Patients with diabetic nephropathy, kidney disease caused by diabetes and treated with high doses of vitamin B, suffered rapid deterioration of the kidneys, a recent study has found.
About Vitamin B-12
Vitamin B-12 is also known as cobalamine or cyanocobalamine, owing to the presence of the metal, cobalt. Cyanocobalamine is used in most supplements because it is readily converted to active forms of vitamin B-12 in the body.
Vitamin B-12 is also known as cobalamine or cyanocobalamine, owing to the presence of the metal, cobalt. Cyanocobalamine is used in most supplements because it is readily converted to active forms of vitamin B-12 in the body.
Despite a range of treatments to curb the progression of the disease, about 40 percent of the 21 million Americans who have diabetes develop diabetic nephropathy so a new approach to treatment is needed, the authors of the study said.
Observational studies have shown a link between high concentrations of plasma total homocysteine and the risk of developing diabetic nephropathy, retinopathy, and vascular diseases, including myocardial infarction and stroke.
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Almost one-third of the people are unaware of the risk factors of diabetes. Find out if you run the risk of diabetes by using Diabetes Risk Assessment calculator.
Andrew House of the University of Western Ontario and J. David Spence of the Robarts Research Institute in London, Ontario ran a study to see if B-vitamin therapy would slow progression of diabetic nephropathy and prevent vascular events in 238 patients with type 1 or 2 diabetes.
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Quiz on Kidney
The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs, each about the size of a fist, and are located just below the rib cage, one on each side of your spine.
Healthy kidneys filter about half a cup of blood every minute, removing wastes and extra water to make urine. The urine flows from the kidneys to the bladder through two thin tubes of muscle called ureters, one on each side of your bladder. The bladder stores urine. The kidneys, ureters, and bladder are partof the urinary tract.
Without this balance, nerves, muscles, and other tissues in the body may not work normally.
Kidneys also make hormones that help
The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs, each about the size of a fist, and are located just below the rib cage, one on each side of your spine.
Healthy kidneys filter about half a cup of blood every minute, removing wastes and extra water to make urine. The urine flows from the kidneys to the bladder through two thin tubes of muscle called ureters, one on each side of your bladder. The bladder stores urine. The kidneys, ureters, and bladder are partof the urinary tract.
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Without this balance, nerves, muscles, and other tissues in the body may not work normally.
Kidneys also make hormones that help
- Control your blood pressure
- Make red blood cells
- Keep your bones strong and healthy
Patients received single tablet of B vitamins with folic acid (2.5 mg/d), vitamin B6 (25 mg/d), and vitamin B12 (1 mg/d), or matching placebo.
After they were followed for an average of 31.9 months, researchers found patients treated with vitamin B had a faster rate of reduction of kidney filtering hence kidney function compared to those on a placebo course.
Patients with the diabetic nephropathy additionally had a higher rate of heart attack and stroke than patients who received placebo.
"In addition to the personal burden, the societal burden of diabetic nephropathy is enormous, exceeding US 10 billion dollars in annual medical expenditures," the authors stressed.
Source-AFP
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