Wellness

[cherry]

[Kat60]

Is anyone having trouble with Metformin? My doctor doubled my dosage and I am having trouble with nausea. I should call my doctor but she bugs me. My doctor retired and I have a resident. I was called in for a urine test because I called for pain meds. I fell on my hardwood floor twice in the week and it hurt. I got a Tylenol med. I did check on line and that complaint about Metformin was all over the net. Thank you.

[cherry]

@Kat60 after about 4 years of taking it ,I developed gerd and gastritis. The endo lowered my dose ,and put me on ER, it has helped me a tremendous amount, but it is not gone

I have hopes in time it will be

[cherry]

New research has shown that the rapid decline in insulin production that causes type 1 diabetes continues to fall over seven years and then stabilises.

A team at the University of Exeter Medical School found evidence that the amount of insulin produced declines by almost 50% each year for seven years. At that point, the insulin levels stabilise.

The finding is a major step forward in understanding Type 1 diabetes and contradicts previous beliefs that the insulin produced by people with the condition drops relentlessly with time. It offers the hope that by understanding what changes after seven years, new strategies could be developed to preserve insulin secreting beta-cells in patients.

The study, published in Diabetes Care, measured C-peptide, which is produced at the same time and in the same quantities as the insulin that regulates our blood sugar. By measuring C-peptide levels in blood or in urine, scientists can tell how much insulin a person is producing themselves, even if they are taking insulin injections as treatment. The team studied 1,549 people with Type 1 diabetes from Exeter, England and Tayside, Scotland in the UNITED study.

Dr Beverley Shields, at the University of Exeter Medical School, who led the research, said: "This finding is really exciting. It suggests that a person with Type 1 diabetes will keep any working beta-cells they still have seven years after diagnosis. We are not sure why this is; it may well be that there is a small group of "resilient" beta-cells resistant to immune attack and these are left after all the "susceptible" beta-cells are destroyed. Understanding what is special about these "resilient" beta-cells may open new pathways to treatment for Type 1 diabetes."

Type 1 diabetes affects around 400,000 people in the UK. The disease commonly starts in childhood but can develop at any age, and causes the body's own immune system to attack and destroy the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, leaving the patient dependent on life-long insulin injections.

Professor Andrew Hattersley, a Consultant in Diabetes at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital and Research Professor at the University of Exeter Medical School, looked forward. "Now we know there is a "seven year switch," the next question is why? Has the immune attack stopped or are we left with "super beta-cells" that can resist the immune onslaught. Any insights into halting the relentless destruction of the precious insulin-producing cells are valuable. We could not have made this progress without the help of over 1,500 patients. We owe it to them to try to find answers that might help patient care quickly."

Karen Addington, UK Chief Executive of the type 1 diabetes charity JDRF, said: "These results provide further evidence that the immune system's assault on insulin-producing beta cells is not as complete as we once believed -- and may change over time. This further opens the door to identifying ways to preserve insulin production in people diagnosed with or living with type 1 diabetes."

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[cherry]

A new discovery could lead to the creation of better treatments for people with type 1 diabetes who also have depression.

Scientists at Lund University, Sweden, say levels of an inflammatory protein called galectin-3 could be significant in helping to diagnose or treat depression among those with type 1 diabetes.

Galectin-3 is involved in promoting inflammatory immune system responses that help repair tissue damage, such as in response to injury or disease. But elevated levels have been linked to disorders including Alzheimer’s disease and cardiovascular disease.

Prior to this study, research suggested that high levels of inflammation were associated with depression and diabetes, but the role of galectin-3 was not investigated in either condition.

Researchers analysed galectin-3 levels in 283 men and women with type 1 diabetes for one year, with incidences of depression self-reported.

Lead author Dr Eva Olga Melin said: "We found that people with type-1 diabetes and depression had higher galectin-3 levels, yet no other diabetes-related metabolic changes could account for these elevated levels."

