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Animal cells share some qualities with plant cells, but one key feature ours lack is a rigid cell wall. While this provides structure for plants, it’s also something scientists are increasingly looking at for use in new materials, cellulose technology and, now, insulin delivery. Led by Henry Daniell from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Dental Medicine, researchers have created a promising plant-based insulin, containing the three peptides that occur naturally in insulin, which can also be ingested orally. Just as important as the genetic material on the inside, the plant cell walls are key to the drug's efficacy. Their...

A trial of persons with type 2 diabetes found a low-carbohydrate, high-fat, calorie unrestricted diet helped patients achieve better weight loss and glucose control over a 6-month intervention compared to a high-carb, low-fat diet. The changes were not sustained 3 months after, suggesting a need for long-term dietary changes to maintain meaningful health benefits. More than half of persons with diabetes also have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Prior studies suggest that weight loss improves both diabetes control and NAFLD and restriction of carbohydrate intake improves the control of blood sugar. Researchers assigned 165 persons with type 2 diabetes to...

Story at-a-glance: * A carnivore or meat-only diet can be uniquely beneficial for some people, especially those struggling with autoimmune diseases, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, chronic pain and mental health disorders * It can also be used as a detox strategy for three to 12 months * One of the primary benefits of a carnivore diet — as long as you focus on red meat and limit chicken and pork — is that it’s a really low in omega-6 fat, which is the most harmful type of fat and a primary driver of chronic disease * You’re also removing most...

The levels of long-term blood sugar, HbA1c, can be used to accurately determine the risk of a person with type 1 diabetes developing eye- and kidney complications. A study has shown that this level should be lower than 53 mmol/mol (7%). The study has followed individuals for more than 30 years after the onset of type 1 diabetes. People with diabetes may experience damage to the small blood vessels in various organs. The reasons for this are unclear, but it has been known that good control of blood sugar levels reduces the risk of complications. It has, however, not been...

New Inhaled Insulin Drug Helps People With Diabetes PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — National Diabetes Month is observed every November so individuals, health care professionals, organizations, and communities across the country can bring attention to diabetes and its impact on millions of Americans. More than 400 million adults were living with diabetes in 2015 and this number is expected to increase to around 642 million or one in ten adults by 2040. One in two adults with diabetes is undiagnosed. Daniele Hargendader makes sure to stay fit as a personal trainer. She often works out in Pennypack Park. Daniele also has Type...

"In our study," said Huang, "we found the best overall outcomes among those with the intermediate levels of control, those with A1Cs below 8 percent but above 6 percent. We observed similar patterns for those in their 60s, 70s, and over 80." Finding the optimal A1C target is a balancing act, the authors note. The risk of all complications rose with blood sugar levels, but those with an A1C between 6 and 8 percent had the lowest death rates. While those with very poorly controlled blood sugars—A1C over 10 percent—had the highest rates of death, those with an A1C below...

The way that diabetes is diagnosed in the United States is about to change. Later this year, an expert panel organized by the American Diabetes Association will issue a report making blood level of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) an accepted method for diagnosing diabetes, according to staffers from the ADA. Although the decision is not yet finalized, “the group will likely recommend [HbA1c] as the preferred test,” placing it above the current diagnostic standard (the fasting blood glucose level) and also above the historic criterion for diabetes diagnosis (the glucose tolerance test), said Dr. Sue Kirkman, the ADA's vice president for...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - People who ate a low-fat vegan diet, cutting out all meat and dairy, lowered their blood sugar more and lost more weight than people on a standard American Diabetes Association diet, researchers said on Thursday. They lowered their cholesterol more and ended up with better kidney function, according to the report published in Diabetes Care, a journal published by the American Diabetes Association. Participants said the vegan diet was easier to follow than most because they did not measure portions or count calories. Three of the vegan dieters dropped out of the study, compared to eight on...

Hey everyone, Been gone awhile but wanted to let all know that I'm back and am officailly a Airman (1st classs) in the United States Air Force. BMT was an expierence...you have to go through it to understand it. Well, I have to keep this short....I'm stationed at Goodfellow right now preparing to start classes for intel.

Elevated blood sugar increases the risk of heart disease, not only in people with diabetes but also in those with high-normal readings not considered diabetic. Two new studies provide strong evidence that the increased risk is due to blood sugar itself, independent of other problems that often go along with it, like high blood pressure and cholesterol. Before the studies, diabetes was already known to be bad for the heart: it doubles the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, and 70 to 80 percent of people with diabetes die from heart attacks, strokes and artery disease. But researchers were not...