Avoiding Diabetes Complications

Among their subjects, the researchers discovered there was a group who hadnt suffered with some of the typical complications of the disease.Explaining the reasons these patients were shielded from complications wasnt simple: The blood-sugar levels of the long-time survivors were no different than those of patients that did not live that long. We have identified a group of people who can clearly live well with diabetes for a long time," said the study's senior author, King said. "Now, we're in the process of finding out why.To do that, researchers also evaluated a family of proteins known as advanced glycation end products (AGEs). These are increased by high blood sugar levels. Those who had high levels of two specific AGEs were more than seven times as likely to have complications of diabetes. This finding seemed to make a strong connection but there was a hitch. People with other combinations of some of the AGEs that were measured were actually protected from eye complications. King said, This finding suggests some AGE combinations may not be as toxic as believed and may actually act as a protection. The studys findings were published in the Journal of Diabetes Care.Theres still a lot to learn about why some diabetes sufferers are shielded from the diseases side effects, and researchers are continuing to dig deeper. Getting to the root of the triggers may help doctors find ways to intervene before their patients experience devastating consequences.Robin Westen is ThirdAges medical reporter. Check for her daily updates.See what others have to say about this story or leave a comment of your own.