Prediabetes More Than a Precursor?
New trends in disease diagnosis favor screenings that provide patients with warnings of impending, full-blown illness. Typically, these warnings helped patients navigate to healthier lifestyles to alter the course of future potential disease, and the predisease admonishments were not associated with significant intrinsic risks. New research, however, prompts concern over the serious impact of early diabetic indicators that warrant comprehensive and significant intervention. Read More.

Beneficial Role of Gut Bacteria
A study published recently in Science analyzes the role of gut bacteria in promoting optimal diabetes control. Researchers associate an imbalance of gut flora with less disease control and theorize that a diet high in fiber can correct the imbalance by supporting “good” bacteria. Good gut bacteria supply gut cells with short-chain fatty acids formed secondary to carbohydrate digestion, and these acids are thought to decrease inflammatory processes and control hunger. Read More.

Managing Diabetes With Blood Pressure Medication
Targeting disease prevention and treatment interventions based on a patient’s genetic makeup is increasingly commonplace, and recent studies examine the role of the antihypertensive drug, methyldopa, in blocking specific targets in the body to prevent diabetes and other immune disorders. This research, spanning 10 years, reported efficacy in mice and human subjects with type 1 diabetes who participated in a clinical trial at the Barbara Davis Center at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Read More.