Because depression is common among people with diabetes, researchers hope that if they can validate their findings in future studies, as well as prove a causal relationship between galectin-3 and depression risk, then future treatment targets could help lower the risk of depression in people with type 1 diabetes.

"Depression is a common disorder, so these findings suggest that further investigating the role of galectin-3 could lead to improved diagnosis and maybe better treatment outcomes for patients in the future," added Dr Melin.

The findings appear online in Endocrine Connections.

Editor's note: While people with diabetes are more likely to get depression than those without the condition, they are many ways depression can be treated aside from medication. Our Diabetes Forum has helped people share their stories for over 15 years and talk with like-minded individuals, while keeping good control of blood sugar levels and eating a healthy, real food diet has been shown to improve energy levels as well as mood.

[cherry]

Top doctor Dr Xand van Tulleken is warning about how not all carbs are created equal in a BBC programme which will be aired on Wednesday 6 June.

On The Truth About Carbs, Dr van Tulleken explores food intake and how carbs can affect weight, urging people to cut their carb intake. Obesity and type 2 diabetes are significantly linked and carb intake is becoming a prevalent talking point among healthcare professionals because carbs has the greatest impact on blood sugar levels.

Alongside Kirby GP Dr Faisal Maassarani, the two doctors talk to leading experts, chefs and a group of obese people with health complications including type 2 diabetes about the relationship between obesity and carbohydrate.

Among the obese cohort, those who cut out starch and sugar ended up improving their blood sugar significantly, with one participant close to achieving type 2 diabetes remission.

Chief among the show's lessons is that not all carbs are created equal, with foods high in dietary fibre for example - referred to as "green carbs" - significantly healthier than "beige carbs" such as pasta and potatoes, and "white carbs" such as rice and biscuits.

Speaking to the MailOnline, Dr van Tulleken said: "Learning to eat carbs more intelligently has helped me control my weight more easily. As a medical doctor with a degree in public health, I'm convinced it could bring similar benefits to millions of Britons."

The show also provides viewers with top tips on how to avoid the bad carbs as well as showing scientific experiments about how carbs can affect people's energy levels.

The show will be aired on 6 June on BBC One at 20:00 and can also be watched via the BBC iPlayer shortly after broadcast.

Editor’s note: If you'd like to find out more about different types of carbohydrate, visit our award-winning Low Carb Program.

[cherry]

An alternative to metformin has been discovered by researchers that could lower blood sugar levels as effectively as the diabetes drug.

Researchers identified this new chemical compound following a study where high-performance computing was used to identify compounds that could kick-start the GPRC6A protein, which regulates blood sugar levels.

Upon kick-starting the protein, the researchers were able to verify its potency and subsequently designed a chemical that can regulate insulin secretion and lower blood sugar in levels.

In trials on mice, the US scientists - which included researchers from the University of Tennessee, the University of Alabama, and the University of Illinois - tested several molecules and identified one called DJ-V-159 which was as effective as metformin in controlling blood sugar levels.

Jeremy Smith, Governor's Chair for Molecular Biophysics at the University of Tennessee, said: "This chemical compound lowers sugar levels in mice as effectively as metformin, but with a 30-times lower dose. It therefore is a good starting point for the development of a new and effective drug to fight diabetes.

"These preliminary findings set the stage for lead optimization of a chemical series of GPRC6A agonists to optimize potency, selectivity, and biological activity to fulfil the criteria for a potentially new therapeutic."

The findings, published in the PLOS One journal, indicate an alternative to metformin could be developed for people unable to tolerate the drug, which is known to carry some side effects such as nausea and diarrhoea.

Metformin is one of the most common forms of type 2 diabetes treatment, used to lower blood glucose levels, and recently the drug has been successfully repurposed to lower the risk of some cancers developing.

While metformin has clear benefits, people with type 2 diabetes have been able to come off the drug, and other diabetes medication, through eating a healthy real food diet and getting regular exercise. A total of 40% of users on our Low Carb Program have been able to come off at least one diabetes medication upon completing the course.