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Cure for Diabetes Breakthrough
Written by Sky Taylor, Diet Bites
Cure for Diabetes in as Little as 3 Years
For years, scientists have been working on a cure for diabetes - a physically devastating and potentially deadly disease.
Years ago, when insulin came onto the marketplace, those individuals who'd been ravaged by this disease were helped immensely - able to lead near-normal lives.
But insulin isn't a cure-all for diabetes.
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This disabling disease runs rampant in my own family. I lost my father to the side-effects of diabetes. He went blind in this fifties - almost lost a leg due to infection. In the end, both his kidneys and heart failed when he passed in 2005.
Race forward - just a few short years and now a Harvard team of scientists have announced what they believe may be a cure for diabetes!
How Would the Cure Work?
Through human embryonic stem cells which would be capable to produce insulin.
To date, when these cells were transplanted into mice - diabetes was cured. The mice were able to produce insulin, which in turn regulated blood sugar levels.
Researcher Doug Melton said that diabetes could be cured in less than 10 days.
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In former research, the quantity of cells necessary for study have been limited. But times have flipped the situation and researchers have the capability to produce hundreds of millions of cells.
How Soon Until the Cure is Offered to the Public?
Testing will be necessary on a few individuals before the cure is released to the general public.
The clinical trials could last approximately three years.
In Summary
Currently, about three million Americans suffer from Type 1 Diabetes. Daily insulin injections, insulin pumps, and constant testing of blood sugar is necessary.
With the Harvard breakthrough - these individuals may be able to live 'normal' lives.
Is the onset of diabetes triggered by weight gain?
Unfortunately, weight gain has the ability to trigger diabetes in some individuals.
If you have a family history of diabetes, keeping tabs on your weight may keep diabetes from knocking at your back door.
Although monitoring your current diet and food intake might be a pain, it's nothing compared to what the diabetic must do in order to control diabetes, a life threatening disease to which there is no current cure.
So a little prevention, just might be the cure in avoiding this life-debilitating disease.
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My father suffered from diabetes from midi-life to death. In fact, it's what caused his death - earlier than it should have.
He went blind, lost his toe, the use of his kidneys - and most of his health issues could have been preventable if he would have adhered to a healthy daily diet.
Is weight loss OR weight gain a symptom of diabetes?
During the onset of diabetes an individual may either gain weight or lose weight.
When my father experienced symptoms, he lost a gross amount of weight very quickly - about 50 pounds within a few weeks. At the time, we feared he had cancer.
So if you find yourself experiencing either a sudden weight gain, or a sudden loss of weight be sure to meet with your doctor as soon as possible for a consultation.
Is there a healthy alternative to fulfill my ice cream fantasy while dieting?
Oh yeah! Just a few healthier alternatives to full-blown ice cream include:
- frozen yogurt; although it sounds yucky, it tastes yummy. Give it a try.
- frozen fruit
- sugar free and fat reduced ice creams
- juice bars
Why is frying considered so unhealthy?
Foods that are fried often act as a sponge, absorbing fat as they cook. Most oils contain about 120 calories per Tablespoon, so calories in fried foods add up quickly.
In addition to the fat that the foods are fried in, there's generally a tasty batter or coating that is applied to the foods before cooking. Flour, bread crumbs, cornmeal and other batter-boys tend to be high in calories.
As an example, one cup of flour contains half the calories of sugar, but at 400 calories per cup it's not a great Diet Deal.
While dieting, opt for oven roasted, pan-fried using non-stick cooking spray, boiled, poached or grilled - however be mindful of those grilling sauce calories or you may end up with a food higher in calories than it's fried-prepared cousin.
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