Youth With Type 2 Diabetes Often Face Complications – HealthDay

 

 

 

 

 

By Serena Gordon
HealthDay Reporter

Young people with type 2 diabetes are much more likely to show signs of complications from the blood sugar disease than those who have type 1 diabetes, a new study shows.

While the researchers found that about three in four teens and young adults with type 2 diabetes had at least one complication, only one in three with type 1 diabetes did.

Why?

“The one big difference in the kids with type 1 and type 2 was obesity. When we controlled the data for obesity, there was no longer an excess of complications for type 2 diabetes,” explained lead author Dr. Dana Dabelea. She’s a professor of epidemiology and pediatrics at the Colorado School of Public Health, in Aurora.

The one bright spot in the findings was that the complications were mostly in the “early or subclinical” stages, Dabelea added.

That means there’s still time to reverse the damage, she explained.

Both types of diabetes have been on the rise, according to the researchers. The obesity epidemic has played a significant role in the increase in type 2 diabetes in both adults and children.

People with type 2 diabetes first develop insulin resistance. Insulin is a hormone that helps the body use sugars from food as fuel. When the body is insulin-resistant, it doesn’t use insulin efficiently. Because insulin isn’t helping sugar into cells to be used as energy, sugar stays in the bloodstream, causing blood sugar levels to rise.

In response, the pancreas — the organ that makes insulin — produces more and more insulin to try to bring blood sugar levels down. Eventually, the pancreas can’t keep up with the demand, and type 2 diabetes develops.

There are a number of medicines available for adults with type 2 diabetes, Dabelea said, but treatment is more limited in young people with type 2 diabetes. They can make lifestyle changes and take insulin and the drug metformin, which makes the body more sensitive to insulin.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. Weight doesn’t play a role in causing type 1 diabetes. Instead, the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. So many cells are destroyed that the pancreas makes little to no insulin.

To survive, people with type 1 diabetes must take multiple daily insulin injections or receive insulin through a tiny catheter placed underneath the skin that attaches to an insulin pump. But, unlike people with type 2 diabetes, their bodies can efficiently use insulin.

The study included more than 1,700 young people with type 1 diabetes and nearly 300 with type 2 diabetes. They were treated in five different locations in the United States between 2002 and 2015.

The average age of the those with type 1 diabetes was 18, and three-quarters were white. For those with type 2 diabetes, the average age was about 22, and only about one-quarter were white, according to the report.

Both groups had diabetes for about eight years. Their blood sugar levels were similar, the study showed.

The researchers found that almost 20 percent of the type 2 group had early signs of possible kidney disease, as did 6 percent of those with type 1 diabetes.

Dr. William Cefalu, chief science, medical and mission officer for the American Diabetes Association (ADA), pointed out that a number of factors can affect test results for early kidney disease, and this study only looked at one test.

The study also found that 9 percent of those with type 2 diabetes had early signs of eye disease, as did nearly 6 percent of the type 1 group.

Arterial stiffness was seen in 47 percent of those with type 2 diabetes and less than 12 percent with type 1 diabetes. Twenty-two percent of those with type 2 diabetes and 10 percent of those with type 1 diabetes had high blood pressure.

Dabelea said those two complications were the most concerning, because they may not be as reversible with good disease management as the other complications.

Factors other than obesity may play a role in the differences between the two groups of patients, the researchers noted. For example, type 2 may be a more aggressive disease in children. It’s also possible that the limited treatment options for type 2 diabetes affected the rate of complications.

Dabelea also noted that kids with type 2 diabetes were a more diverse population. They may have come from economically disadvantaged families with less access to health care.

Cefalu said he wasn’t “really surprised by the study’s findings, but the statistics are startling, given that these are youth and adolescents.”

He said parents and physicians should see this study as “a call to action to have a heightened awareness that complications are present at a high rate.”

Blood sugar management can help stave off these complications. Losing weight is helpful for kids with type 2 diabetes, and regular physical activity can make a big difference. Make sure your child’s blood pressure is being measured, and that their kidney health is tested, Cefalu added.

Also, get your child’s eyes checked by an ophthalmologist, Cefalu suggested. For kids with type 2 diabetes, annual eye exams should begin right after diagnosis. For those with type 1 diabetes, eye exams are recommended starting five years after diagnosis, according to the ADA.

