Insulin may up blood pressure in type 2 diabetics Some people with type 2 diabetes need to take insulin, and this seems to heighten their risk of developing high blood pressure, according to a Taiwan study. Type 2 diabetes is caused not by a lack of production of insulin in the pancreas, but by the body's resistance to its glucose regulating action. Nevertheless, some people with the condition may need to take extra insulin to overcome this resistance. Using national health insurance records, Dr. Chin-Hsiao Tseng from the National Taiwan University Hospital in Taipei identified 87,850 adults with type 2 diabetes, including 5,927 insulin users. The likelihood that they would have high blood pressure increased with the duration of insulin use, the team reports in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Compared with those who didn't use insulin, the chances of developing high blood pressure were 14 percent higher in those who used insulin for less than 5 years. The risk was increased ...

Antidepressants may increase diabetes risk. Research shows that there is a link between the use of antidepressant drugs and diabetes , investigators here at the 66th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association announced. This is the first report of such an association, they say. Depression is two to three times higher in diabetics than in the general population . In addition, 10 percent to 15 percent takes antidepressants, "and the numbers are increasing," Dr. Richard R. Rubin of The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, told meeting. Dr. Rubin, a co-investigator with the Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group, presented findings for 3,187 trial participants with elevated blood glucose values, indicating that they were pre-diabetic. Of these subjects, 5.7 percent reported regular use of antidepressants at the beginning of the study. Elevated scores on the Beck Depression Inventory, a common test used to diagnose depression, wer...

Stress is the response of our body to an emergency situation. This response can be generated by happiness, like wining the lottery, or by a sad event like losing someone we love. Stress also can be acute or chronic. Acute stress happens in a specific time, like when you lose your wallet or when you receive bad news. But when a stressful situation becomes permanent, then we are suffering chronic stress, like when we have conflicts with our family members, friends, or even when we have to deal with diabetes every day. Stress results when something causes your body to behave as if it were under attack. Sources of stress can be physical, or mental. Our heart beats faster sending blood to our muscles so they are ready in case we need to fight or run away from the danger. This increases our blood pressure. Since blood flow is diverted to the muscles, our skin turns pale and our digestive tract shuts down operations. When stress occurs, the body prepares to take action. This preparation is ca...

Diabetes lifestyle care choices are important. They include: nutrition, exercise, diabetes medication, blood sugar monitoring, personal health habits, and frequent medical checkups. Nutrition Good nutrition involves following a diabetes meal plan that shows what, when and how much to eat. Using a diabetes meal plan helps blood sugar level stay as close to normal as possible. The plan needs to be personalized to also provide for enjoyment of meals and overall good health. Do not skip meals. Rather, eat several times every day according to your diabetes meal plan and if you are overweight, try to lose 10 to 15 pounds in order to help improve your diabetes control. There are two types of diets measured and unmeasured. In measured diets the portion of food may be measured either by weighing with scales or more simply by using household measures. Measured diets are required for patients who require insulin or an oral hypoglycaemic agent and also for those who are over weight and require...