Med Health News

Tag: diabetes

  • Guava Juice Is Becoming More Mainstream

    Guava Juice Is Becoming More Mainstream

    It’s a brisk afternoon and you’re looking for something sweet to quench your thirst and give you a little jolt from the doldrums of paperwork. You might soon be able to grab a bottle of guava juice at the nearest newspaper stand by the office. Guava juice is slowly becoming more mainstream and is a healthier drink compared with other fruit juices.

    Guava Juice Is Getting Popular Worldwide

    You may have never heard of guava juice, but that may soon change. Did you know most juice products already contain some kind of guava juice additive? It’s also being used in more alcoholic beverages, soda products, and a main ingredient in specialty juice mixes.

    In South Africa, the Mos Mag Fruit Juice is starting to spread across the country as a new niche market of fruit and milk blend drinks. One of its three top products is guava juice concentrate infused with milk, creating a unique, juicy beverage.

    Coca-Cola India announced the upcoming release of guava juice sodas under their Minute Maid brand by 2022. They say they’re trying to nurture the economy and resources of the naturally grown guava in the region. Soda isn’t very healthy, but Coca-Cola stated they’re planning on using real guava juice in their upcoming products, which means these sodas should be healthier than regular sodas.

    In America, Clown Shoes Brewery is selling a guava juice beer mix that tastes more like creamy juice than beer. Their Josh the Guava King beer is being sold in 30 states, including New York and California.

    Odd Side Ales has also concocted its own guava juice beer, naming it “Pink Guava Dank Juice.” It’s being sold exclusively around Illinois and Michigan.

    The popular healthy juice mix company, Jamba Juice, has also adopted guava juice into their product family. They created their “Gotta Guava” guava juice smoothie and are marketing it as a refreshing, healthy summer drink for people living active lifestyles.




    Guava Juice and Diabetes

    Guava juice’s mainstream adoption can also help curb the diabetes mellitus epidemic. The World Health Organization states that there are now about 400 percent more people suffering from diabetes mellitus than in 1980. Guava juice has been found to help manage blood sugar levels with similar effectiveness as pharmaceutical diabetes mellitus medications.

    If more people are switching out their regular sugary drinks and fruit juices that don’t offer protection from diabetes mellitus, then this could help lower international incidences of diabetes mellitus. Such an effect has already been evidenced in Papau New Guinea. In its Kalo region, residents consume more guava and researchers have linked this consumption with their markedly lower incidences of diabetes mellitus compared with the other regions.

    This overall movement to adopt guava juice into mainstream beverages is overall healthy. Guava juice is healthier than most fruit juices and can only boost the nutrition and health benefits of the mainstream products it’s being mixed into. One of these health benefits is helping fight the rising diabetes mellitus epidemic.

    Sources:

    http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs312/en/
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19114402

  • Can Drinking Guava Juice Help Treat Diabetes Mellitus?

    Can Drinking Guava Juice Help Treat Diabetes Mellitus?

    Guava juice is a lesser known healthy food that’s seen as exotic or foreign. But did you know that it grows naturally in the United States? Researchers have also found evidence that adding guava juice to your diabetes mellitus diet can have beneficial effects on your blood sugar levels.

    How Can You Make Guava Juice?

    Despite its exotic-sounding name, you can make guava juice the same way as any other fruit juice – by juicing the fruit it comes from. Guava you can buy is usually a green fruit with apple-like characteristics. It has an edible peel that protects the red meat of the fruit. But unlike an apple, the inner part of the guava has multiple seed-filled chambers which take up the majority of the fruit’s inner area. You can juice guava just like you would juice an apple!

    If you’re wondering if the fruit is hard to find, you’ll be happy to know you can buy guava from your local health food store or whole foods market. Guava has been growing in the tropical areas of the Americas for centuries – even in Florida, where it grows both wild and cultivated. The fruit also matures during all seasons (but is harvested best in summer), which makes it readily available. (This also makes it cheaper to buy guava or guava juice during the summer because it’s more plentiful.)

    Guava Juice Can Lower Your Blood Sugar Levels and Other Diabetes Mellitus-sensitive Parameters

    Guava juice has been used as a remedy in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) since ancient times. Researchers explored its blood sugar-lowering effects on mice and found that it has the same, but weaker effect as metformin and chlorpropamide. Both normal and diabetes mellitus-induced mice experienced lower blood sugar levels after they were administered 1 gram of guava juice per 1 kilogram of body weight.

    When tested in clinical trials, researchers found that guava juice lowered blood sugar levels in non-diabetic and diabetes mellitus patients.

    If you decide to eat guava rather than drink guava juice to help treat diabetes mellitus, researchers caution that the effects can be different. They found that eating guava without the peel lowers blood pressure and blood sugar, total cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. But if you eat guava with the peel, it still lowers your blood pressure and blood sugar levels, but it also raises your total cholesterol and triglyceride levels. From these results they recommend eating guava without the peel if you choose to eat the fruit instead of simply drinking the guava juice.




    Guava Juice Is Also a Healthy Drink Overall

    Whether or not you have diabetes mellitus, drinking guava juice daily can benefit your health. A single averaged-sized guava gives you 0.8 grams of protein and 792 IU of vitamin A. That’s about three times more protein of a single apple. It also has only 51 calories, whereas one apple has 95! It’s also superior to an orange when it comes to vitamin C because it gives you 183.5 milligrams, which is 500 percent more than what’s in one average orange. It also has more than half the potassium content of a banana – 284 milligrams.

    Guava Juice Is More Popular Than You Think – And You’ve Probably Already Had It!

    According to the University of Florida, guava juice is one of the major ingredients that manufacturers often use in their juice blends as part of the processing process. Chances are – if you’ve ever enjoyed a commercial juice blend, you’ve had some guava juice.

    Don’t be scared to add guava juice to your diabetes mellitus diet. Doing so has been proven to help you manage your blood sugar levels. But if you prefer to eat the fruit, remember to eat it without the peel to help prevent any increase in your cholesterol and related levels. And if you don’t have time to make guava juice, you can also buy 100 percent natural guava juice at the store.

    References:

    ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6660217

    ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27790420

    sarasota.ifas.ufl.edu/fcs/FlaFoodFare/Guava.pdf

  • Managing Diabetes Mellitus With the Mind: 6 Mental Strategies to Improve Your Health

    Managing Diabetes Mellitus With the Mind: 6 Mental Strategies to Improve Your Health

    If you’re living with diabetes mellitus, you’ve probably gotten an earful of advice from your doctor, from “take your meds on schedule” to “eat right” to “get more exercise.” But sticking to doctor’s orders can be a challenge no matter how forceful or reprimanding your doctor is — which could be part of the problem.

    Registered dietician nutritionist and diabetes mellitus educator Susan Weiner agrees: “Putting people down for not following a health professional’s advice doesn’t lead to positive and long-term changes.”

    So what does? The answer may lie with diabetes mellitus patients themselves.

    Diabetes mellitus experts are discovering that how diabetes mellitus patients view their condition and symptoms can have a big impact on their health and well-being. After all, the mind is a powerful thing, especially when it comes to disease. Negative thinking can lead to negative behaviors and poor health.

    Fortunately, the mind can be trained to think differently. In fact, evidence suggests that a change of mindset might be one of the most effective medicines for diabetes mellitus yet. The best part? A doctor won’t get on your case for making positive changes to your health.

    Incorporate these six mental strategies into your diabetes mellitus treatment plan, and make managing diabetes mellitus — and improving your health — as simple as mind over matter.

    1. Stop Obsessing Over Glycemic Index for Your Diabetes Mellitus

    For many diabetes mellitus patients, following a proper diet means avoiding foods with high glycemic indices. But using glycemic level as a tool to decide what to eat has a downside: you miss out on foods containing important nutrients that won’t do any harm and may even be beneficial to your overall health and help treat your diabetes mellitus.

    Glycemic index measures how carbohydrates in food increase blood sugar levels, and is ranked on a scale from 0 to 100. Common high-glycemic foods (those with a 70-plus index) include white bread, potatoes, cereals, and pretzels. While glycemic levels of foods can be a helpful tool in controlling blood sugar, obsessing over the ranking of a food on the glycemic index can be pointless and unnecessary.

