Ancient berry could fight diabetic blindness

Posted on June 5, 2012 by bilrob

Ancient berry could fight diabetic blindness

5 June 2012

(L-R) Professor Basil Roufogalis and Min Song with goji berry extract.

The ancient Tibetan goji berry could help fight blindness caused by long-term diabetes according to studies conducted by University of Sydney researchers.

Faculty of Pharmacy researchers have conducted in vitro tests investigating the potential power of the berry which is now a popular natural remedy.

According to lead researcher, University of Sydney Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry Basil Roufogalis, the goji berry is abundant in taurine, an ingredient credited with anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory and immuno-modulating properties which could protect the retina.

“Diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of blindness for people with diabetes, with up to 60 percent of people living with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes developing chronic hyperglycaemia, a condition which can damage retina cells,” explains Professor Roufogalis.

“Typically what happens is proteins in the eye become oxidated and high glucose levels force retinal cells to die.

“What’s more, blood vessels build up in the retina and grow over the vision spot, which can result in vision loss.”

The pharmacy researchers initially undertook work showing the goji berry and its taurine component activated a nuclear receptor protein called PPAR-gamma. This protein plays a crucial role in regulating the retinal cells. This paved the way for further investigation of Lycium barbarum (goji) and its potential to activate the PPAR-gamma receptor.

“First we looked at the protective effect of pure taurine, and an extract of goji berry rich in taurine, in retinal barrier epithelial cells exposed to high glucose – a cell line that can serve as a model to emulate diabetic retinopathy,” said Professor Roufogalis.

“We found that goji berry protected against the death of cells caused by high concentrations of glucose in the retina. This protection occurred in parallel with the activation by the extract of the receptor protein (PPAR-gamma). The pure taurine found in the extract mimicked the effects of the goji berry extract.

“We then wanted to see whether the same extracts of goji berry and its pure taurine had an effect on protecting the retinal barrier against toxin invasion when the barrier is typically damaged by high glucose in diabetes patients.

“What we found is that both the pure taurine and the taurine-laden goji berry extract protected the retina against increased permeability of the protective barrier through its actions on the PPAR-gamma receptor, thereby helping the epithelial cells that provide the protective barrier to the retina.

“We are hopeful that these promising results for treating or preventing diabetic retinopathy will lead to human clinical trials,” said Professor Roufogalis.

Min Song, also from the Faculty of Pharmacy, received a National Institute of Complementary Medicine (NICM) PhD scholarship to assist in the groundbreaking research. NICM, hosted by the University of Western Sydney, was launched in 2007 to facilitate strategic research in complementary medicine in Australia.

Professor Alan Bensoussan, director of NICM, hailed the novel research. “This is pioneering scientific research in the field of herbal medicine, and is to be applauded for investigating novel ways to address the debilitating effects of diabetes, which is such a pressing global health problem,” he said.

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Diabetic Alert Dog Saves 3-Year-Old Girl's Life

Posted on June 3, 2012 by bilrob

abc faith wilson diabetic alert dog jt 120602 wblog Diabetic Alert Dog Saves 3 Year Old Girls Life Countless Times

(ABC News)

Diabetic Alert Dog Saves 3-Year-Old Girl’s Life

A 3-year-old girl in Texas who suffers from a rare form of infant diabetes wouldn’t be alive today if she didn’t have a diabetic alert dog, her mother says.

The little girl, Faith Wilson, has a severe condition that must be constantly monitored.

“It’s a very difficult disease to manage and basically it’s organ failure and you have to live your life on life support,” said Sarah Wilson, Faith’s mother, according to ABC News affiliate KLTV. “Night times were the worst. I used to have panic attacks every night and wake up and run to her bed, holding my breath, just hoping she was alive.”

Sarah Wilson purchased a diabetic alert dog named Ruby two years ago from the Wildrose Kennel in Mississippi for $10,000 through church donations and community support.

Rachel Thornton, Wildrose’s service programs director, said each diabetic alert dog is specifically trained to detect, by scent, if their owner’s blood sugar falls below 100.

“We breed all of our dogs and they are trained at Wildrose Kennel. We breed British labs. It’s a very researched very scientific breeding to produce the type of dog we’re looking for. We breed for scent ability and temperament, and it yields a dog that has done very good as a diabetic alert dog,” Thornton said.

