The first in-depth comparison of type 2 oral medications arriving on the scene over the last decade was published earlier this week in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The review determined older, cheaper diabetes drugs are as safe and effective as new alternatives. Oh boy, Big Pharma's newer drug sales teams won't like this conclusion.

Metformin, also known as Glucophage, was cited as the safest and best option, as it works as well as other oral medications, but does not cause weight gain or hypoglycemia. Bad cholesterol is also lowered on metformin, and the drug only costs about $100 a year. Newer drugs cost as much as $262 a month, stated lead researcher Dr. Shari Bolen, and there was no benefit to the newer drugs unless tolerance to an older one was at issue. They also noted taking two oral meds can improve blood sugar, but the cost and risk of side effects are both higher.

The researchers reviewed more than 200 published studies and some unpublished information from the Food and Drug Administration. Avandia's manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, stated this analysis was completed prior to the completion of one Avandia study that showed Avandia improved blood sugar control compared to two rival meds.

But the dinosaur Metformin does have a roar -- it can cause a rare, dangerous side effect called lactic acidosis. Read more in Globe and Mail.

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In my neighborhood, the jingle of the ice cream truck is ever in the distance. For some lucky reason, the truck does not drive through my family's subdivision. I say 'lucky' because if the truck did roll through daily, I'd constantly be saying "no" and disappointing my kids. To me, ice cream is a treat. But somewhere along the way, junk food and so-called treats have become the anchor of many children's diets. Call me an ice cream truck grouch, but children are suffering from the highest rate of childhood obesity in our nation's history. It is well known childhood obesity is a contributing factor in the rising rates of type 2 diabetes among today's youth. What are we going to do about it?

Doris Paul from the Squamish Nation in Vancouver has one answer -- ban the ice cream truck. Her disdain for ice cream trucks has grown as she witnessed the soaring rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes in her nation's people and her own family. Ms. Paul's father was one of the biggest fans of the jingling bells, licking many an ice cream cone on hot summer days. A kid at heart, he generously bought ice cream for neighborhood children. But he died last year from diabetes complications, and Ms. Paul believes he never equated poor nutrition with his health problems. Ms. Paul's sister is also dealing with diabetes.

Ms. Paul's initiative to ban ice-cream trucks from three native communities on Vancouver's north shore was backed by the Nation's councillors. A mother of five, she also backed up her activism by eliminating junk food from her own pantry, replacing potato chips, soft drinks and ice cream with fruits and vegetables. Her family suffered for awhile, but now reports feeling healthier. A community garden is in the works.

Meeda Falou, manager of Rainbow Novelties, is not pleased. Falou reports banning smoking would have more of an impact on health, and parents have the choice to buy lower calorie treats such as sherbet or popsicles.

Perry Kendall, British Columbia's provincial health officer, fully supports the initiative. He did acknowledge ice cream is a revered tradition in the communities, but the native people have a higher incidence of type 2 diabetes (three to five times more common), and it is common sense to remove sources of junk food. Ms. Paul noted many of the nation's children were visiting the truck three or four times a day. Read the full story in Globe and Mail.

There's a fascinating story in Canada's Globe and Mail about the controversial use of xenotransplantation as a method of treating Type 1 diabetes. Xenotransplantation involves transplanting animal cells into human bodies. The surgeon in question here is the Mexican transplant surgeon Raphael Valdes, who claims to treat diabetes by transferring pancreas cells from piglets into his diabetic patients. Eww. What a nasty thought.

Even aside from the gross-out factor of this procedure, critics of Valdes believe his treatment does not work. In fact, the International Xenotransplantation Society has called for an end to his clinical trials saying that, despite the claims made by Valdes, there isn't enough independent proof that the treatment works. For now, the surgery is unavailable while the Mexico City hospital at which Valdes works and the National Committee for Bioethics review his techniques and ethics.

Nevertheless, Valdes has his supporters. The Globe and Mail article profiles a couple of Canadian Type 1 diabetics who have had the procedure done and who are happy with the results. It's an article that's well worth checking out.

A Canadian biotech company claims to have devised a way to produce human insulin from genetically modified safflower plants. You know, the same plants you get the oil from. High tech, indeed.

Representatives of the company in question, SemBioSys Genetics Inc. of Calgary, say the discovery could have a big impact on the diabetes market, and compare the breakthrough to the discovery of insulin back in 1921 by Frederick Banting and Charles Best (also from Canada!). Not only does the company hope to make big bucks from the technology, it's CEO also says they hope their product could eventually make insulin supplies affordable for people in the developing world.

Interesting fact: the insulin currently used by diabetics is also genetically engineered, but from bacteria and yeast, which are mixed together in large steel vats. SemBioSys, on the other hand, took a human insulin gene and inserted it into a safflower plant. The insulin then grows itself as the plant grows. The safflower insulin is not going to be available anytime soon, however. First the company has to prove that its insulin is as effective as the regular kind. Then there would have to be a succession of trials to make sure it's safe for people to take.

The story of SemBioSys is pretty interesting in and of itself, even aside from all this insulin news. To read more, visit this article in the Globe and Mail.