Healthy News for Healthy Nation

Cardiovascular Risk With an Insulin Sensitizers - Let’s put it in perspective!

With the current New England Journal Article on Avandia and it’s increased risks for cardiovascular problems, I believe we have missed the whole point of the article.

So, we have the insulin sensitizers, Avandia, Actos and Rezulin (which was removed from the marketplace for liver toxicity). Risk factors for these include heart attacks, cardiovascular death, fluid retention, bone fractures, weight increase, negative effect on lipids and possible unknown effects on genes. The New England Journal of Medicine published an article entitled, “Effect of Rosiglitazone on the Risk of Myocardial Infarction and Death from Cardiovascular Causes.” The conclusions of this analysis of previous studies of rosiglitazone (brand name, Avandia) suggest that this oral agent used to treat type 2 diabetes may be associated with increased risk of heart attack by 43 percent and and death from cardiovascular causes by 64 percent. In an editorial review of the Avandia meta-analysis, also published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Drs. Psaty and Furberg indicated that the approval process for Avandia may have been insufficiently rigorous because rosiglitazone has so many effects on genes, many of which are unknown.

Moreover, its approval was based upon studies that may have been too short to be really useful in identifying long-term adverse heart effects. Previously, meta-analysis was instrumental in preventing Pargluva (muraglitazar), a drug similar to Avandia, from being approved, again because of heart problems. In 2000, another glitazone, Rezulin (troglitazone), was removed from the market due to liver toxicity. Earlier this year, the Cochrane Library published a meta-analysis of Actos (pioglitazone), a thiazolidinedione similar to Avandia, which implicated it in edema and heart failure. In the meantime, patients using any of the insulin sensitizers should talk to their health care provider to determine the most appropriate course of action. Patients should not stop taking any prescribed medications without first discussing the issue with their health care provider. Now is the time to talk to your patients about the risks associated with diabetes. Using any drug increases your risk for complications. But, as the studies have shown, increasing your physical activity can provide the same benefits and even greater benefits in reducing your risk factors for the complications of diabetes and other diseases. Just like we all know that physical activity is an effective treatment for diabetes, yet we would rather just write another prescription for a drug treatment, rather then write a prescription for physical activity, which we all know works and is effective.

Lets first look at the costs of treating diabetes with Avandia. The cost to treat diabetes with Avandia can be $120 dollars a month, or 1500 a year or 15,000 for 10 years and increases your risk for DEATH!. A pedometer costs $20 dollars over 10 years, and when used effectively will reduce the risk for heart failure and DEATH! We can take the increased risk of death from cardiovascular of 64% and turn it around and decrease your risk for cardiovascular death by 64%, that is a change of 128%. As in the DPT trials, and even the Dream study, which used Avandia to reduce the risk of diabetes physical activity was shown to be as effective, if not more then the oral treatments used in the studies.

Lets look at a couple of the studies that, shows this controversy has but only one conclusion. In a Finish study with postmenopausal women over 10 years it was found that walking 1 mile or more a day reduced the risk for heart disease by 82%. In a study in Washington State they found that walking at least 1 hour per week, which is less then 9 minutes a day can reduce the risk for sudden cardiac death by 73%. In a study of 40,000 American females they found that walking at least 1 hour a week, (less then 10 minutes a day) reduced the risk for coronary artery disease by 51%. In a study of over 73,000 American women aged 50-79, walking for 2.5 hours a week reduced the risk for all cardiovascular events by 30%. In a study of 1500 men, walking at least 2.5 hours a week (14 minutes a day) lowered the risk of heat attack by 69%. So, why replace one drug with another that has other risk factors, when we can simply provide a 20 dollar pedometer and tell our patients to increase their physical activity? Now is a great time to have the discussion with your patients and let them know that there are other alternatives to taking drugs that are more effective with no risk factors. But, just telling them may not be good enough, make them responsible for reporting to you their physical activity by using a pedometer and setting goals for the number of steps they take each and every day. If they can report to you their blood sugars, then report their steps! Now imagine what would happen if we also had them responsible for the number of carbohydrates that they consume each day and maybe reduce them by just 100 grams, what could happen? And if all else fails, consider using the most safe and effective drug: INSULIN I

If you would like to share your comments, contact me at publisher@diabetesincontrol.com Steve Freed, Publisher Diabetes in Control.com Pharmacist and Diabetes Educator

Steve Freed, Pharmacist, Diabetes Educator, pedometrist and publisher of http://www.diabetesincontrol.com the leading on-line newsletter for diabetes information for medical professionals and patients with diabetes.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Freed

In the past, diabetes type 1 was referred to as juvenile-onset or childhood diabetes. However, the name has changed. It typically appears in children 4 years and up, particularly in adolescents. The disease also affects adults, especially those who are between the late 30s and early 40s.

