Type 2 diabetes - A chronic disease

[stevesmith]

Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease marked by high levels of sugar in the blood
Here are some risk factores include:
1. Age greater than 45 years.
2. HDL cholesterol of less than 35 mg/dl.
3. High Blood Pressure
4. History of gestational diabetes.

Here are some symptoms:
1. Blurred vision
2. Erectile dysfunction
3. Fatigue
4. Frequent or slow-healing infections
5. Increased appetite
6. Increased thirst
7. Increased urination

Some steps for type 2 diabetes prevention include adopting a healthy lifestyle and taking diabetes medication on time. Change your diet, increase your level of physical activity, maintain a healthy weight..

 

[waltky]

Blood is collected and analysed to estimate future risk...

Early-warning diabetes test hope
21 March 2011 : Experts believe a simple blood test could spot diabetes up to 10 years before the first symptoms of the disease occur.

By looking at levels of five amino acids in the blood US researchers were able to correctly identify people who went on to develop type 2 diabetes. Ultimately the Harvard team hope a test like this could be used to screen for type 2 diabetes, Nature Medicine says. Early detection can help prevent related complications like blindness.

Risk prediction

Dr Victoria King, head of research at Diabetes UK, said: "Early diagnosis and effective management of type 2 diabetes are crucial in reducing the risk of developing diabetes complications, such as heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, blindness and amputation. "Therefore finding ways to identify those who are at risk of developing the condition are important. "This research, in future, could lead to ways to help us identify those at risk as well as giving us new insights into how and why type 2 diabetes develops."

The risk of developing type 2 diabetes is strongly linked to being overweight, leading a sedentary lifestyle and eating an unhealthy diet. In many cases the condition can be prevented or delayed by maintaining a healthy weight and lifestyle, Dr King said. Aside from keeping an eye on a person's weight and blood sugar, doctors have had little else they can use to identify at risk individuals. The test used in the study looks for levels of small molecules in the blood. Among the 2,422 health volunteers tested, 201 later went on to develop diabetes.

And the researchers found that the early blood tests readily identified these patients years before they developed any symptoms. Those with the highest levels of amino acids in their blood were five times as likely to develop diabetes within the following 12 years of the study. Dr Robert Gerszten and colleagues who carried out the work say more studies are needed before the test could be recommended for general use.

BBC News - Early-warning diabetes test hope

 

[Big Black Dog]

I have Type II Diabetes. I have an excellent physician and mine is well-managed and controlled with medications, diet and exercise. Just had my routine blood work done today as a matter of fact. If you follow your doctor's orders concerning controlling it, you will manage the disease much better.

 

[Mikewell]

I believe we can make our livers better with low carbs and no alcohol. We can also decrease insulin resistance with weight loss. We can improve muscle glucose uptake with moderate exercise often. We can monitor our BG carefully these days.I believe a study of a large population of people who have done all that and kept their A1C below 6 would show amazingly positive results.

 

[waltky]

Mike wrote: I believe we can make our livers better with low carbs and no alcohol.

Certainly with no alcohol...

... it's a mild toxin...

... which is why...

... alcohol kills brain cells...

... and depresses the immune system.

 

[waltky]

Chronic diseases to take center stage...

Experts Urge Global Action Against Chronic Diseases
April 08, 2011 - Plan projected to save 36 million lives over 10 years

Infectious diseases like AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis get a lot of attention worldwide. But another group of illnesses is even more deadly. Now, an international group of health experts says the time has come to take concerted action against non-communicable diseases. The diseases include heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes. Together, these non-communicable or chronic diseases represent a major cause of death, and they aren't just diseases of wealthy, industrialized countries. "And if we look worldwide, these non-communicable diseases account for about two-thirds of deaths overall.

"About four-fifths of these deaths are in low-income countries, and they affect about a third of people under the age of 60," said Martin McKee of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. McKee is one of 44 co-authors of a paper describing the challenge of non-communicable diseases. Writing online in The Lancet, they set out a program to reduce the death toll by two percent a year. As many as 36 million lives could be saved over the course of a decade, McKee says, if priority is given to five major public health goals, "tobacco control, reduction of salt in the diet, more generally improving diets and physical activity, reducing hazardous alcohol consumption, and insuring that people have access to essential drugs and to technologies."

Those goals are challenging, and Martin McKee says it will require committed leadership. "If you look at the remarkable achievements that have been made in a number of industrialized countries in recent years, then it becomes clear that changes can happen, and changes can happen relatively quickly. So I would say changing the mindset to recognize what is possible to be done." The action plan for non-communicable diseases comes ahead of a high-level United Nations meeting set for September to focus on the issue.

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