    Some high-glycemic foods, for example, are perfectly acceptable for diabetes mellitus patients — like pineapple and watermelon. Not only do these foods contain important nutrients, they’re tasty and convenient to eat and, as part of a healthy diet, don’t cause adverse effects.

    Furthermore, how foods are cooked and prepared can alter their glycemic level. By itself, a baked potato has a high glycemic index, but put it in a casserole with vegetables and meat and the GI drops.

    Focusing too much on glycemic indices can lead to more than unnecessary food restriction and missed nutrients; diabetes mellitus patients may set themselves up for a tedious routine at mealtime, making eating a rigorous battle that depletes the fun and joy of food.

    In an article published in Food & Nutrition, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics spokesperson Marina Chaparro suggests that diabetes mellitus patients stop obsessing over the glycemic index of foods, and concentrate on glycemic load instead. Glycemic load takes portion size into account as well as eating wholesome food and being carb conscious. Sensible eating is part of an overall wellness plan for diabetes mellitus patients, and they can make positive changes to their food choices by simply viewing food, nutrition, and GI differently.




    2. Adopt a New Weight-Loss Mindset for Your Diabetes Mellitus

    While maintaining a healthy weight may help stave off and control diabetes mellitus type 2, how weight is assessed can have a negative impact on health. Some experts recommend using BMI, or body mass index, to determine how much a person should weigh. BMI is calculated by measuring body fat based on height and weight.

    The problem with using BMI to gauge healthy weight in diabetes mellitus patients is that some people with BMIs in the obesity range of 30 or higher actually have normal blood lipids, blood sugar, and insulin levels, while others with normal BMIs can be underdiagnosed.

    That may be because people can have high BMIs due to muscle mass rather than body fat, just as they can have normal BMIs with a lack of muscle and too much body fat. Other factors, like age, race, gender, and genetics, also play a role in BMI, making it a less effective strategy for assessing healthy weight.

    Enter the “weight-neutral” mindset. This approach holds that diabetes mellitus patients focus less on BMI and more on body image and lifestyle changes, as well as address emotional eating issues. Proponents of the weight-neutral model believe it helps alleviate problems associated with BMI-centered weight maintenance, like dietary restriction, which can lead to weight cycling. Weight cycling, or repeated weight gain and loss, has been linked to all kinds of health problems, including inflammation, hypertension, insulin resistance, and emotional distress.

    The Health at Every Size (HAES) program supports a weight-neutral philosophy. HAES favors caring for and nurturing your body and adopting stable, healthy habits to keep weight within its natural range. Using five key principles — weight inclusivity, health enhancement, respectful care, eating for well-being, and life-enhancing movement — HAES celebrates body diversity and individual choice.

    But not everyone agrees with HAES. Critics argue that it encourages people to be fat. Advocates say no, HAES promotes trusting in your body and avoiding the negative health consequences of weight cycling while pursuing healthier, more sustainable weight loss practices. It’s also an effective program to follow for diabetes mellitus patients, insists Linda Bacon, nutrition professor, researcher, and HAES author.

    Bacon believes a targeted effort to lose weight, while it can improve blood glucose in the short term, may do more harm than good in the long run by distracting diabetes mellitus patients from the things that really improve health, such as learning to eat well, being physically active, and developing a positive sense of self.

    In an article published in Diabetes Self-Management, she and her co-author explain how shifting from “dietary control and weight loss to the HAES mindset, with an emphasis on wellness, will put you in charge of managing your diabetes mellitus and altering your choices as necessary.”

    Bottom line? Instead of fixating on being thin and losing weight, diabetes mellitus patients may find better results — and improved health — by adopting a positive, weight-neutral mindset about eating, health, and body image.

    3. Recognize and Manage Stress With Mind Work for Diabetes Mellitus

    Diabetes mellitus patients have plenty of reasons to avoid stress. Not only does it cause blood sugar to rise, it can result in poor sleep, high blood pressure, weight gain, and insulin resistance. What’s worse, stress is easy to create with diabetes mellitus, since there are so many reasons to worry. Diabetes mellitus patients are faced with questions and concerns on a daily basis: Are my blood sugar levels too high? Are they too low? Did I eat the wrong thing? Should I confide in friends or coworkers about my condition? Can I afford my medical bills? Will I be able to manage my health day in and day out?

    What diabetes mellitus patients may not understand is that the first step to alleviating stress is to recognize it for what it is — a figment of the mind. Having worries about diabetes mellitus is normal, but that doesn’t mean those worries are valid or life-threatening. Although stress can be scary and frustrating, it doesn’t have to ruin your health. Most worries that come with diabetes mellitus can eventually be put to rest through good healthcare practices and common sense.

    In the meantime, there’s plenty you can do to reduce day-to-day stress that threatens your health and happiness. Try these mental stress relievers to help manage diabetes mellitus symptoms:

    • Meditate. Any form will do, but mindful meditation is especially effective for diabetes mellitus management. Mindfulness involves an awareness of present thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations in a nonjudgmental way. According to research published in Health Psychology, mindfulness is associated with a reduced level of the stress hormone cortisol.
    • Do deep breathing exercises. Not only does deep breathing reduce stress, it can help you sleep better. Not getting adequate sleep can impair glucose tolerance and worsen diabetes mellitus type 2. How’s it done? Take slow, deep breaths through your nose, hold for a few seconds, and breathe out through the mouth. Repeat several times.
    • Journal. Writing in a journal can be highly therapeutic because it allows you to unleash thoughts and solve problems on paper, thereby releasing stress. Find a quiet spot inside or out where you can free mental blockages and write. Many diabetes mellitus patients find that journaling helps give them a clearer, more refreshed mind and a better life perspective.
    • Bond with a dog. Dogs make great companions for diabetes mellitus patients — they’re loyal exercise partners, can be trained to detect when your blood sugar is low, and help keep you on a schedule. And, according to studies, dogs can reduce stress. Spend time cuddling together or try doga, yoga with a dog, for relief. Don’t own a dog? Cats also have a calming effect.
    • Relax to soothing sounds. Ever notice how you can fall asleep more quickly when you listen to the sounds of the ocean or a gentle rain? The same noises can quell and eliminate stress. If you can’t get relief from the real deal, consider investing in a noise machine that offers a range of soothing sounds to put your mind in a restful, stress-free state.
    • Use muscle relaxation. Progressive muscle relaxation involves tensing and relaxing certain muscles groups while breathing in and out. While it may take some time to master, progressive muscle relaxation can be an effective way to relieve tension and eliminate stress. Guided instructions will help you better learn this technique.
    • Tap into your spiritual being. Studies have shown that spirituality plays an important role in managing chronic disease, like diabetes mellitus. The reason? Getting in touch with a higher power brings a sense of peace and comfort that alleviates anxieties related to illness. If church isn’t your thing, spend time reflecting in a quiet outdoor setting or practice tai chi or yoga.
    • Think of something funny. Laughter may not cure diabetes mellitus, but it can certainly help treat symptoms. When you laugh, you release endorphins — the hormones that eliminate pain, make you feel good, and relieve stress. Use your mind to stir up funny memories or find something humorous to read or watch, and laugh your worries away.
    • Focus on your senses. When time is limited and you need immediate stress relief, the quickest way to get it is to engage one or more of your senses, according to the Phoenix VA Healthcare System. Examples? Close your eyes and picture a pleasing scenario, smell flowers, hold a favorite object or memento, or sip on a refreshing drink.
    • Get sleep. People who are tired or sleep-deprived often put their minds in overdrive, making it more prone to worry and anxiety. Sleep reduces cortisol levels and helps refresh and relax the mind. Even a short nap can provide relief. If you suffer from insomnia, establish a relaxing bedtime routine and get professional help if necessary.