The condition is the result of the body being unable to produce enough insulin. Why this happens is not yet known, but it is believed to be a genetic condition. The body requires insulin in order to function properly. Insulin is responsible for converting glucose into energy. Insulin is produced during food digestion, specifically when the food is transferred from the bloodstream and into the cells in the body. In a normal healthy person, the beta cells in the pancreas produce insulin. A person diagnosed with the disease has damaged beta cells, the result of which is a reduction of the insulin produced or none at all.

In the United States, around one million people have it, with more than 10,000 people being diagnosed with the condition annually. More men than women suffer from this condition. It also appears that it affects more non-Hispanic whites, African Americans and Hispanic Americans.

It has a number of symptoms. The most common symptoms of people diagnosed with the disease are the result of the buildup of glucose in the bloodstream. These symptoms include the following frequent urination, constant thirst and hunger, exhaustion, lack of energy, blurred vision and nausea. Often, it is the result of ketoacidosis, a condition wherein the body begins breaking down fat for energy because of extremely high blood glucose levels. When this happens, chemicals called “ketones” begin to build up in the bloodstream. This results to vomiting, stomach pains and nausea. If ketoacidosis is not treated right away, it can lead to rapid breathing, coma and even death.

For more information on diabetes type 1 and other diabetes related topics, visit A1 Diabetes Info at www.a1diabetesinfo.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tony_Collins

As a medicinal chemist, I’m often asked, “How can I live to be a 100 years old?” My answer is simple, “Learn to control blood sugar and insulin.”

The biggest threat to longevity is high blood sugar and insulin. Known as type II diabetes - or more accurately insulin resistance - it has become a nationwide epidemic that steals 11 to 20 years from a person’s lifespan. It is one of the main culprits behind depression, obesity, heart disease and even cancer. Understanding two simple facts about the pandemic killer may help you avoid it - and live to be 100 years old rather than 65 or 70!

Fact #1: Anti-Diabetic Drugs like Avandia and Actos are Deadly

To curb the threat, family physicians are madly prescribing Avandia and Actos in hopes of reversing type II diabetes - total sales have reached over $4 billion annually. Unknown to most, Avandia users have a whopping 30-40% increased risk of heart attack and other heart-related adverse events (heart failure) compared to patients treated with placebo. (1) This side-effect is partly due to the drugs ability to lower “hemoglobin.”

Hemoglobin is used by the body to transport oxygen throughout the entire 100,000 miles of adult veins, arteries, and capillaries. Without it, a condition known as “ischemia” sets in. This is a fancy term for “suffocation.” Clinically, heart attack or heart failure can result from the lack of oxygen.

Actos belongs to the same class of medicine as Avandia - glitazones. Not surprisingly, it carries the same risks. Health Canada sounded the alarm as early as 2001! But the danger is being hidden from the American public.

Commenting on the unannounced danger, the U.S. Congress stated that the, “FDA’s apparently callous disregard for the safety of diabetics taking Avandia is very reminiscent of the Agency’s failure to move on Vioxx when substantial safety signals first became known. Like Vioxx, Avandia may have unnecessarily risked the lives of tens of thousands of Americans.” (2)

Fact #2: Natural Medicine Can Safely Reverse Insulin Resistance

In the process of designing anti-diabetic drugs, Big Pharma surveyed a myriad of natural products to find a “lead compound” that would show them how best to design a synthetic drug. Corosolic acid from the banaba leaf was among the most potent. (3)

Corosolic acid successfully reverses insulin resistance as seen by lowered blood levels of insulin and glucose among users. Rather than promote the natural medicine to the millions who suffer from insulin resistance, Big Pharma has been working rigorously to make a synthetic copycat - so they can monopolize it. They have failed miserably. Fortunately, the natural source is readily available as “banaba leaf” at local health food stores.

Banaba leaf works at the molecular level by fine-tuning the damaged insulin receptor - the cause of insulin resistance. This benefit rests in its ability to selectively initiate a chemical reaction known as “phosphorylation” at the receptor site. In effect, what is “jammed,” becomes un-jammed thanks to the banaba leaf. Akin to a key being inserted into a lock, insulin is free to interact with the receptor, thereby triggering the cell to open the doors for blood sugar.

