Diabetes Today          Heal Diabetes Now Membership Site  Click Here!       

                                                              Contact us          Over  100 Diabetic Recipes $4.95 Click Here for recipes 

Diabetes And The Long Term Dangers

Diabetes has hidden dangers that begin before diagnosis and continue to worsen if certain steps are not taken to prevent the complications that are the true, "killers" in terms of diabetes.

Statistics show that there are around 18 million diabetics in America, both Type 1 and Type 2. It is amazing how many people, diabetics included, who have no idea what dangers a diabetic faces over their lifetime. A diabetic, all things being equal, lives almost 10 years less than their non-diabetic counterpart on average.

Why do diabetics life shorter life spans than non-diabetics? The answer is both simple and complicated. Simple in explaining in general terms, complicated in the medical sense. Without traveling the complicated route in this article, I will try to give a simple, straight forward answer to the above question. Diabetics live shorter lives than non-diabetics because of diabetic complications.

What Are Diabetic Complications?

Diabetic complications are chronic medical conditions that begin to affect the body of the diabetic. These complications are brought about mostly by a condition the medical community had named, "Advanced Glycation End products" which is simply, "excess sugar" saturating the inside of the cells of the body. This condition also called AGE for short includes coronary artery disease, vascular disease, blindness, kidney disease, retinopathy (blindness) and loss of feeling in the hands and the feet (peripheral neuropathy) among others.

Diabetes in the early stages does not produce symptoms. Unless found during a routine medical exam, it is possible for a diabetic to remain undiagnosed for years. It is during these years that the beginnings of diabetic complications can gain a foothold due excess sugar in the cells (AGE). The statistics show there is the possibility of as many as over 5 million people going about their normal lives while having undiagnosed diabetes.

Are Diabetic Complications A Certainty?

While the current consensus is that the formula for diabetic complications Diabetes + Time = Complications. What this means is there is a much higher potential of a diabetic becoming diagnosed with one or more diabetic complications over time. This is partly due to how well the individual monitors and controls his/her blood sugar.

Drastic rises and falls of blood sugar can be hard on the body and the excess sugar present in the cells create havoc on the different nerves within the body as well as the capillaries, veins, and arteries. The evidence to date show that excellent control of blood sugar and an active lifestyle goes a very long way in preventing and/or slowing down the onset of diabetic complications.

The Different Types Of Diabetes

There are two types of diabetes - Type One and Type Two. Type One attacks children and young adults and is characterized by the pancreas failing to produce insulin which is a hormone that breaks down sugars and starches while converting them into energy. Type Two occurs usually later in an adult's life and is characterized by the pancreas being unable to produce enough insulin due to several factors, obesity being one of them.

Around 10 percent of diabetics are Type One while the other 90 percent are Type Two. The major difference between the two being that Type One diabetics are completely dependent on insulin and take daily injections while the Type Two's have both those who require insulin shots while others can rely on oral medication and/or changes in diet and exercise.

The Risk Factors Surrounding Diabetes

There are several risk factors that can push a pre-diabetic into full blown diabetes.

1) being overweight.

2) family history of diabetes,

3) lack of adequate exercise.

4) history of gestational diabetes (occurs during pregnancy and usually disappears after delivery).

5) certain ethnic groups

People over 45 years of age and has one or several of the risk factors mentioned above should be screened for diabetes each year, preferably during an annual medical exam. It has been shown that people with these risk factors comprise the majority of diagnosed cases of diabetes each year.

What Tests Help Diagnose Diabetes Cases?

There are two, main tests used for determining whether or not a person has a glucose intolerance:

1) Fasting Plasma Glucose Test

2) Oral Glucose Tolerance Test

Both of these tests can determine glucose intolerance which is where blood sugar is higher than what is considered normal. This is not always an indication of diabetes however.

Can The Onset Of Diabetes Be Prevented?

People with the above risk factors can go a long way toward preventing the development of full-blown diabetes by making significant lifestyle change. What are lifestyle changes? Changing unhealthy diets to more blood sugar friendly ones, doing enough exercise to help offset increased blood sugar levels and keep the body healthy and losing weight especially if considered obese by the medical community.

If you are pre-diabetic you need to stay on a strict diabetic diet. Ask your healthcare professional for a diet that meets that criteria and limit cakes, candy, cookies, and other things made of simple sugars. Eat small, nutritious meals and eat 5 times a day instead of only three.

If you are already diagnosed with full-blown diabetes, you should follow the same diet while under the meticulous care of your healthcare professional. Keep your cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar within proper limits and have your eyes checked every year.

Diabetes can contribute to blindness, kidney disease and heart disease. Complications caused nearly 70,000 deaths in 2000.

What Can The Diabetic Look Forward To?

Diabetic complications can be prevented or lessened for a longer time period by paying serious attention to lifestyle. A diabetic who eats right, keeps his blood sugar in control and within accepted limits, exercises and gets proper rest can expect to have a quality of life that is much higher in terms of the pain and suffering that diabetic complications brings into the lives of diabetics who do nothing to change their lifestyle.

What begins to occur in the diabetic who starts to develop complications because of uncontrolled blood sugars over time is a life filled with the possibility of becoming an invalid, either blind, an amputee, or suffering renal failure or a heart attack.

The above paints a rather grim picture if lifestyle changes are not adhered to. Research has shown that the diabetic that keeps their blood sugar within acceptable limits and follows a healthy, diabetic lifestyle that has been shown to be effective against diabetic complications stands a much better chance of not developing many of the complications their less than dedicated counterparts do.

There is a new derivative of thiamine (Vitamin B1) available now that is showing great promise in greatly reducing the excess sugar in the cells of the diabetic, the process known as Advanced Glycation Endproducts (AGE).