    4. Cultivate Positivity for Diabetes Mellitus

    Research has shown there’s a positive link between optimism and the outcome of all kinds of health conditions, including diabetes mellitus. One study reports that the most optimistic diabetes mellitus participants had a 27 percent lower risk of dying than their peers. A positive mindset doesn’t just lead to better health habits; it reduces anxiety, improves coping skills, and boosts happiness, all which help enrich a diabetes mellitus patient’s life and make it healthier and more manageable.

    Cultivating positivity isn’t difficult to do, but it does take practice. Positive self-talk is a good place to start. You can begin by thinking of yourself as you would a good friend. If that good friend were feeling down about something, you would likely offer encouragement, point out the friend’s strengths and skills, and tell your friend how special he or she is. Giving yourself the same treatment is both uplifting and motivating, plus it can influence your well-being.

    The American Diabetes Association agrees that how you talk to yourself makes a difference when it comes to how you feel and act. Negative self-talk can keep you from following a wellness plan and harm your health. But you can turn that around by simply substituting negative self-talk with positive alternatives. For example, rather than calling yourself an exercise failure because you didn’t walk today, remember the days you did walk and tell yourself any exercise is better than none.

    Another activity to try is to take note of the little things that have a positive impact on your health. Looking at the big picture can be overwhelming, especially when you’re dealing with health issues, like your diabetes mellitus. Instead, consider all the small achievements in your day-to-day living. Getting good blood sugar readings, taking an exercise class, eating a nourishing meal, adopting healthy sleep habits — these are baby steps to better health. Concentrate on the little accomplishments every day, and the bigger ones, like improving and reversing diabetes mellitus type 2, can be achieved.

    Gratitude also cultivates positivity because it takes your mind away from you and your worries and puts more productivity on others. Plus, feeling and expressing gratitude releases feel-good hormones, which means you’re doing something healthful for yourself too. Gratitude can be shown in many ways, from a simple thank you for advice from a loved one to making a meal for a friend to donating your time to an important cause.

    Finally, try forming relationships with people who are optimistic and fun to be around. Being with positive people is a good distraction from your health woes, and their optimism will rub off on you. Seek out others who you enjoy spending time with, who lift your spirits, and who care about you in a deep, meaningful way. Your mind will grow more positive about everything in your life, including your health and diabetes mellitus.

    Diabetes mellitus patients who suffer serious stress and stress-related conditions, like depression, may find help through cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Specialists trained in CBT help diabetes mellitus patients deal with feelings of failure, loss, and helplessness. This therapy can also help treat minor conditions associated with diabetes mellitus, including insomnia and anxiety. For more information on CBT and to find a therapist, visit the National Association of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapists.

    5. Sharpen the Brain for Diabetes Mellitus

    Recent research suggests that there’s cause for concern when it comes to diabetes mellitus and its effect on the brain. Scientists from Ewha University Brain Institute in South Korea found that people with diabetes mellitus type 2, especially those who were overweight, had thinner gray matter in the brain, a sign of deterioration. Further, memory and thinking skills were decreased in diabetes mellitus type 2 patients regardless of their weight — and the longer someone had diabetes mellitus type 2, the likelier they were to have brain changes.

    The good news is, learning and using your brain can help keep the mind sharp and improve diabetes mellitus symptoms, including spikes in blood sugar levels. So what can you do to get your brain working at top capacity? Here are five ideas that will keep you thinking and engaged:

    1. Read, read, read. It’s one of the best ways to stay sharp and work areas of the brain related to memory and deep thinking. Read a variety of material, including poetry, which has been shown to stimulate areas of the brain that tap into emotions.
    2. Do puzzles. Although research has been mixed on whether doing puzzles benefits the brain, there’s no question they require brainwork. Puzzles involve problem-solving, hand-eye coordination, creativity, and memory. The more complex the puzzle, the better for the brain.
    3. Take a class and learn. Taking a class promotes concentration and focus, plus it’s a great way to engage in social interaction and networking — all which benefit the brain. Classes abound on all kinds of subjects and they can be found online, through local colleges and universities, and via lifelong learning programs in the community.
    4. Play challenging games. Card games and board games, played alone or with others, can give the brain a rigorous workout that’s also fun and satisfying. A University of Iowa study found that playing video games can benefit the brain, too, by reversing mental decline in aging adults.
    5. Listen to music. Listening to music has many brain benefits, including improved brain function and memory, better sleep quality, and increased mental alertness. Some say that classical music tops the charts for improving brain health, but go ahead and listen to your favorite artist; any music can boost your physical and mental well-being.



    6. Get Mindful About Diabetes Mellitus

    The more you know about diabetes mellitus — or your potential to develop it — the better equipped you’ll be to manage symptoms, handle complications, and reverse or prevent the disease. You might begin by researching your family medical history. Heredity plays a definitive role in diabetes mellitus, so genes matter.

    According to the American Diabetes Association, diabetes mellitus type 2 and 1 have different causes yet they share two factors: you inherit a predisposition to diabetes mellitus and something in the environment triggers the onset.

    Find out which, if any, family members have diabetes mellitus or pre-diabetes. Include both living and non-living relatives in your search. Then ask questions. Get to know their lifestyle and what it’s like to live with the condition day-to-day. Learn about individual symptoms and how they’re managed, what therapies work best, and at what age they developed diabetes mellitus.

    Move on to acquiring general information about diabetes mellitus. Get to know the differences between diabetes mellitus type 1 (which is insulin-dependent and usually develops during childhood or adolescence) and diabetes mellitus type 2 (commonly known as “adult onset” and is not dependent on insulin to control blood sugar). Research your own symptoms and see how they compare with other diabetes mellitus patients’. Look into all your options for treatment and disease management.

    Remember, knowledge is power, and there are numerous resources available for diabetes mellitus patients to get educated. Besides your primary doctor, other medical experts with backgrounds in diabetes mellitus include nutritionists, endocrinologists, eye doctors, podiatrists, nurse practitioners, and heart specialists. You might also consult a personal trainer or exercise coach.

    Literature on diabetes mellitus can be found through medical staff, but you can do research on your own, either online or at the public library. You might also consult diabetes mellitus associations for information and a list of contacts for any questions you might have. Many medical and health-related associations that are not diabetes mellitus-specific but that address other health problems associated with the disease can be useful, too. For a comprehensive listing of organizations related to diabetes mellitus, check out this Directory of Diabetes Organizations.

    The important thing is to learn all you can so you can make informed decisions about your personal and unique health situation.

    Diabetes mellitus is a common, chronic disease that can be a daily challenge to manage. Staying on top of your medication, weight maintenance, and exercise isn’t just a constant worry; it can drain your energy and make your symptoms worse. Fortunately, you have the power within you to treat your illness using one of the most effective tools around: your mind. Don’t overlook this valuable asset. It can be the ticket to better overall health and a longer, more comfortable life with diabetes mellitus.

  • What You Need to Know About Basal Insulin Degludec

    What You Need to Know About Basal Insulin Degludec

    Basal insulin degludec is a fairly new type of long-lasting insulin that may show promise in lessening the number of basal insulin shots required by diabetes mellitus patients. Here’s what you need to know.

    Initially, physicians stated that one basal insulin shot provides enough hyperglycemic protection for 24 hours. But researchers found that one injection of nph basal insulin or basal insulin glargine (and other alternatives) doesn’t provide enough coverage to last the full day. They also can cause hypoglycemia during the night when diabetes mellitus patients are asleep, and spike blood sugar levels in the morning before breakfast.

    Basal insulin degludec is a new insulin analog that boasts providing coverage for 42 hours. It can also be taken at any time in the day with a lower risk of blood sugar spikes in the morning and low blood sugar in the evening. That’s because once it’s injected into your bloodstream, it forms a very stable complex that houses the basal insulin and releases it slowly, which results in a steady supply of basal insulin for a long period of time. Basal insulin glargine attempts the same stable housing complex, but it deteriorates faster than basal insulin degludec’s, which leads to too much basal insulin being released and that can lead to hypoglycemia and insufficient coverage.

