Insulin pumps capable of saving lives: Study

Vienna: According to a study, the use of insulin pumps to improve therapy for Type 1 diabetes patients has provided positive results, including saving lives of patients.

The study was revealed at the annual meeting for the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Vienna Wednesday, Xinhua reported.

A team led by Soffia Gudbjoernsdottir from the University of Gothernburg in Sweden observed 18,000 sufferers of Type 1 diabetes, of whom 2,441 had an insulin pump, over a period of almost seven years, Austria Press Agency reported.

It was found the mortality rate dropped 29 percent when patients used the device.

Cases of fatal cardiovascular disease also reduced by 43 percent.

The pumps were originally designed for insulin-dependent diabetics whose blood glucose levels could not be adequately controlled with injections, and have in more recent years incorporated sensors to continually measure blood glucose levels and better adjust the insulin dose to the needs of the patient.

It was also revealed that milk products are capable of protecting against Type 2 diabetes, according to a study by a team at the conference.

A study of 27,000 patients aged 45-74 years of age observed that a diet of high-fat milk and dairy products reduced the risk of this form of diabetes.

Observed over a period of 14 years, those eating eight or more daily servings had a 23 percent lower risk than those consuming little or no dairy products, though the authors acknowledged the fat content itself is also not healthy.

High consumption of meat and sausage products, however, is definitely bad for those with the condition, the study claimed.