Tiny packets of cells called islets throughout the pancreas allow the organ to produce insulin. Type 1 diabetes—also known as juvenile diabetes - tricks the immune system into destroying these islets. Patients must take insulin daily to maintain blood sugar, or too much sugar will build up in the blood stream and lead to hyperglycemia, diabetic ketoacidosis, and, if left untreated, death. Patients must self-regulate their blood sugar for their entire lives, unless there were some way to restore the pancreatic islets. Read more »

(HealthDay)—Adults with type 2 diabetes receiving multiple daily insulin injections randomized to continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) have improved glycemic control versus usual care, according to a study published online Aug. 22 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Read more »

(HealthDay)—For patients with diabetes, use of secure messaging for medical advice is associated with better diabetes management, according to a study published online Aug. 14 in Diabetes Care. Read more »

Diabetes is a tough disease to manage. Oral medications, insulin shots, close monitoring of blood sugar, dietary changes and exercise can all factor into a person's treatment regimen. Now researchers are exploring a novel, simpler approach: implanting a polymer sponge into fat tissue. Their study has shown that in obese mice with symptoms resembling Type 2 diabetes, the implant reduced weight gain and blood-sugar levels—by getting the fat to "talk" again. Read more »

A team led by Kaiser Permanente researchers has developed and validated a practical tool for identifying diabetes patients who are at the highest risk for being admitted to an emergency department or hospital due to severe hypoglycemia, or very low blood sugar. Their results are published today in JAMA Internal Medicine. Read more »

(HealthDay)—Studies often fail to include information on outcomes by medication adherence in type 2 diabetes, according to research published online Aug. 11 in Diabetes Care. Read more »

Intermittent fasting is currently all the rage. But don't be fooled: it's much more than just the latest fad. Recent studies of this kind of fasting – with restricted eating part of the time, but not all of the time – have produced a number of successes, but the latest involving diabetes might be the most impressive yet. Read more »

Researchers from Umeå University in Sweden describe a new method to study biochemical changes that occur in the pancreas during the development of diabetes. The method, recently published in Scientific Reports, is based on molecular spectroscopy and can be used to extract biochemical profiles (or "fingerprints") containing information about disease progression. The method could facilitate improved understanding of the mechanistic processes on molecular and cellular levels that are key to the development of diabetes. Read more »

(HealthDay)—The beneficial effects of intensive systolic blood pressure (SBP) treatment are similar among those with prediabetes and fasting normoglycemia, according to a study published online Aug. 9 in Diabetes Care. Read more »

Packed with nutrients linked to better health, walnuts are also thought to discourage overeating by promoting feelings of fullness. Now, in a new brain imaging study, researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) have demonstrated that consuming walnuts activates an area in the brain associated with regulating hunger and cravings. The findings, published online in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, reveal for the first time the neurocognitive impact these nuts have on the brain. Read more »

(HealthDay)—For pregnant women with pre-existing diabetes, falling insulin requirement (FIR) is associated with altered expression of placental antiangiogenic factors and preeclampsia, according to a study published online Aug. 10 in Diabetes Care. Read more »

A new study published in Frontiers in Physiology suggests that High-Intensity Interval Training is an efficient, effective way of cutting people's risk of developing type-2 diabetes, regardless of their levels of insulin resistance (a key warning sign for diabetes). Higher insulin resistance means the body starts failing to respond to insulin, a hormone which helps our bodies process glucose in muscles (~80%), and liver mainly: this failure causes diabetes. To stop this happening, patients with risk factors like known high insulin resistance are often asked to increase their physical activity, but exercising doesn't work equally well for everyone. Read more »

While completing his residency in anesthesiology at Massachusetts General Hospital in the mid-2000s, Jon Bloom saw his fair share of foot amputations among patients with diabetes. The culprit: infected foot ulcers. Read more »

A high amount and intensity of exercise along with a diet plan resulted in a modest reduction in blood glucose levels among adults with type 2 diabetes, but was accompanied by reductions in the use of glucose-lowering medications, according to a study published by JAMA. Read more »

Inflammatory processes in the liver lead to elevated cholesterol levels in people with diabetes, thus promoting subsequent vascular diseases. This is the conclusion of a study by scientists at Helmholtz Zentrum München, Technische Universität München (TUM) and the Collaborative Research Center SFB 1118 at Heidelberg University Hospital. The paper has now been published in the journal Cell Reports. Read more »

A group of U of T researchers have demonstrated that the space under our skin might be an optimal location to treat type 1 diabetes (T1D). Read more »

(HealthDay)—There is considerable variation in nonparticipation in diabetes self-management classes, according to a study published online Aug. 3 in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Preventing Chronic Disease. Read more »

(HealthDay)—For rodents with diabetes, periodontal inflammation may be derived from dental caries rather than periodontal disease (PD), according to a study published online Aug. 9 in Diabetes. Read more »

(HealthDay)—Subcutaneous exendin (SC Ex-9) appears to be safe and effective in treating post-bariatric hypoglycemia (PBH), according to a study published online Aug. 4 in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism. Read more »

What if a simple blood test could help you determine the best strategy for weight loss, before you even started? Additional analysis of a study conducted by researchers at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts suggests that a person's fasting glucose levels, also called blood sugar levels, may be useful in figuring out the best type of diet for weight loss. The study focused on a weight-loss program based on the "iDiet," which emphasizes a high-fiber, low-glycemic diet and includes behavioral support. Read more »