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Little Proof that Periodontal Treatment Improves Blood Sugar Levels

2012-01-13T17:45:00.000-08:00

A number of American researchers went back through medicaland dental journals to see if they could find and document how periodontaltreatments helped or did not help people with diabetes. The analysis that theyperformed involved looking a a few different studies that involved over 450patients. They found that patients that received periodontal treatmentsactually reduced their A1C scores by 0.38%.

A number of American researchers went back through medicaland dental journals to see if they could find and document how periodontaltreatments helped or did not help people with diabetes. The analysis that theyperformed involved looking a few different studies that involved over 450patients. They found that patients that received periodontal treatmentsactually reduced their A1C scores by 0.38%.

While every little bit helps, it turns out that the smallimprovement was not enough to impress statisticians that this specific dentaltreatments really did much good for the improvement of diabetes.

Periodontal treatments seemed to have a little bit moreaffect on Type II diabetics, and the effect was enhanced when patients receivedantibiotics to treat their periodontal conditions.

Inflammation Linked to Diabetes Risk

2012-01-13T17:44:00.000-08:00

We don't mean to sound all pessimistic or discriminatorywhen we bring up the topic of belly fat and diabetes. We want to address thisin a way that will help you to have a little more power over your health.

Opinions about what causes or contributes to diabetes areshifting to include a vigorous suspicion of inflammation. The article we linkedto above mentions that inflammation may contribute to cancer, as well asaccelerate the aging process. However, we want to point out that inflammationis also a culprit in Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, acne, vasculardisease, and many other conditions. We suspect that inflammation will sometimesfall on the same list as LDL cholesterol and high blood pressure. Your doctorcould be measuring your inflammation levels in the near future as an indicatorof health.

Small European study finds possible benefit for rheumatoid arthritis drug in diabetes

2012-01-13T17:43:00.000-08:00

A few years ago some researchers from Switzerland, Sweden,and Denmark had an idea. They suspected that by encouraging the body to useless of the interleukin-1 protein, people with diabetes would improve.Interleukin-1 is a protein that works to increase pain, swelling and fever.They recruited 70 patients with type 2 diabetes to test their theory.

Thirty-six patients got a placebo and 34 got a rheumatoidarthritis drug anakinra that blocks interleukin-1's action. At the end of thestudy, they found that the patients who took anakinra:

Had significantly lower blood glucose measures than thegroup that got the placebo
Increased their own insulin production
Had less inflammation in their bodies.

Their results were impressive enough for the New EnglandJournal of Medicine to publish.

Now that this study is complete, the next move probablybelongs to Amgen, the company that markets anakinra as Kineret. Based on onestudy with 70 participants, doctors will not start prescribing this right awayto patients. The study only lasted 13 weeks, so we don't know if its getsbetter or worse beyond that point.

Amgen made this drug hoping to sell it to a portion of themillions of people living with rheumatoid arthritis. To their surprise, theyfound that it may actually be a viable treatment for the millions of peopleliving with diabetes. Diabetes affects roughly seven times the number of peoplewith arthritis.

Do not let small study about sperm DNA in diabetic men scare you

2012-01-13T17:41:00.002-08:00

All right, it's all over the news today, so men all over theworld are wondering if they should father children if they have diabetes. So,let's break this down and interpret it. Scientists have found that sperm fromtype 1 diabetic men have greater levels of DNA damage than sperm from men whodo not have the disease. They warn that such DNA damage might affect a man'sfertility.

Researchers from Belfast, Northern Ireland showed that theDNA in the nuclei of the sperm cells had greater levels of fragmentation indiabetic men (52%, versus 32% in non-diabetic men), and that there were moredeletions of DNA that would affect the tiny, energy-generating structures inthe cells called mitochondria (4 versus 3).

First of all, this is the first study to explore this issue.Second, it involved 27 men with diabetes - not a large number. Not large enoughin My Diabetes Information's opinion to get all uptight about. Third, DNAfragments all of the time. It can be a big deal. However, the DNA from a spermcell is often repaired during conception as it shares DNA from an egg cell. So,there are about 30,000 genes that they can sort through and figure out whatthis means to men with diabetes. It will be a while.