Cefalu also noted that parents and providers need to keep in mind that there are treatments available for diabetes complications.

The findings were published Feb. 28 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Copyright © 2017 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

SOURCES: Dana Dabelea, M.D., Ph.D., professor, epidemiology and pediatrics, Colorado School of Public Health, Aurora; William Cefalu, M.D., chief science, medical and mission officer, American Diabetes Association; Feb. 28, 2017, Journal of the American Medical Association

Help CANSA Cycle Tours Reduce Cancer Risk & Fund Patient Support

Two cycle tours from Gauteng to CPT will be raising important awareness regarding cancer, reducing cancer risk and raising funds for support of cancer patients and loved ones.

On the 3rd March 2017, 11 cyclists gathered at the Grasmere Plaza just outside Johannesburg, to kick off the ‘Tour of Light Cycle Tour’ to Cape Town in support of CANSA, just over 1 400 km’s away. Read more…

 
The tour with its back-up vehicles sponsored by Europcar will see the cyclists ride from Grasmere to Kroonstad on the first day, and then on to Bloemfontein on the second. From there they will ride through Colesberg, Richmond, Beaufort West, Matjiesfontein, Paarl and finally end off in Cape Town on 10 March 2017.
 

Founder of the Tour, Cecilia Hiemstra, who was diagnosed with leukaemia adds, “Our aim is to spread light and hope to others and raise awareness for CANSA. Two other cyclists who have conquered cancer, Ray Funnell and Lawrence Brittain, will also taking part.”

The Tour includes visits to hospitals and cancer treatment centres on the route, including the CANSA Katleho Care Home in Bloemfontein. When the team arrives in Cape Town, cyclists will be accompanied by other riders who have overcome cancer, to the finish line at Caffe Neo, opposite the lighthouse in Seapoint.

The tour will be concluded with a celebration fundraising gala dinner on 10 March 2017. Funds raised will go towards CANSA’s care and support services, including the CANSA Cape Metro Care Centre in Mowbray.

The guest speaker is South Africa’s hero and inspiration Lawrence Brittain, who overcame Hodgkin’s disease and won a silver medal for rowing at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Carletonville to Cape Town Cycle Tour

The Carletonville to CPT Cycle Tour for CANSA’s 85th  Anniversary, is all about showing support for cancer Survivors & helping to reducing cancer risk, by raising awareness along the way. Read more…

Cancer Survivors will be top of mind for the team of riders who are going to cycle close to 1 500 km in 12 days.

“It’s not just about cycling for these riders,” says Lucy Balona, one of the cyclist team and CANSA’s Head of Marketing and Communication. “Almost without exception, each participant has been affected by cancer in some way. This is our way of making a difference for cancer Survivors by not only raising funds but also raising awareness of how to lower the cancer risk and to show support for cancer Survivors.”

Organiser Navarre Kruger, who is based in Carletonville says that the team, who is funding itself, has raised just over R105 000 through sponsorships and donations. This money will go to CANSA’s care and support services, including the CANSA Care Centre in Carletonville.

 

  
The tour, with its two back-up vehicles sponsored byTempest Car Hire and South32 and support members, left Carletonville on 25 February and will arrive in Cape Town on 8 March. After a few days of rest, they will then tackle the Cape Town Cycle Tour on 12 March 2017.

Help CANSA Cycle Tours Reduce Cancer Risk & Fund Patient Support

Two cycle tours from Gauteng to CPT will be raising important awareness regarding cancer, reducing cancer risk and raising funds for support of cancer patients and loved ones.

On the 3rd March 2017, 11 cyclists gathered at the Grasmere Plaza just outside Johannesburg, to kick off the ‘Tour of Light Cycle Tour’ to Cape Town in support of CANSA, just over 1 400 km’s away. Read more…

 
The tour with its back-up vehicles sponsored by Europcar will see the cyclists ride from Grasmere to Kroonstad on the first day, and then on to Bloemfontein on the second. From there they will ride through Colesberg, Richmond, Beaufort West, Matjiesfontein, Paarl and finally end off in Cape Town on 10 March 2017.
 

Founder of the Tour, Cecilia Hiemstra, who was diagnosed with leukaemia adds, “Our aim is to spread light and hope to others and raise awareness for CANSA. Two other cyclists who have conquered cancer, Ray Funnell and Lawrence Brittain, will also taking part.”

