It is not know if monitoring frequency will improve as this late teen group matures into their twenties, but a trend toward less and less monitoring over the duration of this study is especially disturbing. The diagnosis of diabetes in the teen years appears to require greater support and followup if complications are to be avoided. Austrian researchers, in a small, but well-designed study, found that people with Type 1 diabetes who consumed more salt, more saturated fat, and more simple sugars were more likely to suffer progression of their kidney damage. For five years, the researchers analyzed 16 dietary factors that might contribute to kidney disease in 37 people with Type 1 diabetes and early kidney changes. Of particular interest, the intake of two fatty acids, myristic acid and arachidonic acid, was higher in those whose kidney disease worsened.
Myristic acid is a saturated fat found in tropical oils and margarine.
Arachidonic acid is a polyunsaturated fat found at high levels in cattle and pigs, but not in peanuts as many believe. Arachidonic acid intake in the U.S. diet has doubled over the last 150 years due to an increased consumption of meat, eggs, milk and cheese. People with diabetes have higher levels of arachidonic acid in their blood. Normally safely sequestered within cell membranes, arachidonic acid can released into the blood from cell membranes, especially when prostaglandin 1 levels are low. After release, arachidonic acid triggers inflammation and clotting.