Tag: Diabetes

Using co-production to improve the way we talk about diabetes

Our medical students are using principles of co-production to improve their understanding of living with diabetes – those with a personal experience of diabetes are encouraged to take part. 

The practice and expectations of modern medicine have changed enormously over the past 20 years. The internet, social media and smartphones have transformed how we access knowledge and data and how we think about healthcare. Tomorrow’s doctors need to be equipped with the values and behaviours to serve our increasingly diverse population, recognise and respond to our global obligations and to flourish in a 24/7 culture where the pace of change can seem relentless.

The reimagined Imperial College School of Medicine’s undergraduate medical curriculum launched in September – this marked the first major curriculum review in the 20 years since today’s School was formed. As the leads of the Professional Values and Behaviours (PVB) domain, we were given the exciting opportunity to work with colleagues across the medical disciplines to rethink how and what we taught.

We wanted to design teaching that will help medical students harness their creativity to find solutions to complex problems and to nurture their resilience and adaptability. We also needed it to develop their ethical reasoning, sense of professional and moral identity, and for them to value team working and collaboration. We have aimed to create authentic, experiential learning opportunities that will support deeper learning and encourage students to see the relevance to their future practice. (more…)

Is mycoprotein an ideal food for managing blood sugar levels in Type 2 Diabetes?

For Diabetes Awareness Week, Anna Cherta-Murillo explains how mycoprotein, a food made of fungus, may hold the promise for managing blood sugar levels in Type 2 Diabetes.

If I were to ask you the first thing that comes to mind when you think of fungi, you would probably say mouldy walls, gone-off food, or athlete’s foot. The Fungi kingdom is often not viewed in a positive light. However, we owe a lot to fungi; they produce life-saving antibiotics, have allowed organ transplantations in humans and can recycle many types of waste. In the area of nutrition, some fungi also have the potential to affect human health in a beneficial way, although little research has been devoted to it compared to other foods. In the Nutrition Section of the Department of Medicine at Imperial, we are putting fungi into the limelight and studying the impact of a particular type of fungus on blood sugar levels and appetite in South Asian and European people with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D).

The problem

1 out of 20 people worldwide has T2D, with South Asians being more prone to the disease compared to Europeans (Figure 1). People with T2D have higher blood sugar levels than normal, which over time can increase the chances of developing long-term complications such as blindness, kidney disease and heart failure. It is therefore important to manage blood sugar levels in people with T2D in order to keep blood sugar in the normal range. The first-line strategy to achieve this is by improving dietary intake. Healthy, balanced diets are generally characterised as being high in dietary fibre and protein, which decrease both blood sugar levels and appetite. If blood sugar levels are reduced toward normal levels, the chances of having T2D-related complications are reduced. Likewise, if appetite is decreased, intake of energy-rich foods will likely also decrease, helping to reduce body weight, which is a key risk factor for T2D. However, an ongoing problem with healthy diets is that they are not suitable for all cultures and most of the research around them has been conducted in people of European origin, therefore not being applicable to South Asians. Furthermore, people often find it difficult to stick to these diets. (more…)

Could the EndoBarrier be the next weapon of mass reduction?

Endobarrier

In this post, Dr Aruchuna Mohanaruban tackles the most asked questions about the EndoBarrier – a medical device for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity.

UK obesity rates have continued to rise at an alarming rate, with figures higher than any other developed nation. Strongly associated with obesity is the increased susceptibility to developing type 2 diabetes (T2DM) which currently affects 3.2 million of the UK population. Bariatric surgery – a type of surgery aimed at inducing weight loss – usually by altering the stomach and/or intestines has revolutionised the treatment of these conditions and can lead to a 60% remission in diabetes. However, with demand for this type of surgery outstripping supply, there is a greater need to develop non-surgical alternatives to combat the ever-rising obesity and diabetes epidemic. (more…)