Free Republic

A new continuous glucose monitor (CGM) that is not only non-invasive but that predicts blood sugar levels from ECG data promises to shake up diabetes management. The device is being showcased at the 2024 Taiwan Innotech Expo. Continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) have revolutionized diabetes management by providing around-the-clock blood sugar levels and trends, as well as access to comprehensive data that enables medical professionals to make personalized adjustments to insulin therapy. In essence, CGMs allow for better blood sugar control, thereby reducing the risk of diabetics developing disease-related complications. However, current CGMs have some limitations. They’re invasive, requiring the insertion...

Cone snail venom contains consomatin, a toxin that could lead to better, longer-lasting drugs for diabetes and hormone-related diseases by mimicking somatostatin. A new study published in Nature Communications reveals the toxin from one of the most venomous animals on the planet may hold the key to improving drugs for diabetes and hormone disorders. An international team of scientists led by the University of Utah identified a component within the venom of a deadly marine cone snail, the geography cone, that mimics a human hormone called somatostatin, which regulates the levels of blood sugar and various hormones in the body....

Whether it's freshly diced, sprinkled, or infused in oil, regularly adding some garlic to your diet has been found to keeps both blood sugar and cholesterol in check. A meta-analysis of 22 previous studies that included 29 randomized, controlled trials conducted by researchers from Southeast University and Xizang Minzu University in China confirms the consumption of garlic is linked with lower levels of glucose and some types of fat molecule. Glucose and lipids are key nutrients for the body, providing energy and the basis of a wide variety of building blocks. Modern diets can often lead to too much of...

Researchers have discovered a key mechanism used by Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), also known as human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8), to induce cancer. The research points to effective new treatment options for KSHV-associated cancers, including Kaposi's sarcoma, primary effusion lymphoma, and HHV8-associated multicentric Castleman disease. "Our findings have significant implications: viruses cause between 10% to 20% of cancers worldwide. Treating virus-induced cancers with standard cancer therapies can help shrink tumors that are already there, but it doesn't fix the underlying problem of the virus," said Jun Zhao, Ph.D. The study reveals that KSHV manipulates two human enzymes called CDK6 and CAD...

A new study showed that a teaspoon a day of cinnamon might help reduce a person’s diabetes risk. So, how much of it does a person need to eat? Teaspoon a day of common spice may reduce diabetes risk (WKRC, CNN Newsource, CBS Newspath) The study was conducted in those with prediabetes, which means a person’s blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not yet high enough to be considered type two diabetes. It’s also a time when increasing a person’s activity can really make a difference, something that Samantha Goldfeder knows about. "Just the consistency of coming kind...

A dietary supplement significantly reduced high blood sugar caused by a diuretic used to lower blood pressure while also correcting electrolyte imbalances. Millions of Americans take thiazide diuretics, a class of medications used to treat high blood pressure. Although these drugs are very effective, Dr. Vongpatanasin said, they come with significant side effects, including reduced levels of the electrolyte potassium in the blood; higher cholesterol, triglycerides, and other circulating lipids; and elevated glucose (blood sugar), a precursor to Type 2 diabetes. The increase in glucose prompted by these drugs has long been attributed to the decrease in potassium levels. Although...

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most difficult cancers to treat, being highly resistant to chemotherapy. However, there are no effective alternative therapies to chemotherapy, so chemo remains the best available treatment. Researchers report that a hyperglycemic state—that is, one where the blood glucose level is raised—made pancreatic cancer more sensitive to chemotherapy in a mouse model. (Pancreatic cancer is more formally known as Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma and shortened as PDAC). Results were replicated in cell culture and a cohort of patients with metastatic PDAC. These findings present a potentially new method of making chemotherapy more effective against pancreatic cancer,...

Researchers have known that a lack of quality sleep can increase a person's risk of diabetes. What has remained a mystery, however, is why. Now, a team of sleep scientists have uncovered a potential mechanism in humans that explains how and why deep-sleep brain waves at night are able to regulate the body's sensitivity to insulin, which in turn improves blood sugar control the next day. "These synchronized brain waves act like a finger that flicks the first domino to start an associated chain reaction from the brain, down to the heart, and then out to alter the body's regulation...

Credit: Fussenegger Lab / ETH Zurich / Annelisa Leinbach Swiss researchers have developed a sugar-powered implant that automatically produces insulin when blood glucose levels are high — potentially giving people with diabetes an easier, less-painful way to manage their condition. Diabetes management: For people with type 1 diabetes (T1D), the body doesn’t produce enough (or any) insulin, a hormone that converts blood sugar into energy. To prevent their blood glucose levels from being dangerously high, they need regular injections of synthetic insulin. People who manage their diabetes manually must give themselves these painful injections multiple times a day. Those who...

