Diabetes is a disease in which your blood glucose, or sugar, levels are too high. Glucose comes from the foods you eat. Insulin is a hormone that helps the glucose get into your cells to give them energy. With Type 1 diabetes, your body does not make insulin. With Type 2 diabetes, the more common type, your body does not make or use insulin well. Without enough insulin, the glucose stays in your blood.
Over time, having too much glucose in your blood can cause serious problems. It can damage your eyes, kidneys, and nerves. Diabetes can also cause heart disease, stroke and even the need to remove a limb. Pregnant women can also get diabetes, called gestational diabetes.
Symptoms of Type 2 diabetes may include fatigue, thirst, weight loss, blurred vision and frequent urination. Some people have no symptoms. A blood test can show if you have diabetes. Exercise, weight control and sticking to your meal plan can help control your diabetes. You should also monitor your glucose level and take medicine if prescribed.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
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Bayer's BREEZE(R)2 Meter Available in Two New Vibrant Colors for a Limited Time
TARRYTOWN, N.Y., Sept. 9 /PRNewswire/ --
Bayer Diabetes Care today introducedtwo new vibrant colors of Bayer's BREEZE(R)2 blood glucose meters -- Pink andPurple.
The BREEZE2 new color meters will offer the same unique easy to use(1)features as the original silver BREEZE2 meter, such as a 10-test disc thatstores test strips inside the meter itself, so users do not have to handleindividual strips every time they test their blood glucose. The 10-test discis a feature that nearly all BREEZE2 meter users agree makes frequent testingsimple and convenient.
Bayer Diabetes Care introduced the BREEZE2 meter colors, giving people withdiabetes the option to purchase a multi-strip meter that matches their owntaste and sense of style. The meter will also continue to be available in theoriginal silver color.
Similar to Bayer's CONTOUR(R) meter, BREEZE2 meters feature No Coding(TM)technology and no interference from maltose and galactose, making diabetesmanagement easier. In addition, the BREEZE2 meter has a small sample size, afast testing time, a large memory and holds up to 420 readings, with averagingavailable for 1-, 7-, 14- and 30-day periods.
The limited edition BREEZE2 color meters will be available at selectpharmacies while supplies last. For more information on the BREEZE2 colormeters and to download a coupon for a free BREEZE2 meter, go towww.simplewins.com/site/Adults/Monitor/Pages/Bayer-Products/Breeze-Meter.
Gastric Bypass Halts Diabetes in Obese Teens
MONDAY, Dec. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Obese teenagers who have gastric bypass surgery not only lose weight but see their type 2 diabetes disappear, a new study finds.
Also called bariatric surgery, the procedure works by limiting the size of the stomach and thereby reducing the amount of food one can eat. In this study, researchers used the Roux-en-Y method, which involves placing an adjustable band to block off most of the stomach. The band limits how much food the body absorbs.
"Previous studies have shown frequent remission of type 2 diabetes in adults following bariatric surgery, but until now, no research had been done to provide information about outcomes of adolescent diabetics who are considering surgical weight loss," said lead researcher Dr. Thomas H. Inge, an associate professor of surgery and pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
"Our study found that, in most cases, teens can lose one-third of their weight and come off diabetes medications with remission of their diabetes one year after bypass surgery. This is certainly not the case for similar diabetic teenage patients who did not undergo surgery," Inge noted.
The report is published in the January issue of Pediatrics.
For the study, Inge's group looked at 78 teens with type 2 diabetes. Eleven patients underwent gastric bypass surgery, while the other 67 patients received usual care for their diabetes.
For the teens who had surgery, not only did they have an average 34 percent reduction in their weight, but their diabetes went into remission. Teens that did not have surgery saw an average weight loss of less than two pounds and still needed their diabetes medication.
"In addition to the impressive weight loss and type 2 diabetes results, patients undergoing the gastric bypass surgery also showed significant improvement in blood pressure, insulin, glucose, cholesterol and triglyceride levels," Inge said.
Type 2 diabetes takes a huge toll on the body, and the earlier it starts, the more of an impact it can have, Inge explained.
