Ever wonder what would happen to a non-diabetic's blood sugar if they loaded up on a pile of concentrated sugar, preservatives and weird science fats? Doctors and the ADA call it prediabetes. This clip takes it to the extreme by sandwiching the center of 16 double stuff Oreos! Sometimes you have to be insanely blunt to make your point.

This is a brilliant example of the diabetes epidemic in action. In today's world -- many people are eating for convenience without realizing the consequences. More convenient equates to less nutritious - more preservatives, more sugar and even more fattening (the wrong fats, too!) The combination increases the amount of time our digestive enzymes need to work on these lab-derived ingredients. This sustains an elevated blood sugar following the time of consumption. Add the ADA definition of pre-diabetes (a blood sugar between 140 to 199 mg/dl 2 hours after a meal) and there you have it -- a potential player on Team Diabetes!

Think what would happen if this guy was in his doctor's office 2 hours after this stunt. I'd like to thank his employer for keeping him busy (whatever he's paid to do) well after the lunch hour - and protecting him from becoming another statistic. Big ups to HR for hiring this guy!! If he's not in marketing already -- you might consider a transfer and give this guy a raise. He's my Oreo hero.

Scientists are looking to a specific gene called TXNIP as a possible means of preventing the onset of type 2 and prediabetes. What's known at this point is that in patients who express high levels TXNIP (which is oftentimes the case with those that have type 2 or prediabetes), these elevated levels can inhibit glucose uptake in fat and muscle cells.

More or less, the researchers believe that TXNIP acts as a glucose/insulin sensitive switch, and this function becomes compromised early in the development of diabetes. But, there is still a great deal more investigation into the role of TXNIP to be done before scientists know its exact rule in glucose homeostasis.

Nevertheless, the research thus far points to some connection between TXNIP and the onset of type 2 and prediabetes, and interventions designed to modulate its activity may help prevent the development of the disease in the future.

For more information on this study, click on this ridiculously long link: http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0040158

Yes, that's what it says: curbing the diabetic epidemic with 6 oat waters. CeaProve® is a new test for the early detection of pre-diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance that may help curb the diabetes epidemic. For those of you who have endured a glucose tolerance test - you'll understand the pivotal importance of this new diagnostic test. Ceapro has developed a test that identifies people at risk of type-2 diabetes as early as 5 to 10 years before the disease is diagnosed.

The simple test involves eating 6 oat-wafers and undergoing a finger prick. The test - when repeated at six month intervals - can also show if lifestyle changes are being effective or if more treatment is needed. Ceapro has tested CeaProve in the workplace of several prominent businesses in Edmonton that are interested in helping their employees monitor and preserve their health. Over 90% of tested volunteers were unaware of their risk for diabetes. Of the population studied, 60% were overweight, 56% were over the age of 40, 44 % had a family history of diabetes and over 57% had more than two risk factors for the disease. Although Ceapro is a Canadian-based company, they expect to have Ceaprove available in commercial quantities within the next 45 days. The product will likely be released through regional health initiatives and may also be available through pharmacies and medical laboratories.

Can such a simple test have such a significant impact on the future of one's health? The results tell people, years ahead of time if they are heading down the path to diabetes. With dietary modifications, regular exercise, and an overall improve in lifestyle - wouldn't it be worth it to you?

Altea Therapeutics is working on the next generation of insulin delivery in the form of an insulin patch. Altea is developing, both 12 and 24-hour, patches to provide controlled, continuous delivery of basal insulin in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. This will allow uninterrupted, measured delivery of insulin through the skin, by way of an adhesive sticker no larger than a few centimeters. For those already diagnosed with diabetes, this could be the band aid to quell their fear of needles, as well as effectively sticking to an insulin regimen. For those in limbo, diagnosed as pre-diabetes, this may be the answer your body needs to supplement your insulin reserves.

The PassPort^TM System is comprised of a single-use disposable PassPort^TM Patch and a re-useable handheld applicator. The patch is made of a metallic grid containing powder insulin. The handheld applicator releases a single pulse of electrical energy that converts into thermal energy, painlessly fastening the grid to the skin surface. The electronic pulse also creates porous channels to deliver the insulin through the skin. No injections, application in milliseconds, and continuous basal delivery of insulin throughout the day.

This breakthrough technology is about freedom, convenience and ultimately better control. The PassPort^TM System replaces injections thereby enhancing compliance in patients. This directly correlates to better diabetes control. Upon FDA approval, I can only hope this dandy contraption is warmly welcomed into your doctor's office. As every doctor continues searching for the Holy Grail of patient compliance, tell him to check this out. Talk about patching things up!

I was just rereading a USA Today article on diabetes. I think it's worth a look because it examines one of the big issues related to the so-called diabetes epidemic in the US: the fact that many people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes fail to deal with the disease adequately - if at all. First, many are slow to make necessary lifestyle changes - or don't make them at all. Second, many do not follow the treatment plans laid out by their doctors. The result, says journalist Anita Manning, is that diabetes continues to spread and cause terrible suffering, while diabetes experts "are beginning to sound like a broken record" as they repeat their urgent, yet often-ignored, health warnings.

So what's the deal? Well, there are lots of reasons Type 2 diabetics are not heeding the advice. First and foremost, the treatments and lifestyle changes mean an enormous life-shift for most people diagnosed with Type 2. So they know what they need to do, but don't follow through. Then there's the fact that a lot of us are too busy with everyday life to get to the doctor for help with symptoms of prediabetes. Commonly, they don't even realize that the health problems they are experiencing are prediabetes symptoms. Another factor is medical care: let's face it, most doctors out there are too busy to follow-up with their patients and make sure treatment plans are being adhered to. Sad but true. Recent studies have also shown that too many physicians exhibit "clinical inertia" when it comes to diabetes - they are too slow to ratchet up treatment levels when a patient's health declines. Finally, there's the issue of money. Doctor's visits, drugs and medical gadgetry all cost money and the tab is frequently too high to be affordable. Thanks to costly co-pays, this is often true even for those with medical insurance. It's all enough to make you sick.

If the US wants to slow the spread of diabetes, it should think about coming up with a diabetes prevention program, say researchers who have been assessing the likely benefits of that approach. They predict that such a prevention program, provided to American adults with prediabetes at age fifty cold significantly reduce the diabetes problem.

A successful prevention program would provide "lifestyle interventions" (yikes, would not want to be on the receiving end of that) to push weight loss and exercise.

It makes financial sense, says Tom Hoerger, a health economics researcher. The cost of such a program would greatly reduce the money spent by insurance companies and Medicare on diabetes treatment. And, of course, it would greatly reduce human suffering also.

The results of the study that evaluated this approach was published in Diabetes Care (June 2006). In that article, the researchers predict that diabetes prevention, if made available to Americans with prediabetes at age fifty, could in theory reduce diabetes onset by age sixty-five by thirty-seven percent.