The Tour includes visits to hospitals and cancer treatment centres on the route, including the CANSA Katleho Care Home in Bloemfontein. When the team arrives in Cape Town, cyclists will be accompanied by other riders who have overcome cancer, to the finish line at Caffe Neo, opposite the lighthouse in Seapoint.

The tour will be concluded with a celebration fundraising gala dinner on 10 March 2017. Funds raised will go towards CANSA’s care and support services, including the CANSA Cape Metro Care Centre in Mowbray.

The guest speaker is South Africa’s hero and inspiration Lawrence Brittain, who overcame Hodgkin’s disease and won a silver medal for rowing at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Carletonville to Cape Town Cycle Tour

The Carletonville to CPT Cycle Tour for CANSA’s 85th  Anniversary, is all about showing support for cancer Survivors & helping to reducing cancer risk, by raising awareness along the way. Read more…

Cancer Survivors will be top of mind for the team of riders who are going to cycle close to 1 500 km in 12 days.

“It’s not just about cycling for these riders,” says Lucy Balona, one of the cyclist team and CANSA’s Head of Marketing and Communication. “Almost without exception, each participant has been affected by cancer in some way. This is our way of making a difference for cancer Survivors by not only raising funds but also raising awareness of how to lower the cancer risk and to show support for cancer Survivors.”

Organiser Navarre Kruger, who is based in Carletonville says that the team, who is funding itself, has raised just over R105 000 through sponsorships and donations. This money will go to CANSA’s care and support services, including the CANSA Care Centre in Carletonville.

 

  
The tour, with its two back-up vehicles sponsored byTempest Car Hire and South32 and support members, left Carletonville on 25 February and will arrive in Cape Town on 8 March. After a few days of rest, they will then tackle the Cape Town Cycle Tour on 12 March 2017.

Sugar tax must come with an education programme

 

This article and content was originally posted on BizCommunity

The new tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) can’t stand alone in addressing the problems of obesity and related lifestyle diseases, and must form part of an integrated education plan to change consumer behaviour.
Sugar tax must come with an education programme
In a preview of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan’s National Budget Speech, where he is likely to confirm the implementation of the tax, Ettiene Retief, chairperson of the national tax and SARS stakeholders committees, South African Institute of Professional Accountants (SAIPA), says: “The tax on its own will raise a relatively small amount of money for the fiscus and would be unlikely to yield the full extent of the expected change in consumer patterns on its own. To do that, the government needs to implement a supporting educational and health awareness programme.”

Substitute drinks

Global experience with tobacco and alcohol shows many variables have to be taken into account, including whether there is an attractive substitute product. In this case, mineral waters and sugar-free beverages are readily available. However, some consumers may simply shift to cheaper sugar-sweetened brands, highlighting the need for a complementary public-education and awareness programme.

Recently, the experience of the Californian town of Berkeley has shown that a general excise tax combined with a public-awareness campaign can yield good results. After a “soda tax” was implemented, there was a 21% drop in the consumption of sugary beverages, and a 63% increase the drinking of bottled or tap water. Only 2% of those surveyed said that they had begun shopping in nearby cities where the tax was not implemented.

Redeployed versus unemployed

The argument is often made that reduced consumption will inevitably mean the loss of jobs along the beverage supply chain. However, the quantum of lost jobs is hotly disputed, Retief points out.

“In addition, if consumers shift to sugar-free beverages or mineral water, it seems likely that workers could simply be redeployed—especially as most manufacturers of sugar-based beverages also have well-established low-calorie or water alternatives. But even if a few jobs are in fact lost, a sensible health policy is a moral imperative especially when it comes to protecting children.”

A more aggressive argument could be that a sugar tax could open up opportunities for smaller, local companies to supply alternative beverages. This would potentially mean the creation of new jobs and a boost to empowerment.

Poor health equals high costs

Another point to keep in mind is the high cost to the country of the diseases and chronic conditions linked to excessive sugar intake. This includes direct cost to the health care system, plus lost productivity.

World Health Organisation figures indicate that 1,5m people died in 2012 as a result of diabetes and other chronic conditions linked to high-sugar diets. More worrying, it believes that 42m children under the age of five are obese, a huge increase from 11m only 15 years ago. The Berkeley study also revealed that the “soda tax” had the most impact on the lower income groups and children.