New World of Diabetes

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The DREAM Study

The DREAM trial was presented in Copenhagen over the last weekend in the results are quite exciting for all of those with diabetes of any kind. The word DREAM means Diabetes REduction Assessment… with Medication. The research indicated that the use of Rosiglitazone (Avandia) at the dose of 8 mg daily for 3 years decreased the incidence of diabetes almost by two-thirds.

Eastern individuals in high-risk categories. This study identify the risk status increased weight and a strong family history of diabetes.

Those who would detract from the study point out that diet and exercise have been proven to retard diabetes onset even though it is very difficult for some individuals to keep up that diabetes prevention program.

The study is published in the Lancet, the British medical journal available online to you if you wish to read the study in its entirety.

Regrowth of Brain and Beta Cells

Five years ago there was the article in Scientific American about some birds, warblers, in Upper New York State that were taken in from the cold and given all the food and shelter they could ask for. Their brains shrunk one-third. Was it the atrophy of retirement? The investigators then released the warblers into their environment to fight for food and shelter and their brains increased in size to the prior levels.

Two years later a similar to experiment was done to see if it was regrowth of brain or just reinflation. It was regrowth of brain cells.

University of Florida has just published a paper about human brain cells regrowing as well. If they could start regrowth of brain cells that certainly has the potential for finding help for Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, stroke and a host of other brain disorders. They not only regrew brain cells but brain cells that could differentiate into other specialized cells from a common brain cell.

Now as I watch the beta cell mass increase with the treatment with Byetta I don't see anything unusual about this new growth of the beta cells. It looks like we are going to be able to reverse many degenerative diseases by just plain growing the cells back.

Cutting Meds with Byetta

Last week's E-News had responses from many people who had good success initially with Byetta then mentioned they had stopped losing weight although they enjoyed taking the medication. The initial weight loss of 10 to 15 pounds did not continue. In every case, it seemed to me that there was no attempt to decrease all the medications that could act as storage hormones.

In type 2 patients there should be serious attempts to decrease insulin until it is over. So too would be any of the other sulfonylureas or similar agents that would put glucose into fat.

In type 1 patients, if there is a desire to lose weight then there should be a similar decrease in insulin. Before too many months have passed, most patients are on only 10 percent of their original insulin.

Although Byetta is the treatment for the weight gain that occurs with the TDZ agents in these agents should be used in only the lower doses. Medications should be continuously decreased to achieve the weight loss you would like to have. Remember the end point is getting you off Byetta as well as all your other medications.