read more
New research suggests that community-based diabetes screening in barbershops owned by black people may help diagnose diabetes in black men, and assist them in coping with a diabetes diagnosis. Data has shown diabetes complications to be disproportionately high among black men compared with other ethnic groups. Read more
The link between cancer and diabetes is not entirely understood, but biological mechanisms linking diabetes and cancer include hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, oxidative stress, dysregulations of sex hormones, and chronic inflammation. Although there is a known risk for cancer for people with diabetes, routine checks are still absent, and the potential of early detection and treatment of […]
US pharmacy chain CVS has announced a new program, RxZERO, which will provide diabetes medications with no co-pay. According to research by CVS, people with diabetes typically spend around $467 out-of-pocket for brand name prescriptions every year, with some (12%) spend up to $1,000 on diabetes medications. Read more
Plant-based diets have potential benefits in preventing or managing several major chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer by improving insulin sensitivity, blood pressure, and reducing long term weight gain. Plant foods are rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, and consumption of plant foods helps lower the consumption of red and […]
A clinical trial at Penn Medicine (University of Pennsylvania) is testing whether a procedure that involves killing cells on the inner surface of the duodenum (the portion of the small intestine immediately past the stomach) could lead to better control of blood sugar in people with diabetes. While not a cure, it could reduce the […]
Low carb diets are an effective lifestyle modification if you have diabetes. Patients on this diet see improvements in diabetes management and may have a reduced need for hypoglycemic agents, resulting in lower drug costs. But it’s important that health care providers understand medication management for patients on low carb diets. Read more
The FDA has approved the first oral medication that combines three type 2 diabetes treatments into one pill: the SGLT2 inhibitor empagliflozin, the DPP-IV inhibitor linagliptin and metformin hydrochloride extended release. This triple combination therapy, called Trijardy XR, is approved to lower blood glucose for adults with type 2 diabetes along with diet and exercise. […]
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in patients with diabetes. For that reason, dietary guidelines recommend limiting trans fat intake in patients with diabetes, and replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats to help reduce total and cardiovascular disease mortality. Examples of foods rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids ( PUFAs) include fish, nuts and […]
New research says that using the FreeStyle Libre, a wearable flash glucose monitoring system, for a year reduces diabetes-related sick days and hospital admissions by a third, according to new research. The Netherlands-based study also found Freestyle Libre users had fewer and less severe hypoglycemic episodes and a significant decrease in HbA1c. Read more