A diabetic’s metabolism changes before a seizure induced by low blood sugar. This change smells subtly like ketosis, which is like nail polish remover. Dogs have extraordinary sensory abilities, and are able to smell more accurately than humans. The diabetic alert dogs are trained to act when the odor occurs, barking in alarm or licking its owner.

Sarah Wilson said that Ruby has saved Faith’s life several times in the last two years.

“She has absolutely saved Faith’s life more times than I can even count,” Wilson said.

Wilson said Ruby has drastically improved the family’s quality of life.

“I can’t imagine our life without Ruby. I know if it weren’t for Ruby, I would have already buried my child. So I don’t even want to think about life without Ruby,” Wilson said.

ABC News affiliate KLTV contributed to this report.

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Living with Diabetes

Posted on May 31, 2012 by bilrob

Diabetic Fruit Cake

Living with Diabetes

By: Rina Jimenez-David
Philippine Daily Inquirer

This is one of those very rare times when it pays to be a diabetic. Suddenly, we’re in the news now.

Chief Justice Renato Corona has brought the spotlight on the disease with his dramatic (some might posit it was rather “melodramatic”) exit from the impeachment trial Tuesday afternoon, after speaking for over three hours in his own defense. After leaving the session hall without waiting for Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile’s approval, Corona emerged from the Senate clinic with his lawyers saying he was suffering from “hypoglycemia” (low blood sugar) because he had neglected to have lunch before taking the witness stand. He would later leave the Senate building and head straight for Medical City where he was confined by doctors to the ICU allegedly for a possible heart attack.

There is not one uniform diagnosis for diabetes, and individuals react to it in varying degrees. Having been diagnosed with the disease shortly after I turned 40, I have learned to live with diabetes through bouts of hyper- and hypoglycemia, and periodic scoldings from my endocrinologist.

I remember two episodes of “hypo,” both occurring around the Christmas season, when I felt faint and about to lose consciousness. In the first, I skipped some meals due to a toothache, and began feeling extremely drowsy on the way home from a radio show. My husband decided to take me to the emergency room of a nearby hospital and on the way stopped by a fast food place for some iced tea. By the time we drove up to the ER, though, the sugar from the iced tea had kicked in, and it was with some embarrassment that I told the doctors I was feeling well enough and didn’t need any more treatment.

* * *

So as you can see, I do have some sympathy for the Chief Justice.

But there were precautions he could have taken to prevent such an episode. He could have, for one, taken a can of regular soda or any sweetened drink with him to sip from while he testified or just before he entered the session hall. Even more important, he should have forced himself to eat a meal before he testified, unless walking out and claiming a medical emergency were part of his scenario all along.

He’s a grown man, and knowing what to do to prevent “hypo” episodes is one of the basic steps a diabetic needs to know. My husband (who has been diabetic for much longer than I have been) keeps chocolates in our refrigerator to wolf down whenever he feels a “hypo” episode coming in the middle of the night. We also try to keep candies or crackers in the car (and in my handbag) in case we skip meals or feel hungry.

And while the pressures of facing an impeachment trial can in no way compare to the daily stresses faced by a working journalist and wife and mother, those pressures are not exactly unexpected and surprising. The Chief Justice could have prepared for them by adequate rest and the correct diet and medications. Which is why I feel a tad resentful that diabetes is being trotted out to explain his actions at the Senate last Tuesday.

* * *

Diabetes is increasingly common (some authorities claim it is the fastest-growing “epidemic” worldwide, making serious inroads in developing countries), but it need not be debilitating.

True, it can have serious side effects (cardiovascular illness, kidney and liver complications, blindness, infections and even the loss of limbs), but as long as one follows one’s doctor’s advice, including religiously taking the prescribed medications, one can live a fairly normal life.

There are also a slew of sugar-free and carb-free products in the market that allow diabetics to indulge their sweet tooth without risking hyperglycemia. A growing awareness of the growing market of diabetics has also resulted not just in sugar-free products, but also in the development of recipes that a diabetic can try without fear of a hyper episode, or a heart attack.