Dr. Ishola Agbaje, who undertook the research publishedonline this week in the journal Human Reproduction, said, "As far as weknow, this is the first report of the quality of DNA in the nucleus andmitochondria of sperm in diabetes. Our study identifies important evidence ofincreased DNA fragmentation of nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA deletions insperm from diabetic men. These findings cause concern, as they may haveimplications for fertility."

The truth is that they could have implications for more thanjust fertility. This is such a new finding from such a small study that it isvery early to speculate about what it might mean. What Dr. Agbaje should do istry to find a colleague who can replicate the study with a larger group ofpatients. The group definitely needs to be composed of at least 30 men withdiabetes. It would be even more helpful to involve more than 60 men withdiabetes.

Professor Sheena Lewis of Queen's Reproductive MedicineResearch Group was one of the researchers involved in the study. Her commentsprovided a better interpretation of what this might all mean when she said,"Our study shows increased levels of sperm DNA damage in diabetic men.From a clinical perspective this is important, particularly given theoverwhelming evidence that sperm DNA damage impairs male fertility andreproductive health. Other studies have already shown that, while the femaleegg has a limited ability to repair damaged sperm DNA, fragmentation beyondthis threshold may result in increased rates of embryonic failure and pregnancyloss. In the context of spontaneous conception, sperm DNA quality has beenfound to be poorer in couples with a history of miscarriages."

However, Lewis said that it was not possible to say fromthis current study whether the DNA damage caused by diabetes would have thesame effect on men's fertility and the health of future children as DNA damagecaused by other factors such as smoking.

"This is just one, relatively small studythat highlights a possible concern," she said. "Further studies needto be carried out in order to understand the precise nature of thediabetes-related damage, the causal mechanisms and the clinical significance.Given the global rise in the prevalence of diabetes, it is also vital toexamine the reproductive outcomes of pregnancies fathered by diabetic men, andthe prevalence of diabetes amongst men attending for infertilitytreatment."

Grain Fiber and Magnesium Intake Associated With Lower Risk for Diabetes

2012-01-13T17:41:00.000-08:00

Higher dietary intake of fiber from grains, cereals, andmagnesium, may each be associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes,according to a report and analysis in the May 14 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine,one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Projections indicate that the number of people diagnosedwith diabetes worldwide may increase from 171 million in 2000 to 370 million by2030, according to background information in the article. The associated illness,death, and health care costs emphasize the need for effective prevention, theauthors write. Fiber may help reduce the risk of diabetes by increasing theamount of nutrients absorbed by the body and reducing blood sugar spikes aftereating, among other mechanisms. Current American Diabetes Associationguidelines include goals for total fiber intake, but research suggests thatsome types of fiber may be more beneficial than others. Findings regardingmagnesium and diabetes risk remain unclear.

Dr. Matthias B. Schulze, and colleagues at the GermanInstitute of Human Nutrition, conducted a study of 9,702 men and 15,365 womenage 35 to 65 years. Participants completed a food questionnaire when theyenrolled in the study between 1994 and 1998, then were followed up through2005—an average of seven years—to see if they developed diabetes. In addition,the researchers performed a meta-analysis of previously published work relatedto intake of fiber or magnesium and risk of diabetes.

During the follow-up period, 844 individuals in the studydeveloped type 2 diabetes. Those who consumed more fiber through cereal, bread,and other grain products (cereal fiber), were less likely to develop diabetesthan those who ate less fiber. When the participants were split into fivegroups based on cereal fiber intake, those who ate the most (an average of 29grams per day) had a 27 percent lower risk of developing diabetes than those inthe group that ate the least (an average of 15.1 grams per day). Eating morefiber overall or from fruits and vegetables was not associated with diabetesrisk, nor was magnesium intake.

In the meta-analysis, the researchers identified ninestudies of fiber and eight studies of magnesium intake. Based on the results ofall the studies, in which participants were classified into either four or fivegroups according to their intake of fiber or magnesium, those who consumed themost cereal fiber had a 33% percent lower risk of developing diabetes thanthose who took in the least, while those who consumed the most magnesium had a23percent lower risk than those who consumed the least. There was noassociation between fruit or vegetable fiber and diabetes risk. More on fiber rich foods.

"The evidence from our study and previousstudies, summarized by means of meta-analysis, strongly supports that highercereal fiber and magnesium intake may decrease diabetes risk," the authorsconclude. "Whole-grain foods are therefore important in diabetesprevention."