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Clinically proven
to reduce oxidative stress.
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Oxidative Stress and Diabetes
Diabetes is a condition where the body is unable to automatically regulate blood glucose levels, resulting in too much glucose in the blood. The blood glucose level is regulated with the help of insulin, a hormone (or chemical messenger) made in the pancreas. Insulin is the key that glucose needs to enter the body’s cells so that it can be used as fuel. Diabetes develops when the pancreas stops producing insulin (Type 1 diabetes) or when the body does not respond properly to insulin (Type 2 diabetes). Insulin injections are necessary to treat Type 1 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes can usually be controlled in the first instance by regular exercise and diet. Oxidative stress has been implicated in pathophysiology of diabetic neuropathy. Oxidative stress has been suggested to be a contributory factor in vascular complications of diabetes in various organs. Studies have suggested hyperglycemia at impaired glucose regulation state causes the dominance of oxidative stress over anti-oxidative defense system, leading to oxidative DNA damage, which possibly contributes to pancreatic beta cells dysfunction, insulin resistance and the more pronounced hyperglycemia. This vicious cycle finally induces the deterioration into diabetes.
About Diabetes
- 20.8 million children and adults in the US, or 7% of the population have diabetes. A surprising 6.2 million of them are unaware that they have the disease.
- Occurs slightly more in men than in women, with the prevalence of the disease at least 2 to 4 times higher among African Americans, Hispanic/Latino American, and American Indians.
- Two million adolescents aged 12-19 have pre-diabetes.
- Sixth leading cause of death in the United States, although this is thought to be underreported on death certificates.
- Overall, the risk for death among people with diabetes is about twice that of people without diabetes of similar age.
Risk Factors
The two most prevalent type of diabetes are Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 diabetes was previously called insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) or juvenile-onset diabetes. Type 1 diabetes develops when the body's immune system destroys pancreatic beta cells, the only cells in the body that make the hormone insulin that regulates blood glucose. To survive, people with type 1 diabetes must have insulin delivered by injection or a pump. This form of diabetes usually strikes children and young adults, although disease onset can occur at any age. Type 1 diabetes accounts for 5 percent to 10 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes. Risk factors for type 1 diabetes may be autoimmune, genetic, or environmental. There is no known way to prevent type 1 diabetes. Several clinical trials of methods for the prevention of type 1 diabetes are currently in progress or are being planned.
Type 2 diabetes was previously called non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or adult-onset diabetes. Type 2 diabetes accounts for about 90 percent to 95 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes. It usually begins as insulin resistance, a disorder in which the cells do not use insulin properly. As the need for insulin rises, the pancreas gradually loses its ability to produce it. Type 2 diabetes is associated with older age, obesity, a family history of diabetes, a history of gestational diabetes, impaired glucose metabolism, physical inactivity, and race/ethnicity. African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, American Indians, and some Asian Americans and Native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders are at particularly high risk for type 2 diabetes and its complications. Clinically-based reports and regional studies suggest that type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents, although still rare, is being diagnosed more frequently, particularly in American Indians, African Americans, and Hispanic/Latino Americans.
Risk Reducers
Diabetes can affect many different parts of the body and can lead to serious complications such as blindness, kidney damage, and lower-limb amputations, to name a few. Controlling the levels of blood glucose, blood pressure, and blood lipids and being proactive about other preventive care such as lowering oxidative stress in a timely manner can reduce the occurrence of diabetes complications.
The Studies
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