Last Christmas, I gifted the hubby with a book, “The Sweet Life: Diabetes Without Boundaries,” written by chef Sam Talbot, a “professional chef, restaurateur, surfer, painter, philanthropist and, since the age of 12, Type 1 diabetic.”

The book is filled with not just 75 recipes for dishes that diabetics can take without fear (my favorite is a salad made with avocado-and-tortilla vinaigrette on beds of lettuce wedges) but Talbot’s own insights on living with the disease and living healthily and fulfillingly. As the blurb declares: “[The book] will give readers hope, inspiration, and the proof they need to realize that life with diabetes isn’t about diabetes: It’s about living.”

* * *

It’s about living, Mr. Chief Justice. Not just with diabetes, but also with honor, dignity and life’s true treasure: a clean conscience and the esteem and respect of one’s colleagues and the public.

Some have pronounced your career in public service over and done with, what with your hasty exit from the Senate and the ill-feeling it generated among the senators, who are sitting in judgment of you.

Who knows, you might still emerge from this trial keeping your title and office. And the senators, starting with Enrile, seem to have softened a bit and recovered from their deep ire and disappointment at your actions. But I don’t know how you can recover your reputation and your dignity. Your performance last Tuesday certainly did little to restore whatever esteem or respect I still nursed for you, and disappointed even your believers with such indiscreet language and cheap potshots taken at those who weren’t around to defend themselves, including your dead uncle-in-law.

As a fellow diabetic, may I say that you have tarnished our image before the Filipino people. We may have high blood sugar, but we still do know what we are talking about.

Diabetes & Diabetic Recipes with Bill & Sheila

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Aerobic exercise improves vascular reactivity to nearly normal levels

Posted on May 30, 2012 by bilrob

Aerobic exercise improves vascular reactivity to nearly normal levels

Pre-diabetic patients who engage in regular aerobic exercise improve their vascular reactivity to nearly normal levels, even if no weight loss is achieved, according to research presented today at the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) 21^st Annual Meeting Clinical Congress in Philadelphia. Pre-diabetes is a condition that affects nearly one in every four Americans.

“but it also may be the period when intervention such as regular aerobic exercise improves it almost close to that of a non-diabetic patient, in spite of no statistically significant weight loss.”

The research included patients at-risk of developing diabetes and studied their vascular reactivity, which is associated with heart disease, in relation to exercise. Those persons who exercised at least 150 minutes per week had vascular reactivity near normal levels of a non-diabetic person, in addition to experiencing significant reductions in cholesterol profiles and markers of inflammation, which have been associated with heart attacks. Interestingly, the patients undertaking exercise did not lose weight during the six-week intervention period, indicating the improvement in vascular reactivity was independent of weight loss.

“Knowing that Aerobic exercise significantly improves vascular reactivity for pre-diabetic patients is substantial,” said Dr. Sabyasachi Sen, MD, MRCP, FACP, lead author on the study. “It appears that the pre-diabetic stage is a therapeutic window when aerobic exercise can make significant improvement in vascular reactivity and bring it back towards normalcy, before these patients progress to overt diabetes. It may be too late in the overt diabetes stage to make significant impact in vascular reactivity with exercise alone.”

On the other hand, the study found the group of pre-diabetic patients who did not exercise at all (exercise naïve) had vascular reactivity levels as poor as overt diabetes patients.

“Pre-diabetic state is associated with poor vascular reactivity,” concluded the study authors, “but it also may be the period when intervention such as regular aerobic exercise improves it almost close to that of a non-diabetic patient, in spite of no statistically significant weight loss.”

Source American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE)

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Diabetic alert dog 'lifesaver' for 8-year-old boy

Posted on May 19, 2012 by bilrob

Diabetic alert dog ‘lifesaver’ for 8-year-old boy

About one in every 400 children is diabetic. It’s a dangerous disease that can be difficult to manage.

But, one Destrehan child is hoping to inspire others with a new source of hope he’s found – a diabetic alert dog.

Jeremiah Gerlach, 8, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age three. After a week in the hospital, he spent the next four years taking four shots of insulin every day.

“The first time I got a shot, I just screamed but now I’ve gotten used to it,” Jeremiah said.

Now he wears an insulin pump that only requires him to get a shot once every 3 days. But the pump hasn’t cut down on worry for his mother, Jacque Gerlach. She checks Jeremiah’s blood sugar every night at midnight and again at 3 a.m.

