Research - Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus, an impaired blood glucose status is a major cause for loss of valuable human life. The important risk factors include: High familial aggregation, insulin resistance, lifestyle changes due to rapid urbanization and obesity specially central one. This study was carried out in diabetics (study group) & non-diabetic (control group) women of 30-50 years age.

Both energy restriction (ER) per se and weight loss improve glucose metabolism in obese insulintreated type 2 diabetic patients. Short-term ER decreases basal endogenous glucose production (EGP) but not glucose disposal. In contrast the blood glucose-lowering mechanism of long-term ER with substantial weight loss has not been fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of loss of 50% of excess weight [50% excess weight reduction (EWR)] on EGP, whole-body insulin sensitivity and the disturbed myocellular insulin-signalling pathway in ten obese insulin-treated type 2 diabetic patients.

Most insulin-requiring diabetes patients in Ethiopia have an atypical form of the disease, which resembles previous descriptions of malnutrition-related diabetes. As so little is known about its aetiology, we have carried out a case–control study to evaluate its social and nutritional determinants.