In the journal Diabetes Care, a team of investigators demonstrated that vitamins C and E, along with mineral supplementation (including magnesium), appear to improve kidney function in patients with type 2 diabetes and proved useful in addressing a common complication called diabetic nephropathy. During the trial, researchers found that at three months, levels of urinary albumin excretion—a marker of glomerular renal function—were reduced in the vitamin and combination groups. In addition, participants also experienced improved cardiovascular function, as systolic, diastolic and mean blood pressure fell significantly in the combination group, along with fasting serum glucose levels. Overall, the researchers concluded that vitamin supplementation with or without mineral supplementation improves glomerular renal function in patients with the disease.
Sopranos Star Speaks Out on Diabetes
Television and stage star Aida Turturro, known to millions of fans as Janice Soprano in the HBO series The Sopranos, is sharing her personal struggle with type 2 diabetes to encourage others with or at risk for diabetes to know their numbers for optimum control of the disease. Turturro has struggled with diabetes for a number of years.
"Basically, I have a family history of diabetes on both sides of my family that I really didn't understand," Turtorro told the Post. "I was young. You hear about your grandfather who has diabetes, but [you] don't really acknowledge it. Later, my doctor told me that he found sugar in my blood and put me on oral medication, advising me to watch my weight and eat right. But I still didn't understand the disease. I didn't know that if you didn't take care of yourself how bad the consequences could be."
For a while, the actress took oral medication to control the disease but didn't stay on the diet. Eventually, her blood sugar levels became dangerously high.
"My new doctor said, ‘Aida, your blood sugars are way out of control,'" she recalls. "If you don't take this seriously, you are at risk for heart disease, blindness, and many other complications. She finally woke me up. I couldn't live in denial any longer."
Turturro began learning all she could about the disease, working with a nutritionist, and starting an exercise regimen. Her numbers came under control, and she restored a balance in her busy life. But she confesses that life with diabetes is not easy.
"I am going to be honest. It's not easy to be a diabetic and take care of yourself, eat right, and all that. It is a very complicated disease," Turturro admits. "Some people don't want to talk about it. I am proud to talk about it, urging others to face the problem. More than 20 million Americans have diabetes, yet more than half are not in control of their blood sugars. A test called a hemogloblin A1C basically measures your blood sugars in the past two to three months. You need to be below 7 with the A1C. If [it's] in control, you will be OK. If your numbers are out of control, every day you are at increased risk for developing diabetic complications—kidney disease, heart disease, blindness, amputation, among others."
Facing the problem head-on is the first step in taking control of the disease that the actress believes will otherwise control you.
"Many just don't want to deal with the problem. I was one of them—I wanted to deny the problem and not deal with it," she says. "I struggle every day. Diabetes doesn't go away, but the disease is manageable with lifestyle modifications, exercise, and perhaps medications. As a public figure, I am happy to put my face out there and talk to people about the importance of testing and monitoring. If someone reads my story, and it helps even one person address the problem, it is worth it."
Inhaled Insulin Update
Does inhaled insulin help patients with type 2 diabetes unable to achieve optimum blood sugar control with oral medications? According to findings from recent studies published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers noted that a significant improvement in sugar control occurred by adding inhaled insulin therapy—currently awaiting FDA approval—to the diabetic regimen.
"The results of the studies suggest a real advance in managing the later stages of diabetes," writes Julio Rosenstock, M.D., from the Dallas Diabetes and Endocrine Center at Medical City on the trial results. "Patients with type 2 diabetes who do not achieve glycemic control with oral agent therapy eventually require insulin. Compared with injected regular insulin, inhaled insulin is more rapidly absorbed and eliminated and has a more rapid glucose-lowering effect."
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