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What Is Diabetes Mellitus ?
By Juliet Cohen
Diabetes mellitus is defined as a fasting blood glucose of 126 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or more. "Pre-diabetes" is a condition in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not yet diabetic. can cause many complications. Acute complications (hypoglycemia, ketoacidosis or nonketotic hyperosmolar coma) may occur if the disease is not adequately controlled. Serious long-term complications include cardiovascular disease (doubled risk), chronic renal failure (diabetic nephropathy is the main cause of dialysis in developed world adults), retinal damage (which can lead to blindness and is the most significant cause of adult blindness in the non-elderly in the developed world), nerve damage (of several kinds), and microvascular damage, which may cause erectile dysfunction (impotence) and poor healing. Poor healing of wounds, particularly of the feet, can lead to gangrene which can require amputation - the leading cause of non-traumatic amputation in adults in the developed world.

Diabetes is the third leading cause of death in the United States after heart disease and cancer. Over time, can lead to blindness, kidney failure, and nerve damage. These types of damage are the result of damage to small

Body's Response to Foods' Smell, Taste Could Be Diabetes Risk Factor (HealthDay)
HealthDay - THURSDAY, March 11 (HealthDay News) -- A mutation that affects how the body responds when a person smells or tastes food may play a role in the development of type 2 diabetes in some people, U.S. researchers report.
Big first trimester weight gain ups diabetes risk (Reuters)
Reuters - Women who gain weight too quickly during the first three months of pregnancy are more prone to develop pregnancy-related diabetes, new research shows.
Increasing Soda Consumption Fuels Rise in Diabetes, Heart Disease (HealthDay)
HealthDay - FRIDAY, March 5 (HealthDay News) --Increasing consumption of sugary soft drinks contributed to 130,000 new cases of diabetes, 14,000 new cases of heart disease and 50,000 more life-years burdened with heart disease in the last decade, a new U.S. study finds.
Processed Meat May Harm the Heart (HealthDay)
HealthDay - FRIDAY, March 5 (HealthDay News) -- Conventional wisdom has dictated that fat from red meat is a risk factor for heart disease, but a new analysis from Harvard researchers finds it's eating processed meat -- not unprocessed red meat -- that increases the risk for heart disease and even diabetes.
Bugs in the gut can cause obesity: study (AFP)
AFP - The bugs that help digest food may also cause the body to pack on the pounds if they are not properly regulated, a new study has found.
Bugs in the gut can cause obesity: study (AFP)
AFP - The bugs that help digest food may also cause the body to pack on the pounds if they are not properly regulated, a new study has found.
Lunchtime coffee break best for fighting diabetes (Reuters)
Reuters - Drinking coffee cuts diabetes risk, new research confirms, but you may need to enjoy your java with lunch if you want to get any benefit.
Whole Grains Take a Bite Out of Type 2 Diabetes Risk (HealthDay)
HealthDay - WEDNESDAY, March 3 (HealthDay News) -- Brown rice is better than white rice at reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes, but whole grains are the most effective at lowering the risk, study findings show.
A1c diabetes test is a better indicator of risk (Reuters)
Reuters - A test that shows blood sugar levels over a span of several weeks is not only the best way to diagnose diabetes but also may be better at identifying who is at risk of getting diabetes than standard blood sugar tests, researchers said on Wednesday.
Newer Blood Test Predicts Diabetes, Heart Disease (HealthDay)
HealthDay - WEDNESDAY, March 3 (HealthDay News) -- The newer hemoglobin A1C test predicts diabetes as well as the traditional fasting blood sugar test, but it beats that old standard in predicting a patient's future risk of heart disease and stroke, new research shows.


vessels, referred to as microvascular disease. is also an important factor in accelerating the hardening and narrowing of the arteries (atherosclerosis), leading to strokes, coronary heart disease, and other large blood vessel diseases. This is referred to as macrovascular disease. affects approximately 17 million people (about 8% of the population) in the United States. In addition, an estimated additional 12 million people in the United States have and don't even know it. Normally, blood glucose levels are tightly controlled by insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas. Insulin lowers the blood glucose level.

Non-insulin-dependent mellitus (NIDDM)-is due to a combination of defective insulin secretion and insulin resistance or reduced insulin sensitivity (defective responsiveness of tissues to insulin), which almost certainly involves the insulin receptor in cell membranes. In the early stage the predominant abnormality is reduced insulin sensitivity, characterized by elevated levels of insulin in the blood. Gestational also involves a combination of inadequate insulin secretion It develops during pregnancy and may improve or disappear after delivery. Even though it may be transient, gestational may damage the health of the fetus or mother, and about 20%-50% of women with gestational develop type 2 later in life.Gestational mellitus (GDM) occurs in about 2%-5% of all pregnancies.

Juliet Cohen writes articles for health care guide. She also writes articles for women health and health diseases.




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Health Highlights: March 11, 2010 (HealthDay)
HealthDay - Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:
Body's Response to Foods' Smell, Taste Could Be Diabetes Risk Factor (HealthDay)
HealthDay - THURSDAY, March 11 (HealthDay News) -- A mutation that affects how the body responds when a person smells or tastes food may play a role in the development of type 2 diabetes in some people, U.S. researchers report.
Health Highlights: March 10, 2010 (HealthDay)
HealthDay - Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:
CDC uses shopper-card data to trace salmonella (AP)
AP - As they scrambled recently to trace the source of a salmonella outbreak that has sickened hundreds around the country, investigators from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention successfully used a new tool for the first time ? the shopper cards that millions of Americans swipe every time they buy groceries.
Cost of Junk Food May Influence Consumption (HealthDay)
HealthDay - TUESDAY, March 9 (HealthDay News) -- When the cost of junk food increases, people consume less of it, a new study has found.
Health Highlights: March 9, 2010 (HealthDay)
HealthDay - Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:
Adding gluten early may cause constipation in babies (Reuters)
Reuters - Giving gluten-containing foods to infants too soon may trigger long-lasting tummy troubles but more study is needed before changing recommendations for parents, Dutch researchers conclude.
Tax soda, pizza to cut obesity, researchers say (Reuters)
Reuters - U.S. researchers estimate that an 18 percent tax on pizza and soda can push down U.S. adults' calorie intake enough to lower their average weight by 5 pounds (2 kg) per year.
Australian researchers say fat is 'sixth taste' (AFP)
AFP - It's a theory set to confirm why humans are so fond of fatty foods such as chips and chocolate cake: in addition to the five tastes already identified lurks another detectable by the palate -- fat.
Salmonella Scare Prompts Wide Product Recall (HealthDay)
HealthDay - THURSDAY, March 4 (HealthDay News) -- A wide array of food products are being recalled after traces of salmonella were discovered in a common ingredient, officials at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced late Thursday.