Type 2 diabetes is not uniform; it’s a mosaic of conditions, each with its own characteristics. Understanding these subtypes may improve treatment plans and help people manage their condition better.
All carbs need to be broken down by our digestive enzymes to be absorbed. Digestion of complex carbs is a much slower process than simple carbs, leading to a more gradual blood sugar increase.
Fruit bats can eat up to twice their body weight in fruit a day. But their genes and cells evolved to process all that sugar without any health consequences − a feat drug developers can learn from.
About one in six pregnant women in Australia are now diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Rates have more than doubled since the thresholds for diagnosis were changed.
For parents, encouraging healthy family diets for children from the time they are babies is one way to keep children’s blood sugar levels in check. The Indonesian government can do more to help too.
We’ve discovered a new protein produced by the liver, and found it helps control blood sugar levels in mice. This could revolutionise the way we treat type 2 diabetes in the future.
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Health Economics, Wellbeing and Society, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University