Is a High Fat Diet Okay for Type 2 Diabetes?

June 13th, 2012

written by Michael O’Leary

If you have type 2 diabetes, you know that diet and exercise are the first treatments your doctor prescribes, and the diet recommended is likely a low-fat diet. But a new study suggests that the opposite might be better for weight loss and controlling blood sugar, at least to start. (Published site)

Double Whammy for Kids with Type 2 Diabetes

May 2nd, 2012

written by Michael O’Leary

The news this week in the New England Journal of Medicine carried a double blow for parents of children diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. The first blow was finding that adding Avandia (rosiglitazone) or exercise to metformin was only slightly more effective at controlling blood sugar than metformin alone.

More disappointing than that, the researchers were surprised at how quickly many of the kids needed to switch to insulin injections to achieve blood sugar control.

As reported by MedPage Today, co-author Dr. Phil Zeitler, of the University of Colorado in Denver said that for some kids who are unable to get their blood sugar under control, adding Avandia may be beneficial. Determining who those kids may be however, may prove challenging as only a little more half of the kids in the study given the dual drug therapy achieved blood sugar control. (Published site)

Does Naturopathy Help Diabetes?

April 25th, 2012
Written by Michael O'Leary

Would you go to a naturopathic doctor if it would help you lower your HbA1c? A new joint study by researchers at the Group Health Research Institute and Bastyr University Research Institute has found that such an approach might help people with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes lower their blood sugar by twice as much as similar patients treated with conventional therapy alone. (Published site)

Victoza Wins Head-To-Head Battle With Januvia

April 24th, 2012
Written by Michael O'Leary

If you take Victoza to help control your blood sugar for type 2 diabetes, you can now officially wear the foam finger proclaiming your team is number one.

The FDA this week approved an expanded label for Victoza showing data from two large trials that compared Victoza head-to-head with Januvia®. In both studies, Victoza won 2-0 for superior blood sugar control and weight loss. (Published site)

Can Vinegar Help Diabetes?

February 26th, 2012

If you have type 2 diabetes, you may have heard that a spoonful of vinegar before or after a high-carb meal will prevent a blood sugar spike. Like most doctors you probably dismiss the claim as an old-wive’s tale, or a folk remedy with no scientific basis.

True, medicinal benefits of apple cider vinegar have been claimed for everything from arthritis to weight loss, asthma, colitis and food poisoning, in addition to claims for lowering blood sugar after high carbohydrate meal. (Published site)

Low-blood sugar episodes linked to higher survival

January 9th, 2012

written by Michael O’Leary

Dr. Elizabeth Seaquist

Adults with type 2 diabetes who maintain intensive blood sugar control experience more low-blood sugar events than similar people with diabetes who maintain their blood sugar in the standard target range, but they also have a slightly lower risk of dying.

That is the result of an analysis of 10,096 people who participated in the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) study, led by Dr. Elizabeth Seaquist, of the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.

The results reported by HealthDay News on the DoctorsLounge website were published in the Dec. 16 Diabetes Care.
(Published site)

Thirty Minutes of Exercise Per Week May Help Type 2 Diabetes

December 20, 2011 

Jonathan Little

written by Michael O’Leary

Can’t do 150 minutes of exercise per week? Maybe 30 minutes of intense training each week can help control your type 2 diabetes.

If you have type 2 diabetes and find it hard to fit in the 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise a week recommended by the American Diabetes Association, there may be a way to get as much benefit from 30 minutes a week, a small new study suggests.

Led by Jonathan Little, of the Departments of Kinesiology and of Pediatrics and Medicine at McMaster University, Ontario, the researchers found that six high-intensity training sessions totaling only 30 minutes per week for two weeks rapidly reduced high blood sugar and increased the capacity of skeletal muscles to use oxygen. (Link to published site)

More Frequent Doctor Visits Helps Your Blood Sugar

October 3rd, 2011

written by Michael O’Leary

Dr. Alexander Turchin

A doctor a day keeps the blood glucose at bay. Well not quite, but a new study of medical records shows that people with diabetes who visited their doctors every two weeks got their blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol under control much sooner than patients who saw their doctors at three to six month intervals.

The research team led by Dr. Alexander Turchin, of Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital analyzed the electronic medical records of 26,496 people at their institution and at Massachusetts General Hospital. All patients had either type 1 or type 2 diabetes with at least one measure of health above the recommend goals. The targets were hemoglobin A1c under 7 percent, blood pressure under 130/85 mm Hg, and LDL cholesterol under 100 mg/dL. (Link to published site)