LIZARD DIET FOR DIABETES: REPORT #1429

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. With type 2 diabetes, the body does not produce enough insulin, or the cells ignore the insulin, which helps the body process glucose for energy. Not processing glucose for energy can first starve your cells for energy, but overtime, high blood glucose levels may hurt your eyes, kidneys, nerves or heart. The disease is more common in blacks, Latinos, Native Americans, Asians and the elderly. The number of people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the developed world has risen dramatically in recent years, prompting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to classify the increase as an epidemic. While the disease used to be seen only in adults over age 45, the disease is increasingly diagnosed in children and adolescents -- an increase thought to be linked to rising rates of obesity in this age group.

TREATING TYPE 2 DIABETES: There are numerous methods to combat type 2 diabetes. The disease is different for every patient, so some patients will need more advanced treatment than others. Patients are encouraged to monitor their blood glucose levels closely, monitor their diet and consider exercising and losing weight. Weight loss is often beneficial due to poorly understood aspects of fat tissue activity, especially around the midsection. There are also medications available to help when basic lifestyle modifications don't control the disease. Anti-diabetic drugs for type 2 diabetes are only for patients with type 2 diabetes. These drugs can be unsuitable, even dangerous for patients with type 1 diabetes. Insulin therapy may be necessary if anti-diabetic drugs are ineffective or stop helping.

A LIZARD DRUG: Byetta (exenatide) is an injectable medicine used to control blood glucose levels in adults with type 2 diabetes. Manufacturers say it is the first in a class of drugs called incretin mimetics, which help your body produce the right amount of glucose at the right time. It can be used in combination with oral medications to help better control the disease. Byetta is a synthetic form of a substance found in the saliva of Gila monsters and it is injected twice daily. An added bonus: in a three-year clinical test, the drug also led to "healthy, sustained glucose levels and progressive weight loss among people with type 2 diabetes," say manufacturers.

Byetta was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in April 2005 to treat patients who were not able to get their high blood sugar under control using other methods. The lizard hormone is similar to a hormone in the human digestive tract that increases the production of insulin when blood sugar levels are high. Byetta also slows the emptying of the stomach and causes a decrease in appetite, leading to weight loss. Research found patients can lose two percent to three percent of their body weight in the first several months of taking the drug.