Actos can prevent diabetes!

The latest study on Actos shows that the drug can clearly prevent worsening of blood sugars. Also known as pioglitazone, Actos is widely used in North America to treat diabetics. This study showed that even individuals who had not fully developed diabetes were able to ward of the disorder by taking Actos on a daily basis. 

Now the bad news. This drug has never been approved for the prevention of diabetes.  Worse it can cause heart failure and has been linked to bladder cancer. The study was sponsored by the makers of Actos, so of course, the news is always great. For people who have high sugars but are not yet diabetic, best advice is walk more and eat less sugar. Losing weight is one of the best ways to avoid type 2 diabetes.

I am a 49 year old diabetic. Can you tell me what is HbA1c and how often should I have it measured?

I am a 49 year old diabetic. Can you tell me what is HbA1c and how often should I have it measured?

All diabetics should routinely get their blood glucose levels measured. The blood sugars give an idea how well the glucose is controlled on a day to day basis. However, all diabetics should also have their HBA1c measured once in a while.

HbA1c is simply hemoglobin which has been attached to glucose molecules. Hemoglobin is found in red blood cells and these cells have a life span of about 8-12 weeks. Normally if the blood glucose levels are normal or well controlled, the sugar does not bind to hemoglobin. However, if the sugars have been poorly controlled and are high, they get attached to the hemoglobin and this is known as glycation of the hemoglobin molecule.

So measuring HbA1c gives an idea how well the glucose levels have been over the long term. The higher the glucose levels, the higher will the level of HbA1c be. Some patients may come to see their physician and tell them that their sugars have been great. Well, by measuring the HbA1c the physician can immediately tell how well your  glucose levels have been over the last 3-4 months.

The test is simple to perform, requires some blood and results are usually available within an hour. The HbA1c is ideally done 2-3 times a year. Anything lower than 7 is great.

Can Zinc help lower my blood glucose? I have been reading a lot on Zinc and am confused?

Type 2 diabetes is associated with many long-term complications and the only way to prevent this is to ensure that your blood sugar is well controlled. Today, the treatments for type 2 diabetes includes medications, a change in diet and exercise. There is a lot of literature on Zinc and its miraculous healing properties. Zinc deficiency is very rare and usually only seen in very ill hospitalized patients or those who are malnourished. In North America, Zinc deficiency is rare. Taking extra zinc supplement is waste of money.

As far as diabetes is concerned, zinc has no affect no blood sugar. Best advice- take the medications prescribed by your doctor, lose weight, avoid excess sugar and exercise on a regular basis.

I am a diabetic and am horrified that I have to prick myself. Is there no way out of it?

Unfortunately, there is no way out of it. Monitoring of blood sugar unfortunately involves a pinprick on your fingertip with a special lancet. There are a variety of lancet devices which will allow you to adjust the depth of skin prick. Those with thick skin need deeper penetration. It does sound painful but eventually one gets used to it. You may have to alternate the pricking site each week, as it can be painful pricking the same finger.

Is there a way to monitor blood sugars without pricking yourself?

Unfortunately, all the monitors which do not utilize pricking suck. The gold standard today is to prick yourself and measure the sugar in blood. Testing for blood sugar is not difficult. At the moment, every single blood glucose monitoring kit available does require a sample of blood. There are many portable kits available today for home use. To test blood sugar levels, one needs a few items including a blood sugar monitor, test strips, a lancet and alcohol swabs. The majority of blood sugar monitors available today are lightweight and portable. Some blood sugar monitors also have fancy storage facilities like tracking time, date of each test and can store your sugar level data. Some of the current devices also come with flash/zip drives so that the information can be transferred to your PC.

Is it necessary to measure blood sugar levels after exercise? I am a new diabetic who walks all the time.

Diabetic individuals who exercise also need to monitor their blood sugar just before and after exercise. A drop in blood sugar is common after exercise and thus, one should always carry a sugar drink or candy with them. If your walking is not too intense, you can stop measuring the sugars once you discover that they are not changing. In any case, always carry a sugar drink with you.

Blood sugar levels also change drastically in both type 1 and 2 diabetic during an infection, stress or a severe medical illness. At these times, blood sugars need to be monitored more frequently

I have just been diagnosed with diabetes and would like to keep my sugars under control. When should I measure my blood glucose levels?

All individuals who have been diagnosed with diabetes need to monitor their blood sugar levels on a regular basis. The monitoring of blood glucose should initially be done more frequently to ensure that the medications are working. Once the levels of blood glucose have been stabilized, one can check the blood glucose levels less frequently. However, all diabetic individuals should understand that it is vital to maintain glucose levels at normal levels – if this is not done, devastating complications of diabetes can occur in a short time. Just getting a blood sugar level measured in the doctor’s office once every 2-3 months is not good enough. You must get in the habit of measuring blood sugars at home.

Individuals with type 1 diabetes need to measure blood sugar levels more often. These individuals needs to prick themselves at least 4-6 times a day, especially before and after each meal.

Initially all type 2 diabetics need to monitor their blood sugars frequently once the dose of anti diabetic medications have been adjusted and baseline sugars have developed the frequency of blood sugar monitoring can be reduced. In any case, it is wise to monitor blood sugars at least once to twice a week to ensure that the medications are working.

I have just been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and have been referred to a nutritionist for dietary advice. Is this useful?

No it is bullshit. There is no such thing as a diet for type 2 diabetes. Common sense suggests that you should cut down on your intake of sugars. Dieticians and nutritionists have gone on the bandwagon giving out crappy advice on diets for type 2 diabetes- hogwash. All the studies so far indicate that exercise is more important than any changes you make in your diet. If you want to control your diabetes, start to exercise. This means starting to walk today- going to the bathroom is not walking- that is pooping.

My doctor has started me on Acarbose for my type 2 diabetes. Will this drug help me lose weight also?

Acarbose is a useful drug for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. It works by delaying absorption of complex sugars from the gut. In the short term, Acarbose drug can decrease your blood sugar levels. However, the drug has no affect on your weight or your blood cholesterol. Taking higher doses makes no difference to blood sugars but increases side effects. If you want a drug that will control your blood sugars and help you lose weight, ask your doctor for metformin.