Is Benfotiamine Effective Against Diabetic Complications?

Benfotiamine is a lipid soluble derivative of thiamine. Japanese researchers developed benfotiamine in the 1950's and later patented it in the United States in 1962. No one in the US medical community paid much attention to it at the time. For the past 12 years in Europe it has been used for neuropathy, retinopathy and other uses.

The chemical name and formula for benfotiamine is: S-benzoylthiamine-O-monophosphate (C19H23N4O6PS). It wasn't until a group of researchers in New York at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University released the results of their research in 2003 in Nature Medicine Magazine did the rest of the world begin to take a look at this substance.

Benfotiamine is unique and was reported by Michael Brownlee, M.D., as showing much promise in preventing nerve and blood-vessel damage in diabetics. Every diagnosed diabetic has been told by his/her healthcare provider that diabetic complications are the true killers in terms of diabetes.

If you are a diabetic or know a diabetic, you may find additional information about benfotiamine and view research that has been recently conducted showing the benefits of preventing diabetic complications by following the link to the website below.

Zach Malott is CEO of Brentwood Health International, a nutritional supplement company involved in distribution and supplying wholesale, retail and end users.

Mr. Malott is available to discuss the research as it applies to benfotiamine in terms of diabetic complications such as neuropathy and retinopathy.

He can be reached at:

Phone: 505.354.0526
http://www.emuhealthproducts.com/benfotiamine.html

The Star-Ledger - NJ.com

Novo Nordisk takes a big risk with new diabetes research The Star-Ledger - NJ.com Matt Rainey/The Star-LedgerNovo Nordisk, with its US headquarters in Plainsboro, has become a pharmaceutical powerhouse in the battle against diabetes. ...

Reuters India

Diabetes drug may keep lung cancer at bay Reuters CHICAGO (Reuters) - The common diabetes drug metformin may hold promise as a way to keep smokers from developing lung cancer, US researchers said on ... Diabetes Drug Also Reduces Risk Of CancerVisit Bulgaria Diabetes drug Metformin cuts tumor risks in smokers, prevents lung cancerCelebrities With Diseases Diabetes drug cuts risk of lung cancer: Metformin blocks cigarette tumoursMirror.co.uk Herald Sun -Diabetes.co.uk -Frontier India - News, Analysis, Opinion all 246 news articles »

MedIndia

Mouse Study May Help Explain Fish Oil's Benefits BusinessWeek 3 (HealthDay News) -- Feeding obese mice omega-3 fatty acids reduced inflammation that can lead to diabetes, a new study finds. Fish oil supplements that ... Fish oil works against diabetesTimes of India Experts 'unlock' secret of fish oilThe Press Association Omega-3 fatty acids helps in fight against diabetesDiabetes.co.uk Zimonet -Science AAAS -Live in the Now all 58 news articles »

Cincinnati Business Courier

Grant aimed at better diabetes care in area The Detroit News A large percentage of Detroit and southeast Michigan residents have diabetes. "Information is the lifeblood of medicine," said Dr. David Blumenthal, ... Cincinnati nonprofit to get $13.8M for health ITBusinessWeek Metro Detroit gets $16.2 million grant for health information exchange on diabetesCrain's Detroit Business Feds name last two Health IT grant recipientsComputerworld ModernHealthcare.com -FierceEMR -Health Data Management all 75 news articles »

Weight-Loss Surgery Now Most Effective Against Type 2 Diabetes HULIQ The use weight-loss surgery to treat Type 2 diabetes will dominate the data presented. The International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic ... Obesity is focus at bariatric surgeons' conference in Long BeachLong Beach Press-Telegram all 2 news articles »

ModernMedicine

Protein test ups diabetes diagnoses in some races Reuters NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Efforts to adopt a more accurate test for diagnosing diabetes may have hit a snag. ... A1C Usefulness in Detecting New Diabetes Limited However, for those with ...ModernMedicine all 6 news articles »

Diabetic Diet Plan To Naturally Cure Diabetes In As Little As 30 Days OfficialWire (press release) Do you think that they genuinely want to cure your diabetes? Lets pretend for a moment that you are a big company who sells insulin to diabetics. ... and more »

Health Care N Diet

Breast-feeding curbs risk of diabetes for mothers Chicago Sun-Times A new study indicates that mothers who breast-feed their children for at least one month appear less likely to develop type 2 diabetes. ... Breastfeeding May Lower Moms' Diabetes RiskWebMD Breast-Feeding Protects Moms from Diabetes, Study Shows: Why Use a Bottle?CBS News Women who breastfeed even one month reduce their diabetes riskLos Angeles Times BusinessWeek -Times of India -Natural News.com all 186 news articles »

Seer Press

Diabetes Drug Might Fight Cancer U.S. News & World Report An ancient herbal remedy that constitutes the active ingredient in a modern diabetes drug may soon play a new role in ... Diabetes Drug May Prevent Lung CancerdBTechno Metformin Might Prevent Colorectal, Lung CancersMedscape Metformin result shows everything old is new againSmartPlanet.com (blog) Corante (blog) -MedPage Today all 9 news articles »

Washington Post

Vets' Agent Orange diabetes claims soar Boston Herald But he successfully argued his diabetes may have been caused by Agent Orange, even though research has failed to find establish a definitive link. ... Diabetes now tops Vietnam vets' claimsThe Associated Press Diabetes now Vietnam vets' top Agent Orange claimThe Associated Press Olbermann Cherry-picks AP to Accuse Alan Simpson of Attacking VeteransNewsBusters (blog) Veterans Today Network all 736 news articles »