A New Global Prescription to Reduce World's Most Fatal Diseases

November 25, 2007

Health scientists from all over the world reached an agreement on the 20 top actions to cut back the people's most serious diseases that include several cancers, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and chronic respiratory conditions. They say these cause the most disability and deaths in the world.

The researchers secured the opinions of 155 panel members from 50 countries. The result is a list of 20 challenges to reverse the trend of these diseases with the corresponding priorities to face them. These CNCDs (Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases) are preventable by getting rid of the risk factors like lack of physical activity, poor diet and smoking. This will stop 80% of strokes, heart disease and type 2 diabetes and 40% of cancer.

The partners that lead this project are the Oxford Health Alliance in London, the McLaughlin Rotman Center in Toronto, the US National Institutes of Health in Bethesda and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research in Ottawa. They classified the 20 challenges into six distinct goals:

1. Raise the awareness of the public and politics.

2. Reorder health systems like apportioning resources based on the seriousness of the disease.

3. Change risk factors like reducing tobacco use.

4. Lessen health influence of poverty.

5. Make the community and businesses partners to promote health and prevent disease.

6. Improve the economic, environmental and legal policies.

People will have to work together or in the next decade, 388 million people will die from these diseases. The economic impact is also great. Without action, UK for instance will lose around $33 billion dollars over the next ten years due to these diseases.

Dogs Can Help with Diabetes

There have been some reports regarding dogs that can sniff out diabetes. This way, they are able to smell the early signs of hypoglycemia. Through their sense of smell, they can be aware of their owners' falling blood glucose levels.

Due to the aforementioned report, researchers at Queen's University at Belfast appeal to volunteers to help study if dogs can be reliable in detecting the change in their owners' blood glucose levels. University of Lincoln's Dr. Shaun Lawson and Queen's University's Dr. Deborah Wells are requesting 100 type one diabetics to participate in a survey online.

These researchers are also looking for videos that depict the reaction of the dogs to their owners' low blood glucose levels. Right now there are two individuals from the UK who are attempting to train dogs on the detection of hypoglycemia. There is a dearth of research along this line at the present time.

The analysis of the videos will show if the dogs are showing a change in their behavior when their owners are having a drop in their blood sugar levels. They will observe if the dogs show alertness to the change and whether their reaction each time the blood sugar level drops is similar.

The results of this research will be of benefit not only to the medical profession but also to the diabetics. The findings will be useful in the improvement of electronic alert system that will be able to perceive the rising or dropping of the blood sugar levels.

Deficiency of Vitamin B in Pregnant Women Linked to Diabetes

Mothers who do not get adequate essential B vitamins around conception time have babies who could be more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. This is the finding researchers found when sheep with a reduced consumption of folate and vitamin B12 before pregnancy had offspring manifesting key physical effects.

The sheep at two years old showed symptoms of resistance to insulin. They were also 25% fatter and showed higher blood pressure than normal. The researchers said these have more risk to be obese and to develop type 2 diabetes. They are also more likely to have heart disease. The journal "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences" published these findings.

Care Advisor Caroline Butler at Diabetes UK said this study is interesting but warned that it's been done only to animals. Thus there is a need for more research. At this point, it is good to say that vitamin B12 is needed for a healthy nervous system and for the production of red blood cells. Dairy products, eggs and red meat are rich in vitamin B12.

Diabetics Could Stop Heart Attacks with Vitamin E?

Researchers at Israel's Clalit Health Services and the Technion-Israel Institute said patients who carry a certain gene will benefit from Vitamin E. They said that these supplements can considerably lessen heart attacks and deaths for these diabetics.

They treated patients with Hp 2-2 gene with 400 IU Vitamin E every day for eighteen months and found that these patients had more than 50% less occurrence of heart attacks when compared to others with the same gene who were put on placebo tablets.

One will be able to read this full study starting on November 21 of the Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. This is the online edition of this journal.

Of the 1434 participants in this study who took Vitamin E, only seven suffered a heart attack compared to the seventeen who did not take Vitamin E. Technion Faculty of Medicines' Dr. Andrew Levy said the patients who took Vitamin E did not show any side effects.

The research recommends to have diabetics undergo genetic testing in order to identify those with the Hp 2-2 gene. These people will be able to benefit from this cheap type of treatment. Before, doctors prescribed Vitamin E but this has gone down because of studies showing no such protection.

MSNBC's Hardball Host Chris Matthews Talks about his Diabetes

Chris Matthews was ignoring his diabetes until he had to go to emergency room. ADA's (American Diabetes Association) December Forecast magazine features Chris Matthews' run in with diabetes in the December 2007 issue. He lets us know how he managed both his diabetes and the television show he hosts.

He thought he didn't really have diabetes just because he was not on insulin but his lack of exercise and big meals brought him to the hospital with type 2 complications. That was when he realized he had to do something about his condition. He said his main challenge is to determine what to eat.