“If he goes especially really low during the night, he could slip into a coma, and so I do check him every night religiously, just to make sure that if something were to happen, I catch it. And there are plenty of times I do,” Jacque said.

But, she believes a labrador retriever will ease their worry. Not just any lab – a diabetic alert dog.

“The dog will sleep with Jeremiah in his room. If Jeremiah goes low or high in the middle of the night, even if the dog is asleep, his nose will always be on alert. He’ll do everything he can to wake Jeremiah up and then he’ll be trained to come into our room and wake me up,” Jacque said.

Jacque learned about the diabetic alert dogs on Facebook, where she found an online community of diabetic parents.

“Quite a few of them either have a dog or are fundraising for a dog and I keep hearing a story of, ‘This is what my dog did today’ or, ‘Let me tell you how the dog saved my child’s life last night,’” Jacque said.

She heard praise about Virginia-based Warren Retrievers. Owner Dan Warren said the dogs are 98 percent accurate, detecting blood sugar fluctuation 20 to 45 minutes before it registers on a meter.

That means the dog can help keep a tighter range. Jeremiah can only feel extreme changes, and reaching those extremes repeatedly present potential long-term problems.

“Most of the time when I know, it just goes way down and I’m like, ‘Oh no! It’s 38 and I didn’t even know it!’” Jeremiah said.

By detecting levels that are just a little high or low, the dog can help improve average blood sugar scores or A1C.

“We’re partnering with the University of Virginia to do a 4-year research data. And through our data that we’ve been able to gather so far, we’re finding that typical A1Cs are decreased .75 of a point to a full point within 90 days of placement with one of our diabetic alert dogs,” Warren said.

Warren hopes the study will prompt insurance companies to cover the cost of these dogs – about $20,000. The Gerlachs are fundraising and Warren said they’ll be the first family in Louisiana to get one.

“It’s really exciting to know we can hopefully set the tone for other families. I know there’s a bunch of families of children with type 1 diabetics that hadn’t really even thought that this was an option for them,” Jacque said.

“It will help me manage my diabetes and it will be a lifesaver and it will make it where my mom doesn’t have to check my sugar as often, but even if she does it will really really help the inside of my body,” Jeremiah said.

Warren said the company places up to 400 diabetic alert dogs in families annually.

The Gerlachs are having a benefit fundraiser at the Ormond Plantation House on June 2 for $10 a ticket. To find out how you can help or to find out more about Warren Retrievers, go to http://wholefamilystrong.com/category/a-d-a-d-for-jeremiah/ and http://www.warrenretrievers.com/.

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Diabetic child from Belmont needs help funding ‘guardian angel’

Posted on May 8, 2012 by bilrob

Diabetic child from Belmont needs help funding ‘guardian angel’

John Angier lives in dangerous times. Born with a rare genetic disorder, John, 5, can’t speak, meaning he can’t ask for help when his condition triggers dangerous, daily bouts of hypoglycemia. His parents, John and Jenni, must watch him constantly, guarding against diabetic coma caused by plummeting blood sugar.

“You constantly have to prick his finger and test his blood. He gets checked about 10 times a day on the average,” said John Sr..

It’s no easy task, but one which might be getting easier with the arrival of Rusty, a diabetic service dog from Warren Retrievers.

When John’s blood-sugar drops, his skin becomes clammy and it’s likely he feels nauseous, Jenni said. But even when his parents are watching him closely, they really have no way of knowing how their son is feeling. When his sugar level drops, John is at risk for suffering a seizure, or lapsing into coma and dying.

Keeping watch is undoubtedly stressful for John and Jenni, but bringing in a diabetic service dog will likely lighten the burden. The chocolate lab, which the Angier’s 7-year-old daughter Sienna named Rusty, was one of two dogs picked from a litter. Rusty will be specifically trained to smell when John’s sugars are too high or too low.

It seems a complicated task for an animal whose main hobbies are chewing on bones and playing fetch.

Jenni compares a dog’s sense of smell to a human’s ability to smell a spoonful of sugar in a cup of water. A dog, Jenni said, can smell that same spoonful if it was dropped into an Olympic size swimming pool.

