"The Diabetic & Diabetes Center"

Diabetes can be an insidious disease.  Why is it something that affects one person and not another?  Why can one person be quite overweight and not end up with diabetes, while another individual is slightly overweight but ends up with severe diabetes? 

There have been numerous studies and a tremendous amount of research to determine the factors involved in diabetes, what the best treatments are, what the best methods of control are and how and where to get the most accurate information.

There are more organizations that are providing information and services for individuals with diabetes today than in the past.  One of the areas that have been researched extensively is the isolation of specific causes of diabetes.

There have been some past studies that show the excess of certain proteins to be linked to development of diabetes.  These studies are important because they have provided the basis and the building blocks for further research.  Recent research has shown that the protein fetuin-A – especially in elderly persons – is linked to the development of diabetes.  Fetuin-A works by overcrowding insulin and preventing it from making glucose available to muscle cells.   In addition, researchers feel it is a link in answering the question as to why some people develop diabetes and others don’t.  The reason that fetuin-A is considered a link is due to the fact that it operates regardless of a person’s weight and other factors.  This means that this could be the answer as to why someone who is quite overweight might not develop diabetes, and someone who is slightly overweight or not overweight at all might develop the disease.

Studies showed that in research during a six year period, high levels of fetuin-A in individuals over seventy years of age increased the development of diabetes by over 70%.  Though the study did not determine specific antidotes to the problem, researchers are working on it.  The study was groundbreaking, in that it was the first to be conducted over a long period of time.

Researchers are still looking for ways to inhibit and limit fetuin-A, thus trying to diminish the onset and effects of diabetes.  Other factors, such as high blood pressure, obesity, diet and more are still contributors, however, fetuin-A seems to make all of these accelerate diabetes and its problems.  Hopefully researchers will soon find a way to inhibit fetuin-A and slow the other factors, helping to eliminate some of the risks of diabetes in everyone.

The statistics are staggering and the numbers are overwhelming.  Every time more information is released, the number of individuals in the United States battling diabetes goes up.  The number is now 24 million and rising.  This is an increase of over 3 million people in just the past two years.  This adds up to about 8% of the total population of the country.

 In addition to the 24 million people who have actually been diagnosed with diabetes, there are another 57 million people who are considered pre-diabetic.  This means that if they take care of themselves right they will be able to postpone the onset of diabetes or avoid it altogether. 

On the other hand, if people with pre-diabetes do not watch their diet, engage in at least moderate exercise and limit stress, alcohol and cigarettes, many of them will end up with full blown diabetes. 

The good news is that research reveals that the number of people who have diabetes but are not aware of it has gone down from 30% to 25% over a two year period.  This means that efforts toward education and awareness are at least beginning to work.  Americans are paying attention to the message and taking the time to learn about prevention, symptoms and care.

The decrease in the number of individuals that have diabetes but don’t know it is very important because it can help contain health care costs – especially to the already strained Medicare and Medicaid systems – because more individuals will work on prevention and care with their doctors or community health centers. Rather than allowing the disease to progress to the point where expensive hospitalizations for kidney complications, stroke or amputations due to diabetes, people who are aware of their diabetes and determined to control it can be treated as outpatients, saving them pain and money and resulting in savings for the healthcare system as well.

Though the numbers can be staggering, there is hope.  If awareness of diabetes and how to treat and control it becomes a priority, there are millions of people that will be helped and millions of dollars that will be saved.

Diabetes is an insidious disease that can wreak havoc on a person’s body, often without any signs or symptoms.  Once the signs and symptoms are obvious, there is usually quite a bit of work to do to keep things under control.  If the onset of diabetes is discovered early enough, it is very possible to control the progression and to work on diet and exercise – sometimes along with medication and other treatment.

Unfortunately, there are more and more things we are learning about diabetes that are  harmful to our health.  We have gotten better at early screening and detection, especially during the past decade, and especially with newer medical inventions and treatments.  We are more aware of what constitutes a healthy lifestyle, including a healthy diet, exercise and keeping a handle on stress.

The issue is that we are also finding out new things that diabetes brings with it, new side effects and links to health issues that we did not realize in the past.
Some of the latest new information warns that diabetes is linked to male infertility.  Scientists have discovered that diabetes in men directly damages the DNA in sperm, producing that damage at a molecular level.  Scientists have also stated that men with diabetes have significantly damaged sperm and the diabetes makes it impossible for them to be restored once damaged.

This situation is responsible for a higher rate of miscarriages, as well as a rise in many serious diseases in childhood including cancer.  Through medication, better diet and other treatment, scientists hope to be able to determine a way to increase fertility, protect sperm and create a healthier outcome for men with diabetes and their potential children