    In fact, basal insulin degludec is 75 percent more stable than basal insulin glargine. This means the variability in basal insulin delivery is considerably lessened, which means there’s less likelihood that it will release significantly lower or higher amounts of basal insulin at any given time during coverage. In a 365-day clinical trial of 1030 diabetes mellitus patients, basal insulin degludec’s risk of hypoglycemia during nighttime sleep was 36 percent lower than basal insulin glargine’s. Even better – basal insulin degludec’s overall risk of severe hypoglycemia was 86 percent lower than that of basal insulin glargine’s.

    The Downsides of Basal Insulin Degludec

    Remember that basal insulin degludec is a relatively new drug, which means not all potential side effects are known at this point. It’s so new that it’s not even approved for use for anyone under 18 years old.

    The National Institutes of Health found that regularly taking basal insulin degludec causes respiratory symptoms, like sneezing, coughing, and runny nose, in about 23 percent of diabetes mellitus patients. Eleven percent experienced headaches and upset stomach.

    They also found that, on average, long-term administration of basal insulin degludec causes weight gain of about four pounds in diabetes mellitus type 1 patients. Diabetes mellitus type 2 patients, on average, gained almost 6.7 pounds.

    The FDA also cautions the usage of basal insulin degludec because they’ve cited evidence that it may increase the risk of cardiovascular events by about 60 percent. But their evidence is lacking and not significant enough given the shortness and indirectness of the clinical trials involved. They say that for diabetes mellitus type 1 patients, there’s not a significant difference in effectiveness between basal insulin degludec and basal insulin glargine. They recommend that only diabetes mellitus type 2 patients use basal insulin degludec until more research can explore the new drug’s potential cardiovascular risks.

    But a recent study involving over 7,500 diabetes mellitus patients for about two years found that basal insulin degludec carries only a minimal elevated risk of cardiovascular problems than basal insulin glargine.

    This doesn’t mean that this new drug is completely safe — remember that it’s possible that not all of its adverse effects have come to light. In fact, experts are still cautioned (in some cases prohibited), from prescribing it to pregnant women because its effects on pregnancy are still somewhat unknown.




    Important Matters to Keep in Mind Before Choosing Basal Insulin Degludec

    You can’t get basal insulin degludec without a prescription, but even if it’s prescribed to you, there are things you should keep in mind to lower any possible risk of complications.

    If you’re close to or living with other people who have diabetes mellitus, don’t share syringes or needles. Some non-STD diseases can be transmitted by blood, and sharing the same syringe is an unnecessary risk.

    Because the drug is so new, it’s going to be significantly more expensive. If you’re not having a significant struggle with your current basal insulin prescription, then you can ask your doctor to keep you on it instead of incurring a larger financial burden that you may not be ready for.

    But placing these cautionary matters and potential hidden dangers aside, this new drug seems to live up to its praise. Many doctors, like Dr. Steve Edelman, M.D., are convinced of the current clinical trials concerning basal insulin degludec and are currently prescribing it to their diabetes mellitus patients who are fit candidates. They remark that it is superior in terms of lowering the risk for hypoglycemia and providing a reliable supply of basal insulin throughout the day and even longer.

    If you have diabetes mellitus type 2 and are having coverage issues with your current basal insulin medications, consider asking your doctor about basal insulin degludec. But also keep in mind that it’s a new drug with potentially unknown other side effects.

  • How Exercise Can Naturally Raise Your Basal Insulin Sensitivity

    How Exercise Can Naturally Raise Your Basal Insulin Sensitivity

    If you’re suffering from diabetes mellitus type 2, your doctor may have prescribed basal insulin shots to help you manage your blood sugar levels. But basal insulin therapy can also cause some unwanted side effects, and some serious conditions. Naturally boosting your basal insulin sensitivity with exercise may be a safer way to help keep your blood sugar levels normal.

    What Is Basal Insulin?

    Everyone, both diabetes mellitus type 2 sufferers and non-diabetics, has low background levels of insulin circulating in their bloodstream to allow cells to take in sugar to fuel their life-sustaining processes. This background insulin is called basal insulin. Long after you’ve eaten, fat is broken down into sugar to help keep your blood sugar levels normal – basal insulin thus also helps to ensure the sugar from broken down fat don’t reach high levels.

    But both diabetes mellitus type 2 and type 1 sufferers produce not enough basal insulin to keep the sugar from fat breakdown from building up to high levels in their bloodstreams.

    How Basal Insulin Fits Into Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 Treatments

    Artificial and natural basal insulin can be given to diabetes mellitus patients if they’re not making enough or any of their own basal insulin. Diabetes mellitus type 2 patients aren’t given basal insulin until their blood sugar levels can’t be managed by most other medications. If metformin is in the first line of pharmacological intervention, then basal insulin is in the last line of diabetes mellitus type 2 treatment.

    Most diabetes mellitus type 2 medications are taken orally, but basal insulin shots are injected subcutaneously. This can be very discouraging for diabetes mellitus type 2 patients because now they’ll have to inject themselves routinely – which isn’t something most people start out feeling comfortable with. The good news is, researchers have developed oral basal insulin tablets that are as effective as basal insulin shots.

    Even though about 60 percent of diabetes mellitus type 2 patients progress to require basal insulin shots to manage their blood sugar levels, they still feel the stigma that their condition is worsening. From their diabetes mellitus education, they know that diabetes mellitus type 1 patients require basal insulin, while diabetes mellitus type 2 patients don’t always need it.

    When their doctors tell them he needs to add basal insulin therapy to their treatment, for some it’s like they’re losing the distinction between their condition and diabetes mellitus type 1. They understand that their pancreas may have become impaired and is now producing lower levels of basal insulin or none at all. They know very well that this is the situation diabetes mellitus type 1 patients are born with or develop – and now they’ve reached the same circumstances.

    The possible adverse effects of basal insulin shots contribute to the fear diabetes mellitus type 2 patients feel about them. If they administer incorrectly, they could risk developing hypoglycemia, which is a risk present even when they follow their doctor’s instructions to the letter. The effectiveness of a basal insulin shot also changes with the time you administer, your routine activities surrounding the time of administration, and your eating habits. That’s why the basal insulin shot routine is highly individualized and must be curtailed to a specialized fit for each diabetes mellitus patient.




    How Exercise Helps Lower the Number of Basal Insulin Shots You Need Daily

    Researchers may have found hope for naturally helping diabetes mellitus patients better manage their basal insulin and lessen their dependency on basal insulin shots. They found that a single bout of moderate to vigorous exercise, like cycling for 15 minutes, boosts overall insulin sensitivity for a maximum of 48 hours.

    If you have diabetes mellitus and your pancreas is still producing basal insulin, this means that exercising makes your cells more receptive to these low levels of basal insulin. This causes your blood sugar levels to drop more so than they normally would. This means that exercising makes your body require fewer or lower doses of basal insulin shots.

    But researchers caution that this increased insulin sensitivity goes away if you stop exercising for six to eight days straight. They conclude that exercising regularly will maintain this whole-body insulin sensitivity boost.

    If you’re being prescribed basal insulin shots, exercising is a safe and natural way to help you make a stand against your diabetes mellitus. Exercising regularly lowers your dependency on your basal insulin therapy and helps you avoid scary side effects like hypoglycemia and weight gain that come with taking basal insulin.

  • Doctors May Have Formulated a Way to Treat Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 by Taking Basal Insulin Directly by Mouth

    Doctors May Have Formulated a Way to Treat Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 by Taking Basal Insulin Directly by Mouth

    Researchers may have invented a way for diabetes mellitus type 2 patients to get their basal insulin by simply popping a tablet rather than injecting themselves.

    If you have diabetes mellitus type 2 and dread the basal insulin shots, you might soon be in luck. Researchers announced they’ve successfully created a basal insulin delivery system where you swallow a tablet by mouth and the basal insulin is released and absorbed in your small intestine.

    They ran clinical trials to see if their newly created oral basal insulin tablet is as effective as the basal insulin shot. In one study, 50 diabetes mellitus type 2 patients who couldn’t adequately manage their blood sugar levels using metformin (and other oral diabetes mellitus medications) were separated into two groups. For two months one group was instructed to take the new oral basal insulin tablets thrice daily. The other group was instructed to continue their basal insulin shots as normal.

