Did you know that in ancient civilizations physicians would taste urine to diagnose diabetes? Seems weird, but sweet tasting urine meant you had diabetes. There weren’t any medication options available for treatment until 1921. Back then, your doctor would say, “hey, you’re going to have to stop eating carbs and try to incorporate herbal remedies to buy you some time… but unfortunately you’re simply not going to make it.”1-4 I think it is safe to say, diabetes management has truly came a LONG way.
How did we go from 0 to 100 with diabetes care? You guessed it, RESEARCH! Research is needed to truly determine what is the issue going on and how to best resolve it. While our generation has come a long way with diabetes innovations, we still have a long way to go. We still need to understand:
We get closer to answering these questions by exploring different areas in research, moving the needle closer with each new effort in different areas of diabetes research:
Diabetes technology is evolving fast! Insulin pumps, continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), continuous ketone monitors, smart insulin pens, manual glucometers that do not require a finger poke as well as manual glucometers that have smartphone app compatibility– these are all on the rise! As more options become available, there are more nuances to consider. It is unrealistic to expect we will eventually have the “perfect” device for ALL people living with diabetes because how each person manages their diabetes is different! However, we can aim for a future where there are enough options available, so that there is something for every single person out there living with diabetes, to make diabetes management successful for all!
There are still populations that unfortunately take much longer to get medical devices approved for considering they are higher risk. For example, there are still no insulin pumps that are FDA approved for use in pregnancy! Crazy, right?!
Recent advancements have been exciting as there are more tubeless insulin pumps (vary in amount of insulin that can be used, how long the infusion set site can be worn and how environmentally friendly supplies are) and new insulin pump algorithms (imagine – living in a world where you don’t have to bolus before eating) on the way. Make sure you keep an eye out for information on these advancements:
The more we learn the more it is evident that diabetes is a spectrum of autoimmunity, genetics, and insulin resistance. We are also learning more about WHY all of these problems happen. Scientists have established that there are eleven deficits, coined the “egregious eleven” within our body that contribute to insulin resistance.6
While this is encouraging, we still need to learn more – why do some people get diagnosed with type 1 as a child while others are diagnosed much later as adults? The more we learn about the challenges, the more of a chance we have to fix it. After all, the first step of solving any problem is identifying what the problem is.
The pharma industry is going full throttle at finding additional medications/therapies for diabetes management to help support not only your diabetes, but also provide additional benefits like protecting against heart attack/stroke/kidney disease, for example. If one tool can help with multiple areas, why not give yourself extra protection? For example, we know that GLP-1 medications like Ozempic© and Trulicity© can improve health outcomes for folks with T2D by decreasing risk of heart attacks and stroke, but it’s still currently not approved for use in people with T1D.
As research expands and therapies evolve, the line between managing and mastering diabetes continues to blur, so you will be more equipped to take charge of the battle of diabetes – and win!
We know diabetes is physical – blood sugar fluctuation can make or break if you are able to participate in an upcoming dance recital or work presentation . However, the community needs to have a continued conversation about the mental health toll that diabetes takes on those living with the condition. While innovations in tech and meds are great, there is a huge need for more resources and treatment available to make diabetes management less overwhelming, and change stigma with diabetes!
If only – all those living with diabetes could have a mental health professional and/or diabetes educator on speed dial. However, considering burnout in healthcare is a very real thing at the moment it is not looking like that will be a thing any time soon. However, what will be a thing soon, are smartphone apps that utilize artificial intelligence to analyze your continuous glucose monitor trends and provide personalized dietary, physical activity, and sleep guidance to improve diabetes management. After all, you have gotta get your mind right to get your body right!
Here are a few examples of AI smartphone apps (uses AI to analyze CGM and provide guidance on dietary, sleep, and physical activity recommendations):
Let’s play a game. You can only pick one answer. Would you rather pay for groceries, rent, or medications? An impossible question to answer, right? Unfortunately, this is reality for many people in the world, even in a country as developed as the United States.
Minorities, lower income individuals, and those living in rural communities tend to struggle with access to healthcare that meets them where they are. Research on healthy equity aims to understand why communities are facing these additional challenges, and explore innovative solutions that can help increase access to care.
An emerging area of healthcare would be how telehealth improves care, especially as healthcare moves away from fee-for-service (AKA pays healthcare professionals based on how many patients they see in a day) towards value based care (AKA pays healthcare professionals based on how many patients have an A1c less than 7%). There are studies that analyze medication affordability and negative health outcomes, focus on equal representation in study participants of clinical trials, and telehealth. Diverse representation can make or break what is the standard of care for ALL individuals living with diabetes.
“I am hopeful there will be a cure for diabetes in our lifetime – give it a few more years.” Now that you’re done rolling your eyes, I want to tell you that there have been pretty major advancements recently! The latest and greatest news is stem cell transplants. Now what the heck is that?
Think of a garden. Your garden started out beautiful – lots of flowers and fruits and veggies. However, a family of deer found the garden. They start breaking down your fence to get to the garden and eating everything in sight… They absolutely RUIN the garden. Your challenge would be 1) do you want to try to regrow the garden and 2) when you regrow it how will you prevent the deer from finding it and ruining it again? So the garden=your pancreas and the deer=the autoimmune destruction that happens. Scientists are studying a way to regrow your garen/pancreas and make sure it doesn’t get attacked again. There are two ways they are looking into regrowing your pancreas;
There is still a ways to go before FDA approval and insurance coverage is available for these therapies but in the very small trials we have there has shown a significant reduction in insulin use with some participants able to get off of ALL insulin. So fight the urge to roll your eyes next time you hear about a cure and focus on where you can support the research!!
You can make an impact and volunteer in research happening right now. Talk with your provider about how you can stay up to date on opportunities that are available. Research is more than taking a new medication or testing a new device – it even includes sharing your opinion so scientists can better understand what it means to live with diabetes and how it could be improved. These are often paid opportunities!
Next time you are doom scrolling across your socials and you see a post about something new available for diabetes care, reflect to yourself how this research moves the needle towards a future of better diabetes care (or better yet – no more diabetes to care for!).
Keep in mind, resharing the research opportunity spreads awareness, which is just as important as the decision to participate in the research or not. Change starts with one voice, one choice, one person willing to say, “I want better for myself and the future”. So go ahead: be the change you wish to see in the world…and get paid for it while you are at it.