Is
Prevention possible:
Fortunately
it is possible to prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes through diet
and exercise. This was shown conclusively through a landmark clinical
trial, known as the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), which looked
at 3,234 Americans who had impaired glucose tolerance and therefore
were at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
The study
found that people who lose 5%–7% of their weight and exercise about
30 minutes a day can reduce their risk by 58%. The same study found
that the oral diabetes drug metformin (Glucophage) also lowers risk,
but less dramatically, by 31%. Smaller studies in China, Finland,
Europe, and Canada have shown that diet and exercise or treatment
with the drug acarbose (Precose) can delay type 2 diabetes in at-risk
people.
However,
the DPP, conducted at 27 centers nationwide, was the first major trial
to demonstrate the effectiveness of lifestyle changes or drug intervention
in a diverse group of overweight, high-risk people. A new national
multicenter trial, known as Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes)
is now under way to determine whether the lifestyle changes that proved
so effective in the DPP study can be maintained for a longer period
and prevent heart attacks, strokes, and other types of cardiovascular
disease in people who already have type 2 diabetes.
The Look
AHEAD study has enrolled 5,000 participants who will be followed for
as long as 111/2 years. Results of the study will be available in
the next decade.
CAL has
been developing a device, Dedicated Diabetic Machine
(DDM) that will therapeutically treat diabetic patients, to increase
the relative insulin producing performance of endogenous pancreatic
beta cells into insulin producing beta cells, and also regulate pancreatic
secretion leading to weight loss.
Pancreatic
therapy will repair and regenerate the cells of islets of langerhans
and enhance their ability to produce insulin, regulate and treat high
blood sugar. The transformation of insensitive or impaired of islets
of langerhans results in an increased insulin secretion and increased
insulin level in blood plasma. DDM has integrated methodologies driven
from bio-mechanics, endocrinology, aryuvedic science and bio-feedback
control system to regulate blood sugar level.
CAL claims,
DDM to be a breakthru techniques over the current form of treatments:
