People with diabetes are more likely to have strokes than people without diabetes. Current evaluations show that younger patients and women with type 2 diabetes are particularly at risk. DiabetesDE and the German Diabetes Society (DDG) point this out on the occasion of a publication. In particular, high blood pressure, elevated blood lipid levels and an unhealthy lifestyle increase the risk.

A stroke before the age of 55 is uncommon. Type 2 diabetics are an exception here. The risk of stroke in the 35 to 54-year-old age group is 4,7 times higher for men and 8,2 times for women. Diabetes mellitus also doubles the risk of suffering another stroke, increases the rate of complications and increases the risk of dying as a result.

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People with gallstones have a 42 percent higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes (old-age sugar) than people without gallstones. In contrast, kidney stones hardly seem to play a role in the risk of diabetes. This is the result of a research team led by Heiner Boeing from the German Institute for Human Nutrition (DIfE) after evaluating data from the Potsdam EPIC study *. This is a large long-term population study in which more than 1994 people have participated since 25.000.

The study, to which Cornelia Weikert from DIfE and Steffen Weikert from Universitätsklinikum Charité Berlin made significant contributions, was published online in the American Journal of Epidemiology (Cornelia Weikert and Steffen Weikert et al .; 2009; DOI: 10.1093 / aje / kwp411) .

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Currently in the New England Journal of Medicine

The number of people suffering from diabetes worldwide is steadily increasing. In Germany the number is estimated at around 7,5 million diabetics. This means that around every 10th German citizen is already ill. Over 90 percent of the sick suffer from type 2 diabetes. Between the ages of 40 and 60, more men than women are affected; from the age of 60, the ratio is reversed.

The risk can increase in women with a high (up to 60 percent) testosterone level, and in men with a low (up to 42 percent) testosterone level. A high estrogen level, on the other hand, is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes for both men and women. However, the bioavailability of these hormones, which is regulated by the protein sex-hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), plays an even more important role in risk assessment for both men and women. Scientists at the Tübingen University Hospital have now been able to conduct a study ** under the direction of Prof. Hans-Ulrich Häring, Prof. Andreas Fritsche and private lecturer Dr. Norbert Stefan prove that fatty liver in particular lowers the value of this diabetes protective protein (SHBG). Norbert Stefan, scientist and Heisenberg scholarship holder at the Medical University of Tübingen: "If our findings are confirmed in further studies, the attending physician would have the option of better assessing the risk of diabetes and the presence of fatty liver by measuring SHBG in the blood The results are a new starting point for the development of drugs to prevent this widespread disease. "

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A high-fat, carbohydrate-rich diet not only makes you fat, it also promotes diabetes. As a research team led by Hadi Al-Hasani from the German Institute for Nutrition Research (DIfE) has now shown for the first time, however, it is the carbohydrates and not the fats that damage the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. In connection with a high-fat diet, carbohydrates increase the oxidative stress in the cells, make them age faster and thus die earlier. The new data make a significant contribution to elucidating the molecular connections between diet and the development of diabetes, which have so far been poorly understood.

The associated scientific article was published in the current online edition of Diabetologia (Dreja, T. et al .; 2009; DOI 10.1007 / s00125-009-1576-4).

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There is increasing scientific evidence that vitamin B1 (thiamine) and its precursor, benfotiamine, can help counteract serious complications of diabetes, such as blindness: The Italian scientist Elena Berrone from the University of Turin reported on September 30.9.09th. XNUMX at the congress of the European Diabetes Society in Vienna about new experimental study results. According to them, thiamine and benfotiamine are able to protect isolated blood vessel cells of the retina of the eye (retina) from the destructive effects of fluctuating blood sugar levels.

According to the current studies by the Turin researchers, fluctuating blood sugar concentrations, such as blood sugar spikes after eating, dramatically accelerate the apoptosis of so-called pericytes in the retina. Pericytes are cells that lie against the outer wall of small blood vessels and are very important for their regeneration and stabilization. Damage to the pericytes in the eye can ultimately lead to vision loss. Diabetes is the most common cause of blindness: after 15 years of diabetes, 2% of all diabetics are blind and 10% have severe visual impairment.

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Pre-POINT study: Insulin may prevent type 1 diabetes

When small children become diabetic, it is usually due to an autoimmune disease: type 1 diabetes. An international study is now to clarify whether a kind of vaccination with insulin can prevent the onset of the disease. The German branch of the Pre-POINT study is coordinated by the Diabetes Research Group at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) under the direction of Prof. Anette-Gabriele Ziegler. Worldwide, Prof. Ezio Bonifacio from the DFG Research Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden is leading the study.