“In a diabetic they can smell the sugars are dropping or increasing anywhere from 20 to 60 minutes from when they start to drop,” Jenni said.

Knowing when John’s sugars are low will help his parents treat him sooner, preventing damage to the brain and organs.

The Angiers are excited about their soon-to-be assistant, who will join their 12-year-old dog, Jasmine. They put down a $1,000 deposit with Warren Retrievers in December.

Now all John and Jenni need to do is come up with $13,000.

Rusty costs $20,000, but with their deposit and $6,000 donated from family and friends, the Angiers were able to lower the total cost. They have a year and a half to pay and Rusty should arrive sometime this summer.

Jenni has no doubt the money needed will be raised. She trusts in people’s good will to help her son.

The family will be trained on how to work with the dog. In two years, a trainer will come back and teach Rusty new ways of assisting John, such as learning how to retrieve his sugar kit in times of need. Jenni is hopeful the dog will be able to keep an eye on John and alert them when something is wrong.

John has a bad habit of running out the door into the street. The front door is often chained shut, but sometimes it’s not enough to keep John from sprinting out into the road. Besides, Jenni said, it’s only a matter of time before he figures out how to use a step stool.

“My goal is to at least have the dog help keep him in because he’s fast,” Jenni said.

According to Dan Warren, president of Warren Retrievers, Rusty can eventually be trained to dial 911 on a special device in an emergency. His company’s nonprofit branch is called Guardian Angel Service Dogs, a name he thinks reflects how closely bonded a child becomes with his or her dog.

“It’s independence. It’s peace of mind. It’s quality of life,” Warren said, a Type 1 diabetic himself.

At the very least, John’s dad is hopeful the diabetic dog will become a companion for his son. While John enjoys playing with Jasmine, Rusty will accompany John wherever he goes, even to school at the Wellington.

“It’s not like people call you for play dates and birthday parties and stuff. The dog is going to be his friend,” John, Sr. said.

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Diabetic girl getting her blood sugar alert dog

Posted on May 8, 2012 by bilrob

Diabetic girl getting her blood sugar alert dog

An alert dog, such as this specially trained yellow Lab, is taught to sense changes in his owner’s blood sugar levels, so he can warn the diabetic if the levels are too high or low.

As a Type I diabetic, Eden Yurek does a pretty good job managing her blood sugar levels, but she’d like to have some help from a four-legged friend. The 11-year-old fifth-grader from Deerfield Community School and her family are trying to raise enough money to provide her with a diabetic alert dog trained to sense when a person’s blood sugar is too low or too high.

DEERFIELD — As a Type I diabetic, Eden Yurek does a pretty good job managing her blood sugar levels, but she’d like to have some help from a four-legged friend.

The family of the 11-year-old fifth-grader from Deerfield Community School is trying to raise enough money to provide her with a diabetic alert dog trained to sense when a person’s blood sugar is too low or too high.

It’ll help to warn us when she’s dropping quickly. A lot of times the dog picks up on it even before the meter does, said Eden’s mother, Melissa Yurek.

Yurek began researching the possibility of getting a diabetic alert dog for her daughter several years ago, but the cost of training was just too much, she said, ranging between $10,000 and $20,000.

She didn’t want to give up on the idea, and neither did the Yureks’ friends and school nurse Lisa Shepard, who encouraged the family to continue the hunt and to pursue fundraising efforts.

About $1,500 some through an eighth-grade dance has been raised so far to benefit a campaign called Eden’s Hope. Another fundraiser will be held at the Deerfield Veterinary Clinic on Saturday, and a benefit trail ride for riders from several horse and pony clubs is planned for the fall.

Yurek continued her research and found Canine Assistance Rehabilitation Education and Services (CARES), an organization in Kansas that charges recipients $2,500 for a diabetic alert dog.

The dogs are more affordable, she said, because they’re trained by inmates from the Ellsworth Correctional Facility in Kansas as part of a rewards program.

The Yureks applied for a dog through CARES last year and were accepted.

Eden and her parents will head to Kansas on June 14 for a week of day and evening classes and return to Deerfield with their new diabetic-alert dog, who will accompany Eden wherever she goes, including school.

Melissa Yurek said she hopes to raise enough money to cover the cost of the dog and an additional $2,500 or so in travel and lodging expenses. While they may not have all of the money raised for the dog before they go, Yurek said, the organization will give them an extra six months to pay off the bill.

