It is amazing sometimes what research goes undiscovered for diseases that kill so many people. To a large degree, that is the sole reason that I started this blog. I wanted to create a place where people can see the actual research. Too many supplements and herbs are over hyped on the Internet with the promise of cures and miracle results. While that kind of marketing is misleading, what people need to realize is that there is real hard science behind certain claims about supplements, vitamins and herbs.

While at my local healthfood store the other day my friend there told me about Pomegranate Juice and atherosclerosis, which is something that all diabetics should be concerned about. The hardening of the arteries really causes problems to diabetics, as high blood sugars can lead to atherosclerosis. At least that is my current understanding.

The study was done in Israel in 2004, and demonstrated an actual reduction in carotid intimamedia thickness by up to 30%. That is astounding research that needs more investigation and more exposure in the media. An actual reduction in the thickness of the arteries really gives me hope that the debilitating and deadly side effects of arteries becoming clogged can not only be prevented but reversed. And it is all done by a common fruit!

The Scientific American has an interesting article about exercise and glucose tolerance.

The study demonstrated a 25-30% improvement in glucose tolerance after just 3 months of strength training. Type 1 diabetics that regularly work out such as myself probably inherently know this because you can see such a noticeable difference in sugars after a good workout. Personally, I know that my sugars go down for about 2 days after a really good workout. The study also briefly mentions the importance of high quality protein which is all related to a good diabetic diet.

It is good to see studies such as this one that underline how diabetes really should be treated which is primarily through diet and exercise, and then secondarily with medication.

Debiotech has recently announced that they have found a manufacturing partner for their disposable, tiny insulin pump. The pump itself is great- about one quarter the size of the standard Minimed pump that is on the market now. This new one uses MEM’s technology and can deliver very precise amounts of insulin.

I am pretty excited about this as it could fit right onto the skin and would be concealable under the clothing. Carrying around the insulin pump makes me feel more like a cyborg than anything else and gets in the way when I try to do certain things. Insulin pumps are pretty necessary however as continuous glucose infusion just offers much better control than injections.

The Debiotech website has more information about the Nanopump as I believe it is called.

It looks like there was a study in Brazil where they took some newly diagnosed Type 1 Diabetics and then reintroduced stem cells from their bone marrow. It was successful in that these kids were allowed to live insulin free for up to 36 months which was the length of the trial.

Medical News Today has the complete story.