Artificial Pancreas Successfully Trialed for Use by Type 2 Diabetes Patients Scientists at the University of Cambridge have successfully trialed an artificial pancreas for use by patients living with type 2 diabetes. The device – powered by an algorithm developed at the University of Cambridge – doubled the amount of time patients were in the target range for glucose compared to standard treatment and halved the time spent experiencing high glucose levels. Around 415 million people worldwide are estimated to be living with type 2 diabetes, which costs around $760 billion in annual global health expenditure. According to Diabetes UK,...

Type 2 diabetes mellitus can often lead to such as diseases of the heart, and increased risk of death, but preventive measures, such as a healthy diet, can reduce these risks. Now, a study has shown that xanthan gum-based fluid thickener can lower blood glucose levels after eating. Studies have shown that heart diseases and metabolic disorders, such as type 2 diabetes, are associated with blood glucose levels after eating. However, certain foods are reported to help decrease these levels if eaten with a meal. Another food product that produces a similar effect are dietary fibers. These fibers are also...

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...

Eating at night may increase a person's risk for glucose intolerance, or prediabetes, a study published Friday by the journal Science Advances found. Confining meals to daytime can help maintain healthy blood glucose levels, allowing the body to more effectively process sugars, the researchers said. After assessing the effects of nighttime eating on night shift workers, it appears that food consumption during the overnight hours causes a misalignment between the body's central and peripheral circadian "clocks," they said. Circadian clocks are the body's natural timekeepers that regulate physical, mental and behavioral changes throughout the day. In addition to applying to...

he prototype glucose-monitoring sensor, adhered to a volunteer's armJia Zhu VIEW 1 IMAGES Currently, most diabetics have to check their blood glucose levels by performing finger-prick blood tests, or via subdermal implanted sensors. An experimental new device, however, could someday do the job while simply adhered to the surface of the user's skin. Presently being developed at Pennsylvania State University, the low-cost sensor is about the size of a US quarter-dollar coin, and is designed to measure glucose levels in the wearer's sweat. Although the glucose concentration in sweat is about one one-hundredth as much as that in the bloodstream,...

In a pilot study of 14 older adults with mild cognitive problems suggestive of early Alzheimer's disease, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report that a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet may improve brain function and memory. "Our early findings suggest that perhaps we don't need to cut carbs as strictly as we initially tried. We may eventually see the same beneficial effects by adding a ketone supplement that would make the diet easier to follow," says Jason Brandt, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "It's something that 400-plus experimental drugs haven't been...

Neotame Market: Global Industry Analysis 2012 – 2016 and Opportunity Assessment; 2017 – 2027 Neotame is an artificial sweetener with off-white to white powder and an intensely sweet taste. Neotame is manufactured from 3,3 –dimethylbutyraldehyde and aspartame. Neotame purification and isolation is carried out by distillation of a portion of the methanol followed by addition of water. Neotame comes in the second generation of artificial sweetener followed by sucralose. Neotame delivers great taste and enhances flavors when used as a sweetener. However, neotame clean, sweet taste like sugar is used in small amount to sweeten foods and beverage. This is...

Many of us believe some kinds of sugar are somehow healthier. High-fructose corn syrup has been a scapegoat for American obesity for the past decade and a half, so you might be surprised to learn that sugar and honey both have more fructose than high-fructose corn syrup. Let’s break down the numbers here. Despite its misleading name, the most commonly used form of HFCS only has 42 percent fructose in comparison to table sugar’s 50 percent. Honey, the beloved natural sweetener, has 49 percent. Standard corn syrup doesn’t have any fructose because it’s 100 percent glucose, which explains how HFCS...

For a potential prize of $1 million, the government space agency is inviting the public to submit ideas about how to turn carbon dioxide, which is plentiful on the red planet, into glucose, which is more useful for human consumption. The goal is to allow astronauts to visit Mars with fewer materials and ultimately “to enable humans to live and thrive on the planet.” ... NASA has also asked for help controlling a humanoid robot in a simulated mission to Mars and with building “sustainable housing for deep space.” NASA isn’t the only organization trying to get people on Mars....

I finally had to put Old Gus out of my misery. Gus was the pickup I inherited from my Father. I wouldn't call Dad a hoarder, but the man had a collection of shoestrings. "Well, the boots might wear out, but you can always use the strings for stuff like hanging up pictures." You should have seen his art collection. Naked Mexican ladies hanging by a shoestring. That sounds like a new Showtime series. But I digress. Old Gus was like a brother to me. In fact, in Dad's will, he left me to Gus. Oh, I'll bet the lawyer...

Scientists at the University of Warwick have discovered that 'good' cholesterol is turned 'bad' by a sugar-derived substance. The substance, methylglyoxal - MG, was found to damage 'good' HDL cholesterol, which removes excess levels of bad cholesterol from the body. Low levels of HDL, High Density Lipoprotein, are closely linked to heart disease, with increased levels of MG being common in the elderly and those with diabetes or kidney problems. Supported by funding from the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and published in Nutrition and Diabetes, the researchers discovered that MG destabilises HDL and causes it to lose the properties which...