Eden, who must use an insulin pump, has battled diabetes since she was 2-1/2. She and her parents have learned to manage the diabetes along with Eden’s celiac disease, a condition that damages the lining of the small intestine and prevents it from absorbing parts of food that are important for staying healthy.

As she’s grown older, Eden has gained more independence and is able to check her own blood sugar during the school day.

But her parents still worry, especially at night. That’s when the diabetic alert dog would be of greatest assistance.

Night is difficult. There’s not a whole lot of warning to when her blood sugars drop. We’ve had nights where she’s dropped rather quickly, and it’s been kind of scary because we need to get sugar into her quickly, Yurek said.

Exercising also can be problematic for Eden, who keeps fruit juice and sugar tablets with her.

While Eden isn’t sure what breed of dog she’ll get, she’s hoping for a golden retriever, in part because the Yureks already have a Lab named Brandy.

Eden’s friends at school also are looking forward to her new dog. In fact, she said, one of her friends joked about how she wants diabetes so she could bring a dog to school, too.

Shepard, the school’s nurse, also is excited about the educational opportunities the diabetic alert dog will offer at the school, where Eden is one of three students with Type I diabetes.

I think it’s great. Not only does she learn how to take care of animals, but the animals learn how to take care of her. It’s a two-way street, said Shepard, who has been helping Eden since preschool.

–>

Diabetes & Diabetic Recipes with Bill & Sheila

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Anti-diabetic substance discovered in liquorice root

Posted on April 20, 2012 by bilrob

Anti-diabetic substance discovered in liquorice root

Liquorice grows best in deep valleys, well-drained soils, with full sun, and is harvested in the autumn, two to three years after planting. Liquorice extract is produced by boiling liquorice root and subsequently evaporating most of the water, and is traded both in solid and syrup form. Its active principle is glycyrrhizin, a sweetener between 30 to 50 times as sweet as sucrose, and which also has pharmaceutical effects.

Liquorice flavour is found in a wide variety of liquorice candies or sweets. In Britain and the US these are usually sweet. In most of these candies the taste is reinforced by aniseed oil, and the actual content of liquorice is very low. In continental Europe however, strong, salty candies are popular.

In the Netherlands, where liquorice candy (“drop”) is one of the most popular forms of sweet, only a few of the many forms that are sold contain aniseed, although mixing it with mint, menthol or with laurel is quite popular. Mixing it with ammonium chloride is also popular, and is known as Salmiak, but mixing it with table salt creates what is probably the most popular liquorice, known in the Netherlands as zoute drop.

Pontefract in Yorkshire was the first place where liquorice mixed with sugar began to be used as a sweet in the same way it is in the modern day. Pontefract Cakes were originally made there. In Yorkshire and Lancashire it is colloquially known as Spanish, supposedly because Spanish monks grew liquorice root at Rievaulx Abbey near Thirsk.
Liquorice flavouring is also used in soft drinks, and in some herbal teas where it provides a sweet aftertaste. The flavour is common in medicines to disguise unpleasant flavours.

Liquorice root

Liquorice is popular in Italy (particularly in the South) and Spain in its natural form. The root of the plant is simply dug up, washed and chewed as a mouth freshener. Throughout Italy unsweetened liquorice is consumed in the form of small black pieces made only from 100% pure liquorice extract; the taste is bitter and intense. In Calabria a popular liqueur is made from pure liquorice extract. Liquorice is also very popular in Syria where it is sold as a drink. Dried liquorice root can be chewed as a sweet. Black liquorice contains approximately 100 calories per ounce (15 kJ/g).[12]

Washington, Apr 18 (ANI): Researchers have found promising anti-diabetic substance in the amorfrutin class of natural substances.

It provides the raw material for liquorice candy, calms the stomach and alleviates diseases of the airways: liquorice root.

Chosen as the “Medicinal plant 2012″, the root has been treasured in traditional healing since ancient times.

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin have now discovered that liquorice root also contains substances with an anti-diabetic effect.

These amorfrutins not only reduce blood sugar, they are also anti-inflammatory and are very well tolerated. Thus, they may be suitable for use in the treatment of complex metabolic disorders.

