Research and studies

The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) is not in the business of delivering clinical care to people with diabetes; but it is committed to the view that everyone with diabetes should benefit from the best possible care that could be available to them. One foundation of such care is to ensure that it is based on the best possible scientific knowledge. Here we describe the approach behind the recently published IDF Global guideline for Type 2 diabetes, an evidence-based guideline designed to assist care at different levels of resources.

Recent studies have highlighted the importance of good blood glucose control in people with type 2 diabetes and emphasized the importance of reducing cardiovascular risk, particularly in relation to the control of blood pressure. However, achieving this represents a real challenge for people who live with diabetes and those who deliver diabetes care. By way of a response to the need for improved diabetes care, the authors describe plans to initiate a peer-care model in Ireland.

The results of the Diabetes Attitudes, Wishes and Needs (DAWN) study confirmed the beliefs of many people with diabetes and health-care providers: that addressing only the physical symptoms of diabetes is not enough; to be truly effective, diabetes care must also take into account psychological issues. Nowhere was this more apparent than in Poland, where people with diabetes showed consistently higher concern for psycho-social issues than respondents in other countries. Andrzej Kokoszka reports from Poland on an award-winning educational initiative in response to these needs.

Treatment with the newly developed drug rimonabant has been found to help to reduce body weight and improve cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors. It has also been shown to help smokers to stop using tobacco without the weight gain often associated with cessation. Beat Lutz reports on the recently discovered body system that links obesity, metabolic disorders and smoking, and the potential of rimonabant as a therapeutic option to tackle these multiple cardiovascular risk factors.

The metabolic syndrome is one of the major public health issues of our time. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) believes that this cluster of factors is driving the twin global epidemics of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. If current trends continue, the premature deaths and disabilities resulting from these conditions will cripple the health budgets of many nations – both developed and

The enormous impact of the metabolic syndrome on public health, and the exciting progress made in research into this field recently, led to the organization of the ‘1st

The measurement of glycated haemoglobin (as HbA1c ) is central to diabetes care. This is the measure by which health-care providers can relate blood glucose control to the risk of complications, such as eye damage or kidney failure. However, a lack of standardization in the methods used to measure glycated haemoglobin has produced wide variations among results and is among the current

Since the first vaccine, when Edward Jenner in England used an extract of cow pox to prevent small pox, vaccines have become a part of most people’s life. Many millions of people have received a vaccine of some kind – in most cases, many

Eating is a pleasant necessity for most of us. We eat our food, the gastro-intestinal tract (gut) directs nutrients to the blood stream, and excess energy is stored for later use. Much of what is known about the mechanisms that regulate these processes has been learned from diabetes research. Because diabetes has always been regarded as a disease of glucose metabolism, the research has been focussed on the intake and processing of glucose. Jacqueline Dekker looks at the role of fats (lipids) in the processes that give rise to diabetes-related risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD).

While it is known that people with diabetes have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), the factors which contribute to this state are not fully understood. In this article, Antonio Ceriello examines the importance of the post-meal functioning of the body in the development of heart disease.