He was able to lose thirty pounds and can manage his diabetes by following his diet and taking very small insulin dosage. He said he is working on managing his diabetes through exercise and diet alone so he can stop taking insulin.

He thinks people should be told about diabetes especially if it is in the family. They should go to the doctor as they will get good advise as to what to do. Matthews has more respect for doctors now because they know about this condition and give good advice for the good of the patient.

Studies on Oral Insulin Ready for Trial

John Priest, CEO of Apollo said that Oradel passed a series of tests and is ready for Phase 1 trial of the company's oral insulin product. Apollo was able to solve the main challenge in creating an oral insulin. The challenge is to protect the molecules of the insulin from being spoiled by acids and enzymes in the stomach before they arrive in the intestines to be absorbed in the blood stream.

Apollo developed features to protect and move the molecules of the insulin through enclosing it in a capsule. This consists of a protective covering with Vitamin B12 and is sugar-based. Dr. Michael Luke who is head of Apollo's Drug Delivery said that this is pulled through the intestine wall employing the body's natural system for transporting vitamin B12.

This way of production captures 100% of the insulin and so can provide up to 160 mg of insulin for every microgram of the attached vitamin B12. This is a remarkable achievement when compared to the results of a study that can deliver a 1:1 ratio.

In addition, Apollo has also met the challenge of producing this capsule in a consistent size as there is an optimal size that will carry this through the wall of the intestine. They have to be small enough to get through the walls of the intestine yet large enough to deliver adequate insulin to achieve a positive treatment effect.

Hopefully, this will pass the clinical trials as it will be a welcome relief to millions of diabetics who have to inject themselves with insulin sometimes for as many as five times a day. Taking insulin through a pill will certainly make the process easier.

If you want more information about diabetes, please visit: Blogging for Diabetes and You

FDA Approves to Calibrate Continuous Glucose Monitoring Routine

Seventm was FDA approved for DexCom, Inc. It is a system that continuously monitors glucose for seven days. The approval is conditional to the use of only the blood glucose meter that has been cleared by FDA. This will mean that diabetics can standardize the system without the use of a connection cable.

The launch to new patients will be about the end of March 2008. The ones who are already on the system will get an upgrade by 2008's second quarter. DexCom's President Terrance H. Gregg who is also the company's CEO said that introducing convenient products is key to the creation of a glucose monitoring system that will do its job continuously.

We are pleased at the effort of this company on this issue for the success of this project will free the diabetics from having to check their blood sugar level many times a day. We have to take precaution though as this company has no tracking record yet. In fact, its operating system is limited.

Biological 24-Hour Body Cycle and Metabolism Explained

The process of metabolism of the body's 24-hour timetable is fueled by oxygen. University of Pennsylvania researchers from the School of Medicine discovered the protein that directs this daily 24-hour cycle. This protein is called Rev erb. You will have an advance peek at this research finding as it will be available online in Science Express. Later on it will appear in Science.

Researchers have been linking the body's internal clock to such metabolic disorders as diabetes and obesity. Now that they identified the protein that manages this 24-hour cycle, they know that to fight the diseases, it is vital to understand the role it plays.

Mitchell A. Lazar, MD, PhD, who is the senior author of this study, said that this is the next step on Rev erb. Lazar who is also the Director of the Institute of Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism and his team discovered this protein that is a vital part of the 24-hour internal clock and that this action is managed by heme.

What is heme? This is the one most responsible for moving and using the oxygen which goes from the heme in the bloodstream to the heme molecules. Thus it makes it easy to utilize the oxygen to produce the energy the body needs.

The study's findings make it easy to see the link between the 24-hour internal clock and the metabolism process. Researchers at this point already know that too much or not enough sleep raises the diabetes risk. They believe that the new discovery will help the production of new treatment for diabetes.

The heme is found not only as the key in the production of energy but also in turning off the production of glucose. We already know that the main cause of high blood sugar in diabetes is the extra production of glucose by the liver.

JDRF and Lilly Fund Study to Spot Beta Cell Biomarkers

JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) and Eli Lilly Company announced a partnership to fund a study worth $3 million dollars to speed up research to find treatment for diabetes. They want to develop indicators that can evaluate the efficiency of therapies and the disease progress.

Last year JDRF funded more than $137 million dollars in studies to find cure for type 1 diabetes along with the complications, making it the largest funder in the world. Lilly is a world leader in diabetes research since 1920. It continues its effort to meet the needs of diabetics.

The president and CEO of JDRF, Arnold W. Donald, said that recognizing biomarkers for diabetes could lead to a cure. Now that research has moved forward from a discovery mode to finding a cure, the biomarkers will play a vital role.

Dr. Paul Burn who is JFRC's Research Vice President said that the biomarkers will be a tool for recognizing the start and stage of diabetes and be able to monitor the diabetic's response to the treatment mode. This will accelerate the development of treatment because the researchers will be able to measure the effectiveness of the drugs.

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