Type 2 Diabetes - The Effect Of Diabetic Medications On Heart And Blood Vessel Disease!

Heart and blood vessel diseases are amongst the worst known complications associated with Type 2 diabetes. People diagnosed with this form of diabetes are prone to high cholesterol and blood fat levels which can cause blood vessels to become clogged.

When the coronary arteries become clogged, the heart muscle itself can become starved for oxygen and various nutrients. When that happens, the heart can slow down or beat with less force, or both. When the heart is unable to pump blood in sufficient quantities to feed the needs of the rest of the body, congestive heart failure develops. Blood that is unable to enter the heart because of congestion, backs up into the lungs which then become congested with fluid.

Exenatide, or Byetta, is a medication that mimics a kind of hormone known as an incretin. It stimulates the pancreas to release more insulin when the food just eaten starts to raise the blood sugar. So, Byetta stimulates insulin secretion when blood sugars have actually risen after your meal, and the insulin secretion should stop when they drop. It also decreases the production of sugar by the liver.

The latest studies on exenatide (Byetta) show that it could also prove a valuable tool in fighting heart disease.

In one such study, published in January 2012 in the journal Diabetologia, investigators at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden looked at how much blood the hearts of people with Type 2 diabetes were able to pump with and without exenatide. Twenty people with Type 2 diabetes were included in the study...
the hearts of these diabetics were found to be able to pump more blood while they took exenatide (Byetta) than when they took a placebo.this was because their hearts were able to beat faster. Pressure in their lungs was also reduced because the blood was able to flow out of their lungs and into their heart in a timely manner.

It was therefore concluded more study is definitely warranted on the effects of the drug exenatide on the heart.

Britain's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published in October 2011 recommendations for the clinical use of Bydureon, a long-acting form of exenatide. The long-acting form of this particular medication must be injected only once. In January 2012 Bydureon was included in NICE's formulary for the National Health Service.

A study called EXSCEL, which includes more than 9000 diabetics, is scheduled to be completed in the year 2017. It aims to discover what use exenatide (Byetta) might have for the prevention and treatment of heart disease.

To discover answers to questions you may be asking yourself about Type 2 Diabetes, click on this link... Natural Diabetes Treatments

Type 2 Diabetes - Heart And Blood Vessel Disease In Diabetes!

Heart and blood vessel disease are some of the most dreaded complications people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes have to face. It has been found people with diabetes suffer twice as many heart attacks and strokes as anyone without diabetes. Type 2 diabetics usually have high cholesterol levels, which lead to clogged arteries and lack of circulation to the heart muscle and the brain.

In January 2012, the journal Cardiovascular Diabetology reported on the results of a study of the diabetes drug, linagliptin (Tradjenta and Trajenta), and its possible protective effect on the heart and blood vessels.

A total of 5239 volunteers diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes were included in the study. A group that included:

3319 diabetics received liniagliptin, and the remaining1920 diabetics received the drugs glimepiride (Amaryl) or voglibose (Volix).

Eleven volunteers, or 0.3 per cent, of those receiving linagliptin showed signs and symptoms of heart and blood vessel diseases. Twenty-three, or 1.2 per cent, of the diabetics taking other medications, were treated for conditions involving the heart and blood vessels. The diabetic volunteers taking linagliptin had an almost two-thirds lower risk of heart and blood vessel disease as those taking other medications.
From these results, the researchers concluded linagliptin (Tradjenta and Trajenta) could have benefits for keeping the heart and blood vessels healthy in Type 2 diabetics.

Linagliptin was approved by the US Federal Drug Administration (FDA) in the Spring of 2011 and is marketed by the proprietary name Trajenta. It belongs to the class of medications called dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors. The class also includes sitagliptin, vildagliptin, saxagliptin, dutogliptin, gemigliptin, and alogliptin.

Sitagliptin was approved by the FDA in 2006 and is also known as Januvia.Vildagliptin was FDA-approved in 2008, and has the proprietary name Galvus.Saxaglipin received its FDA approval in 2009 and is marketed as Onyglyza.Dutogliptin and Gemigliptin are still under study.

DPP-4 inhibitors work by increasing incretin, which in turn causes less glucagon to be released from the pancreas. When glucagon is suppressed, more insulin is released, the stomach empties more slowly, and carbohydrate is absorbed more slowly, all of which lowers blood sugar levels.

