Denver Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler has been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, his business manager Marty Garafalo confirmed. Cutler, who is 25-years-old will need daily insulin injections. Garafalo said that Cutler was managing his disease and “in no way is his football career jeopardized.”The 6-foot-3, 233-pound Cutler was taken by the Broncos with the 11th overall pick of the 2006 draft, becoming the first Vanderbilt player taken in the first round since 1986. Cutler, entering his third NFL season, threw for 3,497 yards and 20 touchdowns last season after supplanting Jake Plummer with five weeks left in the 2006 season.
“It’s something that he’s dealing with and something a lot of other people have,” Garafalo said. “Even though it’s a serious condition, it’s a condition that can be managed. That’s the way he’s treating it right now. “Everything’s fine,” Garafalo continued. “His condition is fine.”
There are many other athletes who have competed with diabetes include Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke, Charlotte Bobcats forward Adam Morrison, golfers Scott Verplank, Michelle McGann and Kelli Kuehne and Olympic swimmer Gary Hall Jr.
Exercise is required to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Although, making time to go the gym or going for a run can be difficult for us to fit into our schedule. People with type 1 diabetes have other things that can prevent them from being able to exercise. Managing type 1 diabetes often requires several insulin injections or adjustments of an insulin pump, taking up to 10 blood samples a day. Exercise lowers blood sugar level and helps improve the body’s use of insulin. This is great for most of us, but diabetics often need to reduce their insulin dose before exercising. That not all! During exercise, maintaining normal blood glucose levels is also critical because too much insulin can lead to hypoglycemia and too little can cause hyperglycemia.
This is like a lot to keep track of, especially for someone already focusing on a particular exercise or physical activity at hand. Dr. Alan Marcus says, “Since diabetes affects everyone differently, it’s important for people to understand how daily activities such as work, sleep, eating and exercise affect their diabetes management.”
Exercise is a vital part of our life and it has many benefits too. “The data show that regular moderate exercise increases your ability to battle the effects of disease,” says Marilyn Moffat, a professor of physical therapy at New York University. “It has a positive effect on both physical and mental well-being. The goal is to do as much physical activity as your body lets you do, and rest when you need to rest.”
If you have type 1 diabetes and are not exercising now, talk to your doctor about how to get started. Over time, a sense of accomplishment, better sleep, less pain and enhanced satisfaction with life can become further reasons to pursue physical activity!
New findings may help in efforts to develop ways to treat type 1 diabetes. An estimated 1 million to 2 million Americans have type 1 diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have been studying immune cells thought to be responsible for type 1 diabetes.
They are using diabetic mice in their research. The scientists found dendritic cells in insulin-making structures in the pancreas called the islets of Langerhans and observed them carrying insulin and fragments of insulin-producing cells known as beta cells. This can be the initial step toward the start of a misdirected immune system attack that destroys the beta cells and prevents the production of insulin, resulting in type 1 diabetes.
“Now that we’ve isolated dendritic cells from the pancreas, we can look at why they get into the pancreas and determine which of the materials that they pick up are most critical to causing this form of diabetes. That may allow us to find ways to inhibit dendritic cell function in order to block the disorder,” study senior author Dr. Emil R. Unanue, a professor of pathology, said in a prepared statement.
People with diabetes are more prone to peritonitis, tooth decay, oral fungal infections, taste diminishment, gingivitis and delayed healing time than people without the disease, according to the American Dental Association (ADA). This is because uncontrolled blood sugar levels can cause and worsen those symptoms and conditions. According to the ADA, sugary and starchy foods contribute to high glucose levels in saliva, which can wear down tooth enamel, causing decay and cavities.
Unfortunately, poor oral health can make your diabetes more difficult to control. Infections can cause your blood sugar to rise and require more insulin to keep it under control.
There are things you can do to have good oral health. You should see your dentist at least twice a year. Make sure your dentist knows that you have diabetes. Brush your teeth twice a day. It is recommended to use a soft nylon toothbrush and always brush the upper surface of your tongue. Floss everyday. Always look for early signs of gum disease, such as bleeding gums, redness, or swelling. If you notice any of these things call your dentist right away.
Many people have diabetes and they don’t even know it. By the time they find out, they’re at risk of severe complications like blindness or kidney disease. Researchers at MedStar Research Institute in Washington D.C. has been looking for ways to encourage more patients to get tested sooner. They believe many people put it off because of the process it takes to get tested. The traditional diabetes testing method includes fasting, drinking a sweet glucose solution and taking a blood test. This type of testing typically takes several hours.
The researchers have discovered a new light machine called the vera-light scout. It uses fluorescent light to non-invasively measure the effects of high glucose levels in the forearm’s connective tissue. Dr. Robert Ratner with MedStar Research says, “We’ve been able to identify those biochemical changes that may reflect diabetes without the need of sticking the patient or drawing blood or sending samples off to a certified laboratory.” The machine shines a light onto the skin’s surface and the layers of tissue immediately below. It measures how much light bounces back in very specific wavelengths. Ratner says they “then compare the Scout measure with the overnight fasting with glucose method, and found that the Scout measure is as accurate, if not better.”
This system is still in the testing phase and not available to the public yet, although many doctors believe this system will be the future for diabetes detection!