Natural substances have a surprising and often largely unexploited potential in the prevention and treatment of common diseases.

For example, liquorice root Glycyrrhiza contains different substances that help to alleviate disorders of the airways and digestive system. It has been used for millennia in traditional healing and is mainly administered in the form of tea.

A team of researchers working with Sascha Sauer from the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin has now discovered that the plant from the papilionaceae or leguminous family might also be effective in the treatment of adult (type 2) diabetes.

The scientists identified a group of natural substances with an anti-diabetic effect, the amorfrutins, in the plant’s edible root.

The substances, which have a simple chemical structure, are not only found in liquorice root, but are also in the fruit of the Amorpha fruticosa bush. The new anti-diabetic agents were named after this plant, which is native to the US, Canada and Mexico.

As the researchers demonstrated using diabetic mice, the amorfrutins not only have characteristics that reduce blood sugar, they are also anti-inflammatory in their effect. Moreover, they also prevent fatty liver – a common disease caused by excessively fat-rich nutrition.

“The health-beneficial effects are based on the fact that the amorfrutin molecules dock directly onto a receptor in the nucleus called PPAR (gamma),” explained Sascha Sauer.

PPAR (gamma) plays an important role in the cell’s fat and glucose metabolism.

The binding of the amorfrutin molecules activates various genes that reduce the plasma concentration of certain fatty acids and glucose. The reduced glucose level prevents the development of insulin resistance – the main cause of adult diabetes.

“Although there are already drugs on the market that affect the PPAR (gamma) receptor, they are not selective enough in their effect and cause side effects like weight gain and cardio-vascular problems,” said Sascha Sauer.

In contrast, as demonstrated by the studies carried out to date, the amorfrutins are very well tolerated.

“However, drinking liquorice tea or eating liquorice will not help to treat diabetes,” explained the scientist.

“The concentration of the substances in the tea and liquorice is far too low to be effective,” Sauer added.

The researchers therefore developed special extraction processes to obtain the amorfrutins from the plant in sufficient concentrations. This could be used to produce amorfrutin extracts on an industrial scale.

The newly discovered active substances not only seem to hold great promise for the treatment of complex metabolic disorders, they may also be suitable for prophylactic use. (ANI)

______________________________________________________________________
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Autism : Mom’s Weight or Diabetic Condition May be a Factor

Posted on April 15, 2012 by bilrob

<!–See more photos in the gallery–>

Autism : Mom’s Weight or Diabetic Condition May be a Factor

By Val Willingham

(CNN) — A mother’s weight and diabetic condition may increase the risk of her unborn child developing a neurodevelopmental disorder, such as autism, according to a new study published in this week’s journal Pediatrics.

Researchers with the UC Davis MIND Institute in California found that mothers-to-be who were obese were 67% more likely to have a child with autism as opposed to normal-weight mothers without diabetes or hypertension. And a pregnant woman who is obese doubles her child’s risk of having another developmental disorder (poor communication skills, lack of attention) compared to a child born to a mother at healthy weight.

The study included 1,004 mother-and-child pairs who were enrolled in the Childhood Autism Risks from Genetics and the Environment Study (CHARGE). Most of the families were from Northern California, with a small group living in Los Angeles. The children were between 24 and 60 months old; 517 children had autism; 172 with other developmental disorders; and 315 were developing normally. The participants were enrolled between January 2003 and June 2010.

When it came to women with diabetes, researchers discovered they had more than two times the chance of having a child with developmental delays as opposed to those without diabetes.

“I was surprised at how strong the obesity effect was on new-born children and their cognitive development,” said Dr. Irva Hertz-Picciotto, professor of Epidemiology and a researcher at the MIND Institute . “And we didn’t just look at weight,” she continued. “We looked at diabetes, and hypertension in mothers to see how those conditions affected their children. It was pretty significant.”

The study also found that children with autism who were born to diabetic mothers had greater deficits in communication skills than the children with autism born to healthy mothers. Yet, many children who were not diagnosed with autism, but had diabetic mothers, also showed some signs of socialization problems as well as poor communication skills, compared to the non-autistic children of healthy women.

