When Denver Broncos Quarterback Jay Cutler announced that he had been diagnosed two weeks ago with type 1 diabetes, he created another "teachable moment" for the public who don't understand diabetes very well.   Three things to know about athletes and type 1 diabetes   1. Not all people with type 1 diabetes are diagnosed as kids. Some don't develop symptoms until thier teens or 20s. While the disease process has been going on for... … [Read more...]

The journal Diabetes Care just published a study showing that a diet built around low-glycemic-index foods appears to result in better blood sugar control.  What's in it for you? Glad you asked.   Three things you need to know:   1. The study was very small and limited to kids taking insulin for Type 1. While the results are interesting--and appear to verify other findings about the effect of foods' glycemic index on blood... … [Read more...]

An important study suggests that aggressively treating cholesterol levels and blood pressure improves the cardiovascular health of diabetics. As usual, the study, which appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association, is not conclusive. But it's full of implications for people living with Type 2 diabetes.  What implications, you ask? Three Things You Need to Know  1. Essentially, the study compared two groups of... … [Read more...]

It's not quite fall, yet already there are two more studies adding to the whole Avandia/Actos/heart risks debate that's been rising since spring. Let's wade into the murk and see if there's anything new here.  Bottom line first A pair of studies appearing in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that Actos, a diabetes medication in the same class as Avandia, has... … [Read more...]

A strong new report in the journal Diabetes Care illustrates why it's so important to control gestational diabetes. Uncontrolled blood sugar appears to greatly increase risk that a child will become overweight or even obese.   Bottom line first   Children of mothers who did not control their blood sugar during pregnancy were nearly twice as likely to be overweight or obese by ages 5 to 7 than kids of those moms with normal glucose.... … [Read more...]

A new report in the Journal of the American Medical Association describes in scary detail the increased risks diabetics face of dying from serious heart disease.  This should sound familiar. It may seem naggy.  Trust me: There are useful, even potentially positive, takeaways. Let's look. Bottom line first Diabetics are far more likely to die of serious heart related events than non-diabetics. This study in 75 words... … [Read more...]

It's a big day for Avandia, and the Health Central team is all over the FDA hearings considering whether the drug should be pulled from the market. But another very important piece of diabetes drug news today shouldn't get lost in the shuffle. In fact, it dovetails perfectly with the Avandia story.Bottom line firstMetformin, a well-established, inexpensive drug used to control blood sugar in Type 2 diabetics, works just as well... … [Read more...]