[Acb-diabetics] News About the Dangers of INflammation

[Christopher Gray]

Hello to All:

Pat's post entitled "Many Articles" on September 29 stimulated me to do a bit of 
research and write the following message to my blog today.  I hope you enjoy it. 
Articles 1 and 15 got me thinking about all the discussion these days regarding 
inflammation within the cell.  Here's what I wrote.

Chris

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Dangers Of Inflammation Continue to Get the Spotlight

Physicians and researchers are finally coming around to agreeing with what has 
been believed for years about inflammation by those who study nutrition, 
nutritional supplements, and those who do not necessarily adhere to the line of 
big pharma.  As mainstream researchers catch on, it is becoming more and more 
evident that treating blood sugar levels is only a part of the story for 
appropriate and effective treatment of people with diabetes.  Two current 
articles highlight this point.

First, in the September 15 issue of Diabetes Today, an article entitled 
"Diabetes Drugs Alone Do Not Ease Key Heart Risk" highlights once again the 
dangers of "inflammation" within cells.  The article first discusses the fact 
that people with diabetes are 2 to 4 times more likely to suffer a stroke or 
heart attack, and that 75% of people with diabetes die from a stroke or heart 
attack according to the American Heart Association.  Since the primary 
treatment for diabetes is the use of either insulin, oral medications such as 
Metformin, or both to lower blood sugar, it would seem logical to believe that 
administration of these medications might also lead to a decrease in heart 
attack and stroke.  So, researchers designed a study to test if insulin, or 
Metformin, or both could lower levels of inflammatory markers such as: 
C-reactive protein; an immune chemical called interleukin-6; and soluble tumor 
necrosis factor receptor 2 or sTNF-R2.  Each of these markers plays a role in 
inflammatory disease leading to heart attack and stroke." Unfortunately, the 
research in this study shows that standard diabetes medication therapies have 
no significant effect on any of these markers.  The conclusion of the article 
is that more attention must be paid to diet and exercise.  I would add that 
perhaps nutritional supplements that are known to decrease inflammation within 
our cells would be an excellent idea as well, with an increased glutathione 
level leading the way in this consideration.

Second, in the September issue of Reuters Health, another article highlights 
related points entitled "Anakinra Provides Sustained Benefits for Diabetes". 
Anakinra is manufactured by Amgen and marketed under the name Kineret.  It 
blocks the biologic activity of naturally occurring IL-1, whose effects include 
inflammation and cartilage degradation associated with rheumatoid arthritis. In 
this study, the effects of Anakinra were tested for people with diabetes. 
Diabetes is believed to be caused, at least in part, by inflammation of the 
islet cells in the pancreas, caused by IL-1.  Anakinra reduces this 
inflammation.  This study shows that in 70 participants, islet inflammation was 
markedly reduced even 6 months after a brief treatment with Anakinra.  The 
study indicates that patients with Type 2 diabetes showed improvements in beta 
cell function, hemoglobin A1C levels, and markers of systemic inflammation. 
These are certainly things that any of us with diabetes would welcome at a 
check-up with the doctor.

I point this out not so much to recommend or promote excitement about Anakinra, 
but to highlight inflammation as a factor in the development of diabetes. 
Personally, I would hesitate to take Anakinra because according to Wikkipedia
it may be a human carcinogen and the suppression of immune function may worsen 
already existing malignancies.  I just don't like the idea of injecting myself 
with a suspected human carcinogen.

Rather than Anakinra, I would tend to focus on nutritional supplements known to 
reduce inflammation throughout the body.  Again, a  key candidate for this 
would have to be a glutathione stimulator within the body.  A great candidate 
I'd encourage readers to consider is a product called MaxGXL which provides the 
building blocks needed by the body to create its own glutathione.  You can 
learn more about it at http://max-sanfrancisco.com.

Chris