Insulin News and Research

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Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert glucose, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. Insulin allows cells to use glucose for fuel and is secreted by beta cells in the islets of Langerhans. The release of insulin from the pancreas is stimulated by increased blood glucose, vagal nerve stimulation, and other factors. Insulin is obtained from various animals and available in a variety of preparations. Commercial insulin preparations differ in a number of ways, including differences in the animal species from which they are obtained; their purity, concentration, and solubility; and the time of onset and duration of their biologic action. An oral hypoglycemic agent is not a form of insulin therapy.

Hydroxycitric acid slows glucose uptake, cuts insulin peaks

In this obesity-obsessed world, the dream ingredient must be something that tastes good enough to be a condiment or flavoring and yet somehow helps us keep our weight down. Consider hydroxycitric acid (HCA), known variously as Brindle berry or Malabar tamarind, which is used in Indian and Thai food as a condiment and flavoring agent.

18 May 2005

Scientists have uncovered a new method the immune system uses to label foreign invaders as targets to be attacked

Researchers showed that the immune system can brand foreign proteins by chemically modifying their structure, and that these modifications increased the chances that cells known as lymphocytes would recognize the trespassers and attack them.

17 May 2005

Scientists discover how excess body fat can lead to the onset of diabetes

One out of 12 people in the western world suffers from type 2 (adult onset) diabetes. Worldwide, 150 million people are diabetic and their numbers are expected to double in the next 20 years, a result of the growing obesity epidemic. Yet, the reasons for the strong correlation between excess body fat and diabetes have been puzzling researchers.

16 May 2005

High nighttime blood pressure linked to increased blood sugar levels

People whose blood pressure doesn't drop significantly overnight tend to have more cardiovascular problems.

15 May 2005

First advance in pancreatic cancer treatment in a decade offers new hope

The first advance in pancreatic cancer treatment in a decade has been achieved by researchers in a Canadian-led study, and at last gives some encouragement to scientists and invigorates a field that has experienced more than its share of disheartening failures.

15 May 2005

Insulin - possible vaccine against type 1 diabetes

It has taken scientists at the University of Miami's Diabetes Research Institute eight long years of painstaking research, but they believe they have finally pinned down Insulin, the hormone most closely linked to diabetes, to be the cause of the inherited form of the blood sugar disease.

11 May 2005

Type 2 diabetes may begin with Grandma's diet, study suggests

An innovative study published in the latest online edition of the Journal of Physiology provides the first evidence that the insulin resistance typical of type 2 diabetes can be "programmed" across two generations by poor nutrition during a grandmother’s pregnancy and lactation.

11 May 2005

New study suggests Pioglitazone HCl may significantly improve key predictors of cardiovascular risk

Study results published in the May 17th issue of Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association, found that the diabetes medication pioglitazone HCl reduced carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT). Patients taking pioglitazone also experienced significant reductions in insulin resistance, C-reactive protein (a marker for inflammation) and blood pressure, all of which contribute to the overall risk for cardiovascular disease.

9 May 2005

Many lives may be saved by new blood test for ovarian cancer

A new blood test which has the potential to save many lives has been developed to detect ovarian cancer, a disease known as the silent killer because it is so difficult to identify.

9 May 2005

New fat is needed to clear old fat from the system

Where fat comes from determines whether the body can metabolize it effectively. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that the "old" fat stored in the body's peripheral tissues -- that is, around the belly, thighs or bottom -- can't be burned efficiently unless "new" fat is eaten in the diet or made in the liver.

9 May 2005

Metabolic syndrome costing four times that for all other patients

It is well known that hypertension, diabetes, and obesity are each taking a toll on Americans' health, but according to a new analysis, metabolic syndrome, a condition characterized by a combination of these and/or other risk factors, is fast becoming one of the nation's costliest health concerns.

9 May 2005

Newly identified fly genes provide clue to tumour growth

Researchers from the Oxford University Department of Human Anatomy and Genetics have found a new class of genes that are critical for cell growth and may be involved in the uncontrolled growth that takes place in cancer. The discovery could provide a key to future tumour therapies.

4 May 2005

Glucose byproduct prevents brain damage after diabetic coma

A natural, non-toxic byproduct of glucose may prevent brain cell death and cognitive impairment in diabetics following an episode of severely low blood sugar, according to researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC).

4 May 2005

Diabetes researchers look at pizza to find slow and steady insulin delivery wins the race

With its doughy, carbohydrate-dense crust and high fat content, pizza can wreak havoc in people with diabetes. A Penn State Diabetes Center study suggests a slow and steady insulin-dosing pattern may best combat the glucose-raising effects of that common favorite food.

3 May 2005

If you eat too much fat, it can go straight to your liver and damage it

In obese people with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), fat from the diet ends up "stuck" in the liver, where it doesn't belong. It was known that the livers of NAFLD patients accumulated fat, but its origin was unknown.

3 May 2005

FDA gives go-ahead for new diabetes treatment

Sufferers from adult-onset diabetes, the most common form of the disease, will soon be able to access a new injectable diabetes treatment which when used with oral drugs, should be more effective in controlling their blood sugar.

1 May 2005

Asthma and diabetes sufferers could benefit nano-particle research

Patients suffering from conditions as diverse as asthma and diabetes could benefit from research at Cardiff University to improve the effectiveness of drugs taken through spray inhalers.

1 May 2005

Severely obese children have lipoprotein profiles that signal early risk of cardiovascular disease and the metabolic syndrome

"The message is urgent about the importance of prevention of cardiovascular disease in childhood. Lifestyle modification with appropriate diet and exercise can reduce cardiovascular risk in children," said lead author Daniel L. Preud'Homme, M.D., associate professor of medicine at the Wright State University School of Medicine and director of the lipid clinic at The Children's Medical Center, both in Dayton, Ohio.

1 May 2005

Fiber supplements may lower cardiovascular risk in type 2 diabetics

Fiber supplements lower "bad" low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and increase "good" high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol in people with type 2 diabetes, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association's Sixth Annual Conference on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology.

1 May 2005

Study shows genes predict how well diabetes drug will work

How well a person with type 2 diabetes responds to a diabetes drug may well depend upon his or her genetic make-up, according to a study published in the May issue of Diabetes Care. The study found that people who carried certain genotypes responded less favorably to rosiglitazone, a drug often prescribed for people with diabetes, than carriers of other genotypes.

28 Apr 2005