The influenza virus, also known as the “seasonal flu,” is a common virus that can cause serious complications. Influenza is particularly dangerous to people with who are at higher risk, such as seniors or people who are immunocompromised.  The flu virus is a powerful one, and all the more problematic since it evolves into a … Read more Influenza and Diabetes: Why Should I Get Vaccinated?

Cases of obesity are on the rise in Canada, and people living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) are also affected. This is a cause for concern because overweight and obesity are risk factors for several illnesses and health conditions, including type 2 diabetes (T2D) and heart disease.     People with T1D who are also … Read more Guidelines on Managing Obesity

People living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) need to manage their blood sugars, and the best way to do that is to balance their carb and insulin intake. They generally use one of the following two methods:  Fixed carb amount and insulin dose: The number of carbs to consume and the insulin dose to inject … Read more Blood Sugar Management: Insulin-to-Carb Ratio or Fixed-Carb Diet?

There are many types of insulin, and they all act differently in the body according to their respective chemical structures. But did you know that the same type of insulin can have varying absorption rates depending on the injection site?  There are four approved sites for the subcutaneous injection of insulin:  Abdomen: You can do … Read more Insulin Absorption Rate Fluctuation Depending on Injection Site

The short- and long-term benefits of physical activity are undeniable, from both a physical and psychological standpoint. For people living with type 1 diabetes (T1D), physical activity also has tangible benefits for improving blood sugar management and preventing long-term complications. However, some planning and caution is required, because the large amount of glucose used by … Read more How to Prevent Hypoglycemia During and After Physical Activity

People with type 1 diabetes (T1D) either use an insulin pump or multiple daily injections to take their insulin. Injection treatment requires using two types of insulin, and generally a total of four daily injections:  One type of rapid-acting insulin, which is active for about four hours to cover the expected blood sugar spike following … Read more New Once-a-Week Injectable Basal Insulin

The main function of the kidneys is to filter the blood’s metabolic end-products and direct everything your body doesn’t need toward the bladder. Essential elements such as glucose are filtered during the first step of the filtration process. So, when blood sugar levels are below 10–12 mmol/L, the kidneys will re-absorb all the glucose before … Read more Could SGLT2 Inhibitors Be Part of a New Treatment for Type 1 Diabetes?

Do you ever notice that your blood sugar is higher or lower than usual, and you don’t know why? Here’s a short list of potential explanations compiled by the BETTER team. Lower than usual blood sugar Meal bolus administered twice. If you use an insulin pump, you can view your history of administered boluses. If … Read more “What Is Going on With My Blood Sugar?”

Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) is a form of type 1 diabetes (T1D) that also produces antibodies that destroy the pancreas’s insulin-producing beta cells. It is commonly misdiagnosed as type 2 diabetes (T2D) since its onset is often after the age of 30 and happens more progressively than in typical T1D cases. Because of … Read more Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults (LADA): Impacts of a Diagnosis on Daily Living