“Over a third of U.S. women in their childbearing years are obese and nearly one-tenth have gestational or type 2 diabetes during pregnancy,” said Paula Krakowiak, a biostatician with the MIND Institute. “Our finding that these maternal conditions may be linked with neurodevelopment problems in children raises concerns and therefore may have serious public-health implications.”

For more than a decade researchers have been looking for a genetic cause for autism. But new research suggests multiple genetic mutations make a child susceptible for the disorder. But in recent years, scientists have also been looking for environmental triggers that push these genitically susceptible children over the edge. As the search for these triggers continues, this research seems to suggest obesity may be one of those triggers in some cases.

Its authors say this is the first study to examine associations between neurodevelopmental disorders and maternal metabolic conditions. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 60% of U.S. women of childbearing age are overweight, 34% are obese, and 16% have metabolic syndrome, a precursor to diabetes. Nearly 9% of U.S.women of childbearing age are diabetic, and more than 1% of U.S. pregnancies are complicated because the mother has high blood pressure.

Obesity is a major risk factor for diabetes and hypertension and can increase insulin resistance and inflammation in the body. Study authors suggest in women with diabetes, unregulated sugar in the body can result in prolonged fetal exposure to high glucose levels which doctors say can affect brain development in unborn children.

“The fetus depends on the mother for nutrients,” noted Dr. Hertz-Picciotto. “So at certain times in the fetal development if sugar levels or other nutrients are too high or too low, the imbalance can affect the fetus, especially when it comes to the brain.”

But Hertz-Picciotto said there was good news from this study.

“The best thing about this is a lot of this can be modified,” she said. “If you are thinking about getting pregnant, watch your weight and if you have diabetes have your doctor keep a close eye on you so you keep your glucose under control while you’re carrying your baby.”

Diabetes & Diabetic Recipes with Bill & Sheila

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Diabetes quick fix: Sauteed tilapia with saffron broccoli and potatoes

Posted on March 1, 2012 by bilrob

Diabetes quick fix: Sauteed tilapia with saffron broccoli and potatoes

Tilapia is available in many supermarkets. It is a flaky-white fish. You can substitute any type of non-oily fish fillet in this recipe, such as snapper, sole, or flounder.

If you don’t have a steamer, make your own with a large saucepan and a colander. Place the potatoes and broccoli in a metal colander just large enough to sit on the top of the pan with the bottom above the water level.

SAFFRON BROCCOLI AND POTATOES

3/4 pound yellow potatoes

3/4 pound broccoli florets

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/8 teaspoon saffron threads (8 to 10 threads) or tumeric

Salt and fresh ground black pepper

1/2 cup hot water used for steaming

Wash potatoes, do not peel, and cut into 1-inch pieces. Place in steaming basket with broccoli. Add 2 inches of water to the base of the steamer or saucepan and add the steaming basket. Cover the pot and bring water to a boil. Steam 10 minutes.

Heat olive oil and saffron in a mixing bowl for 15 seconds in a microwave oven, or place bowl over steamer to warm oil and saffron. Add salt and pepper to taste. When potatoes and broccoli are ready, add 1/2 cup steaming water to the oil in the bowl. Add the potatoes and broccoli and toss well.

Makes 2 servings, each with 249 calories, 8 grams fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 8 grams protein, 41 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams sugars, 8 grams fiber, 52 mg sodium. Exchanges/Choices: 2 starch, 2 vegetables, 1 fat.

SAUTEED TILAPIA

3/4 pound tilapia or other white fish fillet

2 teaspoons olive oil

Salt and fresh ground black pepper

2 scallions, sliced

1 lemon, cut into 4 wedges

Rinse fish and pat dry with a paper towel. Heat olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tilapia and saute 3 minutes. Turn and saute 3 minutes. Salt and pepper the cooked side. Sprinkle with scallions, cover with a lid and cook 1 minute. Remove tilapia to two dinner plates and squeeze lemon juice from 2 lemon wedges on top. Serve remaining 2 lemon wedges on plate with fish.Makes 2 servings, each with 205 calories, 6 grams fat, 89 mg cholesterol, 32 grams protein, 3 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 1 g sugar, 148 mg sodium. Exchanges/Choices: 5 lean meat, 1 fat.

– “Mix’n'Match Meals in Minutes for People with Diabetes” by Linda Gassenheimer, published by the American Diabetes Association

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