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This feature has links to diabetes related news stories, blogs, or websites. For informational purposes only, follow the “source” link to read the whole article.

‘Double Diabetes’ a New Threat
SUNDAY, Dec. 3 (HealthDay News) — Despite the flurry of public service campaigns and education efforts, the diabetes epidemic in the United States continues to escalate out of control.

An estimated 20.8 million Americans — or 7 percent of the population — are now believed to be diabetic. Of those, 6.2 million people have the disease but don’t know it. And that doesn’t include the 41million people with pre-diabetes, a condition in which blood-glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes.

In fact, the epidemic has become so pervasive that doctors are now finding patients who suffer from both type 1 and type 2 diabetes — a phenomenon known as “double diabetes” or “hybrid diabetes.”

“It’s mostly people who have a type 1 diabetes who become overweight and show the profile of a type 2, with obesity and hypertension,” said Dr. Stewart Weiss, an assistant clinical professor of medicine [in the department of Orthopedic Surgery] at New York University School of Medicine in New York City.

Doctors and health-care experts are urging people to take the steps necessary — basically proper nutrition and plenty of exercise — to avoid joining the ranks of those already diagnosed with the disease. Source

More minority kids getting adult-type diabetes

Because of an upswing in the numbers of overweight minority children, more of them are being diagnosed with adult-type diabetes.

TUCSON, Ariz. — Marco Melgar, an 11-year-old sixth-grader, has friends with diabetes, but he’s looking forward to a lifetime without the deadly disease.

The Tucson boy has learned that exercise and good nutrition will help him avoid becoming a statistic.

In Pima County, thousands of Hispanic and American Indian adults struggle with obesity and the challenges of type 2 diabetes. Hispanics, blacks and American Indians have higher rates of diabetes than whites.

Because of an upswing in the numbers of overweight minority children, more of them are being diagnosed with adult-type diabetes.  Source

Diabetes research, NASA style
While the phrase “NASA technology” may bring to mind images of space shuttles and intergalactic gadgets, one GW professor has modified the same technology used for surveying outer space in hopes of getting closer to curing diabetes.

Murray Loew, GW’s director of the biomedical engineering program, is working along with diabetes expert and Cornell University pharmacology professor Geoffrey Sharp to perfect and promote a software program that they hope will aid future diabetes research and be useful for a variety of other scientific causes.

Since cellular image analysis - one of the biggest new developments in diabetes research - can only be seen under a microscope, Loew and Sharp are trying to see it utilizing the technology NASA uses to explore images of Earth and space.

Cellular imaging analysis has been heralded as holding great promise for furthering diabetes research that could lead to eventually combating the disease. NASA’s programming is now being modified into a tool that could be used to help bring an end to diabetes.

“Having diabetes means constantly having to walk a tightrope.” Loew said. “Several companies are working on devices that will make balancing glucose levels simpler, avoiding the need to draw blood, which many people dislike doing.” Source