"These early surgical research findings suggest that diabetes may not be a diagnosis kids have to live with for the rest of their lives," Inge said. "They may not have to face diabetic retinopathy, progressive coronary heart disease and renal failure. In fact, there is good reason to be optimistic about their future cardiovascular health."
"If you are a type 2 diabetic and morbidly obese, gastric bypass surgery should be considered in the treatment pathway," Inge added.
Dr. David L. Katz, director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine, thinks that while surgery is effective it does not deal with the cause of the obesity epidemic among teens.
"Bariatric surgery is clearly effective in treating severe obesity, preventing and reversing type 2 diabetes, and even extending survival when applied to adults," Katz said. "That similar benefits ensue when the procedure is applied to adolescents is important, but by no means surprising."
Despite the success of surgery, these results should be viewed with caution, Katz said.
"A large and growing proportion of all children and adolescents are subject to obesity, and its complications," Katz said. "Surgery can mitigate those complications, but can we really condone ushering more and more young people through the OR doors for a major surgical procedure to fix what policies and programs that foster healthful eating and regular activity could have prevented in the first place?"
Gastric bypass surgery is an effective last resort for severe obesity in adolescence, as in adulthood, Katz said. "But a last resort it should be, and we should do all we can to minimize the need for this procedure by combating the root causes of obesity in our society."
Also called bariatric surgery, the procedure works by limiting the size of the stomach and thereby reducing the amount of food one can eat. In this study, researchers used the Roux-en-Y method, which involves placing an adjustable band to block off most of the stomach. The band limits how much food the body absorbs.
"Previous studies have shown frequent remission of type 2 diabetes in adults following bariatric surgery, but until now, no research had been done to provide information about outcomes of adolescent diabetics who are considering surgical weight loss," said lead researcher Dr. Thomas H. Inge, an associate professor of surgery and pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
"Our study found that, in most cases, teens can lose one-third of their weight and come off diabetes medications with remission of their diabetes one year after bypass surgery. This is certainly not the case for similar diabetic teenage patients who did not undergo surgery," Inge noted.
The report is published in the January issue of Pediatrics.
For the study, Inge's group looked at 78 teens with type 2 diabetes. Eleven patients underwent gastric bypass surgery, while the other 67 patients received usual care for their diabetes.
For the teens who had surgery, not only did they have an average 34 percent reduction in their weight, but their diabetes went into remission. Teens that did not have surgery saw an average weight loss of less than two pounds and still needed their diabetes medication.
"In addition to the impressive weight loss and type 2 diabetes results, patients undergoing the gastric bypass surgery also showed significant improvement in blood pressure, insulin, glucose, cholesterol and triglyceride levels," Inge said.
Type 2 diabetes takes a huge toll on the body, and the earlier it starts, the more of an impact it can have, Inge explained.
"These early surgical research findings suggest that diabetes may not be a diagnosis kids have to live with for the rest of their lives," Inge said. "They may not have to face diabetic retinopathy, progressive coronary heart disease and renal failure. In fact, there is good reason to be optimistic about their future cardiovascular health."
"If you are a type 2 diabetic and morbidly obese, gastric bypass surgery should be considered in the treatment pathway," Inge added.
Dr. David L. Katz, director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine, thinks that while surgery is effective it does not deal with the cause of the obesity epidemic among teens.
"Bariatric surgery is clearly effective in treating severe obesity, preventing and reversing type 2 diabetes, and even extending survival when applied to adults," Katz said. "That similar benefits ensue when the procedure is applied to adolescents is important, but by no means surprising."
Despite the success of surgery, these results should be viewed with caution, Katz said.
"A large and growing proportion of all children and adolescents are subject to obesity, and its complications," Katz said. "Surgery can mitigate those complications, but can we really condone ushering more and more young people through the OR doors for a major surgical procedure to fix what policies and programs that foster healthful eating and regular activity could have prevented in the first place?"
Gastric bypass surgery is an effective last resort for severe obesity in adolescence, as in adulthood, Katz said. "But a last resort it should be, and we should do all we can to minimize the need for this procedure by combating the root causes of obesity in our society."
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