How to stop diabetes wreaking lasting havoc

How to stop diabetes wreaking lasting havoc

* 29 June 2007
* NewScientist.com news service
* Andy Coghlan

One of the nasty tricks that diabetes has up its sleeve is the ability to carry on harming people long after they have got the level of glucose in their blood under control. Now researchers think they may be able to stop this, using cheap available drugs.

The idea builds on the discovery that when cells are exposed to the high levels of glucose typical of diabetes, proteins within the cells’ mitochondria suffer damaging changes. The proteins become permanently attached to sugar-like molecules called glycans, and this not only prevents them doing their job properly but also makes them produce harmful molecules called reactive oxygen species.

The reactive oxygen species circulate throughout the body, attacking and damaging tissues, particularly in the limbs and eyes. Because the changes to the cellular proteins are not reversible, they continue to pump out these molecules even when glucose levels have returned to normal. "This contributes to the development of diabetic complications," says Antonio Ceriello of the University of Warwick in Coventry, UK, whose team now think there may be a way to stop this happening.

The clue came from lab experiments in which they took damaged cells that had been previously exposed to high levels of glucose, and showed that the reactive molecules could be neutralised by exposing the cells to antioxidants such as alpha-lipoic acid (Diabetologia, DOI: 10.1007/s00125-007-0684-2).

In a trial on 36 patients undergoing insulin treatment for type 1 diabetes, they were then able to show that injections of vitamin C could have the same effect in people, as did a blood-pressure-lowering drug called telmisartan. "These compounds can counteract the ‘memory’ because they work inside cells to block free-radical production," says Ceriello, who will publish the results of the trial in the journal Diabetes Care.
“In a trial of 36 patients, injections of vitamin C neutralised the reactive molecules that were responsible for the damage”

The researchers point out, however, that people would have to take such antioxidants for life, to mop up the continuous supply of reactive molecules being produced by the damaged proteins. So they are now looking for other potential drugs that might permanently reverse the chemical changes that stopped the protein’s normal function.

Ian Frame, research manager at the charity Diabetes UK, cautions that the timescale of the experiments was relatively short, so the proposed treatments might not work in people with chronic diabetes. However, he does say the results are a "step forward" in establishing how reactive oxygen species contribute to long-term complications of diabetes.
From issue 2610 of New Scientist magazine, 29 June 2007, page 11

http://www.news cientist.com/ar … ting-havoc.html

Nice thread TT.

I’ve known this information for several years.
Biotin needs to be looked at for it’s combative power against the free radical effects of diabetes even though it may be in control.
The anti oxidant group “A” “E” “C” and Zinc play an important roles as de-oxidizers. I take over a gram of vitamin “C” and between 50-100 mg of zinc.

Green Tea lowers blood sugar has an anti-oxidizing effect. It lowers blood pressure and blood sugar in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. It seems to repair beta cells that produce insulin in the pancreas.

Magnesium may even prevent type 2 diabetes. Funny we have a national shortage of magnesium in the god ol’e USA.
Chromium lowers blood sugar, helps with diabetes pain and helps prevent glycation. (Sugar molecules making holes in blood vessels.

Parapharased information gathered from
(Natural Health & Nutrition CD-ROM 2001 Version)

A few months ago, I read a report wherein researchers were able to “cure” diabetes in mice by injecting a capcasian (sp) mixture directly in the pancreas of diabetic mice…..resulting in an almost overnight cure. Nothing has been published about this that I can find. (drug company quashed story ?)

Anyone familiar with this?

Source: Society of Chemical Industry
Date: July 9, 2007

Pumpkin: A Fairytale End To Insulin Injections?

Science Daily — Compounds found in pumpkin could potentially replace or at least drastically reduce the daily insulin injections that so many diabetics currently have to endure. Recent research reveals that pumpkin extract promotes regeneration of damaged pancreatic cells in diabetic rats, boosting levels of insulin-producing beta cells and insulin in the blood, reports Lisa Richards in Chemistry & Industry, the magazine of the SCI.

A group, led by Tao Xia of the East China Normal University, found that diabetic rats fed the extract had only 5% less plasma insulin and 8% fewer insulin-positive (beta) cells compared to normal healthy rats (Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 87(9) 1753-7 2007).

Xia says: ‘pumpkin extract is potentially a very good product for pre-diabetic persons, as well as those who have already developed diabetes.’ He adds that although insulin injections will probably always be necessary for these patients, pumpkin extract could drastically reduce the amount of insulin they need to take.

David Bender, sub-dean at the Royal Free and University College Medical School, London, says: ‘this research is very exciting… the main finding is that feeding pumpkin extract prevents the progressive destruction of pancreatic beta-cells… but it is impossible to say whether pumpkin extract would promote regeneration in humans.’ He added: ‘I think the exciting thing is that this may be a source of a medication that could be taken by mouth.’

The protective effect of pumpkin is thought to be due to both antioxidants and D-chiro-inositol, a molecule that mediates insulin activity. Boosting insulin levels has the effect of lowering blood sugar levels, which reduces levels of oxidative oxygen species that damage beta-cell membranes, preventing further damage and allowing for some regeneration. Beta cells levels in the diabetic rats are, however, unlikely ever to reach that of controls, because some of the cells will have been damaged beyond repair.

Diabetes affects more than 230m people, almost 6% of the world’s adult population, according to the World Diabetes Foundation. The rats used in this study represent type I diabetes, but the researchers believe the pumpkin extract may also play a role in type II diabetes.

Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by Society of Chemical Industry.

http://www.scie ncedaily.com/re … 70708193019.htm

Arginine is high in pumpkin seeds, I do believe that arginine has a hypoglycemic effect.
Glutamine will cut your blood sugar in half if it is high it it is 500 it will half it.
Fish oils also lower blood sugar.
Green tea does as well.
Ginseng is a great hypoglycemic
Chromium picolinate to lowers blood sugar
It may be that dia betes is a result of a magnesium deficiency.
Magnesium is lacking in every person in the USA from all the processed crap we call food.
Biotin at 3mg lowers blood sugar.
A high protein very moderate diet lowers it as well.
Carrots even lower blood sugar, why, because they are loaded with glutamine.
Peppers lower blood sugar.
Cinnamon is probably your most potent of the blood sugar lowering agents out there because you only need an 1/8 of a teaspoon 3 time a day to lower it.
Apples and apple cider vinegar lower blood sugar.

Green tea and golden rod are more effective for type 1 diabetes.
Green tea and gymnema Sylvester repair beta cells.
Alpha lipoic acid helps lower blood sugar and is good for nueropathy.
A brisk walk 30 minutes a day 3 days per week can lower blood sugar by up 20%
Losing just 10% of your body weight lowers blood sugar.
Lifting weights in the gym 2-4 days per week lowers blood sugar.

The list goes on and on.
The thing is medications have a very high failure rate when it comes to lowering blood sugar.

Source: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Date: July 12, 2007

Drug Derived From Gila Monster Saliva Helps Diabetics Control Glucose, Lose Weight

Science Daily — Exenatide, a drug that is a synthetic form of a substance found in Gila monster saliva, led to healthy sustained glucose levels and progressive weight loss among people with type 2 diabetes who took part in a three-year study.

The hormone exendin-4 occurs naturally in the saliva of the Gila monster, a large venomous lizard native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. (Credit: iStockphoto/Rusty Dodson)

“The weight loss factor is important because being overweight and weight gain is an almost universal problem for people with diabetes,” said John Buse, M.D., Ph.D., lead researcher in the study and chief of endocrinology in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine.

“In that context, it is exciting that patients that continue exenatide injections continue to lose a bit of weight while maintaining blood sugar control, even in their third year of therapy,” Buse said.

“While this weight loss is encouraging, it’s important for people to understand that exenatide is not intended as a weight-loss drug and it is not approved for that purpose,” Buse said. “Only people with type 2 diabetes should take exenatide.”

Exenatide, marketed as Byetta, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in April 2005 to treat type 2 diabetes in patients who were not able to get their high blood sugar under control in a combination with one or more of three other medications, metformin or sulfonylurea thiazolidinedione.

Weight loss was not the only significant finding. After three years of including exenatide in the drug regimen, 46 percent of participants achieved sustained glucose – or blood-sugar – levels of 7 percent, and 30 percent had levels of 6.5 percent. The ADA considers levels of 7 percent or lower to be healthy.

Exenatide, which is manufactured by Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc. in collaboration with Eli Lilly and Company, comes in a prefilled pen that type 2 diabetics use to give themselves twice-daily injections within an hour before their morning and evening meals. It is typically given in addition to sulfonylurea, or with a combination of metformin and sulfonylurea.

Exenatide is a synthetic form of a hormone called exendin-4 that occurs naturally in the saliva of the Gila monster, a large venomous lizard native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. The lizard hormone is about 50 percent identical to a similar hormone in the human digestive tract, called glucagon-like peptide-1 analog, or GLP-1, that increases the production of insulin when blood sugar levels are high. Insulin helps move sugar from the blood into other body tissues where it is used for energy. The lizard hormone remains effective much longer than the human hormone, and thus its synthetic form helps diabetics keep their blood sugar levels from getting too high. Exenatide also slows the emptying of the stomach and causes a decrease in appetite, which is how it leads to weight loss.

The results being reported now come from following patients who took exenatide for three years. In the study, Buse and colleagues analyzed data from 217 diabetes patients. After three years of treatment, most patients showed sustained reductions in blood sugar levels, in blood biomarkers that indicate liver injury and sustained, progressive weight loss averaging 11 pounds.

The study’s co-authors are Leigh MacConell, Ph.D., Anthony H. Stonehouse, Ph.D., Xuesong Guan, James K. Malone, M.D., Ted E. Okerson, M.D., David G. Maggs, M.D. and Dennis D. Kim, M.D. All of the co-authors work for Amylin Pharmaceuticals except for Malone, who works for Eli Lilly and Company. Amylin has a global agreement with Eli Lilly and Company to collaborate on the development and commercialization of exenatide. Funding for this study was provided by Amylin and Eli Lilly and Company.

Buse presented these results June 25, 2007 at the annual scientific sessions of the American Diabetes Association in Chicago.

Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

http://www.scie ncedaily.com/re … 70709175815.htm

Exenatide is marketed under the trade name Byetta. I had some limited success with the stuff, but eventually ended up on insulin.

I saw a news item in the past few days, about an "artifical pancreas" that monitors glucose levels and pumps insulin to keep them stable, saying that a lot of damage was incurred even while diabetes was nominally under control because of continually unstable glucose levels.

Here’s an article that I found with a quick search: http://www.scie ncedaily.com/re … 70707142658.htm

FF

Yeah, I through that SCIDaily one up as a post here too, someplace.