Type 1 diabetes, also known as "adolescent" or "insulin-dependent" diabetes, can occur in early childhood. The body's immune system attacks the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas and gradually destroys them. As a result, the body lacks the messenger substance insulin, which it needs to convert sugar from food into energy. Children with type 1 diabetes therefore have to take insulin several times a day for their entire life.

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Most active type 2 diabetic shows - the 12-week program of the EigenInitiative works

In three months to better blood sugar levels, less weight and a better quality of life: The participants in the ROSSO practical study lost an average of 2,3 kilograms in weight and 4,2 centimeters in waist circumference. Since August 2009, interested parties have been able to request the program free of charge from Monday to Friday from 14 to 16 p.m. on 0800-99 88 783.

The 734,5 participants in the ROSSO practical study lost a total of 327 kilograms of body weight with the help of the 12-week program. Through structured blood sugar self-monitoring, sufficient exercise and a balanced diet, they were able to reduce the long-term blood sugar level HbA1c by an average of 0,3 percentage points, which indicates a significant improvement in the mean blood sugar level. LDL cholesterol levels and blood pressure also improved. This can help prevent secondary diseases. The participants took more than twelve million steps together. That was about 8.000 steps per person per day, over 2.000 more than before. The resulting quality of life cannot be expressed in numbers.

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Scientists from the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) in Cologne provide further evidence that the controversial long-term insulin Lantus could promote cancer.

There are currently reports in the press that one of the most frequently prescribed insulin preparations promotes the development of cancer in the long term. The analysis of data from almost 130.000 insulin-treated diabetics indicated that proportionally more cancer cases occurred within 20 months with long-term insulin glargine (trade name Lantus) than with human insulin (1). There are similar studies from other countries. However, definitive evidence that Lantus actually promotes cancer growth has yet to be found.

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Not infrequently hears the Diabetes Research Group at the Technical University of Munich from families who participate in the TEDDY study or TEENDIAB to join because of the regular autoantibody tests. What makes this test so valuable? What can these blood tests tell the study participants and researchers? Then are the Diabetes Research Group at Technische Universität München answer.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease, destroy the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. A first indication of the possible outbreak of the disease is the detection of islet autoantibodies. The antibodies are directed against components of the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. This reaction of the immune system called islet autoimmunity. The phase of islet autoimmunity and the possibility for diagnosis of type 1 diabetes may extend over a period of months to years. Four different autoantibodies can be used for the prognosis and diagnosis: insulin autoantibodies (IAA), Glutamatdecarboxylaseautoantikörper (GADA), Tyrosinphosphataseautoantikörper (IA2A) and zinc transporter 8 autoantibodies (ZnT8).

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Complex mechanisms regulate energy metabolism in the brain. Among other things, they ensure that organs receive sufficient blood sugar. These processes could have a greater impact on metabolic diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes than previously thought. The extent to which the relationships demonstrated in animal experiments can also be transferred to humans was one of the topics at the 44th annual conference of the German Diabetes Society from May 20 to 23, 2009 in the Leipzig Congress Center.

In addition to insulin, leptin, which is formed in fat cells, is one of the most important hormones in energy metabolism. "Both keep the brain constantly informed about the body's energy stores in adipose tissue," explains Professor Dr. med. Jens Brüning, Head of the Department of Mouse Genetics and Metabolism, Institute for Genetics at the University of Cologne. Both hormones enter the brain in the blood. There they act on a collection of nerve cells - the so-called nucleus arcuatus. It is located in the middle of the brain, in the hypothalamus, where other body functions such as temperature or day-night rhythm are also controlled.

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Up to 15 percent of all people with diabetes suffer from what is known as diabetic foot syndrome. Around 70 percent of all amputations in Germany - up to 40 a year - can be traced back to this disease. To ensure that those affected receive comprehensive treatment as early as possible, the German Diabetes Society (DDG) has been establishing a nationwide network of specialized facilities for foot treatment for five years. As the first nationwide evaluations now show, the concept is successful: in the majority of those treated, the foot disease develops decisively for the better within six months.

Dr. Joachim Kersken from the Interdisciplinary Diabetes Foot Center at Mathias Hospital in Rheine and his team included a total of 7500 patients in their survey who were treated in foot treatment facilities of the DDG throughout Germany between 2005 and 2007. They examined the patients twice at an interval of six months and recorded the so-called Wagner stage in each case, which reflects the severity of the disease.

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