    To keep the participants blind to the study, both were also given tablets and shots that contained a placebo – so both were getting tablets and shots daily, but only one form contained real medication. Both groups were allowed to continue their metformin treatment, but most other oral diabetes mellitus medications were stopped for the duration of the study.

    After the two months were over, the oral basal insulin tablet group’s fasting blood sugar levels dropped to about 73.71 percent of what they were during the start of the study. The basal insulin shot group’s fasting blood sugar levels dropped to about 73.78 percent of what they were during the start of the study.

    The researchers concluded that the slight difference in effectiveness is negligible and insignificant, stating that the oral basal insulin tablets are as effective as the basal insulin shots. They also found that the oral basal insulin tablets are safer than the basal insulin shots because they caused 50 percent less hypoglycemic events (episodes when your blood sugar falls too low) than the basal insulin shots.




    But these researchers don’t think this particular study’s results should be widely embraced just yet. They say more clinical trials are needed because the current study’s duration is too short and with only a small sample of diabetes mellitus type 2 patients. It’s always possible that side effects and other adverse interactions can come to light with a larger sample size of diabetes mellitus type 2 patients who take the oral basal insulin tablets for a longer period of time.

    You can still look forward to the near future when you’ll hopefully never have to prick yourself with a basal insulin shot to keep your blood sugar levels normal, while instead simply pop a tablet or two in your mouth!

  • Is Your Hand Soap Putting You at Risk for Diabetes Mellitus? Here Are Soaps That Can Help Treat Diabetes

    Is Your Hand Soap Putting You at Risk for Diabetes Mellitus? Here Are Soaps That Can Help Treat Diabetes

    The FDA banned triclosan and triclocarban from general consumer products. They’ve been found to help cause a whole host of alarming diseases and disorders, including diabetes mellitus. The problem is that they’re popular ingredients in hand and dish soap. Here’s what you need to know, and a few alternative soaps that can actually help treat diabetes mellitus.

    Do You Know How Soap Cleans Your Hands?

    When it comes to sanitation, people become very germophobic. There’s a misconception that soap’s supposed to kill pathogens, which is what most people are misled into believing is how it clean your hands and body. But that’s far from the truth.

    If you remember back from high school science class (or in some cases, college chemistry class), soap’s main purpose is emulsification. It has parts that mix with lipids (or fats) and parts that mix with water. Lipids, like fats and oils, don’t dissolve in water, which is why they don’t really wash away when you wash your hands without soap. But soap’s lipid-friendly parts stick to these lipids when you lather. Then, when you rinse, soap’s water-friendly parts let soap dissolve partially into the water and be washed away – taking along the lipids attached to it.

    Viruses, bacteria, fungi, and almost all microbes have a lipid coating that soap sticks to, which allows it to remove them from your body when you rinse the soap off. That’s why doctors tell you to sing “Twinkle, Twinkle” while washing your hands – because you need to take that time to make sure you expose all the germs on your hands with soap before you rinse everything off.




    Then Industries Corrupted Soap, Turning It Into a Harmful Product That Can Cause Diabetes Mellitus

    Nevertheless, people popularly believed that soap cleansed you by killing microbes and washing away dirt. Industries banked on this misconception and created antibacterial soap, which most had the active ingredients triclosan and triclocarban. These two compounds had microbe-killing properties, which was a major factor that made them a popular choice for soap’s antibacterial agents. (Had because now many bacteria are immune to it.)

    But because antibacterial soaps (even dish soaps) became widespread, triclosan and triclocarban found their way into the environment after being washed down so many sinks and drains. Significant levels of triclosan have been detected in most freshwater streams. What happens when bacteria are exposed to triclosan daily? It gives them the opportunity to become immune. With so much triclosan and triclocarban saturating the environment, the bacteria strains with immunity to the two chemicals become favored for survival as the non-immune strains are killed off. And that’s how soap contributed to the rise in superbugs – which are immune to many antibiotics.

    But what effects did these two chemicals have on people? Researchers found that triclosan doesn’t just wash away with the soap – some of it is absorbed through your skin during contact, and in your GI tract when you ingest antibacterial soap residue from china and eating utensils. It has also been found in urine, breast milk, and serum, which means it can be passed from mother to child during breastfeeding.

    Triclosan mimics estrogen and has been found to increase your risk for cancer. They found that it can bind to estrogen receptors on cancer cells, and that has been found to aid in their proliferation. The researchers say that this is especially dangerous for cancers that are more receptive to estrogen, like breast cancer.

    There may also be evidence that triclosan can disrupt the endocrine system. The FDA states that these particular properties may make triclosan exposure dangerous for pregnant women and children.

    Triclosan has also been found to destroy pancreatic cells and have toxic effects on mitochondria, which can both increase risk for developing diabetes mellitus.

    What You Can Do to Protect Yourself From Triclosan and Triclocarban

    The good news is that the FDA has banned triclosan and triclocarban from antibacterial soaps. Unfortunately, triclosan and triclocarban are also found in shampoos, toothpastes, deodorants, conditioners, and other personal care products. Since these can be absorbed through your skin and mucosa lining (like in your gums), they can all lead to increased diabetes mellitus risk.

    But you can easily avoid them by actively checking the ingredients of the cosmetics you’re buying. Triclosan may also be present in tap water because it’s being detected in higher and higher levels in water resources and in farming soil. You can lower your triclosan exposure by drinking only bottled water.

    Some fish and plants have become contaminated by triclosan due to their environmental exposure. Radish, lettuce, and crustaceans seem to accumulate some of the higher levels. It’s best to wash your produce thoroughly to lower your chances of exposure. You can lower your seafood triclosan exposure by washing and cooking your fish to help remove some of the triclosan.

    Antibacterial Soap Alternatives That Can Help Prevent Diabetes Mellitus

    If your favorite antibacterial soap contains triclosan or triclocarban, there are better natural alternatives you can try that actually help prevent diabetes mellitus:

    Vinegar solution. Vinegar is a natural antibiotic with antifungal and antiviral properties as well. People have been using it to clean their homes or as a preservative for millennia. Dilute a tablespoon of vinegar in a cup of water and use it as a body wash – it not only kills germs on your skin, but has been proven to help clear acne, psoriasis, and other blemishes. If your skin absorbs any of the vinegar, it will help prevent and treat diabetes mellitus. It’s been proven to lower blood sugar levels by about 20 to 33 percent, depending on if you’ve just eaten and what you’ve eaten.

    Personal care products with tea tree oil. Tea tree oil also has antiseptic properties and has been proven to help clear blemishes. Luckily, there are many commercial natural personal care products that use tea tree oil as their active ingredient, like shampoos, soaps, deodorants, and more. Tea tree oil has also been found to alleviate symptoms of neuropathy that may arise from diabetes mellitus.

    Baking soda solution. Baking soda has also been used for millennia to clean homes because of its antiseptic properties. As the name implies, it’s also used frequently in the preparation of food. Mix a tablespoon of baking soda with a glass of water and use it as a body wash. It will help sterilize your skin of germs and also clear blemishes. If any of it gets absorbed through your skin, it also helps treat diabetes because drinking a baking soda solution has also been found to slow the progression of kidney damage arising from diabetes mellitus complications.

    Remember to be wary of cosmetics or any product that lists triclosan or triclocarban as ingredients. They’ve been found to be harmful to yourself and the environment, and can cause or worsen diabetes mellitus. Instead, opt for these natural antibiotic cleansers that can help prevent and treat diabetes mellitus.

  • 3 Hidden Causes of Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 You May Not Know About

    3 Hidden Causes of Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 You May Not Know About

    Diabetes mellitus type 2 is commonly known as type 2 diabetes, which you probably know is mostly caused by living unhealthy by eating too many sugary foods everyday. But that’s not the only way you can develop diabetes – here are a few things you didn’t know could put you at risk for developing diabetes mellitus type 2.