There is a new national effort to stem the tide of diabetes in the United States. The National Diabetes Goal was unveiled May 7 at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., the goal is for the 45 percent of Americans who are at risk for type 2 diabetes, to know their blood glucose level and what actions to take. They aim to achieve this by 2015.
There is over 21 million Americans that have diabetes, but it is thought that more than 6 million Americans are unaware that they have the disease. It is believed that type 2 diabetes can be prevented if people at risk are tested and take action. It is estimated by 2025, 15 percent of the population will suffer from diabetes.
“Early detection is critical in maintaining healthy vision”, said American Optometric Association (AOA), president, Kevin L. Alexander, O.D., PhD. “Recognizing the importance of diabetes prevention and early treatment for lifelong eye health, AOA fully supports the National Diabetes Goal.” The A.O.A., is one of the many health care provider groups, government officials and leaders from the business and academic communities that are supporting the National Diabetes Goal.
Teens with Type 1 Diabetes prefer use Insulin pumps as part of treating the disease but an FDA study shows the device has been linked to injuries and a few deaths. Although, the FDA is not saying the teens with juvenile diabetes should not be provided the insulin pump. Insulin pumps can help make life more manageable. Parents need to be keeping a close eye on their children’s devices and understand that the machine is not infallible.Problems observed in the study were not taking care of the pump or dropping them. Also it is believed that there is simply a lack of education because teen weren’t sure on the correct use.
With the proper care the pumps can be a part of normal teen life for diabetes patients. Up to 100,000 teens may already be using the machine that costs about $6,000 with supplies running at $250 a month.
Insulin pumps are used for Type 1 diabetes. Between 5 and 10 percent of all diabetic cases are Type 1 which is also known as juvenile diabetes. The pumps are small, the size of a cell phone, and worn on a belt or carried in a pocket. Through a plastic tube that is inserted under the skin insulin is carried into the body. The user tells the machine how much insulin to give prior to each meal based on the estimated carbs they are eating. There are also devices designed to give a constant low level flow of insulin.
Even with the pump patients must check sugar levels, because one of the problems that has been observed is a blocked tube that can quickly cause an episode of high blood sugar. “In a matter of a few hours, all the insulin in the body disappears,” said Dr. John Buse, the American Diabetes Association’s president for medicine and science. “Metabolically, the child starts to spiral out of control.
Although there are some problems with the insulin pump it has quickly become a vital part of diabetic treatment for teens. Teens need to be aware of these risks.
“Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases in children after asthma, but the percentage of kids who have it is still relatively low,” says Parents advisor Lori Laffel, MD, chief of the pediatric, adolescent, and young-adult section at Harvard’s Joslin Diabetes Center. Many parents have misconceptions about the illness. This often keeps them from understanding the best ways to help kids avoid or manage diabetes.
Many parents believe that children who get diabetes are the ones with a weight problem. This is not always the case. In type 1 diabetes the immune system mistakenly destroys healthy cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, the hormone that helps the body get energy from food, and at this time there is no known cause. In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas usually makes plenty of insulin, but cells throughout the body have trouble using it. This creates a condition known as insulin resistance.
Parents need to help their children keep blood sugar at normal levels. This is the key to a healthy life for your child. Poorly controlled blood sugar levels can lead to a variety of problems, including heart attack, cirrhosis of the liver, blindness, and kidney failure. Fortunately, it takes about five to ten years of poorly controlled blood sugar to cause any of these serious conditions.
So, now is your chance to teach your children how to control blood sugar levels. There are very simple ways to accomplish this. Teach them to eat better, lose weight if needed, and exercise regularly. All these things will help insulin to work more effectively. Of course, if these lifestyle changes are no enough see a pediatrician.
A very interesting trail study has been preformed in Moscow, Russia on four people with type 1 diabetes. They injected pig pancreatic cells into the abdomen of the four patients. The cells were covered in an alginate gel coating. This allowed nutrients to reach the cells and insulin to diffuse out, but this process hide the pig cells from the body’s immune system.
There was quite a big controversy because of the fear that dormant pig viruses in the cells could cause disease. Although, researchers said that no pig viruses have been found in the patients six months later.
Of the four people, one lady was able to suspend insulin injections for five months and when she resumed insulin her doses were less than 20 percent of what she had been taking before. Another man was able to reduce his doses of insulin by 40 percent. However, one of the four patients treatment failed. The fourth patient just received the treatment on March 31.
This study will be worth following for the next couple of years!
People with diabetes are at a ten times higher risk than normal for developing cardiovascular disease. There has been a study done of ninety-five Diabetes Center and Pediatric Care Clinics in Germany and Austria. There were eight hundred sixty eight subjects studied from age six until they were almost twenty-years-old.
Blood pressure reading was taken at pre-pubertal, going through puberty, and at post-pubertal. It was reported that 4 percent had elevated blood pressure during pre-puberty and puberty. Almost 14 percent had elevated blood pressure during post-puberty.
The research team reported, “Tracking of blood pressure revealed that children with elevated blood pressure had a higher blood pressure in adolescence and young adulthood.”
The goal now is to lower blood pressure early in life. The team’s next study will focus on the efficiency of early intervention for children with type 1 diabetes and diagnosed with hypertension.
