Spending on diabetes drugs soars in 6 years

"Americans with diabetes nearly doubled their spending on drugs for the disease in just six years, with the bill last year climbing to an eye-popping $12.5 billion. Newer, more costly drugs are driving the increase, said researchers, despite a lack of strong evidence for the new drugs' greater benefits and safety. And more people are being treated for diabetes. The new study follows updated treatment advice for Type 2 diabetes, issued last week. In those recommendations, an expert panel told doctors to use older, cheaper drugs first" - SFGate

Diabetes treatment becomes more complex, costly

"A progressively more complex and expensive array of treatments for type 2 diabetes is being prescribed to an increasing number of adults, according to a report in the October 27 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. In 2000, more than 11 million Americans had been diagnosed with diabetes, according to background information in the article. 'By 2050, the number of Americans with diabetes is expected to soar to 29 million, a prevalence of 7 percent,' the authors write. 'The annual economic burden of diabetes is estimated at $132 billion and increasing. In 2002, more than one-tenth of U.S. health care expenditures were attributable to diabetes.' As costs and prevalence increase, managing diabetes also has become increasingly complex, as physicians prescribe more medications to each patient and combine drugs from different therapeutic classes'" - newswise

Americans are afraid of that?

"The things that people really fear aren't all that likely to happen to them - unlike diabetes, which affects nearly 24 million people. According to a new survey by the American Diabetes Association, more people reported fear of being in a plane crash, hit by lightning, attacked by a shark, or bitten by a snake, than a fear of developing diabetes. During American Diabetes Month, which is observed during the month of November, the American Diabetes Association is asking the American public, 'Why Should You Care About Diabetes?' - newswise

Green tea may delay onset of type 1 diabetes

"A powerful antioxidant in green tea may prevent or delay the onset of type 1 diabetes, Medical College of Georgia researchers say. Researchers were testing EGCG, green tea's predominant antioxidant, in a laboratory mouse with type 1 diabetes and primary Sjogren's syndrome, which damages moisture-producing glands, causing dry mouth and eyes. 'Our study focused on Sjogren's syndrome, so learning that EGCG also can prevent and delay insulin-dependent type 1 diabetes was a big surprise,' says Dr. Stephen Hsu, molecular/cell biologist in the School of Dentistry. They found it also worked well in their original disease focus. In the mouse, EGCG reduced the severity and delayed onset of salivary gland damage associated with Sjogren's syndrome, which has no known cure" - EurekAlert

High fiber barley linked to diabetes prevention

"Diabetes is one of today's most significant and frightening health issues. Almost 24 million Americans have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and up to 57 million are considered pre-diabetic. The good news is, by practicing a few healthy lifestyle habits, type 2 diabetes can be controlled and even reversed. In observance of American Diabetes Month in November, the National Barley Foods Council and BGLife Barley are teaming up to remind consumers what diabetes health professionals and educators have been saying for a long time: a whole grain, high-fiber diet may help control and even prevent type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes" - redOrbit

Free access to The Diabetes Educators during National Diabetes Awareness Month

The Diabetes Educator, the leading journal for diabetes educators, will have free online access during National Diabetes Awareness Month in November. TDE is published by SAGE on behalf of the American Association of Diabetes Educators

Pig cells transplant for treatment of diabetes

"New Zealand approved the clinical trials that would transplant insulin-producing pig cells into humans in the light of finding a breakthrough treatment for type-1 insulin dependent diabetes. David Cunliffe, the health minister said that the transplantation of pig cells to humans, known as xenotransplantation, would offer a great potential treatment for people suffering from diabetes. He stated, 'This is critical new technology that could well make New Zealand a world leader in both the treatment of diabetes and in the use of xenotransplantation'" - medguru

dLife launches National Diabetes Month, November 2008, at Health 2.0 Conference in San Francisco

Today, dLife, a LifeMed Media company, kicked off the upcoming National Diabetes Month in November by launching several new tools on its website for Americans living with diabetes. dLife provides over 78,000 pages of free information on all aspects of the diabetes lifestyle, offering information and community support for type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, pre-diabetes, and caregivers. dLife members also have access to a searchable database of 10,000 diabetic recipes, 25,000 different foods, and in-depth nutritional information