World Diabetes Day 2014: Why early detection of
diabetes is good for your eyes
The presenters at American Academy of Optometry’s 2014
shored their views on how ophthalmologists can play a key role in
combating diabetes epidemic and put an end to eye related complications
associated with high blood sugar levels in the body. A. Paul Chous, OD
said that according to the CDC (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention)
around 40% of Americans who are alive might develop type 2 diabetes in their
lifetime.
Jeffry D. Gerson, OD says, ‘Almost 35 % diabetics
are at an increased risk of diabetic retinopathy and of those, 10% might
have vision threatening diabetic retinopathy.’ Here are few current
day measures to deal with ocular problems in diabetics.
Wearable devices: Not many are aware that there are various wearable
devices and apps that are known to help in early detection of diabetes related
nerve damage. These devices help in time to time monitoring of the person’s
blood sugar levels thereby aiding in control of diabetes and prevention of
eye problems.
Diabetes
drugs: Dr Paul Chous
says, ‘Diabetes drugs like Victoza or Byetta and incretins appear to
preserve beta cell mass in addition to showing significant weight loss in
clinical trials. But, the only problem in using these drugs is that available
in the form of injection and are quite expensive. This is not the case
with the other commonly available diabetes drugs such as insulin and
sulfonylureas but these drugs are reported to cause weight gain, which is a key
risk factor of diabetes.’ He further added that Invokana, a new class
of sodium-glucose co-transport 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors used to treat type 2
diabetes works well in lowering blood sugar levels when used in combination
with metformin.
Dietary
supplements: A
67-diabetics interim analysis report showed that the intake of dietary
supplements showed a positive impact on hemoglobin A1c in addition to
enhancing patients eye health (including color perception and vision). Another
significant impact caused by consumption of dietary supplements is a
significant reduction in C-reactive protein, a risk factor of cardiovascular
disease. A drop of 10% in C-reactive protein was seen in placebo while test
group showed 60% reduction in the protein levels in the body. This might
form a key factor in early manifestation of diabetic retinopathy and
impacting diabetes through mechanisms not related to blood sugar levels.
Source: www.thehealthsite.com
17.11.2014
Checking for your heart health could be as easy as
downloading an app
New York, Nov 15: You
can now figure out how healthy your heart is by yourself, thanks to a new
online tool that can estimate your risk of developing cardio-vascular disease
(CVD) in the next 20 years. The Healthy Heart Score developed by researchers at
the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) is a free web-based survey that also
gives users practical tips for improving their scores by incorporating
heart-healthy habits into their daily lives. (Read: Which of
these 6 risk-factors of heart disease do you have?)
‘The Healthy Heart Score is all about modifiable lifestyle
risks, which may increase awareness of CVD prevention through lifestyle
interventions earlier in life, prior to the development of clinical risk
factors,’ said Stephanie Chiuve, assistant professor at the Harvard Medical
School. Adults who remain free of clinical CVD risk factors when they are
middle-aged have an extremely low risk of developing the disease during the
rest of their lives.
The model was developed
using health data from 61,025 women and 34,478 men, who were free of chronic
disease in 1986 and followed for up to 24 years. The Healthy Heart Score is
based on the nine most critical diet and lifestyle factors that can influence a
person’s risk of developing CVD in the next 20 years: smoking, weight,
exercise, and intake of alcohol, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts,
sugary beverages and red and processed meat.
The calculator walks users through a series of
easy-to-follow questions about their lifestyle, such as ‘do you smoke
cigarettes?’ and ‘during the past year, how often, on average, did you eat a
serving of fruit?’ Users receive a risk score of low (green), moderate
(yellow), or high (red), and a printable assessment with tips for improvement.
The study was published online in the Journal of the American Heart
Association.
Source: www.thehealthsite.com
17.11.2014
It’s not about who is real to your face, It’s about who stay real behind
your back
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