[Menydh]

Diabetes—a health risk of alarming proportions

Biopeer
December 5, 2005

With avian flu cornering the limelight, one of Asia’s biggest health scares, diabetes, seems to have taken somewhat of a backseat. Since the disease is neither acute nor contagious, the urgency in governments and drug companies has not yet set in, although it is estimated that Asia will lose millions of people to diabetes in the coming years.

In this crisis, it is the wisdom of the ancients that may emerge as the panacea for this deadly disease. For generations, the people of Southeast Asia have acknowledged the Mangosteen fruit for its multiple health benefits. Today this belief is being backed by the certainty of modern science. Various studies have revealed the extraordinary benefits of Mangosteen, due to the release of potent antioxidants called Xanthones by the fruit. The latest claim to hit the headlines is that XanGo, the whole fruit puree of Mangosteen fruit, may be reasonably successful in combating the disease.

Meanwhile, Australian pharma company BioDiem Ltd has announced that it will shortly be commencing Phase I and II clinical trials for its peptide BDM-E in patients with diabetic oedema. Nearly all patients who have Type-1 diabetes for more than a couple of decades are likely to develop diabetic retinopathy. The trial will test the ability of BDM-E to reduce the swelling that’s typical of diabetic retinopathy in the back of the eye, which often leads to significant vision loss.

With diabetes showing signs of registering an alarming increase, new and ancient wisdom will have to come together to combat it.


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