Users of Banaba leaf not only avoid dangerous prescriptions while increasing insulin sensitivity, but they also melt fat and build muscle in the process. This beneficial effect comes from the subsequent balancing of hormones that occurs once blood levels of insulin and glucose are normalized. Men rid their body of excess estrogen and boost testosterone and vice-versa for women. Of course, lifestyle habits such as exercise and minimizing sugar while increasing healthy fat and protein consumption are pre-requisites to the success of banaba leaf.

Closing

Among those populations who live the longest, they thrive courtesy of being ultra sensitive to insulin - naturally. And conversely, those who die the youngest from obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer are grossly insensitive to it courtesy of type II diabetes. Or they are “following doctor’s orders” and swallowing prescription drug like Avandia or Actos.

References:

1. http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2007/NEW01636.html
2. http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-05-21-avandia-diabetes_N.htm
3. http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2007/05/21/congress-steps-up-scrutiny-of-fda/
4. Katsuji Hattori, et al. Activation of Insulin Receptors by Lagerstroemin. Journal of Pharmacological Sciences. Vol. 93 (2003) , No. 1 pp.69-73

Ellison’s entire career has been dedicated to the study of molecules; how they give life and how they take from it. He was a two-time recipient of the prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Grant for his research in biochemistry and physiology. He is a bestselling author, holds a master’s degree in organic chemistry and has first-hand experience in drug design. His combined experience taught him real answers to the biggest health problems. Learn to Live Young naturally at http://www.thepeopleschemist.com/ Don’t miss his Stinky Sulfur Awards!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shane_Ellison

Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that only occurs during a woman’s pregnancy. Just like all other types of diabetes, it deals with the body’s inability to use sugar properly, which is your body’s energy to perform day to day activities. The only positive of gestational diabetes is that generally after the pregnancy is over, the diabetes goes away.

There is a couple of reasons why some women receive gestational diabetes, while others do not.

During pregnancy, the woman’s placenta is responsible for producing hormones to help with the hormones during the pregnancy. The hormones work to ensure your cells are more apt to take in insulin. As the placenta grows larger in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters, it lets out more hormones, which makes it much harder for the pancreas to do its job.

Normally, your pancreas responds by producing enough extra insulin to overcome this resistance. But sometimes your pancreas can’t keep up. When this occurs, not enough glucose gets into the cells and way too much stays in your blood. This is gestational diabetes.

Gestational diabetes usually develops during the second trimester - sometimes as early as the 20th week, but often not until later in the pregnancy.

Below is a list of the top symptoms for women that may have gestational diabetes:

• Many women experience no symptoms at all
• Thirst
• Hunger
• Urination increase
• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Bladder infection
• Vaginal infection

The symptoms above should be used as a resource to diagnose yourself with diabetes, it should simply be a resource to pre-diagnose yourself. The only way to truly know if you have diabetes or not is to visit the doctor and be tested. If you have any slight assumption in your mind that you may have diabetes, then visit the doctor immediately.

In order to prevent gestational diabetes you should:

Eat healthier foods - It’s really key to have a healthy diet. Choose foods that are low in fat content and be sure to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables in your day to day diet.

Lose weight - Weight loss during pregnancy is not usually recommended, but if you’re planning ahead, losing weight may help you to have a much more healthy and successful pregnancy. Be sure to work on permanent changes to your exercise and nutritional habits. You can motivate yourself by thinking about the benefits of losing weight, such as a better heart, increased energy and better self-esteem.

Be more physical - Physical activity has so many benefits that you should be working on it every day of your life. Before pregnancy, be sure to get plenty of physical activity in. Aerobic exercise is known to have amazing benefits for your overall cardiovascular health and heart. Once you are in the middle of your pregnancy, talk with your doctor to determine what type of physical activity you are allowed to participate in.

Gestational diabetes is becoming more and more common in pregnancies by the day. Live a healthy lifestyle and you should be able to prevent or significantly reduce the effects of gestational diabetes.

Gary Sanders is an expert on gestational diabetes. He has dedicated the last decade of his life to mastering every aspect of diabetes including nutrition, diabetes symptoms, diagnosis, and prevention. He has created an award winning guide that is available at http://www.diabetessymptomsguide.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gary_Sanders