    Everytime you guiltily sink your teeth into your favorite glazed donut, creampuff, eclair, or other dessert, you probably feel in the back of your mind that you might get diabetes if you keep this up. So maybe you try to offset any damage by trying all sorts of things, but some of these things can actually increase your risk for developing diabetes mellitus type 2. Here are some surprising causes of diabetes you should refrain from doing:

    1. Using Artificial Sweeteners

    Lots of artificial sweeteners and products containing artificial sweeteners like to boast claims that they contain minimal carbohydrates or sugar. You start thinking that using these products safely lets you enjoy sweetened foods without the risk of diabetes mellitus. But sadly, you’d be wrong.

    Researchers took non-diabetic participants and had some of them take the zero-calorie artificial sweetener sucralose. The rest drank water. Ten minutes later the researchers had both groups ingest the same amount of sugar. Surprisingly, the participants who took sucralose beforehand experienced higher blood sugar levels for a longer period of time than the participants who drank water. The researchers officially concluded that ingesting sucralose can significantly affect your blood sugar level control.

    It seems that if you chronically use sucralose, it may increase your risk of developing diabetes mellitus type 2 because it can keep your blood sugar levels higher than they normally would. Other artificial sweeteners may have similar metabolic effects.

    If you’d like a safer zero-calorie sweetener, choose stevia, which is a natural sweet compound.




    2. Not Drinking Enough Water

    Some professional body builders say that drinking too much water is counterproductive to building muscle. Weight loss gurus also often talk about water weight and how losing it is a part of weight loss. With so much misrepresented negativity surrounding drinking water in both these popular aspects of fitness, it’s not surprising that some people might become wary of drinking too much water when trying to stay healthy. But doing so is another diabetes mellitus danger.

    French researchers found that drinking the recommended eight glasses of water daily can protect you from developing hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) by 21 percent. Chronic hyperglycemia is a sign of prediabetes, which can lead to diabetes mellitus.

    3. Taking Too Much Niacin

    Being health-aware and taking multivitamins is great. But you could be increasing your risk for developing diabetes mellitus type 2 if you take too much niacin (vitamin B3).

    The National Institutes of Health list niacin intake as a potential cause of diabetes mellitus. They reviewed numerous clinical trials and found that long-term niacin supplementation moderately increases your risk for developing diabetes mellitus.

    Does that mean that taking vitamin B3 supplements is bad? No. The participants in these studies were taking higher doses of niacin, some as part of niacin therapy. You should only be worried if you’re taking so much niacin that you experience side effects – like niacin flush, which is when you experience redness or an uncomfortably warm feeling on your skin which lasts for up to an hour. Niacin flush can also cause tingling or itching of the skin.

    Take an appropriate amount of vitamin B3 and try not to exceed the recommended daily intake in order to prevent any increased risk for developing diabetes mellitus.

    Now you know that watching your sugar intake isn’t the only way to prevent developing diabetes mellitus type 2. You should also watch your vitamin B3 intake, and make sure you’re drinking enough water everyday and staying away from artificial sweeteners (and products that use them).

  • Could a Chemical in Broccoli Help Treat Diabetes Mellitus?

    Could a Chemical in Broccoli Help Treat Diabetes Mellitus?

    Scientists have isolated a chemical found in broccoli that shows promise in boosting blood glucose control in people suffering from diabetes mellitus.

    What Is Diabetes Mellitus?

    Diabetes mellitus is the medical term for what you may know simply as diabetes. The two common types of diabetes mellitus are type 1 and type 2.

    Diabetes mellitus type 1 is when the pancreas produces insufficient insulin, which your cells need in order to absorb sugar from your blood. If there’s not enough insulin circulating through your bloodstream when you’ve just eaten, your cells will have a hard time taking in the influx of digested carbohydrates. This causes your blood sugar levels to stay elevated, which is toxic to your whole body in the long term. If left untreated, common, but serious, complications that can develop include neuropathy, kidney failure, and necrosis of the lower extremities.

    If the complications are serious enough, the only viable treatment may be complete amputation of the affected lower limbs.

    The most common cause of type 1 diabetes is autoimmune – the immune system attacks the pancreas and destroys its insulin-producing cells. The onset of diabetes mellitus type 1 is most common around the early teens and is least common past the age of 40, which means if you’re 40 and up and haven’t developed type 1 diabetes, you’re most likely in the clear.

    It’s important to note that diabetes mellitus type 1 is not the lifestyle disease commonly associated with diabetes. It’s treated with insulin interventions to help offset the body’s low insulin levels. Thankfully, it’s one of the less common types of diabetes mellitus.




    Diabetes mellitus type 2 is when your cells become resistant to insulin, which means they don’t respond by absorbing more sugar when more insulin is pumped into your bloodstream by your pancreas. This causes your blood sugar levels to stay high after eating, which leads to the same dangerous condition as in type 1 diabetes.

    Type 2 diabetes is the infamous disease that’s most caused by an unhealthy lifestyle. Many aspects of your life can increase your risk for insulin resistance, like not sleeping enough, drinking too many sugary sodas, and being too stressed all the time. But being overweight or obese, not exercising enough, and regularly eating a diet high in carbs are among the top causes of diabetes mellitus type 2.

    Diabetes mellitus type 2 can be prevented and treated naturally by keeping your cells sensitive to insulin and controlling your blood sugar levels. Exercising regularly has been found to lower insulin resistance. Adopting a diet low in carbs has also been found to lower insulin resistance.

    But type 2 diabetes is also prevented and treated with prescription medications that can increase insulin sensitivity and insulin production. Some medications can also directly lower blood sugar levels.

    The Newfound Diabetes Mellitus Breakthrough With Broccoli

    Scientists wanted to find a better treatment option for diabetes mellitus type 2 sufferers because most diabetes medications can have undesirable side effects, like weight gain. They decided to explore diabetes mellitus on a genetic level and mapped out the genes affected when someone becomes diabetic. They focused on 50 key genes and their alterations in diabetics.

    They tried to synthesize these genetic alterations artificially, then experimented with almost 4,000 substances to see if they would restore the genes to their pre-diabetic states.

    They discovered that sulforaphane, which is found in broccoli sprouts, exceptionally helped reverse these genetic alterations caused by diabetes mellitus out of all the compounds they tested.

    They were able to create a broccoli sprout extract containing a concentrated amount of sulforaphane and instructed participants diagnosed with diabetes mellitus type 2 to take it once a day for about three months. Although both the participants and the control group diabetics were both on metformin, which is a prescription medication that helps normalize blood sugar levels, those who took the broccoli sprout extract had lower glucose production, fasting blood glucose levels, and other markers linked with diabetes mellitus.

    The broccoli sprout extract also seemed to bestow protective effects against the development of diabetes mellitus complications, like neuropathy and kidney failure.

    If you’re diabetic, you can experience sulforaphane’s blood sugar-lowering effects for yourself by buying a natural broccoli sprout extract and taking one tablet per day. You should consult your doctor beforehand in case your particular situation may not agree with the supplement.

    Other Natural Ways to Help Prevent and Treat Diabetes Mellitus

    Here are other proven ways to help lower blood sugar and prevent developing diabetes mellitus type 2:

    Take vitamin D or go under the sun. Researchers found that patients who regularly took a vitamin D supplement had lower fasting blood sugar levels. You can get your vitamin D by enjoying the summer sun (with sunscreen), eating sunbathed mushrooms, or taking a vitamin D supplement.

    Drink coffee without sugar. Scientists also found that drinking coffee regularly can protect you from developing diabetes mellitus. The trick is not putting sugar in the coffee.

    Eat plant-based omega-3 fatty acids. Researchers found that alpha-linolenic acid, which is an omega-3 fatty acid common in plant sources of food, can lower your risk for developing diabetes mellitus type 2. You can eat walnuts, flaxseeds, chia seeds, winter squash, and even beans to get your daily omega-3 fatty acids. These foods are also high in fiber, which helps you control your blood sugar by slowing the absorption of digested carbs in your gastrointestinal tract. The fiber acts like a narrow corridor that funnels a steady stream of sugar into your bloodstream rather than all the sugar entering your bloodstream all at once. This supplies you with energy for a longer period of time without spiking your blood sugar levels.

