Latest News And Research About Diabetes – April 2022
According to the statistics recorded by the WHO, there are 422 million people who suffer from diabetes. Diabetes is one of the fastest-growing chronic illnesses known to cause a lot of damage to internal body systems. Symptoms of diabetes are usually apparent only when most of the beta cells have been destroyed. Before learning about the Latest News and Research About Diabetes, it is important to know about the disease.
What Is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic condition in which the body suffers from increased glucose levels in the blood. A person is diagnosed as diabetic if their Fasting Blood Glucose (FBS) is 126mg/dL or more than that.
Diabetes can be of two types: type 1 is autoimmune in nature, whereas type 2 is due to the under-functioning of the beta cells of the pancreas due to faulty receptors. Moreover, an HbA1c status helps predict blood sugar status in the past three months. Therefore, a value of more than 6.5% indicates that the person is suffering from diabetes and requires glucose-lowering medications.
Latest News and Research About Diabetes:
The Emerging Role Of Herbs In The Management Of Type 2 Diabetes:
According to research published in the journal of Molecules on Jan 21, there are polyphenols have shown an excellent role in the management of diabetes. A low-cost natural compound by the name of hispidulin, has been shown to help restore beta-cell function in the pancreas. This can then indirectly work by controlling the effects of diabetes type 2. Hispidulin can be found in oregano.
Moreover, another molecule, sulforaphane, seen in cruciferous vegetables, has shown promising results in mice by increasing insulin sensitivity. These two compounds are still in the testing phase. But there is potential for it be used as an adjunct therapy for DM2 if the trials are successful.
Metformin And Its Role In Diabetes And COVID-19:
Research published on April 22 showed favorable effects of metformin in patients with diabetes and COVID-19. Metformin is usually the drug of choice for those who suffer from diabetes due to its ability to increase insulin sensitivity in the body and help in weight loss. Moreover, with new research, it has been seen that the use of metformin in people with diabetes along with covid-19 showed improved mortality as compared to the ones who didn’t.
Effect Of Diet On The Management Of Diabetes:
An article published in Science Daily, showed a great correlation between late-night snacking with those who suffer from diabetes. The article states that diabetics who eat less amount of processed food at night have better ways to control their glucose levels and may live longer compared to the ones who don’t. It also stated that diabetics who prefer eating high starch food in the morning (e.g., potatoes), greens in the evening, and less processed food and meat at night have good long-term survival.
According to another study conducted and published on 23rd March 2022 in the PloS one Journal regarding the effects of self-care nutritional management in the prevention of complications with diabetes mellitus in Ghana. It was observed that two-thirds of the participants who planned their meals well were safe from the complications of diabetes. However, one-third of the population who was unaware of nutritional management suffered lower life expectancy rate. They were also more susceptible to other complications such as stroke, heart attack, and kidney diseases.
The Bottom Line:
Through all the latest news and research, it is evident that diabetics who are better compliant with medications and opt for a healthier lifestyle have fewer chances of developing complications in the long run due to their disease. Moreover, there is also work being done to develop more cost-effective (naturally derived compounds) solutions to help manage diabetes.
Also, it is important for diabetics to keep up their daily monitoring of blood glucose to ensure that their treatment is on track. For this, ForaCare provides comprehensive diabetes management solutions.