I'm Taking a Break from Blogging

I'm taking a break from blogging about diabetes news. If something major occurs, I'll blog about it, but I'm not going to be posting minor tidbits anymore.

Almost all the news items I've been highlighting here over the past few months just reiterate some point made in a previous post or add more data to support an argument already fleshed out on the main site.

The 500+ posts already to be found here and the hundreds of pages available at the main site http://bloodsugar101.com have covered just about everything you need to know about Type 2 diabetes, diabetes drugs, and diet.  

To find information about a diabetes-related topic use the "Search this Blog and its Cites" link located at the top of the right hand column of this page.

To preserve your health if you have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, just do the following:
1. Learn what blood sugars are truly normal.
2. Learn how blood sugar control works and how it stops working.
3. Learn what blood sugar levels cause diabetic complications and heart disease.
4. Learn how to lower your blood sugar to the safe range using dietary changes.
5. Learn what diabetes drugs are safe and what drugs are dangerous.
6. If you are tempted to try supplements read about what they really do HERE and HERE.

Final June Diabetes News Snippet Post

Jenny said...

The FDA is taking another look at Avandia's relationship to heart disease.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewherper/2013/06/04/battleground-fda-how-tomorrows-avandia-panel-could-help-shape-the-future-of-diabetes/

But whatever they conclude about whether or not Avandia causes heart attacks, we know that it, like Actos, also weakens the bones over time and makes them prone to fracture, since it converts that stem cells that should become bone cells into baby fat cells.

It, like Actos, also raises the chances of experiencing retinal edema--swelling in the blood vessels in your eye that can contribute to blindness.

Finally, both Avandia and Actos have been found to cause heart failure in people who had no symptoms of it before taking the drug. Heart failure is different from heart attack, and refers to weakening of the heart muscle that greatly raises the risk of dying within a few years.

Bottom line. The reasons for reviewing Avandia are all about making money for the drug company. There is NO reason for you to be taking this drug--or for that matter, any other new diabetes drug released over the past 6 years.

7:33 AM, June 05, 2013

Chris said...

Am a diabetes newbie here. My recent diagnosis is associated with my second heart attack in six years. Thank you for writing this blog. I'm looking forward to relying on your pointed references in answer to many of my questions, rather than having to scour a dozen websites.

8:36 AM, June 05, 2013

Jenny said...

Scientists find a new medium that allows them to grow ten times the usual number of beta cells in culture. Apparently they are normal cells. This is very good news for those with Type 1 Diabetes who need islet transplants to replace dead beta cells.

Science Daily: Major Hurdle Cleared to Diabetes Transplants

6:08 PM, June 13, 2013

Jenny said...

Good news for ordinary people. The Supreme court ruled that the FTC can sue drug companies that pay generic drug companies not to make their patent-expired drugs so that they can continue to price gouge.

Reuters: Supreme court says FTC can sue over deals that delay generic drug sales

3:15 PM, June 17, 2013

Jenny said...

Dietary fructose causes liver damage in monkeys fed diets that don't cause weight gain. The damage is associated with bacteria leaking into the liver as the fructose seems to modify characteristics of the digestive tract.

Science Daily: Dietary Fructose Causes Liver Damage in Animal Model

9:21 AM, June 20, 2013

Jenny said...

Here's an excellent summary of ALL the studies pointing to serious problems with all the incretin drugs. There are a lot of them from many different kinds of research and they make it crystal clear that the American Diabetes Association's claim that the research is ambiguous is an industry-sponsored lie.

Pharmlot: Troubling New Signals? ? Diabetes Drugs & Adverse Event Reports

9:38 AM, June 20, 2013

Jenny said...

A major study published in the journal Science explains why our understanding of how mitochondria works has been wrong.

At the end of a report about the study we learn, "During the study the team also made the unexpected discovery that the most widely used mouse strain for laboratory genetic analysis is unable to correctly assemble the respiratory supercomplexes. This raises serious questions about the validity of extrapolating results obtained with these mice to humans."

This may explain why so much mouse research comes up with findings that aren't true for people, for example, that eating a high fat diet causes diabetes.

Mitochondria are where cells burn fats and sugars, so when they aren't working properly blood sugar and fat metabolism can be skewed.

Science Daily: Researchers Reformulate the Model of Mitochondrial Function

8:42 AM, July 03, 2013

Jenny said...

Last week was the annual ADA Scientific Sessions, the big conference where diabetes specialists get together to present research findings and be lobbies by drug and device salesforces.

(I am on the mailing list to get the press releases inviting me to discuss various presentations to be given at the conference, so I get a bunch of mail inviting me to learn more about drug company sponsored crap.)

Nothing that advanced the knowledge of anyone not educated by drug companies seems to have come out of this get together. One study found that losing weight doesn't eliminate heart conditions in people with diabetes. Since they lost weight in ways that did not lower their blood sugar below the 150 mg/dl level that solid research links to heart conditions, this did not amaze me, but it was news to doctors. Unfortunately, it is likely to make them prescribe more weight loss surgery which by its nature makes people cut carbs way, way down and can have positive effects on blood sugar.(If it doesn't kill you or leave you nutritionally compromised for life.)

Another study found that eating a low carb diet lowers blood sugar much more than eating a low fat/low cal diet. (We knew that, didn't we?)

I am pretty burnt out on following diabetes research because after 15 years it has become evident that doctors will never pay attention to anything that doesn't enrich drug or device surgeons, or perhaps surgeons--very well funded groups that profit from the suffering of people with diabetes. That it is news that cutting carbs lowers blood sugars 20 years after Dr. Bernstein published on the same subject shows you what we are up against.

And the complete lack of curiosity of doctors, who sheeplike follow whatever they are told by the industry "Thought leaders, a fancy term for " doctors who are paid hundreds of thousands or more by the drug companies to promote their most recent most profitable drugs, ensures nothing will change.

We could cure diabetes were it not that 98% of all research money goes into studies of drugs that counteract symptoms without addressing the cause of those symptoms, and if were not that drug companies would go out of business if we did cure it. It's a 100 billion dollar business making pills and shots that cost $300+ a month which have to be taken every day for decades. Diabetes is the single most widespread costly condition affecting older people.

You'd get fired if you worked for a drug company and came up with anything that actually cured diabetes and your research would go right into the shredder.

8:52 AM, July 03, 2013