Linagliptin is taken once a day with or without food. It can be taken alone or along with drugs such as metformin, sulphoylureas or pioglitazone. Side effects include inflammation of the nose and throat and inflammation of the pancreas, or low blood sugar when used with sulfonylureas.

Many medications are available for lowering blood sugar levels. If linagliptin can also prevent heart attacks then it can serve an important dual purpose.

To discover answers to questions you may be asking yourself about Type 2 Diabetes, click on this link... Natural Diabetes Treatments

Type 2 Diabetes - The Metabolic Syndrome And Inflammatory Bowel Disease

The metabolic syndrome consists of high blood sugar, high blood cholesterol, high blood fats, obesity and high blood pressure. Inflammatory bowel disease consists of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, two conditions involving the large intestine. Researchers in the Department of Gastroenterology, Goztepe Training and Research Hospital in Istanbul, Turkey, set out to discover whether the two conditions could be associated. The results of their work were published in the Saudi Journal of Gastroenterology in the month of November 2011.

Sixty-two participants with Crohn's disease and 115 volunteers with ulcerative colitis were included in the study...

34 participants with ulcerative colitis, and11 with Crohn's disease

were found to have the metabolic syndrome. The metabolic syndrome was found in 10.3 per cent of the participants under 45 years of age and 55 per cent of those over 45.

Since both the metabolic syndrome and inflammatory disease were studied at the same time, the results show an association but it is not clear which condition might be a risk factor for the other. Anyone with either diagnosis should be aware of the signs and symptoms of the other.

Signs and symptoms of diabetes include:

unusual hunger or thirst,unintended weight loss,unusual headaches,faintness,unusual fatigue,blurred vision,darkened skin (especially under the arms),frequent urination, andsores or infections that heal slowly.

Anyone experiencing signs or symptoms should be seen by a family doctor or endocrinologist, a doctor specializing in diseases of the glands.

People with ulcerative colitis can experience:

rectal bleeding,rectal mucous,feelings of urgency,diarrhea,fatigue,bloating,left-sided pain,abdominal cramping,unintended weight loss, anddiarrhea.

Crohn's disease can cause:

diarrhea,abdominal cramping,reduced appetite,weight loss,nausea and vomiting, andoccasionally bleeding.

Some scientists have suggested the two conditions are simply slightly different presentations of the same disease. A family doctor or gastroenterologist, a specialist working with diseases of the digestive system, can diagnose inflammatory bowel disease.

Type 2 diabetes has traditionally been diagnosed by fasting blood sugar levels. Hemoglobin blood sugar levels could replace fasting blood sugar levels as the diagnostic test of choice.

Inflammatory bowel diseases are diagnosed by colonoscopy, which consists of inserting a tube called a colonoscope in the rectum and viewing the length of the large intestine.

Both conditions can be treated with diet and medications:

vegan diets are known to be the best kind of diet for people with Type 2 diabetes to follow, and could also be effective for inflammatory bowel disease, although high fiber diets can be irritating.exercise is directly beneficial in lowering blood sugar levels in Type 2 diabetes and is under investigation for inflammatory bowel disease. Since inflammatory bowel disease is at least partly related to stress, exercise could be at least indirectly helpful.

To discover answers to questions you may be asking yourself about Type 2 Diabetes, click on this link... Natural Diabetes Treatments

Type 2 Diabetes - Blood Sugar, Inflammation and Blood Vessel Disease

Preventing heart and blood vessel disease is a major concern in anyone diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is a disease of inflammation and is associated with inflamed and clogged blood vessels, a condition called atherosclerosis. According to the National Institute of Health, interleukin-6 (IL-6), is involved in a number of immune functions, including inflammation. Inflammation can be useful in response to infections, but chronic inflammation can be a detriment.

According to recent studies, IL-6 is associated with atherosclerosis and with poorly controlled diabetes. A study published in the Polish Journal of Cardiology in 2011, looked at the relationship between narrowed arteries and inflammatory molecules, including IL-6. Two hundred and seventy-nine participants with narrowed arteries were included in the study. In two years, high levels of IL-6 were associated with the worsening of atherosclerosis.

Researchers in the Hospital of the Virgin of Victoria in Malaga, Spain, looked at inflammation in white blood cells of volunteers with atherosclerosis and compared the levels of inflammatory molecules with blood sugar levels. Their results were published in the medical journal Acta Diabetolgia in December 2011.