    If you’re suffering from diabetes mellitus, taking broccoli sprout extract along with your regular diabetes medications can give you better control of your blood sugar levels and help protect you from diabetes mellitus complications. You should also boost your vitamin D intake and eat more plant-based omega-3 fatty acid-rich foods, which also both help you to treat your diabetes.

  • Why You Should Ask Your Doctor to Switch You From These Diabetes Mellitus Medications That May Actually Cause Diabetes in the Long Term

    Why You Should Ask Your Doctor to Switch You From These Diabetes Mellitus Medications That May Actually Cause Diabetes in the Long Term

    Being proactive about your diabetes mellitus treatment is important. Sometimes there are safer alternatives to what your doctor is prescribing. Here are some common diabetes mellitus medications that actually worsen the condition.

    Contrary to popular belief, doctors don’t always know what’s best for your health. They’re trained to be competent, not excellent. They may prescribe you antibiotics for acne without telling you to stay away from dairy products, which have been proven to exacerbate acne. The same is true for diabetes mellitus treatment. Did you know there are some diabetes mellitus medications that can actually exacerbate the disease in the long run?

    If your doctor has you on these diabetes mellitus meds, here’s why and what you should ask him to switch you to:

    1. Rosiglitazone (Avandia)

    Dr. Louise Aronne, M.D. of New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center says that some doctors don’t know that some diabetes mellitus medications have weight gain as a proven side effect. Rosiglitazone, also known by its brand name Avandia, is one such drug. It increases insulin sensitivity. But it’s also known to increase your risk for heart disease and weight gain.

    In fact, the National Institutes of Health say that Avandia can cause rapid weight gain. In one study on mice given rosiglitazone, they gained significantly more weight than the control group of mice fed the same diet.

    Safer alternative: Metformin

    Metformin is also a medication used to treat diabetes mellitus, but it’s been shown to cause weight loss instead of weight gain. It helps lower insulin resistance, but also lowers your appetite. It can also prevent some diabetes mellitus complications, like kidney failure, blindness, and neuropathy.

    2. Pioglitazone (Actos)

    Pioglitazone, which is also known by the brand name Actos, is used to treat diabetes mellitus type 2 by lowering blood sugar levels. But researchers also found that pioglitazone caused significant weight gain in diabetes mellitus type 2 patients even though it lowered their fasting blood sugar levels.

    Safer alternative: Sitagliptin (Januvia)

    Sitagliptin, which is also known by the brand name Januvia, boosts insulin levels by inhibiting the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) enzyme. DPP-4 increases blood sugar levels by promoting glucagon production and secretion. With DPP-4 inhibited, insulin release is promoted because the hormones that downregulate it can’t activate.

    Sitagliptin doesn’t cause weight gain, and has actually been found to help prevent diabetes mellitus complications. Researchers found that sitagliptin helps prevent neuropathy and kidney failure by lowering inflammation, cell damage, and cell death in the nervous system and kidneys.

    3. Glibenclamide (Glyburide)

    Glibenclamide, which is also known as glyburide, is another diabetes mellitus medication that can cause weight gain. It boosts your insulin levels by binding to your pancreas’s insulin-producing cells and stimulating them to make more insulin.

    But glibenclamide has been found to cause weight gain. Researchers found that patients on glibenclamide gained about 3.74 more pounds, on average, than diabetes mellitus patients who simply made dietary changes.

    Safer alternative: Exenatide (Byetta)

    Exenatide, which is also known by the brand name Byetta, is an injectable medication that treats diabetes mellitus type 2. It’s injected within an hour before the first and last meals of the day, but there is also a once-a-week only dose. It acts on your pancreas’s cells and boosts insulin production while also lowering its glucagon production. It also slows down the absorption of sugar in your gut, which helps control blood sugar levels by preventing blood sugar spikes.

    Best of all, it also helps suppress your appetite, which leads to weight loss. Researchers found that diabetes mellitus patients on exenatide experience a long-term weight loss effect due to increased satiety.

    Exenatide’s common side effects are usually mild gastrointestinal symptoms, but it can also cause pancreatitis.




    4. Glipizide (Glucotrol)

    Glipizide, which is also known by the brand name Glucotrol, is another diabetes mellitus medication that acts on your pancreas’s insulin-producing cells to promote insulin production. But researchers found that glipizide caused an average weight gain of about 2.65 pounds in diabetes mellitus patients.

    Safer alternative: Pramlintide (Symlin)

    Pramlintide, which is also known by the brand name Symlin, is a medication that can treat diabetes mellitus type 1 and 2. It’s a compound that mimics amylin, and is injected to enter directly into the bloodstream. It helps inhibit glucagon production and suppresses your appetite.

    Researchers found that pramlintide caused an average weight loss of 3.75 pounds in diabetes mellitus type 1 patients and 8.16 pounds in diabetes mellitus type 2 patients after a year of treatment.

    If you’re on any of these potentially diabetes mellitus-causing medications that may also increase your risk for diabetes mellitus complications, you should consider asking your doctor about these safer alternatives since they promote weight loss and can even protect you from diabetes mellitus complications.

    How Weight Gain Can Cause and Exacerbate Diabetes Mellitus in the Long Term

    Diabetes mellitus type 2 is an unavoidable condition for only a minority of sufferers, like those with improperly functioning glands that result in obesity. The secret truth is that diabetes mellitus type 2 is a disease that’s mostly caused by a careless lifestyle. It turns out that about 90 percent of diabetes mellitus type 2 patients are overweight or obese. That means that if you’re not carelessly putting on the pounds, you’re only facing the risk of being in the 10 percent of normal weight diabetes mellitus patients. But if you’re not watching your weight, then you risk becoming one of the 90 percent of high BMI diabetes mellitus patients.

    Researchers also found that losing weight boosts insulin sensitivity even without exercise. They also found that obese diabetes mellitus patients who went on a calorie-restricted diet for only a week experienced a significant decrease in insulin resistance. These findings point to the conclusion that becoming fat can slowly cause the development of diabetes mellitus, while losing weight helps prevent and treat it.

    The theory (which seems to be correct, given all the evidence) is that when you get too fat, your body doesn’t want to store any more energy as fat. Since insulin tells your cells to take in energy, your cells start rejecting the excess energy by not responding to insulin. Then, when you lose weight, your body has the capacity to store energy again and your cells become responsive to insulin again.

    Another way to look at it is like when the milkman comes around the neighborhood delivering milk. If households are out of milk, they’ll welcomingly open their doors. But if they’ve still got a stockpile, their doors remain closed. If everyone has a stockpile of milk, the milkman ends up with a surplus of undelivered milk. The milkman is like sugar in your bloodstream, and the houses are like your cells. When you have a normal weight and have a great insulin response, your cells welcomingly take in the sugar. When you’ve got a stockpile of energy stored and have diabetes mellitus, your cells don’t “open the door” and the sugar builds up to high levels in your bloodstream. But once you get rid of the stockpile (losing weight), then your cells will welcome sugar again.

    But don’t think that you’ll automatically develop diabetes mellitus by becoming overweight or obese – only 30 percent of overweight and obese patients suffer from diabetes mellitus. Just consider that being fat is one of the major risk factors for diabetes mellitus. That’s why these diabetes mellitus medications that cause weight gain actually make your condition worse in the long run. In the short term, the medications lower your blood sugar levels, but if they make you fatter, then you’re only worsening your insulin response in the long term. It’s like they’re putting out the smoke but adding to the fire.

    Natural Supplements That Can Boost Insulin Sensitivity While Helping You Lose Weight

    If you’re now convinced to switch to these safer diabetes mellitus medications that promote weight loss, consider that even they have side effects (albeit less harmful). The good news is that there are natural, holistically healthy supplements that have been proven to lower insulin resistance, help normalize blood sugar levels, and promote weight loss. Of course, these won’t work as fast or efficient as pharmaceuticals, but they’re safer and healthy for your whole body. Here are a few:

    1. Fish Oil

    Researchers found that fish oil supplementation has protective effects against neuropathy arising from diabetes mellitus complications. They also found that diabetes mellitus type 2 patients who supplemented with more fish oil experienced a greater decrease in body mass index, blood sugar levels, and lipid levels. They concluded that taking fish oil supplements can help diabetes mellitus type 2 patients manage their blood sugar levels and protect them from heart disease arising from diabetes mellitus complications.

