After this week's newsletter story about medications that help lower cholesterol, I received an e-mail requesting more information about bile acid binding resins (also known as bile acid sequestrants). Specifically the writer wanted to know the names of some of the brands.

Symlin's maker, Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has just launched injectable Symlin via the new SymlinPe pen-injector device.

For over two years now diabetics have had access to the medication Symlin in pill form. The medicine keeps blood sugar lower for about two hours after a meal. It is a copy of a natural hormone that exists in the human body and helps with digestion.

About 7 million Americans use insulin to help manage diabetes. If you live with type 1 diabetes, insulin is essential. For most people with type 2 diabetes it is not essential, but may be helpful.

There are many different types of insulin and insulin analogs that you and your doctor can consider. Ideal insulin control comes from:

New research by orthopedic surgeons reinforces effective ways to prevent diabetic foot problems. Poor circulation, ulcers, infections, blisters, and nerve damage occur too often in diabetic feet. There are strategies you can use to keep your feet healthy.

To protect your feet from diabetes complications you should:

Weight loss drugs may be helping people with diabetes. Rimonabant is still in clinical trial, but users experienced better blood sugar management. Similar blood sugar results occured with over-the-counter orlistat.

The two weight loss drugs currently on the market only have a minor effect on weight according to the latest research. A new drug that has not yet been approved, rimonabant, seems to be a little more effective than it's rivals. However, concerns over common behavioral health side effects have kept it out of pharmacies so far.

A team of researchers from Canada and Brazil published an article in the British Medical Journal presenting the findings of 30 weight loss drug clinical trials . They concluded:

Foregoing food for a day each month stood out among other religious practices in members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS or Mormons), who have lower rates of heart disease than other Americans, researchers reported at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2007.

New research indicates a mixture of fast-acting and intermediate-acting insulin (biphasic) may be more effective at lowering blood sugar levels than other traditional insulin strategies.

In cases of type 2 diabetes, insulin therapy usually comes after many other therapies have failed to control a person's diabetes. When a person is diagnosed with diabetes doctors will often start improving diet, increasing exercise and activity, and prescribing metformin. If this strategy doesn't bring an individual's hemoglobin A1C score below 6.5 percent, doctors will often add a sulfonylurea pill.

Glucose levels in many diabetics peak in the final hours of sleep. Two slightly different events, the dawn phenomenon and the Somogyi effect are causes of high blood sugar readings. Addressing these early morning spikes may help you gain more ground in the blood sugar battle.

California managed care organizations need to do a better job of monitoring diabetes.

Do you know how well your managed care organization manages diabetes? HMOs, PPOs, health plans and health insurance companies all comprise the world of managed care. The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) is an organization that accredits HMOs and other health insurers. You can look up a report on many health benefits providers and insurers.

While the latest study on cinnamon shows that it does not help diabetes, it may not be time to dismiss the tasty spice altogether.

A recent edition of the the journal Diabetes Care reported on a study that tested doses of cinnamon to determine if it could help people with diabetes. The study found that cinnamon did not reduce blood sugar, improve insulin resistance, or lower cholesterol.