The twenty-two diabetics with atherosclerosis were compared with eight non-diabetic controls.

blood cells from the diabetics were found to have more IL-6 than those from the non-diabetic volunteers. Diabetic participants with hemoglobin A1c levels of 6.5 or less had less IL-6 than those with hemoglobin A1c levels of over 6.5.when sugar was added to blood cells that had been removed from the participants, the cells were found to increase their levels of IL-6. When insulin was added, the level of IL-6 decreased.

From this the researchers concluded controlling blood sugar levels could prevent too much IL-6 from being produced.

Hemoglobin A1c is a measure of blood sugar control for approximately the previous three months. A normal level is from 4 to 6 percent. The usual goal for diabetics is a level below 7. It is a good idea to have the test performed every 3 months when it is abnormal, and many diabetics will have it performed twice a year when the results are normal. Patients who are taking supplements of vitamins C or E should mention this to their doctor, since the supplements can affect test results.

Blood sugar control is a matter of taking in the same amount of sugar and carbohydrates:

as are being burned off through activity,of keeping muscles sensitive to insulin, andkeeping up a medication regimen if needed.

Eating foods high in fiber can help to keep sugar from being absorbed too rapidly, so blood levels do not go abnormally high suddenly. Physical activity will keep the muscles sensitive to insulin, so that they will be able to take in sugar and use it for energy.

It is in your interest to discuss with your doctor or dietitian a plan for:

eating the right food types in the right amounts,taking part in the right kind and amount of physical activity, andtaking the right dose of medication at the right times.

To discover answers to questions you may be asking yourself about Type 2 Diabetes, click on this link... Natural Diabetes Treatments

Type 2 Diabetes - Obesity and Gum Disease!

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

Obesity and gum disease are both frequently seen in people with diabetes, and according to researchers at Brigham and the Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, the two are associated, in both diabetics and non-diabetics. Their study was published in the journal Obesity in October 2011.

Study 1: Included in the study were 36,910 volunteers who had no gum disease at the start of the study. After 20 years it was found people with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/square meter, considered obese, had a thirty percent higher risk of disease of the gums, than those with a normal BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 kg/square meter. The volunteers who:

had a large waist measurement were 27 percent more likely to have gum disease than those who had a normal waist size, andthose with a high weight to height ratio were 34 percent more likely to suffer diseased gums than patients with a normal ratio.

According to the study, inflammation brought on by obesity can cause gum disease.

Study 2: In 2007 investigators at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, USA, looked at inflammatory molecules in the portal vein, a vein that carries blood from abdominal fat. In their article, published in the journal Diabetes, they described finding the inflammatory molecules in 25 extremely obese volunteers. The amount of interleukin-6, associated with inflammation, was found to be higher in blood taken from the portal vein, which carries blood from the abdominal fat, than in blood taken from an artery in the arm.

Study 3: In September, 2011 the Iranian Journal of Immunology reported upon a study completed on the subject of inflammatory molecules and gum disease. Researchers at the University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran, looked at inflammatory molecules in the blood of people with severe gum disease. Twenty-five volunteers with severe gum disease were found to have higher levels of IL-6 in their blood than 25 study participants without gum disease.

According to the American Diabetes Association, gum disease can cause diabetes to go out of control. According to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, USA, about 34 percent of American adults suffer gum disease, and the condition can result in tooth loss, as well as being associated with generally poor health, heart and blood vessel disease, and complications of pregnancy.

From the above it is apparent that losing belly fat could help to prevent diseased gums, an important cause of tooth loss. Losing weight is already known to be helpful in:

controlling Type 2 diabetes, andpreventing high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes.

If your waist-to-hip ratio is greater than 0.7 for women or 0.9 for men, why not start a campaign today to bring your belly fat down to a normal healthy level?

To discover answers to questions you may be asking yourself about Type 2 Diabetes, click on this link... Natural Diabetes Treatments

Clicking on this link will help you to see how to Beat The Belly Fat Blues Beverleigh Piepers RN... the Diabetes Detective.

Beverleigh Piepers is the author of this article. This article can be used for reprint on your website provided all the links in the article are complete and active. Copyright (c) 2010 - All Rights Reserved Worldwide