    But fish oil is also good for your brain and has been found to protect you from neurodegenerative disorders, like Alzheimer’s. It also has been found to boost your cognition. Supplementing with fish oil has also been proven to lower depression.

    Fish oil also lowers your overall inflammation, and researchers found that fish oil supplements are a good alternative to anti-inflammatory medications. Since diabetes mellitus increases overall inflammation, fish oil supplementation helps counteract that.

    Fish oil also lowers your overall risk for developing cancer. More benefits from fish oil supplementation are still being discovered by scientists. But because of its lowering effects on insulin resistance, blood sugar levels, and weight, as well as its protective effects against diabetes mellitus complications, it’s definitely a supplement you should be taking if you have diabetes mellitus type 2.

    2. Magnesium

    Magnesium is a vital element everyone needs daily whether they have diabetes mellitus or not. But researchers found that most people suffering from diabetes mellitus type 2 are deficient in magnesium. They say that magnesium regulates insulin, and a magnesium deficiency can worsen insulin resistance. They even say that not getting enough magnesium is one of the risk factors for diabetes mellitus because there’s evidence that it lowers insulin sensitivity in people who don’t have diabetes mellitus.

    These researchers found that high blood sugar levels cause your body to excrete more magnesium into your urine, which worsens the magnesium deficiency. But they also found that most diabetes mellitus type 2 patients don’t take in enough magnesium through their diet.

    Magnesium deficiency in diabetes mellitus patients has also been linked with increasing the risk for diabetes mellitus complications. They found that very low levels of magnesium is a sign of neuropathy, while also increasing the prevalence of arrhythmias.

    The good news is that taking in higher levels of magnesium (without overdosing) has been shown to boost insulin sensitivity, lower overall inflammation, and delay the development of diabetes mellitus type 2. Although most doctors ignore the magnesium status of diabetes mellitus type 2 patients, researchers found that supplementing with magnesium lowers both their fasting and postprandial blood sugar levels, while also boosting their insulin sensitivity.

    These researchers conclude that supplementing with magnesium is a potentially viable diabetes mellitus type 2 treatment because of its beneficial effects on blood sugar levels and insulin response, and because it lowers the risk of diabetes mellitus complications by lowering inflammation and helping neutralize the elevated levels of free radicals caused by the condition.

    3. Vitamin D

    Vitamin D deficiency also plagues most people suffering from diabetes mellitus type 2. They also found that supplementing with vitamin D boosts insulin sensitivity and insulin production by the pancreas. Some studies have found that supplementing with vitamin D in conjunction with calcium lowers fasting blood sugar levels.

    Researchers also found that diabetes mellitus type 1 patients who were vitamin D deficient experienced better blood sugar level control after supplementing with vitamin D. Researchers also found that vitamin D deficient diabetes mellitus type 2 patients can enjoy the same enhanced blood sugar level control if they supplement with vitamin D.

    They also found that taking vitamin D promotes weight loss and suppresses your appetite by boosting your leptin levels, which is the hormone responsible for making you feel full. If you take vitamin D and it leads to you having a lower BMI, then supplementation helps directly treat your diabetes mellitus in the long run.

    Vitamin D also lowers cortisol levels, which lowers stress and inflammation. All these health benefits make vitamin D a necessary daily supplement if you’re suffering with diabetes mellitus. Given that vitamin D deficiency is prevalent among diabetes mellitus sufferers and that supplementing with vitamin D seems to help insulin sensitivity and lower blood sugar levels, there is a strong chance that vitamin D deficiency is one of the major risk factors for diabetes mellitus, which makes daily supplementation even important.

    If you’re vitamin D deficient, supplementing with vitamin D can only be good for your body. And even if you’re not deficient, getting higher levels of vitamin D has been shown to lower depression, boost bone health, boost immunity, protect your cardiovascular system, and protect against neurodegenerative disorders.




    But It Doesn’t Always Have to Be About the Pills and Injections. You Can Proactively Boost Your Insulin Sensitivity With These Physical Diabetes Mellitus Treatments

    Although taking diabetes mellitus supplements and medications are probably the quickest ways to boost your insulin sensitivity and lower your blood sugar levels, did you know there are also natural, healthy activities you can do that can improve your insulin response and normalize your blood sugar levels over a longer period of time?

    Here are a few you can try:

    1. Intermittent Fasting

    Simply change your eating habits to include a daily fast. Researchers found that diabetes mellitus type 2 patients who ate two large meals a day experienced weight loss, lower blood sugar levels, and increased insulin sensitivity. Specifically, the patients took their calorie-restricted six meals per day and combined them into breakfast and lunch. They didn’t eat dinner or any other meal besides those two.

    This diet regimen falls under intermittent fasting because you’re essentially starving your body between lunch and the next day’s breakfast. Intermittent fasting has been found to protect your cardiovascular health, help you live longer, improve your immunity, lower inflammation, and more.

    But it’s all or nothing – you have to commit to eating only breakfast and lunch. Breaking that arrangement by eating dinner will make you go over your daily calorie restriction and put you in danger for weight gain and high blood sugar levels.

    2. Exercise

    The American Diabetes Association (ADA) says that exercising can help boost insulin sensitivity and lower your blood sugar levels. It makes sense – if your muscles suddenly need more energy because you’re using them more, then they’ll take in more sugar from your bloodstream, which helps lower your overall blood sugar levels.

    Here are the two kinds of exercises they recommend the most for diabetes mellitus patients:

    Three days of aerobic exercise every week. The ADA says that diabetes mellitus patients should do moderate-to-vigorous aerobic exercise at least three times per week. They actually recommend exercising five times per week for 30 minutes each session, but say that you can also exercise a total of two and a half hours per week as long as you don’t go more than two days without exercising. They say that aerobic exercise boosts insulin sensitivity, while also relieving stress. You can jog, run, dance, play tennis, climb stairs, or even do heavy gardening to get your aerobic exercise in!

    Two days of strength training every week. The ADA says that strength training helps diabetes mellitus patients lower their blood sugar levels for the long term by increasing their muscle mass. Muscle cells passively burn more calories than fat cells, which means having more muscle boosts your resting metabolism. This leads to lower fasting blood sugar levels and lower insulin resistance. Strength training also strengthens your bones. Strength training exercises range from carrying canned goods and water bottles to using weights and weight lifting equipment. Doing push-ups and sit-ups are strength training exercises too!




    Watch TV sitting on the floor or an exercise ball. It would be best if you could quit sitting or lying for long periods of time watching TV because sedentary activity lowers your metabolism, which could worsen your insulin resistance. But if you can’t stop, there’s a way for you to burn more calories while watching, which also helps lower your blood sugar levels and boost your insulin sensitivity. Instead of lying on a couch, chair, or your bed, sit on the floor or an exercise ball. These will make your muscles work harder to keep you balanced, which helps tone them and makes them burn a few more calories. Sitting on an exercise ball is the better choice because it helps tone more core muscles.

    What You Should Keep in Mind About Treating Your Diabetes Mellitus

    The key is knowing that not all diabetes mellitus medications are equal – some are bad for your condition in the long run. You should also know that there are natural, healthy supplements you can take that can have the same effects as pharmaceutical diabetes mellitus medications. There are also activities you can do regularly that lower your blood sugar levels and improve your insulin response.

    But the real takeaway is that if you want to permanently cure your diabetes mellitus type 2, you should strive for a normal BMI. All of your doctor’s advice, all these medications, and all these diabetes mellitus treatment activities – they’re all about losing weight. Your long-term goal should be to lose enough weight that your cells are responding normally to insulin again. Don’t lose hope – researchers were able to permanently reverse diabetes mellitus type 2 in patients by having them go on a strict fast, which led to weight loss.

    Remember to ask your doctor before changing your diabetes mellitus treatment – some medications, supplements, and activities are only effective for diabetes mellitus type 2, and can be dangerous for diabetes mellitus type 1.